ACC ~ Hebrews 1 v11 - 13

THE WORKS OF HEAVEN WILL BE RENEWED. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: Paul also said, “They will perish,” and all the other things, and again the apostle took up the same words of David. But if all the works of creation perish completely, then paradise, which is not perishable, will also perish. In truth, because of paradise, which does not cease, it is evident that all the works of creation will be renewed for us, as some assert, and they will not perish, as others have said. COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

THE SAME. THEODORET OF CYR: He indicated creation’s change for the better that was due to him, and his own lack of beginning or extinction. “You are the same, and your years will never end,” he says, note, meaning, “You were not made, but you are, and you admit of no change, being always the same.” This suggests also the impassibility of the divinity. If it suffered, how is it the same? After all, it would be changed, and if it passed three days in death, its years would fail. Both the prophet and the apostle, however, the one writing the testimony and the other using it, emphasize that he is always the same and his years will not fail. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 1.

THE OLD TESTAMENT DOES NOT SPEAK ABOUT THE FATHER ALONE. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: It is possible to see in a glance that whenever the Old Testament speaks about the divine nature, it does not speak distinctly about the Father alone, as the heretics suppose when they attempt to apply “I am God and there is no other besides me” and similar passages to the Father alone. On the contrary, whatever it says concerning God as it expounds upon the divine nature, it says in such a way that those attributes may be joined together with the Son and the Holy Spirit, owing to the fellowship of their nature. Otherwise how has the apostle dragged in this second scriptural witness from it? … Has not Paul done the same in his epistle to the Romans, where he says, “For it is written, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee shall bow to me’”?For no one would find here something that would clearly distinguish between them. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.12.

SHIFT TO THE HUMAN. THEODORET OF CYR: Having thus dealt with divine things, he shifts once more to the human. It is not to him as God that he says, “Sit at my right hand”: how could it be, when “his throne is for ever and ever”? So as human he shared in this honor, having as God the eternal throne. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 1.

CHRIST AS SACRED FOOTSTOOL. CASSIODORUS: “In a pillar of cloud he used to speak to them, because they were keeping his testimonies and the commandments which he gave them.” The words “in a pillar of cloud” are not empty words, for a pillar is always placed in a house to strengthen and beautify it. So the Lord was communicating to them by this image, announcing the imminent building that is the church. Though at that time he imparted these words to them through the cloud, he has deigned to speak to us and to appear to us more visibly through the sacred footstool, that is, through the incarnation. O footstool more exalted than every temple and more excellent than all spiritual creatures! As the Apostle says: “To which of the angels did he say, ‘Sit at my right hand’?” But why is it surprising if he is called a footstool since he also compares himself to a worm,to a beetle, to the fullers’ herb, and to a cornerstone, not with respect to his ordinariness, but because of his humble disposition. EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 98.7.

HE MADE OUR MISERIES STRANGERS TO US. CASSIODORUS: We have heard a psalmwhich is amazing in its heavenly arrangement. In this text, it is clear that the humility in his humanity is as great as the power in his divinity. The holy Word took upon himself the nature of our weakness, as the heading of the psalm says, “for those who will be changed,” so that through his undeserving death he might free us from a death that was well deserved. He entered the gates of hell so that the regions of hell might be thrown open. Destruction was conquered by the arrival of the Savior, and it rightly gave up perpetual darkness after it received eternal light. He vanquished the devil through the very human nature that Satan held subject, and the strong man was overcome through the weakness of the flesh when God exalted above all rational creatures what was even weaker than all spiritual creatures. As the Apostle says: “For to which of the angels did he say, ‘Sit at my right hand’?” For no other nature was united with Christ, but only the nature of our flesh, which was taken up and glorified. He is truly omnipotent and merciful who blessed what was damned, restored what was lost, freed what was subject, rendered our miseries strangers to us, and through his death made it possible for humanity to live, an immortal creature, which the devil had caused to die. Grant, almighty God, that, since you deigned to suffer in the flesh for us, you may grant us the crown which for which you considered us worthy. EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 68.37.

ANGELS WERE CREATED BUT HE WAS NOT. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: He does not say that a change of nature took place, but by way of comparison, that he permits these things to be destroyed and they do perish in contrast to the eternity of the Son. For also the Lord, when predicting his second coming, says “the stars will fall” and there will no longer be sun or moon or heavens.

“But to what angel has he ever said?” Leaving aside all the rest of creation he speaks about that which is higher than the rest of creation, namely, the angels. For if the Son differed from the angels in that they were created but he was not, how much more does he differ from all invisible things? And one must demonstrate in addition that he revealed through the statement “but you are the same” Christ’s eternal existence and the immutability of his nature. Through the phrase “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve” he shows that the Son is not a servant, but a fellow worker with God. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.12-14.

CHRIST ELEVATED HUMAN NATURE. PHOTIUS: He lifted up the first offering of our nature to the Father, and the Father marveled at this offering. And because of the high esteem of the one who offered it and because of the purity of the offering, he, as the father of the household shows him with his hand the place close to himself and also places the offering nearby and says, “sit at my right hand.” FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.13.

Heb