Ramon L. Bautista, S.J., “Discernment of Spirits in The Shepherd of Hermas and Origen,” explores the subject of discernment of spirits in the writings of two influential patristic writers of the second and third centuries ad. Bautista’s research into the early Christian sources provides the groundwork for a historical and systematic study on how to judge spiritual agents for their moral influence on human decision or action. The essay provides an invaluable contribution to spiritual theology, particularly in Catholic and Orthodox traditions that hold in high esteem the insights of the early Church Fathers. – from the Editor’s Preface