All, few, and the greater part

Meaning

The whole, the smaller part and the greater part measure different things in Part IV: the spiritual comparison · unit 6. God gives the heavenly stone to the whole human race, rich and poor, freely and without merit. The smaller number nevertheless finds and grasps him; to the greater number he remains hidden and becomes an offence. The universal scope of the gift is not a claim of universal successful reception. Conversely, limited reception does not mean that the gift was initially addressed only to a favoured social class. The aligned English retains all three quantifiers. The subsequent biblical testimonies develop the contrast between believers who value the stone and those who stumble at the Word.