This is a section from a paper which examines the warning passages in Hebrews. I apologise the Greek font and footnotes did not carry over. Quote:
The third warning, 5:11-6:12.
In 4:14-5:10, the second Christological consideration, the Priesthood of Christ, is expounded by the author. This section is primarily concerned with the human, earthly aspect of Christ's priesthood, one which is analogous to Aaron's in certain respects. In 5:10, however, the exalted, eternal nature of His priesthood is introduced when it is identified with the order of Melchizedek; an aspect the writer wishes to say much concerning, but because the readers have become dull of hearing, it is expected that it will be too difficult to bear with. This gives the writer cause to diverge into the third warning, one which is explicit concerning the present status of his readers.
In 5:11-6:3, the condition of the readers appears to have been a disposition to remain at a point of immaturity. The tendency is to see this disposition as intellectual, a failure to understand deeper truths. F. F. Bruce, however has insightfully written:
The exposition of the high-priestly service of Christ, with the corollary that the old order of priesthood and sacrifice had been abolished once, for all, might well have been unacceptable; the intellect is not over-ready to entertain an idea that the heart finds unpallatable.
Thus their inability is not so much with comprehension, but with acceptance. The immaturity is their failure to leave behind the old order with its Aaronic priesthood. Though they had learned enough to be teachers of the word of righteousness, they would appear to have accepted only the basic elements of instruction, and had failed, by practice, to train their faculties to distinguish good and evil.
The basic elements of instruction are listed in 6:1-2. A Mugridge notes that "the author ... exhorted them to leave the foundation of their faith, which he lists in six terms derived from the Old Testament." It is not an exhaustive list, and it is best understood as referring to that which was spoken by the prophets and which contained the first rudiments of instruction about the Messiah, rather than to that elementary aspect of the message which was spoken in the last days by the Son and his witnesses. The Greek uses baptismwn in order to indicate multiple baptisms/washings (v. 2), and this word is again employed in 9:10 with reference to Old Testament ritual washings. This leads to the conclusion that there is nothing distinctively Christian about these elementary teachings.
The status of the readers is to be gleaned from verses 4-6 even though the writer turns to indirect speech. Having addressed them with inclusive first person speech, to now refer to "those" (touj+participle) is to deal, not with a separate class of persons, but with a general condition of persons, of whom the readers could be readily associated due to a comparable experience. Noel Weeks argues that verses 4-5 describe "the experience of Israel during the sojourn in the wilderness." While this is quite possible due to the reference in the second warning passage and Paul's similar description in 1 Cor. 10, it is improbable due to the terms used to describe apostasy, terms which cannot be applied to the wilderness community, e.g., crucifying the Son of God. Nevertheless, the imagery of the wilderness apostasy does provide a vivid description of the precarious situation these readers find themselves in.
They are described, firstly, as a(pac fwtisqentaj (v. 4), which is confirmed in 10:32 as applying to the readers where the expression is used, "the days after which you had been enlightened," (fwtisqentej). "The term denotes 'receiving light' or 'perceiving' in a way that had not been previously possible ... and the passive voice is probably 'theological' or 'divine' (God has given them this light)." Thus, an understanding of the truths of the Christian revelation would appear to be what is intended in this description.
Secondly, the readers are referred to as having tasted (geusamenouj) the heavenly gift. "The metaphorical use of the verb 'to taste' implies to experience something in a manner that is real and personal." What the heavenly gift is, which they have tasted, is not easy to decide. It is best understood, not in Pauline categories of "eternal life" or "salvation," but in the epistle's own categories of priestly gift (5:1, 8:3). Christ as the heavenly priest, offers himself once-for-all in the heavenly sanctuary. His sacrifice for sins is the heavenly gift which the readers have experienced the quality of.
The third description regards the readers as having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit. Philip Hughes considers that this was through "the reception of the gifts or impartations of the Holy Spirit mentioned earlier in 2:4" and which "confirmed the truth and power of the gospel when it was proclaimed to those to whom this letter was written." If so, the partaking in the Holy Spirit is not the Pauline concept of the eschatological Spirit who seals the destiny of believers. Rather, it is a participation in the outward and external ministry of the Spirit who confirms the superiority of the final revelation given in Christ: a participation in His "manifestations."
Finally, the readers are described as having tasted the goodness of the word (r(hma) of God and the powers of the age to come (v. 5). "The term r(hma may refer to an utterance rather than the entire 'Word'," while the powers "were 'signs' that the age to come had already broken in upon the present age." Thus, the writer is referring to both the message and its confirmatory power which the readers had experienced, as in 2:4.
The question usually raised in relation to these descriptions is, were the readers being referred to as genuine believers? "The question is a moot one because it requires knowledge of the author's view on an issue he does not address." Phenomenologically, the readers are addressed as those who have made a beginning (a)rxh) in the faith. The author entertains a hope that they shall continue in the race, and his exhortations are made to that effect.
In this warning, the nature of the sin and the threatened punishment is described in graphic terms which impress upon the readers the imminent danger annexed to the condition in which they find themselves. The apostasy (a)posthnai) of the second warning was a deliberate resistance to the overtures of the final revelation which had been spoken by the Son. Here it is recast as a falling away (parapesontaj) which is defined in the context of the tremendous privileges the readers had come to partake of. "It is sin committed, not in ignorance, but in the face of knowledge and even experience of the truth." Hence, it is a crucifying again (a)nastaurontaj). "The compound verb used shows that the writer is thinking of a repetition of the crucifixion." In conjunction with the accompanying participle paradeigmatizontaj (exposing to public humiliation), the picture is one of "departure from faith in the crucified Son of God. This could entail a return to Jewish convictions and practices, as well as the public denial of faith in Christ." Given the readers' dullness and inability to receive instruction concerning the superseding priesthood of Christ, it is the former of these options which would appear to be the particular sin alluded to.
The punishment for such sin is the impossibility to restore such an one to repentance (metanoian). It is not referring to the remorseful aspect of repentance as grief and hatred of sin, but to the state of having turned from sin to serve the living God, generally what is regarded as conversion. As such, the impossibility is not subjective, as if the apostate has an unwillingness or inability to return. It is objective, so that the apostate could not return even if he were both willing and able. "As the first stone in the foundation was metanoia (ver. 1) so here the first manifestation of renewal is in metanoia. The persons described cannot again be brought to a life-changing repentance." Because the metanoia of verse 1 is thought to be an Old Testament foundation, the sense is that the readers fall away by relying again on the Old Testament sacrifices and priesthood. The repentance, faith, washings &c. of that economy, however, are invalid, having been superseded by a superior economy, which will be discussed in chapters 8-10. Thus, to return to that old economy, is to turn away from the living God, and so to a fearful expectation of judgement.
The readers, in 6:1. are urged positively to be carried forward to perfection and negatively to not lay again the foundation. The passive ferwmeqa "implies the agency of God and conveys the thought of surrender to God's active influence, rather than personal striving for a goal." What is implied in the passive is explicated in v. 3, where the being carried forward is contingent upon God permitting it. The writer was sure that he could expect better things from his readers, things which accompany salvation. The third warning served to awaken the readers from their dullness, while the subsequent discussion in chapters 7-9 concerning the superior priesthood of Christ, demonstrates his expectation that they were now ready to accept the implication that this meant renouncing the sufficiency of the Aaronic priesthood.
|
__________________
Yours sincerely, 
"Illum oportet crescere me autem minui."
|