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Hebrews 12:1. Therefore we, having such a cloud of witnesses around us, He did not say: rising above us, but: “around”, that is, enveloping us from everywhere. He calls witnesses not only the persons of the New Testament, but also those of the Old Testament, and these latter testified to the greatness of God, like the three youths, and Daniel, and all the prophets. He did not say: the whole multitude, but the “cloud”, as the most appropriate in the present instruction. Since those to whom the apostle wrote were enveloped in the fire of sorrows, then, he says, the remembrance of the witnesses, like a cloud, enveloping you from everywhere, will refresh you. let us lay aside every burden That is, the burden of earthly activities and care for them. For, he says, this is nothing more than a vain burden. So why are you upset when you are freed from them? Either easily possessing us, or easily able to expose us to trouble. For if we wish, we easily submit to sin. Or it is easy to fall into trouble through sin, for there is nothing as dangerous as sin. and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, He did not say: we will begin to fight, or: we will begin to fight, but he puts into perspective what was easiest in the matter of feat; He did not say: let us intensify the feat, but: we will remain in that very feat. Some must strive through abstinence, others through mercy, others through some other virtue; you – “patience”. Because you need it, as was said above. Hebrews 12:2. looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, That is, if we want to learn the feat of patience, then we will look to Christ, just as students of the arts look to teachers, about which He Himself said: “Learn from Me” (Matthew 11:29), and again: “if the master of the house was called Beelzebub, how much more of his household”; and: “the student is not higher than the teacher” (Matthew 10:24–25). What do the words mean: “chief and finisher”? That is, He Himself implanted faith in us from the beginning: for “you did not choose Me,” He says, “but I chose you” (John 15:16): He Himself perfects it so that you may have the most perfect faith. Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, For He could not suffer and not die: being sinless, He was not subject to death, as He Himself says: “The prince of this world comes, and has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). So, if He had not wished, He would not have been crucified, as He Himself said: “I have power to lay down (My life)” (John 10:17–18). However, “He endured the cross,” that is, not just death, but a shameful one, and despised the shame of such a death. He did not say: He despised the sorrow, for He bore it without sorrow. and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Do you see the end of patience, where it leads, that in another place he said: “For this reason God has highly exalted Him” (Phil. 2:9), speaking regarding the flesh. So, He can also repay you for oppression for His sake. For the throne on the right hand shows His equality with the Father. Hebrews 12:3. Think about Him who endured such reproach from sinners, If anyone thinks about the suffering of slaves similar to themselves and receives sufficient consolation, then how much more does one think about the suffering of the Master, who endured such a “disgrace”, that is, ridicule, reproach, blows to the face - something that contradicted His teaching - the cries of Pilate and, finally, the cross. It is expressively said: “such,” that is, enduring until death, and, moreover, with robbers, and, moreover, from sinners, obviously pagans, or the Jews themselves. lest you become weary and faint in your souls. Meditation on Christ will elevate your souls and restore your nerves, and will not allow you to weaken and despair under oppression. Hebrews 12:4. You haven't fought to the point of blood yet, Two types of consolation are opposite to each other: one is when someone says to another: you have suffered a lot, remember this; the other is when they say: you have not yet undergone anything great. The first encourages the weary soul, which has many witnesses to its suffering; the other humbles the soul intending to rise, and excites the careless. Paul now uses both of these terms in relation to the Jews. For having said above that they “endured a great feat of suffering” (Heb. 10:32), and having persuaded them to imitate themselves, now, on the contrary, shows that they have not yet done anything worthy of praise, lest they become proud. And pay attention to his wisdom. Recalling the Old Testament saints who endured such great suffering, and the Lord Himself, he then shows that their sorrows are insignificant. For, he says, you have not yet reached death, you suffer persecution and theft of property: Christ has reached death. The word “fought” shows that although sin strongly opposes them in some way, they remain firm and strong in the struggle, although not yet favorable, but quite easy. Against the devil, who is sin itself, as its inventor and mentor; or against the same sin and its shameful passions, hostile and destructive for us. Hebrews 12:5. and forgot the consolation You have become so depressed and weakened that you have forgotten even the speeches calling you to courage, although you have not yet undergone anything great. For great and praiseworthy sufferings often produce forgetfulness of what is necessary. which is offered to you as sons: my son! do not despise the punishment of the Lord, (cf. Proverbs 