The Conditionalist Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 1

I. Two Destinations Portrayed in Multiple Forms

The treatise is distinctive in form and content. From beginning to end the “way of life” and the “way of death” are placed in paralleling contrast—the righteous living unto God and destined to eternal life, or life in the world to come; and the sinner doomed to death, loss of life, utter destruction, with God having power to save or destroy. We will follow the witness of Hermas through the three curious categories—visions, commandments, and similitudes—on the issues of life and death. First come the visions, ⁴ stressing not only the proffered life but the utter destruction for the unrepentant sinner. CFF1 786.2

1. ETERNAL LIFE AND ETERNAL DESTRUCTION

In Vision Second, Hermas launches the continuing contrast. Wickedness, evil, and wrong “worketh death,” whereas those who are “saved” will “abide unto eternal life.” He adds, “Blessed are all they who practise righteousness, for they shall never be destroyed.” ⁵ Those are the basic contrasts—eternal life and utter destruction. The pattern varies, but not the principle and the outcome. The emphasis all the way through is on life—life in Christ, resurrected life, eternal life. CFF1 786.3

2. PAST SAINTS HAVE “FALLEN ASLEEP.”

In Vision Third (“Concerning the Building of the Triumphant Church”), Hermas portrays a great tower, with Christians as the component stones, and the unfit cast out permanently, unless reclaimed by repentance. The polished “square white stones, which fitted exactly into each other,” are Christian leaders “apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons.” Some of them, he says, have “fallen asleep, and some still remain alive.” ⁶ CFF1 786.4

After describing those rough, crooked, ill-shaped stones that were “cast far away,” as not fit for the building, ⁷ Hernias asserts that nevertheless all the faithful will inherit eternal life. ⁸ And when the tower is “finished, there will not be more room for any one, but he will be rejected.” ¹⁰ Then the unrepentant hypocrites and sons of iniquity that “cannot be used” are cut off and “cast far away.” Finally, he declares, “When the tower is finished and built, then comes the end.” And he adds, “I assure you it will be soon finished.” CFF1 787.1

Some profess to see in this the germ of the doctrine of Purgatory, or claim that it teaches restoration for penitents in the nether world, by means of “remedial punishment.” But that is not the case—as the repentance is for those in this life, who are not yet cast into the fire as finally impenitent. It therefore refers only to this life. Repentance and delivery from punishment are possible, but only in this life. CFF1 787.2

3. PERSECUTION AND TRIUMPH OF CHURCH SYMBOLIZED

Like the other Apostolic Fathers, Hermas similarly touches on prophecy. In Vision Fourth (“Concerning the Trial and Tribulation That Are to Come Upon Men”), Hernias pictures a symbolic “representation of the tribulation that is to come.” He sees a “monstrous beast,” noisy and powerful, stirring up a terrific dust. Fiery locusts issue from its mouth. ¹² Next, Hermas sees a woman “clothed entirely in white,” which represents the “church.” ¹³ This beast, Hermas says, portrays the “great tribulation that is to come.” ¹⁴ CFF1 787.3

Hermas is curious as to the colors he has seen. It is explained that the black stands for the present world, “the world in which we dwell.” The “fiery and bloody points out that the world must perish through blood and fire.” But the white is “the age that is to come, in which the elect of God will dwell,” who are “elected by God to eternal life.” ¹⁵ All this was part of the curious symbolism of the tribulation and triumph—and eternal life. CFF1 788.1

4. RIGHTEOUS HAVE LIFE; WICKED NO LIFE

In “Book Second.—Commandments,” after admonishing all to have faith in God, Hermas assures us that if we have faith in Him and keep His precepts, we shall “obtain life.” ¹⁶ On the contrary, he that doeth wickedly “works death for himself.” ¹⁷ And he repeats, that if we “hear and keep” His commandments we shall “live to God,” ¹⁸ live in the world to come. Then comes the climactic statement: CFF1 788.2

“They only who fear the Lord and keep His commandments have life with God; ¹⁹ but as to those who keep not His commandments, there is no life in them.” ²⁰ CFF1 788.3

Hermas clearly does not hold to inherent, indefeasible immortality for the wicked. CFF1 788.4

5. WICKED ARE TO PERISH AT LAST

Again, in Commandment Twelfth, Hermas thrice warns against “wicked desire,” declaring it is “wild, and is with difficulty tamed.” He contends it is ruinous, destructive. It “consumes” those who are not of “good desire,” and are “entangled” with “this world.” “These it delivers up to death” and “slays” even “the servants of God.” ²¹ He declares that those who “are mastered” by evil desires “will perish at last,” because these desires are “fatal.” ²² And finally he admonishes us to “fear Him who has all power, both to save and destroy, and keep His commandments, and ye will live to God.” ²³ CFF1 788.5

