{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p class=\"c005\">And on that day the building was finished, but the tower was\r\nnot completed; for additional building was again about to be\r\nadded, and there was a cessation in the building. And the\r\nsix men commanded the builders all to withdraw a little distance,\r\nand to rest, but enjoined the virgins not to withdraw\r\nfrom the tower; and it seemed to me that the virgins had\r\nbeen left to guard the tower. Now after all had withdrawn,\r\nand were resting themselves, I said to the Shepherd, “What is\r\nthe reason that the building of the tower was not finished?”\r\n“The tower,” he answered, “cannot be finished just yet,\r\nuntil the Lord of it come and examine the building, in order\r\n<span class=\"pageno\" id=\"Page_409\">409</span>that, if any of the stones be found to be decayed, he may\r\nchange them: for the tower is built according to his\r\npleasure.” “I would like to know, sir,” I said, “what is the\r\nmeaning of the building of this tower, and what the rock and\r\ngate, and the mountains, and the virgins mean, and the stones\r\nthat ascended from the pit, and were not hewn, but came as\r\nthey were to the building. Why, in the first place, were ten\r\nstones placed in the foundation, then twenty-five, then thirty-five,\r\nthen forty? and I wish also to know about the stones\r\nthat went to the building, and were again taken out and\r\nreturned to their own place? On all these points put my\r\nmind at rest, sir, and explain them to me.” “If you are not\r\nfound to be curious about trifles,” he replied, “you shall\r\nknow everything. For after a few days [<a id=\"r1750\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1750\"><sup>[1750]</sup></a>we shall come\r\nhither, and you will see the other things that happen to this\r\ntower, and will know accurately all the similitudes.” After\r\na few days] we came to the place where we sat down. And\r\nhe said to me, “Let us go to the tower; for the master of\r\nthe tower is coming to examine it.” And we came to the\r\ntower, and there was no one at all near it, save the virgins\r\nonly. And the Shepherd asked the virgins if perchance the\r\nmaster of the tower had come; and they replied that he was\r\nabout to come<a id=\"r1751\"></a><a class=\"c009 pginternal\" href=\"#f1751\"><sup>[1751]</sup></a> to examine the building.</p>","headings":["The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers","THE PASTOR OF HERMAS.","BOOK THIRD.—SIMILITUDES. SIMILITUDES WHICH HE SPAKE WITH ME.","SIMILITUDE NINTH. The great mysteries in the building of the militant and triumphant church."],"marker_anchor":null,"paragraph_id":"pg77576-paragraph-747"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"d5a8ca294ab0e7ce0faeacf9159859b13cad0db7de566ec3832bdf32988a7033","edition_title":"The writings of the Apostolic Fathers","edition_translators":["Alexander Roberts","James Donaldson","Frederick Crombie"],"edition_year":1870,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg77576-f1750","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Historical 1870 English edition; electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"f1750","source_ebook":77576,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\" id=\"f1750\">\n<p class=\"c006\"><span class=\"label\"><a class=\"pginternal\" href=\"#r1750\">1750</a>. </span>Omitted in Lips.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"5cef11d737d7f5d65aa99f44ca2d8e967d725f3bed872960330e88c0905597a9","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/77576/pg77576-images.html#f1750","text_sha256":"fd0922bd6e5879240998551297b2ccb3d142ff62b21ce8c10a44c88076acbf31","verified":false,"work_id":null}