The Apostolic Age · c. 140–155
The Shepherd
Poimen
Hermas
What it is
Visions, commands, and parables given to a freed slave in Rome by an ancient woman who is the church and an angel dressed as a shepherd, mostly concerned with whether a Christian who sins gravely after baptism can repent again.
Why it lasted
One of the most widely read books of the early church, and the central witness to its long struggle over post-baptismal repentance.
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
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