{"id":82154,"date":"2024-04-02T17:05:55","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T21:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?p=82154"},"modified":"2024-04-08T19:53:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-08T23:53:00","slug":"shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html","title":{"rendered":"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &#8220;Faith Alone&#8221; (Sola Fide)"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2024\/03\/ShepherdOfHermas.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-82163\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2024\/03\/ShepherdOfHermas-213x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">[quotation marks were removed from most citations, because they were causing the text to do very strange things]<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #800080;\"><strong>\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the sidebar to the right, above the icon bar, \u201cSign Me Up!\u201d: to receive notice when I post a new blog article. This is the equivalent of subscribing to a\u00a0<em>YouTube<\/em>\u00a0channel. Please also consider\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DaveArmstrong58\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">following me on Twitter \/ X<\/a>\u00a0and purchasing\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2009\/06\/dave-armstrongs-catholic-apologetics-bookstore-49-books-paperback-e-pub-mobi-nook-book-amazon-kindle-itunes-pdf-rock-bottom-regular-prices-67-savings-for-e-books-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one or more of my 55 books<\/a>. All of this helps me get more exposure and concretely supports my full-time apologetics work. Thanks so much and happy reading!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****<\/p>\n<p>. . . all things become plain to His elect, that He may bestow on them <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the blessing which He has promised them, with much glory\u00a0and\u00a0joy, if only they shall keep the commandments of God which they have received in great\u00a0faith<\/span>. <span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/05752c.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">(<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 1, ch. 3<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/cathen\/05752c.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">)<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>You will tell, therefore, those who preside over the\u00a0Church, to <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">direct their ways in righteousness, that they may receive in full the promises with great\u00a0glory. Stand steadfast, therefore, you who work righteousness, and\u00a0doubt\u00a0not, that your passage may be with the\u00a0holy\u00a0angels<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 2, ch. 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>But you are saved, because you did not depart from the living\u00a0God, and on account of your simplicity and great self-control. These have saved you, if you remain steadfast. And <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">they will save all who act in the same manner, and walk in guilelessness and simplicity. Those who possess such\u00a0virtues\u00a0will wax strong against every form of\u00a0wickedness, and will abide unto\u00a0eternal life. Blessed are all they who practice righteousness, for they shall never be destroyed.<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 2, ch. 3<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Those, she said, which go into the building without being polished, are <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">those whom God has approved of, for they walked in the straight ways of the Lord and practiced His commandments<\/span>. But who are those who are in the act of being brought and placed in the building? They are <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">those who are young in faith and are faithful. But they are admonished by the angels to do good<\/span>, for no iniquity has been found in them . . . (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 3, ch. 5<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>They are the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">sons of iniquity, and they\u00a0believed\u00a0in hypocrisy, and\u00a0wickedness\u00a0did not depart from them. For this reason they are not saved<\/span>, since they cannot be used in the building <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">on account of their iniquities<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 3, ch. 6<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>. . . he will <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">restrain himself from all evil\u00a0works<\/span>, believing that, if he restrain himself from all\u00a0evil\u00a0desire, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">he will inherit\u00a0eternal life<\/span> . . . <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">For from Faith arises Self-restraint; from Self-restraint, Simplicity; from Simplicity, Guilelessness; from Guilelessness, Chastity; from Chastity, Intelligence; and from Intelligence, Love<\/span>.\u00a0The\u00a0deeds, then, of these are pure, and chaste, and divine. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Whoever devotes himself to these, and is able to hold fast by their works, shall have his dwelling in the tower with the\u00a0saints\u00a0of\u00a0God<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 3, ch. 8<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>. . . the mercy of the Lord, who has dropped His righteousness down upon you, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">that you may be justified and sanctified from all your iniquity and depravity<\/span> . . . (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 3, ch. 9<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>You have escaped from great tribulation <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">on account of your\u00a0faith<\/span>, and because you did not\u00a0doubt in the presence of such a beast. . . . If then you prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and you spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 4, ch. 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>. . . <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">those elected by God\u00a0to\u00a0eternal life will be spotless and pure.<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02011.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. I, Vision 4, ch. 3<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>**<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Put on a\u00a0holiness<\/span>\u00a0in which there is no\u00a0wicked\u00a0cause\u00a0of offense, but all\u00a0deeds\u00a0that are equable and joyful. Practise goodness; and from the rewards of your labours, which\u00a0God gives you, give to all the needy in simplicity, not hesitating as to whom you are to give or not to give. Give to all, for God wishes His gifts to be shared among all. . . . <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">He, then, who gives is guiltless<\/span>. For as he received from the Lord, so has he accomplished his service in simplicity, not hesitating as to whom he should give and to whom he should not give. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">This service, then, if accomplished in simplicity, is glorious\u00a0with\u00a0God. He, therefore, who thus ministers in simplicity, will live to\u00a0God.<\/span> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>And I said,\u00a0<q>Sir, I feel that life has come back to me in listening attentively to these commandments; for I\u00a0know\u00a0that <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">I shall be saved, if in future I\u00a0sin\u00a0no more<\/span>.<\/q>\u00a0And he said,\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><q>You will be saved, you and all who keep these commandments.<\/q><\/span>\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 4, ch. 3<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><q>I should like, sir,<\/q>\u00a0said I,\u00a0<q>to\u00a0know\u00a0the power of\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">anger<\/span>, that I may guard myself against it.<\/q>\u00a0And he said,\u00a0<q><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">If you do not guard yourself against it, you and your house lose all hope of salvation. Guard yourself, therefore, against it.<\/span><\/q>(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 5, ch. 1<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>This commandment exhibits <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the\u00a0deeds\u00a0of\u00a0faith<\/span>, . . .\u00a0<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">doing them you may live to\u00a0God<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 6, ch. 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><q>Fear,<\/q>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #000000;\">said he,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><q><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the Lord, and keep His commandments.<\/span> [<span id=\"note020197\" class=\"stiki\">Ecclesiastes 12:13]<\/span>\u00a0For if you keep the commandments of\u00a0God, you will be powerful in every action, and every one of your actions<\/q>. . . <q>Fear, then, the Lord, and you will live to Him, and <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">as many as\u00a0fear\u00a0Him and keep His commandments will live to\u00a0God<\/span>.<\/q>\u00a0<q>Why,<\/q>\u00a0said I,\u00a0<q>sir, did you say in regard to those that keep His commandments, that they will live to God?<\/q>\u00a0<q>Because,<\/q>\u00a0says he,\u00a0<q>all creation fears the Lord, but all creation does not keep His commandments. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">They only who\u00a0fear\u00a0the Lord and keep His commandments have life with\u00a0God; but as to those who keep not His commandments, there is no life in them<\/span>.\u201d (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 7)<\/a><\/q><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">And tell me, sir, say I, the nature of the good deeds, that I may walk in them and wait on them, so that doing them I can be saved<\/span>. Listen, says he, to the good deeds which you ought to do, and in regard to which there is no self-restraint requisite. <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">First of all there is faith, then fear of the Lord, love, concord, words of righteousness, truth, patience. Than these, nothing is better in the life of men. If any one attend to these, and restrain himself not from them, blessed is he in his life<\/span>. Then there are <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the following attendant on these<\/span>: helping widows, looking after orphans and the needy, rescuing the servants of God from necessities, the being hospitable \u2014 for in hospitality good-doing finds a field \u2014 never opposing any one, the being quiet, having fewer needs than all men, reverencing the aged, practising righteousness, watching the brotherhood, bearing insolence, being long-suffering, encouraging those who are sick in soul, not casting those who have fallen into sin from the faith, but turning them back and restoring them to peace of mind, admonishing sinners, not oppressing debtors and the needy, and if there are any other actions like these. Do these seem to you good? says he. For what, sir, say I, is better than these? <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Walk then in them, says he, and restrain not yourself from them, and you will live to God. Keep, therefore, this commandment. If you do good, and restrain not yourself from it, you will live to God. All who act thus will live to God. And, again, if you refuse to do evil, and restrain yourself from it, you will live to God. And all will live to God who keep these commandments, and walk in them. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 8<\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Now I say to you, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">If you do not keep them, but neglect them, you will not be saved<\/span>, nor your children, nor your house, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">since you have already determined for yourself that these commandments cannot be kept by man.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02012.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. II, Commandment 12, ch. 3<\/a>)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>**<\/p>\n<p>Have a care, then, you who serve the Lord, and have Him in your heart, that you <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">work the works of\u00a0God, remembering His commandments<\/span> and promises which He promised, and\u00a0believe\u00a0that <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">He will bring them to pass if His commandments be observed<\/span>. Instead of lands, therefore, buy afflicted\u00a0souls, according as each one is able, and visit\u00a0widows\u00a0and\u00a0orphans, and do not overlook them; and spend your\u00a0wealth and all your preparations, which you received from the Lord, upon such lands and houses. For to this end did the Master make you rich, that you might perform these services unto Him; . . . <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">work your own work, and you will be saved<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 1<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>So also poor men interceding with the Lord on behalf of the rich, increase their riches; and the rich, again, aiding the poor in their necessities, satisfy their\u00a0souls. Both, therefore, are <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">partners in the righteous work. He who does these things shall not be deserted by\u00a0God, but shall be enrolled in the books of the living<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Keep this flesh pure and stainless<\/span>, that the Spirit which inhabits it may bear\u00a0witness to it, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">and your flesh may be justified<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 5, ch. 7<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>. . .<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> the commandments<\/span> . . .\u00a0 <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">are<\/span> excellent, and powerful, and glorious, and <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">able to save a man\u2019s\u00a0soul<\/span>, . . . (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 6, ch. 1<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>They did not, however, depart from\u00a0God, but remained in the\u00a0faith, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">although not working the works of\u00a0faith<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 8, ch. 9<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>What, then, sir, I said, if these men, being such as they are, repent and put away their desires after these women, and return again to the virgins, and walk in their strength and in their works, shall they not enter into <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">the house of God<\/span>? <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">They shall enter in<\/span>, he said, <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">if they<\/span> put away the works of these women, and put on again the strength of the virgins, and <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">walk in their works<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 9, ch. 14<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>And <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">all who follow out his commands shall have life, and great\u00a0honour with the Lord<\/span>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 10, ch. 2<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Whoever, therefore, shall walk in these commandments, shall have life<\/span>, and will be\u00a0happy in his life; but <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">whosoever shall neglect them shall not have life<\/span>, and will be unhappy in this life. . . .<\/span> Do good works<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\">therefore, you who have received good from the Lord;<\/span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">lest<\/span>, <span style=\"color: #000000;\">while you delay to do them, the building of the tower be finished, and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">you be rejected from the edifice<\/span> . . . (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/02013.htm\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Bk. III, Similitude 10, ch. 4<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Related Reading<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2023\/01\/polycarp-vs-faith-alone-vs-jason-engwer.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Polycarp vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d (vs. Jason Engwer)<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[1-27-23]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncregister.com\/blog\/st-polycarp-did-not-believe-in-faith-alone\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">St. Polycarp, Who Learned the Faith From an Apostle, Did Not Believe in \u2018Faith Alone\u2019<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[<em>National Catholic Register<\/em>, 2-26-23]<br>\n<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">*<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/02\/faith-alone-in-the-early-church-fathers-vs-jordan-cooper.