Does the Shepherd of Hermas teach the rapture?

Carson · September 8, 2023, 3:48pm

To continue the conversation from this post,

Ice writes,

Furthermore, The Shepherd of Hermas speaks of the pretribulational concept of escaping the tribulation.

You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Therefore, go, tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If you prepare yourselves, repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart is pure and spotless, and you spend the rest of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly.

Going back to the start of Vision 4, Chapter 1, in The Shepherd of Hermas, we read:

Twenty days after the former vision I saw another vision, brethren — a representation of the tribulation that is to come. I was going to a country house along the Campanian road.

In other words, this section does not discuss Scripture but someone’s vision.

Now let’s look at all of “Chapter 2”:

Now after I had passed by the wild beast, and had moved forward about thirty feet, lo! A virgin meets me, adorned as if she were proceeding from the bridal chamber, clothed entirely in white, and with white sandals, and veiled up to her forehead, and her head was covered by a hood. And she had white hair. I knew from my former visions that this was the Church, and I became more joyful. She saluted me, and said, Hail, O man! And I returned her salutation, and said, Lady, hail! And she answered, and said to me, Has nothing crossed your path? I say, I was met by a beast of such a size that it could destroy peoples, but through the power of the Lord and His great mercy I escaped from it. Well did you escape from it, says she, because you cast your care on God, and opened your heart to the Lord, believing that you can be saved by no other than by His great and glorious name. On this account the Lord has sent His angel, who has rule over the beasts, and whose name is Thegri, and has shut up its mouth, so that it cannot tear you. You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Therefore, go, tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and tell them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If you prepare yourselves, repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart is pure and spotless, and you spend the rest of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly. Cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will direct them. Trust the Lord, you who doubt, for He is all-powerful, and can turn His anger away from you, and send scourges on the doubters. Woe to those who hear these words, and despise them: better were it for them not to have been born. Matthew 26:24

According to his visions, he sees a woman who represents the church. He tells her about meeting a beast and escaping this tribulation because of God’s power. The woman explains, ‘You escaped from this great tribulation because of your faith. Therefore, you should tell the church that they also can escape the tribulation they will face if they spend the rest of their days serving the Lord.’

In context, it’s hard to see how this references a future church escaping a tribulation because Jesus will rapture them beforehand.

Another resource on The Shepherd of Hermas is Dr. Richard Bauckham’s studies. His article, “The Great Tribulation in The Shepherd of Hermas” situates this writing within the context of early Christian apocalyptic. Here are some of the relevant sections for our discussion:

…

The main point here is that ‘escape’ refers not to a rapture but to remaining faithful to God in the midst of suffering under persecution.

So as I look at The Shepherd of Hermas, this theme runs throughout: the author and his church are enduring tribulation - and expect more in the future - and are trusting in Jesus to deliver them from their trials.

lakshmi · September 9, 2023, 7:20pm

Thanks for pointing this out. I found the following information by Luke Wayne on CARM website useful in understanding how to receive these early writings as useful but not inspired.

Eusebius, a 4th-century Christian historian, and theologian identified the book in a category often translated “spurious,” listing it alongside books like the “Didache” and the “Epistle of Barnabas.” He explained that such books were generally considered orthodox and useful, but were not to be regarded as inspired or read in formal church gatherings. He not only distinguished these books from true Scripture but also from the “disputed” books that were considered scripture by some but were not yet accepted as scripture by all churches at that time (such as 2nd Peter and 3rd John). He places The Shepherd in a third category this is useful but definitely not scripture.

Thanks for sharing the commentary by R. Bauckham. The conclusion that Shepherd of Hermas is not a strong case for pre-trib rapture is convincing.

alison · September 12, 2023, 9:05pm

Thanks for all this! The commentary really upends the perception of rapture!

I found particularly interesting the following from Bauckham:

The doubleminded will be ‘hurt’ by the great tribulation and thereby experience God’s wrath. The repentant, on the other hand, will put complete trust in the Lord, face the tribulation with courage, and ‘escape’. It should be noticed that this result is precisely the opposite of what it should be if the great tribulation were simply a period of persecution. In that case, the doubleminded, those who apostatise, would escape, while the faithful would suffer.

With the teaching of the rapture, there’s always the sub-message: “bad things will happen, but it’s ok, we won’t have to experience it. Others will though.” Which is certainly contrary to all the teaching on suffering in the New Testament.

I also found the comparison to Daniel in the lion’s den intriguing when drawing a picture of a possible rapture. Daniel wasn’t saved out of the danger. He was saved because he was steadfast and trusted in God! I’d never really picked up on this perspective beforehand. He had to endure persecution.

To extend Bauckham’s reference to John’s repeated ‘call for the endurance of the saints’, I am reminded of sections of the letter to the Phillipians:

Only lead your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent I hear ⌊your circumstances⌋, that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not letting yourselves be intimidated in anything by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction to them, but of your salvation, and this from God, 29 because to you has been graciously granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer on behalf of him, 30 having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear about in me. Php 1:27–30.

Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Php 2:12.

This last verse is often used by some to argue for “faith + works = salvation” but in the context that we’re looking at, its all about perseverance of faith, where our only fear is of God (fear of the Lord being a positive thing). If the church is raptured before a tribulation, I see little chance of globally putting this teaching into practice (I appreciate that pockets of Christians around the world always have, and continue to suffer so that they put this teaching into practice).

Which leads to my other thought: shouldn’t the church be building up the body to be steadfast, faithful, turning our faces like flint (Isaiah 50:7) in the face of trouble, knowing we have a hope beyond it all? Is the global (and perhaps especially, Western) church being effectively prepared to be steadfast and true?