Commentary on the book of Hebrews

Stated according to the records, after his death, by Constantine, presbyter of Antioch. * Conversation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 1. In his letter to the Romans, Blessed Paul says: “As the Apostle of the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry, lest I arouse jealousy in my relatives according to the flesh” (Rom. 11:13–14); and in another place also (says): “He who helped Peter in the apostleship to the circumcision also helped me among the Gentiles” (Gal. 2:8). So, if (Paul) was the apostle of the Gentiles, just as in the acts, God says to him: “Go; I will send you far to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21) - then what did he care about the Jews? Why did he write a message to them? At the same time (the Jews) harbored enmity towards him, and this can be seen from many places. So, listen to what Jacob says to him: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed... And they have heard about you, that you teach all the Jews who live among the pagans to apostatize from Moses” (Acts 21:20–21); and he often had many temptations about this. Why, someone will ask, did God not send (a man) knowledgeable in the law - and he studied the law at the feet of Gamaliel and had great zeal for this matter - and therefore had the opportunity to refute (opponents) with special power - to the Jews? Because because of this they would especially oppose him. Therefore, God, foreseeing that they will not accept him, says to him: “Go to the pagans, for (the Jews) will not accept your testimony about Me 2,” and he replies: “Lord! they know that I imprisoned those who believed in You and beat them in the synagogues, and when the blood of Stephen, Your witness, was shed, I stood there, approved of his murder and guarded the clothes of those who beat him” ( Acts 22:19-20) This very thing (he says) serves as a sign and proof that they will not believe him. And indeed, this usually happens: when someone retreats from some people, then if he is from the people of the lowest and meaningless, this does not greatly offend those from whom he retreats; he who departed from them by joining others greatly subverts their teaching. In addition, there was another reason for unbelief. That Peter and the others (the apostles) dealt with Christ, saw signs and wonders (of Him); and he did not witness anything like that, but, being on the side of the Jews, he suddenly retreated from them and became one of the apostles; This especially served as proof of the superiority of our teaching. They might be thought to be biased, and others might say that they preach this way out of love for the Teacher; but he heard only one voice (of the Lord), and testifies to the resurrection. Therefore, as you see, (the Jews) were so much at enmity against him, they were indignant and used all measures to kill him. But for such reasons the infidels were at enmity against him; and why those who believed (from the Jews)? Because he, being obliged to preach to the pagans, preached pure Christianity, and when he happened to be in Judea, he also did not hesitate. Peter and others with him, preaching in Jerusalem, where there was great zeal (for the law), were forced to command - to keep the law, but he was completely free. His (disciples) were more from the pagans than from the Jews, since they were outside (the Jews); That is why they weakened the law and did not have such reverence for it, because (Paul) preached pure (teaching) in everything. Indeed, for this, apparently, he was condemned before the people when they said: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed.” That’s why they hate and turn away because “they have heard a lot about you, that... you teach apostasy from Moses.” (Acts 21:20–21). Why does he, not being a teacher of the Jews, write a letter to them? And where were those to whom he wrote? It seems to me, in Jerusalem and Palestine. How does he write? Just as he baptized without receiving the commandment to baptize: I, he says, was not sent to baptize (1 Cor. 1:17), but this was not forbidden, he did it beyond what was due. And how could he not write to those for whom he wanted to be excommunicated (Rom. 9:3)? That is why he says to them: “Know that our brother Timothy has been released, and I, together with him, if he comes soon, will see you” (Heb. 13:23), since he had not yet been taken into custody. He lived in Rome for two years in prison; then he was released; then he went to Spain; then he traveled to Judea, where he met the Jews. Then he again arrived in Rome, where he was deprived of his life by order of Nero. Therefore this epistle was written before the epistle to Timothy; there he says: “For I am already becoming a victim”; and also there he says: “When I first answered, no one was with me” (2 Tim. 4:6, 16). He often shared their suffering. Thus, in his letter to the Thessalonians, he says: “For you, brethren, have become imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus, which are in Judea” (1 Thess. 2:14); and in a letter to them he says: “They accepted the plunder of your property with joy” (Heb. 10:34). Do you see how they suffered? If (the Jews) did this to the apostles not only in Judea, but also when they were among the pagans, then what did they not do to (other) believers? That is why, as you see, he took special care of these believers. When he says, “I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints” (Rom. 15:25); also when he convinces the Corinthians to charity, reporting that the Macedonians have already collected alms (2 Cor. 8:4), and when he says: “if it is fitting for me to go” (1 Cor. 16:4), he expresses this very thing; and when he says: “only so that we remember the poor, which I tried to do exactly” (Gal. 2:10), expresses the same thing; and when he says: “Give me and Barnabas the hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and them to the circumcision” (Gal. 2:9), he expresses the same thing. He says this about the poor there not in vain, but so that we also participate in charity. We, he says, divided the preaching