[Pre-correction proofs]
Hebrews evinces the linked exegetical aporiae of, on the one hand, tension between the asserted perfection of the believer and exhortations to further perfection and, on
the other, a similar tension between Christ’s exalted, preexistent nature and claims
about his need for further perfection during his earthly life. The paper proposes the
Stoic figure of the “self-eluding sage” as a helpful contextual analogue for explaining
the indicative-imperative problem in Hebrews. Originally a product of early epistemological
debates among Hellenistic philosophical schools, the “self-eluding sage”
(διαλεληθὼς σοφός) was deployed by Philo and Plutarch in Roman-era debates on the
nature of moral progress. Terminological and structural similarities between discussions
of the Stoic figure and discussions of progress in Hebrews (especially 5:14-6:3)
help contextualize the speech’s concern for moral insight and improvement within a
general Roman-era focus on moral progress toward filling communal roles.