Texts in Conversation
In John, Jesus says the Father commanded him to lay down his life and take it up again. In the Shepherd of Hermas, the Son of God gives the people the law he received from his Father, in similar language that grounds his authority in the Father.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Shepherd of Hermas 59:3
Early Christian
1 “Listen,” he said. “The Son of God is not represented as a servant, but is shown in great power and authority.” “How, Sir?” I said. “I do not understand.” 2 “Because,” he said, “God planted the vineyard, that is, He created the people, and handed them over to His Son. And the Son placed angels in charge of them, to watch over them; and the Son Himself took away their sins by working hard and enduring many labors; for no one can dig without toil or labor. 3 After cleansing the sins of His people, He showed them the paths of life, giving them the law He received from His Father. You see,” he said, “He Himself is Lord of the people, having received all power from His Father. 4 Now listen to why the lord took his son and the glorious angels as advisers about the servant’s inheritance.
John 10:18
New Testament
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not a shepherd and does not own sheep, sees the wolf coming and abandons the sheep and runs away. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 Because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep, he runs away. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not come from this sheepfold. I must bring them too, and they will listen to my voice, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 This is why the Father loves me—because I lay down my life, so that I may take it back again. 18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down, and I have the authority to take it back again. This commandment I received from my Father.”
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Notes and References
“... The relationship of the son to the law (and what law?) is confusing. [...] The image of Christ as lawgiver is not typical of Hermas, but is perfectly consonant with the whole schema of the Shepherd's teachings presented as commandments and with the author's Jewish-Christian environment. [...] That the son received the law "from his father" is also not typical and must reflect a previously known formula; it is strikingly similar to the end of John 10:18. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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