World English Bible · Under Rome
Hebrews 6
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
Therefore leaving the teaching of the first principles of Christ, let's press on to perfection—not laying again a foundation of from works, of toward , of the teaching of baptisms, of , of of , and of . This will we do, if permits. For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the gift, and were made partakers of , and tasted the good word of and the powers of the , and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to ; seeing they the Son of for themselves again, and put him to open . For the land which has drunk the that comes often on it and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives from ; but if it bears and , it is rejected and near being , whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are persuaded of better things for you, and things that accompany , even though we speak like this. For is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the labor of love which you showed toward his name, in that you , and still do them. We that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of even to the end, that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through and the promises. For when made a promise to , since he could by no one greater, he by himself, saying, "Surely you, and multiplying I will multiply you." Thus, having patiently , he obtained the promise. For men indeed by a greater one, and in every dispute of theirs the is final for confirmation. In this way , being determined to show more abundantly to the of the promise the immutability of his , interposed with an , that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to take hold of the set before us. This we have as an anchor of the , a both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within , where as a forerunner entered for us, having become a after the order of .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- Can a believer fall away? · Hebrews 6:4-8
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.