Fathr MacEvilly's Commentary on Hebrews 3:6-14

Text in purple indicates Fr. MacEvilly's paraphrase of the scripture he is commenting on.

Heb 3:6 But Christ, as the Son in his own house: which house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and glory of hope unto the end.
Heb 3:7 Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith: To-day if you shall hear his voice,

3:6 That it was to Christ he subjected the future world, of which we speak, we have the authority of David (Psalm 8), when addressing God in words, the mystical, if not the literal, sense of which refers to Christ, he says: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him,” by assuming him to a union with the Divine Person at his Incarnation?
3:7 Thou hast made him, for a short time, during his passion, appear lower than the angels; but thou hast, after his passion, crowned him with honour and glory, and placed him over all the works of thy power.

He proves that it was to Christ this future world, of which he speaks, (Heb 1:6–12), is to be subjected. “But one in a certain place,” &c.—(David, Psalm 8) The Apostle omits mentioning the passage from which the words are taken, because addressing the Jews, so accurately versed in the Scriptures. Some Commentators understand Psalm 8 to refer, in its literal sense, to the benefits conferred on Adam and his posterity. The Psalmist is supposed by them, while in his youth tending his flocks at night, “oves et boves universas,” &c., and gazing on the heavens, “the moon and the stars which thou hast founded.” (Psalm 8:4), resplendently reflecting the attributes of the Creator, to have burst forth into the praises of God—“Domine, dominus noster,” &c., admiring, at the same time, his concern for man, to whose use and benefit all creation was made subservient. He was specially “mindful” of frail, weak man, and “visited” him by conferring on him so many signal favours. He set him over the rest of creation, and made him “a little lower than the angels.” The Hebrew for “little” (meat), as also the Greek, βραχυ τι, may signify, either for a short time, during his mortal life—for, in heaven all “shall be as the angels of God,”—or, a little, in dignity, below the angels, the angelic being superior to human nature. The Hebrew for “angels” (elohim), is frequently applied to creatures, and is rendered “angels” by the Septuagint, both here and in other places, (v.g.) adorent eum angeli (elohim) Dei (Heb 1:6). He “subjected all things under his feet,” by giving him dominion over all earthly creatures. Therefore, it is added in the Psalm, “all sheep and oxen,” &c. Taken in their mystical sense, on which the reasoning of the Apostle, applying them to Christ is founded, the words mean, what is human nature (“man and the son of man,”) that God should specially visit it by becoming personally united to it at his incarnation. “For a little,” during his mortal life, and especially his passion, Christ in his human nature appeared lower than the angels; or, in dignity, the human nature of Christ was lower than the angels (for many hold that of itself the angelic nature is superior to the human nature of Christ). “Thou hast subjected,” &c. These words are taken in their widest extent, and from his saying that he “subjected all things,” the Apostle infers that nothing, not excepting the angels, was left unsubjected. It is not unusual with the Apostle to ground an argument quite conclusively on the mystical meaning of the Scriptures of the Old Testament (see Heb 1:5).

Others maintain that Psalm 8 literally and directly refers to Christ. He frequently styles himself in the Gospel, “filius hominis,” to which the words of the Psalmist are, most likely, prophetically allusive. The Psalm is quoted from in three other places of the New Testament (Matthew 21:16; 1 Cor. 15:27; Ephes. 1:22), and in all these it is applied to Christ. To this it might be said in reply, that the Psalm is quoted in its mystical sense, in the passages referred to. The advocates of this opinion also say that, although some passages of the Psalm may literally apply to Adam and mankind in general; still, it is only to Christ the entire Psalm could refer, as there are other passages which could not apply to man (v.g.), that after being lowered beneath the angels, he was crowned with honour and glory, that he was set over the works of God and that “all things,” except God, as the Apostle interprets it (1 Cor. 15), were “subjected under his feet.” It might, however, be said in reply, that after being lowered, in dignity, below the angels, man was crowned with honour and glory in the high destiny in store for him hereafter, and the lofty dominion over creatures given to him and continued after his fall; and that, after a short time, he shall be equal to the angels in the fruition of heavenly bliss; with regard to the subjection of all things, it might be said, that the Apostle, in their mystical application, gives the words a greater extension, so that in their mystical sense, as applying to Christ, they are more fully and more perfectly verified.

Heb 3:8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the desert,

Thou hast subjected all creatures whatsoever under the feet of thy Christ; and by saying, he subjected all, without exception, the Psalmist leaves it to be inferred, that there is nothing left unsubjected. But this part of the prophecy, regarding the universal subjection of all things to Christ, is not yet fully accomplished; for, we do not yet see all things actually subjected to him.

“Thou hast subjected all things under his feet;” from the Psalmist’s universal assertion that “he subjected all,” the Apostle infers that nothing, of course, not even the angels, was left unsubjected. “But now we do not see,” &c. The Apostle admits that the portion of the divine oracle, which regards the universal subjection of all things to Christ, is not yet actually fulfilled in execution. But he says, that from the fulfilment of the other part of the promise, which regards the “crowning of Christ with honour,” &c., after his passion, we can calculate on the fulfilment of this also, in due time; and that the other part is fulfilled, is clear from verse 9.

