From: Carlton Winbery (winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net)
Date: Thu Jun 18 1998 - 08:02:14 EDT
Edgar Foster wrote;
>To Whom does the aorist participle PARAPESONTAS in Heb. 6:6 refer?
>Does it refer to believers? If so, what is the writer saying about
>such ones? Conversely, could the writer's words apply to
>non-Christians instead?
I'd like to start over to answer this question. It has a simple answer
that involves reading the Greek as it is. The participle PARAPESONTAS
refers to those indicated by the article TOUS and discribed by the five
participles from FWTISQENTAS to GEUSAMENOUS and the word clusters with the
participles. ADUNATON is used with the infinitive ANAKAINIZEIN to say that
"It is impossible to renew unto repentance those who . . ." In fact I
would translate simply, "It is impossible to renew to repentance those who
fall away after having been enlightened, having tasted . . . , since they
crucify for themselves the Son of God and subject him to public ridicule."
I think that this sense would have been perfectly clear in the early
church, but that was a time before so many creeds and stuff.
I heard one noted theologian say, "The faith that fissles before the finish
was faulty from the first." That is obviously a subjective opinion about
those who "fall away." In that situation, the Greek will not help.
Carlton L. Winbery
Fogleman Professor of Religion
Louisiana College
Pineville, LA 71359
winberyc@popalex1.linknet.net
winbery@andria.lacollege.edu
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