Homilies on the Gospel of St. John and the Epistle to the Hebrews

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom418Homily XI.Hebrews vi. 13–16“For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware byHimself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And soafter he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater,and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.”[1.] Having boldly reflected on the faults of the Hebrews, and sufficiently alarmed them, heconsoles them, first, by praises, and secondly (which also is the stronger ground), by the [thought]that they would certainly attain the object of their hope. Moreover he draws his consolation, notfrom things future, but again from the past, which indeed would the rather persuade them. For asin the case of punishment, he alarms them rather by those [viz. things future], so also in the caseof the prizes [set before them], he encourages them by these [viz. by things past], showing [herein]God’s way of dealing. And that is, not to bring in what has been promised immediately, but aftera long time. And this He does, both to present the greatest proof of His power, and also to lead usto Faith, that they who are living in tribulation without having received the promises, or the rewards,may not faint under their troubles.And omitting all [the rest], though he had many whom he might have mentioned, he broughtforward Abraham both on account of the dignity of his person, and because this had occurred in aspecial way in his case.And yet at the end of the Epistle he says, that “all these, having seen the promises afar off, andhaving embraced them, received them not, that they without us should not be made perfect.” ( c.xi. 13 .) “For when God made promise to Abraham” (he says) “because He could swear by nogreater, He sware by Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I willmultiply thee. And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” ( c. xi. 39, 40 .)How then does he say at the end [of the Epistle] that “he received not the promises,” and here, that“after he had patiently endured he obtained the promise”? How did he not receive? How did heobtain? He is not speaking of the same things in this place and in the other, but makes the consolationtwofold. God made promises to Abraham, and after a long space of time He gave the things [spokenof] in this place, but those others not yet.“And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Seest thou that the promisealone did not effect the whole, but the patient waiting as well? Here he alarms them, showing thatoftentimes a promise is thwarted through faintheartedness. 2911 And this he had indeed shown through[the instance of] the [Jewish] people: for since they were faint-hearted, therefore they obtained notthe promise. But now he shows the contrary by means of Abraham. Afterwards near the end [ofthe Epistle] he proves something more also: [viz.] that even though they had patiently endured,they did not obtain; and yet not even so are they grieved.2911ὀ λιγοψυχίαν603