[rietta]

This has been a source I’ve referred to on and off for years. It’s really interesting to read some things that don’t show up in our everyday Bible. Including things that were considered not canon by the early church. I enjoyed reading the translation of the Shepherds of Hermas. It was not the easiest to follow, but in a sense it was a very popular allegory like Pilgrim’s Progress was centuries later!

[nephihaha]

Interesting to hear someone discuss Hermas. I have never taken to it personally, but have attempted to get into it a few times. Hermas was very popular at one stage, and I've even heard some people argue that it should have been in the canon and the Book of Revelation taken out. (Although both books tend towards metaphorical imagery which is not always clear.)

[rietta]

It was certainly popular enough to be included in the 4th-century Codex Sinaiticus, which is the oldest extant "complete" Bible (Genesis through Revelation) in a single bound volume. Interestingly, in that manuscript, The Shepherd of Hermas and the Epistle of Barnabas actually appear right after the New Testament. The library has published scanned copies online at https://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/. It is an epic resource for anyone studying this history or textual criticism.