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the attendant Seraphim (Is. 6:1 ff.; John 12:41; 4:2 ff.).

The superiority of Messiah to the angels is recognised in Rabbinic writings.

Jalkut Sim. 2, fol 53, 3 on Is. 52:13, Behold my servant shall (deal wisely) prosper. This is King Messiah. He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high. He shall be exalted beyond Abraham, and extolled beyond

Moses, and raised high above the ministering angels ( trvh ykalm ).

Jalkut Chadash f. 144, 2. Messiah is greater than the fathers, and than Moses, and than the ministering angels (Schoettgen, i. p. 905).

4 having become so much better than the angels as He hath inherited a more excellent name than they.

Heb. 1:4. The thought of the exaltation of the Incarnate Son fixes attention on His Manhood. Under this aspect He was shewn to have become superior to angels in His historic work. And the glory of ‘the name’ which He has ‘inherited’ is the measure of His excellence. Comp. Eph. 1:20 f. tosouvtw/ ... o{sw/ ] Heb. 10:25; 7:20 ff. Comp. 8:6. The combination is found in Philo ( de mund. opif. § 50 (1:33 M.); Leg. ad Cai. § 36) but not in St Paul.


kreivttwn ] The word is characteristic of the epistle (13 times). Elsewhere it is found only in the neuter ( krei'tton 4 times; 1 Cor. 12:31 is a false reading). The idea is that of superiority in dignity or worth or advantage, the fundamental idea being power and not goodness ( ajmeivnwn and a[risto" are not found in the N. T.).
genovmeno" ] The word stands in significant connexion with w[n (Heb. 1:3). The essential Nature of the Son is contrasted with the consequences of the Incarnation in regard to His divinehuman Person (comp. Heb. 5:9). His assumption of humanity, which for a time ‘made Him lower than angels,’ issued in His royal exaltation. Comp. Matt. 26:64; Luke 22:69 ( oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou ).

The Greek fathers lay stress upon kreivttwn as marking a difference in kind and not in degree. Athan. c. Ar. i. § 59 to; a[ra kreivttwn kai; nu'n kai; dij o{lwn tw'/ Kurivw/ ajnativqhsi, tw'/ kreivttoni kai; a[llw/ para; ta; genhta; tugcavnonti . Kreivttwn ga;r hJ dij aujtou' qusiva, kreivttwn hJ ejn aujtw'/ ejlpiv", kai; aiJ dij aujtou' ejpaggelivai, oujc wJ" pro;" mikra; megavlai sugkrinovmenai ajllj wJ" a[llai pro;" a[lla th;n fuvsin tugcavnousai : ejpei; kai; oJ pavnta oijkonomhvsa" kreivttwn tw'n genhtw'n ejstiv .

They also rightly point out that genovmeno" is used of the Lord's Human Nature and not of His divine Personality: tou'to kata; to; ajnqrwvpeion ei[rhken, wJ" ga;r qeo;" poihth;" ajggevlwn kai; despovth" ajggevlwn, wJ" de; a[nqrwpo" meta; th;n ajnavstasin kai; th;n eij" oujranou;" ajnavbasin kreivttwn ajggevlwn ejgevneto .

For kreivttwn, diaforwvtero" , see Heb. 8:6 note. tw'n ajggevlwn ] The class as a definite whole (Heb. 1:5, 7, 13), and not beings of such a nature (2:2, 5, 7, 9, 16).
diaf. parj aujtouv" ... o[noma ] The ‘name’ of angels is ‘excellent’

( diavforon , different, distinguished, for good from others; comp. Matt. 12:12 diafevrei ), but that inherited by the Son is ‘more excellent’ (Vulg. differentius proe illis. O.L. procellentius (excellentius) his ( ab his )). For the use of parav see Heb. 3:3, 9:23, 11:4, 12:24.

By the ‘name’ we are to understand probably not the name of ‘Son’


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