Letter to the Hebrews

A new and living Way

In the present post we examine the letter to the Hebrews. The name that was attributed to it during the past centuries is not accurate: in fact, it is not a letter (sender, recipient and starting greetings lack), but a «word of exhortation» (Heb 13,22), a homily to publicly read before the community; its recipients are not Hebrews, but Christian believers since a long time (see Heb 5,11-14; 6,1-3) who need to be encouraged to make it through a moment of particular trouble (see Heb 12). The author is not Paul: in the body of the writing there is not any direct reference to him; furthermore, the well-finished and plain Greek language style and the main theme (the new priesthood Christ inaugurates) with the subsequent vocabulary differentiate the work from the apostle’s letters. A probable candidate to the authorship of the text is Apollos, an extremely cultivated and prepared in the Scriptures Christian who maybe belonged to Paul’s group of mission partners. In that case, the note at the end of the homily (Heb 13,22-25) would be added by the apostle himself to promote its reading even in other Christian communities; that would explain why the Tradition (among all in the Eastern Churches) puts the writing under Paul’s authority. The date of the work precedes 70 AD, year of the Jerusalem Temple destruction by the Romans; in fact, in the «word of exhortation» the Templar liturgy is yet active (see Heb 10,1-3.11).
«Now indeed even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and an earthly sanctuary. For a tabernacle was prepared. In the first part were the lampstand, the table, and the show bread; which is called the Holy Place. After the second veil was the tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which was a golden pot holding the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat, of which things we cannot speak now in detail. Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services, but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offers for himself, and for the errors of the people. The Holy Spirit is indicating this, that the way into the Holy Place was not yet revealed while the first tabernacle [Tent] was still standing; which is a symbol of the present age, where gifts and sacrifices are offered that are incapable, concerning the conscience, of making the worshipper perfect; but deal only with foods and drinks and various washings; they are regulations for the flesh imposed until the time of setting things right» (Heb 9,1-10). The most important minister of the Hebrew worship was chosen by a sequence of consecutive separations: in the tribe of Levi, in Aaron’s offspring for the priesthood (see e.g. Exod 28,1 and Moses - episode 5), among the priests elected as high priest. Those separations had the flaw to distance more and more the mediator from the people he had to represent, exactly to grant his sanctity; however, that did not mean to be closer to God: even the high priest was a sinner like the other ones, compelled to offer sacrifices to purify «himself» before the «people». Furthermore, the sacrifices did not directly involve the «conscience» of the one making the offering, but only his outward appearance (through objects like «foods and drinks») lifted up to God by the holy fire that had come down from heaven and was preserved burning since the inauguration of the Tent of the Meeting and of the Temple (see Lev 9,24 and Lev 6,5-6; 2Chr 7,1 and 2Macc 1,18-36). The inefficacy of the Old Covenant’s rites is proved by the fact that they are constantly repeated: «Or else would not they have ceased to be offered, because the worshippers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins?» (Heb 10,2).



Jesus instead is «a merciful and worthy of faith high priest in things pertaining to God» (Heb 2,17). The first attribute («merciful») is about His relationship with mankind: he became close to all, refusing the idea that purity is getting away from the others’ miseries (both physical, like diseases and death: we can remember all His miracles of healing and reviving in the gospels; and moral: He was not afraid of going with the public sinners to bring them to salvation). Jesus even personally knows what are sufferance and death: «For we do not have a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but one who has been in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin» (Heb 4,15). The second attribute is about His relationship with God; Jesus is particularly «worthy of faith» because in God’s house He is not a mere «servant», but He has the unparalleled role of «Son» (see Heb 3,1-6). The Resurrected Jesus «sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens» (see Heb 8,1), «Therefore he is also able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them [...]; who does not need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself» (Heb 7,25.27). Christ does not offer animals to God, but His same Person «without blemish», consumed through the fire of «the eternal Spirit» (see Heb 9,14); in particular He offers His obedience to the Father’s salvation Plan (see Heb 2,10). The text of the homily makes us understand that, as Son, He would not need to learn how to obey through His painful Passion; we can say He got some extra obedience to give it to His human brothers and sisters who were needy for redemption. «In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Having been made perfect, he became to all of those who obey him the author of eternal salvation» (Heb 5,7-9).
No more separations, no more veils that hide God’s Presence in the holy place: Jesus opens a new way, He Himself is the Way that leads to the Father those who participate in His filial obedience through «Faith», Sacraments, «hope» and «love». «Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way [see John 14,6: «I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me»], through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water [by Baptism], let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is worthy of faith. Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another» (Heb 10,19-25).
Before continuing our Bible reading with the letter of James, in the next post we will conclude the Pauline letters examination with a Special on the apostle.