1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

 15

 16

 17

 18

 19

 20

 21

 22

 23

 24

 25

 26

 27

 28

 29

 30

 31

 32

 33

 34

 35

 36

 37

 38

 39

 40

 41

 42

 43

 44

 45

 46

 47

 48

 49

 50

 51

 52

 53

 54

 55

 56

 57

 58

 59

 60

 61

 62

 63

 64

 65

 66

 67

 68

 69

 70

 71

 72

 73

 74

 75

 76

 77

 78

 79

 80

 81

 82

 83

 84

 85

 86

 87

 88

 89

 90

 91

 92

 93

 94

 95

 96

 97

 98

 99

 100

 101

 102

 103

 104

 105

 106

 107

 108

 109

 110

 111

 112

 113

 114

 115

 116

 117

 118

 119

 120

 121

 122

 123

 124

 125

 126

 127

 128

 129

 130

 131

 132

 133

 134

 135

 136

 137

 138

 139

 140

 141

 142

 143

 144

 145

 146

 147

 148

 149

 150

 151

 152

 153

 154

 155

 156

 157

 158

 159

 160

 161

 162

 163

 164

 165

 166

 167

 168

 169

 170

 171

 172

 173

 174

 175

 176

 177

 178

 179

160

a law of a carnal commandment. For they were not able to forgive adultery, and envy, nor sacrilege. Only concerning foods, and drinks, and various washings. Appearing, he says, to cleanse the flesh. And ordinances of the flesh, imposed until a time of reformation. But Christ having come as high priest of the good things to come, He calls the time of reformation, the time of the presence of Christ. He says, therefore, that they were profitable before the time of reformation, but after these things, unprofitable. Through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, nor through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood he entered once for all into the Holy Places, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the defiled, sanctifies for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit offered himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works, 95.972 He speaks here of the flesh, or the Church. to serve the living God? Here he shows that one who has dead works cannot serve the living and true God. And for this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it is never in force while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first was without blood It was likely that many of the weaker disposition, because the Lord had died, would especially disbelieve his promises. The Apostle therefore says: For this reason, then, one must be confident, because it is not when the testators are living, but when they are dying that testaments are then confirmed, and receive their force. But this is the meaning: God, he says, made a promise; then, when men sinned, they were not only unworthy to receive the promise, but they also became liable to death. For this reason Christ came and took upon himself the sins, and died, so that having been cleansed, they might become worthy to receive the promises. inaugurated. For when every commandment had been spoken according to the law by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, That is, it became firm, and was ratified. and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying: This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you. And he likewise sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. A symbol of the spirit. For hyssop is warm; for the water also signifies the cleansing through baptism; and the wool, so that the blood might be retained. And according to the law almost all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission. Since that cleansing was not perfect, nor the remission complete, but incomplete, he said, almost. Therefore it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be cleansed with these. These, he says, the clean ones, who are perfected according to the law, were imperfect, since they were also a type of the things to come. But the heavenly things themselves, He means the Church. with better sacrifices than these. For then they were anointed with the blood of a sheep, but now, with that of Christ himself. For Christ did not enter into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself; now to appear 95.973 This, he says, just as the Jews indeed thought great things about the construction of the temple, as if there were no place like it. Again, therefore, a comparison, and the difference is great, by as much as heaven itself is greater than the temple. in the presence of God for us. Having said, to appear, and having shown the economy, he also adds the reason, that he has done this for us, since, as God the Word, he is always with the Father. For I, he says, am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Nor does he offer himself often, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood that is not his own, since then he would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the end of the