6. RIGHTEOUS IN LIFE TO COME; WICKED CONSUMED

“Book Third.—Similitudes” is largely illustrations or parables, such as the lesson of the trees, the tower, et cetera. In Similitude Third, in “Winter Green Trees Cannot Be Distinguished From Withered,” leafless trees. So in this world the just cannot always be distinguished from the unjust, for they may look much alike here. But in the summer “Living Trees Are Distinguished From Withered by Fruit and Living Leaves.” The shepherd told him that” ‘Those’ ... ‘which are budding are the righteous who are to live in the world to come.” ²⁴ Thus the “fruits of the righteous” are manifest. CFF1 789.1

But the unfruitful sinners, like the “withered trees, ... shall be burnt as wood.” The “sinners shall be consumed because they sinned and did not repent,” and likewise the heathen who “knew not Him who created them.” But if we “serve Him” we shall “bear fruit for the life to come.” ²⁵ And in Similitude Fifth he adds that we are to keep the flesh “pure and stainless,” for “if you defile your flesh” you will “not live.” ²⁶ Burning here certainly denotes suffering, but not endless suffering. CFF1 789.2

7. WICKED DESTINED TO EVERLASTING RUIN

Similitude Sixth touches on voluptuousness that brings death and corruption. Those with whom there is “no return to life through repentance” only add to their sins and blaspheme the name of the Lord. Such “are appointed unto death.” They have been “perverted from the truth.” But even among those steeped in corruption there is “hope of repentance, by which it is possible to live.” Thus again the contrasts are brought into view—a hope of “renewal” for some; but for others “death has everlasting ruin.” ²⁷ There are punishments and tortures for sin, but he is describing “tortures such as occur during life.” And of such as respond to God’s overtures, he says, “For the rest of the days of their life they are subject to the Lord with pure hearts.” ²⁸ This is all during life, and before death. No probation after death is here offered, as some have professed to see. CFF1 789.3

8. PUNISHMENT IS PROPORTIONATE TO SIN

As to the duration of the punishment of the wicked, in chapter four Hermas asked the tall shepherd whether those who engage in sin are “tortured for the same period of time that they have indulged in luxury and deceit.” ²⁹ And the answer is, Longer—the time of indulgence is short, but that of punishment is long. But that neither involves nor implies endless suffering. Having life, they gave themselves “over to death”; and the warning is “If they continue in them, and do not repent, they bring death upon themselves.” ³⁰ CFF1 790.1

And in Similitude Eighth, under the simile of a tree and withered branches, he adds that “‘repentance involves life to sinners, but non-repentance death.’” ³¹ Among the repentant, then, is found the “life of the Lord,” but among “transgressors, death.” ³² Such half-withered branches “lost their lives through the wickedness which they committed.” ³³ CFF1 790.2

9. INCORRIGIBLY WICKED “DIE FOR EVER.”

The parable of the tower is again referred to, in Similitude Ninth. The tower is “the Church,” ³⁴ “‘founded on the word of the almighty and glorious Name, and it is kept together by the invisible power of the Lord.’” ³⁵ That tower “will be finished.” Hermas’ former recital of the used and rejected stones will be recalled. Hermas now adds that those “‘who have known God, and have seen His mighty works, and still continue on in evil, shall be chastised doubly, and shall die for ever.’” ³⁶ CFF1 790.3

10. CONCLUSIONS FROM NOTABLE SILENCES IN HERMAS

Such is the testimony of The Shepherd of Hermas on the nature of man—with life as the reward of repentance and obedience, and death as the punishment for sin. There is no hint of consciousness between death and the resurrection—rather, man “sleeps.” There is not, however, complete constancy. There is nothing of the soul going to Heaven or Hell at death. Instead, that concept does not appear in Christian literature for another fifty years. There is nothing of Eternal Torment of the damned—only utter destruction after just retribution in proportion to transgression. CFF1 791.1

There is nothing of an immortal soul or any undying spirit—neither of those terms or concepts had as yet been introduced into Christian literature. Hermas believed expressly in the mortality of man, the sleep of the dead, immortality as the gift of God for the righteous, and that utter, final, and irrevocable destruction is the lot of the unrepentant wicked—a death in which there is no life, or return to life. CFF1 791.2