The Shepherd of Hermas is the strangest text from the Church's earliest period. It's at once a conversion story and a first-person account of heavenly visions. It's a poem in prose and a guidebook for morals. It exercised a powerful influence in the early centuries of Christianity, especially on the practice of the sacrament of penance.

Links

Free online text of The Shepherd of Hermas https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1647

More Works by the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/

Mike Aquilina's Website https://fathersofthechurch.com

Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio

Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of http://www.ccwatershed.org.