05 Introduction

INTRODUCTION The New Testament is a series of interpretations of Jesus Christ. Given the fact of Christ, the books of the New Testament undertake to construe his person and work through the media of the history, literature and religion of the Jewish people, but they differ in the use they make of these interpretative data, as well as in the relative values which they assign to them. While allowance must be made for the atmosphere and the setting of each interpretation, points of similarity may be observed in certain books written for the same general purpose. For example: The Gospel of Mark, which is usually spoken of as the Gospel for the Romans, in its energy, courage and lofty purpose is not unlike the Epistle to the Romans; Luke’s Gospel, which may be called the Gospel of progressive Christianity and designed for the Greeks, in tone and spirit resembles the two Greek Epistles, First and Second Corinthians; while the Gospel of Matthew, which is generally considered as the Gospel for the Jews since it sees in Christianity a fulfillment of Judaism, has pronounced affinities with the Epistle to the Hebrews. But the Epistle to the Hebrews, while it has affinities in a marked degree with Matthew, and inless degree with all types of Christian thought, nevertheless occupies a unique position among the primitive Christian books, giving the most symmetrical and complete interpretation of Christ to be found in the New Testament. To quote from Prof. Denney’s book, "Jesus and the Gospel":

"It is the most humanitarian of apostolic writings. It speaks with a kind of predilection of Jesus, not the Christ; it recalls ’ the days of his flesh,’ when, with strong crying and tears, he offered prayers and supplications to him that was able to save him from death, and was heard because of his godly fear; it holds him up to us as a pattern of faith, the ideal subject of religion, who was tempted in all things like as we are, yet without sin; who passed through a curriculum of suffering by which he was made perfect for his calling, and who learned in doing so what it is to obey; who lived the life of faith in God from beginning to end, and is in short the typical believer." On the other hand it can be fairly called the most theological book of the New Testament, since its burden is to show the place of Christ in the Scriptures and in the whole redemptive scheme. To the Hebrew Christians who had witnessed the decay of their national life and with it the crumbling of the forms of their national religion the Epistle lovingly and comfortingly interprets the history and religion of the chosen people, taking Christ as the key and at the same time givinga new interpretation of Christ. Regarding the Jewish institutions it is shown that, instead of failing they find their completion in Christ. The law is not abolished, but fulfilled. The earthly temple is transfigured into the heavenly. The historical priesthood is translated into the one eternal Priest; while the ever recurring yet never efficacious animal sacrifices ceased in the presence of the perfect Sacrifice which was offered "once for all"; just as all the sensuous services of the temple find their end in those spiritual realities which they foreshadowed and foretold. This entire outlook is obtained from a new angle of observation. The Epistle interprets Christ from the priestly view-point. At the same time recognition is given to other schools of thought, so that it has been termed the “most finished treatise of the Alexandrian philosophy." More successfully than any contemporaneous Christian writing it grapples with the problems of nature, mind and history, and it does this in the strength of the great and noble idea: What the person of Christ signifies for God, for man and for religion.

"On the speculative side it re-interprets God and makes creation intelligible; on the historical, it exalts man and turns his life into a process of growth and education; on the religious, it finds a unity of idea within diversity of form, and it proves faith to be universal and constant, for its object is ’the same yesterday, to-day and for ever.’"

Instead of bewailing the decay of Judaism and the annulment of the old covenant the Epistle rejoices in the inauguration of the new covenant brought in by Christ. "His concealed presence in the old was the reason of its being; his revealed presence in the new is the cause of its life." All this is brought out by two characteristic words:

One of these words is "better," which is used when Christ and Christianity are compared with other religions and their contents. Thus Christ by whom the gospel is given is "better than the angels" (Hebrews 1:4) by whose ministration the law was delivered; through the gospel a "better hope" (Hebrews 7:19) is brought to those who accept it; though the old covenant is set aside Jesus becomes the "surety of a better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22); and this covenant is " enacted upon better promises " (Hebrews 8:6); having become the mediator of a better covenant Jesus with his own blood enters the heavenly sanctuary which must be cleansed "with better sacrifices than the earthly" (Hebrews 9:23); the blood which Jesus shed speaketh "better things" than that of Abel (Hebrews 12:24); we have a "better possession and an abiding one" (Hebrews 10:34); so that with the faithful of other times we seek a " better resurrection" (Hebrews 11:35); and desire a "better country, that is a heavenly" (Hebrews 11:16); and on account of all these things "beloved, we are persuaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation." (Hebrews 6:9). The other word is “eternal," by the use of whichit is inferred that Christ and Christianity are never to be misplaced, that the new dispensation is the final and perfect form of man’s relation to God. With this conviction of the incomparableness of the Gospel the writer speaks of the "eternal salvation" which Christ gives to those who obey him (Hebrews 5:9); and of the "eternal redemption" which Christ obtains through his own blood (Hebrews 9:12); again we are told of the " eternal spirit" through whom Christ offered himself without blemish unto God (Hebrews 9:14); of the "eternal covenant" established in his blood (Hebrews 13:20) ; of the " eternal inheritance " which they that obey his call are to receive (Hebrews 9:15); and finally of the "eternal judgment" into which all must come (Hebrews 6:2). All these better things are brought by Christ and these eternal things are eternal and final because conditioned on Christ. When we stop to think what these expressions mean it is easy to understand the place which Christ held in the thought of the writer of the Epistle. By him all the relations between God and man are determined and he has a place and work which belong to him alone.