Heb 3:9 Where your fathers tempted me, proved and saw my works,

But the other part is fulfilled. We see that Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels in his passion, now crowned with honour and glory, in reward for this passion, which he submitted to, so as to die for all, owing to the gratuitous love and bounty of God, sincerely wishing for the redemption of all men.

“But we see Jesus,” &c. Hence, one part of the promise is fulfilled. “For the suffering of death,” may be also connected with the words, “made a little lower than the angels,” as if he said, “he was made a little lower than the angels, on account of the suffering of death.” “That through the grace of God” is an explanation of the words, “suffering of death,” as if he said, when I refer to the suffering of death, I must explain it, as being the result of the gratuitous love of God by which he sincerely wished for the redemption of the entire human race. “For all.” In Greek, ὑπὲρ παντὸς, for every man.

Heb 3:10 Forty years: for which cause I was offended with this generation, and I said: They always err in heart. And they have not known my ways.

(But as the ignominious death and sufferings of Christ might prove to you a subject of scandal, I shall point out to you the congruity, on the part of God, of fixing on suffering as the means of redeeming man, and glorifying his own Son). For, it became the wisdom of God the Father, the end and author of all things, after having decreed to bring many adopted sons to glory (by means of suffering), to fix also upon suffering, as the means of bringing to perfect glory, the author of their salvation, i.e., to adopt unity and identity of means, in glorifying all his children, both natural and adopted.

The ignominious death of Christ was to the Jews a subject of scandal. Hence, the Apostle here sets about vindicating the economy of redemption. “Who had brought many children unto glory.” The words, by suffering, are understood. Some understand the words, “who had brought,” to mean, “who had decreed to bring,” because no one was brought to heavenly glory, before Christ’s Passion and Ascension. Others, who by “glory,” also understand heavenly glory, take the word “brought,” literally to mean, actually brought, because the patriarchs, and just of old, were sure of heavenly glory, and were immediately to enter on it; or rather these say, that “glory” means not heavenly glory, but renown, celebrity; and God had rendered many of his sons of old, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, &c., renowned and celebrated, through the ordeal of suffering. Hence, God brought them to glory by suffering, because they performed the works of suffering, to which this glory or renown was attached. “The author of their salvation.” In Greek, αρχηγον, the chief, or captain of their salvation.

Heb 3:11 As I have sworn in my wrath: If they shall enter into my rest.

For the pontiff, who sanctifies (such as Christ), and they who are sanctified, should be of the same stock, of the same nature. Therefore, it is, that Christ having adopted our nature, is not ashamed to call us brethren, saying—

“He that sanctifieth,” &c. The Apostle more fully explains the preceding verse. The Pontiff who sanctifies, and they who are sanctified, should be of the same nature, or from the same stock. The Pontiffs among the Jews were taken from the Jewish people. Hence, as Christ is constituted by God (Heb 3:18) a Pontiff to redeem men, he ought to be of the same nature, a nature passible and liable to suffering. The reason why Christ, as Pontiff, should assume a passible nature is assigned (Heb 3:17), between which verse and this (Heb 3:11) the closest connexion is clearly traceable. “For which cause he is not ashamed,” &c. Hence, to observe this congruity of being of the same nature with the redeemed, Christ assumed our nature, in virtue of which he is not ashamed to call us brethren, as appears from (Heb 3:12).

Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest perhaps there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, to depart from the living God.

“I will announce thy name to my brethren, in the midst of the church will I praise thee.”

Psalm 22 from which these words are quoted, evidently refers to the Passion of Christ, and the words quoted from it in this verse have reference to the time after his Resurrection, when he frequently calls his Apostles “brethren” (Matt. 28; John 20); he then announced to them the name of God during forty days, and afterwards announced it through them to the world, and it was after the promulgation of his law, that the praises of God the Father, and his own, were solemnly proclaimed in the churches.

Heb 3:13 But exhort one another every day, whilst it is called to day, that none of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

And again (Isaiah 8:17): “I will put my trust in him.” And again: “Behold I and my children whom God hath given me.”—(Isaiah 8:18).

“I will put my trust in him.” These words are found in the Greek version of the Septuagint, from which the quotations in this Epistle are taken (Isa 8:17). They convey the “trust” of a man in distress, and, as in their mystical sense they applied to Christ, they prove that he must have assumed a passible nature; otherwise, he could not be in distress, as the word “trust” supposes. “Behold I and my children,” &c. The words are found in verse 18 of the same chapter, and though, like the preceding, literally applying to Isaias himself, they refer mystically to Christ, and are applied to him by the Apostle, in the next verse.

Heb 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ: yet so, if we hold the beginning of his substance firm unto the end.

Since, then, the children of Christ have partaken of a passible nature, he also assumed the same, in order that, by his death, he might destroy the power of the devil, by depriving him of that empire of death, which he had abased, by inflicting it on Christ himself, who was undeserving of it, being wholly innocent.

Since the children of Christ have a passible nature (which is meant by “flesh” and “blood”), so, in like manner, he assumed the nature of “these children, whom God gave him” (John 17:15), for the purpose of destroying the power of the devil (see Paraphrase), according to which interpretation, the words have the same meaning as Rom 8:3. They may also mean, that he destroyed the power of the devil, by obtaining for men, through his passion and death, the means of escaping that second and eternal death, in which the empire of the devil principally consisted.