Texts in Conversation
In Psalm 136, the psalmist praises God for spreading the earth over the water. In the Shepherd of Hermas, an elderly woman reads a prayer in similar language that also praises God for his “holy Church”, which Hermas later sees as a tower built on water.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Psalm 136:6
Hebrew Bible
5 To the one who used wisdom to make the heavens, for his loyal love endures. 6 To the one who spread out the earth over the water, for his loyal love endures. 7 To the one who made the great lights, for his loyal love endures, 8 the sun to rule by day, for his loyal love endures, 9 the moon and stars to rule by night, for his loyal love endures.
Shepherd of Hermas 3:4
Early Christian
3 When she had finished these words, she said to me, “Will you listen to me as I read?” I said, “Yes, lady.” She said to me, “Pay attention, and hear the glories of God.” I listened attentively and in amazement to things I was unable to remember, for all the words were terrifying, more than anyone can bear. But I remembered the final words, for they were helpful to us and gentle. 4 “See, the God of Hosts, who by His invisible and mighty power and by His great wisdom created the world, and by His glorious plan clothed His creation with beauty, and by His strong word fixed the heaven, and founded the earth upon the waters, and by His own wisdom and providence formed His holy Church, which He also blessed—see, He is removing the heavens and the mountains and the hills and the seas, and all things are made level for His chosen, so that He may fulfill to them the promise that He promised with great glory and rejoicing, if they keep the ordinances of God that they received with great faith.”
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Notes and References
“... The brief quotation remembered by Hermas (v. 4) is a harmonious medley of allusions and reflections in biblical style, perhaps from a liturgical context. It moves from the Wisdom theme of God's designs in creation, to the level of the church, to the soteriological level with the promise to those who are faithful to God's decrees. [...] The foundation of the earth upon the primeval waters (Pss 24:1-2; 136:6, etc.) will later form part of the background for the church founded upon the water of baptism. ...”
* 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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