← Back to Shepherd of Hermas Hub
Tap any verse and start typing. Completed verses are remembered on this device.
1“ExpLain to me, Sir,” said I, “still more.” “What,” said he, “are you asking further?” “Why Sir,” said I, “did the stones come up from the deep and were put into the building of the tower, after they had borne these spirits?” 2“They had need,” said he, “to come up through the water that they might be made alive, for ‘they could not’ otherwise ‘enter into the kingdom of God’ unless they put away the mortality of their former life. 3So these also who had fallen asleep received the seal of the Son of God and ‘entered into the kingdom of God.’ For before,” said he, “a man bears the name of the Son of God, he is dead. But when he receives the seal he puts away mortality and receives life. 4The seal, then, is the water. They go down then into the water dead, and come up alive. This seal, then, was preached to them also, and they made use of it ‘to enter into the kingdom of God.’” 5“Why, Sir,” said I, “did the forty stones also come up with them from the deep, although they had received the seal already?” “Because,” said he, “these apostles and teachers, who preached the name of the Son of God, having fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached also to those who had fallen asleep before them, and themselves gave to them the seal of the preaching. 6They went down therefore with them into the water and came up again, but the latter went down alive and came up alive, while the former, who had fallen asleep before, went down dead but came up alive. 7Through them, therefore, they were made alive, and received the knowledge of the name of the Son of God. For this cause they also came up with them and were joined into the building of the tower, and were used together with them for the building without being hewn. For they had fallen asleep in righteousness and in great purity, only they had not received this seal. You have then the explanation of these things also.” “Yes, Sir,” said I, “I have.”