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Chapter 15ExpoCath.1.15

L'Épître aux Hébreux

Addressing the Epistle to the Hebrews

The author introduces the necessity of clarifying the Epistle to the Hebrews to demonstrate doctrinal harmony.

After this explanation, those major objections drawn from the Epistle to the Hebrews and pressed so hard against us will seem hardly reasonable; it's in vain that people try to prove, from the apostle's teaching, that we nullify the sacrifice of the cross.1 But since the surest proof you can have that two doctrines aren't opposed is to recognize, by explaining them, that none of the propositions of one contradicts the propositions of the other, I believe I should briefly set out the teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews here.23

The Perfection of the Cross

The author explains the biblical teaching on the sufficiency of Christ's once-for-all sacrifice.

In this letter, the apostle teaches us that a sinner couldn't escape death unless someone else took their place to die for them. As long as people only offered slaughtered animals, their sacrifices did nothing more than publicly acknowledge that they deserved death. Because divine justice couldn't be satisfied by such an unequal exchange, they had to keep slaughtering victims every day—a clear sign that this substitution wasn't enough. But once Jesus Christ chose to die for sinners, God was satisfied by the voluntary substitution of such a worthy person and had nothing more to demand as the price of our redemption.✦ From this, the apostle concludes that not only must no other victim be sacrificed after Jesus Christ, but that Jesus Christ himself must be offered to death only once.✦

Sacramental Application of Redemption

The author distinguishes between the historical sacrifice of the cross and the ongoing sacramental offering in the Eucharist.

Let the reader who is careful for his salvation, and a friend of the truth, now go back over in his mind what we have said about the way Jesus Christ offers himself for us to God in the Eucharist; I am sure no one will find any propositions there contrary to those I have just reported from the apostle, or that weaken his proof: so that at most the only objection that could be raised against us is his silence. But those who consider how wisely God reveals his secrets throughout the various books of Scripture won't try to force us to draw all our instruction from the Epistle to the Hebrews alone on a matter that wasn't necessary to the subject of that letter. The apostle's goal there is to explain the perfection of the sacrifice of the cross, not the different means God has given us to apply that sacrifice to ourselves.4 To clear up any ambiguity: if we take the word "offer" as it is used in this Epistle—in the sense that it requires the actual death of the victim—we must openly admit that Jesus Christ is no longer offered in the Eucharist or anywhere else.5 But since this same word has a wider meaning in other places in Scripture, where it is often said that one offers to God what one presents before Him, the Church—which forms her language and her doctrine not on the Epistle to the Hebrews alone, but on the whole body of the Scriptures—does not hesitate to say that Jesus Christ offers Himself to God wherever He appears for us before His face, and that He therefore offers Himself there in the Eucharist, following the expressions of the holy Fathers.✦

The Harmony of Christ's Intercession

The author argues that Christ's ongoing presence and intercession before the Father do not diminish the cross, but rather fulfill it.

To think now that this way in which Jesus Christ presents himself to God does harm to the sacrifice of the Cross is something that cannot be held in any way at all, unless one is willing to overturn all of Scripture, and especially this very Epistle that people are so eager to set against us. For by that same reasoning, one would have to conclude that when Jesus Christ devotes himself to God upon entering the world to take the place of the victims that did not please him (Hebr.✦ 10. 5.), he harms the act by which he devotes himself on the cross; and that when he continues to appear for us before God (Ibid.✦6 9.✦ 24.)✦ ; he weakens the oblation by which he once appeared through the immolation of himself (Ibid.✦7 26.)✦ and by never ceasing to intercede for us (Ibid.✦ vii.✦8 25.)✦ , he charges with insufficiency the intercession he made as he was dying, with so many tears and such loud cries (Ibid.✦ v.✦ 7.)✦ .

Distinguishing Repetition from Consummation

The author concludes by clarifying that the application of redemption is a continuous, perfect work, not a repetition of an imperfect one.

