Imagery and Significance of Heb 9.9-10

7/31/2019 Imagery and Significance of Heb 9.9-10

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ON THE IMAGERY AND SIGNIFICANCE

OF HEBREWS 9,9-10

Verses 9-10 of chapter 9 of the Epistle to the Hebrews occur at the end

of a particularly suggestive passage :

6 Under this arrangement, the priests are always entering the first tent in thedischarge of their duties ; 7 but the second is entered only once a year, and bythe high priest alone, and even then he must take with him the blood which heoffers on his own behalf and for the people's sins of ignorance. 8 By this theHoly Spirit signifies that so long as the earlier tent still stands, the way into thesanctuary remains unrevealed. 9 (All this is symbolic, pointing to the presenttime.) The offerings and sacrifices there prescribed cannot give the worshipperinward perfection. 10 It is only a matter of food and drink and various rites ofcleansingoutward ordinances in force until the time of reformation.1

The context of this quotation is that of the first diathk (Heb 9,1)which has various ritual observances (dikaimata) and a tabernacle pertaining to the present world (hagion kosmikon). The author of Heb discusses this cultic arrangement under the aspect of the Day of Atonement

ceremonies, and points out that the limited access to the inner tent of the

first diathk and its cult shows that the "way" (hodos) into the innertent (ta hagia) "remains unrevealed" (mpo pephanersthai).

Vv. 9-10 begin with the remark that this old cult (cf. 8,13) has relevance

for the "present time," i.e., the time which has witnessed the advent of

Christ. For the offerings and sacrifices prescribed in connection with the

first diathk cannot give the worshipper inward "perfection/' whereasChrist, by his sacrifice, can and has (Heb 10,14). The following sentence,

v. 10, then says, according to the NEB, that "it [s c, the Old Law cult] is

only a matter of food and drink and various rites of cleansing."

What is the precise force of v. 10 in the context? According to the NEBtranslation, the "food and drink and various rites of cleansing" would seem

to be a restatement of the "offerings and sacrifices" of v. 9. But then what

"drink" of the Old Law cult is being referred to?2 The ASV of 1901 takes

1 The New English Bible. New Testament. Ninth printing (1964).2 Cf. the illuminating comments of Theophylact of the Bulgarians on Heb 9,10:

"Burdens (epikeimena), he [sc, the author of Hebrews] says, only on those wholived at that timedirectives concerning food and drink. This, he says, you are to eat,this you are not to eat. But how is it that he says 'in matters of drink'? As regardsdifferences in the matter of drinks the Law makes no special provision. Hence he issaying that the priest should not drink wine when he is about to enter the sanctuary( h i ) h h i ki b t th h lik th N it t k


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156 T H E CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY [Vol.28

a different approach : ". . . gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the

conscience, make the worshipper perfect, being only (with meats and drinksand divers washings), carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation."3 But what is the relevance of "meats and drinks and divers washings"

in the context? Putting them in parentheses merely focuses the problem;

it does not solve it. Nor does it seem pertinent in the context of the epistle

as a whole to say that the gifts and sacrifices are "resting on" (an interpre

tation of epikeimena, the final word in the verse) foods and drinks andvarious rites of cleansing,4 for this "resting" does not seem to be treated

elsewhere in the epistle. Still another view places stress on the burden of

the Old Law sacrifices and offerings, and claims that the other ritual observances are added because they, too, are burdensome. This is a plausible

explanation, the more so in view of the fact that the word epikeimena canmean "imposed upon." The Greek Fathers have stressed the burdensome

nature of the Old Law observances.5 Further, the word apolytrsis in Heb9,15, used to describe the deliverance effected by Christ, can connote freedom

from slavery,6 and in 9,15 it is used explicitly with reference to the first

diathk. The explanation is so plausible, in fact, that commentators on theepistle point out its appropriateness.7 But again, what precisely is the point

of v. 10? Why should the author suddenly speak in v. 10 about the burdenof the Old Law cult in general when in w . 9,6-9.11-28 he speaks almostexclusively about its ineffkacy and the contrasting efficacy of the New Law

expiation ? Granted that the two ideas of "being a burden" and "being in

efficacious" are not incompatible, still there is a lack of consistency in their

juxtaposition which is not characteristic of a skilled writer such as the

author of Heb shows himself to be.

Unless the present writer is mistaken (a possibility by no means to be

excluded), not only is there a problem involved in the interpretation of

Heb 9,10, a problem reflected in the various interpretations of translatorsand commentators, but there is also a solution, a solution which could

clarify considerably the understanding of the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice

and thus fit in with the general context.

similar prescriptions" (PG 125,301). For this 11th-century Greek commentator, atleast, the verse was not entirely clear.

3 As quoted by F. F. Bruce, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (London-Edinburgh, 1964) 192.

4B. F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews. 3rd ed. (London, 1906) 256.

5 Cf. C. Spicq, L'ptre aux Hbreux, I I : Commentaire (Paris, 1953) 255. Cf. J. Swetnam, "A Suggested Interpretation of Hebrews 9,15-18," CBQ 27 (1965)

387. Cf. the use of apolytrsis in Heb 11,35.7

Cf h k f S i "L' ffi i d d


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1966] HEBREWS 9, 9-10 157

A closer look at the text of Heb 9,9-10 is in order :8

9 , , '

, -

10 , , ,

,

.