Holding this conception of Christ and having in hand the history, traditions, literature and religious forms of the Jewish people, himself imbued with the spirit of his race, the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews does that which is the mission of every exponent of the gospel to do, he interprets Christ in terms understandable by the people whom he addresses. The fabric of this interpretation is built up around a system of names, familiar to Hebrew thought and rich in significance, which are applied to Christ. Among the ancients, especially the Hebrews, names meant more than they do among the moderns. This is shown by the following quotation from the "Jewish Encyclopedia" on the names of God:

"Like other Hebrew proper names the name of God is more than a mere distinguishing title. It represents the Hebrew conception of the divine nature or character and of the relation of God to his people. It represents the Deity as he is known to his worshipers, and stands for all those attributes which he bears in relation to them, and which are revealed to them through his activity on their behalf. A new manifestation of his interest or care may give rise to a new name, so also an old name may acquire new content and significance through new and varied experience of these sacred relations." This quotation anent the names of God is applicable to the names attributed to Christ in the Book of Hebrews.

These names applied to Christ give a many sided view of his character, with the result that he is looked upon from well-nigh every point of vision afforded by the religious conceptions of the Hebrews. As the sculptor constructs his bust with the aid of a dozen photographs of his subject all taken from different points of view, so from the twelve titles by which Christ is known in this Epistle, each of which is like a photograph, there is constructed his solid symmetrical character.

These names may be arranged, according to the following scheme, in three groups, each group consisting of two couplets, while the members of each couplet are correlative to each other:

I. First group, in which are defined Christ’s relations with the Father:

1. First couplet setting forth primal relations. (Hebrews 1:2).

(1) "Son,"

(2) "Heir."

2. Second couplet setting forth manifested relations. (Hebrews 1:3).

(1) "Effulgence of his Glory,"

(2) "Image of his Substance."

II. Second group, outlining Christ’s place in the plan of redemption:

1. First couplet, the old covenant sublimed in the new. (Hebrews 3:1).

(1) "Apostle,"

(2) "High Priest."

2. Second couplet, the new covenant educed from the old. (Hebrews 8:6).

(1) "Mediator,"

(2) "Minister."

III. Third group, connoting the relations between Christ and the believer:

1. First couplet, Christ’s sovereign relations with the believer. (Hebrews 12:2).

(1) "Author,"

(2) "Perfected."

2. Second couplet, the believer’s experiential relations with Christ. (Hebrews 6:20; Hebrews 13:20).

(1) "Forerunner,"

(2) "Shepherd." As the twelve precious stones which adorned the breast-plate of the Jewish high priest were so arranged as to reflect the light most perfectly, so these twelve names like gems gathered from many fields are set in a glowing cluster upon the bosom of Christ to ray forth the beauty and brilliance of his character. Or, to vary the simile: In "The Last Supper" by Leonardo da Vinci our eyes are carried up by way of the composition and every action of the subordinate figures, and left alone with the Christ who sits upright, his hands spread out upon the table, his head against the space of light framed by the large middle window in the picture. On either side, but a little apart so that no other head intrudes on this central space of light, are arranged the twelve in groups of three, while the disposition of the figures in each group is such that the interest of all is focalized on the face of the Master. Matthew, Simon and Jude, who form the group at the extreme left of the Saviour appear to be in subdued but anxious converse, are not looking toward the Master, but looking at one another, still the hands of all are pointed toward him. And so with the group next to his right hand, including Peter, Judas Iscariot and John; their faces are close together, but from the very center of the group Peter’s left hand is pointing directly toward the face of the Master, And so with all the group. Every face and every hand seems alert with attention which is riveted upon him whose face is marked with benign dignity, suffused with profound sorrow, and stamped with the lineaments of divinity. So the twelve names which furnish the basis of the studies which follow, while full of variety and contrast among themselves, point to their Bearer for their significance and fulfillment.