Theodoret of Cyrus — Commentary on Scripture

It is not separation but assiduous effort at unity that is the work of love.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

Now, it was not that he was ruling out repentance in these statements; rather, he was claiming there is no second sacrifice: our Lord was immolated for us once and for all. He used the term deliberately to emphasize that what is done against our free will enjoys a degree of pardon.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

Hebrews 10:28-29

Once more, note, he brings out the difference under the guise of exhortation, namely, the Son in one case and the slave in the other, those sacrifices of brute beasts in one case and in the other this rational and all-holy sacrifice. To the law he set in opposition not a law but the “blood” and the “Spirit.” Through them salvation comes to us.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

Hebrews 10:38-39

God has said this through the inspired authors, he is saying; and so even when the law was in force, the remedy of faith secured salvation.… Through faith we are related to God.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

Hebrews 11:1-3

The body’s eye did not recognize the God of all as creator; instead faith instructed us that God, who has always existed, created what did not exist. There is, after all, no example of this among human beings; yet though learning nothing of the kind from nature, we have in faith a teacher of the unexpected. Human beings, of course, make something out of something, whereas the God of all produced what exists out of nothing.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:1-3

He shows both those before the law and those under the law becoming God’s friends through faith and enjoying distinction. In this he achieves two things at the same time: he brings out the power of faith (faith accomplishing what the law did not achieve) and provides encouragement to those dispirited at the insurrections of the adversaries, showing everyone in possession of everlasting repute to have traveled through the same storms. First he teaches the very definition of faith: through it we see what is unseen, and it acts as an eye for discernment of what is hoped for. Faith depicts for us in advance the resurrection of those still lying dead in their tombs and causes the immortality of the dust of our bodies to become evident.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:4

The phrase “he is still speaking” means, To this day he is famous and celebrated and enjoys a good name among all religious people.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:5-6

The one who does not believe that this is so does not put up with the hardships of virtue; the farmer would not sustain the sweat of farming unless he believed he would gather the fruits of his labors; likewise the steersman puts up with untold dangers only by keeping his eyes on the harbors.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:8-10

Not even when Abraham arrived in the promised land did he control it. Instead, he himself, his son and grandson lived the life of aliens, in what was their own by promise sojourning as though in a foreign land. Hence, instead of owning houses they spent the time living in tents. Yet they believed the promise to be true, even if not seeing the testimony of fact conforming to their faith.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:11-12

“From one person” means from Abraham; but if we were to take the “one” to mean both of them [Abraham and Sarah], we would not be wide of the mark: “the two will be one flesh,” Scripture says.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:13-16

The patriarch Abraham spoke in these terms to the Hittites, “I am a stranger and an alien residing among you; give me property among you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out of sight.” The one in receipt of the promise of the whole earth did not even own a plot three cubits long.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:13-16

It was opportune of him to use the phrase “he is not ashamed.” The Lord of the powers, Master of the angels and Maker of heaven and earth when asked, “What is your name?” passed over all others and said, “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. This is my name forever, and how I am to be remembered by generations of generations.”

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:17-19

God promised to bring to light a vast number of Isaac’s offspring like sand on the seashore, and he it was who bade Isaac become a victim. Beset by the two conflicting thoughts, then, and with nature tearing at him more harshly than any torturer, the patriarch easily overcame it all and offered the sacrifice. He brings out as well the thoughts he employed in banishing the others, “God was able to raise men even from the dead.” He took issue with the thought arising in regard to the great number of offspring, believing that his son, even if slaughtered, could come back to life, God willing. “Figuratively speaking, he did receive him back,” that is, by way of a symbol and type of the resurrection. Put to death by his father’s zeal, he came back to life at the word of the one who prevented the slaughter. In him the type of the saving passion was also prefigured. Hence the Lord also said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the prospect of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:20-22

Joseph would not have given directions about his remains if he had not believed the divine promises.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:23-28

How would he, without faith, have believed that death would be prevented by the blood of a sheep? He recognized in advance the reality in the type and had a premonition of the power of the Lord’s blood.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:23-28

What was a type of Christ, the similarity to the reproaches of Christ, was committed against religion by the adversaries.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:31

Lawlessness of life did not prevent salvation; faith covered the wounds of sin. Now, it is worth admiring the apostle’s wisdom—or, rather, we ought sing the praises of the activity of the divine Spirit in associating a foreign woman and prostitute with Moses, Abraham, Noah, Enoch, and the other saints so as to establish the power of faith and repress the Jews’ conceit. After all, six hundred thousand of them were consumed in the desert on account of lack of faith, as they gained no benefit from the way of life of the law. She on the contrary, though removed from kinship with Abraham, living outside the way of life of the law and spending most of her time in licentious behavior, through faith reaped salvation and foreshadowed in type the church. Just as she with faith gave admission to the spies, so the church did to the apostles. And as she was given the scarlet cord as a sign of salvation, so the church through the Lord’s blood enjoyed the eternal goods.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11:32-40

Their trials, then, were of this kind and number, but they did not yet receive their crowns. The God of all is waiting for the trials of the others so that, with the stadium no more, he may award acclaim to all the victors together.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 12:1

The models of godliness are set before us on all sides, he is saying, in such vast numbers as to resemble a cloud in density and testify to the power of faith. Accordingly, let us keep our eyes on them, be light on our feet and rid ourselves of the burden of unnecessary worries, in this way being able also to avoid sin that is easy to contract. Before everything else we need perseverance to succeed in the course ahead of us. He said sin “clings” because it is easily contracted and committed: the eye is fascinated, the ear charmed, touch titillated, tongue easily loosened and thought quickly directed to the worst.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 12

Hebrews 12:2

He could have avoided suffering, he is saying, had he so chosen; but he put up with the suffering for the benefit of all. The Savior’s joy is the salvation of human beings; for it he endured the suffering, and after the suffering he is seated with the Father who begot him.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 12