3:11) For Solomon speaks not to his own sons, but to everyone who can hear, of course, and to you: therefore he adds: “how.” and do not be discouraged when He rebukes you. (Compare Proverbs 3:11) So, temptations are sent by God; if by God, then, without a doubt, for our benefit. For either He Himself pleases to first subject us to temptations in order to thereby save us from sins, or He allows them to be tested and for great rewards. Hebrews 12:6. For the Lord punishes whomever he loves; he beats every son whom he receives. (Compare Proverbs 3:12) Among those loved by God, one cannot find anyone who is without sorrows. But aren’t robbers and thieves scourged? So, aren't they sons? No. For he did not say that everyone who is scourged is a son, but: every son is scourged. So, robbers are not scourged as sons, but they are punished as villains. Having said here in advance that he “punishes” (παιδεύει), then he added: “beats” (μασηγοϊ) so that you understand the scourging of your son not in the sense of revenge for evil, but in the sense of teaching. “Whom he accepts,” that is, whom he allows to come to Himself, he accepts more often than others, whom he brings closer as a close friend. Hebrews 12:7. If you suffer punishment, then God treats you as sons. For is there any son whom his father does not punish? Hebrews 12:8. If you remain without punishment, which is common to everyone, then you are illegitimate children, not sons. Using the example of those whom they thought were abandoned by God, he shows them that they were an object of care for God. For if you were strangers to sorrows, it would turn out that you are illegitimate children, and not sons. For what father cares about the education and chastity of illegitimate sons? And since you are subject to oppression, therefore your life is chaste and self-controlled - like all of the above, obviously righteous, who were also called sons of God: obviously, this does not contradict the fact that God treats you as sons, and cares for you, so that you, being ill-mannered, do not fall away, and so that He does not deprive you of your inheritance for this. Hebrews 12:9. Moreover, if we, being punished by our carnal parents, were afraid of them, then should we not much more submit to the Father of spirits in order to live? Based on their own circumstances, it again shows that it is necessary to endure. For if, when the fathers of the flesh punished us, we did not dare to retreat, but, being ashamed, patiently endured everything that they inflicted on us, then even more so now that God is punishing us. Look, he did not say: we will endure all the more, but: “we must submit,” showing that not to endure sorrows is the work of the adversary and enemy of God. “Father of spirits,” or gifts, or ethereal forces, or, what is closest, the Father of souls. For in contrast to the carnal fathers he called them spiritual. And he added: “to live,” in order to show that he who does not obey does not live: for he is outside of God, Who is life. Hebrews 12:10. They punished us arbitrarily for a few days; "At will". Of course, what is pleasant to the father does not benefit the son: for many teach shameful things. "For a Few Days". For they cannot educate us all the time to make us perfect. For either the death of the father, or the maturity, or the cruelty of the son, stops education; God, always educating, can make people perfect. and He is for our benefit, so that we may share in His holiness. God leads education for our benefit, not in order to receive anything from us, but in order to introduce us even more to His holiness, that is, His purity, so that, he says, we become capable of receiving His benefits. So, education is an introduction to holiness, and is completely natural: for it turns the soul to the holy God, not allowing it to turn to anything human. Hebrews 12:11. Any punishment at the present time seems not to be joy, but sadness; Again, from a general thought, he took a reason for conviction and says: “all punishment,” both God’s and human, “seems not to be joy, but sadness.” He says it perfectly: it seems, because in reality it is not sadness. For how could it actually be sorrow, being the mother of joy? But in relation to us, who are dissatisfied with our upbringing, it is said: “it seems.” but afterwards he brings to those who are taught the peaceful fruit of righteousness. What does "peaceful" mean? - that is, unshakable, light, pleasant. For the one who grieves feels confusion, and the one who rejoices feels a certain lightness and calmness. This is the fruit of righteousness, because God, being righteous, gives comfort to the sorrowful in this age. Look, then, what education calls exercise (γυμνασίαν), since it strengthens believers and makes them, as it were, athletes and more solid. So, why do you avoid what strengthens your souls? Hebrews 12:12. So strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees. He speaks as to fighters and warriors. He took this from the scripture of Isaiah (Is. 35:3), showing through the metaphor of the main parts that everyone has become weak in soul. For hands are a symbol of activity, while legs are a symbol of movement. So, for someone who falls into despondency, first the mental organs, and then successively the physical ones, weaken. Hebrews 12:13. and walk straight with your feet (cf. Proverbs 4:26), so that what is lame does not go astray, but rather be made straight. Here, as if he were speaking to the walkers, as he said above: “we will pass with patience.” So, he says: “Create right