Ebook: Apostolic Fathers: The Shepherd of Hermas

This is an excerpt from Professor Ehrman's update of the Kirsop Lake translation of the Apostolic Fathers Volume 2. The 'Shepherd of Hermas' reads like a terrifying religious hallucination, and for all that we know, may have actually been one. Although Christian and Classical scholars are loath to admit it, there is enough evidence to indicate that the use of psychoactive compounds was known throughout the Mediterranean world - the 'Mysteries of Eleusis' being a prime example. If you think about it, what kind of person would tell a story like this today - and manage to stay out of a mental institution? "Straight jacket! Haldol! Next patient!"