Christology and the Eucharist in the Epistle to the Hebrews.pdf

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Christology and the Eucharist in the Epistle to the HebrewsAuthor(s): James SwetnamSource: Biblica, Vol. 70, No. 1 (1989), pp. 74-95Published by: GBPress- Gregorian Biblical PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/42707461.

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2/23

74

Christology

and the

Eucharist

in

the

Epistle

to

the Hebrews

The subjectof the eucharist n theEpistleto the Hebrews s one

of

the minor

points

of

disagreement

n

contemporary

New Testa-

ment studies. It

is minor because

relatively

ew

people

are

in

favor

of

seeing any

allusions

at all to the

eucharist

n

the

letter,

nd even

these few

regard

the allusions

as

quite

secondary

to the

main

pur-

pose

of the

documenti1).

The

present

writerhas

in

the

past

sustained the view

that there

are allusions to

the eucharist

n

the

epistle

2).

The time has

now

come to

repeat

this claim

and

put

it

on a sounder

footing.

The

sounderfooting s the work being done by Francis Martin on the

Christology

f the

epistle,

in

particular

with

regard

to the

word

T8icond related

concepts

3).

There

will

be

no

"proofs"

offered

-

the

materialdoes not seem to lend itself o a

presentation

which

issues

in

certitude.

All

that

will

be claimed is that

the

hypothesis

f

the

importance

of the eucharist

gives

a

coherence,

relevance,

and

depth

to the letter

which is otherwise

acking.

0 Convenientummaries

re found

n

P.

Andriessen, L'Eucharistiedans 'ptreuxHbreux",NRT 94 (1972)269-277pro, and R.William-

son,

"The Eucharistnd the

Epistle

o

the

Hebrews",

NTS

21

(1975)

300-

312

(contra).

0

"The Greater nd MorePerfect

ent.

A

Contributiono theDiscus-

sion of

Hebrews

,11",

Bib

47

(1966)

91-106;

On the

magery

nd

Signifi-

cance of Hebrews

,9-10",

CBQ

28

(1966)

155-173;

Hebrews

,2

and the

Uses of

Consistency",

BQ

32

(1970)

205-221.

0

The

present

rticle

was

inspired

y

a

suggestion

ade

by

Martin

n

regard

o

the

"completion"

f

Jesus'

ody

t the resurrection.he

sugges-

tion was

made

in

the course

f a

meeting

f the Task

Force

"Aspects

f

Christologyn the Letter o the Hebrews"heldduring heForty-SeventhGeneral

Meeting

f the CatholicBiblicalAssociation f American New

Orleans,

August

11-13,

1984.

The

author f the

present

rticle ssumes

responsibility

or he

development

f

this

uggestion

s

it

is contained

n

the

pages

which ollow.

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsphttp://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp


3/23

Christology

nd the

Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews

75

I. Jesusas "Completed"

1.

Occurrences

f

teXeio) n

Hebrews

The word xeXeico

ppears

nine

times

in

the

epistle:

2,10; 5,9;

7,19; 7,28; 9,9; 10,1;

10,14; 11,40;

and

12,23.

At

2,10

it is

related

intrinsically

o the

"glory"

to

which the

risen

Jesus

will

lead

many

sons

in

his role as

the

"originator"

of salvation

4).

At

5,9

it is

used

to

qualify

Jesus

again

in

his

attained

capacity

to be a

cause of sal-

vation for all who obeyhim. At 7,19 it is used in its negatedform

to

indicate the

inadequacy

of the

Mosaic Law with

regard

o

making

possible

the

approach

to

God. At

7,28

it is

used to

qualify

Jesus

as

son who

has attained the

capacity

which

it

signifies

n

contrast o

the Mosaic

Law

priests

who had

weakness. At

9,9

the

example

of

the desert

tabernacle s a

"parable"

showing

hat

the

gifts

nd

sacri-

fices of the

present

ime are

unable to

give

the

worshipper

certain

quality

according

o his

conscience

5).

At

10,1

it is

used

again

in

its

negated

form to

indicate the

inability

of the

priests

of

the

Mosaic

Law to give by their acrifices certainqualityto thoseapproaching

God. At

10,14

it is used

positively

o

indicate a

permanent

ffect f

Jesus

on those

who are

in

the

process

of

being

sanctified. At

11,40

it is

used to describethe

quality

which

the

heroes of the

old

dispen-

sation will

receive

in

some

way

with

the

Christianswho are

recipi-

ents of the

epistle.

Finally,

t

12,23

it is used

to

ascribe a

quality

to

the "souls of the

ust".

2.

The

Meaning

of

x

Xewco

The

challenge

s

to find a

common

denominator

for all of

the

above

texts,

presuming,

f

course,

that there s

a

common denomin-

ator. In

a work as

carefully

rafted s

Hebrews the

presumption

seems

warranted. Literature

part

from

Hebrews

indicates the

gen-

eral

meaning

make

perfect,

omplete,

ccomplish,

fulfill"

for

xetai-

(4)

On

the ranslation

originator"

or

heword

pxriY

t Heb

2,10

cf.

J.

wetnam,

esus nd

Isaac:

A

Study f

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrewsn

the

Light ftheAqedah AnBib94; Rome 1981)166.Jesushimself irst nder-

goes

that o which e calls andas a results an

example

ausing

hatwhich

he intends o

achieve.

(5)

The

implication

s that

he

worshipper

annot

e freed

rom

is/her

consciousnessf sin

cf.9,14;

10,2.22).



4/23

76

James

wetnam

oco6). Given theeschatological tmosphere f theepistle, hisgeneric

meaning

seems suitable

for all

nine occurrences f

the word

given

above

7).

That is to

say,

definitive,

od-willed

fulfillmentr

comple-

tion

is

in

question.

What this

definitive,

od-willed fulfillments

in

any given

text

mustbe

sought

n

the context f that

ext(8).

3.

T88WCO

s

Applied

to Jesus

The

key

to

understanding

he

precise

nature of the

"comple-

tion" ofJesusseems to lie

in

a careful racing f the role of sacrifice

in

the

epistle.

Both

9,9

and

10,1

state

explicitly

hat t was the inef-

fectual nature

of

the sacrificesof

the old

dispensation

which

pre-

cluded the

"completion"

of

the

worshippers.

This is

in

contrast o

Jesus

who,

precisely hrough

his

sacrifice,

has

"brought

to

comple-

tion"

those

who are

in

the

process

of

being

sanctified. This same

thought

ppears

at

2,10,

but

with the idea of sacrifice

being

ex-

pressed by

the

word

"sufferings"

(7ca0f||iaTa),

which include

death

9). Again,

at

5,9

Jesus

s

"brought

to

completion"

in

connec-

tion with

the

things

he has learned

as a result of

his

sufferings

(67ca0ev).

A

comparison

of

9,9;

10,1; 10,14; 2,10;

and

5,9

among

themselves

hows

that the sacrifice

f

Jesus

nvolved

his own death.

This

view is

supported

by

other

texts,

uch as

7,27

and

9,28.

In

the search

for a

specific

meaning

of

xeteico,

"I

bring

to

completion",

with

regard

o

Jesus,

he

important

hing

o note about

the

centrality

f

his sacrificial

death is the fact that it was made

possible

because

he shared

in

the "blood and flesh" of his "chil-

dren"

(2,14)(10).

It was this

sharing

n

blood and fleshwhich made

possible

Jesus'

death

(iva

i

tou Gavxou.

.)

and hence made

pos-

(6)

Cf.

D.

Peterson,

Hebrews nd

Perfection

An Examination

f

the

Concept f Perfection

n

the

Epistle

o the Hebrews'

SNTSMS

47;

Cam-

bridge

982)

46.

(7)

Cf.

M.Silva,

"Perfectionnd

Eschatology

n

Hebrews",

WTJ 39

(1976-1977)

4-65,

with

note

12.

(8)

Cf.

Peterson,

Hebrews

nd

Perfection

48.

(9)

Cf.

W.

Michaelis,

rccuhina

TWNT

V,

934.

The

point

s notwith-

out

mportance

ecause f

the ntitheticalontrast

hich esults etween

he

means f death "sufferings" and "bring o completion".

(i)

"The reversalfthewordsnthe tandardhraseflesh nd blood' s

probably

aused

y

he uthor's esire

o

emphasize

he

mportance

fblood

n

the

pistle

ndto

show hat

esus'

eath

symbolizedy

blood)

wasfirst

n

order

of

ime ver

nything

lse"

Swetnam,

esus nd

saac,

171).



5/23

Christology

nd the

Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews

77

sible his sacrifice thus the centralrole in Hebrewsof thebody of

Jesus

n

his

sacrifice,

role which s

stressed

n

10,5

and

10,10

(Sia

xfjTcpoacpop

ou

ac^iaxo

r|ao0

Xpiaxo.

.

.)(n).

The

offering

f

the

body

is

implied

in

10,12

and

10,14.

This

emphasis

on the

body

of

Jesus

s

intelligible

n

part

because

of the

theology

f

sacrificewhich s

supposed:

withoutblood

there s

no remissionof sin

(9,22)

12).

But this

emphasis

seems

exaggerated

when

viewed

in

the contextof the more

important

actors

nvolved

which

give

Jesus'

sacrifice ts

surpassing

worth:

his

being

united with

Gos will 10,7) and hisperforminghe act ofsacrifice through"the

Holy

Spirit

9,14)(13).

The author of

Hebrews

seems to have

some

ulteriormotive

in

emphasizing

he

body

of

Jesus

in

his

account of

Jesus'

sacrifice,

nd the

immediate

reason for this

emphasis

would

seem to be his view that t

was the

body

of

Jesus,

omposed

of

blood

and

flesh,

which

needed

being

brought

o

"completion"

if

Jesus

was to

attainthe definitive tate

destinedfor

him

by

God.

4.

reei nd the

"

Completion

of

Jesus'

Body

This need of the

body

of

Jesus

to be

brought

o

completion

f

he

was to attain the

definitive tate

destined for him

by

God

emerges

from

study

of

Chapter

7. There

the

reason for

the

appointing

f

Jesus

iepe xepo)

as

high

priest

s

the fact

hathe

has

power

of

ife

without

nd

(7,15-17).

The

weakness of the

Levitical

priests

s

their

innate ack of

continuance ecause of

death

(7,23),

a

lack

of

continu-

ance

built nto the Law.

Jesus

he

priest

ives

forever,

nd is

thus

able

to save all who

come

through

im

to

God

(7,24-25).

Now

it was

pre-

cisely

the

body

which

made

Jesus

iable

to death

2,14),

so it

must

be

the

body

whichmustbe

changed

n some

way

fdeath s tobe

perman-

ently

voided.

Hence it is the

body

which s

brought

o

"completion"

if

he

is to attain

he definitive

tate

willed forhim

by

God(14).

()

Cf.

E.Schweizer,

"afia",

TWNT

VII,

1055.

(12)

Cf.A.

Vanhoye,

Sangue

spirito

ell'epistola

gli

Ebrei",

angue

antropologia

ella letteratura

ristiana

Roma,

29

novembre 4

dicembre

1982) ed.

F.

Vattioni)

(Centro

tudi

Sanguis

Christi

;

Roma

1983)

III,

837.

(13)

bid.,

834.

(14)

As

Martin

nderstands

t,

the

ompletion

f

Jesus

may

be

defined

s

"the

rendering

f

Jesus

Christ

s

totally

pt

for

ternal

ife".

This

means,

for

Martin,

the

transformationf

his

humanity:

ody,

mind,

motions,

y



6/23

78

James

wetnam

5. The "Completion ofJesus'Body and theResurrection

The

occasion at

which the

author of

Hebrews

seems to

regard

this

"completion"

of

Jesus

as

taking

place

is the

resurrection,

or at

1,9

he

applies

the

words of Ps

45,7

to

Jesus:

"God

anointed

you.

.

with the oil

of

gladness.

."(15).

It

is

this

metaphorical

nointing

which is the

moment when

Jesus

fully

becomes the

Christ,

.e.,

be-

comes

fully

anointed"

(%pico).

Jesus

thus

conquers

death

so

that,

with

immortality

ssured,

he

will

be

able to

intercede

forever

with

God for

those who come to God through im(16). It is thetransfor-

mation of the

body

which is

crucial:

ust

as

Jesus

needed

a

body

of

blood

and flesh to

overcome

death

by

means of

death

(2,14),

so

he

needs a

body

which has

overcome

death

to be

forever

vailable to

those who

need his intercession

7,24-25)

17).

6.

The

Twofold

Meaning of

vi

in

Hebrews

The

view that t is

Jesus'

body

which

was

brought

o

"comple-

tion" seems

sustained

by

a

close

reading

of

the

opening

ines of

the

epistle. At 1,4 Jesus s said to have inherited name as farabove

the

angels

as he

himself

was. This

name is

"Son"(18),

and

1,5

indic-

ates that t was

given

him

at the

resurrection

19).

But

this s

surely

second

meaning

of

"Son",

a

meaning

given

to

Jesus

n

addition

to

the action f the

divinity"private

ommunication

nder

ate of

April 2,

1986).

The

present

aper

focusses n

the

"completion"

f

Jesus'

ody.

(15)Cf. A.Vanhoye,Situation u Christ. breux1-2 (LD 58; Paris1969)191-202.

(16)

The

emphasis laced

n

various

ways

by

the

author f

Hebrews n

the

perpetuity

f Christ's

ntercessory

ower

n

contrast

o the

imited em-

poral

duration f the

Levitical

ntercessory

ower

hould

not be

overlooked.

Cf. Heb

6,20;

7,3.8.16.17.23.

