Repetition in Hebrews: Plurality and Singularity in the Letter to the Hebrews, Its Ancient Contexts, and the Early Church by Nicholas J. Moore

Abstract

Reviewed by: Repetition in Hebrews: Plurality and Singularity in the Letter to the Hebrews, Its Ancient Contexts, and the Early Church by Nicholas J. Moore Scott D. Mackie nicholas j. moore, Repetition in Hebrews: Plurality and Singularity in the Letter to the Hebrews, Its Ancient Contexts, and the Early Church (WUNT 2/388; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015). Pp. xv + 276. Paper €94. Repetition and singularity are prominent themes in the Letter to the Hebrews and are most conspicuous in the author's comparison of the Levitical sacrifices with Jesus's selfoffering. Levitical sacrifices are "continuously offered, year after year," thereby providing a "reminder of sins, year after year" (10:1-3), while Jesus's self-offering is singular and conclusive, "once for all" and "for all time" (10:10-14). This revision of a dissertation supervised by Markus Bockmuehl at the University of Oxford (2014) analyzes occurrences of repetition and singularity in conjunction with three main topics—revelation, repentance, and ritual—and challenges the common scholarly appraisal of repetition as unequivocally negative. Moore provides a valuable survey of these themes as they appear in the Hebrew Bible (in the prophetic critique of sacrifice), Second Temple literature (Jubilees, Dead Sea Scrolls, [End Page 713] Philo), Plutarch, and early Christianity. Hebrews' apparent exclusion of post-baptismal repentance exercised massive influence on the theology of many early Church Fathers, and M. offers a fine discussion of such issues as repeating repentance, baptism, and sacrifices in Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Epiphanius, and Chrysostom, among others. Turning to Hebrews, M. first analyzes the role of repetition in relation to revelation. He convincingly demonstrates that the repeated and pluriform (πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως) speech of God "through the prophets" in Heb 1:1 is not negatively contrasted with the eschatological divine speech mediated by Jesus; rather, this text attests to their continuity, as the author's high regard for the multifaceted divine revelation "to the fathers" is evidenced throughout by the author's dependence on the LXX. In fact, "the very plurality of this speech is fundamental to enabling the audience to comprehend the full magnitude of the Son's character and achievements" (p. 105). Moreover, the two revelatory addresses stand in a dialogical relationship, creating a "hermeneutical circle whereby the OT explains the Christ event, and the Christ event in turn leads to a new understanding of scripture" (p. 107). Though many have interpreted Hebrews' harsh warnings concerning the unrepeatability of repentance as rhetorical hyperbole, an impassioned and exaggerated piece of exhortation, M. disagrees, contending that "Hebrews' extends the once-for-all character of Jesus' death to the appropriation of the benefits of his atoning act—Christian conversion or repentance—thus rendering it unrepeatable" (p. 116). An excellent discussion of repentance in Jewish/Christian and philosophic sources yields the conclusion that μετάνοια in Hebrews solely "indicates a change of mind at the very highest level," namely, "an initial and absolute repentance or even conversion experience" (p. 123). The decisive factor, however, is not the quality or degree of human remorse but a divine "renewal" that enables true repentance, as evidenced by Heb 6:6 and the bleak portrayal of Esau in 12:16-17 (pp. 124-27). The sin and apostasy that place a Christian in this irrevocable position probably involve a "persistent, drawn out … drifting away," which eventually leads to a definitive "single act of irremediable turning away"; though Hebrews is "deliberately vague about what might constitute such apostasy" (pp. 129-30). Furthermore, the "re-crucifying" (ἀνασταυρόω, 6:6) of Jesus would involve an attempt to repeat and double the shame Jesus suffered at the cross, and this represents the only truly negative instance of repetition in Hebrews (pp. 138, 211). M.'s discussion is problematized by the fact that Hebrews never directly contrasts Jesus's "once for all" sacrifice with "re-repentance," though he notes this difficulty and attempts to address it (p. 141). The final topic, sacrifice and ritual, looks closely at what is perhaps Hebrews' most important comparative critique of the tabernacle cult, in 10:1-18. M. contends that the "repetition and plurality" found in this section's portrayal of the Levitical cult carry "predominantly negative associations," yet "such repetition is an indication rather than...