Athanasius of Alexandria

In his own words on Hebrews

• Hebrews 1:2

  The fame of Anthony came even unto kings, for Constantine Augustus and his sons … wrote letters to him as to a father and begged an answer from him. He made nothing very much of the letters, nor did he rejoice at the messages; rather, he was the same as he had been before the emperors wrote to him. But when they brought him the letters, he called the monks and said, "Do not be astonished if an emperor writes to us, for he is a man. Wonder rather that God wrote the law for men and has spoken to us through his own Son." And so he was unwilling to receive the letters, saying that he did not know how to write an answer to such things. But at the urgings of the monks because the emperors were Christians and lest the emperors take offense on the ground that they had been spurned, he consented that the letters be read. And he wrote an answer approving of them because they worshiped Christ, and he gave them counsel on things pertaining to salvation: "not to think much of the present, but rather to remember the judgment that is coming, and to know that Christ alone was the true and eternal king." He begged them to be merciful and to give heed to justice and the poor. Having received the answer, they rejoiced. Thus he was dear to all, and all desired to consider him as a father. LIFE OF ST.

  Life of St. Anthony 81

• Hebrews 1:3

  Therefore, he is true God, existing consubstantially (homoousios) with the true Father, while other beings to whom he said, "I say, 'you are gods,' " have this grace from the Father only by participation in the Word through the Spirit. For he is the "very stamp" of the Father's "being," and "light" from "light," and the "power" and true "image" of the Father's substance.

  Discourses Against the Arians 1.3.9

• Hebrews 1:3

  Who that has heard the words of John, "In the beginning was the Word," will not denounce the saying of [Arius and his followers] that "there was a time when he was not"? Or who that has heard in the Gospel, "the only begotten Son" and "all things came into being through him," will not detest their declaration that he is "one of the things that were made"? For how can he be one of those things that were made by himself? Or how can he be the only begotten, when, according to them, he is counted as one among the rest, since he is himself a creature and a work? And how can he be "made of things that were not," when the Father says, "My heart has uttered a good Word," and "Out of the womb I have begotten you before the morning star"? Or again, how is he "unlike in substance to the Father," seeing he is the perfect "image" and "brightness" of the Father, and that he says, "He who has seen me has seen the Father"? And if the Son is the "Word" and "Wisdom" of God, how was there "a time when he was not"? It is the same as if they should say that God was once without Word and without Wisdom. And how is he "subject to change and variation" who says by himself, "I am in the Father, and the Father in me," and "I and the Father are one"; and who by the prophet says, "I the Lord do not change"? For although one may refer this expression to the Father, yet it may now be more aptly spoken of the Word, that, though he has been made man, he has not changed. But as the apostle has said, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." And who can have persuaded them to say that he was made for us, for Paul writes, "for whom and by whom all things exist"?

  The Deposition of Arius 3

• Hebrews 1:3

  As the apostle, writing to the Hebrews, says, "who being the brightness of his glory and the stamp of his nature," and David too in the eighty-ninth Psalm, "And the brightness of the Lord be upon us," and "in your light shall we see light." Who has so little sense as to doubt the eternity of the Son? For when did anyone see light without the brightness of its radiance, that one may say of the Son, "There was once when he was not," or "Before his generation he was not." And the words addressed to the Son in the hundred and forty-fourth Psalm, "Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom," forbid anyone to imagine any interval at all in which the Word did not exist.

  Discourses Against the Arians 1.4.12

• Hebrews 1:4

  Whereas the prophets ministered and the law was spoken by angels, the Son too came on earth in order to minister. The apostle was forced to add "become as much superior to angels," wishing to show that just as much as the Son excels a servant is the ministry of the Son better than the ministry of servants. Contrasting the old ministry and the new, the apostle then speaks freely to the Jews, writing and saying, "become as much superior to angels." This is why throughout he uses no comparison such as "become greater" or "more honorable," lest we should think of the Son and angels as one in kind, but "better" is his word, by way of marking the difference of the Son's nature from things originated. And we have proof of this from divine Scripture: David, for instance, saying in the psalm, "A day in your courts is better than a thousand," and Solomon crying out, "Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her." Are not wisdom and stones of the earth different in essence and separate in nature? Are heavenly courts at all akin to earthly houses? Or is there any similarity between things eternal and spiritual and things temporal and mortal?… In like manner there is no relationship between the Son and the angels; thus the word better is not used to compare but to contrast, because of the difference of his nature from theirs. And so also the apostle himself, when he interprets the word better, places its force in nothing less than the Son's preeminence over things originated, calling the one Son and the other servants. The one, as a Son with the Father, sits on God's right; and the others, as servants, stand before God and are sent and serve.

  Discourses Against the Arians 1.13.55(3)

• Hebrews 1:4

  Both in the verse before us then and throughout he ascribes the word "better" to the Lord, who is better and other than originated things. For better is the sacrifice through him, better the hope in him, and also the promises through him, not merely great as compared with small, but the one differing from the other in nature, because he who conducts this economy is "better" than things originated.

  Discourses Against the Arians 1.13.59(8)

• Hebrews 2:10

  If all things that were made by the will of God were made by Him, how can He be Himself one of the things that were made? And when the Apostle says, `For whom are all things, and by whom are all things,' how can these men say, that we were not made for Him, but He for us? If it be so, He ought to have said, `For whom the Word was made;' but He saith not so, but, `For whom are all things, and by whom are all things,' thus proving these men to be heretical and false.

  LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF EGYPT 2.15

• Hebrews 6:18

  Through Moses God gave commandments about sacrifices, and the whole book of Leviticus is taken up with acceptable ways for them to be carried out. The Lord, through the prophets, found fault with those who contemptuously misstated these things, calling them disobedient to the commandment. He told them, "I have not asked you to do these things!… Neither did I speak to your fathers about sacrifices, nor give them commands about whole burnt offerings."Some have put forth the opinion that either the Scriptures do not agree or that God, who gave the commandment, is a liar. But in this there can be no disagreement—far from it. The Father, who is truth, cannot lie, "for it is impossible for God to lie," as Paul affirms. Actually, these things are plain to those who accept the writings of the law with faith and look at them in the right way. Here is my explanation, and may God grant by your prayers that I am not too far from the truth. It does not appear to me that God gave the commandments and the law concerning sacrifices right away when he led them out of Egypt. Nor did he who gave the law really pay any attention to the whole burnt offerings, as such. He was looking ahead to those things that were prefigured and pointed out by them. "For the law has but a shadow of the good things to come." And "Those regulations were set forth until the time of reformation."9 That is why the whole law did not deal with sacrifices, although it did include commands concerning them. By means of these commands it began to teach people, calling them away from idols and drawing them to God, giving them proper teaching for the times in which they lived. So you see, God did not give the people those commands about sacrifices and offerings when he brought them out of Egypt, nor even when they first came to Mount Sinai. God is not like people, that he should want those things for himself. No, he gave the commandment so that they might know him and his Word (the Son)—and forget about those so-called gods that do not really exist but appear to do so because of the show people put on.

  FESTAL LETTERS 19.4

• Hebrews 8:3

  I am very much surprised how they have ventured to entertain the idea that the Word became man in consequence of his nature. For, if this were so, the commemoration of Mary would be superfluous. For nature has no conception of a virgin bearing apart from a man. By the good pleasure of the Father, being true God, and Word and Wisdom of the Father by nature, he became man in the body for our salvation in order that, having something to offer for us he might save us all, "as many as through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." For it was not some man that gave himself up for us; since every man is under sentence of death, according to what was said to all in Adam, "earth you are and unto earth you shall return." Nor yet was it any other of the creatures, since every creature is liable to change. But the Word himself offered his own body on our behalf that our faith and hope might not be in man, but that we might have our faith in God the Word himself.

  LETTER 61, TO MAXIMUS 3

• Hebrews 8:6

  "It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these." Both in the verse before us, then, and throughout, does he ascribe the word better to the Lord, who is better and other than originated things. For better is the sacrifice through him, better the hope in him and also the promises through him, not merely as great compared with small, but the one differing from the other in nature, because he who conducts this economy, is better than things originated.

  Discourses Against the Arians 1.13. [59]

• Hebrews 10:20

  If any of our own people inquire, not from love of debate but from love of learning, why he suffered death in no other way save on the cross, let them also be told that no other way than this was good for us, and that it was well that the Lord suffered this for our sakes. For if he came himself to bear the curse laid upon us, how else could he have "become a curse" unless he received the death set for a curse? And that is the cross. For this is exactly what is written: "Cursed be every one who hangs on a tree." Again, if the Lord's death is the ransom of all, and by his death "the dividing wall of hostility" is broken down, and the calling of the nations is brought about, how would he have called us to him had he not been crucified? For it is only on the cross that a man dies with his hands spread out. Thus it was fitting for the Lord to bear this also and to spread out his hands, that with the one he might draw the ancient people and with the other those from the Gentiles and unite both in himself. For this is what he himself has said, signifying by what manner of death he was ransom to all: "I, when I am lifted up," he says, "will draw all men to myself." For the devil, the enemy of our race, having fallen from heaven, wanders about our lower atmosphere and there, bearing rule over his fellow spirits, as the devil's peers in disobedience, not only works illusions by their means in them that are deceived but tries to hinder them that are going up. About this the apostle says, "Following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience," while the Lord came to cast down the devil and clear the air and prepare the way for us up into heaven, as said the apostle, "Through the curtain, that is to say, his flesh"—and this must be by death. Well, by what other kind of death could this have come to pass than by one which took place in the air, I mean, the cross? For only he that is perfected on the cross dies in the air. Therefore, it was quite fitting that the Lord suffered this death. For thus being lifted up, he cleared the air of the malignity both of the devil and of demons of all kinds, as he says, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven," and made a new opening of the way up into heaven, as he says once more, "Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors!" For it was not the Word himself that needed an opening of the gates, being Lord of all; nor were any of his works closed to their maker; but it was we who needed it, whom he carried up by his own body. For as he offered it to death on behalf of all, so by it he once more made ready the way up into the heavens.

  On the Incarnation of the Word 25

• Hebrews 11:5-6

  Jesus continually nourished his believing disciples with his words and gave them life by his closeness. But when the woman from Canaan asked for help, he did not answer her, because she was not yet a believer—even though she desperately needed food from him. He behaved this way not because he despised her; far from it. For the Lord is loving and good to humankind. That is why he went to Tyre and Sidon in the first place. No, it was because she did not believe, because she was an impious woman who had no idea of God's requirements.What he did was most appropriate, brothers and sisters, because it was not right for her to put her request before faith. Rather, she needed to support her prayer by her faith. For "whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him"; and that "without faith it is impossible to please him." That is what Paul teaches.

  FESTAL LETTERS 9.7

• Hebrews 11:5-6

  With the aid of your prayers, I hope to give a true picture of the plans of Paul, that holy man. He was very knowledgeable and skilled in these matters of God, and he knew the power of the Lord's teaching. So he deemed it necessary to teach first about Christ and the mystery of the incarnation. Only then did he point to things in their lives that needed to be corrected. He wanted them first to know the Lord and then to want to do what he told them. For if you don't know the one who leads the people in observing God's commands, you are not very likely to obey them.Moses, that famous and faithful minister of God, used this method. When he set forth those things having to do with the divine system of laws, he first dealt with the knowledge of God, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one Lord." Then, after describing God to the people, teaching them about the one in whom they should believe, and informing them concerning the one who is truly God—only then did he tell how a person can please God. Only then did he say, "You shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal," and the other commandments. The reason for this order of teaching is given to us in the apostolic writings. God is sought by godly and righteous acts, as the prophet tells us.

  FESTAL LETTERS 11.3

• Hebrews 11:17

  Here is a man of true faith, for when the Lord asked him to sacrifice Isaac, his only son, he was willing to do so. By faith he offered up the one through whom the Lord had given him the promise of a nation of descendants. And in offering his son he worshiped the Son of God. When the Lord held him back from sacrificing Isaac, Abraham saw the Messiah in the ram that was ultimately offered as the sacrifice to God.We see, then, that the patriarch was tested by means of Isaac—not that Isaac was sacrificed but rather the one who was pointed out in Isaiah, "He shall be like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb." He was, in truth, tested by him who took away the sin of the world. That is why Abraham was held back from laying his hand on the boy. If he had sacrificed Isaac, the Jews might very well have rejected all the prophecies concerning the Savior. Undoubtedly they would have especially rejected such prophecies given by the psalmist as, "You have not wanted sacrifice and offering; for you have prepared a body for me." They would have referred all such prophecies to the son of Abraham. Thus the sacrifice was not for the sake of Isaac but of Abraham, who was tested by being called upon to make this offering. And of course, God accepted his intentions, but God prevented him from slaying Isaac. The death of Isaac would not buy freedom for the world. No, that could be accomplished only by the death of our Savior, by whose stripes we are all healed. He alone picked up the falling, healed the sick, satisfied those who were hungry and filled the poor. Above all else, he alone raised us all from the dead, and having abolished death, he has brought us from sorrow and sighing to the rest and gladness of this feast. That, dear friends, is a joy that reaches heaven!

  FESTAL LETTERS 6.8

• Hebrews 12:24

  The prophet Nahum proclaimed the good news of what was to come, "Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who proclaims peace." Then he went on to tell them, "Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For they shall no more go to that which is old; it is finished; it is taken away. He is gone up who breathed upon the face and delivered you from affliction."74Now who is he who went up? Notice, by the way, that the one who went up went to the Jews, so there is no way they can ignore the end of those practices that foreshadowed his coming. And the prophet did say, "It is finished." But as I asked, who was he? It would be absurd to say that he was Moses, because when he was with Israel they had not even entered the land in which these sacrificial rites were to be carried out. Or suppose that he was Samuel or some other one of the prophets. That would not do either, because, while they were around, the sacrifices were being made and Jerusalem was still standing. Thus it was none of these men who went up. But if you want to know the truth … look to our Savior, who went up and who "breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.' " As soon as these things were done, all the old things came to an end. The altar was broken; the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. And although the city was not yet sacked and destroyed, its time was coming. As the prophecy foretold, the abomination of desolation was soon to rest upon the temple and the city. The consummation of the ancient ceremonies was at hand. Thankfully, then, we have come far beyond these shadows of reality, having turned to the Lord himself. And we know that "the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." Therefore, as the ears of our hearts hear the call of the priestly trumpet, we do not look with our physical eyes and see an animal lamb slain, but we see the true Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ. For as Isaiah said, he "was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb."78 We are purified by his precious blood, which cleanses us from sin. His blood does not cry out for vengeance as did the blood of Abel.

  FESTAL LETTER 1.8-9