We will now begin a study in the book of The Shepherd of Hermas and covering the 12 commandments that Hermas was given by a malach (angel) of repentance that guides the people of YAHWEH into righteousness. These commandments are not “additions” to the Torah, rather they just give detailed insights to further explain what YAHWEH expects out of us and how narrow this path is. So, the first command that the malach of repentance gives to Hermas is “Belief in One ELOHIM and that He created all things.”
Firstly, I would like to give some background information concerning this book for anyone who is unfamiliar with this work. The Encyclopedia Britannica says:
“An IMPORTANT piece of patristic (writings of the early “church fathers”) literature, it was regarded AS SCRIPTURE by St. Irenaeus, St. Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian. However, the Muratorian Canon denied that it was inspired, and St. Jerome stated that it was known very little in the Western assembly. Much more popular in the EASTERN ASSEMBLY, the work is contained in the 4th century Codex Sinaiticus of the Greek Scriptures. Manuscripts in Greek, Latin, and Ethiopic and fragments in Coptic and Persian exist.”
This same article states this as well:
“Type of Jewish Christianity-STILL ADHERING TO THE MOSAIC LAW (TORAH)-evident in Rome during 2nd century. The Shepherd of Hermas was ORIGINALLY INCLUDED TO CANONICAL RANK and was bound WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT in the Codex Sinaiticus. It was listed between the Book of Acts and the Acts of Paul in the list of the Codex Claromontanus. Eventually, the text fell out of favor among the Christian bishops and it was excluded from the finalized list of canonical scriptures.”
A few things I would like to mention is that the early “church fathers” as they are called, considered this book to be canon and that they were still following the Torah as the article mentions adhering to the “Mosaic laws”. So, these are early assemblies not too far removed from the days of the apostles who are following Torah and accepted this book as canon. Irenaeus was a commandment keeper and even wrote a book called “Against Heresies”, this shows you that he was not saying the Torah was done away with. Secondly, The Shepherd of Hermas was widely accepted in the Assembly of the East where the Scriptures originate, which has an Eastern mindset, but rejected in the Western world that has adopted an anti-torah, pagan, Roman mindset; so its no wonder this book was rejected in the western world. It is also my belief that this book was rejected because of it’s views on divorce and remarriage which we will cover in the fourth commandment YAHWEH willing; and also how this book tells followers of YESHUA to keep the commandments, which further proves that many in the early assembly not far removed from the days of YESHUA and the apostles did not believe the Torah was done away with.
The Shepherd of Hermas is said to have been written in 150 AD. The Ambrosia Library at Milan by Muratori said that Shepherd was written in Rome (where Hermas is mentioned in Romans) quite recently “In our times”, and that its author was Hermas, a brother of Pius who was then bishop and Rome, which would mean this is the same Hermas that is mentioned in:
Romans 16:14
“Send peace to Asyncritus and Phlegon, and HERMAS, and Patrobas, and Hermes, and the brothers who are with them.”
And Hermas is said to be one of the 70 disciples that YESHUA sent out in:
Luke 10:1
“After these things, YESHUA appointed seventy from His OTHER disciples and sent them two by two before His face to all regions and cities that He was about to go.”
First Commandment: Believe in One ELOHIM
With that background information which establishes the importance of this book let us now examine the first command that Hermas was given by the malach of repentance.
“First of all, believe that there is ONE ELOHIM who created and finished all things, and made all things out of nothing. He alone is able to contain the whole, but Himself cannot be contained. Have belief therefore in Him, and fear Him, and fearing Him, exercise self-control. Keep these commands, and you will cast away from you all wickedness, and put on the strength of righteousness (Deuteronomy 6:25), and live to ELOHIM, if you keep this commandment.”
Hermas is told to fear ELOHIM:
Ecclesiastes 12:13 (Aramaic Peshitta)
“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: FEAR YAHWEH and keep His commandments; this given by ONE MASTER TO EVERY MAN.”
