The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5
“And so, when I stopped asking her about all these things, she said to me, “Do you want to see something else?” Being so eager to observe, I was excited by the prospect. She looked at me and smiled, and said to me, “Do you see seven women around the tower?” “I see them, Lady,” I replied. “This tower,” she said, “is supported by them according to the commandment of the Lord.
Hear now about the work they do. The first of them, the one clasping her hands, is called Faith. Those who are chosen by God are saved through her. And the other one, the one wearing a belt and acting like a man, is called Self-restraint. She is the daughter of Faith. Whoever follows her will be fortunate in his life, because he will abandon all his evil deeds, believing that if he abandons every evil desire, he will inherit eternal life.”
“And the others, Lady, who are they?” “They are daughters of one an other, called Simplicity, Knowledge, Innocence, Reverence, and Love. And so, when you perform all the works of their mother, you will be able to live.” I replied, “I wish to know, Lady, about the power that each of them has.” “Listen,” she said, “to the powers they have. Their powers are connected and fol low one another in the order of their birth.
From Faith is born Self-restraint, from Self-restraint Simplicity, from Simplicity Innocence, from Innocence Reverence, from Reverence Knowledge, and from Knowledge Love. And so their deeds are pure, reverent, and godly. Whoever serves as their slave and is able to adhere to their deeds will have a place to reside in the tower, along with the saints of God.”
“The Shepherd of Hermas” 16:1-8, III.8 (c. A.D. 70-140) as reported by Bart Ehrman in Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It Into The New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) 259-260.
I’m exploring the Apostolic Father looking at three dynamics: where the early church drew the line in honoring the emperor, the connection between work and faith, and insights linked to Christian social engagement.
Today, work and faith come squarely into view. An unnamed lady narrates another vision to Hermas of the church, depicted as a tower, held up by seven women around it. Notice the connection between them.
This gives us insight into the mindset of some of the earliest Christians. Increasing our faith is the pathway to strengthen the church, and Faith is the foundation for our work. It gives birth to the other six.
Faith gives birth to Self-restraint, then Simplicity, Innocence, Reverence, Knowledge, and Love. For the Apostle Paul it was about Faith, Hope, and Love. Between faith and love we find 5 great traits in place of hope.
We see self-restraint, simplicity, innocence, reverence, knowledge. Consider their link to generosity.
When we say “No” to the lusts of the flesh (self-restraint) and “No” to the lusts of the eyes (simplicity), it positions us for generosity rooted in innocence (right living), reverence (fear of God), and knowledge of God.
All this comes together to make us conduits of love that do good deeds, which position us to find our place in the tower along with the saints of God.
What’s the lesson today. Pursue deep faith in God. Add to it self-restraint, simplicity, innocence, reverence, knowledge, and love. Do this and your deeds will be pure, reverent, and godly.
And you will dwell in the tower forever with the saints of God.