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152 Credibility of the Gospel History.
' disciples : " 1 have yet many things to say unto you, but
' ye cannot bear them now : howbeit, when the Holy Ghost is
* come he will teach you :" John xvi. 12, 13. Then he adds:
' as our Saviour speaks to such as are not yet able to receive
' those things that are perfect, he condescends to their weak-
' ness: but the' Spirit is given to those that are perfect.
' No man therefore ought to say, that the teaching of the
' Spirit excels the doctrine of the Son : but whereas the Son
' condescends to the imperfect, the Spirit is the seal of those
' who are perfected. Wherefore it is not because of any
' superior excellence of the Spirit above the Son, that the
' blasphemy against the Spirit is mexpiable and unpardon-
* able ; but because, by those who are imperfect, pardon may
' be obtained : for" those " who have tasted of the heavenly
' gift," (Heb. vi. 4.) and have been Inade perfect, there
' remains no excuse, or any means of escape.'
From that expression, ' tasting the heavenly gift,' I would
infer that our author received the epistle to the Hebrews.
This may be further argued from what precedes in Athanasius
: for, proceeding to the testimonies of Origen and Theognostus
concerning the subject he was upon, he thus expresseth
himself; ' They'' both write of this matter, saying
' that this is the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost ; when
' they who have been favoured with the gift of the Holy Ghost
* in baptism return to sin : therefore, say they, such receive no
* remission, according to w hat Paul also says in the epistle
' to the Hebrews : " For it is impossible for those who were
* once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and
' were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted
' the good word of God, and the powers of the world to
' come, if they fall away, to renew them again unto repent-
' ance :" ch. vi. 4, 5, 6. This they both> say.' Then he
alleges their passages in order.
And this recompense then we have of the labour of our
inquiry into the life and writings of Theognostus : that we
have found ^ another learned Alexandrian, of the third century,
who received the epistle to the Hebrews.
'''
Toic Se rtXtiMfievoig avyyivirai to Trvivjia to uyiov, km sdrjirs Tig tK tutuv
avipaiT] rr]V th irvtvfiaroQ liCaaKoXuiv virtcijiaWuv Ti]q th vis ^iSaxr]Q- ibid. C.
" Etti Ce roic yivaajitvoig rrjc apavis [al. nrapaviii] fwpiag, kui riXiujdtimv.
K. X. ibid. ' " lb. p. 702. CD.
y Tavra ce Koivf/ juv XiynTi, kui ihavct ikcitoq Trno-riOr^'n tiavoiav. ib. E.
^ See before ot Origeu, Vol. ii. ch. xxxviii. num. x. and Dionysius of Alex-
andria, ch. xliii.