Next, as we are told to believe in One ELOHIM and that He created all things and we know that YAHWEH and YESHUA are One (Echad) so that means that both had to be present during the creation account. I have done a message on this previously, but now we are going to take a deeper look into the matter especially for those who doubt YESHUA’s pre-existence and His Oneness with YAHWEH the Father.
Revelation 19:13 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And He was clothed with a vesture sprinkled with blood; and His Name is called, “THE WORD OF ELOHIM.”
John 1:1-3 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“In the beginning was the Miltha/WORD (Physical Manifestation of YAHWEH, the Substance of YAHWEH). And that Miltha/WORD was with ELOHIM. And ELOHIM was that Miltha. This was with ELOHIM IN THE BEGINNING. Everything EXISTED THROUGH HIS HANDS, and without Him not even one thing existed of the things which have existed.”
John 1:1-3 (Hebrew Besorah/Gospel)
“In the beginning the SON was ELOAH. The SON OF EL (God) was both with EL, and the SON OF EL was ELOAH. This One was in the beginning with EL. All things were MADE BY HIM; and without Him NOTHING WAS MADE, of that which was made.”
Notice how the Aramaic says that everything came into existence “through the hands of YESHUA who is the Word of YAHWEH!”
Andrew Gabriel Roth’s comments saying, “Literal Aramaic reading; “through His hands” indicates the Word as a CREATIVE FORCE, like a SCULPTOR working under the orders of a King.”
Job 12:8-9
“Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach you; and the fishes of the sea shall declare to you. Who does not know in all these that the HAND OF YAHWEH made them?” And YESHUA sits at the right HAND OF YAHWEH!
John 1 shows us plainly that YESHUA was in the beginning with YAHWEH, so how do we make this work in the creation account? Firstly, YAHWEH and YESHUA are ONE and I see it this way, YAHWEH spoke the words as the orders of a King and YESHUA the Word went forth as a sculptor and created it. We will see the usage of that in this article as The Word of YAHWEH doing the action and other scriptures about the WORD creating!
John 15:10
“If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept the commandments of My Father, and I abide in His love.”
YESHUA always obeyed the command of His Father, and we see the same thing happening during the creation account as YESHUA obeyed what was spoken and He went forth created everything.
An article written that discusses the Book of Adam and Eve says:
Last week Jeff brought up the use of "the Word" in The First Book of Adam and Eve. Many say the main story was created/written down around 2 to 3 hundred years before Christ, though additions continued into the 3rd century A.D. Of the numerous apocryphal works written, this one seems to have been most influential on early theologians, and was widely popular from the 3rd to the 13th century A.D.
This book is a written history of what happened in the days of Adam and Eve after they were cast out of the garden. Although considered to be pseudepigraphic by some, it carries significant meaning and insight into events of that time.
In it, there seem to be basically three heavenly beings that interact with Adam and Eve: ELOHIM, His malachim (angels), and the Word of ELOHIM (YESHUA). ELOHIM is usually the one speaking, but when ACTION is taken, He sends angels or the Word of ELOHIM to do it. Plus at times ELOHIM says the plan and covenant with Adam is to eventually send His "Word" in the flesh to save them (We know this is YESHUA based on John 1). We saw in our study last week that the "Word of YAHWEH" as used in the Tanakh (Old Testament) was the visual manifestation of YAHWEH. We saw that the Hebrew Scriptures taught a second YAHWEH. The First Book of Adam and Eve collaborates this idea…”
Jubilees 12:4
“Worship the ELOHIM of heaven, who causes the rain and the dew to descend on the earth, and does everything upon the earth. He has created everything by HIS WORD, and all life is from before His face.”
Psalms 33:6
“By the WORD OF YAHWEH were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
Hebrews 11:3
“For by belief we understand that the worlds were shaped BY THE WORD OF ELOHIM; and that things seen originated from those that are not seen.”
