(a) The Judge.
(b) The Atonement.
There is, it will be noticed, a complete absence of articles. The thoughts are presented in their most abstract form.
Theodoret sums up admirably the contrasts between the Old and the New; ekei, phesi, deos, entautha de heorte kai paneguris. kai ekeina men ev te ge, tauta de ev tois ouranois. ekei chiliades anthropon, entautha de muriades angelon. ekei apistoi kai paranomoi, entautha ekklesia prototokon apogegrammenon ev tois ouravois kai pneumata dikaion teteleiomenon. ekei diatheke palaia, entautha kaine. ekei doulos mesites, entautha huios. ekei haima alogon, entautha haima amnou logikou.
(22) ff. alla prosel....] Ye are not brought face to face with any repetition of the terrors of Sinai; but ye are even now still standing in a heavenly presence, not material but spiritual, not manifested in elemental powers but in living hosts, not finding expression in threatening commands but in means of reconciliation, inspiring not fear but hope. Yet, it is polei theou zontos, Ierousalem epouranio, kai muriasin angelon, ²³pauegurei kai ekklesia prototokon kai polei: polei (d). hepour. Ier. D?*. epouranion A*. muriasin: murion hagion D?*: muriadon vg.
implied, that the awfulness of the portion is not less but greater than that of the Israelites.
For proseleluthate see v. 18.
Ekeinoi ou proselthon alla porrothen heistekeisan. humeis de proseleluthate. horas ten huperochen; (Theophlct). In one sense the heavenly Jerusalem is already reached: in another sense it is still sought for: xiii. 14.
(a) The scene to which Christians are come (22 a).
(22) a. Sion horei...epour.] Over against 'the material and kindled fire' of Sinai is set the mountain and city of God, His palace and the home of His people, shewn by images in the earthly Zion and Jerusalem. In this heavenly, archetypal, spiritual mountain and city, God is seen to dwell with His own. He is not revealed in one passing vision of terrible Majesty as at the giving of the Law, but in His proper 'dwelling-place' Zion is distinctively the 'acropolis,' the seat of God's throne, and Jerusalem the city. Sometimes Zion alone is spoken of as the place where God exercises sovereignty and from which He sends deliverance. Ps. ii. 6; xlviii. 2; i. 2; lxxviii. 68; cx. 2; (iii. 4; xv. 1); Is. xviii. 7; sometimes Zion and Jerusalem are joined together: Mic. iv. 1 ff.; Joel ii. 32; Amos i. 2.
In the spiritual reality Mount Zion represents the strong divine foundation of the new Order, while the City of the Living God represents the social structure in which the Order is embodied. God—Who is a Living God (c. iii. 12 note)—does not dwell alone, but surrounded by His people. His Majesty and His Love are equally represented in the New Jerusalem.
For the idea of the Heavenly Jerusalem, compare Apoc. xxl. 2, 10 (he hagia Ierousalem. Is. iii. 1); iii. 12 (he kaine Ier.); Gal. iv. 26 (he ano Ier.). This is 'the city which hath the foundations' (xi. 10), for which Abraham looked; and for which we still seek (c. xiii. 14). It is like 'the good things' of the Gospel, in different aspects future and present. For epouranios see c. iii. 1 note.
Compare Philo de somn. ii. § 38 (ii. 691) he de tou theou polis hupo Hebraion Ierousalem kaleitai, hes metalephthen to honoma horasis estin eirenes (Clem. Al. Strom. i. 5, 29; Orig. Hom. in Jos. xxi. 2).
Chrysostom suggestively contrasts the city with the desert of Sinai (ekei heremos hen, entautha polis). So Theophylact, a little more fully: anti tou Sina echomen Sion horos noeton, kai polin noeten Ierousalem. toutestin auton ton ouranon, ouk heremon hos ekeinoi See also Additional Note on xi. 10.
(b) The persons to whom Christians are come (22 b, 23 a).
(22) b. kai mthr....kai ekklesia] The description of the scene of the Divine Kingdom to which Christians are come is followed by a description of the representative persons who are included in it, with whom believers are brought into fellowship. These are angels and men, no longer separated, as at Sinai, by signs of great terror, but united in one vast assembly.
The exact construction of the words which describe the two bodies who constitute the population of the heavenly city is disputed and uncertain.
They have been arranged:
(1) muriasin angelon panegurei, kai ekklesia...
(2) muriasin angelon, panegurei kai ekklesia...
continue muriasin, angelon panegurei kaki ekklesia...
The main difference lies in the connexion of pareguris. Is this to be taken with that which precedes, or with that which follows? Ancient authority is uniformly in favour of the first view. The Greek mss.@, which indicate the connexion of words (including AC), uniformly (as far as they are recorded) separate panegurei from kai ekkl. protot. So also the Syriac and Latin Versions; and by implication Origen, Eusebius, Basil (d multitudinem angelorum frequentem, Vulg. multorum millium angelorum frequentiam).
This construction is favoured also by the general symmetry of the arrangement, which seems to be decidedly unfavourable to the combination of panegurei kai ekklesia.
But if this general division be adopted, a further question arises. Is angelon to be taken with muriasin or with panegurei? The decision is not without difficulty. The rhythm of the sentence appears to require that muriasin angelon should go together, though panegurei sounds harsh by itself. Still, in spite of this harshness, this construction seems to be the best upon the whole. Thus paregurei colours the whole clause: 'and countless hosts of angels in festal assembly.' The Syriac and Latin translations and the variant of D are probably endeavours to express the thought simply. If indeed there were more authority for muriadon, which would most naturally be changed, this reading would deserve great consideration.
If muriasin be taken absolutely, it may be explained either by angelon panegurei ('innumerable hosts, even a festal assembly of angels') or by angelon panegurei......en ouraoois ('innumerable hosts, even a festal assembly of angels and church of firstborn...'). But it seems that the special thought of pareguris accords better with the angelic company alone.
