Chapter Four. Angelomorphic Pneumatology In The Shepherd Of Hermas

Abstract

This chapter considers an early Christian apocalypse which enjoyed huge popularity in the early centuries, and which Clement of Alexandria read with evident affection and reverence: the Shepherd of Hermas. It discusses, first, the Shepherds use of πνeῦμα for angelic entities, then its use of πνeῦμα for the Son of God, and finally proposes a rereading of the Fifth Similitude, the ultimate test case for any theory on the Shepherds views on angels and spirits. In submitting to the current scholarly consensus, the author assumes that the Shepherd of Hermas is a unitary text from the early decades of the second century. It appears, in conclusion, that together with Revelation and Clements elders, the Shepherd is part of this early Christian tradition that reworked the Second Temple notion of the seven principal angels, using it in the service of pneumatology.Keywords: angelomorphic pneumatology; Clement of Alexandria; Fifth Similitude; Shepherd of Hermas; Son of God