The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 58

weakens the force of the evidence of the through whom (3,A with genitive) are all manUBcripts 68 to the original reading. things (i.e. God), in bringing many eona That both were very early ones is evident; unto glory, to make the Captain of their but that X"'pls W68 the original one is salvation perteot through suil'eringa. This probable for two reasons: (1) that Origen refers to what was said in the preceding verse, restifies to its prevalence in his early day, of Christ having been crowned with glory 1md aooepts it as at least equally probable on account of his suffering of death, and of with the other; and (2) that transcribers his tasting death for all. That he should were more likely to change the unusual and attain through human suffering even unto eomewhat difficult X"'Pl• into the familiar denth to bis own perfeoted state of glory, as and easy xd.p,.-, than ftce f/ersa. Theodorus being the Leader of human sons whom the of Mopsuestia thus accounts for the realling one Father of all would bring to glory, was a xa.p1T1, which he rejects very decidedly. He design worthy of him for whom and through says that some persons, not observing the whom are all things-suitable to what we sequence of the passage, hod laughably conceive of him and of his way of working. changed the true· reading, because they did The worrl l1rp•1r• is used in the same sense not understand it, into one that seemed easy not unfreqnently in the LXX. It is pro- to them. If xapm be the true reading, the bably used here with some view to "the meaning is plain enough; it expresses the offence of the cross,'' which might still view, often reiterated by St. Paul, of the whole linger in the minds of some of the Hebrew work of redemption being "of grace." The Christians. In the argument thn.t follows, objection to it, on internal grounds, is that supported still by reference to Old Testa- the introduction of this view here seems ment anticipations, the writer not only meets flat and purposeless, as Theodorus of Mop- possible objections lingering in the Hebrew snestia forcibly contends in his argument mind, but also carries on and completes the age.inst the reading. Xc.,pls, then, being view of the SON which it is his purpose to adopted, the question remains whether to inculcate, leading up (as aforesaid) to the connect X"'Pl• e,oii (as Theodorus of Mopsu- final position of his being the High Priest estia does, and as the Nestorians must have of humanity. done) with -y,v<T1JTa.1 ea,,,1..-ov, or with v,rr-p Ver. 11.-For both he that aanati11eth ,ra.,,.,-os. If taken with the former, its pur- (i.e. Christ, the apx71-ybr) and they that are pose must be to e:1.clude the Godhead in sanctified (i.e. the "many sons" who are Christ from participation in the taste of death. brought unto glory) are all of one('( lvbs, Some further explain by reference to the cry i.e. of God). The idea expressed here by from the cross, "My God, my God, why hast the verb a.-y11l(c.,, to sanctify, may be deter- thou forsaken me?" But such reference mined by comparison with eh. ix. 13, 14; does not suit the view above ta.ken of the X. 14, 29; and xiii. 12 (iva a.-y1d.u11 /Ju~ Toii intended meaning of;;.,,.,, -y,vu11Ta.1 8a.vd.Tov. llilov aiµ.d..-os TOv Aa.ov); cf. John xvii. 9. Taken with v1r•p ,rai,,-6s (as is rather sug- It is not the idea, to us most familiar, of gested by the arrangement of the sentence, in moral sanctification through the Holy Spirit, "hich this is the empha1ic r,hrase), it gives but that of the redeemed being brought into a the meaning," that for all except God he may new relation to God, hallowed for " glory," taste of death "-this parenthetical excep- through redemption; whence all Christians tion of the Divine Being himself being are called /1.-y,o,. 'A-y1&.(<1v is the equivalent similar to that which St. Paul sees reason for in the LXX. of the Hebrew l!i:,R,, which is inserting in his application of the same psalm applied to the hallowing of both the sacrificee to Christ: L>ijA011 iJ,-, l1<Tos Toii ,',,ro.,&.(a.PTos and the people to God's service. As all a.lrriii Ta ,,.,;.,,.,.a. (1 Cor. xv. 27). So Origen atoning sacrifice, Christ thus hallowed him- takes it: El 'TE Ii~ "X"'Ph e,oii v,rep ,ra.l'TOS self (John xvii. 19), thnt thus he might €-yE'Vtra.To 60.11&:rov," oUJ,J,Ovov inr~p Q.a,(Jpcfnr'1J11 hallow the "many sons." 'EE bus must 0.1rf8a.11fv, ciA>i.11 Keil lnrfp 7li,11 Aonrliiv Ao-y1Kliiv. certainly be taken as referring to God, not Also Theodoret: 'T1r•p ,i,r&.vTc.,v Tol11vv TO (as some take it) to Abraham or Adam. For (Tlt!Njp,011 v,rfµE<PE ,rd6os, xc.,pls E!lfoii· µ01111 the necessity of the SoN taking po.rt of fteeh, -yap TJ e, la 4>6uis Tiis ,,,,.,iie,11 -yevoµ.<1'1/S and blood in order to accomplish the re- e,pa,rela.s d11,11li•11s. The latter Father ex- demption is not introduced till ver. 14. So plains the wide sense in which it follows for the common fatherhood spoken of haa that &,r,p 1ra.11Tt1s must be understood .~Y been that of him "for whom are all things referring to what St. Paul says (Rom. vm. and by whom are all things," who, "in 21) of creation itself being delivered from bringing many sons to glory,'' hes perfected the bondage of corruption through Uhriat, "the Captain of their salvn.tion." The idea and to the rejoicing of angels in the salv~- is that it was meet that the Captain should .ion of man be perfected through human sufferings,sinc11 Ver. 10.-For it beoame him, for whom both he and the " many sons" are of one (ll,o with accusative) are all thmgl, and Divine Father; in their relation of sonship ffll, II, 1-18.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 49