Antonio de Escobar y Mendoza: Commentary on Hebrews 9
The Old Testament Could Not Justify
Heb 11:1–5
The first or Old Testament indeed had its justifications of culture or rites by which God was worshipped and man was justified, at least externally. It had a Sanctuary and Temple, but secular or worldly (Greek: kosmikon), that is, earthly, caducous, and shadowy. But in the Church of Christ, all things are true, spiritual, heavenly, and eternal.
For the first tabernacle was made (that is, the interior part of the Tabernacle which was called the Holy Place), in which were the Candlesticks (or the seven lamps of the seven-branched candlestick) and the golden table (or the altar of incense) and the proposition of loaves (or the loaves of proposition before the Lord). This first part of the Tabernacle is called the Holy Place.
After the second veil was the other or interior part of the Tabernacle. For the first veil was hung at the doors of the Holy of Holies (or the most holy part of the Tabernacle), where was the golden censer which served for the incense which the High Priest raised once a year entering the Holy of Holies, and the Ark of the Testament covered on every side with gold. In which (or near which) was the golden urn having the manna and the rod of Aaron that had budded, and the tables of the Testament. Therefore, with the Ark (or near the Ark) was the urn with the manna and Aaron's rod, and precisely in the Ark itself were only the Mosaic tables, as I have received from authors of the first note.
Why is the urn of manna not excluded from the Ark? Because the Eucharist, the type of the Manna, does not need the society of the tables of the law to draw the faithful to the observance of the law. For the worthy reception of the Eucharist allures man to satisfy the law to the letter most easily. Therefore, the frequent reception of the Eucharist appears to be joined to the rod of Aaron which flowered, as a symbol of priestly chastity, in the custody of which the urn is preserved. Truly, this is to indicate that the frequent reception of the Eucharist helps exceedingly in the custody of purity.
And above it were the Cherubim of glory overshadowing the Propitiatory. The glorious, august, splendid Cherubim overshadowed with their wings the Propitiatory (or the golden table which hung over the Ark and covered it as if from afar), concerning which it is not necessary to speak now individually; this is reserved for the mystics.
Heb 11:6–10
"Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people."
Thus these things being arranged, into the first tabernacle (or its anterior part) the priests always entered, accomplishing the offices of sacrifices. But into the second, into the interior part of the Tabernacle, the High Priest alone entered once a year, not without blood poured forth: of a calf for his own sins, and of a goat for the ignorance or sins of the people. For sins are practically sins of ignorance. Whence Wisdom 5:7: "Every sinner is ignorant"; indeed I would say utterly foolish, since for a vile and instantaneous pleasure or convenience he wishes to exchange God and eternal glory with interminable punishment.
The Holy Spirit signified this: that the way to the saints (into heaven, which is the true Holy of Holies) was not yet made manifest during the time of the Mosaic Law, because the expiation of sins through the blood of Christ had not yet been effected. "Which was a figure for the time then present." For that was a figure, type, and representation of the time then instant or then present. It signified namely that just as the priests could not enter the Holy of Holies, so neither the gifts nor the hosts which are offered to God by the priests could make the servant or offerer perfect, nor justify him according to conscience (i.e., according to the soul). For those things served only to procure justice of the flesh, or external justification in the forum of the external court, not in the forum of heaven. They were imposed indeed upon that people until the time of correction, or until the advent of Christ, who ought to correct those external and carnal rites and introduce the internal and spiritual worship of God and the New Covenant.
Heb 11:11–15
"But Christ being come an High Priest of the good things to come... entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us."
Truly Christ, assisting us (Greek: paragenomenos, after He came into this world), having become High Priest of men to procure for them future goods (namely justice, grace, and glory), entered not through the narrow Mosaic Holy Place, but through a greater, larger, more perfect Tabernacle—namely the Church here gathered by Him on earth, which is not of this creation or the work of human artifice as was the Tabernacle of Moses, but of God. Through this, I say, His militant Church, He entered into the Holy of Holies (or into the Church Triumphant), not yearly as the Aaronic priests, but once for always. Eternal redemption was found (or acquired with great study and labor, and not by the pouring out of calves or goats, but of His entire blood), acquired for us all, an eternal redemption (or one lasting forever).
"For if the blood of bulls and of goats... sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ... purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
If indeed the blood of goats and bulls and the ash of a heifer sprinkled sanctifies the unclean for the external cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the Holy Spirit (or with the Holy Spirit inciting Him to this) offered Himself immaculate to God, cleanse our conscience (or soul) from dead works (or sins) to serve the living God. He said "living" because He had said "from dead works," implying that dead works cannot please the living God, but rather fight against Him.
"And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament..."
And therefore He is the Mediator of the New Testament, or because His blood cleanses our conscience from dead works, which the sacrifices of the law could not perform, therefore He was made Mediator of the New Testament, in which justice and eternal goods are promised. I would call him the Mediator of the testament who effects that others obtain what is promised to them in the testament. Did the Lord not perform this? Hear: "That by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."
