RSV ~ Hebrews 11 Notes
Heb 11:1-40 | ISB Notes
The faith of the OT saints is celebrated. The chapter follows the story of the Bible from creation (11:3), to the days before the flood (11:4-7), to the patriarchal age (11:822), to the Exodus (11:23-29), to the Conquest of Canaan (11:30-31), to the Judges and the Monarchy (11:32-34), all the way to Maccabean times (11:35-38). The author intends to show how faith looks upward as well as forward, perceiving the anagogical (things in heaven) as well as the eschatological (things in the future). Because it sees beyond the hardships of this life, faith can also conquer the fear of suffering and death (CCC 147, 163). For a similar survey of biblical heroes, see Sir 44:1-50:21.
Heb 11:1 | ISB Notes
things not seen: Such as the heavenly Jerusalem (11:10, 16; 12:22), where Jesus ministers in the heavenly sanctuary (4:14; 8:1-2; 12:2).
⢠Faith is distinct from all other acts of the intellect. It is defined as assurance, which distinguishes it from opinion, suspicion, and doubt; it adheres to things not seen, which distinguishes it from science, whose object is something apparent; and it is directed toward things hoped for, by which the virtue of faith is distinguished from popular notions of faith, which have no reference to the beatitude we hope to attain (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae II-II, 4, 1).
Heb 11:3 | ISB Notes
the world was created: The universe of time and space was not fashioned out of preexisting materials, but was spoken into existence by the Father (Gen 1:3; Ps 33:6-9) through the mediation of the Son (Heb 1:2) (CCC 286).
Heb 11:4-7 | ISB Notes
The faithful who lived before the flood.
⢠Abel was more righteous than his older brother, Cain, because he offered his sacrifice with faith, as testified by the voice of his innocent blood (11:4; Gen 4:1-10). Enoch walked by faith and not by sight for 300 years, as testified by his assumption into heaven (11:5; Gen 5:21-24). Noah put faith into action when he built the ark at a time when rain had not yet fallen on the earth (11:7; Gen 2:4-6; 6:5-22).
Heb 11:6 | ISB Notes
must believe: Faith makes a relationship with God possible.
⢠Faith is the foundation of everything and the beginning of human salvation. Apart from faith, one can neither be numbered among the sons of God nor obtain the grace of justification. Without faith, every human effort is empty (St. Fulgentius, On the Faith 1).
Heb 11:8-22 | ISB Notes
The faithful of the patriarchal age.
⢠Abraham stands out as the man of faith par excellence. He kept faith when the Lord called him to leave his homeland (Heb 11:8; Gen 12:1-4), to roam around Canaan like a nomad (Heb 11:9; Gen 12:5-9; 13:2-18), and to sacrifice his son as a holocaust (Heb 11:17-19; Gen 22:1-14). Sarah overcame doubts with faith, believing that God could reverse the barrenness of her womb with the blessing of a son (Heb 11:11; Gen 21:1-3). Isaac and Jacob blessed their sons and gave them visions of the future (Heb 11:20-21; Gen 27:26-40; 48:8-20). Joseph peered into the future by faith, foreseeing the Exodus and the transfer of his bones out of Egypt (Heb 11:22; Gen 50:24-25; Ex 13:19) (CCC 2570-73).
Heb 11:13 | ISB Notes
exiles on the earth: The Patriarchs realized that earth was not their true home and so longed for a dwelling more glorious and lasting (11:10). Hebrews pictures this as a heavenly land (11:15-16), city (11:10; 12:22), and sanctuary (8:5; 9:24).
These transcendent realities were symbolized by the concentric zones of sacred space revered in ancient Judaism: the land of Israel, encompassing the city of Jerusalem, encompassing the sanctuary of Moses.
Heb 11:19 | ISB Notes
a symbol: Isaacâs escape from death (Gen 22:9-12) on the third day after God decreed it (Gen 22:4) prefigures the third-day Resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor 15:4). Abrahamâs faith in the power of God to rescue Isaac from death shines through his words spoken on the occasion: âI and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to youâ (Gen 22:5).
Heb 11:21 | ISB Notes
his staff: Follows the Greek version of Gen 47:31. The Hebrew reads âhis bedâ.
Heb 11:23-28 | ISB Notes
The faith of Moses and his parents.
⢠Here the author brings out how faith conquers fear. This is seen when the parents of Moses dare to conceal his birth (11:23; Ex 2:1-2); when Moses himself chooses to side with his people instead of to commit sin (11:25-26; Ex 2:11-14); and when he leads them in the celebration of the Passover (11:28; Ex 12:21-28).
Heb 11:25 | ISB Notes
fleeting pleasures: The luxuries of life open to Moses in the royal palace of Pharaoh.
Heb 11:26 | ISB Notes
suffered for the Christ: Moses preferred to suffer with his people rather than cling to his possessions as an Egyptian prince. For the author, solidarity with the Hebrews is solidarity with the Hebrew Messiah destined to come from them. This speaks directly to the original readers, who also suffered affliction and sustained losses of their property (10:32-34).
Heb 11:29-31 | ISB Notes
The faithful of the Exodus and Conquest periods.
⢠It took faith for the people of Israel to walk across the floor of the Red Sea with walls of water on both sides (11:29; Ex 14:21-31), just as faith was needed to level the city of Jericho with a liturgical procession rather than a military operation (11:30; Josh 6:1-20). Rahab displayed faith when she hid the scouts of Israel and professed belief in the God of Israel (11:31; Josh 2:1-21; 6:23).
Heb 11:32-38 | ISB Notes
The faithful judges, kings, prophets, and martyrs.
⢠In addition to those named in 11:32, allusion is made to others: Daniel stopped the mouths of lions (11:33; Dan 6:16-24); Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood unharmed while fire danced around them (11:34; Dan 3:23-27, 24-27); the widow of Zarephath and the Shunammite woman received their children back from the dead (11:35; 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37); the Maccabean martyrs were tortured as they professed faith in the resurrection (11:35; 2 Mac 7); the priest Zechariah was stoned in the Temple (11:37; 2 Chron 24:20-22); the prophet Isaiah was sawn in two (11:37; follows Jewish tradition); and the prophet Elijah wore animal skins (11:37; 2 Kings 1:8).
Heb 11:39 | ISB Notes
did not receive: Not until Jesus opened the way to glory did the righteous of the OT enter the inheritance they saw from a distance.
See topical essay: Christ and âThe Spirits in Prisonâ.