160

νόμον σαρκικῆς ἐντολῆς. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ μοιχείαν, καὶ φθόνον οὐδὲ ἱεροσυλίαν ἀφιέναι ἠδύναντο. Μόνον ἐπὶ βρώμασι, καὶ πόμασι, καὶ διαφόροις βαπτισμοῖς. ∆οκοῦντα, φησὶν, καθαίρειν τὴν σάρκα. Καὶ δικαιώμασι σαρκὸς, μέχρι καιροῦ διορθώσεως ἐπικείμενα. Χριστὸς δὲ παραγενόμενος ἀρχιερεὺς τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, Καιρὸν διορθώσεως, τὸν τῆς παρουσίας καλεῖ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Λέγει οὖν ὅτι ὠφέλιμα ἦν πρὸ τοῦ καιροῦ τῆς διορθώσεως, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἀνωφελῆ. ∆ιὰ τῆς μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς, οὐ χειροποιήτου, τουτέστιν οὐ ταύτης τῆς κτίσεως, οὐδὲ δι' αἵματος τράγων καὶ μόσχων, διὰ δὲ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος εἰσῆλθεν ἐφάπαξ εἰς τὰ Ἅγια, αἰωνίαν λύτρωσιν εὑράμενος. Εἰ γὰρ τὸ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ τράγων, καὶ σποδὸς δαμάλεως ῥαντίζουσα τοὺς κεκοινωμένους ἁγιάζει πρὸς τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς καθαρότητα, πόσῳ μᾶλλον τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃς διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκεν ἄμωμον τῷ Θεῷ, καθαριεῖ τὴν συνείδησιν ὑμῶν ἀπὸ νεκρῶν ἔργων, 95.972 Τὴν σάρκα λέγει ἐνταῦθα, ἢ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Εἰς τὸ λατρεύειν Θεῷ ζῶντι; Ἐνταῦθα ἐμφαίνει, ὅτι νεκρὰ ἔργα ἔχοντα οὐκ ἔνι δουλεύειν τῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο διαθήκης καινῆς μεσίτης ἐστὶν, ὅπως θανάτου γενομένου εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ πρώτῃ διαθήκῃ παραβάσεων, τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν λάβωσιν οἱ κεκλημένοι τῆς αἰωνίου κληρονομίας. Ὅπου γὰρ διαθήκη, θάνατον ἀνάγκη φέρεσθαι τοῦ διαθεμένου. ∆ιαθήκη γὰρ ἐπὶ νεκροῖς βεβαία, ἐπεὶ μήποτε ἰσχύει, ὅτε ζῇ ὁ διαθέμενος. Ὅθεν οὐδ' ἡ πρώτη χωρὶς αἵματος Εἰκὸς ἦν πολλοὺς τῶν ἀσθενέστερον διακειμένων, ἀπὸ τοῦ τετελευτηκέναι τὸν Κύριον, μάλιστα ἀπιστεῖν ταῖς ἐπαγγελίαις αὐτοῦ. Ὁ τοίνυν Ἀπόστολός φησι· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὖν χρὴ θαῤῥεῖν, ὅτι οὐ ζώντων τῶν διατιθεμένων, ἀλλ' ἀποθνησκόντων τότε βέβαιαί εἰσιν αἱ διαθῆκαι, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν λαμβάνουσιν. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Ἐπηγγείλατο, φησὶν, ὁ Θεός· εἶτα ἁμαρτάνοντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὐ μόνον ἦσαν ἀνάξιοι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν ἀναλαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ θανάτῳ γεγόνασιν ἔνοχοι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλθὼν ἀνεδέξατο τὰς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ ἀπέθανεν, ἵνα καθαρισθέντες, ἄξιοι γένωνται τὰς ἐπαγγελίας λαβεῖν. Ἐγκεκαίνισται. Λαληθείσης γὰρ πάσης ἐντολῆς κατὰ νόμον ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, λαβὼν τὸ αἷμα τῶν μόσχων καὶ τράγων, μετὰ ὕδατος, καὶ ἐρίου κοκκίνου, Τουτέστι, βεβαία γέγονε, καὶ ἐκυρώθη. Καὶ ὑσσώπου, αὐτό τε τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ πάντα τὸν λαὸν ἐῤῥάντισε, λέγων· Τοῦτο τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης, ἧς ἐνετείλατο πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεός. Καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν δὲ, καὶ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τῆς λειτουργίας τῷ αἵματι ὁμοίως ἐῤῥάντισε. Σύμβολον τοῦ πνεύματος. Θερμὴ γὰρ ἡ ὕσσωπος· ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ σημαῖνον τὴν διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος κάθαρσιν· καὶ τὸ ἔριον δὲ, ὥστε κατέχεσθαι τὸ αἷμα. Καὶ σχεδὸν ἐν αἵματι πάντα καθαρίζεται κατὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ χωρὶς αἱματεκχυσίας οὐ γίνεται ἄφεσις. Ἐπειδὴ ἐκείνου οὐκ ἦν καθαρμὸς τέλειος, οὐδὲ ἄφεσις τελεία, ἀλλ' ἡμιτελὴς, εἶπε τὸ, σχεδόν. Ἀνάγκη οὖν, τὰ μὲν ὑποδείγματα τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, τούτοις καθαρίζεσθαι. Οὗτοι, φησὶν, οἱ καθαροὶ, οἱ κατὰ νόμον τελειούμενοι, ἀτελεῖς ἦσαν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τύπος ἦσαν ἐκεῖνοι τῶν μελλόντων. Αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ ἐπουράνια, Τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν λέγει. Κρείττοσι θυσίαις παρὰ ταύτας. Τότε μὲν προβάτου αἵματι ἐχρίοντο, νῦν δὲ, αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ εἰς χειροποίητα ἅγια εἰσῆλθεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀντίτυπα τῶν ἀληθινῶν, ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν οὐρανόν· νῦν ἐμφανισθῆναι 95.973 Τοῦτο, φησὶν, ὥσπερ δὴ μέγα ἐφρόνουν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ ναοῦ κατασκευῇ, ὡς μηδενὶ τόπου ὄντος τοιούτου. Πάλιν οὖν σύγκρισις, καὶ τὸ διάφορον πολὺ, ὅσῳ αὐτὸς ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ ναοῦ. Τῷ προσώπῳ Θεοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Εἰπὼν τὸ, ἐμφανισθῆναι, καὶ δείξας τὴν οἰκονομίαν, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐπάγει, ὅτι τοῦτο πεποίηκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἐπεὶ, καθὸ Θεὸς Λόγος, πάντοτε σύνεστι τῷ Πατρί. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί. Οὐδὲ πολλάκις προσφέρει ἑαυτὸν, ὥσπερ ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὰ ἅγια κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἐν αἵματι ἀλλοτρίῳ, ἐπεὶ ἔδει αὐτὸν πολλάκις παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς καταβολῆς τοῦ κόσμου· νῦν δὲ ἅπαξ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν