The Shepherd of Hermas

The Shepherd of Hermas (Ancient Greek: Ποιμὴν τοῦ Ἑρμᾶ, romanized: Poimēn tou Herma; Latin: Pastor Hermae), sometimes just called The Shepherd, is a Christian literary work of the late first half of the second century, considered a valuable book by many Christians, but not considered canonical scripture by the early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus. The Shepherd was popular among Christians in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries. It is found in the Codex Sinaiticus. The Muratorian fragment identifies the author of The Shepherd as Hermas, the brother of Pope Pius I. The Muratorian Fragment also explicitly states that The Shepherd of Hermas is useful for private reading but not to be read publicly in the church because it is not apostolic.