Shepherd of Hermas 40

11. He showed me men sitting on a bench, and another man sitting on a chair. And he says to me, “Do you see the ones sitting on the bench?” “I see, sir,” I say. “These,” he says, “are faithful; and the one sitting on the chair is a false prophet who destroys the understanding of the servants of God—of the double‑minded, not of the faithful.

22. These, then, the double‑minded, come to him as to a magician and ask him what will happen to them; and that false prophet, having in himself no power of a divine spirit, speaks with them according to their questions [and according to the desires of their wickedness], and fills their souls as they desire.

33. For he, being empty, answers empty men with empty things; for whatever he is asked, he answers according to the emptiness of the person. But he also speaks some true words; for the devil fills him with his own spirit, if perhaps he may be able to tear away some of the righteous.

44. Therefore, as many as are strong in the faith of the Lord, having put on the truth, do not cling to such spirits, but keep away from them. But those who are double‑minded and often repent practice divination like the nations and bring a greater sin upon themselves by practicing idolatry; for the one who consults a false prophet about any matter is an idolater, empty of the truth and foolish.

55. For no spirit given from God is consulted, but, having the power of the Deity, it speaks everything from itself, because it is from above, from the power of the divine Spirit.

66. But the spirit that is consulted and speaks according to the desires of men is earthly and light, having no power; and it does not speak at all unless it is consulted.

77. “How then,” I say, “sir, will a person know which of them is a prophet and which is a false prophet?” “Listen,” he says, “about both prophets; and in the way I am about to tell you, so you shall test the prophet and the false prophet. Test the man who has the divine spirit by his life.

88. First of all, the one who has the [divine] spirit from above is gentle and quiet and humble‑minded, and refrains from every evil and from the vain desire of this age, and makes himself lower than all people; and when consulted he answers nothing to anyone, nor does he speak privately—nor does the holy Spirit speak whenever a person wishes it to speak—but it speaks when God wishes him to speak.

99. Therefore, when the man who has the divine spirit comes into a gathering of righteous men who have faith in the divine Spirit, and an intercession is made to God by the gathering of those men, then the angel of the prophetic spirit who is assigned to him fills the man; and being filled with the holy Spirit he speaks to the multitude as the Lord wills.

1010. Thus the spirit of the Deity will be made manifest. As for the spirit of the Deity of the Lord, this is its power.

1111. “Hear now,” he says, “about the spirit that is earthly and empty and has no power, but is foolish.

1212. First, that man who seems to have a spirit exalts himself and wants to have the first seat; and immediately he is presumptuous and shameless and talkative, and lives among many luxuries and many other deceits, and he receives payment for his prophecy; and if he does not receive it, he does not prophesy. Can a divine spirit receive payment and prophesy? A prophet of God cannot do this; rather, the spirit of such prophets is earthly.

1313. Then, he does not come near a gathering of righteous men at all, but avoids them. He clings to the double‑minded and the empty, and he prophesies to them in a corner, and deceives them by speaking everything according to their desires, emptily; for he also answers the empty. For an empty vessel, placed together with empty ones, is not broken, but they agree with one another.

1414. [Heaven.]

1519. “How,” I say, “sir, can these things be? For you have said both these things are impossible.” “As these, then, are impossible, so also the spirits that are earthly are impossible and inert.

1620. Take now the power that comes from above. Hail is a very small pellet, and when it falls on a man’s head, how much pain it causes! Or again, take a drop that falls from the roof tile to the ground, and it bores through the stone.

1721. You see, then, that things from above, though very small when they fall upon the earth, have great power; so also the divine spirit that comes from above is powerful. Trust in this spirit, but keep away from the other.”