Ver. 8. The significance of the quota- tion is now explained. ‘ He takes the first away, that he may establish the second.” He declares the incompetence of the O.T. sacrifices to satisfy the will of God, in order that he may make room for that sacrifice which is permanently to satisfy God. ᾿Ανώτερον, “Higher up,” here meaning ‘in the former part of the quo- tation,” corresponding to and contrasted with τότε in νετ.ο. λέγων, t.e., Christ, the subject of εἴρηκεν and ἀναιρεῖ, This is necessitated by λέγει in ver. 3. Yet it is not Christ directly, but the mind of Christ uttered by God in Scripture. εἴρ- Ώκεν, perfect, as expressing that which
344
αἵτινες κατὰ τὸν νόμον προσφέρονται" 9. τότε εἴρηκεν, “᾿Ιδοὺ ἥκω
a A ” τοῦ ποιῆσαι, 6 Θεὸς, τὸ θέλημά σου ᾿᾿. 5 9 ἃ ἐν ᾧ θελήματι ἡγιασμένοι ἐσμὲν ot? διὰ
dix.12. δεύτερον στήσῃ 10.
τῆς προσφορᾶς τοῦ σώματος τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐφάπαξ.
ἀναιρεῖ τὸ πρῶτον, ἵνα τὸ
II. Kat
πᾶς μὲν ἱερεὺς 5 ἕστηκε καθ ἡμέραν λειτουργῶν, καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς πολ-
λάκις προσφέρων θυσίας, αἵτινες οὐδέποτε δύνανται περιελεῖν ἅμαρ-
1 0 θεος omitted in Ν"ΑΟΡΕΚΕ, 17, d, e, Sah., Copt.
2 or omitted in SACD*E*P, 17, 47, 73.
3 T.R. in ΝΡΕΚΙ,, 17, 47, d, 6, f, vg.; αρχιερευς in ACP, Syrsch et p, Basm., Arm.
permanently fulfils the will of God. ἀναιρεῖν is used in classic Greek of the destruction or abolition or repeal of laws, governments, customs, etc.
Ver. το. ἐν ᾧ θελήματι . . . “in which will,” that is, in the will which Christ came to do (ver. 9), “‘we have been made fit for God’s presence and fellow- ship by means of the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. The will of God which the O.T. sacrifices could not accomplish was the “ sanctification ” of men, that is, the bringing of men into true fellowship with God. This will has been accomplished, we have been cleansed and introduced into God’s fellowship through the offering of the body of Christ. By the use of the word προσφορᾶς the writer shows that it was not a mere general obedience to the will of God he had in view, but the fulfilment of God’s will in the particular form of yielding Himself to a sacrificial death. His obedi- ence in order to become an atoning sacri- fice took a particular form, the form of
“‘tasting death for every man”. [Fora different view see Bruce in loc. and Gould’s N.T. Theol., p. 169. On the
other hand see Riehm and Macdonell’s Donellan Lectures, Ῥ. 49-59.] τοῦ σώματος Ἰ. Χριστοῦ ἐφάπαξ, the offering of the body must of course be taken in connection with ix. 14, διὰ πνεύματος αἰωνίου and also with the de- fining words ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ. ἐφάπαξ is added in contrast to the note of in- feriority attaching to the O.T. sacrifices, as given in ver. 1, their need of continual renewal.
Vv. 11-14. That Christ’s one sacrifice has accomplished its end of bringing men to God is illustrated by His sitting down at God’s right hand.
Ver. 11. καὶ introduces a new aspect of the finality of Christ’s sacrifice, to wit, that ‘“‘whereas every priest stands daily ministering and often offering the same sacrifices,—inasmuch as they are such as
never can take sins away—this man hav- ing offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down on God’s right hand, henceforth waiting till ns enemies be set as a footstool for his feet. For by one offering He hath perfected for ever the sanctitied.” The argument is in this statement ad- vanced a step. For although the three points urged in vv. 1-4 are here still in view, υἱσ., that ‘“‘the Levitical service consists of repeated acts (καθ᾽ ἡμέραν, κατ᾽ ἐνιαυτόν) and these the same (ai αὐταὶ θυσίαι) and essentially ineffective (οὐδέποτε δύνανται, κ.τ.λ), yet it is now the action of the priest rather than the nature of the sacrifice that comes to the front, and the finality of Christ’s oifering is argued from the historical fact that He was not any longer standing ministering but had sat down as one who had quite finished His work. Therefore in ver. 14 τετελείωκεν εἰς TO διηνεκὲς τοὺς ἁγιαζομένους takes the place of ἡγι- ασμένοι ἐσμὲν of ver. το. Nothing fur- ther requires to be done to secure in per- petuity the fellowship of man with God. In the one sacrifice of Christ there is cleansing which fits men to draw near to God, to enter into covenant with Him, and there is also ground laid for their continuance in that fellowship. The future (els τὸ διηνεκὲς) is provided for as well as the past. Limborch quoted by Bleek says “ perficit, {.ε., perfecte et plene a peccatorum reatu liberavit, ita ut in perpetuum sanctificati sint et ulteriore aut nova oblatione non indigeant’’. * His one offering gathers up into itself both the sacrifice that inaugurates the covenant, and all the many sacrifices offered year by year to maintain it and to realise it; it reaches the idea which they strove towards in vain, and by reach- ing it for ever sets them aside” (David- son).