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to inherit the blessing, was rejected. For he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears. The sense here is by hyperbaton. Therefore, with "wishing to inherit the promise," connect "seeking it with tears," so that this is the meaning. "Having wished to inherit a promise himself," he says, "and having sought this very promise 95.992 with tears, he was rejected, because he found no place for repentance." For he did not repent, he says. For how could he, who said, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching, and I will kill Jacob my brother"? For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched, and to a burning fire, and to blackness, and darkness, and tempest. Having already in many ways compared the New to the Old, and shown the former to be much better than the latter, again here too he compares them in passing, putting Jesus in place of Moses, and myriads of angels in place of the people, and heaven in place of the mountain. And to the sound of a trumpet, and to the voice of words, which those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear what was commanded: "If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned." And so terrifying was the sight, that Moses said, "I am exceedingly afraid and trembling." But you have come to Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels in festal gathering, and to the church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks a better word than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. As if in the presence of some king. Of whom, he says, are the firstborn, but of the faithful? For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much more shall we, who turn away from him who warns from heaven. He means Moses; and the sense is this: If having refused him who promised earthly things they did not escape (he means Moses, because all those things were typical, such as fields and possessions, and the land of the Canaanites), how much more will those who refuse him who promises heavenly things be punished! Whose voice then shook the earth, but now he has promised, saying: "Yet once more, I will shake," That is, both the giving of the law on Mount Sinai was heard far and wide, and the redemption from Egypt. For God, he says, "when you went out before your people, when you passed through the wilderness, the earth shook." That is, that which reached all under heaven. not only the earth, but also the heaven. And "once more" indicates, This means that the handing down of the new covenant made peace between things in heaven and things on earth, and that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God was made known to the principalities and powers. 95.993 the removal of what is shaken, as of things that have been made, in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, This means that he has changed the law into a spiritual commonwealth. Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

CHAPTER 13. Let brotherly love continue. Thankfully, he says, let us serve, not with grumblings,

nor losing heart in tribulations. Do not neglect hospitality; for by it He did not say, "entertaining strangers," but "hospitality" (love of strangers); that is, Do not simply entertain strangers, but with love for the strangers. some have entertained angels unawares. Remember the prisoners, as if in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. For on this account a great reward was given to Abraham, because he showed hospitality without knowing they were angels. For if he had known, it would be nothing wonderful. And it also applies to Lot. Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled. But fornicators and adulterers God will judge. Let your conduct be without covetousness, being content with such things as you have. For he himself has said: "I will never leave you nor forsake you." so we may boldly say, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not

