Early Reformed Counterinterpretations of Hebrews 6:4–6

Abstract This article reviews the strategies for interpretation of Heb. 6:4–6 by early Reformed interpreters (1500s–1700s) with respect to the identification of the people described therein. Particular attention is paid to their interpretive framework. All interpreters offered comment which was apologetically oriented, deploying several strategies with an eye to warding off Arminian rebuttals of the doctrine of perseverance. Some interpreters also offered comment which was contextually oriented and gave an account of the function of the passage in its larger literary context. Those who framed their interpretation by the apologetic considerations tended to devalue the experiences in Heb. 6:4–5. On the other hand, interpreters who paid attention to contextual considerations could point to their positive value. Those who focused exclusively on the apologetic angle offered an interpretation which failed to account for the positive role of the experiences and led to later Reformed interpreters adopting new interpretive strategies.