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Theodoret of Cyrus

Nicene & Post-Nicene · AD 325–500 · 1,374 passages across 50 books

Commentary

561–580 of 1,374
Hebrews 7:16

Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

He is saying it is possible to bring out the likeness between the one and the other: as one did not have successors to his priesthood, so neither did the other transmit it to another—which he referred to as “bodily descent” because the law required on account of the mortality of human beings that after the death of the high priest his son would succeed to the priesthood. Now, in my view this phrase has another meaning as well: the priests cleansed the body in particular, sprinkling and washing it; they offered sacrifices for it. In other words, it was not for murderers or wreckers of others’ marriages that they were in the habit of performing sacrifices, but for menstruating women, lepers and people who touched the bones of the dead.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 7

Hebrews 7:18-19

For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

The law ceases to have effect, he is saying, and the hope of better things is introduced. It ceases to have effect, not for being evil (the frenzied view of the heretics), but for being ineffective and incapable of providing the perfect benefit. It must be noted, of course, that he refers to the obsolete prescriptions of the law as ineffective and useless—circumcision, sabbath observance and similar things; the New Testament also bids us observe to a greater extent the commandments, you shall not kill, you shall not commit adultery, and suchlike things. In place of the former, therefore, we receive the hope of the good things to come: it relates us to God.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 7

Hebrews 7:20-22 · 2 passages

And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:

Since the New Covenant promised us the kingdom of heaven, resurrection from the dead and life everlasting, though none of these is in sight, he had to call the Lord Jesus its “surety,” who through his own resurrection confirmed the hope of our resurrection, on the one hand, and on the other continued to give his own resurrection through the miracles worked by the apostles.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 7

Since he was the one who under the law appointed priests but brought them to an end and declared another in their place, he was obliged to say that he appointed them without taking an oath, but in his case included an oath as well. Do not think, then, that this priesthood will cease to have effect like that one, or that another one will take its place; the taking of an oath excludes such a false impression.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 7

Hebrews 8:1-2 · 2 passages

Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;

He left till last the greatest honor, presenting him seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty. Aaron, the forebear of priests, remember, who was the first to receive the role of high priesthood, entered the divine sanctuary with fear and trembling, whereas this person has a seat at the right hand. He included the word minister, of course, because he is speaking of a high priest. What ministry does he discharge after offering himself once and for all, and no longer offering a further sacrifice? How is it possible for him at one and the same time to be seated and to minister? Only if you were to say the ministry is the salvation of human beings, which he procures in lordly fashion.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

By “tent” he referred to heaven, where the apostle said he was ministering as man, though being its creator.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

Hebrews 8:3

For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

It is proper for a high priest to offer gifts to the God of all. For this reason, the only begotten, when he was made man and assumed our nature, offered it for us.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8.3

Hebrews 8:4-6 · 3 passages

For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:

He mentioned this by way of defense to stress that he was not criticizing the law but regarding it also as venerable for containing the type of the heavenly things. This was the reason he said it was pointless to refer to him as a priest while living on earth, there being priests according to the law discharging the worship prescribed by the law. So if the priesthood according to the law also came to an end, and the high priest according to the order of Melchizedek offered sacrifice and made further sacrifices unnecessary, why do the priests of the New Covenant perform the sacramental liturgy? It is clear to those versed in divine things, however, that it is not another sacrifice we offer; rather, we perform the commemoration of the one, saving sacrifice. The Lord himself, remember, required this of us, “Do this in memory of me,” so that we should recall with insight the type of the sufferings undergone for us, kindle love for the benefactor and look forward to the enjoyment of the good things to come.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

He concisely brought out the superiority: whereas the Old Covenant had corporeal promises associated with it—a land flowing with milk and honey, olive groves and vineyards, big families and suchlike things—the New had an eternal and heavenly kingdom.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

The divine apostle, by “shadow of the heavenly things” referred to the worship according to the law and confirms his statement with a scriptural testimony.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

Hebrews 8:10-11

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

This does not happen in this life, but will happen in that: those still beset with the gloom of unbelief will see the truth there, and will be smitten, in keeping with the divine oracle.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

Hebrews 8:12-13

For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

The law is suited to mortals, whereas the New Covenant guarantees us eternal life. It was therefore right for the former one to grow old, while the latter remains new forever in being associated with the ages that do not grow old.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 8

Hebrews 9:1-5

Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.

This is the term he used of the tabernacle, which represents a type of the whole world: it is divided into two down the middle by a veil, one part of it called Holy, the other Holy of Holies. While the Holy represented the way of life on earth, the Holy of Holies represented life in heaven. The veil itself performed the function of the firmament.… Accordingly, just as he separates what is below from what is above, so the veil stretched out in the middle of the tabernacle divided the Holy of Holies from the Holy.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 9:8-10

The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:

We are being taught through figures, he is saying, that the law bears of this life and is appropriate for those who still have a moral nature.… He also clearly taught us in these words that he does not reject the law as a whole—only the regulations about eating and drinking, menstruation, leprosy, childbirth and periods; they washed themselves and purified themselves with sprinkling, but none of this could make the conscience pure. Now none of these was imposed without reason but to meet some need, specifying which is not relevant at the present time. They were all temporary, however, looking forward to the time of perfection.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 9:11

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;

Here he referred to human nature, which Christ the Lord assumed. It was not made in accordance with the law of marriage: the all-holy Spirit was responsible for the tabernacle.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 9:19-22

For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,

Since the divine nature is immortal, through the blood of the victims he realized the type of death and confirmed the covenant. Since God the Word became man and took a mortal body, there was no longer need of brute beasts as offerings; instead, he confirmed the new covenant with his own blood, the type corresponding to the shadow and the reality to the body. The water was a type of baptism, the blood of brute beasts the saving blood, the heat of the hyssop the grace of the divine Spirit, the scarlet wool the new garment, the piece of cedar (being a wood that does not rot) the impassible divinity, the ashes of a heifer the suffering of humanity.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 9:25-26

Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

He completely destroyed the force of sin, promising us immortality; sin is incapable of proving a problem to immortal bodies.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 9:27-28

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

It should be noted, of course, that he bore the sins of many, not of all: not all came to faith, so he removed the sins of the believers only.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9

Hebrews 10:3-11 · 2 passages

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

How could the blood of brute beasts declare guiltless some murderer or parricide? This is the reason blessed David also said, “Had you wanted it, I would have offered sacrifice; you will take no delight in burned offerings.”

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

He showed both the law’s limitations and its usefulness: while it cannot remove sins, it mounts an accusation against them, instills fear and obliges one to have recourse to grace.

INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 10

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