81.3 twenty-five One ancient authority reads twenty; another reads fifteen.
9.5
82 And the construction was finished for that day, though the tower was not yet completed, for it was to be built up further, and there was a pause in the construction. And the six men ordered all the builders to pause for a little while and rest, but they ordered the virgins not to leave the tower. And it seemed to me that the virgins were to guard the tower. 2 After they had all paused and were resting, I spoke to the shepherd. “Why, sir,” I said, “was the building of the tower not completed?” “The tower,” he said, “cannot yet be completed until its master comes and tests this building, so that if any stones are found to be defective he may replace them, for the tower is being built according to his will.” 3 “I would like to know, sir,” I said, “what the construction of this tower means, and about the rock and door, and the mountains and the virgins, and the stones that came up from the deep and were unhewn, but went into the building just as they were; 4 and why first ten stones were placed on the foundation, then twenty-five, then thirty-five, then forty; and about the stones that had gone into the building and were then removed and put back into their own place. Put my soul at rest regarding all these things, sir, and explain them to me.” 5 “If,” he said, “your interest proves to be more than idle curiosity, you will know everything. For in a few days we will come here, and you will see the rest of the things that will happen to this tower, and will understand all the parables accurately.” 6 And after a few days we came to the place where we had been seated, and he said to me, “Let us go to the tower, for the owner of the tower is coming to inspect it.” So we went to the tower, and there was no one near it at all, except for the virgins. 7 And the shepherd asked the virgins whether the master of the tower had arrived. And they said that he was just about to come to inspect the tower.
9.6
83 And behold, a little later I saw an array of many men coming, and in the midst a man of such lofty stature that he stood taller than the tower. 2 And the six men who had supervised the building were walking with him on his right and on his left, and with him were all those who worked on the building, and many other glorious beings were around him. And the virgins who watched the tower ran up and kissed him, and began to walk around the tower beside him. 3 And that man inspected the building so carefully that he felt every single stone. And he held a rod in his hand, and struck every stone that had been put into the building. 4 And when he struck the stones, some of them became black as soot, and some rough, and some cracked, and some too short, and some neither white nor black, and some became uneven and did not fit in with the other stones, and some badly spotted; these were the various kinds of defective stones found in the building. 5 So he ordered all these to be removed from the tower and placed by the side of the tower, and other stones brought and put in their place. 6 And the builders asked him from what mountain he wanted stones to be brought and put in their place. But he did not order them to be brought from the mountains; instead he ordered them to be brought from a certain plain that was nearby. 7 And the plain was excavated, and brilliant square stones were found there, but some were round. And all the stones that were found in that plain were brought in and were carried through the door by the virgins. 8 And the square stones were trimmed and set in the place of those that had been removed, but the round ones were not placed in the building, because they were too hard to shape and it took too long. So they were placed beside the tower, as though they were going to be shaped and put into the building, for they were extraordinarily brilliant.
9.7
84 So, when the glorious man who was lord of the whole tower had finished these things, he called the shepherd to him and handed over to him all the stones that had been removed from the building and were lying beside the tower, and said to him, 2 “Clean these stones carefully, and use those that can fit with the others in the construction of the tower, but throw those that do not fit far away from the tower.” 3 After giving these orders to the shepherd, he left the tower, together with all those with whom he had come. And the virgins stood around the tower watching it. 4 I said to the shepherd, “How can these stones go back into the structure of the tower after they have been rejected?” He answered me and said, “Do you see,” he said, “these stones?” “I see them, sir,” I said. “I myself,” he said, “will trim the majority of these stones and put them into the building, and they will fit with the rest of the stones.” 5 “How, sir,” I said, “can they still fill the same space after they have been trimmed?” He answered and said to me, “those that are found to be small will be placed in the middle of the building, but those that are larger will be set on the outside and will support them.” 6 Having spoken these things to me, he said to me, “Let us go, and after two days let us return and clean these stones and put them into the building, for everything around the tower must be cleaned up, lest the master should come unexpectedly and find things around the tower dirty and become incensed, in which case these stones will not go into the construction of the tower, and I will appear to be careless in my master’s sight.” 7 And after two days we came to the tower, and he said to me, “Let us inspect all the stones, and see which ones can go into the building.” I said to him, “Sir, let us inspect them.”
Inspecting the Stones
9.8
85 So we inspected the stones, beginning first with the black ones. They were found to be in the same condition as when they were taken from the building, and the shepherd ordered them removed from the tower and taken away. 2 Then he inspected the rough ones, and took and trimmed many of them, and ordered the virgins to take them and place them in the building. And the virgins took them and placed them in the building, in the middle of the tower. But the rest he ordered to be placed with the black ones, for these were also found to be black. 3 Then he inspected the cracked ones, and of these he trimmed many, and ordered them to be carried by the virgins to the building. And they were put on the exterior, because they were found to be stronger. But the rest could not be trimmed because of the large number of cracks, and for this reason they were rejected for the construction of the tower. 4 Then he inspected the ones that were too short, and many black ones were found among them, and some had developed huge cracks, and he ordered these also to be placed with those that had been discarded. But he cleaned and trimmed the ones that were left, and ordered them to be placed in the building. So the virgins picked them up and fitted them into the middle of the tower’s structure, for they were rather weak. 5 Then he inspected those that were half white and half black. Many of them were now found to be black, and he ordered these also to be taken away with those that had been discarded. But all the rest were taken by the virgins, for they were white, and were fitted by the virgins themselves into the building. And they were placed on the exterior because they proved to be sound and thus could support the ones put in the middle, for not one of them was too short. 6 Then he inspected the hard, uneven ones, and a few of them were thrown away because they could not be trimmed, for they proved to be very hard. But the rest of them were trimmed and taken by the virgins and fitted into the middle of the tower’s structure, for they were rather weak. 7 Then he inspected the spotted ones, and of these a few had turned black and were thrown away with the rest. But the remainder were found to be bright and sound, and those were fitted into the building by the virgins; and they were placed toward the exterior, owing to their strength.
85.5 rest Some ancient authorities read rest were found to be white and.
9.9
86 Finally he came to inspect the round white stones, and he said to me, “What should we do with these stones?” “How would I know, sir?” I said. “Then you do not notice anything about them?” 2 “Sir,” I said, “I do not possess this skill, nor am I a stonecutter, nor can I understand.” “Do you not see,” he said, “that they are very round, and that if I want to make them square, a great deal must be cut off of them? Yet some of them must of necessity b
e placed in the building.” 3 “So if it is necessary, sir,” I said, “why do you torment yourself? Why not just choose the ones you want for the building, and fit them into it?” He chose the larger and brighter of them, and trimmed them; and the virgins took them and fitted them into the exterior portion of the building. 4 But the rest that were left were taken and put back in the plain from which they had been brought; they were not, however, thrown away “because,” he said, “there still remains a little of the tower to be built. And the master of the tower is most anxious to have these stones fitted into the building, because they are very bright.” 5 And twelve women were called, whose appearance was extraordinarily beautiful, dressed in black, belted, with their shoulders bare and hair hanging loose. And these women seemed to me to be wild. And the shepherd ordered them to take the stones discarded from the building and carry them back to the mountains from which they had been brought. 6 And they cheerfully picked up and carried away all the stones and put them back where they had been taken from. And after all the stones had been taken back, and not a stone still lay around the tower, the shepherd said to me, “Let us go around the tower and see if there is any defect in it.” So I went around the tower with him. 7 And when the shepherd saw that the tower’s structure was beautiful, he was extremely happy; for the tower was so well built that I admired its construction when I saw it, for it was built as if it were from a single stone, without one joint in it. And the stone looked as if it had been hewn out of the rock, for it seemed to me to be all one stone.
Hermas and the Virgins
9.10
87 And as I walked with him I was glad to see so beautiful a sight. And the shepherd said to me, “Go and bring some plaster and a thin piece of broken pottery, so that I may fill in the imprints in the stones that have been taken up and put into the building, for it must be smooth all around the tower.” 2 And I did as he ordered, and brought them to him. “Assist me,” he said, “and the work will be finished soon.” So he filled in the imprints in the stones that had gone into the building, and ordered the area around the tower swept and cleaned. 3 And the virgins took brooms and swept, and they removed all the rubbish from the tower, and sprinkled some water, and the site of the tower became cheerful and attractive. 4 The shepherd said to me, “Everything,” he said, “has now been cleaned. If the Lord comes to look over the tower, he will have nothing for which to blame us.” Having said these things he wished to leave. 5 But I grabbed hold of his shoulder bag and began to implore him by the Lord to explain to me what he had showed me. He said to me, “I am busy for a little while, but then I will explain everything to you. Wait here for me until I come.” 6 I said to him, “Sir, what will I do while I am here alone?” “You are not alone,” he said, “for these virgins are with you.” “Then commend me to them,” I said. The shepherd called them and said to them, “I am entrusting this man to you until I return,” and he left. 7 And I was alone with the virgins, and they were most cheerful and gracious to me, especially the four of them who were more glorious in appearance.
