Shepherd of Hermas
Ante-Nicene · to AD 325 · 115 passages across 24 books
Commentary
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
Despise not prophesyings.
But she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth.
In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.