A Commentary

on the

Epistle to the Hebrews

by

Philip Edgcumbe Hughes

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Copyright © 1977 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co.

255 Jefferson Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503

All rights reserved

Reprinted, October 1993

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Hughes, Philip Edgcumbe.

A commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews.

Includes indexes.

1. Bible. N.T. Hebrews—Commentaries.

I. Title.

BS2775.3.H84 227′.87′077 76-49104

ISBN 0-8028-3495-7

The Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and used by permission.

Excursus III, “The Blood of Jesus and His Heavenly High Priesthood,” was initially published in Bibliotheca Sacra 130 (1973), 99–109, 195–212, 305–314, and 131 (1974), 26–33; Excursus IV, “The Doctrine of Creation in Hebrews 11:3,” first appeared in Biblical Theology Bulletin 2 (1972), 64–77; and the section “Hebrews 6:4–6 and the Peril of Apostasy” was published originally in Westminster Theological Journal 35 (1973), 137–155. They are republished by permission of the publishers of these journals.

For

Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Speaker of the Word of God

(Hebrews 13:7)

Preface

Living on close terms with the Epistle to the Hebrews for a half-dozen years has immensely deepened my appreciation of the rich strength and compassion of the Christian gospel and increased my own personal grasp of the faith won for us and delivered to us by him who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.

The author of Hebrews has a superb perspective on Christ’s transcendental supremacy, on the uniqueness of his priestly mediation, and on the total “once-for-all” efficacy of his sacrifice of himself for us sinners. His understanding of the logic of the incarnation as the means both to the Son’s self-identification with mankind and also to his self-offering, Man for man, in our place on the cross is penetrating. He perceives that the exaltation of the risen Savior means the exaltation also of our humanity, which he united to himself in order that he might redeem it, with the result that the way is now open for us into the heavenly sanctuary of the presence of God himself. He apprehends that the glorious destiny for which man was created, and which was lost through man’s disobedience, has been restored through the perfection of the faithfulness, obedience, and suffering of this one true Man. Without wavering he insists on the immutability of the word and the promises of God; consequently, he says, we are required to be constant in faith, hope, and perseverance as we run the Christian race, no matter how menacing the hostile forces that surround us may appear to be. Along with these insights, the author’s pastoral concern, earnest warnings, sympathetic encouragement for those tempted to compromise or even give up the struggle, and his appeal ...