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The Pastor of Hermas
Chap. XXX.
"Hear," he answered, "about all these also. The stones taken out of the plain and put into the building of the tower instead of those that were rejected, are the roots of this white mountain. When, therefore, they who believed from the white mountain were all found guileless, the Lord of the tower commanded those from the roots of this mountain to be cast into the building of the tower; for he knew that if these stones were to go to the building of the tower, they would remain bright, and not one of them become black. 1 But if he had so resolved with respect to the other mountains, it would have been necessary for him to visit that tower again, and to cleanse it. Now all these persons were found white who believed, and who will yet believe, for they are of the same race. This is a happy race, because it is innocent. Hear now, further, about these round and shining stones. All these also are from the white mountain. Hear, moreover, why they were found round: because their riches had obscured and darkened them a little from the truth, although they never departed from God; nor did any evil word proceed out of their mouth, but all justice, virtue, and truth. When the Lord, therefore, saw the mind of these persons, that they were born good, 2 and could be good, He ordered their riches to be cut down, not to be taken 3 away for ever, that they might be able to do some good with what was left them; and they will live unto God, because they are of a good race. Therefore were they rounded a little by the chisel, and put in the building of the tower.
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Here ends Codex Lipsiensis. The rest of the text is from common translation corrected by the Palatine and Aethiopic. ↩
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[Born good. Not in the text of Gebhardt and Harnack (the Greek is wanting); nor do they note any such text, though the Aethiopic favours it. See [^1]p. 42, supra, note 2.] ↩
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[Here again the Latin has the reading before noted, on the circumcision of wealth, [2]p. 15, note 2, supra.] ↩
Edition
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Shepard of Hermas (Loeb)
XXX
1. Ἄκουε, φησί, καὶ περὶ τούτων πάντων. οἱ λίθοι οἱ τοῦ πεδίου ἠρμένοι καὶ τεθειμένοι εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου ἀντὶ τῶν ἀποβεβλημένων, αἱ ῥίζαι εἰσὶ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ λευκοῦ. 2. ἐπεὶ οὖν οἱ πιστεύσαντες, ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ λευκοῦ πάντες ἄκακοι εὑρέθησαν, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ κύριος τοῦ πύργου τούτους ἐκ τῶν ῥιζῶν τοῦ ὄρους τούτο βληθῆναι εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου· ἔγνω γάρ, ὅτι, ἐὰν ἀπελθωσιν εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ πύργου οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι, διαμενοῦσι λαμπροὶ καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν μελανήσει. 3. Quodsi de ceteris montibus adiecisset, necesse habuisset rurus visitare eam turrem atque purgare. Hi autem omnew candidi inventi sunt, πιστεύσαντες καὶ οἱ μέλλοντες πιστεύειν· ἐκ τοῦ αὐτου γὰρ γένους εἰσίν. μακάριον τὸ γένος τοῦτο, ὅτι ἄκακόν ἐστιν. 4. ἄκουε νῦν καὶ περὶ τῶν λίθων τῶν στρογύλων καὶ λαμπρῶν. καὶ αὐτοὶ πάντες ἐκ τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ λευκοῦ εἰσίν. Audi autem, quare rotundi sunt reperti. Divitiae suae eos pusillum obscuraverunt a veritate atque obfuscaverunt, a deo vero nunquam recesserunt, nec ullum verbum malum processit de ore eorum, sed omnis aequitas et virtus veritatis. 5. Horum ergo mentem cum vidisset dominus posse eos veritati favere, bonos quoque permanere, iussit opes eorum circumcidi, non enim in totum eorum tolli, ut possint aliquid boni facere de eo, quod eis relictum est, et vivent deo, quoniam ex bono genere sunt. Ideo ergo pusillum circumcisi sunt et positi sunt in structuram turris huius.