That would all be ridiculous. That is why we must understand that Jesus Christ, who once offered himself to be the humble victim of divine justice, does not cease offering himself for us; that the infinite perfection of the sacrifice of the cross consists in this: that everything preceding it, as well as everything that follows it, relates entirely to it; that just as what precedes it is the preparation, what follows it is its consummation and application; that, in truth, the payment of the price of our redemption is not repeated again, because it was done well the first time; but that what applies this redemption to us continues without ceasing; that, finally, we must know how to distinguish the things that are repeated as imperfect from those that continue as perfect and necessary.9

Read the original Latin

Après cette explication, ces grandes objections qu'on tire de TÉpître aux Hébreux, et qu'on fait tant valoir contre nous, paraîtront peu raisonnables; et c'est en vain qu'on s'efforce de prouver, par le sentiment de l'apôtre, que nous anéantissons le sacrifice de la croix. Mais comme la preuve la plus certaine qu'on puisse avoir que deux doctrines ne sont point opposées, est de reconnaître^ en les expliquant, qu'aucune des propositions dé Tune n'est contraire aux propositions de l'autre; je crois devoir en cet endroit imposer sommairement la doctrine de TÉpître aux Hébreux.

L'apôtre a dessein en cette Épitre de nous enseigner que le pécheur ne pouvait éviter la mort, qu'en subrogeant en sa place quelqu'un qui mourût pour lui; que tant que les hommes n'ont mis en leur place que des animaux égorgés, leurs sacrifices n'opéraient autre chose qu'une reconnaissance publique qu'ils méritaient la mort, et que la justice divine ne pouvant pas être satisfaite d'un échange si inégal, on recommençait tous les jours à égorger des victimes; ce qui était une marque certaine de l'insuffisance de cette subrogation: mais que, depuis que Jésus-Christ avait voulu mourir pour les pécheurs, Dieu, satisfait de la subrogation volontaire d'une si digne personne, n'avait plus rien à exiger pour le prix de notre rachat. D'où l'apôtre conclut, que non-seulement on ne doit plus immoler d'autre victime après Jésus-Christ, mais que Jésus-Christ même ne doit être offert qu'une seule fois à la mort.

Que le lecteur soigneux de son salut, et ami de la vérité, repasse maintenant dans son esprit ce que nous avons dit de la manière dont Jésus-Christ s'offre pour nous à Dieu dans l'Eucharistie; je m'assure qu'on n'y trouvera aucunes propositions qui soient contraires à celles que je viens de rapporter de l'apôtre, ou qui affaiblissent sa preuve: de sorte qu'on ne pourrait tout au plus nous objecter que son silence. Mais ceux qui voudront considérer la sage dispensation que Dieu fait de ses secrets dans les divers livres de son Écriture, ne voudront pas nous astreindre à recevoir de la seule Épître aux Hébreux, toute notre instruction sur une matière qui n'était point nécessaire au sujet de cette Épître; puisque F apôtre se propose d'y expliquer la perfection du sacrifice de la croix, et non les moyens différents que Dieu nous a donnés pour nous l'appliquer.

Et pour ôter toute-équivoque, si Ton prend le mot offrir, comme il est pris dans cette Épître, au sens qui emporte la mort actuelle de la victime, nous confesserons hautement que Jésus-Christ n'est plus offert ni dans l'Eucharistie ni ailleurs. Mais comme ce même mot a une signification plus étendue dans les autres endroits de l'Écriture, où il est souvent dit qu'on offre à Dieu ce qu'on présente devant lui, l'Église, qui forme son langage et sa doctrine, non sur la seule Épître aux Hébreux, mais sur tout le corps des Écritures, ne craint point de dire que Jésus-Christ s'offre à Dieu partout où il parait pour nous à sa face, et qu'il s'y offre, par conséquent, dans l'Eucharistie, suivant les expressions des saints Pères.

De penser maintenant que cette- manière dont Jésus-Christ se présente à Dieu, fasse tort au sacrifice de la croix, c'est ce qui ne se peut en façon quelconque, si l'on ne veut renverser toute l'Écriture, et particulièrement cette même Épître, que l'on veut tant nous opposer. Car il faudrait conclure, par même raison, que lorsque Jésus-Christ se dévoue à Dieu en entrant au monde, pour se mettre à la place des victimes qui ne lui ont pas plu (Hebr. x. S.), il fait tort à l'action par laquelle il se dévoue sur la croix; que lorsqu'il continue de paraître pour nous devant Dieu (lbid. ix. 24.) ; il affaiblit l'oblatibn par laquelle il a paru une fois par V immolation de lui-même (lbid. 26.)