(17)

At

Heb

7,28

the contrast

s drawn

between he

multiple

evitical

priests

onstituted

y

the Mosaic Law

and the

unique

Son who

has been

"brought

o

completion".

he

specific

ontrast

s betweenhe

Levitical

riests

"having

weakness"

xovxa

aveiav)

nd the son

forever

rought

o com-

pletion"uiv

i

xv

lcva

Texeteicoiivov).

he use of

aGveia

nd related

words lsewherenHebrews hows hatimitationstherhanmortalityre n

question

cf.

5,2;

11,34),

utHeb

4,15

should aution

gainst

verplaying

he

moral

spects

s

opposed

o the

physicalspects

fthis

weakness.

(18)

Cf.

Swetnam,

esus nd

Isaac 145.

(19)

Cf.

Vanhoye,

ituation u

Christ

141-143.



7/23

Christology

nd

the Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the Hebrews

79

the title"Son" which he enjoyed duringhis earthly ife cf. 5,8) 20).

When read with

the

supposition

in

mind

that at the

resurrection

Jesus

was

given

a

body

commensuratewith his

high priestly

eed of

immortality,

he words "You are

my

Son,

today

I

have

given

you

birth" become

stunningly

pposite:

at the

resurrection

esus

finally

and

fully

ecame

the "Son" which

his

divinely-appointed

ole

in

the

drama

of

salvation demanded

that

he

be(21).

II. Jesusas "Completed" and the Eucharist

1. The Crux

at Hebrews

9,11:

The

"

More

Perfect

Tent"

It is

against

the

background

f the use of

xeteico

n

the

epistle

that the

crux at

9,11

should be

judged:

"Now

when Christ

ppears

as

high

priest

of the

good

things

which came

about,

he entered

nce for

all

through

he

greater

nd more

perfect

xeteiTEpo]

ent

not made

with human

hands,

that

s,

not of this

creation,

nd not

through

he

blood of

goats

and calves but

through

his

own

blood,

into the

holy

place,

n

securing

ureternal

edemption".

The

word "more

perfect"

(xeXeixepo)

eems

to reflectnot

only

a

verdict of

superiority

s

(20)

Cf.

Silva,

"Perfectionnd

Eschatology

n

Hebrews",

2-63.

Silva

anachronistically

ses the

erms

humannature"

nd "divine

nature",

ut t

is the

reality nderlying

hese echnicalerms

which s

important

nd

which

Silva

correctly

dentifies.

esus

was

able to die

by

assuming

hatwhich

was

not

proper

o himselfs

divine,

nd it

was

through "completion"

which

eliminated his weaknesswhichhe had

assumed hathe was capableofstandings highpriest efore od forever.

(21)

The twofold

eaning

f "son"

implied

n

Hebrews

pens

he

way

o

a

possible

olution f the lassic rux

t Rom

8,23,

where

hristians

re

por-

trayed

s

"groaning

n

themselves

n

the

expectation

f

sonship,

he

redemp-

tion

of

their

ody".

The

present

riter

fferedhe

suggestion

ome

years

ago

that

7C6K%op.ai

t

Rom

8,23

should e

understoods "infer"

cf.

On

Romans

8,23

and the

Expectation

f

Sonship'",

Bib

48

[1967]

102-108).

But

in

the

ight

f the

two-stage

se of

"son"

in

Hebrews t

seems

more

probable

hat

Rom

8,23

simply

means

hat he

Christians,

lthough

n

pos-

session f the

first ruitsf

the

Spirit,

re

groaning

n

themselves hile

wait-

ingfor hesecond tage fsonshipwhich onsists bove all in thedeliver-ance ofthe

body.

While ther

erfections

re to be

expected

ith

lorifica-

tion,

he freedom

f the

body

from he

constraintsf

mortality

s the chief

good.

The

centrality

f

physical

ransformations

indicated

y

the

fact hat

inanimate

ature lso

yearns

o be

delivered

cf.

v.

22).



8/23

80

James

wetnam

regards he outergk'v' of the deserttabernacle cf.9,1-2.6),but the

attainment f an

absolute,

i.e.,

the

comparative

form

expresses

not

only

a true

comparative

but also

hints

at the

superlative

use of

the

comparative

found

elsewhere

n

the

letter

nd

in

the

New

Testament

in

general:

the "more

complete"

tent s

not

only

more

complete

han

the outer

tent of the

desert

tabernacle,

t is

finally

nd

definitively

complete

n

the

designs

of

God(22).

The word

"tent"

(aKt|vr|)

used

in

conjunction

with

not made

with

hands"

(o

xeipojcoiixo)

ndicates

contrastwith the

"tent"

(aicr|vr|)

made

by

Moses

(8,5)(23). Further,

this "first" rcpcoTTi)ent was earthly, s opposed to the one "not of

this

creation"

9,11)(24).

The

symmetry

etween

he

two

"tents"

is

not

perfect:

he

tent made

by

Moses

was

something

xternal o

Moses,

whereasthe

tent

through"

Sid)

which

Christ

nteredwas

something

proper

to

himself,

ince

it is

placed

in

parallel

with

his

own

blood

"through" 8i


9/23

Christology

nd

the Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the Hebrews

81

Christ", nd in virtue f his "[more] complete" bodyhe is now culti-

cally

empowered

to stand before

God

in

the definitive

ole

assigned

him in

the

Holy

of Holies

(x

ayia

[xv

ycov])

the

words

x

ayia

in

9,12

seem

to have this

meaning just

as

in

virtue f his own blood

he

is entitled o enter

nto the

Holy

of Holies

(cf. 9,7) 26).

2.

The

Twofold

Meaning of oky]vy'

n Hebrews

What is

happening

n

9,11

is a

play

on words:

aKt|vf|,

tent",

is

being

used

in

the sense

of

aKfjvo, "tent",

and

in

the sense of

cjKfjvo,

body"(27).

The "tent" which Moses erected n the desert

becomes

a

foreshadowing

f the "tent" which is

Christ's

body.

Whatever

s behind

this

complicated

use of

imagery

t is

important

enough

to

warrantthe evocation

of the

"Holy

Spirit":

the

Holy

Spirit

uses

the

liturgical

estrictionsnvolved

in

the distinctionbe-

tween

the "first"

(i.e.,

"outer")

and

"second"

(i.e., "inner")

tent to

show that the

way

into the

sanctuary

ayia)

had not been "revealed"

(cpavepcxo)

s

long

as

the

outer

tent

still

stood

(9,6-8) 28).

The

sym-

bolism associated

here with the desert tabernacle s

immediately p-

plied

to the

"present

time"

(f|xi TiapaoW] i

xv

Kaipv

veaxr|-

Kxa)

and the

incapacity

of the

contemporary

ewish

ult to

"com-

plete" (xeteico)

the

worshipper

n

regard

to conscience

9,9).

3. The

Symbolism

f

the Outer Tent

The

point

of the

comparison

involved in

the

play

on words

regarding

KT|vf|

eems to be that

the

risen Christ s the new

outer

(26)

The word

eoxpa

ere s to be understoods the

econd

art

f the

desert

abernacle,

he tent alled the

"Holy

of Holies"

('Ayia Ayicov).

f.

9,3.

(27)

uch

plays

on words re not unknown o the

New Testament

cf.

Matt

16,18).

On the

meanings

tent" and

"body"

for

Kfjvo

f.

orell,

Lexicon

raecum

ovi

Testamenti,

ol. 1210. The

exceptional

se of

aKTivf|

for

body"

on

the

nalogy

f

aKfjvo

ffers o

problem.

Paul

uses oiicia

n

the sense

of

"body"

at

2

Cor

5,1

although

his s not a normal

meaning.

(28)

That s to

say, y

aw ccess o the

nner entwas

everely

imited:

nly

thehigh riestnce year ould ntert. TheSpirit ses his rrangements avisual arable

xpressing

nadequacy.

Thesubstitutionfthe uter ent

y

he

"greater

nd

more

erfect

ent", .e.,

Christ's isen

ody,

which s the

result f

Christ'sacrifice

n

the

pirit

9,14),

means hat he raof

imitedccess s at

an

end. The

Spirit

emedies

n

Christ hat he

pirit

ad shown o be

nadequate.

Biblica

0

1989)

6



10/23

82

James

wetnam

"tent" throughwhose (risen) "body" access to the second tent or

Holy

of Holies

is now

possible

not

just

for the

high

priest

on

one

day

of the

year

but for all

who

believe

in

Christ.

This

interpreta-

tion is

supported

by

the

two

uses of


11/23

Christology

nd

the Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews 83

tween the two sets of wordswithtwofoldmeanings, he pointwould

then

be that

ust

as Christ's

"completed",

i.e.,

risen,

body

was the

"means"

of

entering

he

sanctuary,

hus

replacing

he outer

tent,

o

the

sanctuary/Holy

f Holies

into which he

enters s

really

a

corres-

ponding reality,

the

"holy things"

of

Christianity.

These

"holy

things"

seem

to be referred o

at

8,3

with the

words

"gifts

and sac-

rifices"

Scop

te

Kai

0ixrai)(31).

Their

old

dispensation

ounterparts

are referred

o

in

8,4

(Scopa)

and

9,9

(Sp

te

Ka

Guatai) 32).

Given

the fact that

Jesus

offeredhimself

9,26.28),

these

"gifts

and sacri-

fices" of the new dispensation re Jesushimself.

What all this

complicated

magery

dds

up

to seems to be

this:

that for the

addressees the

glorified ody

of Christ

which

they

come

into contact

with as the eucharistie

ody

is the

concretemeans

given

to them

by

Christ

the new

high

priest

of

entering

nto the

Holy

of

Holies,

i.e.,

God's

presence.

Even at

9,24,

where

Christ

s

portrayed

as

entering

nto "heaven

itself'

(ei

axv

opavv),

heaven is

viewed under

the

formality

f God's

presence

vOv

|i


12/23

84

James

wetnam

place ofmeetingbetweenGod and his people, but in Christ33). No

reader

of the

epistle

as

it was firstwrittenwould

have

been able to

grasp

this subtle

symbolism

without the

aid

of an

oral tradition

against

which the

epistle

could

have been

interpreted.

But there re

other

hints

n

the

epistle

itselfwhich

point

to the need of a eucha-

ristie

nterpretation

f

the letter

s

to

be

fully ntelligible.

6. Other

Eucharistie

Allusions

n Hebrews

a) Hebrews9,20 and theAllusion to Exodus 24,8

One

important

hint that

the author

of

Hebrews

is

interested

n

the eucharist

s

the allusion

at

9,20

to the words of institution f the

eucharist

n

the

citation of

Exod

24,8.

Instead of

writing

o

x

ajia

the author

has

written

oxo x

ajia,

thus

evoking

the

formula

of

consecration

ttributed

o

Jesus

at

the

supperi34). By

itselfthis

viewing

of Moses

as a

prefiguring

f

Jesus

with

regard

o

the

eucha-

rist

seems too

precious

to

meritserious concern. Its true forcecan

be seen only in its context.

The

immediate

context

of the eucharistie llusion at

9,20

is

im-

portant.

At

9,19-20

"every

command

having

been

spoken

[aX]

according

to

the Law

of Moses

to the entire

people",

Moses

pro-

ceeds to

take blood

and

sprinkle

the book" and all the

people,

say-

ing

the

words

which

allude to the

eucharist. The entire cene seems

intended

o be

a

prfiguration

f

what

Jesus

did at the institution f

the eucharist

under the

formof blood.

At the institution

esus

took

his own blood

and

metaphorically

prinkled

all the

people"

by

the

(33)

Cf.

theremarks

f O.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n

die Hebrer

MeyerK

3;

Gttingen

1984):

the

phrase

ji


13/23

Christology

nd the Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews

85

bestowal of the savingeffects f his blood on "the many"(35). The

occurrence f the

important

hematicword

faJx

hould be noted.

b)

The

Thematic Word Xal

The thematic

word hjoik

o

appears

at

3,5

in

a rich

context.

The

passage

is

complicated.

Three

persons

are

involved:

1)

God,

who

has "commissioned"

(rcoico)

Jesus

(3,2)

and who

is the

ultimate

"constructor"

KaTaaKeuc)

of

everything; )

Moses,

who is

the

"servant" (Oeprccov)n "all the house" and as such is linked with

the house and merits ess

praise

than

Jesus

because of

this

3,3.5);

3)

Jesus,

who is

"Son",

and who has

"constructed"

KcrcaaKeuc)

house

and who

is

worthy

f

more honor than

Moses

because he has

constructed he house and is "over"

it

(3,2.3.6)

36).

The

"house" is

made

up

of Christians

3,6)

37).

Jesus

and Moses are

thus

placed

in

parallel,

but as

superior

and

inferior,

oth

being

under God.

The

thematicword acomakes

Moses as "servant"

act as

witness

ei

jiapxpiov)

of "the

things

o be

spoken"

(XaXco).

This

use of the

word h(

subtly

modifies he

relationship

etween

Moses

and

Je-sus frommere

parallelism

to

prfiguration.

The

phrase

"the

things

to be

spoken" (tcov

Xar|0r|aofiv)v)

s of a

piece

with the

use of

Ixikz

o

at

9,20.

Moses is

acting

n

prfiguration

n

both

places

38).

(35)

Cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n

die

Hebrer,

19-320.

Michel

notes he

anachronismnvolved

n

speaking

f

sprinkling

he

cncr|vr|

nd

the

cnceri.

But

Christ nters hetrue

gk)vt' through

is own

blood"

(9,12).

NT

real-

ities re the

determining

ormforOT

foreshadowings,

s

the

reworking

f

the words f Moses at 9,20 ndicate.(36) Wie Christusls das WortGottes

Abglanz

einerHerrlichkeit

st,

das

All

trgt,

o

ist

er auch Erbauer

es

Hauses',

verbirgt

ich

n

den

Auf-

trgen

er

Propheten

nd

Engel,

ffenbartich

n

der

Gemeinde es

Neuen

Bundes als

Sohn und Herr

3:5)"

(Michel,

Der

Brief

n

die

Hebrer,

177).

(37)

On the

Christian

ommunity

s

the house of

God" cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n die

Hebrer

177-178.

(38)

n

9,20

Moses

is

acting

s

Oeprccov

in

the

entirehouse"

(3,5),

whereas hrists son "over"

the house

whenhe

institutes

heeucharist

nd

thus

through

he

establishmentf a new

covenant

constructs"

new

"house" composed f Christians3,3.6). The ultimate constructor" f

everything

s God

(3,4).

This

hierarchy

ith

egard

o

"constructing"

eems

to mirrorhe

hierarchy

ith

egard

o

"speaking":

God

"speaks"

aXco)

n

a

son

2,1),

who

n

turn s

prefigured

n

the

things

hich will

be

spoken"

(xiXr|0T|aop.vcov)

3,3)

by

Moses who

speaks

the words

which

have been



14/23

86

James

wetnam

The phrase "thingsto be spoken" at 3,5, when viewed in con-

nection

with

9,20,

suggests

eucharistie

oloring

o

3,1-6.

This

con-

nection seems to be

supported

by

the use

of the

word

7cappr|aia

t

3,6.

For

7cappr|aia,

assurance",

in

Hebrews

(it

occurs

there four

times)

seems to be associated

with

the

right

o enter

nto

the

Holy

of Holies:

this is

clearly

the case

in

4,16(39)

and

10,

940).

10,35

seems to be

intended as an

explicit

contrast o

3,6

41).

In

3,6

the

Christians

re said to constitute he "house" of

Christ the

son

-

the use

of the word "Christ"

with

ui

indicates that the

risen

Jesus

is meant withall thatthis implies as regards he fullness f Sonship

-

if

they

maintain their assurance about

entering

nto the

Holy

of

Holies where the risen son has

preceded

them.

It is thus that

they

constitute he

dynasty "house")

"constructed"

by

the Son.

The

allusion to Moses as

foreshadowing

ith

his words

the institution f

the eucharist s thus not

foreign

o the

contextof

3,5.

The

sequence

of God

-

Moses

-

Jesus

is

at the heart

of the

main theme of the

epistle:

God

"spoke"

(htkio)

"in

the

pro-

phets"^2)

and

now he

"spoke"

(xxco)

in

a Son"

(1,1)(43).

At

13,7

this thematicuse of fa( is prolonged o thatthe "word" (Xyoq)

of God is

spoken

by

the Christians' eaders

to them. This

transmis-

sion of a

message

from God to

prophets

to

Jesus

to

Christians

s

conformed

o the eucharistie

ords f institutionfter

very

ommand

as

been "sooken" fAxxAico)ccordingo the Law (9.19).

(39)

Dem Gnadenthron

anndie Gemeinde ur

dadurch

ahen,

ass sie

das Wortvon

Jesus

Christusls dem rechten

ohenpriester

nnimmt. m

Hrenund Glauben

naht' sie.

An

sich

meint as

Bild,

das

in

der

ganzen

Antike ekannt

st,

inenkonkreten

nd realen

Vorgang,

er

sich

m

Gottes-dienst reignet,

iex rcappTiaa

immt ie Mahnung on 3:6 wieder uf;

indem ie Gemeinde

as Wort om rechten

ohenpriesternnimmt,

ndem

sie sich ls Gemeinde

er

Snder

usliefert,

ut ie

es

in

der

Freudigkeit',

m

'

Ermchtigtsein

,

auch

m

Vertrauen'

vulg.:

um

fiducia),

n

der

Gewissheit,

dass

sie

so

handeln arfund muss... 'Thron der Gnade' ist

hier

m

Hebr

geradezu

ine hebrische

mschreibung

r Gott

selbst;

ndem

wir

dem

'Thron'

nahen,

nahen

wir

Gott,

nahen

wir

auch dem

erhhten

hristus

(Hebr

1

13

=

Ps 110:

1)" (Michel,

Der

Brief

n die Hebrer

209).

(4)

Marrow

learly

otes

n

this

ontext

he

relation etween

aving

v-

ent and

eschatological

ontext

S.

B.

Marrow,

"

Parrhsia nd the New Tes-

tament", BQ 44 [1982]440-441).

(41)

Cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n dieHebrer, 60.

(42)

Moses s to be numbered

mong

he

prophets"

ere eferredo. Cf.

Vanhoye,

ituation

u Christ59.

(43)

bid.,

60.



15/23

Christology

nd the

Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o

the

Hebrews

87

established t 2,3, where the "word" (yo)was "spoken" (flsco)

through ngels

-

an

obvious allusion

to the

giving

of

the Law

at

Sinai

C*4)

and

is

placed

in

parallel

with the

"salvation"

(acoxripia)

which

had its

"beginning

of

being

spoken"

(xx-co)

hrough

the

Lord and was then

passed

on

by

those

who

heard "to

us"

(ei

r''iq).

From

this

passage

it

is

legitimate

to infer

that

whatever

began

to be

spoken

by

the

Lord was

1) parallel

to and

in

substitu-

tion of the Mosaic

Law,

2)

transmitted

y

word of

mouth,

and

3)

central o the attainment

f

salvation

45).

c)

The

TwofoldMeaning of

Ayo

The

aspects

of Christian

salvation

mentioned

above are

rein-

forced

by

13,7,

wherethe

"leaders" of the

addressees are

pictured

s

having

"spoken"

(h()

to the

addressees the

"word

of

God"

(

^yo

tou

Geou).

Here

the

"salvation"

appears

as "the

word"

(

Xyo),

ust

as

in

the case of

the Law.

But this

"word" is

the

replacement

of the Law.

It is

transmitted

by

word of

mouth

through eaders. These leaders should be trusted nd submitted o

because

they

will

have to

render an

"account"

(Xyo

)

to God

(13,17

-

there

eems to be a

play

on

words

with the

yo

of

13,7:

speaking

the

"word" to

Christiansbears

with t a

grave responsibil-

ity)^).

H

Ibid.,

233-235.

(45)The contrast etween he ngels nd the Sonwhich s so prominentin

1,5-14

s here

ubtly

epeated

n the

contrasting

hrases

i'

yyAxov

nd

i

tou

Kupou.

Cf.

Vanhoye,

ituation u

Christ,

41-242.

The

dispensa-

tion

begun y

Christs

presented

s

being

more

mportant

han

he

dispens-

ation

begun

n Sinai.

46)

At

4,2

yo

s

used to describe

he

good

news"

given

o the

desert

generation

cf.

4,2

and

4,6).

This

good

news s

the same

as that

given

he

addressees

f the

epistle

nd

includes he

promise

f

entry

nto he

and.

In

Hebrews,

f

course,

his

promised

and s

equivalent

o eternal

ife

cf.

wet-

nam,

Jesus nd Isaac 91

and

note

25).

Thus

the

yo fj

icofj

s

closely

ssociatedwith

corripia

cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n die

Hebrer,

92-

193). It would eem hat hisAyo fthe goodnews" nd the promise",common o both the old

and new

dispensations,

re

important

orunder-

standing hy

he uthor f

Hebrews

ses the

word

Xyo

o

refer oth

o the

MosaicLaw

and to the

Christian

essage

which

eplaced

t:

both

ontain he

element f

salvation.



16/23

88

James

wetnam

d) The TwofoldMeaning of SiaOrjicr}

This

substitution f the

yo

of

the new

dispensation

for the

Xyoq

of the

old is

developed

in

the

epistle

under the

term

5ia0f|KT|.

The Sinai covenant

is

expressed

s

a

Sux0|kt|

cf. 8,9;

9,4.15.20);

it

is

replaced

by

a new

and better

Sia0f|KTi

7,22;

8,6.8.10;

9,15.20;

10,16.29; 12,24;

13,20).

The

presence

of

Sia0t|icT|

t

9,20

is

not con-

trary

o the view

that the

eucharist s

being

alluded

to

there,

for the

texts of the institution

f the

eucharist

lways

mention

that it

is a

0ia0f|KT|Matt 28,28; Mark 14,24; Luke 22,20 [f| icavr|ia0f|Kr|];1

Cor

11,25

[f|

Kaivr| ia0r|KT|]).

The allusion

to the

Kavri

0ia0r|KT|

f

Jeremiah

s

evident

in

Luke and

Paul.

The

Kaivri

ia0r|KT|

s of

considerable

mportance

o the

authorof

Hebrews,

s is seen

from he citation

from

Jeremiah

t

8,8-12

and the

emphasis

given

to the

newness t

8,13,

as well as

from he

citation

t

10,16-17.

Among

the

verses

important

for

understanding

ow

the

author f

Hebrewsviews

the

caivr|

ia0fjiai

are

9,15-18.

These

verses

constitute

classic

crux,

for

they

use

8ux0t|kt|

n

two

senses: in

the

sense of "covenant"

(9,15.18)

and in

the sense of "testament" 9,16-

17)(47).

This is

another nstanceof

the

author's

play

on

words. The

explanation

f how he can

go

from

ne

meaning

o

anotherwith

uch

insouciance eems to lie

in

the

fact hathe

views the

6ia0f|Kr|

which

he

has

in

mind as a

concrete

eality,

o

that the

attributes

f both a

cov-

enant nd of a

testament an be

predicated

f t

without

ontradiction:

the

eucharist s both a

covenant

and a

testamenti48).

Christ can

accordingly

e

presented

s

a

successor o

Moses

in

giving

new

Torah

which s also a

testament.

e)

Tabernacleand Tent as

Antitype

nd

Type

Finally,

nother

mage

should be

invoked in

connection

with

the

foreshadowing

f Christ

by

Moses

in

the

institution f the

eucharist.

In

erecting

he

deserttabernacle

which

stands to the

tentwith

which

(47)

Cf.

J.

wetnam,

A

Suggestednterpretation

f

Hebrews

,15-18",

CBQ

27

(1965)

373-390.

(48)Cf.J. wetnam,Aspetti ucaristiciel sangue i Cristo ell'epistola

agli

Ebrei:alcuni

uggerimenti

u Ebrei

9,20",

Atti ellaSettimana i

Studi

"Sangue

e

antropologia

iblicanella

letteraturaristiana"

Roma,

29

nov-

embre 4

dicembre

982) ed.

F.

Vattioni) Centro

tudi

anguis

hristi

;

Roma

1982) I,

845-846.



17/23

Christology

nd the

Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews 89

Jesus is concerned as "antitype" to "type" (cf. 8,5; 9,24; 8,2),

Moses

is

doing

something

which

for the

author

of the

epistle clearly

has an

intrinsic

onnection.

For

reasons

rehearsed

above,

this

in-

trinsic

onnection

eems

to

be eucharistie

ymbolism:

he

desert ab-

ernacle

which

Moses

constructed

cted as

an

imperfect

oreshadow-

ing

of

the fullness

of access

to God

which

was to

come

only

with

the

arrival

of

Jesus,

postle

and

high

priest,

who would

finally

make

possible

unrestricted

ccess

to

God's

presence.

III. Other

Relevant

Texts

In

the

light

of

the

foregoing

iscussion

other

passages

in

the

epistle

merit

comment.

1.

Hebrews

6,4

At

6,4

there

s

probably

n allusion

to the eucharist

n

the words

"and having

asted

he

heavenly ift" yeuaa^ivou

s

xfj copexfj

rcoupavou).

There

s

no need to

make an either-or hoice ofeuchar-

istie

llusion

or non-eucharistic

llusion.

The

principalmeaning

ould

well

be

a

general,

metaphorical

reference

o

"tasting"

God's

"gift"

connected

with

the

coming

of

Christ,

while a

specific

onnotation

f

the

eucharist

s

sensed

by

the reader/listener

49).

2. Hebrews

10,20

At

10,20

the

"flesh"

(ap)

of

Jesus

is the

"way" through

he

veil into the Holy of Holies, not the veil itself50). The "way" into

the

sanctuary

was

made

manifest

only

with

the sacrifice

of Christ

(9,8.26),

and Christ

himself

ntered

he

sanctuary

through"

his

glo-

rified

body

which

was the

victim offered

n

that

sacrifice

9,11).

It

is the

body

which

is

the

"way"

and

the veil

which is the

obstacle.

For

the

addressees,

the

glorified

body

of Christ

which

they

come

into

contact

with as

the eucharistie

body

is

the concrete

means of

entering

nto

the

Holy

of

Holies, i.e.,

God's

presence.

(49)

Cf.

Acts

20,11.

50)

Cf.

P.

Andriessen-A.

englet,

"

Quelques

passages

difficiles

e

Fptre

ux Hbreux

5,7.11;

10,20; 12,2)",

Bib 51

(1970)

214-215.



18/23

90

James

wetnam

3. Hebrews13JO

At

13,10

the author

speaks

of

an

"altar" from

which those

who

worship

"at the tent"

(cncT|vr|)

ave no

right

o eat.

An

allusion

to

the

eucharist an be

argued

even

apart

from the

presentation

made

above.

The "altar"

alludes to the

eucharist,

nd the use

of the

phrase

"those

who

worship

at the tent" to

describe the

worshippers

at the

temple

shows

that the

imagery

f

the

desert

tabernacledevel-

oped

in

Chapter

8 is still

governing

he

thought.

And

this,

n

turn,

reinforces eucharistie nterpretationn Chapter9(51).

IV.

The

Spatial

Imagery

of

Liturgical

Function

Presupposed

n

the above view of the

eucharist s

involving

he

metaphor

f

spatial approach

to describe

coming

to union

with God

are the

terms

"draw near to"

(7cpoapzop.ai)

nd "enter"

(eiap%o-

'iai).

The

consistency

f

imagery

with which

these terms are

used

in

the

epistle

suggests

ome

underlying

onsistency

f

liturgical

heo-

logy.

