Hebrews 1:1

THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

-Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the Byzantine historians, and other eastern writers, 5571.

-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, 5565.

-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5555.

-Year of the world, according to Archbishop Usher, 4067.

-Year of the world, according to Eusebius, in his Chronicon, 4291.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, or that in common use, 3823.

-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4422

-Year from the Flood, according to Archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2411.

-Year of the Cali yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3165.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games, 1003.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, 810.

-Year of the CCXth Olympiad, 3.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 810.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Frontinus, 814.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to the Fasti Capitolini, 815.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that most generally used, 816.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, 375.

-Year of the Caesarean era of Antioch, 111.

-Year of the Julian era, 108.

-Year of the Spanish era, 101.

-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ according to Archbishop Usher, 67.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 63.

-Year of Albinus, governor of the Jews, 2.

-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 14.

-Year of Domitius Corbulo, governor of Syria, 4.

-Year of Matthias, high priest of the Jews, 1.

-Year of the Dionysian period, or Easter Cycle, 64.

-Year of the Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, or Common Golden Number, 7; or the second after the second embolismic.

-Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen years, 4, or the first after the first embolismic.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 16.

-Dominical Letter, it being the third after the Bissextile, or Leap Year, B.

-Day of the Jewish Passover, according to the Roman computation of time, the IIId of the calends of April, or, in our common mode of reckoning, the thirtieth of March, which happened in this year on the fourth day after the Jewish Sabbath.

-Easter Sunday, the IIId of the nones of April, named by the Jews the 19th of Nisan or Abib; and by Europeans in general, the 3d of April.

-Epact, or age of the moon on the 22d of March, (the day of the earliest Easter Sunday possible,) 6.

-Epact, according to the present mode of computation, or the moon's age on New Year's day, or the Calends of January, 13.

-Monthly Epacts, or age of the moon on the Calends of each month respectively, (beginning with January,) 13,15,14,15,16,17,18, 19,20,20,22,22.

-Number of Direction, or the number of days from the twenty- first of March to the Jewish Passover, 9.

-Year of the reign of Caius Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar, the fifth Roman monarch, computing from Octavianus, or Augustus Caesar, properly the first Roman emperor, 10.

-Roman Consuls, C. Memmius Regulus and L. Verginius Rufus.

CHAPTER I.

Different discoveries made of the Divine will to the ancient

Israelites by the prophets, 1.

The discovery now perfected by the revelation of Jesus Christ,

of whose excellences and glories a large description is given,

2-13.

Angels are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, 14.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse Hebrews 1:1. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners] We can scarcely conceive any thing more dignified than the opening of this epistle; the sentiments are exceedingly elevated, and the language, harmony itself! The infinite God is at once produced to view, not in any of those attributes which are essential to the Divine nature, but in the manifestations of his love to the world, by giving a revelation of his will relative to the salvation of mankind, and thus preparing the way, through a long train of years, for the introduction of that most glorious Being, his own Son. This Son, in the fulness of time, was manifested in the flesh that he might complete all vision and prophecy, supply all that was wanting to perfect the great scheme of revelation for the instruction of the world, and then die to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The description which he gives of this glorious personage is elevated beyond all comparison. Even in his humiliation, his suffering of death excepted, he is infinitely exalted above all the angelic host, is the object of their unceasing adoration, is permanent on his eternal throne at the right hand of the Father, and from him they all receive their commands to minister to those whom he has redeemed by his blood. in short, this first chapter, which may be considered the introduction to the whole epistle is, for importance of subject, dignity of expression, harmony and energy of language, compression and yet distinctness of ideas, equal, if not superior, to any other part of the New Testament.

Sundry times] πολυμερως, from πολυς, many, and περος, a part; giving portions of revelation at different times.

Divers manners] πολυτροπως, from πολυς, many, and τροπος, a manner, turn, or form of speech; hence trope, a figure in rhetoric. Lambert Bos supposes these words to refer to that part of music which is denominated harmony, viz. that general consent or union of musical sounds which is made up of different parts; and, understood in this way, it may signify the agreement or harmony of all the Old Testament writers, who with one consent gave testimony to Jesus Christ, and the work of redemption by him. To him gave all the prophets witness, that, through his name, whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins; Acts 10:43.

But it is better to consider, with Kypke, that the words are rather intended to point out the imperfect state of Divine revelation under the Old Testament; it was not complete, nor can it without the New be considered a sufficiently ample discovery of the Divine will. Under the Old Testament, revelations were made πολυμερως και πολυτροπως, at various times, by various persons, in various laws and forms of teaching, with various degrees of clearness, under various shadows, types, and figures, and with various modes of revelation, such as by angels, visions, dreams, mental impressions, c. See Numbers 12:6; Numbers 12:8. But under the New Testament all is done απλως, simply, by one person, i.e. JESUS, who has fulfilled the prophets, and completed prophecy who is the way, the truth, and the life; and the founder, mediator, and governor of his own kingdom.

One great object of the apostle is, to put the simplicity of the Christian system in opposition to the complex nature of the Mosaic economy; and also to show that what the law could not do because it was weak through the flesh, Jesus has accomplished by the merit of his death, and the energy of his Spirit.

Maximus Tyrius, Diss. 1, page 7, has a passage where the very words employed by the apostle are found, and evidently used nearly in the same sense: Τῃ του ανθρωπου ψυχῃ δυο οργανων οντων προς συνεσιν, του μεν ἁπλου, ὁν καλουμεν νουν, του δε ποικιλου και πολυμερους και πολυτροπου, ἁς αισθησεις καλουμεν. "The soul of man has two organs of intelligence: one simple, which we call mind; the other diversified, and acting in various modes and various ways, which we term sense."

A similar form of expression the same writer employs in Diss. 15, page 171: "The city which is governed by the mob, πολυφωνον τε ειναι και πολυμερη και πολυπαθη, is full of noise, and is divided by various factions and various passions."

The excellence of the Gospel above the law is here set down in three points:

1. God spake unto the faithful under the Old Testament by Moses and the prophets, worthy servants, yet servants; now the Son is much better than a servant, Hebrews 1:4.

2. Whereas the body of the Old Testament was long in compiling, being about a thousand years from Moses to Malachi; and God spake unto the fathers by piecemeal, one while raising up one prophet, another while another, now sending them one parcel of prophecy or history, then another; but when Christ came, all was brought to perfection in one age; the apostles and evangelists were alive, some of them, when every part of the New Testament was completely finished.

3. The Old Testament was delivered by God in divers manners, both in utterance and manifestation; but the delivery of the Gospel was in a more simple manner; for, although there are various penmen, yet the subject is the same, and treated with nearly the same phraseology throughout; James, Jude, and the Apocalypse excepted. See Leigh.