The author of Hebrews directly shames his audience in 5.11-12: ‘you have become νωθρoί in hearing ... you need someone to teach you ... You need milk not solid food’. Taking into account occurrences in other literature, νωθρoί in Heb. 5.11 and 6.12 is best translated as ‘unambitious’, connoting a shameful failure to recognize and act on advantages. Mapping the use of emotion in Hebrews with Aristotle’s definitions reveals that this direct shaming is unique and critical to the argument of the epistle. The hearers may dismiss warnings of God’s wrath as relevant to others but not themselves. Shame in 5.11—6.12 makes this fear personal.
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