Homilies on Hebrews 0

AN EXPOSITION of the Epistle to the Hebrews, set down from notes after his falling asleep, by Constantine, a presbyter of Antioch.

Writing to the Romans, the blessed Paul says:

Inasmuch then as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to emulation those who are my flesh.

And again elsewhere: For He that wrought effectually in Peter unto the apostleship of the circumcision, the same wrought effectually also in me toward the Gentiles.

If then he was the apostle of the Gentiles (for in the Acts also God says to him, 'Depart, for I will send you far hence unto the Gentiles'),

what had he in common with the Hebrews? And why did he write to them? Nay rather, they too were disposed towards him with hostility;

and this one may see from many quarters.

For hear what James says to him:

You see, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed; and these all have been instructed concerning you, that you teach apostasy from the Law.

And many disputes often arose for him concerning this matter.

Wherefore then, one might ask, did not God send to the Jews the man learned in the Law (for he had been trained in the Law at the feet of Gamaliel, and had great zeal for the matter), and one especially able by this means to put them to shame? Because by this very means they would rather have been the more embittered against him.

Foreseeing this then, and that they would not endure him, God says to him, 'Depart unto the Gentiles;'

because they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.

Yea, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed on You;

and when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by and consenting to his death, keeping the garments of those who slew him.

And this very thing he shows to be a token and a ground for their not believing him.

When someone deserts a nation, if he be of the least and of no account, he does not greatly sting those from whom he departed;

but if he be of the admired and exceedingly zealous, who held their opinions, he especially grieves them and pains them beyond measure, inasmuch as by his deserting them and going over to others he most of all overthrows their doctrine.

And there was yet another thing besides this which wrought their unbelief.

What kind of thing was this? That Peter and his company had actually consorted with Christ, and had seen signs and wonders;

but this man, having enjoyed none of these things, but being with the Jews, suddenly deserted and became one of them;

which was especially sufficient to exalt our cause.

For those men seemed to bear witness even by favor, and one might say that they testify these things out of longing for their teacher;

but he who bears witness to the resurrection—this man was above all one who had heard the voice alone.

For this reason you see them warring against him with fury, and doing all things on this account and raising sedition, so as to destroy him.

But the unbelievers were hostile to him for this reason;

and those who had believed, for what reason? Because, being constrained in preaching to the Gentiles, he preached Christianity in its purity;

and if anywhere he was intercepted even in Judea, he took no anxious thought.

For Peter indeed and his company, inasmuch as they preached in Jerusalem, where the zeal was great, were under necessity to command the keeping of the Law;

but this man was in much freedom.

And there were more of those from the Gentiles than the

Jews, inasmuch as they were outside;

and by this he relaxed the Law, and they had not so great a scrupulous reverence concerning him, because he preached all things in purity.

In any case, in this very point they seem to put him to shame before the multitude, saying, 'You see, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed?' For this reason they hated him and turned away from him, because 'they have been instructed,' he says, 'concerning you, that you teach apostasy from the Law.'

Wherefore then, not being a teacher of the Jews, does he write to them? And where were they to whom he wrote? To me it seems, in Jerusalem and Palestine.

How then does he write to them? Just as though he was not permitted to baptize, yet he baptized;

for 'I was not sent,' he says, 'to baptize;'

but he does this as a matter by the way.

And how would he not write to these, for whose sake he even wished to become accursed? For this reason he said:

Know that our brother Timothy has been set free;

with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see you.

For he had not yet been apprehended.

Now he spent two years in Rome in bonds;

then he came into Spain;

then he went into Judea, when he also saw the Jews.

And then he came again to Rome, when he was also put to death by Nero.

This Epistle then is later than that to Timothy.

At my first defense no one stood with me.

For in many places he contended, as he also says in writing to the Thessalonians:

You became imitators of the Churches of Judea.

And writing to these very people he says:

You accepted with joy the plundering of your goods.

Do you see them contending? But if they so treated the apostles, not in Judea only but also wherever they were among the Gentiles, what would they not have done to the faithful? For this reason you see him taking especial thought for them.

I go to minister to the saints who are in Jerusalem;

and again, when he exhorts the Corinthians to well-doing, and says that the Macedonians have contributed, he says:

'If it be meet that I go also,' this is what he means.

'Only that we should remember the poor, which very thing I was also eager to do,' this is what he means.

'They gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision,' this is what he means.

And these things he says not simply concerning the poor there, but so that in that matter we should share in the well-doing.

