I recently read a very enlightening article on faith in Hebrews entitled "A Touch of Condemnation in Word of Exhortation: Apocalyptic Langauge and Graeco-Roman Rhetoric in Hebrews 6:4-12" by Brent Nongbri.

I think this is a very appropriate place to start my investigation into the conception of faith outlined in Hebrews, as Hebrews 6:4-12 is perhaps one of the most troubling passages for modern evangelicals:

⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, ⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, ⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. ⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: ⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. ⁹But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. ¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. ¹¹And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: ¹²That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

The troubling message here appears to be that those who have tasted the promises of the Holy Spirit, who are, in fact, "partakers of the Holy Spirit" can fall away. Nongbri's article presents a very interesting case for understanding these verses in precisely this way. He draws a number of comparisons between apocalyptic language in the Old Testament (particularly from the apocryphal book of Fourth Ezra) and the language used in Hebrews. He also asserts that the threats here must carry weight if they are to have any effect on the Christian life. That is, in apocalyptic literature, and also in Graeco-Roman rhetorical styles, exhortations always carry the threat of real danger if the course of action advised by the speaker is not taken by the audience. That is, the speaker stylistically says, "If you do Action A, then Good Result B, but if not Really Bad Result C."

More on this later, but the primary message here is that this cannot be figurative or metaphorical, or not eternally binding, if they are to carry real weight.

Dinkum Thinkum

This is a blog for Catholic Epistles and Hebrews at Baylor University. The question I will be exploring is "What is faith according to Hebrews?"