among ourselves, so that we might go to the pagans, and they to the circumcision, but we did not share in the same way the care of the poor. And everywhere it is clear that Paul had great concern for them - and this is fair. Between other nations, where there were both Jews and pagans, there was nothing like this; and where (the Jews) still thought to have power and independence and carried out many things according to their own laws - since the government had not yet been established and had not yet completely passed into the hands of the Romans - it is not surprising that they allowed themselves to do great oppression. If in other cities, such as in Corinth, they beat the ruler of the synagogue before the court of the proconsul, and Gallio was not at all worried about it (Acts 18:17); then what did they not (do) in Judea?2. In other cities, as you see, they brought (believers) to the leaders and had the need to resort to their help and to the people, but here they did not care at all about this, but they themselves formed a Sanhedrin and killed whomever they wanted. So they killed Stephen, so they scourged the apostles, without taking them to the leaders; so they wanted to kill Paul too, if the captain had not intervened (Acts 22:29, 30). This was because the priests still existed, the church with worship and sacrifices was still intact. Paul himself, look, submits to the court of the high priest and says: “I did not know, brethren, that he was a high priest,” and, moreover, under the ruler (Acts 23:5), because they still had great power at that time. Imagine what kind of persecution (the believers) who lived in Jerusalem and Judea had to endure. So, is it surprising if the one who wanted to be excommunicated for (the Jews) who had not yet believed, and served the believers in such a way that he was ready to go himself in case of need, and always had great care for them, exhorts and consoles them through the Scriptures, and corrects those who fall and lie down? And indeed, they were already exhausted and despairing from many sorrows. He expresses this at the end (of the epistle) when he says: “Strengthen therefore the hands that hang down and the knees that weaken” (Heb. 12:12); and again: “For yet a little while, a very little time, and the Coming One will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37); and again: “If you remain without punishment, which is common to all, then you are illegitimate children and not sons” (Heb. 12:8). Since they were Jews and from their fathers they learned to expect good and evil immediately, in this life, and yet then it was the opposite - good in hope after death, and evil in present reality, and many of them, having endured a lot, inevitably fell into cowardice, he provides great care for them. However, we will talk about this in more detail in due time; and now let us only note that he needed to write to those about whom he had such care; the reason why he was not sent to them is obvious, but it did not prevent him from writing to them. And that they fell into cowardice, he expresses this when he says: “Strengthen therefore the hands that hang down and the knees that weaken, and walk straight with your feet, so that what is lame will not be turned aside, but rather will be straightened” (Heb. 12:12, 13); and again: “For God is not unjust, that he should forget your work and labor of love” (Heb. 6:10). A soul exposed to many temptations often falls away from faith. Therefore, he exhorts them to listen to what they have heard and not to have an evil and unfaithful heart. For the same reason, in this especially epistle, he talks a lot about faith and at the end presents many examples of how even those (the ancients) were not granted the benefits promised immediately. In addition, so that they do not consider themselves outcasts, he gives them two suggestions: the first is to courageously endure everything that happens, the second is to undoubtedly expect reward, because God will not despise Abel and subsequent righteous people who did not receive reward. He consoles them in three ways: firstly, by what Christ endured, since He himself says: “A servant is not greater than his master” (John 15:20); secondly, the benefits that are prepared for believers; thirdly, disasters. And this is confirmed not only by the future, which was not yet so convincing, but also by the past - by what happened to their fathers. This is what Christ does, instilling: “A servant is not greater than his master,” and also: “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2), and threatening unbelievers with countless disasters. The apostle also speaks a lot about the new and old testaments, because he really needed this to be assured of the truth of Sunday. So that they, hearing about the suffering (of the Lord), would not begin to doubt the resurrection, he confirms this with prophecies, and proves that it is not the Jewish teaching that deserves respect, but ours, and since then the church still stood and there were sacrifices, he says: “Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13:13). But even this did not favor him; others could rightly say: if this is a shadow, if this is an image, then why did it not pass and cease when the truth appeared, but still continue? He inspires that little by little it will come true, and this will happen in due time. And that they had long ago accepted the faith and were enduring tribulations, he expressed this in the following words: “For judging by the times, you were destined to be teachers” (Heb. 5:12); also: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil and unfaithful heart” (Heb. 3:12); and again: “so that you do not become lazy, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb. 6:12). The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us. – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” These conversations were delivered by the saint in Constantinople, at the end of his life, around 404 A.D. Wed. “Hurry and leave Jerusalem quickly, because your testimony about Me will not be accepted here” (Acts 22:18). You might be interested in: