HEBREWS,
EPISTLE
TO
to
Christ
by
enduring
martyrdom
for
His
sake
(cf.
West-cott,
Ep.
to
Heb.,
in
loc).
Ttie
first
frestiness
of
their
enthusiasm
for
the
gospel
was
wearing
off,
and
some
at
least
amongst
them
were
in
danger
of
a
complete
lapse
from
Church
membership
(10^).
The
cause
of
this
temptation
is
not
far
to
seels.
In
an
earlier
period
of
their
history
they
had
'endured
a
great
conflict
of
sufferings'
{Iff""),
and
the
writer
hints
at
another
and
a
similar
experience,
of
which
the
beginnings
were
making
themselves
felt
(cf.
123'-;
note
the
warning
tone
in
10^
exhorting
to
the
cultivation
of
patience).
Persecution
on
this
occasion
had
not
as
yet
burst
with
its
full
fury
upon
them
(
1
2«
)
.
That
he
sees
it
fast
coming
is
evident
from
the
writer's
continually
appeaUng
for
an
exhibition
of
fortitude
and
patient
endurance
(12'''-
'"■
etc.).
Indeed,
he
understands
the
dangers
to
which
a
Church,
enjoying
a
period
of
freedom
from
the
stress
of
active
opposition
(in
this
case
peace
for
the
Church
had
lasted,
in
the
opinion
of
the
present
writer,
for
close
on
thirty
years
[see
Robertson's
Hist,
of
Christ.
Church,
vol.
i.
p.
7
f.J),
is
exposed
when
brought
face
to
face
with
a
sudden
storm
of
persecution
and
relentless
hatred
(125-
"■)■
He
seems
to
fear
apostasy
as
the
result
of
moral
relaxation
(12'2'),
and
encourages
his
readers
by
teUing
them
of
the
liberation
of
Timothy
from
his
imprisonment
for
the
faith
(13^).
It
is
not
impossible
that
one
of
his
reasons
for
writing
directly
to
the
Church,
instead
of
addressing
it
through
'
them
that
had
the
rule
over
them'
(IS^*),
was
that
he
feared
a
similar
fate
for
the
latter,
or
that,
like
himself,
they
were
compulsorily
separated
from
their
brethren
(13'")
by
the
persecuting
authorities.
Now,
if
we
accept
Rome
as
the
destination
of
our
Epistle,
and
see
in
13'
an
allusion
to
the
martyrdom
of
St.
Peter
and
St.
Paul,
and
at
the
same
time
remember
that
we
have
the
Epistle
of
Clement
to
the
Corinthian
Church
as
its
terminus
ad
quern,
we
have
reduced
the
limits
of
the
date
of
its
composition
to
the
period
between
the
Neronic
and
Domitianic
persecutions.
Rather
we
should
say,
following
some
of
the
allusions
referred
to
above,
that
it
was
written
at
the
begininng
of
the
latter
crisis;
in
other
words,
the
date
would
be
within
the
closing
years
of
the
8th
and
the
opening
years
of
the
9th
decade
of
the
1st
cent.
a.d.
The
fact
that
Timothy
was
aUve
when
our
author
wrote
does
not
militate
against
this
date,
as
he
seems
to
have
been
a
young
man
when
con-verted
through
the
instrumentality
of
St.
Paul
(cf.
1
Co
16",
1
Ti
412,
2
Ti
2»).
Besides
the
danger
to
the
faith
arising
from
physical
sufferings
and
persecutions,
another
and
a
more
deadly
enemy
seems
to
have
been
threatening
to
undermine
the
foundations
of
the
Church
at
this
period.
After
the
destruction
of
the
Jerusalem
Temple,
Jewish
Rabbinism
seems
to
have
been
endowed
with
a
new
and
vigorous
life.
Hellenistic
Judaism,
with
its
syn-cretistic
tendencies
and
its
bitter
proselytizing
spirit,
must
have
appealed
very
strongly
to
that
class
of
Christians
for
whom
an
eclectic
belief
always
has
a
subtle
charm
(cf.
the
warning
'Be
not
carried
away
by
divers
and
strange
teachings,'
and
the
reference
to
the
distinctions
regarding
'meats'
in
13',
which
forcibly
remind
us
of
St.
Paul's
language
in
Col
2«;
for
an
exhaustive
survey
of
the
extent
and
number
of
proselytes
to
Judaism,
and
the
eagerness
with
which
this
work
was
pursued,
see
Schilrer,
HJP
11.
ii.
291-327).
3.
Purpose
and
contents.
—
In
order
to
counteract
this
deadly
influence,
the
writer
sets
about
proving
the
final
and
unlversalistic
character
of
the
Christian
revela-tion.
It
is
with
this
practical
aim
that
he
takes
his
pen
in
hand,
and
he
himself
gives
its
true
designation
to
his
hterary
effort
when
he
styles
it
'a
word
of
en-couragement'
(1322).
At
the
same
time,
it
is
evident
that
our
author
moves
on
a
high
plane
both
of
thought
and
of
language.
No
other
NT
writer
seems
to
have
grasped
so
fully
the
cosmological
significance
attaching
to
the
earthly
life
and
experiences
of
Jesus
(5"-
4"
HEBREWS,
EPISTLE
TO
2Sff.
i7f.),
or
to
have
set
forth
so
clearly
His
present
activity
on
behalf
of
'
all
them
that
obey
him
'
(S'
2i8
7^
915-
",
cf.
Ro
8").
For
him
the
Incarnation
has
bridged
once
and
for
all
the
hitherto
impassable
gulf
separating
God
and
man,
and
has
made
intelUgible
for
man
the
exhortation
'Let
us
draw
near'
to
God,
for
a
'new
and
hving
way'
has
been
'dedicated
for
us'
through
His
flesh
(lO^"*-,
cf.
7").
It
may
be
said,
indeed,
that
the
author
regards
Christianity
as
the
final
stage
in
the
age-long
process
of
religious
evolution.
The
Levitical
institutions,
with
their
elaborate
ceremonialism,
con-stituted
the
preceding
and
preparatory
step
in
the
Divine
plan
of
world-salvation.
This
too
was
good
in
its
way,
and
necessary,
but
of
course
imperfect.
It
did
its
duty
as
a
good
servant,
faithfully
and
well,
but
had
to
give
way
when
the
'heir
of
all
things'
(1^)
came
to
claim
His
inheritance
(cf.
3").
In
order
to
estabUsh
emphatically
the
pre-eminence
of
Christianity
over
all
that
went
before,
the
Epistle
opens
with
a
series
of
comparisons
between
Christ
and
the
great
representatives
of
the
former
dispensation,
(a)
In
the
'
old
time
'
the
messages
of
God
were
delivered
'by
divers
portions
and
in
divers
manners'
through
the
prophets,
but
now
'at
the
end
of
these
days'
He
has
spoken
His
final
word
'in
a
Son'
(l"*).
(6)
The
Law
of
Moses
was
revealed
through
the
mediation
of
angels
and
was
'
steadfast
'
(2^)
;
but
angels
were
employed
in
service
'
on
behalf
of
those
who
are
to
inherit
salva-tion'
(1"),
whereas
the
revelation
through
the
medium
of
the
Son
who
was
'made
a
little
lower
than
the
angels'
was
correspondingly
of
a
higher
order
than
that
which
had
these
beings
as
intermediaries
(1<-"
25-').
(c)
The
great
lawgiver
Moses
occupied
but
the
position
of
servant,
and
therefore
holds
a
subordinate
place
to
that
of
the
Son
in
the
Divine
scheme
of
redemption
(3^-').
(d)
Finally,
as
Christ
is
personally
superior
to
Aaron,
so
His
office
is
essentially
more
profound
and
efficacious
than
that
which
typified
it.
This
last
comparison
is
elaboiuted
at
much
greater
length
than
the
others
(S^-IO^b)^
and
indeed
in
its
argumentative
treatment
is
developed
into
a
contrast.
The
discussion
here
is
simple
but
effective.
All
recognize
that
'without
blood-sbedding
there
is
no
forgiveness'
(9^),
but
Aaron
and
his
successora
went
into
the
holy
place
'
with
blood
not
their
own'
(9^5),
the
blood
of
bulls
and
of
goats,
which
cannot
possibly
take
away
sins
(10^).
Moreover,
the
firat
requisite
to
the
high-priestly
service
of
atonement
is
that
a
sin-offering
had
to
be
made
for
the
officiating
priest
himself
before
he
offered
for
the
people
(9'
5').
The
temporary
makeshift
character
of
these
ordinances
was
shown
and
acknowledged
by
the
fact
that
they
had
to
be
constantly
repeated
('once
in
the
year,'
9',
cf
.
IC).
They
had
in
themselves
no
moral
uplifting
force,
cleansing
the
consciences
of,
and
perfecting,
'them
that
draw
nigh'
(10").
On
the
other
hand,
Christ
entered
into
'
the
holy
place
once
for
all
through
his
own
blood'
(9'2),
and,_
though
He
'
is
able
to
sympathize
with
our
weaknesses,
having
been
tempted
in
all
things
according
to
the
likeness
of
our
temptations,'
yet
He
remained
sinless
(4")
.
He
needed
not
to
offer
on
His
own
behalf,
for
tempta-tion
and
suffering
proved
to
Him
but
stages
in
the
process
of
perfecting
His
Sonship
(2'"
S"-
7^).
In
describing
the
personal
character
of
the
high
priest
suited
to
our
needs,
the
writer
is
at
the
same
time
describing
the
character
of
the
sacrifice
which
Christ
offered,
for
'
he
offered
up
himself
(7™).
In
order
to
obviate
any
objection
likely
to
be
made
against
the
irregularity
of
a
priesthood
outside
the
Levitical
order.he
has
already
pointed
to
an
OT
case
in
point,
andhere
he
strengthens
his
plea
by
quoting
from
a
Psalm
universally
recognized
as
Messianic.
Melchizedekwas
a
priest
who
had
no
genealogical
aflSnity
with
the
tribe
of
Levi,
and
yet
he
was
greater
than
Aaron
(7*-");
and
it
was
said
by
God
of
His
own
Son
that
He
should
be
a
'priest
for
ever
after
the
order
of
Melchizedek'
(5'
7'"').
We
have
said
above
that
the
central
thought
of
our
Epistle
is
the
discovery
by
Christianity
of
a
way,
hitherto
hidden
from
the
eyes
of
man,
of
access
to
God
(cf.
4>«
IQiD
719.
25).
Once
this
was
accompUshed,
nothing
further
remained
to
be
done
(10")
but
to
enter
on
that
path
which
leads
to
the
'Sabbath-rest
reserved
for
the
people
of
God'
(4').
We
may
now
ask
the
question.
What
are
the
author's
conceptions
with
regard
