The letter to the Hebrews contains and engages with some of the most perplexing passages of Scripture. Temptation and apostasy provide one way of reading this New Testament book.
This volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology series examines the Letter to the Hebrews, what temptation its audience was facing, and what Hebrews meant when it warned that some who fall away cannot be restored to repentance.
Marcus A. Mininger addresses questions such as:
- Is the sin of apostasy unforgiveable?
- Are apostate Christians unable to return to Christ ever again and to his church?
Setting the letter in the context of scholarly debate, Mininger addresses these contested issues in a fresh way, while also demonstrating the cohesive nature of the Epistle in relation to key biblical-theological themes.
Deeply exegetical, sensitive to wider themes, and rigorously engaged with scholarly literature, Impossible to be Restored? also shows the ongoing relevance of the Letter to the Hebrews for the challenges facing the church today, both internally and externally.
This is a volume in the New Studies in Biblical Theology. The NSBT is a series of monographs that address key issues in the discipline of biblical theology.
"I commend this book for setting forth what in my opinion is a definitive advance in understanding the apostasy passages in the book of Hebrews, with special focus on Hebrews 6:-16. It resolves by careful exegesis the difficulties belonging to a most vexing and disputed passage. Moreover, it has practical implications for how theologians think about apostasy and how the church should deal with peo
Dr Vern S. Poythress, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Biblical Interpretation, a
"Marcus Mininger carefully analyses Hebrews' warning about the impossibility of repentance for apostates (Hebrews 6:4). After thoroughly reviewing diverse scholarly opinions, he reformulates a traditional reading of Hebrews' situation. The epistle warns its addressees not to avoid persecution by reverting to Jewish practices, the "foundation" of faith (Hebrews 6:1). Reconciliation to Christ remain
Dr Harold W. Attridge, Sterling Professor of Divinity, Yale University
"Impossible to be Restored? adds further lustre to the already fine series of New Studies in Biblical Theology. Marcus Mininger suggests a solution to some of the puzzles in Hebrews by following the clues that lead us into the sitz im leben of its first hearers. By doing so he provides a coherent interpretation of its warning passages. The result is a study that functions at several different leve
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Se
