Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 7.5 (66.5)

Summary: The affliction is for his good; he should give thanks for the warning.

Greek text · Lake, LCL 25:186

καὶ τοῦτο πάντως, ἐὰν ἴδῃ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ μετανοοῦντος καθαρὰν ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος. σοὶ δὲ συμφέρον ἐστὶ καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ σου νῦν θλιβῆναι. τί δέ σοι πολλὰ λέγω; θλιβῆναί σε δεῖ, καθὼς προσέταξεν ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐκεῖνος, ὁ παραδιδούς σε ἐμοί· καὶ τοῦτο εὐχαρίστει τῷ κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἄξιόν σε ἡγήσατο τοῦ προδηλῶσαί σοι τὴν θλῖψιν, ἵνα προγνοὺς αὐτὴν ὑπενέγκῃς ἰσχυρῶς.

English · Claude translation

and this surely, if he sees that the heart of the one who repents is pure from every evil deed. But it is profitable for you and your household to be afflicted now. But why do I say much to you? You must be afflicted, as that angel of the Lord who handed you over to me has commanded; and give thanks to the Lord for this, that he counted you worthy to show you the affliction beforehand, so that, knowing it in advance, you may bear it bravely.”

About this passage

Source

Lake, LCL 25:186 · Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 2, LCL 25 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1913), 138–305 · Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library and published by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Lake (LCL 25, 1913), and from the ancient Latin version where Lake prints it because the Greek is lost (from Sim. 9.30.3); made independently of existing English translations.

Cite this passage

Herm. Sim. 7.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/herm-sim/7/5/).

Plain text

Herm. Sim. 7.5 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/herm-sim/7/5/).