καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν. The opened way into the holiest is not the only advantage possessed by the Christian, he has also “a great priest,” cf. Hebrews 4:14 ἔρχοντες οὖν ἀρχιερέα μέγαν … προσερχώμεθα. Philo (Leg. ad Gai., p. 1035) calls the High Priest ὁ μἐγας ἱερεύς, and so Leviticus 21:10; Numbers 35:25. But it is not to the fact that He is High Priest that this designation here points, but to His greatness as Son of God and as one who has passed into the Holy Presence. Especially is His greatness manifested in His administration ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, over God's house (cf. Hebrews 3:6) that is, over those heavenly realities which replace the house of God on earth, and necessarily over those for whom the priest is appointed to minister τὰ πρὸς τὸν θεόν (Hebrews 5:1).

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Old Testament