Hermas

Hermas refers to the figure associated with The Shepherd of Hermas, an early Christian text from the mid-2nd century. The name Hermas is of Greek origin, and tradition identifies him as a Christian in Rome. Modern scholarship generally treats the work as pseudonymous, possibly written by a Roman Christian layperson rather than a known church leader.

The Shepherd of Hermas is a visionary and exhortational work framed as Hermas recounting revelations received from a heavenly messenger known as the Shepherd, often guided by an elderly female figure. The text is structured into five visions, twelve commandments, and ten parables (similitudes). Its themes center on repentance and moral reform, baptism and forgiveness, proper church discipline and leadership, and the need for perseverance in faith until the end of times.

Historically, the work circulated widely in early Christian communities and was read alongside other Christian writings for several centuries. It was considered authoritative by some readers and cited by early church writers, but it never became part of the canonical New Testament. By the 4th century, its status as scripture faded, though it remained a significant source for understanding early Christian ethics, ecclesiology, and eschatology.

Manuscripts and scholarship indicate the Shepherd exists in Greek and Latin, with translations into other languages in later periods. While dating and authorship are debated, most scholars place its composition in or near Rome during the mid-2nd century. The work is valued today as a window into lay Christian piety and communal life in the early Christian centuries.