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Cristou' kai; ta; ejn eijdhvsei aJmarthvmata ajfivhsi .

In connexion with the idea of ajgnovhma Chrysostom expresses a striking thought: o{ra, oujk ei\pen aJmarthmavtwn ajllj ajgnohmavtwn i{na mh; mevga fronhvswsin : eij ga;r kai; mh; eJkw;n h{marte", fhsivn, ajllj a[kwn hjgnovhsa", kai; touvtou oujdeiv" ejsti kaqarov" .

( c ) Heb. 9:8-10. The restrictions which limited the approach of priests and High-priest to God contained an obvious lesson. There was no way to God opened by the Law. The Law had a symbolical, disciplinary, value and looked forward to a more perfect system.

9:8. tou'to dhl. tou' pn. t. aJg. ] Vulg. hoc significante spiritu sancto. There is a divine meaning both in the words of Scripture and in the ordinances of worship. The Spirit which inspired the teaching and fixed the ritual Himself discloses it, and this He does continuously ( dhlou'nto" not dhlwvsanto" ) as long as the veil rests over any part of the record. For dhlou'n see Heb. 12:27; 1 Pet. 1:11; 2 Pet. 1:14.

Compare the words of Theophylact: ... ejdhlou'to sumbolikw'" o{ti e{w" ou| i{statai hJ skhnh; au{th, toutevstin e{w" ou| kratei' oJ novmo" kai; aiJ katj aujto;n latrei'ai telou'ntai, oujk ejsti; bavsimo" hJ tw'n aJgivwn oJdov", toutevstin, hJ eij" to;n oujrano;n ei[sodo" .
mhvpw pefan ....] that the way into the Holy place hath not yet been
made manifest while the first tabernacle hath still an
appointed place; Vulg. nondum propalatam esse sanctorum viam adhuc priore tabernaculo habente statum (O.L. virtutem ). It is evident that this phrase ‘the Holy place’ must include ‘the Holy of holies,’ the symbolic Presence of God (Heb. 9:12; 24 f.; 10:19), even if it does not mean this exclusively. Perhaps however a general phrase is chosen by the Apostle to include both the scene of worship and the scene of the Divine revelation. The people had no way into the Holy place which was open to the priests only: the priests had no way into the Holy of holies which was open to the High-priest alone.

For the construction hJ tw'n aJgivwn oJdov" compare Heb. 10:19; Matt. 10:5; Gen. 3:24.

The comprehensive sense which has been given to ta; a{gia , as including both the Holy and the Most Holy place, explains the use of hJ prwvth skhnhv . This phrase has been used just before (Heb. 9:6; comp. v. 2) of the Holy place as the vestibule, so to speak, of the Divine presence-chamber; and it is very difficult to suppose that it should be suddenly used in another sense for ‘the first (the Mosaic) tabernacle’ as opposed to ‘the heavenly archetypal tabernacle’ (Heb. 9:11). ‘The first, the outer, tabernacle,’ the sanctuary of habitual worship, did in a most impressive way shew the limits which were placed upon the worshipper. While this held a recognised place among divine institutions the people were separated from the object of their devotion. All had not as yet the privilege of priests: all priests had not the right of approach to the Divine throne. Thus the outer sanctuary was the representative symbol of the whole Tabernacle as the place of service.

The phrase ejcouvsh" stavsin must, it is reasonable to suppose, express something more than simply standing ( eJsthkuiva", eJstwvsh" ) as the Latin Versions indicate. The periphrasis with e[cw (comp. 1 John 1:8 note) marks the general position and not only the isolated fact: ‘while the first tabernacle still has an appointed place answering to a Divine order’ (Heb. 10:9). The


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