“... Here there is found a kinship which goes beyond lexical and conceptual agreements. Extensive and coherent discussions in Hermas could be placed alongside isolated admonitions in Jas and could serve as a commentary on the latter. This is especially the case with regard to the sphere of thought related to faith and doubt. Herm. mand. 9 is the best interpretation of Jas 1:5-8 imaginable. Nevertheless, the terms used are not the same in every case. [...] In his warning against "uncertainty" or "double-mindedness" [...], Hermas writes that one who is praying should not say to himself: "How can I ask anything from the Lord and receive it after having sinned so greatly against him?" [...] This admonition is then beautifully and profoundly supported in 9.3ff: Whoever does not rid himself of that anxious question when praying degrades God, for he thinks that God bears grudges with regard to evil in the same way that humans do. ...”