The phrase muriasin angelon is probably used with direct reference to the ministration of the angels at the giving of the Law (Deut. xxxiii. 2), and in the manifestations of the Lord for judgment (Dan. vii. 10; Jude 14). Such associations give force to the addition panegurei. These countless hosts are not now messengers of awe, as then, but of rejoicing. At the consummation of Creation, as at the Creation itself (Job xxxviii. 7), 'they shout for joy.'
Tho word paneguris, which was used specially of the great national assemblies and sacred games of the Greeks (Thuc. i. 25; v. 50) occurs here only in N. T. It is used rarely in the lxx. version of the prophets for HebrewTgtD (commonly heorte) (Ezech. xlvi. 11; Hos. ii. 13 (11); ix. 5); and for Hebrewffffl (Amos v. 21). It is also used by Symmachus for Hebrew2P. The suggestion is that of the common joy of a great race.
Philo uses the word in connexion with the thought of the reward of victorious self-control: kalliston agona touton diathleson kai spoudason stephanotheoai kata tes tous allous hapantas nikoses hedones kalon kai euklea stephanon, hon oudemia paneguris anthropon achorese (Leg. Alleg. ii. § 26; i. 86 M.).
The notes of the Greek Commentators are worth quoting (comp. Theodt. supr.):
kai muriasin angelon panegurei. entautha ten charan deiknusi kai ten euphrosunen anti tou gnophou kai tou skotous kai tes thuelles (Chrys.).
kai muriasin angelon. anti tou Ioudaikou laou angeloi pareisi. kai panegurei, phesin, en muriasin angelon huparchouse (OEcumen.).
kai muriasin angelon panegurei. anti tou laou echomen hemeis angelon muriadas. anti tou phobou charan, touto gar deloutai dia tou panegurei. entha gar paneguris ekei chara. he paneguris oun aute ev muriasin angelon sunistatai (Theophlct.).
ekklesia...en ouraoois] The second constituent body in the divine commonwealth is the 'church of the first born.' This represents the earthly element (men) as the former the heavenly element (angels). Men are described as a 'church,' a 'congregation,' gathered for the enjoyment of special rights, even as the angels are assembled for a great festival; and they are spoken of as 'firstborn,' enjoying the privileges not only of sons but of firstborn sons.
The word ekklesia occurs again in the Epistle in c. ii. 12 (lxx.). The thought in each case is that of the people of God assembled to exercise their privileges and to enjoy their rights.
It is worthy of notice that while the word occurs only in two places in the Gospels (Matt. xvi. 18; xviii. 17), it is used in the former place in the sense of the universal church and in the latter of a special church. Both senses are found in the Acts (e.g. ix. 31; viii. 1) and in the Epistles of St Paul (e.g. Eph. i. 22; Col. iv. 16). In the Apocalypse, St James (v. 14) and 3 John the word is used only in the special sense.
prototokon] Vulg. primitivorum. In the divine order not one son only but many enjoy the rights of primogeniture, the kingdom and the priesthood (Apoc. i. 6). Perhaps there is still some faint reminiscence of the reckless sacrifice of his birthright (v. 16 prototokia) by Esau.
The term 'firstborn' here appears to describe a common privilege and is not used in relation to the circumstances of earth, as of the dead compared with the living. Christian believers in Christ, alike living and dead, are united in the Body of Christ. In that Body we have fellowship with a society of 'eldest sons' of God, who share the highest glory of the divine order. Thus the idea of the Communion of Saints gains distinctness. The word suggests still another thought The 'firstborn' in Israel were the representatives of the consecrated nation. We may then be justified in regarding these, the firstborn in the Christian Church, the firstborn of humanity, as preparing the way, in Him Who is 'the Firstborn' (c. i. 6), for many brethren. Through them Creation enters on the beginning of its consummation (comp. Apoc. i. 5; Col. i. 15; Rom. viii. 29).
The Greek Commentators are vague in their interpretation of the word.
Tinas de prototokous kalei legon kai ekklesia prototokon; pantas tous chorous ton piston. tous autous de kai pneumata dikaion teteleiomenon kalei (Chrys.).
epeide koinos este pater panton ho theos, pantes men anthropoi huioi eisin autou koinos, prototokoi de touton hoi pisteusantes kai axioi tes kata prothesin (al. proairesin) huiothesias. he kai pantes men aplos ohi pisteusantes huioi, prototokoi de hoi euarestoi kai ton presbeion ev logo kai politeia exiomenoi para theo (Theophlct).
These 'firstborn' are described as enrolled in heaven (Vulg. qui conscripti (d professi) sunt in coelis). The same image of the enrolment of citizens on the register of the city, as possessed of the full privileges of the position, is found in the O. T.: Ex. xxxii. 32 f.; Ps. lxix. 28; Is. iv. 3; Dan. xii. 1. Compare Luke x. 20 (evgegraptai); Apoc. xiii. 8; xvii. 8 (gegraptai); iii. 5; Phil. iii. 20 (to politeuma ev our. huparchei); Rs. lxxxvii. 4 ff. Herm. Vis. i. 3 (with Gebhardt and Harnack's note); Sim. ii. 9. For the word 'apographesthai see Luke ii. 1 ff.
Herveius has a striking remark: cum pluribus major erit beatitudo, ubi unusquisque de alio gaudebit sicut de seipso.
The word prototokoi appears to be wholly inapplicable to angels, nor could they be described as 'enrolled in heaven.' apogegrammenon ev ouranois, kai krite theo panton, kai pneumasi dikaion teteleiomenon, ²?kai diathekes neas
23 apogegr. en our.: en our. apogegr. S. pneumati D?* (d). dikaion teteleiomenon '* ACM?: dik. tethemeliomenon D?* (d): telion dedikaiomenois '*.
(23) b, 24. From the contemplation of the divine order in its ideal glory the Apostle goes on to describe it in relation to men and the conflicts of life, (a) when the struggle is over, and (b) while it is yet being maintained. Thus the point of sight now becomes human, and the two great ideas of judgment and redemption come into prominence. The Judge is the universal sovereign, and spirits of just men made perfect witness to His mercy. The Mediator is one truly man, Jesus, and His blood calls not for vengeance but for pardon.
(a) The judgment when life is over.
(23) b. krite theo panton] to the God of all as Judge. The order appears to be decisive against the common rendering 'God the Judge of all' though the Greek Commentators take the words so; and on the other hand the simple phrase theos panton is unusual in place of ho hon epi panton, or pantokrator. But there is a certain parallelism between krites, diathekes veas mesites, and theos panton, Iesous. He to Whom we draw near as Judge is God of all His judgment is universal, not of one race only or of one order of being. It seems best to take panton as neuter.
The word krites retains something of its widest meaning (Acts xiii. 20). The action of the Judge is not to be limited to punishment only. The Divine Judgment is the manifestation of right, the vindication of truth, an object of desire for believers, though the light in which it is revealed (John iii. 19) is fire also (comp. v. 29). Dikastes strictly has reference to a legal and technical process: Acts vii. 27, 35 (not Lk. xii. 14); 1 Sam. viii. 1; Wisd. ix. 7. Christians 'in Christ' can draw near to the Judge.
kai pneumasi dik. tetel.] The judgment—the revelation of that which is—has been in part triumphantly accomplished. We realise the presence of the Judge, and also of those for whom His work has been fulfilled in righteousness. These are spoken of as 'spirits,' for in this passage the thought is no longer, as in the former clauses, of the complete glory of the divine commonwealth, but of spiritual relations only; not of the assembly in its august array, but of the several members of it in their essential being.
The departed saints are therefore spoken of now as 'spirits,' not yet 'clothed upon' (2 Cor. v. 4). Comp. 1 Pet. iii. 19 tois en phulake pneumasin. The word psuche—the principle of human life—is used in a similar manner: Wisd. iii. 1 (dikaion psnchai ev cheiri theou); Apoc. vi. 9 ff. We have no warrant to draw any deductions from these glimpses of disembodied humanity, nor indeed can we apprehend them distinctly. We can feel however that something is yet wanting to the blessedness of the blessed.
But while the work of Christ is as yet uncompleted in humanity, though 'the righteous' are spoken of as spirits only, yet they are essentially 'made perfect.' They have realised the end for which they were created in virtue of the completed work of Christ. When the Son bore humanity to the throne of God—the Father—those who were in fellowship with Him were (in this sense) perfected, but not till then: c. xi. 40. In this connexion reference may be made to the impressive picture of 'the mesite Iesou, kai haimati rhantismou kreitton lalounti
24 mesites D?*. kreitton: kreittona S.
harrowing of hell' by Christ in the Gospel of Nicodemus: cc. xxi. ff.
For the general idea of teleiousthai see ii. 10; vii. 11; x. 14 (notes).
With this conception of the righteous man gaining his perfection in Christ contrast the Rabbinic conception of 'the perfect righteous man' who fulfils all the Law: Weber Altsynag. Theol. 278 f.
For dikaios see x. 38 (lxx.); xi. 4.
The verb dikaioun is not found in the Epistle.
Primasius reading ad spiritum (pneumati) explains it of the Holy Spirit: per quem justi creantur omnes in baptismate, accipientes ab ille remissionem omnium peccatorum.
(b) The support while the struggle lasts.
(24). kai diath. n. mes. I. kai...Abel] For some the struggle of life is over: by some it has still to be borne. In these last two clauses the spiritual covenant is shown in relation to those whose work has yet to be completed.
Their assurance lies in the facts that He through Whom the covenant is established has perfect sympathy with them as true man; and that the blood through which it was ratified is an energetic power of purifying life.
The work of Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith (v. 2), is placed in these respects in significant connexion with that of Moses, the mediator of the first covenant, the deliverer from Egyptian bondage, and that of Abel the first martyr of faith (xi. 4).
diath. neas mesite I.] This is the only place in which diatheke vea occurs in N. T.; compare diatheke kaine c. viii. 8, 13 (lxx.); ix. 15.
For the contrast of neos and kainos see Col. iii. 10 (and Lightfoot's note).
The Covenant is spoken of as nea in regard of its recent establishment, and not as kaine in regard of its character.
The Covenant was in relation to the Hebrews 'new' in time and not only 'new' in substance. Christians had just entered on the possession of privileges which the elder Church had not enjoyed.
For mesites compare c. viii. 6 note; and for the force of the human name Iesous see c. iii. 1 note; and for the order c. ii. 9 note; v. 2.
kai haim. rhant....lalounti] Vulg. et sanguinis sparsionem loquentem. There is a voice to be heard here also as at Sinai (v. 19), but not terrible like that.
The blood—'the life'—is regarded as still living. This thought finds expression in the first record of death (Gen. iv. 10), but the voice 'of the blood of Jesus' is doubly contrasted with the voice of the blood of Abel. That, appealing to God, called for vengeance, and making itself heard in the heart of Cain, brought despair; but the blood of Christ pleads with God for forgiveness and speaks peace to man.
For rhantismos compare c. ix. 19 f.; x. 22 (rherantismenoi tas kardias); 1 Pet. i. 2 rhantismaton haimatos Iesou. Barn. v. l hina te aphesei ton hamartion hagnisthomen ho estin en to haimati tou rhantismatos autou. For the idea of Blood in Scripture see Addit. Note on 1 John i. 7.
para ton A.] better than Abel. Comp. c. xi. 4 apothanon eti lalei. It seems more natural to take the words thus quite simply than to render them 'better than that (the blood) of Abel' (para to A. L and some @mss.@).
Kreitton is an adverb as in 1 Cor. vii. 38 (Winer, p. 580). For kr. para see c. ix. 23; i. 4 note.
(b) The duties of Christians which flow from their position (25—29).
The picture of the position of Christians has been drawn. Its dangers para ton Abel. ²?Blepete me paraitesesthe ton lalounta. ei gar ekeinoi ouk exephugo epi ges
25 lalounta + humin D? the. exephugon '* AC: ephugon '* M?. epi g. par. ton '* ACD?M?: ton epi g. par. S '*. ges: + tes'ges S.
and glories have been set forth. The last application now follows.
The section consists of two parts. In the first (a) the writer emphasises the responsibility of Christians in respect of their position towards a final revelation (25—27); and then (b) he makes a practical appeal (28, 29).
²?See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not, when on earth they refused him that dealt with them, much less shall we escape who turn away from him that dealeth with us from heaven. ²?Whose voice shook the earth then, but now he hath promised saying Yet once more will I make to tremble not only the earth but also the heaven. ²?And the word, Yet once more, signifieth the removal of the things which are shaken, as of things that have been made, that the things may abide which are not shaken.
²?Wherefore let us, as receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, feel thankfulness (or have grace), whereby we may offer service to God, as is well-pleasing, with reverence and awe; ²?for our God is a consuming fire.
(a) 25—27. The punishment of the Israelites may remind Christians of their responsibility. They rejected an earthly dispensation. He who speaks to us is 'from heaven' (25). The shaking of the earth then was but a symbol of the shaking of earth and heaven now (26), which is final, as introducing an order which cannot be shaken (27).
(25). blepete me parait. ton lal.] See that ye refuse not him that even now is speaking. The warning springs directly from the contemplation of the picture which the Apostle has drawn. The absence of a connecting particle gives greater force to the appeal: 'you know what lies before us: see that you do not disregard it.'
For blepete compare c. iii. 12; and for paraitesesthe v. 19 note.
The words which follow (ei gar...apostrephomenoi) are really a parenthesis; so that ton lalounta goes closely with ou he phone (v. 26). However the intervening words may be interpreted, the speaker, through whatever agency, is God. He Who 'spake in a Son' (c. i. 2) still speaks in Him.
ei gar...epi ges...ton chrem....apostr.] For if they—the people of the Exodus whose history has just been recalled to us—escaped not the consequences of their want of faith when on earth they refused him that dealt with them, much less shall we escape who are turning away from him that dealeth with us from heaven. The long sufferings in the wilderness witnessed to the punishment of that unbelief which made the people rescued from Egypt unfit and unwilling to hold converse with God. Their sin was not in the request that Moses only should speak to them (Deut. v. 28), but in the temper which made the request necessary (Deut. v. 29).
The position of epi ges, when ton is transferred according to the true reading, makes it impossible to take the words exclusively with ton chrematizonta (as in ton epi ges chrematizonta). They qualify the whole clause which follows: If they escaped not when on earth (having their position on earth) they refused (begged no longer to hear) him that dealt with them....The scene and the conditions paraitesamenoi ton chrematizonta, polu mallon hemeis hoi ton ap ouranon apostrephomenoi. ²?ou he phone ten
25 ouranou polu 'ACD?*: pollo S. hemeis: humeis C. ouranon 'ACD?: ouranou M?. 26 he ph.: ph. M?.
of the revelation, the trial and the failure, were earthly, on earth.
The corresponding phrase ap' ouranon expresses only the position of the revealer and not that of those to whom the revelation is given. Hence it is limited by its place to Him (ton ap' our.).
For ekeinoi see c. iv. 2.
The word paraitesamenoi (when they refused...) takes up paretesanto in v. 19. The object then was not the voice of Moses but the voice of God. It seems to follow necessarily therefore that the object here (ton chrematizonta) most be God and not the minister of God. Thus the contrast is not between the two mediators Moses and Christ, but between the character of these two revelations which God made, 'on earth' and 'from heaven.'
For chrematizonta compare c. viii. 5 (kechr. Mouses); xi. 7. The word appears to be specially chosen to describe the manifold circumstances connected with the giving of the Law.
p. m. hemeis (sc. ouk ekpheuxoumetha) hoi ton ap' our. apostr.] The form in which this supposition is expressed is remarkable. The writer does not say 'if we turn away from him' (ton ap' our. apostr.), nor yet 'after turning away from' (apostrephentes 2 Tim. i. 15). He looks upon the action as already going on, and does not shrink from including himself among those who share in it: 'we who are turning away,' if indeed we persevere in the spirit of unfaithfulness.
The phrase ton ap' ouranon (him that dealt and dealeth with us from heaven) is left in an undefined and general form as including the work of the Son on earth and altar. He was glorified, through Whom the Father speaks. His revelation was 'from heaven' in both cases.
In one sense God 'spake from heaven' when He gave the Law (Ex. xx. 22; Deut. iv. 36), but His voice even then was 'of earth.'
For apostrephomenoi compare Tit. i. 14; Matt. v. 42; 2 Tim. i. 15.
The tense stands in marked contrast with that used in the former clause (paraitesamenoi, apostrephomenoi). The action if commenced was not yet completed.
(26). ohu he phone...] The words go back to v. 25 ton lalounta Ex. xix. 18 f. (Hebr.). Horas hoti tote ho lalon autos hen ho ouo ap' ouranou chrematizon hemin (Theophlct.).
