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makes it more backward in good things and weak. 95.957 But imitators of those who through faith and longsuffering inherit the promises. So that they may not think that, being despised as worthy of no account, they were abandoned, but may know that this belongs to the most noble of men. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying. Having rebuked them, he nobly brings them again to hope, that they will obtain all that is hoped for. He adds the rewards, so that they may not grow weary in their labors, and he confirms this by examples. And having many to mention, he brings Abraham forward, because of the dignity of the person. Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. He subtly reminds them of the oaths of Christ, which he continually said. Amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in me shall never die. And so, having been longsuffering, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and an oath is for them an end of all dispute, for confirmation. Wherein God, being more abundantly willing to show to the heirs of the promise the immutability of his counsel, interposed with an oath, so that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have a strong consolation. Here he frightens them, showing that a promise is often broken through faint-heartedness. That is, to journey through life by means of temptations. It is necessary, he says, to bear all things with longsuffering and faith. For if he should say that he gives, and you receive immediately, in what did you believe? To lay hold of the hope set before us, which we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. From these things, he says, we conjecture the future. For if these things came to pass after so much time, certainly those other things also will. So that the things that happened to Abraham confirm us also concerning the things to come. And entering. While still being in the world, he shows us to be in the things promised through hope; and he did not say, we are within, but it has entered within, which was more true and more plausible. Into the inner part of the veil. Instead of, into heaven. Where the forerunner has entered for us, Jesus, according to the order of Melchizedek. The name of forerunner is opportune, as we also are due to receive. For the distance between the forerunner and those who follow is not great. Having become a high priest forever. Behold also another consolation, if indeed our priest is above, and much better than the one among the Jews.

CHAPTER 7. For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who

met Abraham. In many places he makes the comparison of the Old and the New. See, therefore, again and from this he shows that the type of Christ's priesthood, that is, Melchizedek, was much better than the priests according to the law. And see how he builds his case, first from the name; for Melchizedek is interpreted king of righteousness; then also from his manner, that he is without father and without mother. For such a one, Melchizedek, not being recorded in genealogy, is unknown to us both whose father he was, and of what sort of mother, and from where he had his beginning, and what sort of end he has. For Scripture does not give a genealogy for him, as it does for others. If, then, the type is so great, how much more the reality, that is, Christ. And that Melchizedek was a type of him, the oath-taking to him also showed: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Then from the name; for who is king of righteousness, if not our Lord? For he is also King of peace; for he made peace with the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. He is also without father and without mother; above, without mother, and below, without father. He is also without genealogy; For his generation, it says, who has known? For it is not possible to describe his generation above. He is also forever; that is, he does not have

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ἀγαθῶν ὑπτιωτέραν ἐργάζεται καὶ ἀσθενῆ. 95.957 Μιμηταὶ δὲ τῶν διὰ πίστεως, καὶ μακροθυμίας κληρονομούντων τὰς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἵνα μὴ νομίσωσιν, ὡς οὐδενὸς ἄξιοι λόγου καταφρονηθέντες ἐγκατελείφθησαν, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι ἔχωσιν, ὅτι τῶν μάλιστα γενναίων ἀνδρῶν τοῦτό ἐστιν. Τῷ γὰρ Ἀβραὰμ ἐπαγγειλάμενος ὁ Θεὸς, ἐπεὶ κατ' οὐδενὸς εἶχε μείζονος ὀμόσαι, ὤμοσε καθ' ἑαυτοῦ, λέγων. Καθαψάμενος αὐτῶν, γενναίως πάλιν εἰς ἐλπίδας φέρει, ὅτι πάντων ἐπιτεύξονται τῶν ἐλπιζομένων. Προστίθησι δὲ τοὺς μισθοὺς, ἵνα μὴ ἀποκάμωσι πρὸς τοὺς καμάτους, καὶ πιστοῦται τοῦτο ἐκ παραδειγμάτων. Ἔχων δὲ πολλοὺς εἰπεῖν, Ἀβραὰμ εἰς μέσον ἄγει, διὰ τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ προσώπου. Εἰ μὴν εὐλογῶν εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ πληθύνων πληθυνῶ σε. Λεληθότως ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτοὺς τῶν ὅρκων τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὧν συνεχῶς ἔλεγεν. Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Καὶ οὕτω μακροθυμήσας, ἐπέτυχε τῆς ἐπαγγελίας. Ἄνθρωποι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ μείζονος ὀμνύουσι, καὶ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀντιλογίας πέρας εἰς βεβαίωσιν, ὁ ὅρκος. Ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὑτοῦ, ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ, ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι Θεὸν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν οἱ καταφυγόντες. Ἐνταῦθα φοβεῖ αὐτοὺς, δεικνὺς ὅτι πολλάκις διακόπτεται ἐπαγγελία δι' ὀλιγοψυχίαν. Τουτέστι, τὸ διὰ πειρασμῶν ὁδεύειν τὸν βίον. ∆εῖ δὲ, φησὶ, μετὰ μακροθυμίας ἅπαντα φέρειν καὶ πίστεως. Ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπῃ, ὅτι δίδωσι, καὶ λάβῃς εὐθέως, τί καὶ ἐπίστευσας; Κρατῆσαι τῆς προκειμένης ἐλπίδος, ἣν ὡς ἄγκυραν ἔχομεν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσφαλῆ τε καὶ βεβαίαν. Ἀπὸ τούτων, φησὶ, τὰ μέλλοντα στοχαζόμεθα. Εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα μετὰ τοσοῦτον ἐξέβη χρόνον, πάντως κἀκεῖνα. Ὥστε τὰ πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ γινόμενα πιστοῦται ἡμᾶς καὶ περὶ τῶν μελλόντων. Καὶ εἰσερχομένην. Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἔτι ὄντας, δείκνυσιν ἐν τοῖς ἐπηγγελμένοις διὰ τῆς ἐλπίδος· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν ἔνδον, ἀλλὰ αὐτὴ εἰσῆλθεν ἔνδον, ὅπερ ἀληθέστερον ἦν καὶ πιθανώτερον. Εἰς τὸ ἐσώτερον τοῦ καταπετάσματος. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν. Ὅπου πρόδρομος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Εὔκαιρος ἡ τοῦ προδρόμου ὀνομασία, ὡς καὶ ἡμῶν ὀφειλόντων λαβεῖν. Οὐ πολὺ γὰρ τοῦ προδρόμου καὶ τῶν ἑπομένων τὸ μέσον. Ἀρχιερεὺς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Ἰδοὺ καὶ ἑτέρα παράκλησις, εἴ γε ἄνω ὁ ἱερεὺς ἡμῶν, καὶ πολὺ βελτίων τοῦ παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ζʹ. Οὗτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ, ἱερεὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ Ὑψίστου, ὁ

συναντήσας Ἀβραάμ. Πολλαχοῦ τὴν σύγκρισιν ποιεῖται τῆς Παλαιᾶς καὶ τῆς Καινῆς. Ὅρα οὖν πάλιν καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δεικνύντα, ὅτι ὁ τύπος τῆς ἱερωσύνης Χριστοῦ, τουτέστιν ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, πολὺ βελτίων ἦν τῶν κατὰ νόμον ἱερέων. Καὶ ὅρα πῶς αὔξει, πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος· ὁ γὰρ Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης ἑρμηνεύεται· ἔπειτα καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τρόπου, ὅτι ἀπάτωρ καὶ ἀμήτωρ. Ὁ τοιοῦτος γὰρ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, μὴ γενεαλογούμενος, ἄγνωστος ἡμῖν καὶ τίνος πατρὸς, καὶ οἵας μητρὸς, καὶ πόθεν ἔσχεν τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ οἷον ἔχει τὸ τέλος. Οὐδὲν γὰρ περὶ αὐτοῦ γενεαλογεῖ ἡ Γραφὴ, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων. Εἰ τοίνυν ὁ τύπος τοσοῦτος, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἡ ἀλήθεια, τουτέστιν ὁ Χριστός. Ὅτι δὲ τύπος ἦν αὐτοῦ ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, ἔδειξε μὲν καὶ ἡ ὁρκωμοσία ἡ πρὸς αὐτόν· Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Ἔπειτα ἐκ τοῦ ὀνόματος· τίς γὰρ βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, ἢ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν; Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι καὶ Βασιλεὺς εἰρήνης· εἰρηνοποίησε γὰρ τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Αὐτὸς καὶ ἀπάτωρ, καὶ ἀμήτωρ· ἄνω μὲν ἀμήτωρ, κάτω δὲ ἀπάτωρ. Αὐτὸς καὶ μὴ γενεαλογούμενος· Τὴν δὲ γενεὰν γὰρ αὐτοῦ, φησὶ, τίς ἔγνω; Οὐ γὰρ δυνατὸν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄνω γέννησιν ἐξειπεῖν. Αὐτὸς καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνάς ἐστιν· τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἔχει