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Hebrews 1:1. God, who spoke many times and in various ways from ancient times to the fathers in the prophets. Hebrews 1:2. In these last days he spoke to us in the Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he made the worlds. “In many parts and in many ways, of old, God spoke to the Father as a Prophet,” “in these last days, He spoke to us in the Son.” The Apostle clearly showed the difference between the Lord Christ and the prophets. For He alone was called Son. The beginning of the message is similar to the Lord's parable. For the Lord, having spoken to the Jews the parable of the vineyard, made it clear that the first sent to the evil ones were slaves, and then after the slaves were beaten, the Son came. The word “manifold” means every kind of economy, and the word “manifold” means the difference of Divine knowledge. For God appeared differently to Abraham, differently to Moses, and differently to Elijah, and differently to Micah. Isaiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel all saw different images. Teaching this, the God of all things said: “I have multiplied visions, and in the hands of the prophets I have become like them” (Hos. 12:10). For the nature of God is not shaped; on the contrary, it has neither form nor image, it is simple and uncomplicated. Therefore, they saw not the most incomprehensible nature, but such images as the invisible God showed as needed. However, the word “many parts” also suggests another thought, namely, that each of the prophets was entrusted with a certain kind of private economy; The God of the prophets, that is, the Lord Christ, did not look at any particular need, but, becoming human, accomplished everything and arranged the salvation of people. At the same time, it is also clear that there is one Lawgiver for the Old Testament and the New Testament. “Give him an heir to everyone.” The Divine Apostle began with what happens among people, and, first speaking about unimportant things, he then touches on the most important. For the Lord Christ is “heir to all,” not as God, but as man. As God, He is the Creator of everything. And the Creator of all is by nature the Lord of all. The heir becomes master of something over which he was not previously master. So believers are “heirs with God, and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17), because by grace they receive what they did not have before. And that Christ is the Lord of all, this is evidenced by what is added by the Apostle. “With him also create eyelids.” This signifies Deity. The Apostle makes it clear that Christ is not only the Creator, but also eternal. "An age" is not any essence, but something dependent, accompanying that which has a created nature. An age is the distance from the creation of the world to its end. So the Lord said: “Behold, I am with you all the days, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). But the divine David also called the time of life of each of us an age; for he says: “Our age is for the enlightenment of the face.” Yours" (Ps. 89, 8). The Divine Apostle also called the state of the future life an age; for he says: “not in this world, but also in the future” (Eph. 1, 21), and also: “may He show the exceeding riches of His grace to us in the world to come” (Eph. 2, 7). with created nature. The Apostle called the Son the Creator of the ages, teaching and admonishing us that He is eternal, because He was always above any temporal extension. This is how the Old Testament Scripture speaks of God and the Father: “This is the first age” (Ps. 54:20), that is, always existing. Then the Apostle, since, having called Him the Son, he called Him eternal, and not initiated into the Divine mysteries, it seemed incredible that the Son, in time no later than the One who begot, proves the truth of theology with a visible similarity. Hebrews 1:3. This One, being the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis and holding everything by the word of His power, having accomplished the cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand (throne) of the Majesty on high. "He who is the radiance of glory." For radiance comes both from fire and with fire; although fire has fire as its culprit, it is nevertheless inseparable from fire. As soon as the fire, so soon comes the radiance. Therefore, if in sensory things it is possible to be from something and to be co-existent with that from which it is, then do not doubt, says the Apostle, that God the Word, the Only Begotten Son of God, is both born as a Son, and co-existent with the One who begot as the Word, Who is the “radiance of glory.” For as soon as glory comes, so soon comes the radiance. But glory is always, therefore there is always radiance. And the radiance of one nature with fire. Consequently, the Son is one-natural with the Father. And since the likeness of radiance sufficiently expressed coeternity and consubstantiality, but gave Sabellius and Photinus, who were suffering from illness, a reason for blasphemy, because radiance does not have an independent existence, then the Apostle prevents this blasphemy with another likeness. For he adds: “And the image of His hypostasis”; that is, the Son has an independent existence, completely showing the Father in Himself, because He bears the Father’s features. Similar to this is what the Lord said to Philip: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Thus, with many names, the divine Apostle showed the sincerity of birth, consubstantiality, and coeternity. Since the Divine transcends every mind and it is impossible to explain the truth of theology by likeness alone, preachers of the truth are forced to achieve this through many likenesses. Thus, the wise John called the Son the Word. For since passion and time are associated with human birth, then, of necessity, He called Him the Word. And so that no one else would think that the Son is not an independent Word, which is what happened with Marcellus, Photinus and Paul, of necessity he added: “God is the Word” (John 1:1), and the Word’s own hypostasis, signifying, and showing a single nature, and teaching that birth is impassive and not temporary. Thus, blessed Paul called the Word the Son, showing that, according to the personal property of the Word, It is different from the Father. He called Him the Creator of the ages, teaching thereby that the Word is eternal, and called Him “the radiance of glory,” thereby meaning both co-eternity and identity of essence; He also added that It is the “image of the hypostasis,” teaching both one and the other: and that it has existence in Itself, and shows in Itself the Father’s features. But he adds something else: “Bearing all things with the verb of His power.” For the Son not only created everything, but also disposes and rules over it. The Apostle showed the abundance of power, saying that to create everything and provide for everything, a word is enough for Him: Speech: “Let there be light: and there was light.” And he said: let the firmament be: and so it was” (Gen. 1, 3, 6). And like this, everything else was created. So blessed David said: “To him he commanded, and he was created” (Ps. 33:9). Seeing the certainty of this theology, those who philosophize in the Aryan manner attempted to remove this message from the apostolic treasures. That is why we are trying to show that it is in agreement with the teachings of the Gospels. The Divine Apostle, having expressed himself in this way about the Divine nature, moves on to the human, teaching the mystery of the Economy. “Having pursed our sins with Yourself, you sit at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high.” Here δί αύτού should be read aspirated instead of δί εαυτού. For this Son of the Father, coexistent with the One who gave birth, the Creator and Ruler of all, showing the Father in Himself, having become man, accomplished our salvation. This: “sitting at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high” is said for humanity. For, being the highest, he humbled himself and, being God, became man; being not humbled, he was exalted and, not being a man, became God, but as God was always the Lord of all, and as a man he received the glory that he had as God. This He Himself said in the Holy Gospel: “Glorify Me, ... Father, ... with the glory that I had ... before the world was not” (John 17:5). He asked not to accept what he did not have, but to show what he had. Hebrews 1:4. Being as much superior to the Angels as he inherited the most glorious name before them. “Being so much better than the Angels, so much more glorious than their inheritance is the name.” And this was said by the Apostle for humanity. For the Son, as God, is the Creator of Angels and the Lord of Angels, and as a man, after his resurrection and ascension into heaven, he became better than the Angels, because he was less than the Angels due to suffering death. “We see Jesus as a little child because of the angels because he accepted death” (Heb. 2:9). Therefore, as a man, he was less than the Angels, because the Angels have an immortal nature, and He endured suffering; upon ascending to heaven he became better than the Angels. For he sat down “above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come” (Eph. 1:21). The Divine Apostle also makes a comparison by name. Thus, he compared them with the prophets, showing that the Lord Christ is the Son. So in relation to the Angels he mentions Sonship and thereby shows the difference. For he says: “Being so much better than the Angels, so much more glorious than their inheritance is the name.” And what is meant by the name Sonship, this is taught by the addition Hebrews 1:5. For to which of the Angels did God ever say: You are My Son, today I have begotten You? And again: I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? “To whom did the angel say: My Son art Thou, I have given birth to Thee this day”; “And again: I will be His Father, and He will be My Son?” And the Apostle said this again according to humanity. The words “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son” indicate human nature, because they mean the future. And by the words: “Today I have given birth to Thee”, the birth is not eternal, but associated with time. Similar to them are the words: “Today if you hear His voice” (Ps. 94:7). In accordance with them, what was said before this: “inherited name”; because the Son receives it by nature, and not by grace, since he has it by nature. But, as I have already said, the Apostle, having taught about the Divine nature, begins to talk about the Economy and teaches that the Son is both the Creator of all as God, and the heir of all as man, and the Creator of Angels as God, and became better than the Angels as man; and the Son by nature, but as a man again receives what he has as God. In accordance with what has been said and added: Hebrews 1:6. Also, when he introduces the Firstborn into the universe, he says: and let all the Angels of God worship Him. “When he again brings the First-born into the universe, he says: and let all the Angels of God worship Him.” Both of these expressions, “introduces the First-born”, and, moreover: “let them worship”, mean the Economy. For from where does the Creator and Creator of the ages enter the universe, “bearing all things with the word of His power”? How is the Only Begotten also the First Begotten? If the Angels worship Him after His incarnation, then did they not give Him this honor before His incarnation? On the contrary, he was everywhere as God, and entered the universe as a man. So the wise John said: “There was no world, and the world was, and the world did not know Him. He came to his own, and did not receive Him from his own” (John 1:10–11). Apparently there is some contradiction in this. If “in the world there was no”, then what about “he came”? And if “I have come”, then what about “in the world to come”? But both in the “world” he was as God, and “he came” as man. Thus, he was both the only begotten as God, and as a man he was the firstborn “of many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). So, he always accepted honor from the Angels, because there was always God; but they worshiped Him as a man. Having made this comparison according to humanity, the Apostle again moves on to the Divine nature and says: Hebrews 1:7. About the Angels it is said: You create flaming fire with Your Angels and Your servants. Hebrews 1:8. And about the Son: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; The scepter of Your kingdom is the scepter of righteousness. Hebrews 1:9. You loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore, O God, Your God has anointed You with the oil of joy more than Your fellows. “And to the Angel he says: Make your angels spirits and burn your servants with fire.” “To the Son: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of righteousness, the scepter of Thy kingdom”: “thou hast loved righteousness, and thou hast hated iniquity: therefore for the anointing of Thee, O God, Thy God is more than a partaker of Thy with the oil of joy.” By this the Apostle clearly showed that Angels have a created nature, but the Only Begotten Son is uncreated and eternal; for it is said: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” And thus he taught us that this: “sitten at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high,” he said about humanity. For as God has an eternal throne, a beginningless and endless Kingdom. And here, too, the human is connected with the Divine. For this: “thou hast loved righteousness, and thou hast hated iniquity”: “for this sake of the anointing of Thee, O God, Thy God,” It is said according to humanity. And the prophet Isaiah, foretelling about Emmanuel, added this: “Before he conceives good or evil, he will put away evil, and choose what is good” (Is. 7:16). For he says: “There is more joy in the oil than in Thy partakers”; We are partakers and associates not of the Divine, but of humanity. This is also taught by the divine Apostle in the Epistle to the Philippians. For he says: “He will transform the body of our humility, so that we may be conformed to the body of His glory” (Phil. 3:21). The body of the saints will not be conformed to the Divinity, but to the “body of glory.” This same testimony also exposed the blasphemy of Ariev, for it showed that the throne of God the Word is eternal, and the Sabellian merger expelled the duality of Persons. But this very thing stops the shameless lips of the Jews. The Divine Apostle added another testimony in which the Divine nature of God the Word is preached. Hebrews 1:10. And: in the beginning You, Lord, founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Hebrews 1:11. They will perish, but You remain; and they will all wear out like a robe. Hebrews 1:12. And you roll them up like clothes, and they change; but You are the same, and Your years will not end. “And (again): in the beginning You, Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the heavens”: “They will perish, but You remain: and all, like a robe, they promise”, “And like a garment they wear, they will be changed: You are the same, and Your years will not fail.” The Apostle showed that God the Word is the Creator of everything; by the name of heaven and earth he embraced everything that is on them; taught that He is immutable and unchangeable. All this means the words: “They will perish. You remain." He allowed us to see the change in creation into the better, which will be accomplished by Him, and His originlessness and inflexibility. For he says: “Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.” He did not come into being, but exists; does not accept any change, because it is always “the same.” And this signifies the dispassion of the Divine. For if God had suffered, how would he be the same? The one who suffers changes. And if he had remained in death for three days, the years would have become impoverished. But both the Prophet, who wrote the testimony, and the Apostle, who took advantage of it, teach us that He is always “the same, and the years” of His “are not the same.” will become scarce.” Having thus spoken about the Divine nature, the Apostle turns again to the human. Hebrews 1:13. To which of the Angels did God say, Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool? “To whom then did the angel say: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool?” Not as he says to God: “Sit at my right hand.” For how can God sit? “His throne is for ever and ever.” Therefore, as a person accepts this honor, but as God has an eternal throne. Hebrews 1:14. Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve those who are to inherit salvation? “Isn’t the whole point of service souls sent into service for those who want to inherit salvation?” He sufficiently showed the difference in human nature. For he says: Christ “sits on the right hand.” Angels, as ministers, are sent to save people. Then he turns his speech into an exhortation and says: You might be interested in: