Christology, Chiasm, and the Concept of Faith in Hebrews 10:19-39 43 The characteristics of the one who deliberately sins, as mentioned in 10:26–27, is described in 10:29 with three participial clauses. The first characteristic is described as the one who tramples underfoot (καταπατήσας) the Son of God. The verb καταπατέω is an intensified form of πατέω, meaning either “treading down” literally or “to treat contemptuously” figuratively.34 In 4:14 the title “the Son of God” was associated with the object of believers’ faith. In 6:6 falling away from the “Son of God” is de-scribed as crucifying Him again. Thus the meaning of trampling underfoot the Son of God may be considered equivalent to recrucifying Him. The second characteristic of the one who willfully sins is described as the one who has profaned (κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος) the blood of the covenant. The verb ἡγέομαι means, ‘to think’, ‘to consider’, ‘to regard’, suggesting that it denotes an attitude of the subject.35 The phrase “the blood of the covenant” (τὸ αἱμα τῆς διαθήκης) is used in 9:20 already. It refers to the better covenant (7:22; 8:6), namely, a new covenant (8:8; 9:5), which was instituted with the blood of Jesus. Thus it can be said that the one who profanes the blood of the covenant has an attitude of unbelief toward Christ. The third characteristic of the one who sins willfully is described as the one who has insulted the Spirit of grace. The Spirit here no doubt refers to the Holy Spirit (2:4; 3:7; 6:4; 9:8). Although this insult is not directly aimed at Christ, the author makes it clear that it is identical to despising the salvific work of Christ because in 9:14 the Holy Spirit is associated with the sacrifice of Christ, and in 10:15, bearing witness to the new covenant. This insult appears to be parallel to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt 12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10). The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in the Synoptic Gospels is indirectly aimed at the Son of Man; likewise, the insult of the Spirit of grace has an indirect reference to Christ. The a fortiori argument in 10:28–29 is strengthened by the next verses (10:30–31), in which the author brings in two quotations from Deuteronomy 32:35–36. In these verses the certainty of the divine judgment on those who reject the salvific work of Christ is reiterated. An examination of 10:26–31 shows that the willful sin mentioned in 10:26 does not refer to sins in general, but specifically the sin of apostasy, namely, the willful rejection of the Son of God. The phrase “no more sacrifice for sin” (10:26) is a clear reference to “once for all” sacrifice of Christ. The descriptions such as, “trampling underfoot the Son of God,” H. Seesemann, “καταπατέω κτλ.,” in Friedrich Theological Dictionary NT 5, 941. 34 BDAG, s.v. ἡγέομαι. 35