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Shepherd of Hermas

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Holy Scripture › Shepherd of Hermas

The question

I was wondering what the Coptic Church's view of the "Shepherd of Hermas" is? Do we believe that Hermas actually had these visions? Do we agree with the teachings withing the commandments and parables/similitude it contains? Although likely written in the apostolic era or shortly after, do we consider Hermas in the same regard as St. Clement and St. Ignatius?

The answer

The Church of Alexandria considers the Shepherd of Hermas as spiritual literature but not a canonical book. We do not consider Hermas in the same regard as St. Clement or St. Ignatius because we do not have much substantial personal information about Hermas, but we know more about St. Clement and St. Ignatius, their lives, and legacy.

This is a good resource on this topic: https://suscopts.org/wiki/The_Shepherd_of_Hermas.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2304 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.