Blasphemy

Biblical Occurrences

The principal Old Testament text is Leviticus 24:10–16. During a quarrel, the son of an Israelite woman "blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed," and the congregation stoned him. On this occasion the ordinance was given: "he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16). In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel had Naboth put to death on the false charge that he had cursed God and the king.

In the New Testament, the term appears mainly in accusations against Jesus. At the healing of the paralytic, when Jesus said, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee," the scribes reasoned in their hearts, "Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?" (Mark 2:7). In John 10:33, the Jews sought to stone Jesus "because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." At the trial of Jesus, the high priest, upon hearing Jesus' answer, tore his clothes and said, "Ye have heard the blasphemy" (Mark 14:64). Stephen was likewise accused of speaking "blasphemous words against Moses, and against God" (Acts 6:11).

Terminology and Background

The New Testament Greek word blasphēmia originally meant "slander" or "defamatory speech," and it is also used of slander directed at people (the "evil speaking" of Ephesians 4:31). When directed toward God, it refers to words and actions that detract from His name and majesty. Later rabbinic literature reportedly contains a narrow interpretation according to which the offense was committed only when the divine name itself was pronounced.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

• The concept is rooted in the commandment of the Ten Commandments not to take the name of the LORD in vain (Exodus 20:7) and in the idea of hallowing the name of God.
• The accusations in the Gospels also bear witness that Jesus exercised the forgiveness of sins, a prerogative belonging to God alone. Christian theology reads this as a basis for a Christology that affirms the divinity of Jesus.
• Paul described himself before his conversion as "a blasphemer" (1 Timothy 1:13). Referring to the wrongful conduct of believers, he also wrote, "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you" (Romans 2:24), indicating that God can be dishonored not only by words but also by one's manner of life.
• The beast of Revelation 13:1–10 is portrayed as a being that blasphemes God.

Interpretations and Issues

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

Jesus said, "But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness" (Mark 3:29). This saying occurs in the context of the scribes' attributing Jesus' casting out of demons to the power of Beelzebub (Mark 3:28–30). Many interpreters in the Reformed and Wesleyan traditions explain it as a hardened state of knowingly and persistently rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit and refusing to repent. The Catechism of the Catholic Church likewise interprets it as a final refusal to repent. In pastoral practice, those who fear they may have committed this sin are often reassured that their very fear shows they are not in that state. Meanwhile, criticism of particular charismatic movements or meetings is sometimes labeled "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit," a usage that some have criticized as extending the saying beyond its context.

The Nature of Jesus' Trial

Scholars debate whether Jesus' statements strictly constituted blasphemy under the Jewish law of the time.

In the Korean Church

The Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Hangeul) rendered Mark 2:7, 14:64, and other passages with the word chamramhada ("to be presumptuous"), which the New Korean Revised Version (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) changed to sinseong modok ("blasphemy"). Likewise, in Mark 3:29 the Korean Revised Version's "he who reviles the Holy Spirit" (seongnyeong-eul hwebanghaneun ja) became "he who blasphemes the Holy Spirit" in the New Korean Revised Version. Nevertheless, the expression seongnyeong hwebangjoe ("the sin of reviling the Holy Spirit") remains widely used in Korean churches today.