9.11
88 The virgins said to me, “The shepherd is not coming here today.” I said, “So what should I do?” “Wait for him until evening,” they said, “and if he comes, he will speak with you; but if he does not come, stay with us until he does.” 2 I said to them, “I will wait for him until evening, and if he does not come, I will go home and come back in the morning.” But they answered and said to me, “You were entrusted to us; you cannot leave us.” 3 “Where, then,” I said, “will I stay?” “You will sleep with us,” they said, “as a brother and not as a husband, for you are our brother, and from now on we are going to live with you, for we love you very much.” But I was ashamed to stay with them. 4 And the one who seemed to be their leader began to kiss me and embrace me, and the others, seeing her embrace me, began to kiss me themselves, and to lead me around the tower and play with me. 5 And I seemed to have become younger, and I began to play with them myself; for some were dancing together as a chorus, and some were dancing, and others were singing. But I remained silent as I was walking around the tower with them, and was happy with them. 6 When evening came, I wanted to go home, but they would not let me go, but detained me. And I spent the night with them and slept beside the tower. 7 For the virgins spread out their linen tunics on the ground, and made me lie down in the midst of them, and they did nothing at all except pray; and I prayed with them without ceasing, and no less than they. And the virgins rejoiced that I prayed like that. And I stayed there with the virgins until about eight o’clock the next morning. 8 Then the shepherd came and said to the virgins, “Have you done him any harm?” “Ask him,” they said. I said to him, “Sir, I enjoyed staying with them.” “What,” he asked, “did you have for dinner?” “Sir,” I said, “I dined on the words of the Lord the whole night.” “Did they treat you well?” he asked. “Yes, sir,” I said. 9 “Now,” he said, “what do you want to hear first?” “Just as you showed me from the beginning, sir,” I said. “I am asking you, sir, to explain them to me just as I ask you.” “Just as you wish,” he said, “so I will explain them to you, and I will not hide anything at all from you.”
Explanation of the Tower and the Virgins
9.12
89 “First of all, sir,” I said, “explain this to me: Who is the rock and the door?” “This rock,” he said, “and the door are the Son of God.” “How is it, sir,” I said, “that the rock is old, but the door is new?” “Listen,” he said, “and understand, foolish man. 2 The Son of God is far older than all his creation, with the result that he was the Father’s counselor in his creation. This is why the rock is old.” “But why is the door new, sir?” I said. 3 “Because,” he said, “he was revealed in the last days of the consummation; that is why the door is new, in order that those who are going to be saved may enter the kingdom of God through it. 4 Did you notice,” he said, “that the stones that came through the door have gone into the construction of the tower, but those that did not come through it were returned to their own place?” “I noticed, sir,” I said. “In the same way,” he said, “no one will enter the kingdom of God unless he receives the name of his Son. 5 For if you want to enter some city, and that city is walled all around and has only one gate, can you enter that city except by the gate it has?” “How, sir,” I said, “could it be otherwise?” “If, therefore, you cannot enter the city except through its gate,” he said, “so too one cannot enter the kingdom of God except by the name of his Son, who was loved by him. 6 Did you see,” he said, “the multitude that was building the tower?” “I saw them, sir,” I said. “Those,” he said, “are all glorious angels. By them the Lord is walled about. But the door is the Son of God; there is only this one entrance to the Lord. No one, therefore, will go in to him in any other way than through his Son. 7 Did you see,” he said, “the six men, and the glorious and mighty man in their midst, who walked around the tower and rejected the stones from the building?” “I saw him, sir,” I said. 8 “The glorious man,” he said, “is the Son of God, and those six are the glorious angels who surround him on his right and on his left. Not one of these glorious angels,” he said, “enters God’s presence without him; whoever does not receive his name will not enter the kingdom of God.”
9.13
90 “And who,” I asked, “is the tower?” “This tower,” he said, “is the church.” 2 “And who are these virgins?” “They,” he said, “are holy spirits; and there is no other way a person can be found in the kingdom of God except that they clothe him with their clothes. For if you receive only the name, but do not receive clothing from them, it does not benefit you. For these virgins are powers of the Son of God. If you bear the name but do not bear his power, you will bear his name in vain. 3 And the stones,” he said, “that you saw rejected are the ones who bore the name, but did not clothe themselves with the virgins’ clothing.” “What kind of clothing do they have, sir?” I asked. “The names themselves,” he said, “are their clothing. Whoever b
ears the name of the Son of God ought also to bear their names, for even the Son himself bears the names of these virgins. 4 All the stones,” he said, “that you saw go into the structure of the tower, delivered by their hands and remaining in the building, are clothed with the power of these virgins. 5 This is why you see that the tower has become a single stone with the rock. So also those who have believed in the Lord through his Son and clothe themselves with these spirits will become one spirit and one body, and their clothes will be one color. And the home of those who bear the names of the virgins is in the tower.” 6 “Now, sir,” I said, “about the rejected stones—why were they rejected? For they passed through the door and were placed in the structure of the tower by the hands of the virgins.” “Since everything interests you,” he said, “and you are inquiring carefully, listen regarding the rejected stones. 7 All these,” he said, “received the name of the Son of God, and also received the power of these virgins. Having received, therefore, these spirits, they were strengthened and were with God’s servants, and they had one spirit and one body and one garment; for they had the same mind and did what was right. 8 Then after a while they were seduced by the women whom you saw dressed in black garments, with bare shoulders, loosened hair, and attractive figures. When they saw them they desired them and put on their power, and laid aside the clothes and the power of the virgins. 9 These, therefore, have been thrown out of God’s house and handed over to those women. But those who were not deceived by the beauty of these women remained in God’s house. Now you have,” he said, “the explanation of the rejected stones.”
The Apostolic Fathers in English Page 34