Traduction Masquer
The Pastor of Hermas

Chap. V.

"Still," I said, "I do not quite understand about the time of deceit, and luxury, and torture; explain it to me more clearly." He answered, and said to me, "Your folly is persistent; and you do not wish to purify your heart, and serve God. Have a care," he added, "lest the time be fulfilled, and you be found foolish. Hear now," he added, "as you desire, that you may understand these things. He who indulges in luxury, and is deceived for one day, and who does what he wishes, is clothed with much foolishness, and does not understand the act which he does until the morrow; for he forgets what he did the day before. For luxury and deceit have no memories, on account of the folly with which they are clothed; but when punishment and torture cleave to a man for one day, he is punished and tortured for a year; for punishment and torture have powerful memories. While tortured and punished, therefore, for a whole year, he remembers at last ¹ his luxury and deceit, and knows that on their account he suffers evil. Every man, therefore, who is luxurious and deceived is thus tormented, because, although having life, they have given themselves over to death." "What kinds of luxury, sir," I asked, "are hurtful?" "Every act of a man which he performs with pleasure," he replied, "is an act of luxury; for the sharp-tempered man, when gratifying his tendency, indulges in luxury; and the adulterer, and the drunkard, and the back-biter, and the liar, and the covetous man, and the thief, and he who does things like these, gratifies his peculiar propensity, and in so doing indulges in luxury. All these acts of luxury are hurtful to the servants of God. On account of these deceits, therefore, do they suffer, who are punished and tortured. And there are also acts of luxury which save men; for many who do good indulge in luxury, being carried away by their own pleasure: ² this luxury, however, is beneficial to the servants of God, and gains life for such a man; but the injurious acts of luxury before enumerated bring tortures and punishment upon them; and if they continue in them and do not repent, they bring death upon themselves."

Edition Masquer
Shepard of Hermas (Loeb)

V

1. Ἔτι, φημί, κύριε, οὐ νενόηκα ὅλως περὶ τοῦ χρόνου τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ βασάνου· τηλαυγέστερόν μοι δήλωσον. 2. ἀποκριθείς μοι λέγει· Ἡ ἀφρονσύνη σου παράμονός ἐστι, καὶ οὐ θέλεις σου τὴν καρδίαν καθαρίσαι καὶ δουλεύειν τῷ θεῷ. βλέπε, φησί, μήποτε ὁ χρόνος πληρωθῇ καὶ σὺ ἄφρων εὑρεθῇς. ἄκουε οὖν, φησί, καθὼς βούλει, ἵινα νοήσῃς αὐτά. 3. ὁ τρυφῶν καὶ ἀπατώμενος μίαν ἡμέραν καὶ πράσσων, ἃ βούλεται, πολλὴν ἀφρονσύνην ἐνδέδυται καὶ οὐ νοεῖ τὴν πρᾶξιν, ἣν ποιεῖ· εἰς τὴν αὔριον ἐπιλανθάνεται γάρ, τί πρὸ μιᾶς ἔπραξεν· ἡ γὰρ τρυφὴ καὶ ἀπάτη μνήμας οὐκ ἔχει διὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ἣν ἐνδέδυται, ἡ δὲ τιμωρία καὶ ἡ βάσανος ὅταν κολληθῇ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ μίαν ἡμέραν μέχρις ἐνιαυτοῦ τιμωρεῖται καὶ βασανίζεται· μνήμας γὰρ μεγάλας ἔχει ἡ τιμωρία καὶ ἡ βάσανος. 4. βασανιζόμενος οὖν καὶ τιμωρούμενος ὅλον τὸν ἐνιαυτόν, μνημονεύει τότε τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἀπάτης καὶ γινώσκει, ὅτι δι’ αὐτὰ πάσχει τὰ πονηρά. ´πᾶς οὖν ἄνθρωπος ὁ τρυφῶν καὶ ἀπατώμενος οὕτω βασανίζεται, ὅτι ἔχοντες ζωὴν εἰς θάνατον ἑαυτοὺς παραδεδώκασι. 5. Ποῖαι, φημί, κύριε, τρυφαί εἰσι βλαβεραί; Πᾶσα, φησί, πρᾶξις τρυφή ἐστι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὃ ἐὰν ἡδέως ποιῇ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ ὀξύχολος τῷ ἑαυτοῦ πάθει τὸ ἱκανὸν ποιῶν τρυφᾷ· καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς καὶ ὁ μέθυσος καὶ ὁ κατάλαλος καὶ ὁ ψεύστης καὶ ὁ πλεονέκτης καὶ ὁ ἀποστερητὴς και ὁ τούτοις τὰ ὅμοια ποιῶν τῇ ἰδίᾳ νόσῳ τὸ ἱκανὸν ποιεῖ· τρυφᾷ οὖν ἐπὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ. 6. αὗται πᾶσαι αἱ τρυφαὶ βλαβεραί εἰσι τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ. διὰ ταύτας οὖν τὰς ἀπάτας πάσχουσιν οἱ τιμωρούμενοι καὶ βασανιζόμενοι. 7. εἰσὶν δὲ καὶ τρυφαὶ σώζουσαι τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· πολλοὶ γὰρ ἀγαθὸν ἐργαζόμενοι τρυφῶσι τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἡδονῇ φερόμενοι. αὕτη οὖν ἡ τρυφὴ σύμφορός ἐστι τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ζωὴν περιποιεῖται τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ τοιούτῳ· αἱ δὲ βλαβεραὶ τρυφαὶ αἱ προειρημέναι βασάνους καὶ τιμωρίας αὐτοῖς περιποιοῦνται· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπιμένωσι καὶ μὴ μετανοήσωσι, θάνατον ἑαυτοῖς περιποιοῦνται.