The Shepherd of Hermas

Written in Rome as a book with revelatory intentions, the early Christian work known as the Shepherd of Hermas flourished especially in the second, third, and fourth centuries CE, was quoted as scripture by several church fathers, and, on the balance of manuscript attestation and translations from Greek to other languages, “is one of the most widely attested early Christian texts” (Lookadoo, 25). By contrast, outside of a niche of scholars, the book is widely unknown and underappreciated in the 21st century. 

In The Shepherd of Hermas: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Handbook (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2021), Jonathon Lookadoo seeks to enable a wide range of readers to engage with this unfamiliar book via a focus on the text and message of Hermas, the theological themes with coherence to more familiar books of the New Testament, metaphors unique to Hermas’s “apocalyptic” imagination, and a digestible introduction to the enduring questions of critical scholarship such as authorship, date, authority/canonicity of the Shepherd, and its complex history of reception within the church. Dr. Lookadoo joined the New Books Network to discuss these issues and more from his worthy attempt to invite a wider circle of readers into the range of books that inspired forms of early Christian piety.

Jonathon Lookadoo (Ph.D., University of Otago, 2017) is Associate Professor at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea. His research interests range across the first two centuries of Christian history, with a particular focus on the Apostolic Fathers, while also taking interest in the writings of Paul and John and their reception in the second century. In addition to the present handbook on the Shepherd of Hermas, he is the author of The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Cascade Books, 2023) and The Epistle of Barnabas: A Commentary (Cascade, 2022). In his spare time, he enjoys running, hiking, and KBO baseball.

Rob Heaton (Ph.D., University of Denver, 2019) hosts Biblical Studies conversations for New Books in Religion and teaches New Testament, Christian origins, and early Christianity at Anderson University in Indiana. He recently authored The Shepherd of Hermas as Scriptura Non Grata: From Popularity in Early Christianity to Exclusion from the New Testament Canon (Lexington Books, 2023). For more about Rob and his work, or to offer feedback related to this episode, please visit his website at https://www.robheaton.com.