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partakers of the heavenly, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus Christ, who was faithful to him that made him, as also Moses was in all his house.

Being about to set him before Moses by way of comparison, he brought the discourse to the law of the high priesthood; for all had no small opinion of Moses.

And he already lays down beforehand the seeds of his superiority.

He begins, therefore, from the flesh, but ascends to the Godhead, where there could no longer be a comparison.

He began from the flesh for the time being to establish the equality, and says: As also Moses in all his house.

And he does not show the superiority at the beginning, so that the hearer might not spring away, and immediately stop his ears; for even if they were believers, 63.49 yet still they had a great conscience toward Moses.

Who was faithful, he says, to him that made him.

Made him what? An Apostle and a High Priest.

He says nothing here about essence, nor about the Godhead, but for the time being about human dignities; As also Moses in all his house; that is, among the people, or in the temple.

But here he says, In his house; as one might say: Concerning those in the house.

For just as some guardian and steward of a house, so was Moses among the people.

For that he here means the people by 'house', he added, Whose house we are; that is: We are in his creation.

Then the superiority: For this one has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses.

Again concerning the flesh: Inasmuch as he who built the house has more honor than the house.

3. And he himself, he says, was of the house.

And he did not say, for this one is a servant, but that one is a Master, but he revealed this secretly.

If, then, the house was the people, and he was of the people, then he was also of the house. For so it is our custom to say, So-and-so is of the house of so-and-so.

But here by 'house' he does not mean the temple; for God did not build it, but men.

But he who made him is God; he means Moses.

And see how he shows the superiority secretly: Faithful, he says, in all his house, being himself also of the house, that is, of the people.

The artisan has more honor than his works, but also he who built the house than the house.

But he who built all things is God.

Do you see that he is not speaking of the temple, but of all the people?

And Moses indeed was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken.

Behold also another superiority, that between the Son and the servants.

Do you see again that he hints at genuineness through the title of Son?

But Christ, as a Son over his own house.

Did you see how he distinguishes between a created thing and a creator, how between a servant and a Son? And the one enters into his father's things as a Master, but the other as a servant.

Whose house we are, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Here again he exhorts them to stand nobly, and not to fall away.

For we shall be the house of God, he says, just as Moses was, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end; so that he who is distressed in temptations and falls away, does not rejoice; he who is ashamed, who hides himself, has no confidence; he who is distressed does not rejoice.

Then he also praises them, saying: If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end; showing that they had also begun.

But there is need of the end also, and not simply to stand, but to hold the hope firm in full assurance of faith, not being shaken by temptations.

And do not be surprised, if the expression, He himself having been tempted, is spoken in a rather human way.

For if concerning the Father who was not incarnate the Scripture says, The Lord looked down from heaven and saw all the sons of men, that is, he accurately learned everything; and again, I will go down and see whether they are doing according to their cry; and again, God cannot bear the evils of men; the divine Scripture showing the greatness of his wrath; much more concerning Christ who also suffered 63.50 in the flesh might these anthropopathic things be said.

For since many men consider experience of all things to be more reliable for knowledge, he wishes to show, that he who has suffered knows what the ... suffers

