John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Hebrews

all things are cleansed according to the law, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Why did he say 'Almost'? Why did he check himself? Because those things were not a perfect cleansing, nor a perfect forgiveness, but incomplete, and in the smallest 63.125 part; but here: This is the blood, he says, of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Where then did the book cleanse their minds? They themselves, therefore, were books of the new covenant. And where are the vessels of the ministry? They are them. And where is the tabernacle? They are it again; For I will dwell in them, and walk among them, he says. But here he did not sprinkle with scarlet wool or with hyssop; why ever not? For the cleansing was not bodily, but spiritual, and the blood was spiritual. How? For it did not flow from the body of irrational animals, but from a body fashioned by the Spirit. With this blood, not Moses, but Christ sprinkled us, through the word that was spoken, This is the blood of the new covenant for the forgiveness of sins. This word, instead of hyssop, being dipped in the blood, sprinkles all. And there, the body was cleansed outwardly, for the cleansing was bodily; but here, since the cleansing is spiritual, it enters into the soul and cleanses it, not by being simply sprinkled on, but by springing up in our souls. Those who have been initiated know what is being said. And in those cases, it sprinkled the very surface, and the one who was sprinkled washed himself again; for he did not go about forever blood-stained; but with the soul it is not so, but the blood is mixed with its very substance, making it strong and pure, and leading it to that inaccessible beauty. He shows, then, that death is the cause not only of confirmation, but also of purification. For since death seemed to be a defiling thing, and especially death by a cross, he says that it cleansed, and it cleansed with a precious cleansing, and for greater things; for this reason the sacrifices came beforehand, for the sake of this blood; for this reason there were lambs, for this reason all things came to be. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. And how are they patterns of the things in the heavens? And what does he now call the things in the heavens? Is it the heaven? or the angels? None of these, but our own things. Therefore our things are in the heavens, and are heavenly, even if they are accomplished on earth. Since even angels are on the earth, but are called heavenly; and the Cherubim appeared on the earth, but they are heavenly. And why do I say 'appeared'? They even live on the earth, just as in paradise. But this was no hindrance; for even so they are heavenly. And our citizenship is in heaven, although we live our lives here. But the heavenly things themselves; that is, the philosophy among us, those who are called to be there. With better sacrifices than these. The better is better than something good; therefore, they have become good, even the patterns of the things in the heavens. For the patterns would not have been evil, since then those things of which they are patterns would also be evil. 3. If, therefore, we are heavenly, and have obtained such a substance, let us shudder; let us no longer remain on the earth. For it is possible for one who wishes not to be on the earth even now. For to be on the earth and not to be on it, happens by one's way of life and choice; for example: God is said to be in heaven. Why? Not as being confined by place, God forbid, nor as having left the earth destitute of His presence, but by His relation and affinity to 63.126 the angels. If, therefore, we too are near to God, we are in heaven. For what is heaven to me, when I see the Lord of heaven, when I myself become heaven? For we will come, He says, I and my Father, and we will make our home with him. Let us therefore make our soul a heaven. Heaven is bright by nature; for not even in winter does it become dark. For it does not itself change its appearance, but clouds running together cover it. The heaven has the sun; we too have the sun of righteousness. I said, 'It is possible to become as heaven;' and I see that it is possible to become even better than heaven. How? When we have the Lord of the sun. The heaven is everywhere clean and spotless,