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κληρονομῆσαι τὴν εὐλογίαν, ἀπεδοκιμάσθη. Μετανοίας γὰρ τόπον οὐχ εὗρεν, καίπερ μετὰ δακρύων ἐκζητήσας αὐτήν. ∆ι' ὑπερβατοῦ ἐνταῦθα ὁ νοῦς. Τῷ τοίνυν θέλων κληρονομῆσαι τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν, σύναψον τὸ, μετὰ δακρύων αὐτὴν ἐκζητήσας, ἵνα ᾖ διάνοια ἡ αὕτη. Βουληθεὶς κληρονομῆσαι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπαγγελίαν, φησὶ, καὶ μετὰ δακρύων αὐτὴν ταύτην ἐπαγγελίαν 95.992 ἐκζητήσας, ἀπεδοκιμάσθη, ὅτι μετανοίας οὐχ ηὗρε τόπον. Οὐ γὰρ μετενόησε, φησί. Πῶς γὰρ, ὃς ἔλεγεν, Ἐγγίσουσιν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ πένθους τοῦ πατρός μου, καὶ ἀποκτενῶ Ἰακὼβ τὸν ἀδελφόν μου; Οὐ γὰρ προσεληλύθατε ψηλαφωμένῳ ὄρει, καὶ κεκαυμένῳ πυρὶ, καὶ γνόφῳ, καὶ σκότῳ, καὶ θυέλλῃ. Ἐν πολλοῖς ἤδη συγκρίνας τὴν Νέαν τῇ Παλαιᾷ, καὶ δείξας ταύτην ἐκείνης πολὺ κρείττονα, πάλιν καὶ ἐνταῦθα κατ' ἐπιδρομὴν συγκρίνει, ἀντὶ Μωϋσέως τιθεὶς Ἰησοῦν, καὶ ἀντὶ λαοῦ μυριάδας ἀγγέλων, καὶ ἀντὶ ὄρους τὸν οὐρανόν. Καὶ σάλπιγγος ἤχῳ, καὶ φωνῆς ῥημάτων, ἧς οἱ ἀκούσαντες παρῃτήσαντο, μὴ προστεθῆναι αὐτοῖς λόγον. Οὐκ ἔφερον γὰρ τὸ διαστελλόμενον· κἂν θηρίον θίγῃ τοῦ ὄρους, λιθοβοληθήσεται. Καὶ οὕτω φοβερὸν ἦν τὸ φανταζόμενον· Μωϋσῆς εἶπεν, Ἔκφοβός εἰμι καὶ ἔντρομος. Ἀλλὰ προσεληλύθατε Σιὼν ὄρει, καὶ πόλει Θεοῦ ζῶντος, Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἐπουρανίῳ, καὶ μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει, καὶ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων, καὶ κριτῇ Θεῷ πάντων, καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετελειωμένων, καὶ διαθήκης νέας μεσίτῃ Ἰησοῦ, καὶ αἵματι ῥαντισμοῦ, κρεῖττον λαλοῦντι παρὰ τὸν Ἄβελ. Βλέπετε μὴ παραιτήσησθε τὸν λαλοῦντα. Ἅτε ὡς ἐπὶ βασιλέως τινὸς παρόντος. Τίνων δὲ, φησὶ, πρωτοτόκων, ἀλλ' ἢ τῶν πιστῶν; Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι οὐκ ἔφυγον, τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς παραιτησάμενοι χρηματίζοντα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς, οἱ τὸν ἀπ' οὐρανῶν ἀποστρεφόμενοι. Μωϋσέα λέγει· ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὗτος· Εἰ τὸν τὰ ἐπίγεια ἐπαγγελλόμενον παραιτησάμενοι οὐκ ἐξέφυγον (λέγει δὲ τὸν Μωϋσέα, ὅτι τυπικὰ πάντα ἦν ἐκεῖνα, οἷον ἀγροὶ καὶ κτήματα, καὶ γῆ Χαναναίων), πόσῳ μᾶλλον οἱ τὸν τὰ οὐράνια ἐπαγγελλόμενον παραιτησάμενοι, κολασθήσονται! Οὗ ἡ φωνὴ τὴν γῆν ἐσάλευσε τότε, νῦν δὲ ἐπήγγελται, λέγων· Ἔτι ἅπαξ, ἐγὼ σείω, Τουτέστιν καὶ ἡ κατὰ τὸ ὄρος Σινᾶ νομοθεσία ἐξάκουστος γέγονε, καὶ ἡ λύτρωσις, ἡ ἐξ Αἰγύπτου. Ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ τοῦ ἐκπορεύεσθαί σε ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ σου, ἐν τῷ διαβαίνειν σε τὴν ἔρημον, γῆ ἐσείσθη. Τουτέστιν, ἡ εἰς ἅπασαν ἥκουσα τὴν ὑπ' οὐρανόν. Οὐ μόνον τὴν γῆν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν οὐρανόν· τὸ δὲ, ἅπαξ, δηλοῖ, Τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἡ τῆς καινῆς διαθήκης παράδοσις εἰρηνοποίησε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, καὶ ὅτι ἐγνωρίσθη διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ. 95.993 Τῶν σαλευομένων τὴν μετάθεσιν, ὡς πεποιημένων, ἵνα μείνῃ τὰ μὴ σαλευόμενα· διὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες, Τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι μετατέθεικεν τὸν νόμον εἰς πολιτείαν πνευματικήν. Ἔχομεν χάριν, δι' ἧς λατρεύομεν εὐαρέστως τῷ Θεῷ μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ εὐλαβείας. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΓʹ. Ἡ φιλαδελφία μενέτω. Εὐχαρίστως, φησὶ, λατρεύωμεν, μὴ μετὰ γογγυσμῶν,

μηδὲ ἀποκακοῦντες ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν. Τῆς φιλοξενίας μὴ ἐπιλανθάνεσθε· διὰ ταύτης γὰρ Οὐκ εἶπε, ξενοδοχίας, ἀλλὰ φιλοξενίας· τουτέστιν, Μὴ ἁπλῶς ξενοδοχεῖτε, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τοῦ φιλεῖν τοὺς ξένους. Ἔλαθόν τινες ξενίσαντες ἀγγέλους. Μιμνήσκεσθε τῶν δεσμίων, ὡς συνδεδεμένοι, τῶν κακουχουμένων, ὡς καὶ αὐτοὶ ὄντες ἐν σώματι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ὁ μισθὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ δέδοται μέγας, ὅτι μὴ εἰδὼς ἀγγέλους αὐτοὺς ὄντας ἐξένισεν. Ἐπειδὴ εἰ ᾔδει, οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν. Ἀποτείνεται δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν Λώτ. Τίμιος ὁ γάμος ἐν πᾶσι, καὶ ἡ κοίτη ἀμίαντος. Πόρνους δὲ καὶ μοιχοὺς κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός. Ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος, ἀρκούμενοι τοῖς παροῦσιν· αὐτὸς γὰρ εἴρηκεν· Οὐ μή σε ἀνῶ, οὐδ' οὐ μή σε ἐγκαταλίπω· ὥστε θαῤῥοῦντας ἡμᾶς λέγειν, Κύριος ἐμοὶ βοηθὸς, καὶ οὐ