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ἐπουρανίου μέτοχοι, κατανοήσατε τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτὸν, ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. Μέλλων αὐτὸν προτιθέναι τοῦ Μωϋσέως κατὰ σύγκρισιν, εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀρχιερωσύνης νόμον ἤγαγε τὸν λόγον· οὐ γὰρ μικρὰν περὶ Μωϋσέως δόξαν εἶχον ἅπαντες. Καὶ προκαταβάλλεται ἤδη τὰ σπέρματα τῆς ὑπεροχῆς. Ἄρχεται μὲν οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς, ἄνεισι δὲ εἰς τὴν θεότητα, ἔνθα οὐκέτι σύγκρισις ἦν γίνεσθαι. Ἤρξατο ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς τέως τὸ ἴσον τιθέναι, καί φησιν· Ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν δείκνυσι τὴν ὑπεροχὴν, ἵνα μὴ ἀποπηδήσῃ ὁ ἀκροατὴς, καὶ εὐθέως ἐμφράξῃ τὰς ἀκοάς· εἰ γὰρ καὶ πιστοὶ ἦσαν, 63.49 ἀλλ' ὅμως ἔτι πολὺ τὸ συνειδὸς εἶχον πρὸς Μωϋσέα. Πιστὸν ὄντα, φησὶ, τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν. Τί ποιήσαντι; Ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα. Οὐδὲν ἐνταῦθα περὶ οὐσίας φησὶν, οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς θεότητος, ἀλλὰ τέως περὶ ἀξιωμάτων ἀνθρωπίνων· Ὡς καὶ Μωϋσῆς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ· τουτέστιν, ἐν τῷ λαῷ, ἢ ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ τὸ, Ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, φησίν· ὡς ἂν εἴ τις εἴποι· Περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ. Καθάπερ γάρ τις ἐπίτροπος καὶ οἰκονόμος οἰκίας, οὕτως ἦν ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ λαῷ. Ὅτι γὰρ οἶκον ἐνταῦθα τὸν λαόν φησιν, ἐπήγαγεν, Οὗ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς· τουτέστιν· Ἐν τῇ κτίσει αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν. Εἶτα ἡ ὑπεροχή· Μείζονος γὰρ οὗτος δόξης παρὰ Μωϋσῆν ἠξίωται. Πάλιν περὶ τῆς σαρκός· Καθ' ὅσον πλείονα τιμὴν ἔχει τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν. γʹ. Καὶ αὐτὸς, φησὶ, τῆς οἰκίας ἦν. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, οὗτος μὲν γὰρ δοῦλος, ἐκεῖνος δὲ ∆εσπότης, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο λανθανόντως ἐνέφηνεν. Εἰ ὁ οἶκος οὖν ἦν ὁ λαὸς, καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ ἦν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρα τῆς οἰκίας ἦν· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ἡμῖν ἔθος λέγειν, ὁ δεῖνα τῆς οἰκίας τῆς τοῦ δεῖνός ἐστιν. Ἐνταῦθα δὲ οἶκον οὐ τὸν ναὸν λέγει· οὐ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸν κατεσκεύασεν, ἀλλ' οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ὁ δὲ ποιήσας αὐτὸν, ὁ Θεός· τὸν Μωϋσέα φησί. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς δείκνυσι τὴν ὑπεροχὴν λανθανόντως· Πιστὸς, φησὶν, ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ αὐτὸς ὢν τοῦ οἴκου, τουτέστι, τοῦ λαοῦ. Πλείονα τιμὴν ἔχει τῶν ἔργων ὁ τεχνίτης, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ οἴκου ὁ κατασκευάσας αὐτόν. Ὁ δὲ τὰ πάντα κατασκευάσας, Θεός. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ λέγει, ἀλλὰ περὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ; Καὶ Μωϋσῆς μὲν πιστὸς ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ οἴκῳ αὐτοῦ, ὡς θεράπων, εἰς μαρτύριον τῶν λαληθησομένων. Ἰδοὺ καὶ ἄλλη ὑπεροχὴ ἡ ἀπὸ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τῶν δούλων. Ὁρᾷς πάλιν ὅτι γνησιότητα διὰ τῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ προσηγορίας αἰνίττεται; Χριστὸς δὲ, ὡς Υἱὸς ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ. Εἶδες πῶς ποίημα καὶ ποιητὴν διίστησι, πῶς δοῦλον καὶ Υἱόν; κἀκεῖνος μὲν εἰς τὰ πατρῷα ὡς ∆εσπότης εἰσέρχεται, οὗτος δὲ ὡς δοῦλος. Οὗ οἶκός ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς, ἐάνπερ τὴν παῤῥησίαν καὶ τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἐλπίδος μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν. Ἐνταῦθα πάλιν αὐτοὺς προτρέπει ἑστάναι γενναίως, καὶ μὴ καταπίπτειν. Οἶκος γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐσόμεθα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὥσπερ ἦν Μωϋσῆς, ἐάνπερ τὴν παῤῥησίαν καὶ τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἐλπίδος μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν· ὥστε ὁ ἀλγῶν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς καὶ καταπίπτων, οὐ καυχᾶται· ὁ αἰσχυνόμενος, ὁ κρυπτόμενος, παῤῥησίαν οὐκ ἔχει· ὁ ἀλύων οὐ καυχᾶται. Εἶτα καὶ ἐγκωμιάζει αὐτοὺς λέγων· Ἐάνπερ τὴν παῤῥησίαν καὶ τὸ καύχημα τῆς ἐλπίδος μέχρι τέλους βεβαίαν κατάσχωμεν· δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ ἤρξαντο. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ τοῦ τέλους, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἑστάναι, ἀλλὰ βεβαίαν ἔχειν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως, μὴ παρασαλευομένους ὑπὸ τῶν πειρασμῶν. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς, εἰ ἀνθρωπινώτερον τὸ, Αὐτὸς πειρασθεὶς, εἴρηται. Εἰ γὰρ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῦ μὴ σαρκωθέντος φησὶν ἡ Γραφὴ, Ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ διέκυψεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ εἶδε πάντας τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τουτέστιν, ἀκριβῶς πάντα κατέμαθε· καὶ πάλιν, Καταβὰς ὄψομαι εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν συντελοῦνται· καὶ πάλιν, Οὐ δύναται φέρειν ὁ Θεὸς τὰς κακίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τὸ πολὺ τῆς ὀργῆς ἐνδεικνυμένη ἡ θεία Γραφή· πολλῷ μᾶλλον περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ καὶ παθόντος 63.50 ἐν σαρκὶ λέγοιντ' ἂν ταῦτα τὰ ἀνθρωπινοπαθῆ. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν πεῖραν πάντων εἶναι πιστοτέραν νομίζουσι πρὸς γνῶσιν, βούλεται δεῖξαι, ὅτι ὁ παθὼν οἶδε τί πάσχει ἡ