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

NPNF (V1-14)St. Chrysostom440Ver. 10 . “And [in] divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time ofreformation.” 3050 For this is the righteousness of the flesh. Here he depreciates the sacrifices,showing that they had no efficacy, and that they existed “till the time of reformation,” that is, theywaited for the time that reformeth all things.[4.] Ver. 11 . “But Christ being come an High Priest of good things that are come 3051 by agreater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands.” Here he means the flesh. And well didhe say, “greater and more perfect,” since God The Word and all the power of The Spirit dwellstherein; “For God giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto Him].” ( John iii. 34 .) And “more perfect,”as being both unblamable, and setting right greater things.“That is, not of this creation.” See how [it was] “greater.” For it would not have been “of theSpirit” ( Matt. i. 20 ), if man had constructed it. Nor yet is it “of this creation”; that is, not of thesecreated things, but spiritual, of 3052 the Holy Ghost.Seest thou how he calls the body tabernacle and veil and heaven. 3053 “By a greater and moreperfect tabernacle. Through the veil, that is, His flesh.” ( Heb. x. 20 .) And again, “into that withinthe veil.” ( Heb. vi. 19 .) And again, “entering into 3054 the Holy of Holies, to appear before theface of God.” ( Heb. ix. 24 .) Why then doth he this? According as one thing or a different one issignified. I mean for instance, the Heaven is a veil, for as a veil it walls off the Holy of Holies; theflesh [is a veil] hiding the Godhead; 3055 and the tabernacle likewise holding the Godhead. Again,Heaven [is] a tabernacle: for the Priest is there within.“But Christ” (he says) “being come an High Priest ”: he did not say, “become,” but “beingcome,” that is, having come for this very purpose, not having been successor to another. He didnot come first and then become [High Priest], but came and became at the same time. 3056 And hedid not say “being come an High Priest” of things which are sacrificed, but “of good things thatare come,” as if his discourse had not power to put the whole before us.Ver. 12 . “Neither by the blood,” he says, “of goats and calves” (All things are changed) “butby His own Blood” (he says) “He entered in once for all 3057 into the Holy Place.” See thus he calledHeaven. “Once for all” (he says) “He entered into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal3050διορθώσεως , “ setting right. ”3051γενομένων : Here and afterwards μελλόντων has been substituted in the modern editions of St. Chrys. γενομένων isconsidered by Lachmann to be the true reading in the Epistle.3052ἐ κ3053A slight alteration of Mr. Field’s text seems needed here. The text of the Homily which he gives in accordance with allthe authorities is: ὁ ρᾷς πῶς καὶ σκηνὴν καὶ καταπέτασμα καὶ οὐρανὸν τὸ σῶμα καλεῖ . But there is no appearance that theApostle called Christ’s body heaven, nor do any of the texts cited show it. If however, we introduce καὶ before τὸ σῶμα , orsubstitute it for τὸ , we have a good sense, in accordance with the four texts cited by St Chrys. and the explanations which heafterwards gives. [The criticism of the English editor is not without some force; yet it seems best to adhere to the text of St.Chrys., as is here done. The proposed alteration does not remove the difficulty, which is merely negative. The rendering inthe English edition is “ he calls heaven and the body both tabernacle and veil. ” But τὸ σῶμα should be the subject and σκηνὴνκαὶ καταπέτασμα καὶ οὐρανόν predicates.—F.G.]3054εἰσερχομένην ; probably used by St. Chrys. as if τὴν σάρκα had preceded.3055The pointing has been changed in this place. In Mr. Field’s edition the passage stands thus: καταπέτασμα ὁ οὐρανός·ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀποτειχίζει τὰ ἅγια καταπέτασμα, ἡ σὰρξ κρύπτουσα τὴν θεότητα . The translation is made as if the pointing wasτὰ ἅγια· καταπέτασμα ἡ σὰρξ, κρύπτουσα τὴν θ . Otherwise we must supply ἡ σὰρξ before ὥ σπερ . [The pointing is better asit stands; at most, it is only necessary to understand καταπέτασμα after σὰρξ , which the contrast plainly suggests.—F.G.]3056ἀ λλ̓ ἅμα ἦλθε , or, “ but [became so] as soon as He came. ”3057ἐ φάπαξ636