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Hebrews 5:1. For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed for men to serve God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. Hebrews 5:2. He is able to bear with the ignorant and deluded, because he himself is covered with weakness. Hebrews 5:3. And therefore he must offer sacrifices for sins both for the people and for himself. “Every high priest, acceptable to man, is placed in the service of God for men, and may bring gifts and sacrifices for sins,” “he may offer compassion to the ignorant and erring, since he is also burdened with that infirmity”: “and for this reason he must eat as he does for people, and also offer for himself for sins.” The Apostle said: “Not the imams of the Hierarchy, who cannot suffer with our weaknesses, but was tempted in every way in the likeness, except of sin.” Therefore, out of necessity, I added this, teaching that according to the law, it was not an Angel who was appointed to serve as a priest for people, but a man for people, who has the same nature, is surrounded by the same passions, knows the weakness of nature, shows leniency to those who stumble, gives a helping hand to those who sin, and looks at the properties in his neighbor according to his properties. And therefore it is legal for him to make sacrifices not only for the people, but also for himself, Hebrews 5:4. And no one accepts this honor of his own accord, but is called by God, like Aaron. “And no one accepts honor to himself, but he who is called of God, as Aaron was.” For he is the lawful high priest who receives ordination from God. This is how Aaron, the first high priest, accepted this dignity. The divine Apostle spoke this not with the intention of showing us now the rules of the high priesthood, but preparing us for the teaching of the Sovereign high priesthood. Therefore, after this he wisely added: Hebrews 5:5. So Christ did not appropriate to Himself the glory of being a high priest, but He who said to Him: You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Hebrews 5:6. As in another place he says: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. “In the same way, Christ did not glorify Himself to be a high priest,” “but He spoke to Him: You are My Son, I have given birth to You today.” “Likewise he also says: You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” since Christ was from another tribe, since by human nature he descended from the line of David, the Apostle, knowing the stubbornness of the hearts of unbelieving Jews, resorted to prophetic testimonies and wisely confirmed his own word with them, and also wisely showed that Christ was called not only the High Priest, but also the Son and accepted a certain new high priesthood. since the Apostle said that a person is appointed as a high priest for people in order to have compassion “for the ignorant and erring, because they are also burdened with that infirmity,” this proves that the Lord Christ took upon Himself, in addition to sin, all the suffering of human nature. Hebrews 5:7. He, in the days of His flesh, with a strong cry and with tears offered prayers and supplications to Him who was able to save Him from death; and was heard for His reverence. Hebrews 5:8. Although He is the Son, He learned obedience through suffering. Hebrews 5:9. And, having been perfected, he became the author of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:10. He was named High Priest by God according to the order of Melchizedek. “Who in the days of His flesh made supplications and prayers to Him who was able to save Him from death with a strong cry and with tears, and was heard with reverence”, “even if the Son had become accustomed to obedience from these, even after He suffered”, “and having become perfect to all who listened to Him, guilty of eternal salvation”, “he was called by God High Priest according to the rank Melchizedek." Who, without extreme mental insanity, will say that this is said about the Divine nature? For if the divine Paul was not afraid of death, but “had a desire to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23) and to those who predicted to him what would happen to him in Jerusalem, and to those who attempted to restrain him, he said: “Why do you weep and break our hearts? For I am not bound to be, but also to die... I am ready for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 21, 13), then how could God the Word, the Creator of the ages, unchangeable, immutable, free from suffering, be afraid of death? Yes, and to talk about this, perhaps, serves as a sign of extreme madness, because the excess of humiliation expressed by what has been said compels even the very blasphemers of the Divine not to apply anything of the kind to the Divine. And the Divine allowed humanity to endure this in order to teach us that God the Word truly became human and assumed human nature and that the mystery of the Economy was not accomplished dreamily or ghostly. For if, even with all this, Simon, Menander, Cerdon, Marcion, Valentinus, Basilides, Bardisanus and Manes taught their followers that Christ did not have human nature at all, then it is clear that an even greater number of people would have been subject to this error if He had not suffered human infirmities, except sin. And the Apostle called the “days of the flesh” the time of mortality, that is, the time when Christ had a mortal body. He talks about the prayer that Christ prayed before suffering, saying: “Father..., if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). And this: “get into the habit of obedience from those who have suffered,” the Apostle said exaggeratedly, for Christ showed obedience not after suffering, but before suffering. He called resurrection and immortality “perfection,” for this is the limit of the Economy. And he presented all the sufferings in an exaggerated manner, not only with the intention of proving the truth of the incarnation, but also in confirmation of the word that he had already spoken before: “The Bishop is not an imam, unable to suffer with our weaknesses,” “but tempted in every way in the likeness of sin,” so that by this he could convince those to whom he wrote to remain in faith and boldly rely on the compassion and love of mankind of this Bishop. And by mentioning Melchizedek again, he wants to show that his priesthood is more important than the Levitical, but, apparently, he puts this off for now, due to the weakness of those being taught. For this is what he said: Hebrews 5:11. We should talk a lot about this; but it is difficult to interpret, because you have become unable to listen. “We have a lot to say about him and it’s inconvenient to say: because of weakness, rumors are quicker.” Then the Apostle makes a moderate accusation against them and dissolves it with praise, so that through this they receive benefit. Hebrews 5:12. For, judging by the times, you should have been teachers; but you again need to be taught the first principles of the word of God, and you need milk, not solid food. “For you must exist as a teacher for the sake of years, and again you demand to study, which is the writing of the beginning of the words of God, and quickly demand milk, and not strong food.” The Apostle called the beginnings of the words of God the low stories about Christ, because to those who had not yet had perfect faith, the preachers of truth offered only the teaching about Christ’s humanity. So Peter, preaching to the assembly of Jews, balanced the teaching with the weakness of those listening, for he said: “Jesus of Nazareth, a man of God known in you” (Acts 2:22), and what followed was in accordance with this word. And the godly Paul, offering a sermon to the Athenians, called the Lord Christ not God, but “a man” (Acts 17:31). So, writing to the Corinthians, he said: “You have drunk milk, and not meat; He says, “Know what is in you, even Jesus Christ was crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). The same thing is said here: “and quickly requires milk, and not strong food,” that is, we are forced to tell you low things about the Lord Christ. For to those who do not accept this, is it possible to offer anything most important? Then the Apostle shows the difference between imperfect and perfect. Hebrews 5:13. Anyone who is fed on milk is ignorant of the word of righteousness, because he is a child. Hebrews 5:14. Solid food is characteristic of the perfect, whose senses are trained by skill to distinguish between good and evil. “Everyone who partakes of the milk is unskilled in the words of truth, for he is a child”: “those who are perfect have solid food, those who have senses are trained by long teaching in the judgment of good and evil.” The apostle showed the difference according to age, for just as we are accustomed to give milk to newly born babies, and to those who have hard teeth we allow them to eat all kinds of food, so to those who have imperfect faith we offer teaching commensurate with their weakness, but to those who have received perfect faith we prepare them to receive the most perfect dogmas. You might be interested in: