ACC ~ Hebrews 1 v5 - 7

ON ANGELS AND LUKE. ORIGEN: Let us see what the devil says to the Lord from the Scriptures: “It is written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you; on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” See how crafty he is, even in the texts he quotes. For he wishes to diminish the Savior’s glory, as if the Savior needed the help of angels. It is as if he would strike his foot unless he were supported by their hands. The devil takes this verse from Scripture and applies it to Christ. Yet it is written not of Christ but about the saints in general. Freely and in total confidence I contradict the devil. This passage cannot be applied to the person of Christ, for Christ does not need the help of angels. He is greater than the angels and obtained a better name than they by inheritance. For God never said to any of the angels, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.” He has spoken to none of them as to a son. “He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.”But to his own Son he speaks properly and says countless things about him in the prophets.

As I say, the Son of God does not need the help of angels. No, devil; learn rather that unless Jesus helps the angels, they dash their feet. We have just heard a passage about the angels, “that we are to judge angels.” If any of the angels is seen to stumble, he stumbles because he did not reach out his hand to Jesus. If Jesus had taken his hand, he would not have stumbled. For when someone trusts in his own strength and does not call upon the help of Jesus, he stumbles and falls. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 31.4-5.

CHRIST IS SUPERIOR TO THE ANGELS. PHOTIUS: When he introduces his only begotten, that is, when it was pleasing for him to reveal in the flesh his only begotten son to the inhabitants of the universe, he says, “Let all the angels who serve him, worship him,” and “you will see the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.6.

FIRSTBORN AND WORSHIP. THEODORET OF CYR: Both phrases, “brings the firstborn” and “let them worship,” suggest the incarnation. Whence does he, the one who supports all things by the word of his power and is maker and creator of the ages, come into the world? How is he “firstborn” if he is only begotten? If even after the incarnation the angels adored him, did they not offer him this honor before the incarnation? He was everywhere as God, yet as man he came into the world. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 1.

ANGELS ARE NOT MATERIALLY FORMED. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: And it was never announced to any man, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In fact, even though men are able to subject their fellow creatures, they will never force the angels to obey them. The angels are not materially formed. “He made,” Paul says, “his angels spirits and his ministers flames of fire.” COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

WE GET DIZZY ABOUT THIS SUBJECT. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS: Since the Word knows the tabernacle of Moses to be a figure of the whole creation—I mean the entire system of things visible and invisible—shall we pass the first veil and, stepping beyond the realm of sense, look into the holy place, the intellectual and celestial creation?But not even this can we see in an incorporeal way, though it is incorporeal, since it is called—or is—fire and spirit. For he is said to make his angels spirits and his ministers flames of fire … though perhaps this “making” means preserving by that Word by which they came into existence. The angel then is called spirit and fire: spirit, as being a creature of the intellectual sphere; fire, as being of a purifying nature; for I know that the same names belong to the first nature. But, relative to us at least, we must reckon the angelic nature incorporeal or, at any rate, as nearly so as possible. Do you see how we get dizzy over this subject and cannot advance to any point unless it be as far as this: that we know there are angels and archangels, thrones, dominions, princedoms, powers, splendors, ascents, intelligent powers or intelligences, pure natures and unalloyed, immovable to evil or scarcely movable; ever circling in chorus around the first cause, or how should we sing their praises? Illuminated thence with the purest illumination or one in one degree and one in another, proportionally to their nature and rank … so conformed to beauty and molded that they become secondary lights and can enlighten others by the overflowing and largess of the first light? They are ministers of God’s will, strong with both inborn and imparted strength, traversing all space, readily present to all at any place through their zeal for ministry and agility of nature … different individuals of them embracing different parts of the world, or appointed over different districts of the universe, as knows the one who ordered and distributed it all. They combine all things in one, solely with a view to the consent of the Creator of all things. [They are] choristers of the majesty of the Godhead, eternally contemplating the eternal glory, not that God may thereby gain an increase of glory, for nothing can be added to that which is full—to God, who supplies good to all outside God’s self—but that there may never be a cessation of blessings to these first natures after God. If we have told these things as they deserve, it is by the grace of the Trinity and of the one Godhead in three persons, but if less perfectly than we have desired, yet even so our discourse has gained its purpose. For this is what we were laboring to show—that, if even the secondary naturessurpass the power of our intellect, much more then does the first and—for I fear to say merely—that which is above all the only nature. ON THEOLOGY, THEOLOGICAL ORATION 2(28).31.

THE GODHEAD PARTAKES OF THE LOWLY. CHRYSOSTOM: “For to what angel did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be a son to me’”? For these things indeed are spoken with reference also to the flesh. … So also the word today seems to me to be spoken here with reference to the flesh. For when he has taken hold of it, he then speaks out boldly about everything. For indeed the flesh partakes of the high things, just as the Godhead partakes of the lowly. For he who did not disdain to become human and did not decline the reality, how should he have declined the expressions?

