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explanation of the fulfilment of the Messianic promises in Jesus of Nazareth.’ JH ajrch; tou' Cristou' corresponds with hJ ajrch; tw'n logivwn tou' qeou' (Heb. 5:12): the former phrase concentrates attention upon the personal Messiah, the latter on the records in which He was foreshewn. Sermonem inchoationis Christi vocat initium fidei, instructionem videlicet de nativitate Christi humana, de passione, de resurrectione, atque ascensione ejus et gratia baptismatis (Primas.).
ejpi; th;n teleiovthta ferwvmeqa ] let us be borne on to perfection. Vulg. ad perfectionem feramur. The form of this positive charge is remarkable. The thought is not primarily of personal effort, ‘let us go on,’ ‘let us press’ (Old Lat. tendamus; Aug. respiciamus ), but of personal surrender to an active influence. The power is working (comp. Heb. 1:3 fevrwn ta; pavnta ): we have only to yield ourselves to it (comp. Acts 27:15, 17). At the same time the influence and the surrender are continuous ( ferwvmeqa ), and not (under this aspect) concentrated in one momentary crisis. The goal of this forward movement is ‘perfection,’ that is for the readers the full maturity of spiritual growth, opposed to nhpiovth" (Heb. 5:13); and for the writer the teaching which corresponds with maturity. Philo ( De agric. § 37; 1.324) distinguishes three classes ajrcovmenoi, prokovptonte", teteleiwmevnoi . Compare John 3:12 f. Additional Note on Heb. 2:10.

The patristic interpreters understand teleiovth" of practical life. So Chrysostom: pro;" aujth;n cwrw'men loipovn, fhsiv, th;n ojrofhvn, toutevsti, bivon a[riston e[cwmen .
mh; pavlin qemevlion kataballovmenoi ] The emphasis lies upon the noun. The tense of the participle marks the effort. Jos. Antt. 8.5, 1 oijkodomivan katebavleto .

The writer does not (of course) mean to say that his readers must build higher without having secured their foundation. He assumes that the recognition of the paramount duty of progress will constrain them to do this at once in order that they may duly advance.

The sense given by the Old Latin fundamentum diruentes (d) (not Augustine) is contrary to the usage of the middle.

For pavlin see Heb. 6:6; and for qemevlion Heb. 11:10 note. qemevlion ... metanoiva" ...] The different elements in the ‘foundation’ appear to be distinguished in three groups, Repentance and Faith, Baptism and Laying on of hands, Resurrection and Judgment. Of these the first two are the fundamental characteristics of the Christian's temper, while the two pairs which follow give typical representatives of outward ordinances, and specific beliefs. Under another aspect the three groups deal with our personal character, our social relations, our connexion with the unseen world. The three pairs are not however strictly coordinate: met. ... kai;p. ..., bapt. ... ejpiq. te
c., ajnast. n. kai; kr. aij.
The centre pair are regarded as forming one great subject of teaching in two parts. For the use of te compare 9:1 note.

The history of the Acts shews how intimately each of these six articles was involved in the first teaching of the Apostles: 2:38; 4:2, 33; 8:16 f. For qemevl. katab. compare Philo, de Gig. § 7 (1.266 M.) qemevlio" ... uJpobevblhtai ...
qem. metanoiva" ... kai; pivstew" ...] The genitive in each case describes an element of the foundation: a foundation consisting in repentance...and faith...


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