paths” (in Russian translation - “walk straight with your feet”). “Path” is either the trace of a running chariot, imprinted on the ground (rut, - Ed.), or the place under the feet of those running. So, he says, let your paths, or your ways, be easy and even, that is, let there be nothing rough and sorrowful and uneven in your souls, but walk straight, without sorrow and easily, so that, limping, that is, being by nature too cowardly, like the Jews, for such is this people, or limping regarding faith in the future, they would not be forced to wander, and thus would not be led astray the paths of your feet, that is, you would not become completely wicked. For anyone who is overcome by natural or at the beginning accidentally occurring cowardice, without strengthening himself, but more and more succumbing to it, completely imperceptibly reaches the extreme degree of despair, so that from here it becomes difficult to restrain him. But try to get your lameness healed quickly, that is, if you still have any unbelief, then correct yourself quickly. For what place does unbelief have in the patient? Look how clearly the thought of repentance introduces, and note that this is for the sake of the Novatians. Hebrews 12:14. Try to have peace with everyone What he said above: “let us not forsake assembling ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25), he does this now, leading to love. And he convinces us to be at peace not only with friends, but also with enemies. For, he says, “if it is possible on your part, be at peace with all people” (Rom. 12:18). If you have such a mood, then when oppressed you will not be faint-hearted. Pay attention to the word “have”, that is, try, by attracting people to yourself, to firmly hold the world even with people who are far away. That is, purity: if someone is celibate, maintaining virginity; if in marriage, then chastity: not because marriage is a shrine, but because, due to a legal relationship, it preserves the shrine from baptism intact. without which no one will see the Lord. For neither fornicators, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor the concubines of men ******* will inherit the kingdom of heaven (1 Cor. 6:9-10). Just as the Lord says in the Gospel: “blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Hebrews 12:15. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God; Just as someone, walking a long path accompanied by many people, says: be careful that no one lags behind. For I am trying not only so that you do not get close, but so that you also watch over others, that is, visit, find out, scout out what concerns the weak: if one were the last, then so that they would not be neglected. He calls faith and good behavior and future blessings the grace of God, for all this is from grace. So that any root of bitterness that arises does not cause harm, This is found in Deuteronomy (Deut. 29:18). He took the metaphor from plants. What he says in another place: “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9), he also says here, so that someone evil should not be allowed to destroy the majority: cut off the root of bitterness, that is, sin, so that it does not sprout, that is, so that it does not make others the same. And that sin is bitter, that there is nothing more bitter, those who, after committing it, are remorseful knew this. Notice, he didn’t say: root of bitterness, but: root of bitterness; for a bitter root can bear sweet fruit, but the root of bitterness, that is, the source and cause (of this very bitterness - Ed.) cannot ever bear sweet fruit. and lest many should be defiled by it; For, seeing the wicked, the frivolous enter into competition with them and thus defile souls. So let such roots be cut down. Hebrews 12:16. So that there may not be any fornicator or wicked man among you, who, like Esau, would give up his birthright for one meal. He doesn’t say that Esau was a fornicator, but stop here: “so that there may not be any fornicator among you.” For although he hints that some of them were vile, he does not want to expose them, but feigns ignorance so that they may correct themselves. Then he said again: “or the wicked... like Esau,” that is, insatiable, worldly, desecrating and trampling on the spiritual; for he gave, and, moreover, for “one food”, the advantage of the firstborn given to him by God (Gen. 25). This is “wickedness,” namely, disdain for the divine. Here he shows them what evil is negligence, because the elder, falling into cowardice and unable to resist the desire to eat, became the youngest. Hebrews 12:17. for you know that after that he, desiring to inherit the blessing, was rejected; He was rejected by the words of his father: “Behold, I have made him master... what will I do for you, my son?” (Gen.27:37). Some explain: “he was rejected” by God. So, firstly, he was rejected by God. For God was the reason that the deceived Isaac blessed Jacob. As for the rejection that followed this, when he asked for a blessing, then, one must think, it was from the father, or at the same time from both; for it is clear that his father rejected him according to the will of God. I couldn’t change my father’s thoughts, although he asked for it with tears. So, is Paul denying repentance here? No way. Thus, in what sense does he say that “you will not find a place for repentance, even if you searched for it with tears”? Firstly, understand the expression “him” (αὐτήν) not to mean “repentance”, but blessing (εὐλογίαν); “for you will not find a place for repentance,” this is in parentheses. For is it the