The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 123

is connected logically with tho participial "passed. through." There may p-0asi'bly (a.a clause as a resumption of the whole pre- some thmk) be an intention of contrasting ceding argument. Certainly the idea of him with Joshua. ('l'TJ<roiir, ver. 8), who won the participial clause is the prominent one the entrance into the typical rest. But it in the writer's mind, what follows being an is not necessary to snppose this ; vers. 8 and expansion of it. And the position of o~v sug- 14 are at too great a distance from each gests this connection. It is to be observed other to suggest a connection of thought tba.t, after the manner of the Epistle, this between them; and besides 'l1J<Toiiv occurred concluding exhortation serves also es a similarly at the end of eh. iii. 1, before any transition to the subject of the following mention of Joshua. The epithet µl"fo.v after chapters, o.nd anticipates in some degree "PX"P'" distinguishes Christ from all other what is to be set forth, though all the high priests (cf. eh. xiii. 20, Tbv 1ro11dva expressions need ho.ve some ground in what TWV ,rpo{:Jd.TOIV -rbv µl"(o.v). The high priest of has gone before, ]laving then a great lligh the Law passed through the veil to the Priest who hath passed through the heaveDB, earthly symbol of the eternal glory; the J'esus the Son of God, let us hold fast our "great High Priest " bas passed through oonfeasion. The rendering of 1i1<ll.1Jll.v60To. the heavens to the eternal glory itself. As To/,s oupo.vo/,s in the A.V. (" is passed into the to 6µ071.o-ylo.s, cf. on eh. iii. l. In considera- heavens") is evidently wrong. 'l'he idea is tion of having such a High Priest, who, as is that Christ bas passed through the inter- expressed in what follows, can both sympa- mediate heavens to the immediate presence thize and succolll', the readers are exhorted of God-lo the sphere of the eternal <ro.{:Jf:ln· to "hold fast," not only their inward faith, T1<rµbs. In hie use of the plural, To/,s oupo.vol,s, but their "confession" of it before men. A the writer may have had in his mind the besetting danger of the Hebrew Christians Jewish view of an ascending series of was that of shrinking from a full aud open created heavens. Clemens Alexandrinus, confession under the influence of gainsaying e.g. speaks of seven: 'E,rTct oupo.voh o~s T1vh or persecution. lipl9µov<r, /CO.T' /,ro.vd./:lo.<TIV, er. also "the Ver. 15.-l!'or we have not an lligh Priest heaven o.nd the heaven of beo.vens" (Deut. wbioh oe.nnot be touohed with the feeling of x. 14; 2 Chron. vL 18; Neh. ix. 6), and our inftrmities ; but one that hath been in "who hast set thy glory above the heavens" all things tempted like as we are, without (Ps. viii. l), also "the third heaven," into sin. The power of sympatlly (<ruµ:rraai,<ro.1) which St. Paul was rapt (2 Cor. xii. 2). of our great High Priest is not lldduced to Of. alsoEph. iv. 10, 'O dvo.{:Jcl.s inr,pd.vo,,rJ.v-ro,v distinguish him from other high priests, Tiii• obpo.vwv, 1vo. 1rll.1Jptf,"71 Tct 1rd.VT0.. The but to express, in this re5pect, his reeem. oonception of the phrose is that, what- blo.noe to them; community of nature nnd ever spheres of created heavens intervene feeling with tllose for whom he meclintcs between our earth and the eternal uncreated, being essential to the conception of o. beyond them to it Chri~t ho.a gone,-into high priest (see ver. 2), 'l'he sequence of "heo.ven itself (o.u-rbv Tbv oupo.vbv);" "be- thought is, " Let us hold fast our confession, fore the face of God" (eh. ix. 24). From not moved from it by the thought of tho this expression, together with Eph. iv. 10 superhuman greatness of this High Priest (above quoted), is rightly deduced the doc- of ours, who ho.tll pnssed through tile trine of Christ'd ubiquity even in his human heavens; for he eo.n still symputhize with nature. For, carrying tllat nature with him our infirmities (li,r9,v,lo.,s), ho.ving undor- o.nd still roto.ining it, he is spoken of ns gone our trials." 'A<r6lv<1a in the New having passed to the region which ndmits 'l'esto.ment denotes both bodily infirmity, no idea of limitation, o.nd so a.a to "fill o.11 such ns disenso (of. M o.tt. viii. 17; Luko v. thi:igs." The obvious bearing of this doc- 15; John v. 5; xi. 4; Acts xxviii. !) ; 1 Tim. trine on tho.t of the presence in the Eucharist v. 23), o.nd nlso the genernl weakness of mny be noted in passing. (It is to be ob- humau no.ture as opposed to Divine power, served that "the hellvens" in the plural is li6vo.µ,r ( cf. Rom. viii. 2G; l Cor. xv. 23; 2 Cor. used (eh. viii. 1) of the seo.t of the Divine xii. 5, 9; xiii. 4). St. Po.ul seems to ho.ve mo.jesty itself to which Christ ho.a gone. It had regnrd to l,.,rOlv.,o. in o. comprehensive is the word 1i1Ell.1Jll.v6&-ro. tllo.t determines the sense-including chronic ma.lady (his'" thorn meaning here.) The designation, "Jesus in the flesh"), liability to co.lo.mities, "fear the Son of God,'' draws attention first to the o.nd trembling,'' tempto.tion to sin-wllen mRn Jesus who was known by tho.t name in ho spoke (2 Cor. xii. 5, !>) of glory!ng in his the flesh, and secondly to the " more ex- infirmities that the power of Christ might cellent no.me," above expatiated on, in virtue rest upon him. With all human a.,r8,v,!a,, of which he "ho.th passed through the of whatever kind, Christ oan sympathize iu heavens." The oonclueion follows that it virtue of his own humo.n experience: "Him- is the hnman Jesus, with biH humanity, self took our infirmities (a.,r9,v,lo.s) and bnre who, being o.leo the Son of God, bus so our sicknesae$" (Matt. viii. 17); " himself HEBREWS, l  114: 'fHE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [OH, IV, 1-16,