For esaleusen compare Ex. xix. 18 (Hebr.); Judges v. 4 f. ge eseisthe...hore esaleuthesan. Ps. cxiv. 7 (lxx.) apo prosopou kuriou esaleuthe he ge. The word is used of violent elemental convulsions (e.g. Matt. xxiv. 29).
ouo de epeng.] Hagg. ii. 6. But now, in relation to the Christian order as distinguished from that of Sinai (tote), He hath promised, whose voice then shook the earth....
The former outward 'shaking' was the symbol of a second 'shaking' far more extensive and effective. Heaven and earth will at last be moved that men may contribute to the fulfilment of the divine purpose. And the announcement of this final catastrophe of the world, however awful in itself, is a 'promise,' because it is for the triumph of the cause of God that believers look.
The prophecy of Haggai (ii. 6 ff., gen esaleusen tote, nun de epengeltai legon Eti hapax ego seiso ou monon ten gen alla kai ton ouranon. ²?to de Eti hapax deloi [ten] ton saleuomenon metathesin hos pepoiemenon, hina meine ta me saleuomena.
eti: hoti heti M?. ego hapax D?. seiso 'ACM? vg syr vg me the: seio S D?. +legei D?*. 27 ten ton sal. '* AC: ton sal. ten S '*: om. D?* M?. om. hina...sal. A.
21 ff.) deals with two main subjects, the superior glory of the second temple in spite of its apparent poverty: the permanent sovereignty of the house of David in spite of its apparent weakness. The prophet looks forward from the feeble beginnings of the new spiritual and national life to that final manifestation of the majesty and kingdom of God in which the discipline begun on Sinai is to have an end. He naturally recals in thought the phenomena which accompanied the giving of the Law; and foreshadows a correspondence between the circumstances of the first and the last scenes in the divine revelation. That which was local and preparatory at Sinai is seen in the consummation to be universal.
The quotation is adapted from the lxx. eti hapax ego seiso ton ouranon kai ten gen kai ten thalassan kai ten xeran. The interpretation of the words vd 'cht mt ty' ny rendered by eti hapax is doubtful; but in any case the lxx. gives the main thought. The character of this 'shaking' compared with that which foreshadowed it marks it as final.
For epengeltai compare Rom. iv. 21; Gal. iii. 19 (to whom He hath given the promise).
(27). to de Heti hapax] And the word Yet once more.... Vulg. Quod autem...dicit. The use of this phrase shews that the second 'shaking' will be final. No other is to follow. All then that admits of being shaken must be for ever removed.
ten ton saleuomenon...pep.] the removal of the things which are being shaken as of things that have been made. The convulsion is represented as in accomplishment. It is not simply possible. This vivid feature is lost in the Latin mobilium (Vulg.).
hos pepoiemenon] The visible earth and heavens are treated as transitory forms, which only represent in time the heavenly and eternal. As the material types of spiritual realities they are spoken of characteristically as 'made' and so as being liable to perish. The 'invisible' archetypes are also, as all things, 'made' by God: Is. lxvi. 22. They are not imperishable in themselves, but they abide in virtue of the divine will, which they are fitted peculiarly to express as being spiritual.
For metathesis compare vii. 12 (xi. 5). The word only occurs in this Epistle in the N. T. In the lxx. it is found only in 2 Macc. xi. 24. The verb occurs Acts vii. 16; Gal. i. 6; Jude 4; c. vii. 12; xi. 5.
A similar idea is expressed by St John and St Paul. 1 John ii. 8; 17 (paraeesthai); 1 Cor. vii. 31 (paragei).
hina meiee] The abiding of the eternal is naturally presented as the object of the removal of the temporal. By this the eternal is shewn as it is. The veils in which it was shrouded are withdrawn.
ta me sal.] Vulg. quæ sunt immobilia (asaleuton v. 28, immobile), ²?Dio basileian asaleuton paralambanontes echomen
28 echomen ACD?M? syr vg me: echomen ' d vg (comp. v. 1 Tischdf.).
all that stands undisturbed in the present trial. The 'shaking' is looked upon as already taking place.
For meine see c. x. 34; xiii. 14.
The crisis to which the writer of the Epistle looks forward is, speaking generally, the establishment of the 'heavenly,' Christian, order when the 'earthly' order of the Law was removed. He makes no distinction between the beginning and the consummation of the age then to be inaugurated, between the catastrophe of the fall of Jerusalem and the final return of Christ: the whole course of the history of the Christian Church is included in the fact of its first establishment. It is impossible to say how far he anticipated great physical changes to coincide with this event. That which is essential to his view is the inauguration of a new order, answering to the 'new heavens and the new earth' (Is. lxv. 17; Apoc. xxi. 1).
Signs in nature however did accompany the Birth and Death of Christ.
The representation of great spiritual changes under physical imagery occurs elsewhere both in the Old and New Testaments: Is. lxv.; Matt. xxiv.; 2 Peter iii.; Apoc. xx.; xxi.
Many recent writers have connected pepoiemenon with hina: 'so made that...,' 'made to the end that....' According to this view the transitory is treated as the preparation for the continuance of that which abides. The thought itself is important; but it does not seem to lie in the context, which does not deal directly with the purpose of that which passes away.
(b) 28, 29. The consideration of the position in which the Hebrews were placed issues in a practical appeal.
(28). dio bas....] Wherefore, seeing that this great catastrophe, this revelation of the eternal, is imminent, let us as receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken...The thought of the 'kingdom' lies in the second part of Haggai's prophecy, which the quotation naturally suggested to the readers. The 'shaking' of which the prophet spoke, and which was now being fulfilled, was designed to issue in an eternal sovereignty of the house of faith.