business of repentance to say: “The days of mourning for my father are coming, and I will kill Jacob my brother” ( Gen. 27:41)? Thus, because “you will not find repentance”, because he did not seek him as he should have. For if he cried, it was not with tears of repentance, but with envy and enmity, since he did not tolerate and did not love superiority over him, just as Cain’s “sorrow” was not the fruit of repentance, but with envy, and he turned out to be a murderer. He very wisely frightens those who have not yet fallen, expressing the idea that with great sins there is no place for repentance; he does this with the goal of fear to protect them from falling. When he saw that some had fallen, he again exhorted them not to despair, as in the Epistle to the Galatians: “my little children, for whom I am again in birth pangs, until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19). So, Paul does not deny repentance here, but protects believers from falling. Hebrews 12:18. You have not approached a mountain that is palpable and blazing with fire, or darkness and gloom and storm, Hebrews 12:19. not to the sound of a trumpet (cf. Ex. 19:19) Shows that if they do not endure and at the same time do not believe in the promises, then they are much more guilty than those of the Old Testament. And look how the comparison does. Having shown the superiority of the New Testament over the Old in many respects, as is already known, it now exposes the great and wonderful events of the Old Testament that took place on Mount Sinai (Deut. 5:22), and shows that they are insignificant and cannot be compared with the events of the New Testament. For there, he says, there are many images to frighten that infantile people. He also adds “fire” in order to reveal the punitive power of the Lawgiver and so that He immediately appears terrible. “Cloud” and “darkness” indicated the meaning of the Old Testament as shadows. For if that covenant was an image, then it is clear that until the truth came, the images were unclear, which is why they did not know what they meant. Through them the invisible things of God were revealed. For, he says, the cloud is His footstool. The storm prompted the careless Jews to pay attention. The trumpets seemed to signify the presence of the king. For this will also happen at the second coming of Christ. and the voice of the verbs, which those who heard asked that the word should no longer be continued to them, For they heard what God said, so that the law might be worthy of faith, and so that they would not think that these were the words of Moses. In general, the voice of God is terrible, and that of Moses is weak. Therefore, they refused to listen to God, saying to Moses: “Speak to us... so that God does not speak to us” (Ex. 20:19). Hebrews 12:20. for they could not endure what was commanded: That is, they could not bear with their ears what God said as something terrible. So, they caused God to appear in the flesh to make himself available to them. if the beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned (or struck with an arrow); Hebrews 12:21. and this vision was so terrible, Shows the superiority of the New Testament in this too. For the Old Testament, not having anything as great as the New, was something terrible, so that according to it it was impossible for even a beast to touch the mountain (Ex. 19:12), that is, any of those animals that the people had. The New Testament, having all its perfection, does not contain anything terrible; on the contrary, everything is merciful. which Moses also said: “I am in fear and trembling.” (Wed. Deut.9:19) If the great Moses, who entered the cloud, felt this way, then how did the people feel? Hebrews 12:22. But you started They did not approach, but stood at a distance: you started. Don't you see the superiority? to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, to the heavenly Jerusalem Instead of Sinai, we have the mental Mount Zion and the mental city of Jerusalem, that is, heaven itself, and not a desert, like those. Hebrews 12:23. to the triumphant cathedral Instead of people, we have dozens of angels, instead of fear - joy, which is indicated by the word “triumphant”. For where there is triumph, there is joy. So this celebration takes place among the angels. And the church of the firstborn, written in heaven, He calls firstborn believers dedicated to God, sanctified, whose names are in the book of life, just as the Lord said to His disciples: “your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). And since God is the Father of all, then all people are His sons: the firstborn among them are those who believe and are worthy of adoption. Or all believers in general are called sons; The firstborn are those who pleased God and who, for their word and for their life, were worthy to be the messengers of God. This is where it frightens them. For He is the Judge of all, not only of Jews, but also of all believers. So, be afraid of this. At the same time, it shows their advantage over the Old Testament, that they could not bear even the words and did not even dare to approach the mountain, but you approached the Judge Himself, that is, Christ. “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). and to the spirits of the righteous who have reached perfection, That is, souls who have proven themselves glorious and perfect before God, obviously by virtue of faith, as he clearly showed: and you will be united with them if you imitate them. Hebrews 12:24. and to the Mediator of the new covenant, Jesus, Not to the