, et que ne cessant d'intercéder pour nous (lbid. vn. 25.) , il accuse d'insuffisance l'intercession qu'il a faite en mourant, avec tant de larmes et de si grands cris (lbid. v. 7.) .

Tout cela serait ridicule. C'est pourquoi il faut entendre que Jésus-Christ, qui s'est une fois offert pour être l'humble victime de la justice divine, ne cesse de s'offrir pour nous; que la perfection infinie du sacrifice de la croix consiste en ce que tout ce qui le précède, aussi bien que ce qui le suit, s'y rapporte entièrement; que comme ce qui le précède civest la préparation, ce qui le suif en est la consommation et l'application: qu'à la vérité le paiement du prix de notre rachat ne se réitère plus, parce qu'il a été bien fait la première fois; mais que ce qui nous applique celte rédemption se continue sans cesse; qu'enfin il faut savoir distinguer les choses qui se réitèrent comme imparfaites, de celles qui se continuent comme parfaites et nécessaires.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Heb.9.12 — Neither through the blood of goats and bulls, but through his own blood he entered once for all into the holy places, having obtained eternal redemption.
  2. ↩Heb.9.25-Heb.9.28 — nor was it that he would offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own— Heb.9.26 — Otherwise he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now, at the culmination of the ages, he has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Heb.9.27 — And just as it is appointed for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, Heb.9.28 — So also Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, apart from sin, to those who eagerly wait for him, for salvation.
  3. ↩Heb.9.24 — For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands—a mere copy of the true one—but he entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
  4. ↩Heb.10.5-Heb.10.7 — Therefore, when he enters the world, he says, "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me; Heb.10.6 — In burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not delight, nor did you take pleasure. Heb.10.7 — Then I said, 'Behold, I have come — in the scroll of the book it is written of me — to do your will, O God.'
  5. ↩Heb.9.24 — For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands—a mere copy of the true one—but he entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
  6. ↩Heb.9.24 — For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands—a mere copy of the true one—but he entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
  7. ↩Heb.9.24 — For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands—a mere copy of the true one—but he entered heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.
  8. ↩Heb.9.26 — Otherwise he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now, at the culmination of the ages, he has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
  9. ↩Heb.9.26 — Otherwise he would have had to suffer many times since the foundation of the world. But now, at the culmination of the ages, he has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
  10. ↩Heb.7.25 — Therefore he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.
  11. ↩Heb.7.25 — Therefore he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.
  12. ↩Heb.7.25 — Therefore he is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.
  13. ↩Heb.5.7 — In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
  14. ↩Heb.5.7 — In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
  15. ↩Heb.5.7 — In the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩Source reading «TÉpître» is treated as OCR corruption of «l'Épître» (the Epistle).
  2. 2 ↩Source shows OCR noise: «reconnaître^» read as «reconnaître»; «propositions dé Tune» as «propositions de l'une»; «TÉpître» as «l'Épître».
  3. 3 ↩«imposer sommairement la doctrine» is rendered «set out briefly the teaching» (present/summarize), not «force» or «impose» a doctrine, which would misstate the author's methodological intent.
  4. 4 ↩Source reads « F apôtre »; translated as « the apostle » (intended « l'apôtre »).
  5. 5 ↩Source reading 'si Ton prend' treated as 'si l'on prend' (if one takes); 'toute-équivoque' as 'toute équivoque' (all ambiguity).
  6. 6 ↩Source 'S.)' treated as OCR for '5.)', completing Hebr. 10:5 with the incarnation devotion passage.
  7. 7 ↩Source 'oblatibn' read as 'oblation'; 'par V immolation' read as 'par l'immolation'.
  8. 8 ↩Source reads 'vn.'; almost certainly OCR/print corruption of 'vii.' (Hebrews 7), the chapter of the everlasting intercession (cf. Heb 7:25).
  9. 9 ↩Normalized three clear OCR corruptions in the French: 'civest' → 'c'est'; 'suif' → 'suit'; 'celte' → 'cette'. Translation follows the corrected reading.

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