ACC ~ Hebrews 9 v25 - 26

THE END OF MANY AGES. ORIGEN: But this world, which is itself called an “age,” is said to be the end of many ages. Now the holy apostle teaches that in the age that was before this, Christ did not suffer, nor even in the age before that; and I do not know that I am able to enumerate the number of previous ages in which he did not suffer. I will show, however, the statements of Paul from which I have arrived at this understanding. He says, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the age to take away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” He says that Christ was made a “sacrifice” once, and “at the end of the ages has appeared to take away sin.” Now after this age, which is said to be made for the consummation of other ages, there will be other ages again to follow; for we have clearly learned this from Paul himself, who says, “that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness toward us.” He did not say “in the age to come” or “in the two ages to come” but “in the ages to come.” I think, therefore, that by his language many ages are indicated. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.3.5.

WHY “AT THE END OF THE WORLD”? CHRYSOSTOM: In this place he has also veiled over something. “But now once more in the end of the world.” Why “at the end of the world”? After the many sins. If it had taken place at the beginning, then no one would have believed. He must not die a second time; otherwise all would have been useless. But since later there were many transgressions, with reason he appeared, which he expresses in another place also, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” “But now once in the end of the world, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 17.3.

WE OFFER A REMEMBRANCE OF THIS DEATH. CHRYSOSTOM: What then? Do not we offer every day? We offer indeed, but making a remembrance of his death, and this remembrance is one and not many. How is it one, and not many? Inasmuch as that sacrifice was once for all offered and carried into the Holy of Holies. This is a figure of that sacrifice and a remembrance of it. For we always offer the same, not one sheep now and tomorrow another, but always the same thing, so that the sacrifice is one. And yet by this reasoning, since the offering is made in many places, are there many Christs? But Christ is one everywhere, being complete here and complete there also, one body. As then, while offered in many places, he is one body and not many bodies, so also he is one sacrifice. He is our high priest, who offered the sacrifice that cleanses us. That we offer now also, which was then offered, which cannot be exhausted. This is done in remembrance of what was then done. For he says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” It is not another sacrifice, as the high priest, but we offer always the same, or rather we perform a remembrance of a sacrifice. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 17.6.

THE WORST SINNER WILL BE BROUGHT INTO ORDER. ORIGEN: In trying to reconcile two apostolic passages it has often occurred to me to raise the question of how there can be a consummation of ages at which Jesus has been manifested once for all to do away with sin if there are going to be ages following this age. The passages are these: In Hebrews, “But now at a consummation of the ages he has been manifested once for all to do away with sin through his sacrifice,” but in Ephesians, “In order that he may show forth in the years following, the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us.” Well, conjecturing on a matter so great, I believe that, just as the year’s consummation is its last month after which arises another month’s beginning, so probably the present age is a consummation of numerous ages completing as it were a year of ages, and after it certain coming ages will arise whose beginning is the coming age. In those coming ages God shall show forth the riches of his grace in kindness, when the greatest sinner, who for having spoken ill against the Holy Spirit is held fast by his sin throughout the present age and the coming one from beginning to end, shall after that, I know not how, receive a dispensation. ON PRAYER 27.15.

TYPE, FIGURE AND POWER. CHRYSOSTOM: Do you see again the superabundance of his proofs? This sacrifice, he says, is one. The others were many. Therefore they had no strength, because they were many. For, tell me, what need is there of many, if one had been sufficient? So that their being many and offered “continually,” proves that they, the worshipers, were never made clean. For as a medicine, when it is powerful and productive of health and able to remove the disease entirely, effects all after one application—as, therefore, if being once applied, it accomplishes the whole—it proves its own strength in being no more applied, and this is its business, to be no more applied. If it is applied continually, this is a plain proof of its not having strength. For it is the excellence of a medicine to be applied once and not often. So is it in this case also. Why indeed are they continually cured with the “same sacrifices”? For if they were set free from all their sins, the sacrifices would not have gone on being offered every day. For they had been appointed to be continually offered in behalf of the whole people, both in the evening and in the day, so that there was an arraignment of sins, and not a release from sins; an arraignment of weakness, not an exhibition of strength. For because the first had no strength, another also was offered and, since this effected nothing, again another; so that it was an evidence of sins. The “offering” indeed, then, was an evidence of sins, the “continually,” an evidence of weakness. But with regard to Christ, it was the contrary. He was “once offered.” The types therefore contain the figure only, not the power; just as in images the image has the figure of the man not the power. The reality and the type partake of one another. For the type is equal to, but no longer possesses the full strength of, the reality. So too also is it in respect of heaven and of the tent, for the figure was equal; there was the Holy of Holies, but the power and the other things were not the same. ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 17.5.

HE PUT AWAY SIN. THEODORET OF CYR: He completely destroyed the force of sin, promising us immortality; sin is incapable of proving a problem to immortal bodies. INTERPRETATION OF HEBREWS 9.

Heb