Shepherd of Hermas — Vision 1 · Chapter 4
Vision 1.4.1
Greek
Vision 1.4.1 When she had finished reading and risen from the chair, four young men came, lifted the chair, and went away toward the east.
Textual & reception notes
Vision 1.4.1 — Textual: Four young men carry the chair eastward. Their number and direction remain narrative details before any later explanation. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.
Vision 1.4.2
Greek
Vision 1.4.2 She called me to her, touched my breast, and said to me, “Did my reading please you?” I said to her, “Lady, these final words please me, but the first ones are difficult and harsh.” She answered me, “These final words are for the righteous, but the first are for the nations and the apostates.”
Textual & reception notes
Vision 1.4.2 — Textual: The elderly woman assigns the gentle ending to the righteous and the harsh beginning to nations and apostates; the two audiences remain distinct. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.
Vision 1.4.3
Greek
Vision 1.4.3 While she was speaking with me, two men appeared, took her by the arms, and departed toward the east, where the chair had gone. She went cheerfully, and as she left she said to me, “Be courageous, Hermas!”
Textual & reception notes
Vision 1.4.3 — Textual: Two men escort the woman, distinct from the four chair-bearers. The closing imperative urges courage rather than specifying a male-only virtue. Reception: No section-specific reception verified in the sources checked.