An Exegetical Analysis of Hebrews 10:14: The Aspect of τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους
Hebrews 10:14 presents a significant exegetical challenge in understanding the interplay between the perfect tense verb **τετελείωκεν** (“he has perfected”) and the present passive participle **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** (“those who are being sanctified” or “those who are sanctified”). The tension arises from the apparent contrast between a completed action (perfection) and an ongoing process (sanctification), particularly when the participle functions substantivally. This analysis will explore the grammatical, lexical, and rhetorical nuances of this verse to offer a comprehensive understanding of its meaning and suggest appropriate translations.
Μιᾷ γὰρ προσφορᾷ τετελείωκεν εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους. (Nestle 1904)
Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):
- The SBLGNT (2010) text for Hebrews 10:14 is identical to the Nestle 1904 text provided above. No significant textual variants are incorporated into the main text of SBLGNT at this point.
Textual Criticism (NA28) and Lexical Notes (KITTEL, BDAG)
Textual Criticism (NA28): The reading **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** is overwhelmingly attested in the manuscript tradition. The primary textual variant of note is **ἀνασωζομένους** (anasōzomenous, “those who are being saved/restored”) found in Papyrus 46 (P46), a significant early manuscript. However, this reading is widely considered an orthographical or sound-alike error (dittography or auditory confusion) and is not adopted by critical editions such as NA28, which firmly retains **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** as the original reading. Crucially, even this variant maintains the present tense and passive voice, indicating that the aspectual discussion remains pertinent irrespective of this particular variant.
Lexical Notes:
- τελειόω (teleioō): The verb, derived from **τέλος** (telos, “end, goal, completion”), signifies “to bring to an end, to complete, to perfect.” BDAG highlights its meaning as “to make perfect or to perfect,” often with the implication of rendering something fully efficacious or complete in its purpose. In the context of the cultus, as in Hebrews, KITTEL underscores that it implies reaching the intended goal or state of spiritual perfection and access to God, especially through a sacrificial act. The perfect active indicative **τετελείωκεν** thus emphasizes the enduring, completed state resulting from Christ’s single offering.
- ἁγιάζω (hagiazo): Derived from **ἅγιος** (hagios, “holy, sacred”), this verb means “to set apart as sacred, consecrate,” and in the passive, “to be made holy, to be sanctified.” BDAG describes it as the process of consecrating or purifying, often with an ethical dimension. KITTEL elaborates on the concept of being made holy, distinguishing between an initial, definitive act of setting apart (justification/consecration) and an ongoing process of moral transformation and growth in holiness (sanctification). The present passive participle **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** therefore naturally suggests an ongoing or continuous process of being made holy.
Translation Variants and Grammatical & Rhetorical Analysis
The core exegetical issue lies in reconciling the perfect tense **τετελείωκεν** (“he has perfected for all time”) with the present passive participle **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** (“those who are being sanctified”). This tension is reflected in various English translations:
- The **Revised Standard Version (RSV)** renders it “those who are sanctified,” which can be ambiguous, potentially suggesting either a completed state (a perfect sense) or an ongoing process (a present passive).
- Translations like the **New International Version (NIV)** (“those being made holy”) and **New American Standard Bible (NASB)** (“those who are sanctified,” though later editions like NASB95 and LSB lean towards a present sense in their notes or parallel translations) tend to emphasize the ongoing nature of the present participle. Other versions like the **New Living Translation (NLT)** (“all who are being made holy”) also clearly convey the progressive aspect.
Grammatical Analysis: The phrase **τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους** is a substantival present passive participle. The article **τοὺς** (tous) transforms the participle into a substantive, referring to “the ones being sanctified.” The present tense of the participle in Greek typically denotes continuous or repeated action, or action contemporaneous with the main verb. Here, the main verb **τετελείωκεν** is perfect, indicating a completed action with ongoing results. Therefore, the present participle, when construed with the perfect, often signifies an ongoing process that is simultaneously initiated, sustained, or made possible by the perfected action.
Rhetorical Analysis: The writer of Hebrews employs this grammatical construction to convey a profound theological truth. Christ’s single offering (μιᾷ προσφορᾷ) is a definitive, once-for-all act (εἰς τὸ διηνεκὲς, “for all time”) that has definitively “perfected” (τετελείωκεν) believers. This perfection grants full access to God and the benefits of the new covenant, contrasting sharply with the repeated, ineffectual sacrifices of the Old Testament (Heb 10:1-4). However, the beneficiaries of this perfected state are “those who are *being* sanctified.” This indicates that while the *status* before God is perfected through Christ’s sacrifice (a completed, objective reality), the *experience* of holiness in the believer’s life is an ongoing process. This aligns with the broader New Testament understanding of salvation encompassing justification (a past, definitive act) and sanctification (a present, ongoing work of the Spirit).
The contrast is further highlighted by Hebrews 10:10, where the perfect passive participle **ἡγιασμένοι** (hēgiasmenoi, “having been sanctified”) is used, often in a periphrastic construction with **ἐσμὲν** (esmen, “we are”), to denote a past, completed act of consecration. In 10:14, the shift to the present participle underscores that while the *basis* for sanctification is complete, the *realization* of that sanctification in the lives of believers is a continuous, dynamic process. The perfect “perfection” enables and guarantees the present “sanctification.”
Conclusions and Translation Suggestions
The careful choice of verb tenses in Hebrews 10:14 is crucial for its theological message. Christ’s sacrifice achieves a definitive, completed, and eternal perfection for believers. This perfection, however, is not a static state devoid of ethical transformation. Rather, it is the powerful foundation that initiates and sustains the ongoing process of sanctification in the lives of those who have embraced this once-for-all offering.
Therefore, a translation that captures both the definitiveness of Christ’s action and the ongoing nature of the believer’s experience of holiness is most faithful to the Greek text. The ambiguity of some English translations should be avoided in favor of clarity regarding the continuous aspect of the participle.
- By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being made holy. This translation emphasizes the continuous, progressive nature of sanctification, which is the result and ongoing experience stemming from Christ’s completed work of perfection.
- For by one sacrifice he has forever brought to completion those who are in the process of being sanctified. This version highlights both the permanence of Christ’s act (“forever brought to completion”) and explicitly clarifies the ongoing, dynamic nature of sanctification through the phrase “in the process of.”
- Indeed, with a single offering, he has eternally perfected those who continue to be sanctified. This option uses “eternally perfected” to convey the lasting effect of Christ’s sacrifice and “continue to be sanctified” to clearly articulate the ongoing, durative aspect of the present participle.