The mention of the Divine Kingdom is comparatively rare in the Epistles. In the Gospels and Acts the phrase is always definite, 'the kingdom,' 'the kingdom of heaven,' 'the kingdom of God,' 'the Father's kingdom ' (he basileia, he b. ton ouranon, he b. tou theou, he b. tou patros), and by implication 'the kingdom of the Son of man' (comp. Lk. xxii. 29 dietheto moi basileian). The phrase 'the kingdom of God' (he b. tou th.) occurs: 2 Thess. i. 5; 1 Cor. iv. 20; Rom. xiv. 17; Col. iv. 11: comp. 1 Thess. ii. 12. Elsewhere we have 'the kingdom of Christ and God' (Eph. v. 5 en te b. tou christou kai theou); and 'the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (2 Pet. i. 11 he aionios b. tou kuriou hemon kai soteros I. Chr.; comp. 1 Cor. xn. 24; Col. i. 13; 2 Tim. iv. 1, 18); and 'the kingdom which was promised' (James ii. 5). In other places the anarthrous form basileia theou is used in the phrase, kleronomein b. th.: 1 Cor. vi. 9 f.; xv. 50; Gal. v. 21, where it is natural that emphasis should be laid on the character of that which men looked to receive.
paralambanontes] receiving from the hands of God as His gift. Believers are already entering upon the kingdom (c. iv. 3); and this kingdom is described as 'immovable' (asaleuton) and not simply as 'not moved' in the crisis which the Apostle pictures. charin, di' hes latreuomen euarestos to theo meta eulabeias kai deous, ²9kai gar ho theos hemon pur katanaliskon.
latreuomen ACD? vg: latreuomen 'M?. euarestos: eucharistos D?*. eulabeias kai deous '* ACD?* syr vg me the: eul. kai aidous '* M?: aidous kai eul. S vg. 29 kai: kurios D?(d).
Comp. Dan. vii. 18 paralepsontai ten basileian hagioi hupsistou, after the four kingdoms of force had been removed; Col. iv. 17 p. diakonian.
hechomen charin] Vulg. habemus (hechomen) gratiam. The use of the phrase charin echein elsewhere in the N. T. is strongly in favour of the sense let us feel and shew thankfulness to God': Luke xvii. 9; 1 Tim. i. 12; 2 Tim. i. 3. This sense is supported by Chrysostom (ou monon ouk opheilomen apoduspetein epi tois parausin alla kai charin auto megisten eidenai epi tois mellousi), OEcumenius and Theophylact. And, though at first sight there is something strange in the idea that thankfulness is the means whereby we may serve God, we are perhaps inclined to forget the weight which is attached in Scripture to gratitude and praise. It is the perception and acknowledgement of the divine glory which is the strength of man. The sense of love to the motive for proclaiming love. Ps. 11 14 f.
At the same time in 3 John 4, echein charin is used in the sense of 'having a gracious favour.' Thus there is nothing absolute in usage against giving to the words here the sense 'let us have (i.e. realise) grace.' The gift of God is certain, but we must make it our own. Comp. iv. 16 hina...ch. euromen, xiii. 9 kalon gar chariti bebaiousthai. This sense is given by the Peshito and by the Latin Fathers. Gratiam dicit fidem rectam, spem certam, caritatem perfectam, cum operatione sancta, per quæ debemus Deo servire cum metu, timentes ilium ut Deum et judicem omnium, et cum reverentia diligentes eum ut patrem (Primas.).
For the sense of echomen in this case see Rom. v. 1.
di' hes latreuomen] The verb latreuomen is attracted to echomen, 'let us thank God, and by that gratitude let us serve Him' (latr. to theo); ean gar homen eucharistoi tote kai latreuomen euarestos kai hos eidotes poion despoten echomen (Theophlct.). The saints, though kings, shall serve: Aroc. vii. 15; xxii. 3.
eurestos] c. xiii. 21 (to euareston). Elsewhere euarestos occurs in the N. T. only in St Paul (eight times), and except in Tit. ii. 9 (doulous despotais euarestous) always of divine relations.
meta eulab. kai deous] Vulg. cum metu et reverentia (O. L. verecundia). The mention of dios here, a word which does not occur again in the N. T., arises out of the context. Comp. Phil. ii. 12; 1 Pet. i. 17.
The common reading meta aid. kai eul. occurs in Philo, Leg. ad Cai. § 44 (ii. 597 M.). For eulabeia, see iv. 7 note.
(29). kai gar...] for indeed....See iv. 2 note.
ho theos hemon] The significant addition of em»r extends the description of the God of the revelation from Sinai to the God of the new revelation. In other respects there may be a wide chasm between the Law and the Gospel; but the One God of both is in His very nature in relation to man as He is, and not in one manifestation only, 'a consuming fire.' He purifies by burning up all that is base in those who serve Him,
With ho theos hemon contrast ho theos (Additional Note on 1 John iv. 8).
The image occurs several times in the O. T.; Deut. iv. 24; Is. xxxiii. 14. Comp. Deut. ix. 3; Ex. xxiv. 17.
The Latin Fathers develop the thought: Deus omnipotens ignis appellatur non ut materiam quam fecit consumat, sed quam exterius homo attrahit, rubiginem scilicet peccatoram; non enim illud consumit quod ipse fecit sed quod malitia hominum intulit (Primas.).
Ignis quatner sunt officia, id est quoniam purgat et urit et illuminat et calefacit, sicque Spiritus sanctus purgat sordes vitiorum, et urit renes et cor ab humore libidinum, illuminat mentem notitia veritatis, et calefacit incendio caritatis (Herv.).
*Additional Note on* xii. 2. *The Christology of the Epistle.*
Additional Note on xii. 2. The Christology of the Epistle.
The view of the Person and Work of Christ which is given in the Epistle to the Hebrews is in many respects more comprehensive and far-reaching than that which is given to the other Books of the New Testament. The writer does not indeed, like St John, trace back the conception of the Personality of the Lord to immanent relations in the Being of a Living God. He does not, like St Paul, distinctly represent each believer as finding his life 'in Him' and so disclose the divine foundation of the solidarity of the human race. But both thoughts are implicitly included in his characteristic teaching on the High-priestly office of Christ through which humanity reaches the end of creation.