From the Greek thus: So that previously, the Testator Christ having died, by the virtue of His passion, even the sins of those who were under and had been under the Old Testament might be redeemed, provided they were of the number of the elect to the eternal inheritance. Certainly neither Abraham, nor Isaac, nor Jacob, nor David, nor the rest of the saints pertaining to the Old Testament obtained salvation without the blood of Christ, which was to be poured out as a laver of crimes and the price of redemption.
Heb 11:16–22
"For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator."
He shows the necessity of the death of Christ, which therefore ought not to be a disgrace to the faithful, but a glory. The inheritance of eternal life was promised to men by Testament; but it is necessary, when goods are bequeathed to someone in a testament, that the testator die first before the inheritance is entered upon. For a testament is confirmed over the dead; otherwise it is not yet valid, it has no strength of law, it grants nothing to the heir.
"Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood."
For the pact which God made through Moses with the people was a testament; for there was a promise of the inheritance of the land of Canaan to be given. But because God is immortal, lest death be lacking necessary for confirming the testament, victims were slain with whose blood the people was sprinkled. This pact and testament was a type of the pact and testament of the New, which was sanctified by the intervening death of Christ the Lord.
"For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people..."
For every commandment of the Law having been read by Moses to the whole people, taking the blood of calves and goats with water and scarlet wool and hyssop... These things are not found in Exodus chapter 24:7 where the history is narrated, but the Apostle supplied them partly from the revelation of the Holy Spirit, partly from the received practice of lustrations. For it is clear from Exodus 12:22 that water was accustomed to be mixed in sacred sprinklings; the same is constant regarding the scarlet or scarlet wool and hyssop from Numbers 19:6 and 18. He sprinkled the book itself and the people, saying: "This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you."
"Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry."
Moses omitted this also; but Paul supplies it and teaches that it was so done. Josephus, Antiq. lib. 3, c. 3. The vessels of ministry are called those by which ministry was rendered to God in victims and oblations. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood." He said almost, because some things were washed with water of sprinkling, for example, that into which the ashes of the red heifer had been cast, and thus certain other things. "And without shedding of blood is no remission." For Moses had commanded (Lev. 4) that if anyone had sinned, he should offer a victim for the crime; through this victim slain, remission was made—not of the guilt and reatus before God (guilt indeed was taken away by contrition joined with faith and hope of Christ to come), but a certain legal remission removing legal guilt and uncleanness.
Heb 11:23–28
"It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."
Therefore it is necessary that the patterns indeed of heavenly things (namely the Mosaic Tabernacle, the book or testament, the vessels, the Jews themselves) be cleansed with these. For all those things were patterns or types of Christ, the Church, and the heavenly sacraments. But the heavenly things themselves (it was necessary that the heavenly Church itself be cleansed with better hosts, or with the blood of Christ). He says in the plural "better sacrifices" because this host in the Eucharistic mystery is offered daily by innumerable priests.
"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us."
He understands the Holy of Holies into which the Supreme Pontiff entered once a year, and which were patterns or types of the Church Triumphant. But Christ entered into heaven itself, so that He may now appear before the face of God for us. He entered into the Holy of Holies (or into the celestial homeland), but dwelling there He did not lay aside the care of us; for He never ceases to act the cause of men before the Father. Whence the Ascension of Christ is very useful to men. Here He feeds and strengthens us with Eucharistic food; there He intercedes for us that we may enter the same way to the superiors.
"Nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others."
It is not necessary for Christ, having entered heaven, to suffer again, just as the Mosaic Pontiffs repeated sacrifices with slain goats and calves that they might appease God with alien blood. Because the redemption is unique and eternal by which the Savior liberated us. Otherwise it behoved Him to suffer often from the beginning of the world. For if His redemption were not eternal but only profited those who then lived, it would be necessary to suffer again for those who lived in the following age, and so concerning others; the salvation of men would not be sufficiently consulted, because those who lived before His incarnation could not be saved without His blood. Therefore it behoved Him to die in each generation from the beginning of the world for the men of that time.
"But now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
Christ suffered once at the consummation or end of the ages, that is, in the last age. For the first was the age of the Law of Nature, the second of the Mosaic Law, the third and last of the Law of Christ. After the destruction (or rejection, profligation) of sin, having offered Himself as a host by which He redeemed them, He appeared to the Father, entering into the heavenly Holy of Holies.
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
Just as on account of the sin of the first man God decreed that individual men die and afterwards be stationed at judgment that they may receive worthy things according to their acts, so Christ, who had undertaken our sins, willed to die that He might liberate us from death. Afterwards He will come to judgment, not that He Himself be judged, but that He judge all, and that He snatch all who expect His advent from all evils and endow them with eternal life.
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