For it was not as we apportioned the preaching to ourselves—we to the Gentiles, they to the circumcision—so also, he says, that we apportioned the care of the poor.

And everywhere you see Paul taking much forethought for them;

now among the other Gentiles, where there were both Jews and Greeks, no such thing took place;

but there, since for the time being they seemed to hold sway and to govern themselves, and to administer many things by their own laws, the government not yet having a settled order nor being wholly subject to the Romans, they naturally exercised great tyranny.

For even if in other cities, as in Corinth, they beat the ruler of the synagogue before the judgment-seat of the proconsul, and Gallio cared for none of these things;

yet not so in Judea. (2)

You see at all events that in the other cities they bring them before the rulers, and beseech them for help, even the help of the Gentiles;

but here they took no such thought, but themselves seat a council and put to death whomever they will.

Thus at any rate they slew Stephen, thus they scourged the apostles, not bringing them before the rulers;

thus too they were about to slay Paul, had not the chief captain thrown himself into their midst.

For while the priests were yet standing, while the temple, the worship, the sacrifices yet remained, this was taking place.

See, then, Paul himself being brought to judgment before the high priest, and saying:

'I did not know that he was the high priest' — and this in the presence of the ruler.

For at that time they possessed great authority.

Consider, then, what sort of sufferings those who dwelt in Jerusalem and in Judea were likely to endure.

He, therefore, who prayed to become anathema for the sake of those who had not yet believed, and who so ministered to the faithful that he was ready even himself to journey to them, if need required, and who everywhere took much forethought on their behalf — what wonder is it if by letters also he

exhorts and consoles them, and lifts them up when they are sinking down and lying prostrate? For by now they had grown withered and worn, and had fallen into despair under their many afflictions.

And this he intimates toward the close, saying:

'Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down, and the palsied knees.'

'Yet a very little while, and he that is coming will come, and will not tarry.'

And again: 'If ye are without chastening,'

'then are ye bastards, and not sons.'

For since they were also Jews, and had themselves learned from their fathers that one ought to look for both the good things and the evil things close at hand, and so to live — whereas at that time the reverse held true, the good things lying in hope and after death, but the evils being at hand — and since they had endured many things, it was likely that many grew fainthearted; therefore he makes much discourse concerning this.

But these matters we shall unfold at the fitting time;

meanwhile it is clear that he wrote to them out of necessity, for whom he was taking such great forethought;

for indeed the reason why he was not sent unto them was plain;

he was not, therefore, prevented from writing.

And that they were fainthearted, he shows by saying:

'Lift up the hands that hang down and the palsied knees, and make straight paths.'

'For God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and the love.'

For the soul, when it is overtaken by many temptations, often turns aside even from the faith.

Wherefore he exhorts them to give heed to the things they have heard, and not to have an evil heart of unbelief.

For this reason too, in this Epistle above all, he discourses much concerning faith, and at the end sets forth many examples, showing that to those men also the good things were promised as close at hand, and yet he gave them nothing at once.

And, besides these things, lest they should imagine themselves forsaken, he establishes these two points:

the one, that they should bear nobly all that befalls them; the other, that they should by all means look for the recompense.

For assuredly he will not overlook Abel and the righteous who came after him, leaving them unrewarded.

And he frames his exhortation from three sources:

one, from the things which Christ suffered:

'A servant is not greater than his lord;'

another, from the good things laid up for those who believe:

And this he confirms not only from the things to come — which was the less persuasive proof — but also from things past, and from what had befallen their fathers.

This Christ also does, saying at one time:

'A servant is not greater than his lord;'

'There are many mansions with the Father;'

and countless times he pronounces woe upon those who have not believed.

And he discourses much also concerning the New and the Old Covenant;

for indeed this was of great service to him for the faith of the resurrection.

For, lest from the things which he suffered they should disbelieve that he rose again, he strengthens it from the prophets;

and he shows that it is not the Jewish things that are venerable, but ours;

for the temple was still standing, and all that pertained to the sacrifices;

wherefore he also said, 'Let us therefore go forth without, bearing his reproach.'

And this too stood against him:

for it was likely that some would say: If these things are a shadow, if these things are an image, how is it that the truth, once made manifest, did not cause them to give way and withdraw, but they still flourish? And this too he gently hinted would come to pass, reserving it likewise for the fitting time.

And that they had spent a long time in the faith and in afflictions, he made plain by saying:

'For whereas by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers,'

and, 'Lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief;'

and, 'Ye became imitators of them who through longsuffering inherit the promises.'