In the following note I wish to offer for connected study the passages of the Epistle in which the author deals with The Divine Being of the Son (i), and with The work of the Incarnate Christ (ii); but before doing this it is necessary to observe that he recognises one unchanged Personality throughout in Him through Whom finite beings were called into existence and under Whom they find their final peace.
This fundamental truth finds complete expression in the opening paragraph (comp. pp. 17, 18). From first to last, through time to that eternity beyond time which we have no powers to realise, One Person fulfils the will of God:
ho theos elalesen hemin en huio
on etheken kleronomon panton
di' ou kai e'poiesen tous aionas.
And when we contemplate Him in His Nature and His Work there is the same unbroken continuity through changes which to our eyes interrupt or limit His activity:
hos hon
apaugasma tes doxes kai
charakter tes hupostaseos autou
pheron te ta panta to rhemati tes dunameos autou
katharismon ton hamartion poiesamenos
ekathisen en dexia tes megalosunes.
One Person is the agent in creation, the medium of revelation, the heir of the world. One Person makes God known to us in terms of human life, and bears all things unceasingly to their proper goal, and 'having made purification of sins' waits for that issue which man's self-assertion has delayed.
The same thought is traced in the O. T. where the Son is spoken of as King and Creator (i. 8—12). And it appears in its simplest form in the combination of the two contrasted Names 'Jesus' and 'the Son of God' (iv. 14 note; compare xiii. 20 ton kurion hemon Iesoun with 1 Cor. xii. 3; Rom. x. 9); and again in the abrupt and unique phrase, c. xiii. 8, Iesous Christos echthes kai semeron ho autos kai eis tous aionas.
i. The Divine Being (Nature and Personality) of the Son.
(1) In relation to God.
The Divine Being of the Son in relation to God is presented (a) by the Divine use of the general titles 'Son,' 'the Son,' 'the Firstborn'; and (b) by the definite description of His nature and work.
(a) The use of the anarthrous title 'Son,' which emphasises the essential nature of the relation which it expresses, is characteristic of the Epistle (i. 2 note, 5 [comp. v. 5]; iii. 6; v. 8; vii. 28 note; comp. p. 34). The form occurs elsewhere in the Epistles only in Rom. i. 4 horisthentos huiou theou (comp. John xix. 7 huion theou).
The title 'Son' is used in the Epistle only in reference to the Incarnate Lord. This follows from the scope of the teaching. But the title expresses not merely a moral relation, but a relation of being; and defines in human language that which 'was' beyond time immanent in the Godhead (x. 5; vii. 3 notes). There was (so to speak) a congruity in the Incarnation of the Secoud Person of the Holy Trinity (comp. p. 18).
In this connexion it must be noticed that the writer represents the Father as the Source (mia pege theotetos) from which the Son derived all that He has (i. 2 etheken; v. 5 ouk edoxasen heauton). Comp. St John v. 26.
It is remarkable that God is spoken of as 'Father' only in i. 5 (from the lxx.; comp. xii. 9, 7). The title is used by St Paul in all his Epistles.
(b) The definite description of the Divine Personality given in i. 3 has been examined in detail in the notes upon the passage. The use of the absolute, timeless, term 'being' (hon) guards against the thought that the Lord's 'Sonship' was by adoption and not by nature. In Him the 'glory' of God finds manifestation, as its 'effulgence' (apaugasma), and the 'essence' (hupostasis) of God finds expression, as its embodiment, type (charakter). The two ideas are complementary and neither is to be pressed to consequences. In apaugasma the thought of 'personality' finds no place (enupostaton ouk estin); and in charakter the thought of 'coessentiality' finds no place. The two words are related exactly as homoousios and monogenes, and like those must be combined to give the fulness of the Truth. The Truth expressed thus antithetically holds good absolutely; and it is offered to us under the conditions of human life in the Incarnation. In Christ the essence of God is made distinct: in Christ the revelation of God's character is seen (comp. John v. 19, 30; xiv. 9).
(2) In relation to the World.
In relation to the World the Son is presented to us as (a) the Creator, (b) the Preserver, and (c) the Heir of all things. From the divine side indeed these three offices are one.
(a) The Creative work of the Son is affirmed both in the writer's own words (i. 2 di' ou kai epaiesen tous aionas), and by an application of the language of the Psalms (i. 10). At the same time the creation is finally referred to God (xi. 3 pistei nooumen katertisthai tous aionas rhemati theou). Thus the teaching of the Epistle exactly corresponds with the Nicene phrases: pisteuomen eis hena theon, patera...panton...poieten. kai eis hena kurion Iesoun Christon...di' ou ta panta egeneto....
(b) The thought of creation passes into that of the preservation, government, consummation of created things. The Son by 'the word of His power' (i. 3 phepon note; comp. xi. 3) bears all things to their true end. He is over the whole house of God in virtue of what He is (iii. 6 huios) and of what He has done (x. 21 hiereus). This work was in no way interrupted by the Incarnation. St Paul also combines the creative and sustaining power of Christ: Col. i. 16, 17 (ektisthe, ektistai, sunesteken).
(c) The idea of the 'heirship' of Christ, though in a limited sense, finds a place in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. xxi. 38 and parr.). It is connected by St Paul with the work of creation: Col. i. 16 ta panta di' autou kai eis auton ektistai. This conception is emphasised by the true order of the words in i. 2 di' ou kai epoiesen t. ai. The fact that He created suggests the fitness that He should inherit. Comp. Addit Note on vi. 12.
ii. The Work of the Incarnate Christ.
