New American Bible
2002 11 11
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Chapter 1
1
1 In times past, God spoke in partial and
various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;
2
in these last days, he spoke to us through a
son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,
3
who is the refulgence of his glory, the very
imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he
had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of
the Majesty on high,
4
as far superior to the angels as the name he
has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5
2 For to which of the angels did God ever say:
"You are my son; this day I have begotten you"? Or again: "I
will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me"?
6
And again, when he leads 3
the first-born into the world, he says: "Let all the angels of God worship
him."
7
Of the angels he says: "He makes his
angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame";
8
but of the Son: "Your throne, O God, 4
stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your
kingdom.
9
You loved justice and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your
companions";
10
and: "At the beginning, O Lord, you
established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.
11
They will perish, but you remain; and they will
all grow old like a garment.
12
You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a
garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no
end."
13
But to which of the angels has he ever said:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool"?
14
Are they not all ministering spirits sent to
serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
1 [1-4] The letter opens with an
introduction consisting of a reflection on the climax of God's revelation to
the human race in his Son. The divine communication was initiated and
maintained during Old Testament times in fragmentary and varied ways through
the prophets (⇒ Hebrews 1:1), including Abraham,
Moses, and all through whom God spoke. But now in these last days
(⇒ Hebrews 1:2) the final age, God's revelation of
his saving purpose is achieved through a son, i.e., one who is Son, whose role
is redeemer and mediator of creation. He was made heir of all things through
his death and exaltation to glory, yet he existed before he appeared as man;
through him God created the universe. ⇒ Hebrews
1:3-4, which may be based upon a liturgical hymn, assimilate the Son
to the personified Wisdom of the Old Testament as refulgence of God's glory and
imprint of his being (⇒ Hebrews 1:3; cf
⇒ Wisdom 7:26). These same terms are used of the
Logos in Philo. The author now turns from the cosmological role of the
preexistent Son to the redemptive work of Jesus: he brought about purification
from sins and has been exalted to the right hand of God (see
⇒ Psalm 110:1). The once-humiliated and crucified
Jesus has been declared God's Son, and this name shows his superiority to the
angels. The reason for the author's insistence on that superiority is, among
other things, that in some Jewish traditions angels were mediators of the old
covenant (see ⇒ Acts 7:53; ⇒ Gal
3:19). Finally, Jesus' superiority to the angels emphasizes the
superiority of the new covenant to the old because of the heavenly priesthood
of Jesus.
2 [5-14] Jesus' superiority to the
angels is now demonstrated by a series of seven Old Testament texts. Some
scholars see in the stages of Jesus' exaltation an order corresponding to that
of enthronement ceremonies in the ancient Near East, especially in Egypt,
namely, elevation to divine status (⇒ Hebrews 1:5-6);
presentation to the angels and proclamation of everlasting lordship
(⇒ Hebrews 1:7-12); enthronement and conferral of
royal power (⇒ Hebrews 1:13). The citations from the
Psalms in ⇒ Hebrews 1:5,
⇒ 13 were traditionally used of Jesus' messianic
sonship (cf ⇒ Acts 13:33) through his resurrection
and exaltation (cf ⇒ Acts 2:33-35); those in
⇒ Hebrews 1:8, ⇒ 10-12 are
concerned with his divine kingship and his creative function. The central
quotation in ⇒ Hebrews 1:7 serves to contrast the
angels with the Son. The author quotes it according to the Septuagint
translation, which is quite different in meaning from that of the Hebrew
("You make the winds your messengers, and flaming fire your
ministers"). The angels are only sent to serve . . . those who are to
inherit salvation (⇒ Hebrews 1:14).
3 [6] And again, when he leads: the
Greek could also be translated "And when he again leads" in reference
to the parousia.
4 [8-12] O God: the application of
the name "God" to the Son derives from the preexistence mentioned in
⇒ Hebrews 1:2-3; the psalmist had already used it of
the Hebrew king in the court style of the original. See the note on
⇒ Psalm 45:6. It is also important for the author's
christology that in ⇒ Hebrews 1:10-12 an Old
Testament passage addressed to God is redirected to Jesus.
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