hJmi'n cwri;" aJmartiva" . Comp. Heb. 9:28.
We may represent the truth to ourselves best by saying that Christ assumed humanity under the conditions of life belonging to man fallen, though not with sinful promptings from within. Comp. Heb. 2:18 note.
Comp. Greg. Nyss. c. Eunom. ii. p. 545 Migne: oujde;n ajfh'ke th'" fuvsew" hJmw'n o} oujk ajnevlaben oJ kata; pavnta pepeiramevno" kaqj oJmoiovthta cwri;" aJmartiva" . hJ de; yuch; aJmartiva oujk ejsti;n ajlla; dektikh; aJmartiva" ejx ajbouliva" ejgevneto ... c. Apoll. xi. id. p. 1144 w{sper ga;r ta; tou' coi>kou' ijdiwvmata toi'" ejx ejkeivnou ejnqewrei'tai, ou{tw" ejpavnagke", kata; th;n tou' ajpostovlou ajpovfasin, to;n kata; pavnta pepeiramevnon tou' hJmetevrou bivou kaqj oJmoiovthta cwri;" aJmartiva" . oJ de; nou'" aJmartiva oujk ejstiv, pro;" pa'san hJmw'n oijkeivw" e[cein th;n fuvsin . c. Eunom. vi. id. p. 721.
Atto, pursuing the thought of Primasius, says well: Venit per viam humanae conditionis per omnia sine peccato, nihil secum afferens unde morti debitor esset, sicut ipse in Evangelio testatur (St John 14:30).
The Greek Fathers generally interpret the words
cwri;" aJmartiva"
in relation to the facts of Christ's life:
ejntau'qa kai; a[llo ti aijnivttetai, o{ti dunato;n cwri;" aJmartiva" kai; ejn qlivyesin o[nta dienegkei'n
.
w{ste kai; o{tan levgh/ ejn oJmoiwvmati sarko;" ouj tou'tov fhsin o{ti oJmoivwma sarko;" ajllj o{ti savrka ajnevlabe
.
dia; tiv ou\n ei\pen ejn oJmoiwvmati
;
peri; aJmartwlou' sarko;" e[legen
:
oJmoiva ga;r h\n th'/ sarki; th'/ hJmetevra/
:
th'/ me;n ga;r fuvsei hJ aujth; h\n hJmi'n, th'/ de; aJmartiva/ oujkevti hJ aujthv
(Chrys.).
wJ" a[nqrwpo" pei'ran tw'n hJmetevrwn e[labe paqhmavtwn movnh" th'" aJmartiva" diameivna" ajmuvhto"
(Theod.).
ou[te ga;r aJplw'" aJmartivan eijrgavsato, ou[te o{te tau'ta e[pascen aJmarthtikovn ti h] ei\pen h] e[drasen
.
w{ste duvnasqe kai; uJmei'" ejn tai'" qlivyesin cwri;" aJmartiva" diagenevsqai
(Theophlct.).
pepeirasmevnon
] For the perfect, see Heb. 2:18; 12:3 notes.
kata; pavnta
]
in all things
, as in nature so in life. Comp. 2:17.
kaqj oJmoi.
] Heb. 7:15. Comp. Gen. 1:11 f. The words may mean according to the likeness of our temptations,
i.e.
like as we are tempted
(
secundum similitudinem
O. L.); or in virtue of His likeness to us,
i.e.
oJmoiwqei;" hJmi'n
(Heb. 2:17;
pro similitudine
Vulg.).
Primasius (compare Chrysostom quoted above) interprets the words as if they were kaqj oJmoiovthta sarko;" [ aJmartiva" ] (Rom. 8:3): Pro similitudine carnis peccati absque peccato ... In hoc enim quia homo factus est, veram carnem habuit: in hoc vero quia carnem peccati non habuit sed absque peccato, similitudinem nostrae carnis habuit, quae est caro peccati, nam peccatum non habuit... Illius caro non fuit peccati sed munditiae et castitatis atque innocentiae; quapropter non est tentatus in carne peccati ut peccatum faceret sed in similitudine carnis peccati ut absque peccato maneret; and again on Heb. 4:2; tentari potuit per omnia similitudine carnis peccati absque peccato.
16. prosercwvmeqa ou\n ...] The vision of the High-priest Who is not Priest only but King, Who is not only Son of God but Son of man, suggests the conclusion that believers, clinging to their confession, can and must use the infinite privileges which their Lord has gained for them. The minds of writer and readers are full of the imagery of the Levitical system, and of the ceremonial of the High-priestly atonement; and the form of the exhortation