The Work of the Incarnate Christ is presented under the aspect, (1) of His earthly life, and (2) of His Work in His glorified humanity in heaven.
(1) The Incarnation.
The Incarnation requires to be considered (a) in relation to the assumption of human nature (sarkothenai), and (b) in relation to human life (enanthropesai). Both views are required for a full view of the Truth.
(a) The Lord's humanity is declared to be real (ii. 14; comp. v. 10; vii. 14), perfect (ii. 17 kata panta), and representative (ii. 9 huper pantos). At the same time, as has been seen, the Divine Personality was unchanged by the assumption of manhood. We must not however suppose that the body with its powers was simply an instrument which was directed by a divine 'principle.' The body prepared for Him by God (x. 5) is not, any more than 'flesh' in John i. 14, to be interpreted in a partial sense. The use of the human name (Iesous, see p. 33) guards the fulness of His humanity (comp. ii. 6 lxx.). At the same time His perfect humanity was in absolute harmony with His Divine Nature, and so He could work through it using all men's powers; but it did not limit His Divine Nature in any way in itself: it limited only its manifestation.
(b) Thus the perfect human nature of Christ found expression in a perfect human life. By the discipline of suffering the Lord was 'made perfect,' bearing without the least failure every temptation to which we are exposed (iv. 15; v. 7 ff.; vii. 26). Comp. Addit. Note on ii. 10. His growth was not only negatively sinless, but a victorious development of every human power. Nor can it be without deep interest to notice how the writer recognises in Christ separate human virtues: trust in God (ii. 13 esomai papoithos...); faithfulness (ii. 17; iii. 2); mercy and sympathy (ii. 17; iv. 15); dependence on God (v. 7 f.); faith (xii. 2). For the connexion of the discipline of Christ with the discipline of men, compare ii. 10 f. with xii. 7.
Christ did not however cease at any time to be the Son of God. He lived through death, offering Himself through His eternal spirit (ix. 14 note); and He exercises His priesthood in virtue of 'the power of an indissoluble life' (vii. 16).
In this union of two Natures in the one Person of Christ, Whose Personality is Divine, to use the technical language of Theology, we recognise the foundation-fact of a true fellowship of God and man. There would be no true fellowship, no sure hope for men, if the Person of Christ were simply a manifestation of Deity, or a divine principle working through human nature as its material.
As it is we can see how in virtue of His humanity and human life the Lord was able to fulfil His twofold office for men, as 'Apostle and High-priest' (iii. 1), declaring the will of God and preparing men to appear before Him.
(2) The Exaltation.
The exaltation of Christ is placed in this Epistle, as by St Paul (Phil. ii. 9 ff. dio), in close connexion with His sufferings (ii. 9; xii. 2). But the writer differs from St Paul in his mode of presenting it. While St Paul dwells on the Resurrection in each group of his Epistles, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to it once only (xiii. 20; comp. v. 7), fixing his attention on the Ascension (iv. 14; vi. 20; vii. 26; ix. 11 f.; 24), and the Session on the right hand of God (i. 3; viii. 1; x. 12; xii. 2). This difference follows from the unique teaching of the Epistle on the work of Christ as King-priest. Comp. Addit. Notes on viii. 1 and viii. 1, 2.
From what has been said it will be seen that there is a very close Relation connexion between the Christology of the writer to the Hebrews and the Christology of St Paul. Both Apostles fix the minds of their readers upon what Christ is and what He did and does, and not upon what He taught: with both His prophetic work falls into the background. Both again rise to the thought of the glorified Christ through the work of Christ on earth. But in this respect the writer to the Hebrews forms a link between St Paul and St John. He dwells upon the eternal nature and unchangeable work of the Son before he treats of His historic work; while for St John even the sufferings of Christ are a form of His glory.
But though there is a remarkable agreement in idea between the teaching of the Epistle on the Person of Christ and that of St Paul's (later) Epistles (Phil. ii. 5—11; Eph. i. 3—14; Col. i. 15—20), even where the thoughts approach most nearly to coincidence, there still remain significant differences of phraseology: e.g.
id. pheron ta panta to rhem. tes dun. autou. Col i. 17 ta p. en auto sunesteken.
i. 2 kleronomon panton. Col. i. 16 ta panta eis auton ektistai.
i. 6 ho prototokos. Col. i. 15 prototokos pases ktiseos.
Col. i. 18 prototokos ek ton nekron.
ii. 17 opheilen kata panta tois adelphois homoiothenai Phil. ii. 7 en homoiomati anthropon genomenos. Comp. Rom. viii. 3.
It is also of importance to observe that the writer of the Epistle does not use St Paul's images of Christ as 'the Second Adam' (1 Cor. xv. 22, 45), and 'the Head' of the Church (Eph. i. 22; iv. 15 f.; Col. i. 18), though he does dwell on the fellowship between the One Son and the 'many sons' (ii. 10 ff.; comp. x. 5 ff.); nor does he offer the thought of the Christian as dead and risen with Christ. On the other hand St Paul does not speak of Christ's work as High-priest, nor does he set forth the discipline of His human life as bringing to men the assurance of prevailing sympathy.
It follows also from the prominence which the writer gives to the priestly work of Christ that he represents the Lord as more active in His Passion than St Paul does. Even on the Cross he shews Christ as working rather than as suffering. Christ in St Paul is regarded predominantly as the Victim, in the Epistle to the Hebrews as the Priest even more than the Victim. In this point again the Epistle comes now to the gospel of St John, in which Christ on the Cross is seen in sovereign majesty.
There is, it may be added, no trace in the Epistle of the Dualistic views which find a place in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. iv. 3 ff.; Tit. i. 15); nor of the Docetism which is met by St John (1 John iv. 2 f.; 2 John 7).
Compare Additional Note on i. 4, On the Divine Names in the Epistle.