2 Esdras 6:38-43
“I said, “O YAHWEH ELOHIM, You didst speak at the beginning of creation, and didst say on the first day, ‘Let heaven and earth be made,’ and thy WORD ACCOMPLISHED THE WORK. And then the Spirit was hovering, and darkness and silence embraced everything, and the sound of man’s voice was not yet there. Then You didst command that a ray of light be brought forth from Your treasuries, so that Your works might then appear. Again, on the second day, You didst create the spirit of the firmament, and didst command HIM to separate the waters, that one part might move upward and the other part remain beneath. On the third day, You didst command the waters to be gathered together in the seventh part of the earth; six parts You didst dry up and keep so that some of them might be planted and cultivated and be of service before You. For Your WORD WENT FORTH, and at once the work was done.”
2 Baruch 21:4
“O He who has made the earth, hear me, He who fastened the firmament by HIS WORD, Who made firm the height of the heavens by the spirit, He who called from the beginning of the world that which had not yet come to be, and they obey You!”
2 Baruch 54:13
“For with Your mind You guide all creatures, Whom Your RIGHT HAND CREATED, and You have established every source of light beside You, and You have prepared the reservoirs of wisdom under Your throne.”
Baruch says “Your Right Hand created all creatures” and we know that YESHUA sits at the Right Hand of YAHWEH.
Mark 14:61-62
“But He was silent and did not answer him anything. And again the high priest asked Him and said, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” And YESHUA said to Him, I AM. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the RIGHT HAND of power and coming upon the clouds of heaven.”
Shepherd of Hermas Chapter 3
“Lo, the ELOHIM of powers, Who by His invisible strong power and great wisdom has created the world, and by His esteemed counsel has surrounded His creation with beauty, and by HIS STRONG WORD has fixed the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth upon the waters, and by His own wisdom and providence has created His kodesh (set-apart) assembly, which He has blessed, lo!”
Colossians 1:12-19 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And may, with joy, give thanks to ELOHIM the Father Who has fitted us for a portion of the inheritance of the Set Apart (kodesh) believers in light; and has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son by Whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins: Who is the LIKENESS OF THE INVISIBLE ELOHIM and the First-born of all creatures: And by Him was CREATED EVERYTHING that is in heaven and on earth, all that is visible and all that is invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; everything was through Him and was CREATED BY HIM: and He was PRIOR TO ALL, and by Him EVERYTHING EXISTS.”
John 1:1-3 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“In the beginning was the Miltha/Word (Physical Manifestation of YAHWEH, the Substance of YAHWEH). And that Miltha/Word was with ELOHIM. And ELOHIM was that Miltha. This was with ELOHIM IN THE BEGINNING. Everything EXISTED THROUGH HIS HANDS, and without Him not even one thing existed of the things which have existed.”
Hebrews 1:1-2 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“In many ways and many forms, ELOHIM anciently conversed with our ancestors by the prophets: but in these latter days, He has conversed with us by His Son Whom He has constituted heir of all things, and by Whom HE MADE THE WORLDS…”
Revelation 3:14 (Aramaic English New Testament)
“And to the messenger of the assembly which is at Laodicea, write: “These things says the Ahmein, the witness, the faithful, the true, the CHIEF OF THE CREATION OF ELOHIM.”
And we know that YESHUA is the One speaking in Revelation and He confirms that He is the Chief of the creation of ELOHIM, which solidifies that He is the Word of YAHWEH and that everything was created through His hands a sculptor taking orders from a King.
As the malach of repentance aka the shepherd of Hermas told him, that if you believe that ELOHIM is One and created all things you shall live unto ELOHIM. So, do you believe that YAHWEH and YESHUA are ONE, and that YAHWEH spoke and YESHUA the Word went forth and created everything? If so, you will live unto ELOHIM according to the first command. Next week YAHWEH willing we will cover the second commandment.
As always, may our Father YAHWEH bless you all in YESHUA’s Name!