Sermon Series: Banned Books of the Bible
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This summer on Sunday mornings beginning at 9:30 am, St. Barnabas will explore several ancient Jewish and Christian texts that were read, treasured, debated, quoted, or even treated as Scripture by some early communities of faith — but eventually stood outside the Bible as most Protestants know it today. Join us this summer as we open the books that stand just outside the Bible — and listen for what the Spirit may still be saying through them.
These books were not all “banned” in the dramatic sense. Some were deeply loved. Some influenced the New Testament. Some remain part of the Bible for Roman Catholic, Orthodox, or Ethiopian Christians. Others were considered spiritually useful by the early Church, even though they were not finally included in the canon of Scripture.
Each Sunday, one of these texts will serve as our first reading, alongside New Testament readings that help us hear these ancient voices through the lens of Christ. Together, we will ask what these books reveal about faithfulness under pressure, the power of evil, the pursuit of wisdom, our relationship with money, spiritual identity, repentance, holiness, women’s authority, and the courage to follow God when faithfulness is costly.
After the service each Sunday, Fr. John will lead an adult formation class in the library for those who want to go deeper. These classes will explore the history, authorship, theology, influence, and controversies surrounding each book.
*The first Sunday of the series, July 12, will be replaced by an All-Parish Meeting.
The 1 Maccabees session has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30pm on Zoom.
The series will include:
July 12 | 1 Maccabees rescheduled
the story of a Jewish revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes and the cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple.
*July 14 | 1 Maccabees rescheduled date - on Zoom
the story of a Jewish revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes and the cleansing of the Jerusalem Temple.
July 19 | The Book of Enoch:
an ancient apocalypse about the Watchers, the spread of evil, divine judgment, and the world to come.
July 26 | The Wisdom of Jesus ben Sirach
a Jewish wisdom book offering practical teaching on money, speech, friendship, generosity, and daily life.
August 2 | The Gospel of Thomas
a collection of 114 sayings attributed to Jesus, some familiar and some deeply strange.
August 9 | The Shepherd of Hermas
an early Christian book of visions, commandments, and parables about repentance and righteous living.
August 16 | The Acts of Paul and Thecla
the dramatic story of a woman disciple who defies family expectations, survives persecution, and is sent to teach the word of God.
Study Guide (updated AUGUST 7, 2026)
Study Guide: Banned Books of the Bible Session 5: The Shepherd of Hermas
Background
The Shepherd of Hermas is an early Christian work composed in Rome, probably during the first half of the second century. It is attributed to Hermas, whom the text presents as a formerly enslaved Christian who receives visions and instruction from an angelic figure called the Shepherd. The work may have developed in stages, and its precise authorship and date remain debated.
The book is arranged as a series of visions, commandments, and parables. Its central concerns are repentance, moral formation, perseverance, and the restoration of Christians who have sinned after baptism. Hermas portrays the Christian life as an active struggle in which thoughts, habits, and choices gradually form a person either in righteousness or in sin.
The Shepherd of Hermas was widely read and highly respected in the early Church. Some Christians treated it almost as Scripture, and it appears alongside New Testament books in the fourth-century manuscript known as Codex Sinaiticus. It was ultimately not received into the New Testament canon, in part because it was written after the apostolic period. Even so, early Christian leaders continued to value it as a useful text for instruction and spiritual formation.
The passages selected for Sunday emphasize simplicity of heart, resistance to gossip and slander, generosity toward those in need, and discernment between the impulses that lead toward righteousness and those that draw us away from God.
Text for Sunday’s Sermon
Mandate 6.2.1–6
“Listen now,” he said, “to what concerns faith. Two angels accompany each person: one is the angel of righteousness, and the other is the angel of wickedness.”
I asked him, “How, then, will I recognize what each one is doing, since both angels dwell with me?”
“Listen,” he said, “and you will understand. The angel of righteousness is gentle, modest, meek, and peaceful. When this angel enters your heart, it speaks to you about righteousness, purity, holiness, contentment, every good action, and every noble virtue. Whenever these things arise within your heart, know that the angel of righteousness is with you. These are the works of the angel of righteousness. Trust this angel and follow its works.
“Now consider the works of the angel of wickedness. This angel is quick-tempered, bitter, and foolish. Its works are evil and destructive to the servants of God. Whenever it enters your heart, recognize it by what it produces.”
I asked, “How will I recognize it? I do not know.”
“Listen,” he said. “When anger or bitterness comes over you, know that this angel is at work within you. You may also recognize it in compulsive busyness, extravagant food and drink, drunkenness, improper indulgence, lust, greed, arrogance, boastfulness, and everything resembling these things. Whenever they arise within your heart, know that the angel of wickedness is with you.
“Now that you recognize its works, turn away from it and place no trust in it, because its works are evil and harmful to the servants of God. You now know how both angels work. Understand their works, and trust the angel of righteousness.”
Mandate 2.1–3
He said to me, “Live simply and without deceit. Become like little children who do not yet know the wickedness that destroys human life.
“First, speak evil of no one, and do not take pleasure in listening to slander. If you believe the slander you hear, you also become responsible for the sin of the one who speaks it. By believing the accusation, you may begin to hold resentment against your brother or sister. In that way, you share in the sin of the slanderer.
“Slander is evil. It is a restless demon, never at peace, always making its home wherever there is division. Keep away from it, and you will live in peace with everyone.”
Questions for Discussion
1. Hermas expects Christians to take sin, repentance, and moral formation seriously. In reacting against legalism or shame-based religion, can churches sometimes lose a clear language for spiritual discipline and growth? What would a grace-filled seriousness about sin look like?
2. Who has permission to challenge you about your spiritual life? What makes correction or accountability feel trustworthy rather than controlling?
3. Hermas describes two competing “angels” whose influence can be recognized by what they produce within us. What thoughts, emotions, or desires tend to draw you toward greater love and faithfulness? Which ones lead you away from them?
4. Why are gossip and slander so spiritually destructive? What draws us into conversations that diminish someone who is not present, and how can we interrupt such conversations without becoming self-righteous?
5. Hermas assumes that repeated choices form our character. What habits have trained you toward worry, resentment, generosity, patience, or peace? What spiritual practice would you like to strengthen?