The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 401

inge In Bt. Paul's Epietlee (cf. Rom. xiv. 2, beallta, whoae blood ill brought into the 14, 21; Col. ii. 8, 16-23; 1 Tim. iv. 3). aanotue.ry by the High Priellt for llin (i.e. 'l'heee paes11gee eeem to refer in the first as sin offerings; for this sense of w,pl a.µap• place to purely Jewish distinctions, still Tlar, cf. eh. x. 6),are burned without the oamp. held to by Jewish Christiane, between clean Wherefore 1e11111 also, that he might ee.natify and unolenn or polluted mente ; nnd further the people through his own blood, suJfered to a new kind of asceticism, not found in without the gate. The nil usion is to the tho Old Teetnment, but bllSed probably on sin offerings on the Day of Atonement-the notions of the impurity of matter, which bullock for the high priest, o.nd the goat led to entire abstention from flesh or wine, for the people. 0 f the flesh of some sa- and also in some (1 Tim. iv. 3) from mar- crifices-of ordinary pea.co offerings-the riage ; o.lso, ae appears from the passage in people ate, being themselves "partakers of Colossians, a fa.lee philosophy a.bout angels the nlte.r;" that of ordinary sin ofTerin."'s and tlie spiritual world. We may perceive was partaken of by the priests alone: b~t in these allusions the germs at lea.et of later the special sin offerings of the great day, Gnostic heresies, such ae found (as that of which typified complete atonement, and the Ebionitee) their first congenial soil in the blood of which a.lone was taken into Jewish circles ; Oriental theosophy, or neo- the holiest of all, were consumed entirely Platonic philosophy, being supposed to have by fire without the camp, and not even the been engra.fted on Jewish modes of thought. priests might eat of them (Lev. xvi. 27, etc.). Some, misled by what is said in ver. 10, see This part of the ceremonial, not mentioned in the word f3prI,µ,atrw an allusion to those in eh. ix., completed the symbolism of sacrifices of the Lo.w which were ea.ten by the Day of Atonement. It not only typi- the worshippers, against nny fancied obliga- fied (together with the other goat that tion to partake in which the readers are was set free) the entire removal of sin supposed to be warned. But the word is from the congregation ; it also signined never so applied in the Old Testament or that the Law itself made none, not even the New (see above, eh. ix. 10; Lev. xi. the priests, partakers in such complete 34 ; 1 Mace. i. 16; Rom. xiv. 15, 20, 31 ; atonement. Christ fulfilled the first signi- 1 Cor. vi. 13, viii. 8, 13); nor woulcl such ficance of this type by suffering " without error be likely to be classed among_" strange the gate;" the Jews, in casting him out doctrines." The drift of the w1m1ing is from their midst, were the unconscious in- t!Jat the religion of the gospel does not struments of his so fulfilling it; he thus consist in any of these notions or observ- bare and took away the sins of all outside ances, the supposed importance of meats the holy city which represented the Israel being specially noted, and that to make of God. But further, in him is supplied them its essence is a misconception of its what under the Law was wanting; for of whole meaning, and a departure from the him, the troe Sin Oftering, we may all par- faith: "For the kingdom of God is not take: he declared this himself when he meat and drink, but righteousness and peace spoke of our eating his flesh and drinking and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. xiv. 17). his blood-in which words the mention of Ver. 10.-We have an altar, whereof they the blood as well as of the flesh is pecu- have no right to eat whioh serve the taber- liarly significant; for of the blood, which ne.ole. Here there is a pie.in allusion to the was "given upon the altar to make atone- ea.ting of offered sacrifices. If, then, the!'e ment for sins" (Lev. xvii. 11), none might was no such allusion iu the preceding verse, in any case under the Lu.w partake; but of what is the connection of thought? It him we even drink the blood, in token that appears to he this: "Some would teach you , atonement is completed, u.nd that we are that meats are of religious importance. now full partakers in all its benefits. The Nay, but what are meats to us who have only seeming discrepancy between the type Christ himself for our spiritual food? This and the Antitype, u.s u.bove set forth, is in is our peculiar privilege, not shared by the order of the different parts of the olu the very priests of the old dispensation." ceremonial. The sin offering was slain in the Then, in ver. 11, "That this is so is shown camp befOTe it was burnt outside, whereas by the very symbolism of the Day of Atone- Christ fulfilled both these parts of the type ment." Then, in ver. 12, "Let us, then, by one act upon the cross outside. Again, be well content to leave Jude.ism entirely, the blood of the sin offering wus taken 1rnd cleave to Christ alone." By " tho~e into the holy of holies before the body wns that serve (,\aTp•oovTEs) the tabernacle '' consumed by fire outside, whereas Ch.l'ist are meant the priests of the Law, whose entered the heavenly sanctuary "with his service is, as in former passages, referred own blood" after he bud suffered " without to as still going on. It is evidently implied the gu.te." But the geneml significance of thut we have the right which they have not. the symbolism in its severe.I part~ is not thus Vars. 11, 12.-J'or the bodies of thoaa disturbed: it is viewed as i. whole, and u.ll  age THE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE HEBREWS. [orr. XIIL 1-26.