One of the more striking things, grammatically, about these two verses is

the use of the preposition epiwith the participle epikeimena. The preposition

epi is notoriously flexible in its meanings, but when it is used to govern adative and in conjunction with epikeimena this range is considerably re

duced. In fact, there is only one example of this combination in all of the

NT: Jn 11,38.9

There the construction is used to convey the idea that the

stone of Lazarus' tomb was lying across the entrance : "Now [the tomb]

was a cave, and a stone lay athwart it" (lithos epekeito ep' autg). Thus,

if Heb 9,9-10 are translated following the grammatical usage of Jn 11,38,

they read :

This is symbolic, pointing to the present time. According to the symbolism gifts

and sacrifices are brought which cannot give the worshipper inward fulfillment,lying athwart (epikeimena) only foods and drinks and various cleansings asrites of the flesh until the time of setting straight (mechri kairou diorthses).

The final phrase in the citation offers the possibility of a confirmation of

the interpretation of epikeimena with epi and the dative as conveying the

imagery of a block. For diorthsis in classical Greek is used to indicate,

among other things, the setting right of "ways" (hodoi).10 The verbal

form, diorthoun, is used in Jer 7,3.5 to signify the amending of "ways"

(hodoi).11

And Heb 9,11-12, the verses which immediately follow the pas

sage under discussion, tell how Christ opened up the "way" (hodos) intothe sanctuary once and for all (cf. Heb 9,8 in the light of 9,26 and 10,19-20).

This convergence of independent factorsthe context of the "way" not

8 The only significant variant in the textual tradition seems to be the reading ofkaidikaimasin instead ofdikaimata. But the reading epikeimena seems to be uncontested.

9 There seems to be no example from the LXX, though in Ex 36,38 there is anoccurrence ofepi with the accusative in conjunction with epikeisthai. Cf. H. G. LiddellR. Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed. (Oxford, 1940) s.v. "epikeimai."

10Ibid., s.v., where its use by Aristotle in regard to reconstruction of "buildings

and roads" is cited(Politics

1321b21). The substantivediorthsis

does not occur inthe LXX or elsewhere in the NT.

11 Septuaginta. Vetus Testamentum Graecum Auctoritate Societatis Litterarum


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manifest but manifest through Christ as Way; the construction of epikei-

menai with epi and the dative in the light of Jn 11,38; the presence of theword diorthsisseems to point to a definite imagery: that of somethingbeing blocked by something else.

What could this mean ?

In view of a number of elements in the context of Heb as a whole and in

the context of early Christian literature (which elements are discussed in

the remaining portion of this paper), the following suggestion is made:

that the "foods" and "drinks" and "cleansings" are mentioned because they

are viewed as being the OT foreshadowings of Christ's Eucharistie Body

and Blood and of baptism, and they are considered as being "blocked off"by the Old Law rites of sacrifice connected with the Day of Atonement.

Because the OT Day of Atonement was unable to expiate sin, the various

rituals of the OT which flowed from the expiation were powerless to give

the worshipper ritual fulfillment, i.e., definitive union with God.

In this interpretation, verses 9-10 of Heb 9 lend themselves to different

modern translations and explanations not only because of unusual grammar

and unusual vocabulary; they lend themselves to different modern trans

lations and explanations because they presuppose a view of Christ's sacrifice

and of Christian cult which is theologically sophisticated. It is only by understanding this sophistication that the allusions of the text take on depth and

appear for what they are : indications of a view of Christianity and of Christ's

death which is through and through cultic.

This suggestion is obviously rather bold. It remains to be supported by

concrete particulars.

First, there is the concrete particular of the juxtaposition of the three

elements "foods," "drinks," and "cleansings" in the context of inefficacy.

If the terms are looked upon from the standpoint of the OT they are of

unequal value and their parallelism in the text is difficult to understand.But if they are looked upon from the standpoint of the NT their being

placed in parallel is intelligible, for the Eucharist and baptism are the key

cultic realities of the NT. The author of Heb, to be sure, is concerned with

the OT cult ; but this concern is in function of the NT cult, and not vice

versa.12

Next, there is the use of the words "foods" (bromata), "drinks" (po-12

Just as he is concerned with the Old Law covenant, but always in function of theNew Testament. The result is that the Old Law covenant becomes for him the Old

Testament. Cf. J. Swetnam, art. cit., 378. Cf. also the following summation: "InHebrews the whole Old Covenant is being evaluated, and is judged to have its validityand reality only in reference to the order of eternal ralities " Aelred Cody Heavenly


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mata), and "cleansings" (baptismoi) elsewhere in the epistle and in the

NT.Bromata occurs at Heb 13,9, also in the sense of the cultic foods of theOld Dispensation. What makes the use in 13,9 relevant from the point of

view of the suggested meaning in 9,10 is the fact that it occurs in a context

in which the Eucharist seems to be alluded to (cf. 13,10 : "we have a sacrifice

altar from which those who worship at the tent have no right to eat"). In

fact, charts, with which the bromata in 13,9 contrast, has been explicitly assigned a Eucharistie meaning by some commentators.

13Whether this inter

pretation is warranted is a difficult matter to decide ; certainly it goes against

the prevailing contemporary view.14

But on the other hand the prevailingcontemporary view is not at all certain about the precise place of the

Eucharist (and of baptism) in the epistle as a whole, and it is in the light

of the Eucharistie relevance of the epistle as a whole that the question should

be decided. Since the argumentation of the present paper is being based on

a convergence of independent testimony it is enough for the moment to note

that bromata in 13,9 occurs in a context in which the cult of the Old Lawand the cult of Christianity are contrasted, and that it is this contrast which

has prompted some exegetes in the past to contrast the bromata with the

Eucharist for reasons independent of the use of bromata in Heb 9,10.Pomata is not found in Heb except at 9,10.15 The only other occurrence

in the N T is at 1 Cor 10,4, in the celebrated passage in which the OT Exodus

imagery is used to sketch the types of the Christian baptism and Eucharist.

