Mandate 1
| 1 Πρῶτον πάντων πίστευσον, ὅτι εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, ὁ τὰ πάντα κτίσας καὶ καταρτίσας καὶ ποιήσας ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι τὰ πάντα καὶ πάντα χωρῶν, μόνος δὲ ἀχώρητος ὤν. | "First of all, believe that God is one, who created and ordered all things, and who brought all things into being out of non-existence, and who comprehends [contains] all things, but is Himself alone incomprehensible [uncontainable]. |
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2 πίστευσον
οὖν
αὐτῷ
καὶ
φοβήθητι
αὐτόν,
φοβηθεὶς
δὲ
ἐγκράτευσαι. ταῦτα φύλασσε, καὶ ἀποβαλεῖς πᾶσαν πονηρίαν ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ καὶ ἐνδύσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν δικαιοσύνης καὶ ζήσῃ τῷ θεῷ, ἐὰν φυλάξῃς τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην. |
Believe in Him, therefore, and fear Him, and having feared Him, exercise self-control.
Keep these things, and you will cast off all wickedness from yourself, and you will put on every virtue of righteousness, and you will live to God, if you keep this commandment." |
Summary
This concise yet powerful text opens the ethical section of The Shepherd of Hermas (Mandata). It lays down the theological foundation for all subsequent moral instruction: monotheism and God's role as the absolute Creator of the cosmos out of nothing.
From this core theological confession flows a clear sequence of spiritual discipline: Faith in God leads to Fear (reverence) of God, which produces Self-Control (ἐγκράτεια). By holding fast to this first command, the believer strips off evil, puts on righteousness like a garment, and gains eternal life.
Key Themes & Theological Contributions
Creation Ex Nihilo: This passage contains one of the earliest explicit formulations of creation out of nothing (ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος) in Christian literature outside canonical Scripture, exerting an enormous influence on early Christian dogmatics and apologetics (e.g., cited by Irenaeus, Origen, and Athanasius).
Divine Transcendence and Omnipresence: God contains/comprehends all things (πάντα χωρῶν), but cannot be contained/comprehended by anything created (ἀχώρητος).
Moral Sequence: Theology directly dictates ethics. Right belief concerning God naturally generates reverence, which yields practical moral self-mastery.
Significant Greek Expressions
εἷς ἐστὶν ὁ θεός: "God is one." The foundational Judeo-Christian monotheistic confession (echoing the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 and Mark 12:29).
ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι: "Out of non-existence into existence." A classic formula affirming creatio ex nihilo, establishing that matter is not eternal, but created by God's sovereign will.
πάντα χωρῶν, μόνος δὲ ἀχώρητος ὤν: "Comprehending all things, but Himself alone incomprehensible [uncontainable]." Uses the verb χωρέω to express God's spatial and ontological transcendence: He encompasses all created reality while remaining uncircumscribed.
φοβηθεὶς δὲ ἐγκράτευσαι: "And having feared [Him], exercise self-control." Outlines the psychological and spiritual progression from holy fear (φόβος) to active restraint of evil desires (ἐγκράτεια).
ζήσῃ τῷ θεῷ: "You will live to God." The characteristic promise attached to the fulfillment of Hermas's commandments—living in communion with God now and into eternal life.
Hermas: The Shepherd
Book Two
Mandates or Commandments
Book Two
Mandates or Commandments