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Covenant-Victim. In this aspect He attested the inviolable force of the Covenant which He established. Not in a figure only, but in reality, He shewed how the Covenant was valid and must be valid. He made the new relation of man to God possible and sure. His Death was an atonement for sin, and it was a perfect ratification of the Covenant which He made ‘in His blood,’ in His life offered and communicated. In Him humanity fulfilled its part. For here we are considering not a Covenant between man and man, but between man and God. And that man may enter into such a relation he must yield up life, that he may receive it again. This Christ has done once for all for men, and in Him, in virtue of His Life, all men can draw nigh to God.

Hence the ceremonies connected with the inauguration of the Old Covenant become fully intelligible. In that case also the life offered was imparted to the people in a symbol. The blood of the victims whose death marked the ratification of the Covenant was sprinkled on the people and on the sanctuary.

It can cause no surprise that the patristic interpretations rest on the sense of ‘will.’

It was natural that the Greek Commentators (from Chrysostom downwards) should take the familiar sense of diaqhvkh , and Latin Commentators found it given (apparently) by the text which they used. Yet there are traces of the other idea being still remembered, as in an interesting note of Isidore of Pelusium: th;n sunqhvkhn, toutevsti th;n ejpaggelivan, diaqhvkhn hJ qeiva kalei' grafhv, dia; to; bevbaion kai; ajparavbaton : sunqh'kai me;n ga;r pollavki" ajnatrevpontai, diaqh'kai de; novmimoi oujdamw'" ( Epp. 2.196).

iii. The Old Sacrifices and the New: the abiding efficacy of Christ's One Sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-18)

In the preceding section the writer of the Epistle has pointed out the completeness of the one single High-priestly work of Christ in comparison with the crowning service of the Old Covenant on the Day of Atonement. He once for all was offered (Heb. 9:28); and in due time, coming forth from the Divine Presence, He will proclaim the consummation of His work. Thus He stands in sharp contrast to the Levitical High-priests. Their work was repeated because it was essentially imperfect. In other words, that which seemed to give it special attractiveness and power, as appealing sensibly to the worshipper year by year by a visible and impressive service, was a sign of its inefficacy and transitoriness to those who looked deeper. Because the Law witnessed to something which it did not include or convey, its message was given again and again. This thought is now extended from the general representative sacrifice to the Levitical sacrifices generally. The Apostle points out (1) the inherent weakness and the provisional office of these sacrifices (10:1-4); and, in contrast with these, (2) the true nature of the Sacrifice of Christ (10:5-10). He then shews (3) the perpetual efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice from His present position of Kingly Majesty (10:11-14); and
(4) the consequent fulfilment in Him of the prophetic description of the New Covenant (10:15-18).

(1) 10:1-4. The essential inadequacy of the Legal sacrifices to remove sin.

The sacrifices of the Mosaic system could not bring teleivwsi" , for just


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