<- Previous   First   Next ->

His life and death.

5. The earthly altar is the Cross, from which, as including the Crucified Christ, we draw our life and the support of life. The heavenly altar is Christ Himself, on and in Whom we offer all that we are and have, and through Whom we bring all to God.

Regarded in the light of this passage the Holy Eucharist is seen under two aspects as a metochv (a participation) and a koinwniva (a fellowship). The thought of the participation has been adequately guarded, the thought of fellowship is not unfrequently lost sight of. In early writers the fellowship is justly presented as a fellowship of man with man, and as a fellowship of man with God, both realised in and through the Son of man. The first fellowship is represented by ‘the one loaf’ ( a[rto" ), by sharing which we ‘the many are one body’ (1 Cor. 10:17). For those thus united in Christ the second fellowship becomes possible, and Christians can offer themselves to God and hold converse with Him. The symbolism of ‘the loaf’ finds a striking illustration in the earliest liturgical prayer which has been preserved to us: Eujcaristou'mevn soi Pavter hJmw'n uJpe;r th'" zwh'" kai; gnwvsew" h|" ejgnwvrisa" hJmi'n dia; jIhsou' tou' paidov" sou (Isa. 53) soi; hJ dovxa eij" tou;" aijw'na" . {Wsper h\n tou'to to; klavsma dieskorpismevnon ejpavnw tw'n ojrevwn kai; sunacqe;n ejgevneto e{n, ou{tw sunacqhvtw sou hJ ejkklhsiva ajpo; tw'n peravtwn th'" gh'" eij" th;n sh;n basileivan : o{ti sou' ejstin hJ dovxa kai; hJ duvnami" dia; jIhsou' Cristou' eij" tou;" aijw'na" . The thought of the bringing of man to God in the Holy Communion is expressed by the characteristic Dionysian conception of Suvnaxi" , which in the Dionysian writings is not the gathering of Christians together, but the gathering of Christians to God: suvnaxin nohtevon ouj th;n tou' laou', kaqw;" th;n levxin tine;" shvmeron ejklambavnontai, ajlla; th;n pro;" qeo;n sunagwgh;n kai; koinwnivan (Pachym. Paraph. Hier. Eccles. c. 3). The Father Himself is the Sunagwgov" ( Hier. cael. c. 1).

In this connexion the words of the Lord gain a fresh force,

K jAG ;W jE ;AN JUYWQ 'W jEK T 'HX G 'HX P vANTAX JELK vUXW PR ;OX jEMAUT vON .

Additional Note on Hebrews 13:20. On the references in the Epistle to the Gospel History.

The direct references in the Epistle to the facts of the Gospel History are not very numerous, but it can be seen that the record, such as it has been handed down to us in the (Synoptic) Gospels, was constantly present to the mind of the writer.

The Incarnation, as it is described in the Synoptic Gospels and summarily presented by St John, is implied in 2:14 ( metevscen tw'n aujtw'n ) compared with 1:2, 5 (see p. 426); and it is definitely said that the Lord sprang ‘out of the tribe Judah’ (7:14 note). Nothing is said in detail of the Lord's life of silent preparation. On the other hand the general account of the completeness of His experience, as corresponding to that of man ‘in all things, sin apart’ (4:15), necessarily involves the recognition of His perfect growth from stage to stage, and this truth of a complete human development is made clear by the conception of His teleivwsi" (see Addit. Note on 2:10). The Epistle contains no certain reference to the Baptism, but the form in


<- Previous   First   Next ->