Texts in Conversation
Awaiting execution in Carthage, the Christian martyr Perpetua sees a white-haired shepherd in a garden surrounded by thousands in white, mirroring the Shepherd of Hermas’s divine figure. Both place a shepherd in a paradise setting as a source of help.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Shepherd of Hermas 25:1
Early Christian
1 As I was praying in the house, and sitting on the couch, there entered a man glorious in appearance, in the clothing of a shepherd, with a white skin wrapped around him, and with a bag on his shoulders and a staff in his hand. And he greeted me, and I greeted him in return. 2 And he immediately sat down by my side, and he says to me, “I was sent by the most holy angel, so that I might stay with you for the rest of your days.” 3 I thought he had come to tempt me, and I said to him, “Why, who are you? For I know,” I said, “the one to whom I was entrusted.” He says to me, “Do you not recognize me?” “No,” I said. “I,” he says, “am the shepherd to whom you were entrusted.”
Date: 90-140 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicitas 2:2
Passion of Perpetua
Early Christian
2 "Then my brother said to me, 'My dear sister, you are already in a position of great honor, and you may ask for a vision, so that it may be revealed to you whether this will result in martyrdom or release.' And I, who knew that I was privileged to speak with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, 'Tomorrow I will tell you.' And I asked, and this was what was shown to me. I saw a golden ladder of marvelous height, reaching up to heaven, and very narrow, so that only one person could climb it at a time; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were swords, lances, hooks, and daggers; so that if anyone went up carelessly, or without looking upward, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cling to the iron weapons. And beneath the ladder itself crouched a dragon of enormous size, who lay in wait for those who climbed and frightened them from the ascent. Saturus went up first — he who had later given himself up voluntarily on our account, not having been present at the time we were arrested. He reached the top of the ladder, and turned toward me, and said, 'Perpetua, I am waiting for you; but be careful that the dragon does not bite you.' And I said, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall not hurt me.' And from beneath the ladder itself, as if afraid of me, the dragon slowly lifted up his head; and as I stepped on the first rung, I stepped on his head. And I went up, and I saw a vast garden, and in the middle of it a white-haired man sitting in the clothing of a shepherd, tall in stature, milking sheep; and standing around him were many thousands dressed in white robes. He raised his head, and looked at me, and said, 'You are welcome, daughter.' And he called me over, and from the cheese he was making he gave me what seemed like a small cake, and I received it with folded hands; and I ate it, and all who stood around said 'Amen.' At the sound of their voices I woke up, still tasting a sweetness I cannot describe. I immediately told this to my brother, and we understood that it meant martyrdom, and from then on we ceased to have any hope in this world."
Search:
Notes and References
"… it seems important to observe that both Hermas and Revelation were popular in the group of Perpetua. Apparently, the charged atmosphere of the time was reflected in the popularity of those books in which both persecution and direct contact with God via visions played an important role. … In the garden there was a ‘white-haired man (hominem canum), sitting in shepherd’s garb, tall, milking sheep’. For the white hair, Bastiaensen (ad loc.) refers to Revelation 1.14 where the voice that spoke to John is said to belong to a man whose ‘head and his hairs were white like wool’, but argues that canus does not mean ‘old’ in Perpetua. … As Perpetua relates, Christ gave her a mouthful of the cheese he was milking, which she took with cupped hands and ate. As has regularly been seen, the scene seems to refer to the post-baptismal rites. After baptism, the newly initiated received a mixture of milk and honey. … It seems therefore likely that the prominence of the Good Shepherd in the ‘Eucharistic’ part of Perpetua’s vision was ‘triggered’ by this picture. After receiving the Eucharist the faithful customarily responded with ‘Amen’. This is also how Perpetua’s vision ends, even though she herself did not join in. …"
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.