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In John, Jesus calls himself the door through which the sheep enter and are saved. In the Shepherd of Hermas, the Son of God is a similar gate, newly cut into an ancient rock, and the only entrance through which anyone enters God's kingdom.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Shepherd of Hermas 89:5
Early Christian
3 “Because,” he said, “He was revealed in the last days of the fulfillment; that is why the gate was made new, so that those who are to be saved can enter through it into the kingdom of God. 4 Did you see,” he said, “that the stones that came through the gate went into the building of the tower, but those that did not come through it were thrown back to their own place?” “I saw, Sir,” I said. “So,” he said, “no one will enter God’s kingdom unless he receives the name of His Son. 5 For if you want to enter a city that is walled and has only one gate, can you enter that city except through its gate?” “How, Sir,” I said, “could it be done any other way?” “Just as you cannot enter a city except through its gate,” he said, “so no one can enter the kingdom of God except through the name of His beloved Son. 6 Did you see,” he said, “the crowd that is building the tower?” “I saw it, Sir,” I said. “They,” he said, “are all glorious angels. The Lord is walled all around with these. But the gate is the Son of God; there is only one entrance to the Lord. No one will come in to Him except through His Son.
John 10:9
New Testament
1 “I tell you the solemn truth, the one who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The doorkeeper opens the door for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep out, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him because they do not recognize the stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus told them this parable, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the solemn truth, I am the door for the sheep. 8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.
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Notes and References
“... The image of the Son of God as door or gate [...] in Sim. 9.12.1 evokes John 10:9, though a different word is used there [...]. [...] Door: John 10:7, 9; Ignatius Phld. 9.1; perhaps 1 Clem. 48.2-4. No direct dependence on 1 Cor 10:4 or John 10:7, 9 can be demonstrated, but in both cases the images must have had wider circulation in Christian spirituality. [...] Thus in the same explanation, the Son of God is rock, gate, and lord of the tower. If the parable is not pushed for logical consistency, this should be no more surprising than the double identification of Jesus as gate and Shepherd in John 10. ...”
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