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Wellsprings
christian-pneumatologyfeatured in 28 works

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

The one sin the Gospels call unforgivable, and Christians have long asked exactly what it is

Jesus warns of a blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that will not be forgiven, which the tradition has understood as a persistent, knowing rejection of the Spirit's witness. Because the Gospel does not spell out its precise boundaries, interpreters across the centuries have explained it variously, often stressing a final, willful hardening of heart rather than a single momentary act. Its exact definition remains genuinely debated.

How it traveled

  1. Mark
    Rome · 68
    explains
  2. Matthew
    Antioch · 80
    explains
  3. Acts
    Rome · 84
    applies
  4. Luke
    Rome · 84
    explains
  5. 1 John
    Ephesus · 100
    applies
  6. John
    Ephesus · 100
    applies
  7. The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril
    Jerusalem · 386
    explains
  8. Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen
    Nazianzus · 390
    explains
  9. On the Holy Spirit
    Milan · 397
    explains
  10. Concerning Repentance
    Milan · 397
    explains
  11. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    explains
  12. A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    applies
  13. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Gospel of St. John
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    explains
  14. The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on the Epistle to the Hebrews
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    explains
  15. Homilies on First Corinthians
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    applies
  16. The Homilies on the Statues to the People of Antioch
    Constantinople (Istanbul) · 407
    applies
  17. The Letters of St. Jerome
    Bethlehem · 420
    explains
  18. Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  19. Expositions on the Book of Psalms
    Hippo Regius · 430
    applies
  20. Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  21. Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  22. The Enchiridion
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  23. The Harmony of the Gospels
    Hippo Regius · 430
    explains
  24. Treatise on the Sacraments (qq[60]-90)
    Paris · 1274
    explains
  25. Treatise on the Angels (qq[50]-64)
    Paris · 1274
    explains
  26. Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It
    Geneva · 1564
    explains
  27. Seventeen Occasional Sermons
    Northampton, Massachusetts · 1758
    explains
  28. Seven Sermons. On Important Subjects
    Northampton, Massachusetts · 1758
    explains

Key passages(20)

Luke 12:10↗explains

Luke · Luke the Evangelist

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Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament — On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xii. 32, ‘Whosoever shall speak a word against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.’ Or, ‘on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.’ — part 3↗explains

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament · Augustine of Hippo

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Mark 3:28↗applies

Mark · Mark the Evangelist

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Mark 3:29↗explains

Mark · Mark the Evangelist

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Matthew 12:31↗explains

Matthew · Matthew the Apostle

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Matthew 12:32↗explains

Matthew · Matthew the Apostle

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Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament — On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xii. 32, ‘Whosoever shall speak a word against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.’ Or, ‘on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.’ — part 1↗explains

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament · Augustine of Hippo

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Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament — On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xii. 32, ‘Whosoever shall speak a word against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.’ Or, ‘on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.’ — part 2↗explains

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament · Augustine of Hippo

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Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament — On the words of the Gospel, Matt. xii. 32, ‘Whosoever shall speak a word against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come.’ Or, ‘on the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost.’ — part 4↗explains

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament · Augustine of Hippo

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The Enchiridion — The Man Who Despises the Mercy of God is Guilty of the Sin Against the Holy Ghost.↗explains

The Enchiridion · Augustine of Hippo

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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom — Matthew XII. 25, 26. — part 2↗explains

The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom · John Chrysostom

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The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom — Matthew XII. 25, 26. — part 3↗explains

The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom · John Chrysostom

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The Letters of St. Jerome — To Marcella. (#14)↗explains

The Letters of St. Jerome · Jerome

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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It — CHAPTER 3. - REGENERATION BY FAITH. OF REPENTANCE. — part 9↗explains

Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin

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The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril — Continuation of the Discourse on the Holy Ghost. — part 2↗explains

The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril · Cyril of Jerusalem

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A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles — Homily XII on Acts iv. 36, 37. — part 3↗applies

A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles · John Chrysostom

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Acts 7:51↗applies

Acts · Luke the Evangelist

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Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It — CHAPTER 3. - REGENERATION BY FAITH. OF REPENTANCE. — part 10↗explains

Book Third. the Mode of Obtaining the Grace of Christ. the Benefits It Confers, and the Effects Resulting from It · John Calvin

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Concerning Repentance — Book II. — part 2↗explains

Concerning Repentance · Ambrose of Milan

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Concerning Repentance — Book II. — part 3↗applies

Concerning Repentance · Ambrose of Milan

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