Term Paper on "Exegesis of Hebrews 12"

Term Paper 18 pages (5679 words) Sources: 18 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Hebrews 12:1-3

An Exegesis of Hebrews 12:1-3

One cannot give an account of Hebrews 12:1-3 without first giving an account of the letter to the Hebrews as a whole. And that cannot be done without first considering the author of the letter. The traditional acceptance is that the ideas are Pauline if not the literary style, which is of a more elevated and flourishing nature than Paul's other Epistles. Nonetheless, the character is Pauline -- and Paul, being a Jewish convert himself, would serve as an exceptional candidate for the writing of an inspiring and encouraging letter to the Jewish Christian recipients.

Sensing the danger that the Jewish converts were facing in Palestine, the Pauline Epistle carries with it the grandeur and urgency that the circumstance would have demanded: it preaches steadfastness in the face of weakness and uses an extensive list of references from the Old Testament as a means of a reassuring the converts "in danger of relapsing into Judaism" (Frey 574) that Judaism itself points to Christ as Redeemer and Son of God. Therefore, Hebrews is a letter of consolation and persuasion, and shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the promise of the prophets. Paul preaches, above all, perseverance. Hebrews 12:1-3 is a perfect example of the substance of the text: it illustrates the theme of the letter, the object, and the technique. This paper will give an exegesis of the passage, analyzing the document in Greek and in translation; addressing varying textual criticisms; identifying key words, meanings, and concepts; displaying the structure of the passage, grammatical issues, and the author's purpose in writing; examining the background of the author, the theological significance of the work and of the New Testament as a whole; and applying the passage to modern life.

Greek

As Louis. H. Evans says, "The twelfth chapter of Hebrews is again one of the great classic passages, this time on the Christian life" (214). It is so great, in fact, that it can be understood without any commentary whatsoever: its meaning is obvious for anyone who wants to understand. It is simple, straightforward, and straight to the heart. And yet scholars have analyzed it to no end -- in the same way they have put Shakespeare under the microscope. They turn to the ancient Greek text for answers and try to reach a new and profound depth heretofore left unplumbed. Ironically, Evans writes, "Our writer encourages those who read his exhortation to 'lay aside every weight.' The Greek word for 'weight' can mean body bulk, excess weight. For spiritual athletes that can be a case of too many irons in the fire, too many dissipating interests…[But] the word may also mean a spirit of overconfidence and arrogance" (215-6). Here, Evans uses both meanings to illustrate his interpretation of the Pauline verses.

By affecting a sense of Greek, Evans indulges the academic thirst for new and "correct" interpretation. But what does he really add? Here is a sense of it -- when he attempts to understand the Greek word euperistaton in order to comprehend a specific phrase in the English translation: "eu, 'easily'; peri, 'around, about'; staton, 'standing position.' 'Easily surrounded' -- how quickly some actions or habits become addictive" (217). Does it add to the already superlative Scriptural text?

Likewise, L.D. Hurst uses the Greek to drive a wedge between Paul and the Epistle to the Hebrews (much like Luther did to drive a wedge between the text published by Erasmus and Church interpretation). Hurst goes to great length to explain how

The introduction last century of the 'Alexandrian' interpretation of Hebrews soon made it fashionable to see little if any connection between Hebrews and Paul. Menegoz began the movement when, in concert with his idea that Hebrews had been written by a convinced Philonian, he declared that 'if is no less certain that he had not been his [Paul's] disciple.' (107)

To his credit, Hurst attempts to show through the Greek that Paul's influence is apparent, if not his literary style. Of course, what this tells us about the work is that its Auctor, as Hurst puts it, remains a mystery -- but then for those who accept the fact that Scripture is the inspired Word of God, there is already a far greater element of mystery about it.

Nonetheless, the dissection of verse continues. James Moffatt attempts to get to the heart of the matter by analyzing the Greek text word for word. But the understanding he provides is no better than a common sense approach to the text as written: in fact, Moffatt adds to it only an air of scholarly fatuousness: "Let us strip for the race, says the writer. Put unmetaphorically, the thought is that no high end like is possible apart from a steady, unflinching resolve to do without certain things. What these encumbrances are the writer does not say; he implies that if people will set themselves to the course of faith in this difficult world, they will soon discover what hampers them" (194). Any intelligent reader could have come to the same conclusion without analyzing the Greek -- as Moffatt does at length -- bogging down the text with irrelevant emphasis on ancient meanings:

the article does not imply any specific sin like that of apostasy; it is in general, any sin that might lead to apostasy. The sense of? can only be inferred from the context and from the analogy of similar compounds, for it appears to have been a verbal adjective coined by the writer; at any rate no instance of its use in earlier writers or in the papyri has been as yet discovered. (194)

So then what are we left with? For all his scrutinizing, Moffatt comes up with at best a clarification of an issue that will not be pertinent in the minds of many -- even if it does bear relevance for scholars like Moffatt themselves.

This is not to say that such study is unnecessary and unwise: insofar as it does help to arrive at a better understanding, it can be beneficial. But if it begins to drive a wedge between faith and reason -- bridged so beautifully by the medieval scholastics like Aquinas -- then the study has become an obstacle in the way of our comprehension of Scripture on simple terms: after all, one need not be a scholar to appreciate the Word of God.

Translation

Obviously, however, translation of the text is important. It is not for no reason that St. Jerome took so many penances upon himself and spent so many years in solitude, prayer, and study to produce a translation of the Bible that would serve as the official text of the Church for centuries. Modern translations are so numerous and varied, that one can hardly fail to point out the carelessness for the Word of God that goes into current translation. Yet, for all that, even in its crudest translation, Scripture still carries with it a meaning that is hard to lose (though it may be more easily corrupted). One can of course pervert any text if he so desires -- but translation must be backed by official interpretation -- which has always been a prerogative of the Church, which brought the Bible together in the first place.

Nonetheless, translated from the Latin Vulgate, Hebrews 12:1-3 (while certain words may be disputed like "cloud" for "crowd") expresses the importance of constancy in trial and temptation:

Therefore let us also, having such a cloud of witnesses over us, put away every encumbrance and the sin entangling us, and run with patience to the race [or fight] set before us; looking towards the author and finisher of faith, Jesus, who for the joy set before him, endured a cross, despising shame, and sits at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider, then, him who endured such opposition from sinners against himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

The meaning is plain: Christ's example has to be followed by everyone who proposes to be a Christian. However, the suffering everyone endures can be united to Christ's suffering -- who, though He was crucified, overcame death through His Resurrection.

The text does not shy away from the fact that to be a Christian is to fight against the world. If anything, it glorifies the fight much in the same way a promoter will glorify a match between two boxers. In Hebrews, Christ is the champion and we are all encouraged to model ourselves on Him. As Raymond Brown suggests, "The author turns from the lives of Old Testament heroes to the sufferings and achievement of the greatest example of all, the Lord Jesus Christ" (226).

Variant Textual Criticism

William Barclay makes the assertion that "in the Christian life we have a goal" (171). The goal is stressed with as much emphasis as the Pauline Epistle to the Hebrews uses to illustrate the point that, as St. Augustine would later say,… READ MORE

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