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of his flesh; and a great priest over the house of God. He means heaven. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering; for he is faithful that promised; and let us consider one another 95.977 He shows that it is necessary to have both right faith and splendid works. For this is the meaning of, and our bodies washed with water. That which makes clean, or that which has no blood. To provoke unto love and to good works. To love more, and to be loved. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, For he knows from custom, and from the assembly, that there is great strength. For where, he says, two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith ye were sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace, For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, He shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For when one who has partaken of him in the mysteries commits sin, how has he not trodden him under foot, despising him? But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions; Partly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches and afflictions; and partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so used. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and the spoiling of your goods Since they were exhausted from the afflictions, see how he comforts them. First, from their own experiences; For call to remembrance, he says, the former days. Then from the Scripture, saying, But the just shall live by faith. Then from reasoning, saying, that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And again from the forefathers, those great and wonderful men. And reasonably he first mentions Abel, who first died for piety; second, Enoch, who was translated for piety, showing that there will certainly be rewards; third, Noah, showing that those who do not believe are punished. 95.980 You see, that he speaks about him, and of the others who were 95.980 bound in this way. You did not consider them to be bonds, but like noble athletes, so you stood, because not only did you not need comfort in our affairs, but you also became a comfort to others. ye took joyfully, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith. but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. He who bears it with joy, shows that he has some reward, and that the matter is not a loss, but an income.

CHAPTER 11. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was

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σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τὸν οὐρανόν φησι. Προσερχώμεθα μετ' ἀληθινῆς καρδίας ἐν πληροφορίᾳ πίστεως, ἐῤῥαντισμένοι τὰς καρδίας ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς, καὶ λελουμένοι τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι καθαρῷ, κατέχωμεν τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀκλινῆ· πιστὸς γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος· καὶ κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους 95.977 ∆είκνυσιν, ὡς καὶ πίστει ὀρθῇ προσεῖναι δεῖ καὶ ἔργα λαμπρά. Τουτέστι γὰρ τὸ, καὶ λελουμένοι τὸ σῶμα ὕδατι. Τῷ καθαροὺς ποιοῦντι, ἢ τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι αἷμα. Εἰς παροξυσμὸν ἀγάπης καὶ καλῶν ἔργων. Εἰς τὸ μᾶλλον ἀγαπᾷν, καὶ ἀγαπᾶσθαι. Μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν, καθὼς ἔθος τισὶν, ἀλλὰ παρακαλοῦντες, καὶ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ βλέπετε ἐγγίζουσαν τὴν ἡμέραν. Ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκέτι περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπολείπεται θυσία· φοβερὰ δέ τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως, καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος, ἐσθίειν μέλλοντος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους. Ἀθετήσας τις νόμον Μωϋσέως, χωρὶς οἰκτιρμῶν ἐπὶ δυσὶν ἢ τρισὶ μάρτυσιν ἀποθνήσκει· πόσῳ δοκεῖτε χείρονος ἀξιωθήσεται τιμωρίας, Οἶδε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας, καὶ τῆς ἐπισυναγωγῆς, πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν ἰσχύν. Ὅπου γὰρ, φησὶ, δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ καταπατήσας, καὶ τὸ αἷμα τῆς διαθήκης κοινὸν ἡγησάμενος, ἐν ᾧ ἡγιάσθητε, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος ἐνυβρίσας, Οἴδαμεν γὰρ τὸν εἰπόντα· Ἐμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ πάλιν, Κρινεῖ τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ. Φοβερὸν τὸ ἐμπεσεῖν εἰς χεῖρας Θεοῦ ζῶντος. Ὅταν γὰρ αὐτοῦ μετασχὼν ἐν τοῖς μυστηρίοις, ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάζηται, πῶς οὐ κατεπάτησεν αὐτὸν, καταφρονήσας αὐτοῦ; Ἀναμιμνήσκεσθε δὲ τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας, ἐν αἷς φωτισθέντες πολλὴν ἄθλησιν ὑπεμείνατε παθημάτων· τοῦτο μὲν ὀνειδισμοῖς τε καὶ θλίψεσι θεατριζόμενοι· τοῦτο δὲ κοινωνοὶ τῶν οὕτως ἀναστρεφομένων γενηθέντες. Καὶ γὰρ τοῖς δεσμοῖς μου συνεπαθήσατε, καὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ὑμῶν Ἐπειδὴ διαλυθέντες ἦσαν ἀπὸ τῶν θλίψεων, ὅρα πῶς αὐτοὺς παραμυθεῖται. Πρῶτον μὲν ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν· Ἀναμιμνήσκεσθε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰς πρότερον ἡμέρας. Ἔπειτα ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης, Ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Ἔπειτα ἀπὸ λογισμῶν, εἰπὼν, ὅτι Ἔστι πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις πραγμάτων, ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ τῶν προπατόρων τῶν μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων καὶ θαυμαστῶν. Εἰκότως δὲ πρῶτον μνημονεύει τοῦ Ἄβελ, πρότερον ὑπὲρ εὐσεβείας ἀποθανόντος· δεύτερον Ἐνὼχ δι' εὐσέβειαν μετατεθέντος, δεικνὺς ἐσομένας πάντως τὰς ἀμοιβάς· τρίτον Νῶε, κολαζομένους δεικνὺς τοὺς μὴ πιστεύοντας. 95.980 Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι περὶ αὐτοῦ φησι, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δε95.980 δεμένων οὕτως. Οὐχ ἡγήσασθε δεσμὰ εἶναι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἀθληταὶ γενναῖοι, οὕτως ἔστητε, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἐν τοῖς ἡμετέροις οὐκ ἐδέεσθε παρακλήσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγένεσθε παράκλησις. Μετὰ χαρᾶς προσεδέξασθε, γινώσκοντες ἔχειν ἑαυτοῖς κρείττονα ὕπαρξιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ μένουσαν. Μὴ ἀποβάλητε οὖν τὴν παῤῥησίαν ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἔχει μισθαποδοσίαν μεγάλην. Ὑπομονῆς γὰρ ἔχετε χρείαν, ἵνα τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ποιήσαντες, κομίσησθε τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν. Ἔτι γὰρ μικρὸν ὅσον, ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει, καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ· ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται. Καὶ ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐσμὲν ὑποστολῆς εἰς ἀπώλειαν, ἀλλὰ πίστεως εἰς περιποίησιν ψυχῆς. Ὁ μετὰ χαρᾶς φέρων, δείκνυσιν ὅτι ἔχει μισθόν τινα, καὶ ὅτι οὐ ζημία, ἀλλὰ πρόσοδός ἐστι τὸ πρᾶγμα.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΑʹ. Ἔστι δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων.

Ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ἐμαρτυρήθησαν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι. Πίστει νοοῦμεν κατηρτίσθαι τοὺς αἰῶνας ῥήματι Θεοῦ, εἰς τὸ μὴ ἐκφαινομένων τὰ βλεπόμενα γεγονέναι. Πίστει πλείονα θυσίαν Ἄβελ παρὰ Κάϊν προσήνεγκε τῷ Θεῷ, δι' ἧς ἐμαρτυρήθη εἶναι