But the Hebrew Christians have not come to this.[104] The Apostle is persuaded better things of them, and things that are nigh, not unto a curse, but unto ultimate salvation. Yet they are not free from the danger. If we may appropriate the language of an eminent historian, "the worship of wealth, grandeur, and dominion blinded the Jews to the form of spiritual godliness; the rejection of the Saviour and the deification of Herod were parallel manifestations of the same engrossing delusion."[105] That the Christian Hebrews may not fall under the curse impending over their race, the Apostle urges them to press on unto full growth of character. And this he and they will do--he ranks himself among them, and ventures to make reply in their name. But He must add an "if God permit." For there are men whom God will not permit to advance a jot higher. Because they have abused His great gift of illumination to scoff at the greater gift of the Son, they are doomed to forfeit possession of both. The only doomed man is the cynic.
[83] Chap. v. 11.
[84] Chap. vi. 1.
[85] Chap. v. 12.
[86] Acts xv.
[87] =tina= (v. 12).
[88] =stoicheia=.
[89] =aisthêtêria=.
[90] =gegymnasmena=.
[91] =aphentes= (vi. 1).
[92] =pherômetha=.
[93] =teleiotêta=.
[94] =themelion=.
[95] Chap. v. 13.
[96] Chap. vi. 7.
[97] Chap. vi. 8.
[98] =di' hous=.
[99] Chap. ii. 3.
[100] =parapesontas= (vi. 6). Cf. =pararyômen= (ii. 1).
[101] =heautois=.
[102] Apart from the exigencies of the illustration, the change from the aorist participle to the present participles tells in the same way. It is extremely harsh to consider =anastaurauntas= and =paradeigmatizontas= to be explanatory of =parapesontas=. The former must be rendered hypothetically: "They cannot be renewed after falling away if they persist in crucifying," etc.
[103] The apostates, or deserters, were not identical with the lapsed, who fell away from fear of martyrdom. Novatian refused to restore either to Church privileges. The Church restored the latter, but not the former. Cf. Cyprian, Ep. lv. _ad fin._
[104] Chap. vi. 9.
[105] Dean Merivale, _Romans under the Empire_, chap. lix.