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Faith Alone in the Early Church Fathers? (vs. Jordan Cooper) \u2014 Includes Clement of Rome (d. c. 101) &amp; Polycarp (d. 155) vs. Faith Alone<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[2-28-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">*<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/03\/church-fathers-sola-fide-vs-jordan-cooper.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Church Fathers &amp; <em>Sola Fide<\/em> (vs. Jordan Cooper) Incl. St. Ignatius of Antioch vs. Faith Alone; Epistle to Diognetus; Council of Trent on Justification by Faith &amp; Imputation; Anti-Catholicism in the Lutheran Confessions<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[3-6-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/03\/clement-of-alexandria-c-150-c-215-vs-faith-alone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 \u2013 c. 215) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[3-27-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/03\/theophilus-of-antioch-d-c-180-vs-faith-alone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Theophilus of Antioch (d. c. 180) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[3-27-24]<\/span><br>\n*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/st-justin-martyr-100-165-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">St. Justin Martyr (100-165) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d (<em>Sola Fide<\/em>)<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-1-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/st-irenaeus-130-202-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">St. Irenaeus (130-202) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d (<em>Sola Fide<\/em>)<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-1-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/tertullian-d-c-220-vs-faith-alone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Tertullian (d. c. 220) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-2-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/hippolytus-d-c-235-vs-faith-alone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Hippolytus (d. c. 235) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-3-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/origen-c-185-c-253-vs-faith-alone.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Origen (c. 185 \u2013 c. 253) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-3-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/st-cyprian-210-258-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">St. Cyprian (210-258) vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d (<em>Sola Fide<\/em>)<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-8-24]<\/span><br>\n*<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/church-fathers-vs-faith-alone-handy-capsule-proofs.html\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\">Church Fathers vs. \u201cFaith Alone\u201d: Handy Capsule Proofs<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">[4-8-24]<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">*<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>*<\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<p>*<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Practical Matters<\/em><\/strong>: Perhaps some of my 4,600+ free online articles (the most comprehensive \u201cone-stop\u201d Catholic apologetics site) or <a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2009\/06\/dave-armstrongs-catholic-apologetics-bookstore-49-books-paperback-e-pub-mobi-nook-book-amazon-kindle-itunes-pdf-rock-bottom-regular-prices-67-savings-for-e-books-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fifty-five books<\/a>\u00a0have helped you (by God\u2019s grace) to decide to\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/11\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">become Catholic<\/a>\u00a0or to\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2014\/01\/feedback-comments-on-my-writing-from-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">return to the Church<\/a>,\u00a0or better understand some doctrines and\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2021\/02\/the-biblical-basis-of-apologetics-defense-of-christianity.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>why<\/em>\u00a0we believe them<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Or you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general. If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. I\u2019m always in need of more funds: especially\u00a0<em>monthly<\/em>\u00a0support. \u201cThe laborer is worthy of his wages\u201d (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV). 1 December 2021 was my 20th anniversary as a\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2006\/07\/my-literary-resume.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full-time Catholic apologist<\/a>, and February 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of my blog.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/us\/webapps\/mpp\/sem\/account-selection-signup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">PayPal donations<\/a>\u00a0are the easiest: just send to my email address: apologistdave@gmail.com. Here\u2019s also\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/us\/digital-wallet\/send-receive-money\/send-money\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">a second page to get to PayPal<\/a>. You\u2019ll see the term \u201cCatholic Used Book Service\u201d, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing (including\u00a0<a class=\" decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zellepay.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Zelle<\/a>), see my page:\u00a0<a class=\"decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link decorated-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2015\/08\/about-dave-armstrong-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong \/ Donation Information<\/a>.