Poma is parallel to brma in the passage in 1 Cor, a coincidence which

13 Cf. A. Bisping, Erklrung des Briefes an die Hebrer (Mnster, 1864) 294: "Amschnsten wird der Gedanke, wenn wir charts von der christlichen Gnadengaven bildet,verstehen. Zwar lsst sich diese Bedeutung von charts aus dem Sprachgebrauche nichtnachweisen; allein der ganze Zusammenhang scheint diesen Sinn zu fordern. Schon

der Ausdruck bebaiousthai tn kardian und der Gegensatz worin charts zu bromatasteht, deutet darauf hin, dass wir unter charts eine Speise verstehen mssen ; besondersaber spricht fr diese Deutung der folgende V., in welchem offenbar von der heil.Eucharistie als einem Opfer und einen Opferspeise die Rede ist." Cf. also A. Maier,Commentar ber den Brief an die Hebrer (Freiburg im Breisgau, 1861) 392. For aslightly different intepretation cf. A. Padovani, In S. Pauli epstolas commentarius.VI. In epstolas ad Titum, Philemonem et Hebraeos (Paris, 1896) 349. Padovani takescharts as being the whole of the Christian cult, including the sacraments, but particularly the Eucharist.

1 4 Cf. Spicq, op. cit., 423. Also idem, L'pttre aux Hbreux, I: Introduction (2ded. ; Paris, 1952) 316, note 5.

15 A possible reason why the author of Heb does not place more emphasis onpomata to contrast them with the NT Eucharistie blood is the controlling imagery of


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rences in Heb save one are of the plural and express the goal of the high

priest's entrance. The one exception is found at 9,1, where the phrase tohagion kosmikon is used to designate the entire tabernacle, both first tent

and second tent or sanctuary.

The passage at Mt 7,6 will be discussed below, in connection with an early

Christian comment. The text at Lk 1,35 has to gennmenon as a designation

of Christ (". . . and the holy thing which is born shall be called Son of

God"). It is possible to take hagion as an adjective or as a predicate and

translate ". . . and that which is born [a] holy [thing] shall be called Son

of God."19 In any case, hagion refers to Christ.

The majority of the NT occurrences of hagion/a are found in Heb. In8,2 the genitive of ta hagia seems to occur : Christ is the high priest who is

seated at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens, "cult minister tn

hagin and of the true tent. .. ." The genitive has been construed as a mas

culine by some authors and explained as "the holy ones."20

But inasmuch as

ta hagia occurs in at least six other places in the epistle in the sense of the

holy of holies or sanctuary, and inasmuch as the "true tent" seems to refer

to the holy place (cf. Heb 9,2.8.11), the word is usually taken as a

neuter plural referring to the holy of holies or sanctuary.21 Thus Christ

is the minister of both the holy place and the holy of holies. But it is alsopossible to take tn hagin as referring to "holy things." Thus, for example,

Luther.22 Such a use is attested in Philo.23 But what seems to have been

overlooked so far is the possibility that tn hagin might very well mean

both "holy things" and "the holy of holies." The surface imagery is that of

the high priest entering into the sanctuary, but when it refers to Christ it

Neotestamentica, Studia 1; Paris-Bruges, 1963] 144, note 1). The hagion would then

still be a neuter plural, but it would not have precisely the same meaning as the ta hagia

used elsewhere in the epistle in the sense of the holy of holies inasmuch as it means theholy of holies only in conjunction with a preceding adjective, hagia. But the problem

is a complex one and needs further study. The fact that there are variations in the

early textual tradition has led F. F. Bruce to remark : "This points to some primitive

disturbance of the text" (op. cit., 181, note 7).19 Cf. . Plummer, A CriticalandExegetical Commentaryon the Gospelaccording

to S. Luke (5th ed.; The International Critical Commentary; Edinburgh, 1922) 24-25.2 0

Spicq, op. cit., II, 234.21 Ibid.2 2

"... und [der Hohepriester] ist ein Pfleger der heiligen Gter, und der wahrhaftigen Htten . . ," Dr. Martin Luther's Bibelbersetzung nach der letzten Original-

Ausgabe, kritisch bearbeitet von H. E. Bindseil und H. A. Niemeyer, VII. Theil(Halle, 1855) ad loc.

23 Cf Philo Allegorical Interpretation of Genesis IL IH [Legum Allegoria]


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means that he entered definitively not only the conventional heaven (i.e.,

God's presence), but into the ritual usages of the NT as well, giving themtheir efficacy. This second level might explain the close connection in Heb

between ta hagia and ritual practices in all the texts where ta hagia appears :8,2; 9,8.12 (which enclose 9,9-10) ; 9,25 (cf. 9,23 and the connecting word

introducing 9,24-25: gar) ; 10,19 (cf. 10,22) ; and 13,11 (cf. 13,10). Eachof these texts deserves comment.

The present writer has recently argued that the "greater and more perfect

tent" of Heb 9,11 is the Eucharist.24 A corollary of this hypothesis is the

attribution of a Eucharistie meaning of "true tent" in 8,2.25 The argumenta

tion for the Eucharistie meaning of "true tent" in 8,2 was based on reasonsindependent of those being advanced in the present paper. But the two lines

of interpretation converge in 8,2 : the Christian high priest is "cult minister

of the sanctuary and of the true tent" (tn hagin leitourgos kai tes sknstes althins). The distinction between the Eucharistie elements as constituting the "true tent" and as part of the hagia into which Christ entered willbe discussed below. Heb 8,3 continues the discussion of cult by remarking

that Christ must have some sort of "gifts and sacrifices" to offer by the very

fact of his being a high priest.

The remark of 8,3 is clarified in the lengthy discussion of the sacrifice ofChrist in chapter 9. The discussion is dominated by the idea of the remission

of sin. The two OT rituals which serve as the foreshadowing of Christ's

sacrifice are the Day of Atonement ceremonies (Lv 16) and the inaugura

tion of the Sinai covenant under Moses (Ex 24). The two rituals are re

garded as having a common denominator in purification from sin. This

appears in the wording of 9,23, the verse which forms the transition from

the discussion of the Sinai covenant inauguration as a foreshadowing of

Christ's inauguration of the NT (9,18-22) to the discussion of the consum

mation of Christ's sacrifice viewed as a Christian Day of Atonement ritual(9,24-28).

Heb 9,23 begins with the illative conjunction oun (anagk oun), showingthat purification is related to the inauguration of a covenant. It states that

just as the models of the things in the heavens need to be purified, so the

heavenly things themselves need to be purified. And 9,24 begins with the

illative conjunction gar (ou gar eis . . .), showing that Christ's completionof the new Day of Atonement ritual is related to the purification of the

heavenly things. Thus the dominant idea of the remission of sin is shown

24 J. Swetnam, " The Greater and More Perfect Tent/ A Contribution to the Disi f H b 9 11 " ib 4 (1966) 91 106


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to be linked in the author's mind through the notion of purification with

both the Day of Atonement ritual and the inauguration of the covenant.What precisely is purified in chapter 9? Ultimately, the consciences of

human beings. This is enunciated in 9,14 and implied in 9,9. But the con

sciences of human beings are not the only realities to be purified. Heb 9,23

again emerges as an important verse, for it states that just as "models" (tahypodeigmata) of the things in the heavens are purified, so the "heavenlythings" (ta epourania) themselves are purified by sacrifices.26 The identification of the "heavenly things" is, of course, one of the classic problems of the

exegesis of Heb.27 And the solutions given have covered a wide spectrum

of viewpoints, from F. F. Bruce's firm statement that what are purified arethe humans who comprise God's dwelling,28 to the well-modulated tones of

academic despair of O. Michel.29 Any discussion of 9,23 in the light of the

hypothesis being advanced in the present paper is thus of necessity doubly

tentative. But the following view has at least the merit of suggesting a new

approach to the problem. Recently J. W. Rosion has discussed the passage

at length.30 Rosion's method for a solution : a detailed analysis of 8,2-5 and

9,2.11.23-24 in order to fix the exact meaning of the terms involved, then a

study of these terms as they are used in 9,23 in the light of the OT Day of

Atonement ritual of Lv 16,15-20. His conclusions : As to the terms, ta hagia(en tots ouranois) of 8,2, auta ta epourania of 9,23, and autos ho ouranosof 9,24 are all referring to one and the same reality. Further, ta hypodeigmata tn en tots ouranois of 9,23 and to hypodeigma kai skia tn epouranin

26 The use of the plural (kreittosin thy stats) to express the idea of sacrifice is unexpected in view of the author's insistance elsewhere in the epistle on the unicity ofChrist's offering (cf. the following verses, 9,24-28, where the point is labored). Perhaps the usual explanation of "generic plural" is the correct one (cf. Spicq, op. cit.,II, 266), but the evidence for it is suasive at best, not compelling. The point merits

further study.27 For a summary of various views cf. Spicq, op. cit., II, 266-67.28 Bruce, op. cit., 218-19.29 "Worin bestehen die 'himmlische Dinge* (ta epourania) ? Nach 9,24 ist der Him

mel selbst das Heiligtum, in dem Christus Gott dien t . . . . V. 23 behlt die Form einerRegel, was im Nachsatz besonders stark hervortritt. Immerhin bleiben Fragen offen.Warum ist die Mehrzahl ta epourania und kreittosin thysiais gewhlt? Hat nichtgerade der Neue Bund es mit der Einheit und nicht mit der Mehrheit zu tun? Warummuss auch das himmlische Heiligtum, das doch aus Gottes Hand stammt, gereinigtwerden ? . . . V. 23-24 gibt Fragen auf, die in unserem Brief nicht gelst werden ; vermutlich weiss der Verfasser mehr von den 'himmlischen Dingen/ als er ussert" (O.Michel, Der Brief an die Hebrer [llth ed.; Gttingen, 1960] 213-14). For a discussionof other opinions cf. Cody, op. cit., 182-92.


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of 8,5 are equivalent. Finally, the expression ta epourania occurring at

8,5 and 9,23 is to be construed in each instance as modifying hagia under-

stood from the context. In other words, there is identity between the

heavenly sanctuary and the heavenly "things" of 9,23. But an analysis of the

Day of Atonement ritual indicates that the holy of holies was purified from

any contamination brought about by man's sins so that it was a worthy place

for Yahweh's special presence. When applied to Christ's action as the high

priest of the Christian rite of expiation the symbolism of the OT Day of

Atonement demands that the sanctuary itself be that which is primarily puri-

fied, and only secondarily man.31 Rosion's argumentation is susceptible of

further confirmation if the hypothesis being presented in the present paper

is valid: ta epourania (hagia) are the ritual realities of the NT. Christ

enters into them sacrificially and thus purifies them with his blood for his

presence and God's presence (cf. Heb 1,4) ,32 These are the ritual foods and

drinks and cleansings of the OT which now become the definitive focal point

of the divine presence in the NT (the symbolism of the sanctuary) and the

means through which men's consciences are purified. The purification of the

3 1Ibid., 39-42, especially 42. Cf. the discussion by Cody of the sanctuary in relation

to the Day of Atonement ritual: "The sanctuary was defiled and purified because it

was a sort ofprism through which the relations between God and His people wererefracted. When the sanctuary was cleansed, the sins of the people were objectivelyexpiated, and contact between God and the people was re-established" (op. cit., 188).

32 Previous to his study ofta epourania in Heb 8,5 and 9,23, Roslon had studied theterm epouranios in the epistle in general (J. W. Roslon, "Notio EPOURANIOS inEpistola ad Hebraeos," Roczniki Teologiczno-Kanoniczne 10/1 [1963] 21-34). Hisconclusions about the meaning of the term merit citation in full :

"Epourania concepta . . . sub triplici respectu considerar! queunt: relate ad Deumet Christum, relate ad fidles et relate ad ipsam oeconomiam salutis.

"Relate ad Deum et Christum : ta epouraniaessentialiter dicit idem ac ipsum caelum(9,24) in sensu loci ubi speciali modo manifestatur praesentia Dei 'ante faciem Dei'

(emphanisthnai t prosop tou Theou). Consideratur ut locus gloriae et actionissalvificae Christi qui in eo pontificatu fungitur (8,2). Respectu huius actionis, quaeab Auctore inspirato per modum liturgiae concipitur, vocatur 'templum verum, per-fectum (8,1; 9,11), non manufactum, non pertinens ad res creatas huius mundi (8,2)*et opponitur sanctuario V. Testamenti. Inde ascensio Christi in caelum (4,14) vocaripotest 'ingressus in sanctuarium* (10,20). Deinde, sub respectu glorificationis ipsiusChristi haec realitas epouranios dicitur 'dextera maiestatis' (1,3) vel magis praecise:'dextera throni maiestatis in excelsis* (8,1).

"Relate ad oeconomiam salutis: Tota conomia salutis a Christo institua estepouranios, praesertim si comparator cum oeconomia veterotestamentali ; in gradumaiori enim impenetrata est interius a singulari praesentia Dei. Habet fortiorem etstrictiorem nexum cum realitate divina.

"Relate ad fidles: Christi fidles sunt ad hanc realitatem vocati: accipiunt voca-


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epourania thus expresses continuity between the OT cult and the NT cult,

but a continuity which is transformed in its fulfillment by the unique intervention of Christ. Heb 9,23 is fully intelligible only in the light of Heb

9,9-10, and failure to see this connection has made the text at 9,23 a classic

conundrum.

In 10,19-20 the author again refers to the "sanctuary": "Since then,

brothers, we have free access to the sanctuary (parrsian eis tn eisodon tnhagin) through the blood of Jesus, by the new, living way which he hasopened for us, through the curtain, that is, of his flesh . . . ." Here Christ's

sacrificial act is portrayed as being that which makes possible the entrance

into the hagia. In fact, the context speaks about the Eucharist and baptism,as the present writer has pointed out recently.33 Through baptism and the

Eucharist the Christian enters into the hagia which Christ's blood hasopened for him. It is Christ's sacrificial act which is the basis for the

Christian's ability to approach God. This is the same argumentation, funda

mentally, as that of 9,9-12 and 9,23, but with the explicit reference to the

ultimate term of Christ's salvine action, men. Christ's sacrifice is the root of

all sanctification, whether of cultic realities or of men.

The final text in which ta hagia appears is 13,11. Again the text and context are obscure and have been the scene of classic exegetical tilting. Thefollowing interpretation is offered in the light of the hypothesis under con

sideration : 13,9 : "Do not be carried away by strange varieties of teaching,

for it is proper that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by the foods34

which did not profit those who so lived." 13,10: "We have a sacrifice altar

from which those who worship at the tent have no right to eat" [inasmuch

as they are by that very fact still under the Old Law]. 13,11 : "For the

animals of which the blood is brought for sin into the sanctuary [eis ta hagiaan apparently deliberate change from the wording of Lv 16,27 from which

this verse is taken ; the LXX has eis to hagion] through the agency of thehigh priest [but this blood has no power to remove sin and hence no power

to purify ta hagia definitively]their bodies (somata*5) are taken outsidethe camp and burned" [hence they could not serve as food for the worship

pers; this is the OT justification for the statement made in 13,10 that those

who worship at the tent have no right to eat at the sacrifice altar]. 13,12:

"And so Jesus, in order to purify the people through his own blood, suffered

outside the gate" [i.e., in order to make his body available as food in line

with the OT foreshadowings concerning the victims for the Day of Atone-

33 J. Swetnam, " 'The Greater and More Perfect Tent* . . .," art. cit., 102-04.


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ment ritual ; the worshippers who live under the OT cannot partake of the

bodies of sacrificed animals, whereas the worshippers who live under theNT, by implication, can; hence in 13,13 the addressees are exhorted to go

out of the "camp"]. The imagery of the passage 13,9-12 is complicated: the

Day of Atonement sacrifice ended with the blood of the sacrificed animals

within the holy of holies and the bodies outside the camp ; Christ, the sacri

ficed victim of the NT rite of expiation, ends inside the sanctuary, both body

and blood, as is clear from what has preceded in the epistle (e.g., 1,3 ; 8,1 ;

9,12.24; 10,12). Hence the only inference which seems possible is that the

"sanctuary" is "outside the camp"ta hagia, the holy things of the Christian

dispensation, are not the holy things of Judaism, even though they have beenforeshadowed by them.

There remains one more instance ofhagios used as a substantive. In Heb9,1 the phrase to hagion designates the OT tabernacle, comprising the holyplace and the holy of holies. If the hypothesis of the present paper is correct,

this is consistent with the usage elsewhere in Hebrews in that the tabernacle

is the OT foreshadowing of the NT fulfillment. For the tabernacle is com

posed of the holy of holies and the holy place, and each of these, in its own

way, is the Christ of cult.

Thus far the discussion of the ta hagia in the epistle in the light of thehypothesis suggested by the imagery of Heb 9,10. It remains to study several

texts concerning ta hagia to be found in early Christian literature. Themethodological supposition underlying this use of early Christian texts is

that there is a continuity of tradition between them and Heb.

Perhaps the most striking text is to be found in the Epistle of Ignatius of

Antioch to the Philadelphians :

Good, too, are priests, but better is the high priest who has been entrusted with

the holy of holies (ta hagia tn hagion), who alone has been entrusted with thehidden things (ta krypta) of God. He himself is the door (thyra) of the Father,through which enter Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the prophets and theapostles and the church. All these things are for union with God (pant a tauta eisenotta theou). But the gospel has something special: the presence of the savior(ten parousian ton soleros), Our Lord Jesus Christ, his suffering, his resurrection.

36

Commentators differ as to the exact meaning of the "priests" (hiereis),some holding that the reference is to the priests of the Old Law while others

maintain that it is to the Christians.37

There would seem to be no reason

36 To the Philadelphians, 9. Translation adapted from J. A. Kleist, The Epistles ofSt. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of Antioch (Ancient Christian Writers, 1;


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1966] HEBREWS 9, 9-10 167

why both cannot be correct : the author of the epistle is thinking of the NT

fulfillment of the OT foreshadowings, and the "priests" are the Christianswho fulfill the OT Levitical priesthood ;38 the "high priest" is the NT high

priest, Christ, who fulfills the OT high priesthood. The Christian high

priest, just as the high priest of old, has been entrusted with the holy of

holies.39 This privilege and responsibility is explained by the following

phrase : the high priest alone has been entrusted with the secret things of

Godthe holy of holies has something secret about it. The high priest is the

door through which enter the OT and NT figures into the Father's presence.

"All these things are for union with God." "Things" refers to the "secret

things of God" in the previous sentence but one.

40

They are the cultic realities associated with the holy of holies. All this is true of the OT and the

NT: but the distinguishing characteristic of the NT is the presence of

Christ.

Several coincidences between the passage from Ignatius and Heb have

been remarked.41 But if the thesis of the present paper is correct, they are

much more far-reaching than has heretofore been suspected : it is not just a

matter of a coincidence in regard to the terms "priests" and "high priest"

and "holy of holies." It is also coincidence in regard to the "holy of holies"

as the sacred things of the Christian cult. They are the "hidden" thingsbecause they may not be spoken about openly. The high priest himself of the

NT is the "door" or entrance into the holy of holies (cf. Heb 9,10-12;

10,19-20)42 through which men of the OT and NT definitively approach

God (Heb 11,39-40). And they attain union with God through the sacred

things of the NT (cf. Heb 9,24). These sacred things in the NT have some-

88 Cf. J. Swetnam, " 'The Greater and More Perfect Tent' . . . ," art. cit., 103.80 Lightfoot (op. cit., 275) states that this "being entrusted" refers to the unique

privilege of the high priest of being allowed to enter into to holy of holies. This statement would seem to need qualification in view of what follows in the text, where itis stated that the high priest is a door through which others enter. As high priestChrist has the privilege of entering and de facto has exercised it; but he makes itavailable to others.

40 For a different position cf. Kleist, op. cit., 138, note 23. Kleist takes panta tautaas referring to the persons in the immediately preceding sentence as well as to theprophecies implied by the word "prophets" and the "means of sanctification," etc.,implied by the word "Church."

41 Cf. Lightfoot, op. cit., 275: " . . . I think . . . that Ignatius must have had theEpistle to the Hebrews in his mind."

42 The usual references given in regard to the use of "door" are Jn 10,7.9. Cf. Kleist,op. cit., 138, note 22; Lightfoot, op. cit., 275. Cf. also J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic


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168 T H E CATHOLIC BIBLICAL QUARTERLY [Vol .28

thing special : the presence of Christ himself ; in the sacred things it is Christ

himself who is present, effecting holiness in the worshipper (cf. Heb2,10-11).

The phrase "the holy things" (ta hagia) is found more than once in early

Christian literature in the sense of the Christian mysteries. There is, for

example, the following text from the Apostolic Constitutions:

When the catechumen is to be baptized, let him learn what is involved in renounc

ing the devil and in adhering to Christ. For he must first withdraw from things

which are adverse and then become an initiate of the mysteries: after he has

cleansed his heart from all evil attitudes, from all stain and blemish, he may then

receive his allotted share of the holy things (kai tote tn hagin metalachein).43

This use of ta hagia for the Eucharistie mysteries is reflected also in the

well-known proclamation of the priest at the time of communion: "Holy

things for the holy!" (ta hagia tots hagiois).u

There is question, naturally, of how early this usage of hagia is. Apart

from the possible relevance of Heb, there is the text at Mt 7,6 where hagion

is used as a neuter substantive, the only such use outside of Heb except for

Lk 1,35 (where it refers to Christ; see the discussion above). In Mt 7,6 the

text reads :

Do not give the holy thing (to hagion) to dogs, and do not cast your pearlsbefore swine, lest they trample them under their feet and, turning, tear you apart.

This text appears in the Didache at 9,5 in the following context :

Let no one eat and drink of your Eucharist but those baptized in the name of

the Lord ; to this, too, the saying of the Lord is applicable : "Do not give to dogs

what is holy" (to hagion).*5

The allusion to the Eucharist in the Didache might, of course, be an accom

modation of the gospel text. But it is worth noting against this view that to

hagion is used in the LXX for the sacred food of the OT cult.

46

4 3 Didascalia et Constitutione s apostolorum, edited by F. X. Funk, vol. I (Paderborn,

1906) 442 and 444.4 4

See, for example, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catchses mystagogicae, 5,19 (in J.

Quasten, Monumenta eucharistica et liturgica vetustissima [Florilegium Patristicum,

7; Bonn, 1935-37] 107 and 107, note 2).4 5

Translation adapted from J. . Kleist, The Didache, the Epistle of Barnabas, theEpistles and the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp, the Fragmentsof Papias, the Epistle toDiognetus (Ancient Christian Writers, 6; Westminster, Maryland, 1948) 20. TheGreek text is taken from: Die apostolischen Vter. Neubearbeitung der Funkschen

Ausgabe von K. Bihlmeyer (2d ed.; Sammlung ausgewhlter kirchen- und dogmengeschichtlicher Quellenschriften, 2. Reihe, 1. Heft, 1. Teil ; Tbingen, 1956) 6.

4 6Cf. Kleist's comments on the Didache passage : "In liturgical language to hagion


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1966] HEBREWS 9, 9-10 169

The use of the term "sanctum" with reference to the Eucharist is found in

St. Cyprian, It occurs in the story about the unworthy communicant whotook the Eucharist (sanctum) from the hands of the priest only to find oninvestigation that what he held in his hand was not the Eucharist but

ashes.47

The references to the Eucharist under the terminology of "the holy thing"

is thus attested from primitive times, perhaps even in the Gospel of Matthew

itself. And the usage survived until the time of Cyprian. A pari, it wouldseem not impossible that the terminology "the holy things," found in Chris

tian writings of the fourth and fifth centuries, should have originated in

primitive Christianity.

Summary

The present paper has attempted to throw light on some traditional cruces

in Heb by suggesting a new interpretation of the imagery of Christ's en

trance into the heavenly sanctuary. The argumentation rests on a methodo

logical principle and an alleged fact. The methodological principle is this :

a significant number of independent factors in a given text, when converg

ing toward a unity, indicate a meaning by the author. The alleged fact is

this : there are a number of independent factors in Heb and elsewhere inprimitive and early Christian texts which converge toward a unity.

The first set of independent factors involves Heb 9,9-10. There the un

usual coincidence of epi with the dative and epikeimenos suggests that thebasic imagery is that of Jn 11,38, the only other NT text where such a

coincidence occurs. The imagery is that of one thing lying athwart another.

This independent factor was seen to correspond to another : the context of

Heb 9,9-10, which speaks about a "way" not being "manifest," and then

being "manifest" because of Christ's sacrificial entrance (Heb 9,8.28; 10,19-

20). A third independent factor was the occurrence of the word diorthsis,which in classical Greek was used for the rectification of a way and which,

Mt 7,6is particularly interesting from the standpoint of the hypothesis presented inthe present paper. In 7 fi is the verse which is construed in a Eucharistie sense by theDidache. In 7,7-8 comes the image of seeking and of knocking at a door. In 7,9-11comes the logion about the giving of bread and fish by a father and a comparison withthe giving of the Father "in the heavens." In 7,12 is the saying about doing to othersas one wants them to do toward oneself. In 7,13-14 comes the imagery of the "gate"(Pyl) and the "way" (hodos). And in 7,15-16 is the comparison of false prophets withwolves (cf. Jn 10).

47 De lapsis, 26 (ed. J.P. Migne, PL 4,501). Cf. also col. 500 for another use ofsanctum in the sense of the Eucharist. Also note 9 in col. 501. A possible use of tohagion in the sense of the Eucharist is also found in Dionysius of Alexandria Cf C L


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in its verbal form, is so used in Jer (7,3.5). The convergence of these fac

tors pointed to a unified interpretation : the author's meaning was that the"gifts and sacrifices" of the OT were obstructing in some way, "lying

athwart" "foods and drinks and different cleansings."

The suggestion was then made in connection with this interpretation that

the "foods and drinks and cleansings" were the OT foreshadowings of the

NT Eucharistie elements and baptism. This suggestion would solve the diffi

culty of the juxtaposition of these elements in the text of Hebrews when

there seems to be no reason for their juxtaposition from the standpoint of

the OT Day of Atonement : they are juxtaposed because their NT fulfill

ments are somehow parallel and because their NT fulfillments are somehowconnected with the NT rite of expiation. In further support of this sugges

tion it was pointed out that the three words involved all occur in contexts

in the NT which lend themselves to a cultic meaning associated with the

sacraments: "foods" (bromata) and "cleansings" (baptismoi) in Heb (13,9and 6,2), "drinks" (pomata) in 1 Cor 10,4. All these different facts, whenexamined under the light of the suggestion, took on the aspect of indepen

dent convergences, and thus contributed to the proposed interpretation of

Heb 9,9-10.

But a key aspect of the suggestion remained to be investigated : the terminus of Christ's sacrificial entrance. In Heb this terminus is expressed prin

cipally by the words ta hagia, for which the traditional translation is "thesanctuary" in the sense of the holy of holies. Because of the exigencies of

the proposed imagery of 9,9-10, the occurrences of ta hagia in Heb wereexamined to see if the phrase would support an additional meaning of "the

holy things," i.e., cultic realities of the OT/ NT dispensation (the OT re

alities being viewed retrospectively from the vantage point of the NT). Such

an interpretation was found to be particularly felicitous in Heb 9,23, where

it helps explain the classic difficulty involving the purification of "heavenlythings." An interpretation of Heb 13,9 was offered, though the result was,

at best suggestive rather than suasive.

Because of the key importance of ta hagia the phrase was examined inprimitive and early Christian literature. The text of Ignatius of Antioch's

Letter to the Philadelphians at paragraph 9 was presented as a possiblecorroboration of the theory that ta hagia has a peculiar cultic meaning associated with Christ's priesthood and sacrifice. A number of details of the text

were adduced as supporting the view that ta hagia was associated with the

Christian cultic mysteries. The use of ta hagia in this sense in early Christianliturgical texts was cited in confirmation. The use of the singular, to hagion,i th f th E h i t ff d b i l t i Mt 7 6


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1966] HEBREWS 9, 9-10 171

The suggested interpretation of Heb 9,11 which sees in the "greater and

more perfect tent" the Eucharist body of Christ was presented as additionalconfirmation of the hypothesis of the present paper, particularly in the con

text of the use of ta hagia at Heb 8,2 and 10,19. This use of the hypothesisconcerning the " tent" is to be understood not in the sense that one hypothesis

is being offered to prove another, but in the sense that the two hypotheses,

based on arguments which are mutually independent, are mutually supported

by their de jacto convergence.The general reluctance of early Christians to speak openly about their

cultthe "Discipline of the Secret"is a background for both hypotheses.

Conclusions

Perhaps the salient impression from a first encounter with the hypothesis

presented in the present paper is that of a theory too precious to be true.

But two things are worth bearing in mind: 1) the author was possibly

limited in what he felt he could disclose about the "mysteries" of Chris

tianity;48 2) the author was limited in the linguistic resources at his dis

posal for trying to convey the theological import of Christ's redemptive

action. The careful reader must agree with Michel that the author of Heb

is not telling all he knows about the "heavenly things" : he is alluding asmuch as he is explaining.49 The explanation presupposes an acquaintance

by the addressees with the Christian cult as well as with the OT, and the

explanation of the former is governed tightly by the latter : Christ's redemp

tive act is interpreted in terms of the inauguration of the Sinai covenant

and especially in terms of the Day of Atonement ceremonies.50 Once the

limitations within which the author was working are recognized, the seem

ing overrefinement of a cultic interpretation for ta hagia assumes a newperspective.

What is the author of Heb saying? If the hypothesis advanced above andin the present writer's paper on Heb 9,11-12 is correct, he is saying that

the saving effects of Christ's death are mediated to man through cultic

realities. The immediate source of the purifying power of the cultic realities

is Christ's unique sacrifice on the cross, depicted according to the OT fore

shadowing as the first tent of the desert tabernacle "through which" the high

priest must pass to enter into the second tent. Christ's entrance is repeatedly

stressed as being unique ; this serves to underline the author's view that the

Eucharist as sacrifice is unique.61

This is not to say that the author of Heb

4 8 Cf. J. Swctnam, " 'The Greater and More Perfect Tent' . . . ," art. cit., 96 note 3.* Cf. above, note 29.


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denies that Christ really died on a physical cross ; rather, the author of Heb

understands the significance of the physical death in terms of cultic realities :his theology of the cross is Eucharistie. And from the way he presents his

views it is tempting to infer that for him the theology of the cross is Eucharistie. Christ "enters into" the second tent or Holy of Holies (ta hagia) notonly in the sense that Christ enters the Christian heaven (i.e., the presence

of God) at death, but also in the sense that Christ "enters into" the cultic

realities of the Christian dispensation. The author of Heb is thinking par

ticularly (again, if the present hypothesis regarding Heb 9,10 is correct)

of the Eucharistie elements of food and drink and the baptismal element

involved in cleansing. For the Christian, Christ is really present in the culticelements. When did he "enter" them ? According to the author of Heb, at

the time of his death, a death which is connected with the Eucharist as

sacrifice. This sacrificial death is unique ; no such attribute is predicated of

the terminus of Christ's entrance (ta hagia) because the terminus is multipleas food and drink and washing are multiple. All these cultic realities, per

vaded as they are by Christ's presence, are pure, and in turn are able to

purify, each in its own way, the conscience of the Christian.

There is, to be sure, a problem in the distinction between the Eucharist

as sacrifice (the first "tent" through which Christ enters) and the Eucharistas food and drink (the second "tent" or "holy of holies" into which Christ

enters). But this distinction seems to have been present from the very

beginning of the Christian experience, the Eucharist being viewed as con

nected with Christ's death on the cross as well as being viewed as a joyful

meal.52

What the precise connection between these two aspects is deserves

a study in itself. But an hypothesis which posits the distinction does not

introduce a new element into NT exegesis.53

Such, in summary, would seem to be an outline of the author's theology

of Christ's high priestly act of redemption as it affects the Christian cult.This outline depends on an hypothesis, an hypothesis which has been

sketched in its barest essentials in the first part of this paper. At each point

the hypothesis is in need of further study and confirmation. Further, there

are other questions which it raises which have not been examined. For

example, supposing the hypothesis to be true, what does it imply about the

"entrance" of the addressees of the epistle into the holy of holies? Such

an entrance seems envisioned in 10,19-20 and 9,6-8. Granted that the Chris

tian high priest has "entered into" the hagia. What does it mean for his

62Cf. R. E. Brown, "The Unity and Diversity in New Testament Ecclesiology," NT

6 (1963) 304 05


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1966] HEBREWS 9, 9-10 173

followers to "enter" ? Or again, if the text of Ignatius is really relevant to

Heb, why is Christ called thyra and not hodos?These are difficulties, and serious difficulties at that. And any fuller treatment of the problem must take them and others like them into consideration.

But if the hypothesis has difficulties it also has merits. Above all, it makes

possible a head-on approach to some traditional problems in the interpre

tation of the epistle. Perhaps the chief of these problems is the question of

the maddeningly inconclusive studies on the sacramental allusions in the

epistle. If progress is to be made in the exegesis of the epistle, these are the

problems which must be faced. They have been faced here. Faced, perhaps,

with an imperfect hypothesis. But faced. In matters as important as theinterpretation of problem texts in Sacred Scripture, even an imperfect

hypothesis is better than no hypothesis at all.

JAMES SWETNAM, S.J.

Pontifical Biblical InstituteRome


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Imagery and Significance of Heb 9.9-10

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