1. The

Imagery of

"Approach"

In

4,16

the

addressees are

urged

to "draw near"

(rcpoaepxo^iai)

the throne

of

grace

of

Jesus,

he

high

priest,

he "Son of God"

(this

phrase

is

important

or t

suggests

Jesus

n

his

perfected,

ost-resur-

rection

onship)(52).

In

7,25

the

priesthood

f

Jesus

s

again

invoked

for ll those who

approach

God

through

im because of his interces-

(51)

On

the whole

uestion

f the various

nterpretations

f

the "altar"

cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n die

Hebrer,

98-503. Cf.

especially

is remarksn

p.

500:

"In

unserem

usammenhang

erwendet ebr

wei

entscheidendee-

griffe

Zelt und Altar

die vielleicht

ypologisch

inembestimmtenu-

sammenhang

uzuordnen

ind,

hne

ie

gengend

u erklren.Offenbar ar-

en sie dem

Leser

n

ihrer

inndeutungelufiger

ls uns". Cf. also the

importanttudy

f

A.Aalen,

"Das Abendmahl ls

Opfermahl

m

Neuen

Testament", T 6 (1963) 146-147. Also worthnotings E.L.Randall,"The Altar fHebrews 3

10",

Australasianatholic ecord 6

(1969)

197-

208.

(52)

Michel,

Der

Brief

n die Hebrer

209,

calls attentiono

the

iturgi-

cal

coloring

f

the

passage

cf.

above,

note

39).



19/23

Christology

nd the

Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews

91

sorypower. At 10,1 the word "approach" is used in connection

with those who

continuously

ome to

God under

the Law

-

it can-

not

bring

them

to

"perfection"

xetaico)

no

matter

what

sacrifices

are offered.

In

10,22

the

addressees

are

exhorted

to

"approach"

with their

hearts and

bodies

cleansed

-

an

allusion

to

baptism

53).

At

11,6

the

need for faith s

emphasized

for those

who

"approach"

God: this

exhortation ets the

scene

for the

stresson

the faith

of

the

fathers

n

the list

beginning

with

Abel.

Finally,

at

12,18.22

the

Christians re

said to have

"approached"

not

Mount

Sinai

but the

heavenlyJerusalem54) in which Jesus is presentas mediatorof a

new

covenant

v. 24) (cf.

the

contrastbetween

the

Mosaic Law

and

the

salvation

brought

hrough

hrist t

2,2-3,

7,19,

and

13,7,

and the

contrastbetween the

two

types

of

"covenant"

in

Chapters 7,

8, 9,

and

10)(55).

The

language

associated with

the

word

"approach"

(7cpoap%o-

jiai)

implies

throughout

liturgical

etting56).

The

implication

of

the Christian

approach"

to

God

is that

it can

result

n

the

same

perfection

hat has

accrued to

Christ

through

his

resurrection.

2.

The

Imagery of

"

Entrance

The ideas

associated

with the

imagery

of

"entrance"

(eiap%o-

'iai)

involve two

distinct

but

related sets

of

goals.

In

Chapters

3

(53)Michel,

Der

Brief n dieHebrer, 46-347;C. Spicq,L'ptre uxHbreux,I (EB; Paris1953)317.

(54)Michel,

Der

Brief

n

die

Hebrer,

65,

points

ut that he

"church

of

thefirst-born"n

12,23

must

till e on

earth,

or heir

ames re

written

in

heaven.

(55)

picq,

Hbreux,

I, 409,

calls attention

o the

allusion o

Exod

24

and the

prinkling

f

the

blood

by

the

mediator

oses

cf.

Heb

9,20)

through

the

mention f

the

sprinkling

f

blood

and the

mediator

esus.

In

the

con-

text

f the

hypothesis

eing

dvanced

n

the

present

aper,

his

would

on-

stituten

allusion o

the

ucharistie

lood,

which

peaks

better" han

Abel's

because t

purifies

nd

saves

in

the

presence

f

the

udge

cf.

12,23).

Cf.

Michel's emarkhat heallusion o Jesus'bloodat 12,24mustbe under-stood nconnection ith he ntercessionfthe

high

riest

esus

ortrayed

t

Heb

7,25 Michel.

Der

Brief n die Hebrer. 69V

(56)

Rein

kultisch

st das

Wort

rcpoapxo^iai]

n

Hb u

1

Pt

gebraucht"

(J.Schneider,

7tpoapxo*iai",

WNT

I,

682).



20/23

92

James

wetnam

and 4 the term of this "entry" is God's "Rest", i.e., eternal ife(57).

In

Chapters

6

and 9

the term of

this

"entry"

is the

Holy

of

Holies

viewed under the

aspect

of God's

presence.

The

subject

of the

entry

into God's Rest is the Christian

people,

successor to

the

desert

gen-

eration

who did not enter nto

God's Rest. The

subject

of the

entry

into the

Holy

of Holies is

Jesus.

But at

10,19-22

the

Christians re

urged

to

"approach"

(7cpoaep%op.ai)

n

a

context

strongly iturgi-

cal

58).

And the

goal

of their

pproach

s entrance

eaoSo)

into the

Holy

of Holies to which

they

have access

"in

the

blood of

Jesus".

It is the new covenantwhichmakes definitive ccess to God possi-

ble,

as is clear from

he

implied

contrast

n

7,19,

again

in

a

context

clearly iturgical

nasmuch as the

allusion is to

the

priestly

ct of

approaching

God(59).

The

theological

framework f

the

author of

Hebrews

emerges

from he above texts. The ultimate

goal

of the

addressees s

God's

Rest into which

they

are to "enter

in"

(Chapters

3

and

4)(60).

But

before his definitive

ntrance

nto God's Rest there

s the

liturgy

f

"approaching"

God,

a

liturgy

ouched

in

the

imagery

of the en-

trance of the Old Testamenthigh priest into the Holy of Holies.

The Christians re reminded that

Jesus

as the

new

high

priest

has

definitively

ntered nto the new

Holy

of

Holies and

they

are

urged

to

approach

God's

presence

by

doing

likewise

61).

Various

interpre-

(57)

On the motive

f God's "Rest" as eternal ife f.

Swetnam,

Jesus

and

Isaac,

91 withnote25.

(58)

Cf.

above,

note 53.

(59)

Cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n

die

Hebrer,

73.

(0 Spicq,Hbreux,I, 95-96.

(61)

Il

va de soi

que

ce

repos,

on divin

gratuit,

evra tre

mploy

remercier

ieu et l'adorer. Aussi

bien,

ds

l'origine,

a notion e

manuha

en Isral

st

intrinsquement

ie celle de culte"

Spicq,

Hbreux,

I,

97).

It

must e recalled

hat he

magery

f the

Holy

of Holiesused

n

Hebrewss

based on the desert

anctuary,

ot on the

temple

n

Jerusalem,.e.,

the

entrance f the

high

priest

nto the

Holy

of

Holies is connected ith

he

pilgrimage

o the definitive

est. This is

perhaps

learest t Heb

13,10.

The Christian

ccess o the

Holy

of Holies has the ame

ultimaterientation

to entrance

ntoGod's

Rest,

but s broadened o

include ll thosewho

"par-

takeof Christ" hehigh riestHeb 3,14)anddeepened o include urifica-tion not

simply

f the

body

but ofthe heart s well

Heb

10,22).

On the

conditionhatfaith ot

be

lacking,

his ontactwith

God

through

hrist

n

the

Holy

of Holies

will

nfallibly

ead into hedivine estwhich s still

wait-

ing

for hosewho

will

claim

God's

promise

Heb

3,12-19).



21/23

Christology

nd the Eucharist

n

the

Epistle

o

the

Hebrews

93

tationscan be made as to what Christianreality he author had in

mind. But

in

the context

of the

presentpaper

it seems not unnat-

ural to think

of

him

as

referring

o the eucharist as a means of

approaching

God's

presence

through

Jesus

on the Christian

ourney

which

eventually

will

end

with entrance nto eternal life:

entering

into the Christian

Holy

of Holies and thus

the

presence

of

God

available

in

this life

through

he means

offered

y

Jesus'

risen

body

prefigures

ntering

nto the definitiveRest of God to which

entering

the

Holy

of Holies

is

intrinsically

rdered.

V.

Concluding

Remarks

Prescinding

from a eucharistie

nterpretation

f the

epistle,

it

seems

fair to

say

that a

study

of the various

parallels

and

contrasts

based on

the

presumption

f a unified

heological

presentation

hows

the

following:

)

God

spoke

through

he

prophets,

specially

Moses,

in

a

way

which

prefigured

is

speaking

n

a

Son,

and this

speaking

was

carried n beyond heSon,dependent ponhis initiative, o those who

heard

him,

and these

n

turn ransmitted is

message

to the eaders of

the addressees

1,1-2;

3,5;

9,19;

13,7); 2)

the content f the

speaking

s

parallel

to and

superior

n

dignity

o the Mosaic

Law

(2,2-3)

and it is

so

important

hat

t can be termed salvation"

(2,3),

i.e.,

it is

in

some

way

at

the

center

f Christian

iving;

3)

Moses

in

erecting

he tentof

meeting

s

pictured

s

in

some

way

involved

in

erecting

prefiguring

of a

"type"

shown to

him

which has relevance to the Christian

ult

(8,1-6); 4)

the Christian

5ia0f|KT|

s viewed as the

fulfillmentf the

prophecy fJeremiah egardinghe newkx0t|ktind is seen to be in

contrastwith he

0ia0f|KT|

f the Mosaic

dispensations

Chapters

8 and

9).

Apart

from

ny

eucharistie

nterpretation

hesetextsneed

explain-

ing.

What is the

point

of the use of the

word AxxAico

n

a thematic

way?

What Christian

eality

s

parallel

to the Law?

What

s the

pur-

pose

of

the

foreshadowing

f

the tentwhich

Moses erected?

In

what

way

s the new

Sia0f|KT|

ifferent

rom

he

old,

and what s the

point

of

the contrast?

Finally,

how are these four

spects

of the letter

elated

to each other?

The present paper maintains that the common element which

answers

the above

questions

is the Christian

eucharist. Such an

interpretation

lso

explains

why

there are

plausible

grounds

for see-

ing

eucharistie llusions at

9,20

and

13,7.



22/23

94 James

wetnam

In fact, he eucharist mergesfrom hepresent tudy s a central

point

of the

epistle 62).

The author s

speaking

o

people

who have a

good

knowledge

of the

Scriptures

nd

who are

susceptible

to

argu-

mentation

based

on

Jewish

exegetical

suppositions. Apparently

he

addressees

are

tempted by

disbelief

n

the

presence

of God

among

them

in the formof

the

eucharist,

nd the author

attempts

o meet

their doubts

by

showing

that

the eucharist s

really

the heir of an-

cient cultic

practices

nvolving

God's

presence

and

brought

o their

divinely-willed

ulfillment

n

Christ.

The

Jewish

disciples

mentioned

in John 6,66 who were unable to accept Jesus' teachingon the

eucharist

ndicate

the

possible type

of

background

which could have

called

forth

he

epistle.

The

indirection f the

presentation

s

possi-

bly

required by

the

need to

follow the

usages

of the

"discipline

of

the

secret

(63),

or the

indirection

may

simply

be

the result of the

author's

intuition

that such indirection

s more effective

han un-

veiled statements

nd

more

in

keeping

with the

august

natureof the

mystery

e

is

trying

o

convey.

PontificalBiblical Institute

Via della

Pilotta,

25

00187

Rome,

Italy

JamesSwetnam, S.J.

(62)

An

objection

o

seeing

heeucharistlluded o in theexpressiona

yia

t)v

yDV

may

be raised

on the

supposition

hat

he eucharists for

Christ

way

o be

present

o

Christians,

ot God

(cf.

9,24

with eference

o

9,12).

Thus

the

analogy

with he

Holy

of Holies s

flawed rom heoutset.

But this

s to

presume

hat he

eucharist

n the

primitive

hurch

as

exactly

the same

n

this

respect

s it is now.

Cf. F.

Chenderlin,

Do This s

My

Memorial

The Semantic

nd

Conceptual ackground

nd Value

f

Avfivt]-

ai

in

1

Corinthians

1:24-25

(AnBib

99;

Rome

1982).

()

Cf.

Michel,

Der

Brief

n die

Hebrer,

38-239. On the

"discipline

of the

ecret" f.

C.

Perler,

"Arkandisziplin",

A

I,

cols.

667-675,

r

id.,

"Arkandisziplin",TK I, cols. 863-864. J.Jeremias,erusalemn the

Time

of

Jesus:An

Investigation

ntoEconomic nd Social Conditionsuringhe

New Testament

eriod

London

1969;

Fifth

mpression,982)

240,

remarks

that

the whole

ection,

Heb]

6.3-10.18

eads ike a lesson

whichmustbe

revealed

nly

o those

apable

of

understanding

eb. 5.14 cf.

Col. 2.2".



23/23

Christology

nd

the Eucharistn

the

Epistle

o the

Hebrews

95

SOMMAIRE

Une

interprtationucharistique

e

certains

assages-cl

e

l'ptre

ux

Hbreux evient

lus

facile i

l'on

considre a

perfection

onfre

u

Christ

ar

sa rsurrection.

on

corps

eoit

es

qualits

ont

ne

ouissait as

son

corps

physique

t selon

'ptre

'est

par

ce

corps

essuscit

la

tente

plus

grande

t

plus

parfaite) ue

le

Christ ntre

ans e

saint

des

saints

x

yia

tcov

ycov).

'article

met n valeur

n

eu

de mots

urx

yia

en

sorte

que

deux

dsignations

'ensuivent:e

saint

des

saints e la

tente

u

dsert t

les choses

saintes

nourriture)

e la

tradition

uive.

La

rcurrence,

ans

l'ptre,e semblableseuxde mots insique d'autreshmes,ppuientette

interprtation.

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