ABSTRACT
Hebrews contains passages that warn against apostasy. Apostates are depicted as outsiders whose expected fate should caution insiders not to follow in their wake. This contribution analyses the socio‐rhetorical function of these warning passages, especially the use of Deuteronomy in Hebrews 10, and, to trace early receptions of these passages, subsequently turns to a number of patristic authors, arguing that stricter and more lenient interpretations existed already in the early church. A brief analysis from the perspective of social identity theory underlines the initial presumption that rather than being legal rules, they are spiritual warnings, functioning rhetorically to keep the ranks of the believers closed.