πάντα καθαρίζεται κατὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ χωρὶς αἱματεκχυσίας οὐ γίνεται ἄφεσις. ∆ιὰ τί τὸ Σχεδὸν εἶπε; διὰ τί αὐτὸ ἐκόλασεν; Ἐπειδὴ ἐκεῖνα οὐκ ἦν καθαρισμὸς τέλειος, οὐδὲ ἄφεσις τελεία, ἀλλὰ ἡμιτελὴς, καὶ ἐν ἐλαχίστῳ 63.125 μέρει· ἐνταῦθα δέ· Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα, φησὶ, τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης, τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐκχυνόμενον εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Ποῦ τοίνυν τὸ βιβλίον ἐκάθαρε τὰς διανοίας αὐτῶν; Αὐτοὶ ἄρα ἦσαν βιβλία τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης. Ποῦ δὲ τὰ σκεύη τῆς λειτουργίας; Αὐτοί εἰσι. Ποῦ δὲ ἡ σκηνή; Αὐτοί εἰσι πάλιν· Ἐνοικήσω γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐμπεριπατήσω, φησίν. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐρίῳ κοκκίνῳ οὐδὲ ὑσσώπῳ ἐῤῥάντισεν ἐνταῦθα· τί δήποτε; Οὐ γὰρ σωματικὸς ὁ καθαρισμὸς ἦν, ἀλλὰ πνευματικὸς, καὶ τὸ αἷμα πνευματικόν. Πῶς; Οὐκ ἀπὸ σώματος γὰρ ἔῤῥει ἀλόγων, ἀλλὰ σώματος ἀπὸ Πνεύματος κατασκευασθέντος. Τούτῳ ἡμᾶς οὐ Μωϋσῆς, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς ἐῤῥάντισε τῷ αἵματι, διὰ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ λεχθέντος, Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν. Οὗτος ὁ λόγος ἀντὶ ὑσσώπου τῷ αἵματι ἐμβαφεὶς, πάντας περιῤῥαίνει. Κἀκεῖ μὲν τὸ σῶμα ἔξωθεν ἐκαθαίρετο· σωματικὸς γὰρ ὁ καθαρισμὸς ἦν· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐπειδὴ πνευματικός ἐστιν ὁ καθαρισμὸς, εἰς τὴν ψυχὴν εἰσέρχεται, καὶ καθαίρει, οὐχ ἁπλῶς περιῤῥαινόμενος, ἀλλὰ πηγάζων ἐν ταῖς ἡμετέραις ψυχαῖς. Ἴσασιν οἱ μεμυημένοι τὰ λεγόμενα. Καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνων μὲν αὐτὴν τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν ἔῤῥαινε, καὶ πάλιν ἀπενίπτετο ὁ ῥαντιζόμενος· οὐ γὰρ δὴ ᾑμαγμένος ἀεὶ περιῄει· ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ οὐσίᾳ ἀναμίγνυται τὸ αἷμα, ῥωμαλέαν αὐτὴν ποιοῦν καὶ ἁγνὴν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ ἀμήχανον κάλλος ἄγον. ∆είκνυσι δὴ λοιπὸν τὸν θάνατον οὐ μόνον βεβαιώσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθαρμοῦ αἴτιον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἡ τελευτὴ μιαρὸν πρᾶγμα ἐδόκει εἶναι, καὶ μάλιστα ἡ διὰ σταυροῦ, λέγει ὅτι ἐκάθαρε, καὶ ἐκάθαρε τιμίαν κάθαρσιν, καὶ ἐπὶ μείζοσι· διὰ τοῦτο αἱ θυσίαι προὔλαβον, διὰ τὸ αἷμα τοῦτο· διὰ τοῦτο ἀμνοὶ, διὰ τοῦτο ἅπαντα ἐγένετο. Ἀνάγκη οὖν τὰ μὲν ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τούτοις καθαρίζεσθαι· αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια κρείττοσι θυσίαις παρὰ ταύτας. Καὶ πῶς ἐστιν ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς; τίνα δὲ καλεῖ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς νῦν; ἆρα τὸν οὐρανόν; ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀγγέλους; Οὐδὲν τούτων, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἡμέτερα. Ἄρα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ἐπουράνια, κἂν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐπιτελῆται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἄγγελοι ἐν τῇ γῇ εἰσιν, ἀλλ' ἐπουράνιοι λέγονται· καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐφάνη, ἀλλ' ἐπουράνιά ἐστι. Καὶ τί λέγω ἐφάνη; ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς μὲν οὖν διάγει, ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν ἐκώλυσε τοῦτο· ἐπουρανία γὰρ καὶ οὕτως ἐστί. Καὶ ἡμῶν τὸ πολίτευμά ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καίτοι ἐνταῦθα πολιτευόμεθα. Αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια· τουτέστι, τὴν φιλοσοφίαν τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν, τοὺς ἐκεῖ κεκλημένους. Κρείττοσι θυσίαις παρὰ ταύτας. Τὸ κρεῖττον καλοῦ τινός ἐστι κρεῖττον· ἄρα καλὰ γεγόνασι, καὶ τὰ ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Οὐκ ἂν γὰρ οὐδὲ τὰ ὑποδείγματα πονηρὰ ἦν, ἐπεὶ κἀκεῖνα ἂν εἴη πονηρὰ ὧν ἐστιν ὑποδείγματα. γʹ. Εἰ τοίνυν ἐπουράνιοι ἡμεῖς, καὶ τοιαύτης οὐσίας ἐτύχομεν, φρίξωμεν· μηκέτι μένωμεν ἐν τῇ γῇ· ἔξεστι γὰρ μὴ εἶναι ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ νῦν τὸν βουλόμενον. Τὸ γὰρ εἶναι ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ μὴ εἶναι, τρόπῳ καὶ προαιρέσει γίνεται· οἷόν τι λέγω· Ὁ Θεὸς λέγεται εἶναι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· διὰ τί; οὐ τόπῳ ἀποκλειόμενος, μὴ γένοιτο, οὐδὲ τὴν γῆν ἔρημον τῆς αὑτοῦ παρουσίας ἀφεὶς, ἀλλὰ τῇ σχέσει καὶ τῇ οἰκειώσει τῇ πρὸς 63.126 τοὺς ἀγγέλους. Ἂν τοίνυν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐγγὺς ὦμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν οὐρανῷ ἐσμεν. Τί γάρ μοι μέλει τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅταν ὁρῶ τὸν ∆εσπότην τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὅταν αὐτὸς οὐρανὸς γένωμαι; Ἐλευσόμεθα γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ μου, καὶ μονὴν παρ' αὐτῷ ποιήσομεν. Ποιήσωμεν οὖν ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν οὐρανόν. Φαιδρός ἐστιν ὁ οὐρανὸς τῇ φύσει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν χειμῶνι μέλας γίνεται· οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς μεταβάλλει τὴν ὄψιν, ἀλλ' αἱ νεφέλαι συνδραμοῦσαι καλύπτουσιν αὐτόν. Ὁ οὐρανὸς ἥλιον ἔχει· ἔχομεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ἥλιον δικαιοσύνης. Εἶπον, Ἔξεστι γενέσθαι ὡς οὐρανόν· καὶ ὁρῶ ὅτι καὶ βελτίονα γενέσθαι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔξεστι. Πῶς; Ὅταν τὸν ∆εσπότην τοῦ ἡλίου ἔχωμεν. Ὁ οὐρανὸς πάντοθέν ἐστι καθαρὸς καὶ ἀκηλίδωτος,