Shepherd of Hermas — Vision 3 · Chapter 11
Vision 3.11.1
Greek
Vision 3.11.1 “Hear,” he said, “about the forms you are seeking to understand.
Textual & reception notes
Vision 3.11.1 — Textual: The invitation to hear begins the deferred interpretation; Lake's main text does not repeat the numeral three here. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.
Vision 3.11.2
Greek
Vision 3.11.2 “Why did she appear to you in the first vision as an elderly woman seated in a chair? Because your spirit was old, already withered, and without strength because of your weakness and double-mindedness.
Textual & reception notes
Vision 3.11.2 — Textual: The woman's withered age reflects the community's exhausted spirit; the plural possessives keep the interpretation communal. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.
Vision 3.11.3
Greek
Vision 3.11.3 “For just as elderly people, no longer hoping to become young again, expect nothing but their falling asleep, so you too, weakened by worldly affairs, surrendered yourselves to despondency and did not cast your cares upon the Lord. Instead, your understanding was shattered and you grew old in your sorrows.”
Textual & reception notes
Vision 3.11.3 — Textual: Worldly anxieties produce figurative old age. The comparison's expectation of death is an illustration of despondency, not a judgment on every elderly person. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.
Vision 3.11.4
Greek
Vision 3.11.4 “Then why was she seated in a chair, sir? I wish to know.” “Because every weak person sits in a chair because of his weakness, so that his bodily weakness may be supported. You have the meaning of the first vision.
Textual & reception notes
Vision 3.11.4 — Textual: The chair supports weakness, explaining the first posture. Its meaning differs from the strong four-legged bench in the third vision. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.