servant Moses, but to our Lord Jesus. That is, cleansing. For the Blood of Christ, which sprinkled us, cleansed and sanctified us. speaking better than Abeleva. Did Abel's blood speak? Yes. For it is said: “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me” (Gen. 4:10). Or what was said above is what he says now, known and praised by everyone. But the Blood of Christ emits a lighter and clearer voice, crying out in its very deed that It has sanctified everyone. But he also says differently: where there is no pure thought, he awakens and encourages one to speak out. For “the Spirit himself makes intercession... with groanings that cannot be expressed” (Rom. 8:26). And Saint Cyril of Jerusalem also understood that the blood of Abel cried out against murder, and the Blood of Christ intercedes for us before His Father. Hebrews 12:25. See that you do not turn away from the speaker. “Do not turn away” through unbelief of His promises and despair. Who is the “speaker” if not Christ? For if His Blood speaks, much more does He Himself. If those who did not listen to him who spoke on earth did not escape punishment, What didn't you avoid? Punishment, death. “Who spoke” “on earth” refers to Moses, or God, who came down from heaven, but spoke on earth through Moses. For on Mount Sinai He spoke, that is, He talked, reasoned, and established everything. much less will we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, That is, Christ prophesying from heaven, that is, after His ascension, who gave us the law through the Spirit. It’s not that he said that there was one law then, and now another, but the image of the law has a difference. For then, speaking on earth, he gave the law; now, as it is said, after the ascension. Therefore, he would be even more terrible. But he was not different then, and he is not different now. Listen to him further. Hebrews 12:26. whose voice then shook the earth, Don’t you see that even then the speaker was the same one who is now prophesying to us from heaven. For His voice then, during the legislation, shook the earth. and Who has now made this promise: Once again I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens. We learn about two earthquakes from Scripture: the first was at the giving of the law at Sinai, as David says: “the earth was afraid” (Ps. 75:9); the second - at the appearance of Christ in the flesh. For it is said: “all Jerusalem was alarmed” (Matt. 2:3) and: “the idols of Egypt will shake” (Is. 19:1). For they were shaken, that is, they were deprived of such a state as to deceive those who fed them, and their power was overthrown. Consequently, the expression “once again” indicates the third shock that will occur after the second coming, or the renewal at the end of the world, when everything will change, passing from corruption to incorruption. The prophet Haggai spoke about this (Hag.2:7). Hebrews 12:27. The words: “once again” mean a change in the shaken as in the created, That is, a change in a perishable creature, which by nature is capable of fluctuating; since it was created, that is, it received the beginning of being, it undoubtedly has an end. For everything created received a beginning, and therefore, by its very nature, has an end. And angels are not infinite by nature; They received immortality by divine grace. so that the unshakable may remain. That is, future benefits. For when everything corruptible changes, then everything assigned to the righteous will be incorruptible and unshakable, not subject to any “wavering” or change. Hebrews 12:28. So we, having received a kingdom that cannot be shaken, will keep grace, Since, he says, we will be rewarded with immutable and unshakable blessings, we will receive such a kingdom, here already accepting its guarantee - spiritual blessings, “let us keep grace,” that is, we will not grieve and lose heart, but we will give thanks to Him who has already given them and who still has to bestow them. by which we will serve God acceptably, “By which” (i.e. we will serve by grace, - Ed.) - by thanksgiving. For if we are grateful, then we serve pleasingly, as if knowing what kind of Master we have. For if we do not give thanks both for deliverance from disasters and for oppression, then we do not serve well. Does any servant, when he murmurs against his master (for he who does not serve him as he should murmur), serve him well? That’s why he himself says in another place: “Do not complain” (1 Cor. 10:10); and also: “Do everything without grumbling” (Phil. 2:14). Because of their grumbling, the Israelites died in the desert. with reverence and fear, That is, we will not say anything reckless, nothing shameless, but let our appearance express respect for people and “fear” of God. Hebrews 12:29. because our God is a consuming fire. (Deut.4:24) Having shown, on the one hand, that the events of the Old Testament inspire fear, and on the other, that there is nothing of the kind in the New Testament, he, so that they do not treat meekness with contempt, says: with reverence and fear let us give thanks to God. For the soul, succumbing to despair during disasters, loses shame. Or: our service must be performed with reverence and fear. For our God is fire, and therefore we must have fear, lest He destroy us as careless and indifferent. For he says: Let the children of Israel be reverent. This also gives them consolation, namely, that we have a God who can destroy our enemies. Harlots or those who cohabit with men outside of marriage - Approx. ed. 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