Seeing then that we know these things, let us be ashamed of nothing, nor have any high thoughts. For if he himself, being God and Lord and Son of God, did not decline to take the form of a slave, much more ought we to do all things, though they be lowly. For tell me, oh human, from where come your high thoughts? From things of this life? But these, as ever they appear, run by. Or from things spiritual? No, this is itself one spiritual essential: to have no high thoughts. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 2.2.

BIRTH IN THE FLESH. OECUMENIUS: Again let this also show how the Father accomplished the birth of the Son in the flesh. For the word “I will be” clearly is spoken about the incarnation. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.5.

PAUL CALLS IT A COMING IN. CHRYSOSTOM: Our Lord Jesus Christ calls his coming in the flesh an exodus [or going out], as when he says, “The sower went out to sow.” And again, “I came from the Father and have come into the world.” And in many places one may see this. But Paul calls it a “coming in [or eisodus],” saying, “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world,” meaning by this “bringing in” his taking flesh.

Now why has he so used the expression? The things signified are manifest. … For Christ indeed calls it a “going out” justly, for we were out from God. For as in royal palaces, prisoners and those who have offended the king stand without, and he who desires to reconcile them does not bring them in but, himself going out, discourses with them until, having made them ready for the king’s presence, he may bring them in, so also Christ has done. Having gone out to us—that is, having taken flesh—and having talked with us of the king’s matters, so he brought us in, having purged the sins and made reconciliation. Therefore he calls it a “going out.” But Paul names it a “coming in,” from the metaphor of those who come into an inheritance and receive any portion or possession. For the saying, “and again, when he brings the firstborn into the world,” means “when he puts the world into his hand.” For when he was made known, then also he obtained possession of the whole of it. He says these things not concerning God the Word but concerning that which is according to the flesh. For if, according to John, “He was in the world, and the world came into being through him,” how is he “brought in,” other than in the flesh? ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 3.1.

SCRIPTURE FORBIDS THE WORSHIP OF CREATION. DIDYMUS THE BLIND: If all creation worships Christ—for by the name “angels” he denotes the higher rational beings, just as also in the passage “to what angel has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand’?” he himself is also above them—and the word of the Scriptures forbid us to worship creation in as much as it says, “Beware lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and worship them.” Just as one is kept from worshiping the fixtures of the heavens, so also one is kept from worshiping other created beings, even if one happens upon a certain individual surpassing others. One must maintain firmly that Christ was the Creator, not a creation, even if for our sake he united himself to created flesh endowed with a reasonable and intellectual soul, and thus is worshiped as God by all creation. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.6.

THE SERVICE AND MINISTRY OF ANGELS. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: The mention of the angels’ “service” (wind) shows their quickness, while the mention of “ministry” (flames) shows their power. When he says that the angels have been made these things, he presents how they also have the ability to be these things. And he distinguishes them from the “Creator”and “God” and “throne” and “scepter of the kingdom,” all of which are symbols of his highest honor and worthiness. For also the phrase God reveals his highest nature, and throne and scepter set forth the certainty of this apart from human honors and worthiness. Then also the phrase “forever and ever” proves this, for the word Creator shows those things that have come into existence have their beginning in time, but this passage demonstrates the eternity of his kingdom. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.7-8.

HE WHO HAS AN ETERNAL THRONE. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: For just as in the matter of “radiance” and “exact image of his nature” he imitated John, calling him “the Word” and saying that he was God, so also here he imitated John. Just as John said, “This one was in the beginning, all things were created through him,”so also does Paul, although he says, “these things were not” instead of saying, “This one was.” “To the angels is said, ‘who makes them’; but to the Son, ‘your throne.’” This proves the point: That which was made was not in existence previously, but he who has an eternal throne always was with his Father. FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 1.7-8.

GOD’S ETERNAL THRONE. THEODORET OF CYR: “Your throne, O God, is forever.” Through this he teaches us that the phrase “he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high” was meant in human fashion. As God he has a throne that is eternal and a kingdom that is without beginning or end, but here human things are associated with it. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 1.

THINGS WILL NOT BE AS THEY ARE. CHRYSOSTOM: Lest upon hearing the words “and when he brings the firstborn into the world” you should think of it as a gift afterwards superadded to him, the apostle both corrected this beforehand and again further corrects, saying, “in the beginning.” Not now, but from the first. See again how he strikes both Paul of Samosata and Arius a mortal blow, applying to the Son the things which relate to the Father. He has also intimated another thing, by the way, greater even than this. For surely he has incidentally pointed out as well the transfiguration of the world, saying, “they will all grow old like a garment; like a mantle you will roll them up, and they will be changed.” That he also says in the Epistle to the Romans, that he shall transfigure the world.And showing the facility thereof, he adds, as if a person should roll up a garment, so shall he both roll up and change it. But if he with so much ease works the transfiguration and the creation to what is better and more perfect, did he need another for the inferior creation? How far does your shamelessness go? Surely it is a very great consolation to know that things will not be as they are, but they all shall receive change, and all shall be altered; but he himself remains ever existing and living without end, “and your years,” he says, “will never end.” ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 3.3.

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