John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Hebrews

swear by the greater, and of all their contradiction the oath is an end for confirmation. 1. Having rebuked the Hebrews nobly, and having frightened them sufficiently, first he consoles them with praises, and second, which is even stronger, with the fact that they would certainly obtain the things hoped for. And he makes his exhortation not from things present, but again from things past, which indeed persuaded them more. For just as in punishment he frightens them more through those things, so also in the prizes he exhorts them through these, showing the custom of God, which is this: not to bring on the things promised quickly, but after a long time. And he does this, both bringing forth the greatest proof of his power, and leading us to faith, so that those living in affliction, and not receiving the promises nor the rewards, may not give up in their labors. And letting all others go, although he had many to speak of, he brought Abraham into the midst, both because of the dignity of the person, and because this had especially happened in his case. And yet at the end of the epistle, he says that all these, having seen them from afar and greeted them, did not receive the promises, that they might not be made perfect without us. For to Abraham, he says, God made a promise, and since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying: Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. And so, having been patient, he obtained the promise. How then at the end does he say, that They did not receive the promises; while here at 63.90, that Having been patient he obtained the promise? how did he not receive? and how did he obtain? He does not speak of the same things here and there, but he even makes the exhortation twofold. He made a promise to Abraham; and the things here he gave after a long time, but the things there, not yet; and so having been patient he obtained the promise. Do you see that not the promise alone accomplished everything, but also patience? Here he frightens them, showing that a promise is often hindered by faintheartedness. And this he showed through the people; for since they were fainthearted, for this reason they did not obtain the promise at all; but he shows the contrary through Abraham. Then towards the end he does even more; for he shows that even having been patient they did not obtain, and not even so are they distressed. For men swear by the greater, and of all their contradiction the oath is an end for confirmation; but God, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, swore by himself. Good. Who then is the one who swore to Abraham? Is it not the Son? No, he says. Whence do you say this? For it is he most of all; however, I do not dispute it. When, therefore, he himself swears the same oath, Verily, verily, I say to you, is it not clear that it is from not having a greater by whom to swear? For just as the Father swore, so also the Son swears by himself, saying, Verily, verily, I say to you. Here he reminds them of those oaths of Christ, which he continually said, Verily, verily, I say to you, he who believes in me shall never die. What is, And of all their contradiction the oath is an end for confirmation? Instead of, by this the dispute of all contradiction is resolved; not of this or that, but of all. Therefore God ought to have been believed even without an oath. Wherein God, he says, willing more abundantly to show to the heirs of the promise the immutability of His counsel, interposed with an oath. Here he also includes the faithful; for this reason at 63.91 he also mentions this promise which was made to us in common. He interposed, he says, with an oath. Again here he says the Son became a mediator between men and God. That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie. Which, and which? Both his speaking and promising, and his adding an oath to the promise. For since among men this of the oath seems to be more trustworthy, for this reason he added it also. 2. Do you see that he does not consider his own dignity, but how he may persuade men, and endures unworthy things to be said about himself? that is, wishing to fully convince. And in the case of Abraham he shows that the whole is of God, not of his patience, since even an oath

κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσι, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος. αʹ. Καθαψάμενος γενναίως τῶν Ἑβραίων, καὶ φοβήσας αὐτοὺς ἱκανῶς, πρῶτον μὲν τοῖς ἐγκωμίοις παραμυθεῖται, δεύτερον δὲ, ὃ καὶ ἰσχυρότερόν ἐστι, τῷ πάντως ἐπιτεύξεσθαι αὐτοὺς τῶν ἐλπιζομένων. Καὶ τὴν παράκλησιν οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐνεστώτων ποιεῖται, ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων· ὃ δὴ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς ἔπειθεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῇ κολάσει δι' ἐκείνων μᾶλλον φοβεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐπάθλοις διὰ τούτων παρακαλεῖ, τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δεικνὺς ἔθος· τοῦτο δέ ἐστι, τὸ μὴ ταχέως ἐπάγειν τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα, ἀλλὰ διὰ μακροῦ τοῦ χρόνου. Ποιεῖ δὲ τοῦτο, τῆς τε αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως μέγιστον τεκμήριον ἐκφέρων, καὶ ἡμᾶς εἰς πίστιν ἐνάγων, ἵνα οἱ ἐν θλίψει ζῶντες, καὶ τὰς ἐπαγγελίας μὴ λαμβάνοντες μηδὲ τοὺς μισθοὺς, μὴ ἀπαγορεύωσι πρὸς τοὺς καμάτους. Καὶ πάντας ἀφιεὶς, καίτοι γε ἔχων πολλοὺς εἰπεῖν, τὸν Ἀβραὰμ εἰς μέσον ἤγαγε, διά τε τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ προσώπου, καὶ διὰ τὸ μάλιστα ἐπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦτο συμβεβηκέναι. Καίτοι γε ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς ἐπιστολῆς, φησὶν, ὅτι οὗτοι πάντες πόῤῥωθεν αὐτὰς ἰδόντες καὶ ἀσπασάμενοι, οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὰς ἐπαγγελίας, ἵνα μὴ χωρὶς ἡμῶν τελειωθῶσι. Τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ, φησὶν, ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπεὶ κατ' οὐδενὸς μείζονος εἶχεν ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων· Ἦ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε. Καὶ οὕτω μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Πῶς οὖν ἐν τῷ τέλει φησὶν, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐκομίσαντο τὰς ἐπαγγελίας· ἐν 63.90 ταῦθα δὲ, ὅτι Μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας; πῶς οὐκ ἔλαβε; πῶς καὶ ἐπέτυχεν; Οὐ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἐνταῦθά φησι κἀκεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ διπλῆν ποιεῖται τὴν παράκλησιν. Ἐπηγγείλατο τῷ Ἀβραάμ· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐνταῦθα μετὰ μακρὸν χρόνον ἔδωκε, τὰ δὲ ἐκεῖ, οὐδέπω· καὶ οὕτω μακροθυμήσας ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐχ ἡ ἐπαγγελία μόνη τὸ πᾶν εἰργάσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ μακροθυμία; Ἐνταῦθα φοβεῖ αὐτοὺς, δεικνὺς ὅτι πολλάκις ἐγκόπτεται ἐπαγγελία δι' ὀλιγοψυχίαν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἔδειξε μὲν διὰ τοῦ λαοῦ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ὠλιγοψύχησαν, διὰ τοῦτο τῆς ἐπαγγελίας οὐκ ἔτυχον οὐδαμῶς· τὸ δὲ ἐναντίον δείκνυσι διὰ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. Εἶτα πρὸς τῷ τέλει καὶ πλεῖόν τι ποιεῖ· δείκνυσι γὰρ ὅτι καὶ μακροθυμήσαντες οὐκ ἐπέτυχον, καὶ οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀσχάλλουσιν. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσι, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς ἐπεὶ κατ' οὐδενὸς μείζονος εἶχεν ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ. Καλῶς. Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ὀμόσας τῷ Ἀβραάμ; οὐχὶ ὁ Υἱός; Οὒ, φησί. Πόθεν τοῦτο λέγεις; Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ αὐτός· πλὴν οὐκ ἀμφισβητῶ. Ὅταν οὖν αὐτὸς ὀμνύῃ τὸν αὐτὸν ὅρκον, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ἔχειν κατὰ μείζονος ὀμόσαι; Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ ὤμοσεν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὀμνύει καθ' ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν. Ἐνταῦθα αὐτοὺς ἀναμιμνήσκει ἐκείνων τῶν ὅρκων τῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὧν συνεχῶς ἔλεγεν, Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Τί ἐστι, Καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν ὁ ὅρκος; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐκ τούτου λύεται πάσης ἀντιλογίας ἀμφισβήτησις· οὐ τῆσδε ἢ τῆσδε, ἀλλὰ πάσης. Ἔδει μὲν οὖν καὶ χωρὶς ὅρκου πιστεύεσθαι τὸν Θεόν. Ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶν, ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τοὺς πιστοὺς περιλαμβάνει· διὰ τοῦτο 63.91 καὶ ταύτης τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μέμνηται τῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς κοινῶς γενομένης. Ἐμεσίτευσε, φησὶν, ὅρκῳ. Πάλιν ἐνταῦθα τὸν Υἱόν φησι μεταξὺ ἀνθρώπων καὶ Θεοῦ μεσίτην γεγονέναι. Ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι τὸν Θεόν. Ποίου, καὶ ποίου; Τοῦ τε εἰπεῖν καὶ ὑποσχέσθαι, τοῦ τε ὅρκον προσθεῖναι τῇ ὑποσχέσει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις τοῦτο δοκεῖ πιστότερον εἶναι τὸ τοῦ ὅρκου, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸ προσέθηκεν. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκοπεῖ, ἀλλ' ὅπως τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πείσῃ, καὶ ἀνάξια περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἀνέχεται λέγεσθαι; τουτέστι, πληροφορῆσαι θέλων. Καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ δείκνυσι τοῦ Θεοῦ ὂν τὸ πᾶν, οὐ τῆς μακροθυμίας ἐκείνου, εἴ γε καὶ ὅρκον