categories, external pressure or ‘persecution’ … and a waning commitment to the community’s confessed faith.”54 Of all these suggestions, Harold Attridge appears to be closest on target. Viewing Hebrews against the cultural background of a society that takes as its pivotal values honor and shame leads to a new insight into both the nature of the “external pressure” and the cause of the “waning commitment” to Christian confession and involvement. Such an approach leads beyond the stereotyped picture