Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 119:473 (Jan 1962)
Article: Hebrews Six in the Greek New Testament
Author: Kenneth S. Wuest

BSac 119:473 (Jan 62) p. 45

Hebrews Six in the Greek New Testament

Kenneth S. Wuest

[Kenneth S. Wuest is the author of many books on studies in the Greek New Testament for the English reader.]

Any attempt to deal adequately with this difficult and controversial portion of God’s Word (the analytical unit is really 5:11–6:12) must include the date of the epistle, the author’s purpose in writing, the method he used in accomplishing that purpose, his warning against apostasy, his exhortation to the act of faith, the spiritual status of the recipients, the character of the specific sin spoken of as a falling away, and a careful exegesis of its Greek text based on the rules of Greek grammar and syntax.

The Date of the Epistle

The epistle was written after the ascension of our Lord (Heb 10:12) and before the destruction of the temple (10:11 ).

The Author’s Purpose in Writing

The purpose of the author in writing this letter was to prove a certain proposition to be true, which he states as follows: “He [Christ] is the mediator of a better testament” (8:6 ); “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament” (7:22 ); “For if that first [testament] had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for a second, for finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new testament with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” (8:7–8 ); “He taketh away the first [testament] that he may establish the second” (10:9). The proposition is therefore: The New Testament in Jesus’ blood is superior to and takes the place of the First Testament in animal blood. This indicates that the

BSac 119:473 (Jan 62) p. 46

concern of the writer is with reference to the unsaved Jew, for the saved Jew in placing his faith in Messiah as high priest accepted as true the proposition the writer wishes to prove. This determines the spiritual status of the person in the sixth chapter who is said to be in danger of falling away.

The Method of the Author to Prove His Proposition

The method the author uses in proving his proposition is, first, to show that the Founder of the New Testament, the Messiah, is better than the founders of the First Testament, who were the prophets, angels, Moses, Joshua, and Aaron (1:1—You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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