\u00a0<strong><em>Thanks a million<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0from the bottom of my heart!<\/p>\n<p>*<\/p>\n<p>***<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Photo Credit:<\/strong> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Jesus as the Good Shepherd, made around 300 AD in the Roman catacombs<\/span> [public domain \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Good_shepherd_02b_close.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><em>Summary<\/em>: The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church\u2019s theology of salvation was \u201cCatholic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[quotation marks were removed from most citations, because they were causing the text to do very strange things] \u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the sidebar to the right, above the icon bar, \u201cSign Me Up!\u201d: to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2331,"featured_media":82163,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[239],"tags":[1482,2342,1210,4260,18746,2343],"class_list":["post-82154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fathers-of-the-church","tag-catholic-soteriology","tag-faith-alone","tag-merit","tag-patristic-soteriology","tag-shepherd-of-hermas-vs-faith-alone","tag-sola-fide"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &quot;Faith Alone&quot; (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &quot;Faith Alone&quot; (Sola Fide)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church&#039;s theology of salvation was &quot;Catholic.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &quot;Faith Alone&quot; (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &quot;Faith Alone&quot; (Sola Fide)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church&#039;s theology of salvation was &quot;Catholic.&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-02T21:05:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-08T23:53:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2024\/03\/ShepherdOfHermas.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"272\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"384\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dave Armstrong\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\",\"name\":\"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \\\"Faith Alone\\\" (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \\\"Faith Alone\\\" (Sola Fide)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-02T21:05:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-04-08T23:53:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e\"},\"description\":\"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church's theology of salvation was \\\"Catholic.\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &#8220;Faith Alone&#8221; (Sola Fide)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/\",\"name\":\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism\",\"description\":\"Catholic biblical apologetics\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e\",\"name\":\"Dave Armstrong\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dave Armstrong\"},\"description\":\"Dave Armstrong is a Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981, and Catholicism in particular since 1991 (full-time since December 2001). Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \\\"This Rock\\\" (now called \\\"Catholic Answers Magazine\\\"), \\\"Envoy Magazine\\\" (Patrick Madrid), \\\"The Catholic Answer,\\\" \\\"The Coming Home Journal,\\\" \\\"Gilbert Magazine\\\" (American Chesterton Society), and \\\"The Latin Mass.\\\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \\\"The Michigan Catholic\\\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \\\"Catholic Answers Live\\\" (twice), \\\"Faith and Family Live\\\" (Steve Wood), \\\"Kresta in the Afternoon,\\\" \\\"Son Rise Morning Show,\\\" \\\"Catholic Connection\\\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \\\"The Catholics Next Door.\\\" His large and popular website, \\\"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\\\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \\\"Envoy Magazine.\\\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \\\"index\\\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \\\"Surprised by Truth\\\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \\\"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\\\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \\\"The Catholic Verses\\\" (2004), \\\"The One-Minute Apologist\\\" (2007), \\\"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\\\" (2009), \\\"The Quotable Newman\\\" (editor: 2012), and \\\"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\\\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \\\"The New Catholic Answer Bible\\\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \\\"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\\\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \\\"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\\\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \\\"Quotable Wesley\\\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide)","description":"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church's theology of salvation was \"Catholic.\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide)","og_description":"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church's theology of salvation was \"Catholic.\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html","og_site_name":"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","article_published_time":"2024-04-02T21:05:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-04-08T23:53:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":272,"height":384,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/572\/2024\/03\/ShepherdOfHermas.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dave Armstrong","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dave Armstrong","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html","name":"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide) Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. \"Faith Alone\" (Sola Fide)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-04-02T21:05:55+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-08T23:53:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e"},"description":"\u201cPlease Hit \u2018Subscribe\u2019\u201d!\u00a0If you\u2019ve received benefit from this or any of my 4,500+ articles, please follow this blog by signing up (email address) on the The Shepherd of Hermas, a remarkable Christian treatise dated c. 150 AD, offers extraordinary evidence that the early Church's theology of salvation was \"Catholic.\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/2024\/04\/shepherd-of-hermas-c-150-vs-faith-alone-sola-fide.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Shepherd of Hermas (c. 150) vs. &#8220;Faith Alone&#8221; (Sola Fide)"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/","name":"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism","description":"Catholic biblical apologetics","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/471eaa20e441eca4bb1ea50393cf632e","name":"Dave Armstrong","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/820e6db89734ae7a9e5dac8d498f5ac7?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dave Armstrong"},"description":"Dave Armstrong is a Catholic author and apologist, who has been actively proclaiming and defending Christianity since 1981, and Catholicism in particular since 1991 (full-time since December 2001). Formerly a campus missionary, as a Protestant, Dave was received into the Catholic Church in February 1991, by the late, well-known catechist and theologian, Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave\u2019s articles have appeared in many influential Catholic periodicals, including \"This Rock\" (now called \"Catholic Answers Magazine\"), \"Envoy Magazine\" (Patrick Madrid), \"The Catholic Answer,\" \"The Coming Home Journal,\" \"Gilbert Magazine\" (American Chesterton Society), and \"The Latin Mass.\" He also writes a featured column for every issue of \"The Michigan Catholic\": published by the archdiocese of Detroit, and was editor for most of the apologetics tracts published by the St. Paul Street Evangelization apostolate. Dave\u2019s apologetics and writing apostolate was the subject of a feature article in the May 2002 issue of \"Envoy Magazine.\" He served as the staff moderator at the Internet discussion forum for The Coming Home Network, from 2007-2010. Dave has been interviewed on many nationally syndicated Catholic radio shows, including \"Catholic Answers Live\" (twice), \"Faith and Family Live\" (Steve Wood), \"Kresta in the Afternoon,\" \"Son Rise Morning Show,\" \"Catholic Connection\" (Teresa Tomeo), and \"The Catholics Next Door.\" His large and popular website, \"Biblical Evidence for Catholicism,\" was online from March 1997 to March 2007, and received the 1998 Catholic Website of the Year award from \"Envoy Magazine.\" His blog of the same name (now transferred to Patheos), begun in February 2004, contains more than 1,500 papers, at least 500 debates or dialogues, and over 50 distinct \"index\" web pages. Unsolicited correspondence has indicated many hundreds of conversions (or returns) to the Catholic faith as a result, by God's grace, of these writings. Dave's conversion story was published in the bestselling book \"Surprised by Truth\" (edited by Patrick Madrid; San Diego: Basilica Press, 1994). Sophia Institute Press has published six of his books: \"A Biblical Defense of Catholicism\" (Foreword by Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J., 1996 \/ 2003), \"The Catholic Verses\" (2004), \"The One-Minute Apologist\" (2007), \"Bible Proofs for Catholic Truths\" (2009), \"The Quotable Newman\" (editor: 2012), and \"Proving the Catholic Faith is Biblical\" (2015). He is co-author (with Dr. Paul Thigpen) of the inserts for \"The New Catholic Answer Bible\" (Our Sunday Visitor: 2005), and editor for \"The Wisdom of Mr. Chesterton: The Very Best Quotes, Quips, and Cracks from the Pen of G. K. Chesterton\" (Saint Benedict Press \/ TAN Books: 2009). \"100 Biblical Arguments Against Sola Scriptura\" was published by Catholic Answers in May 2012. His \"Quotable Wesley\" compilation was published by (Protestant \/ Wesleyan publisher) Beacon Hill Press in April 2014. Several of his 49 books are bestsellers in their field. Dave maintains a popular personal Facebook page, a Facebook author page, and has a Twitter account as well. He offers almost all of his books in e-book form on his own Biblical Catholicism site (http:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/), at a permanent deep discount: only $2.99 for ePub, mobi, and AZW, and $1.99 for PDF. His writing has been enthusiastically endorsed or recommended by many leading Catholic apologists, authors, and priests, including Dr. Scott Hahn, Fr. Peter M. J. Stravinskas, Marcus Grodi, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Tim Staples, Devin Rose, Mike Aquilina, Al Kresta, Karl Keating, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Brandon Vogt, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, and Fr. John A. Hardon, S. J. Dave has been happily married to his wife Judy since October 1984. They have three sons and a daughter, and reside in southeast Michigan (metro Detroit).","sameAs":["https:\/\/biblicalcatholicism.com\/","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dave.armstrong.798","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@LuxVeritatisApologetics"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/author\/davearmstrong"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2331"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davearmstrong\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}