Table Of ContentKevin B.McCruden
Solidarity Perfected
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die
neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Herausgegeben von
James D. G. Dunn · Carl R.Holladay
Hermann Lichtenberger · Jens Schröter
Gregory E. Sterling · Michael Wolter
Band 159
≥
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
Kevin B. McCruden
Solidarity Perfected
Beneficent Christology
in the Epistle to the Hebrews
≥
Walter de Gruyter · Berlin · New York
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Contents
INTRODUCTION ................................... 1
CHAPTER ONE ..................................... 5
The Lexical and Theological Terms of the Debate ........... 5
Perfection as Glorification ............................... 6
Perfection as Cultic Consecration ......................... 12
Perfection as Moral/Ethical Development .................. 18
Perfection as Vocational/Experiential Qualification ........... 20
CHAPTER TWO .................................... 25
A New Proposal: The Material Application of Perfection as
Definitive Attestation ................................ 25
The Techinical Usage of tekeio m in the Non-Literary Papyri:
O
Perfection as Definitive Attestation ..................... 26
Perfection as Definitive Attestation in Relation to the Christology
of Hebrews ....................................... 37
CHAPTER THREE .................................. 45
Beneficent Christology: The Son’s Solidarity with the Faithful .. 45
Heracles Imagery and the Motif of Divine Beneficence ....... 50
The Relevance of Heracles Imagery for Hebrews’ Portrait
of Jesus .......................................... 59
Christ’s Perfection as the Philanthropia of the Son Attested and
Displayed ......................................... 67
CHAPTER FOUR ................................... 70
Philanthropia as Christological Key: Preliminary Remarks ...... 70
Philanthropia as a Human Virtue ......................... 72
Philanthropia as a Divine Virtue: TheTestimoniesof Asclepius.. 77
Philo and Philanthropia: A Precedent for Hebrews’ Beneficent
Portrait of Christ ................................... 83
Hebrews’ Relationship to Philo and Hellenistic Judaism ....... 91
CHAPTER FIVE ..................................... 98
High Priestly Christology and Divine Beneficence............ 98
VIII Contents
A High Priesthood of Intimate Presence ................... 102
ThePerfectionof Divine Solidarity ...................... 114
CHAPTER SIX ...................................... 122
The Social Setting and Audience of Hebrews ............... 122
The Literary Character of Hebrews ....................... 132
Conclusion .......................................... 139
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................... 140
Index of Ancient Sources ............................... 148
Subject Index ........................................ 155
Index of Authors ...................................... 158
INTRODUCTION
AnenduringproblemposedbytheEpistletotheHebrewsconcernsthe
interpretationof thosepassagesintheletterthataddresstheperfectionof
Jesus (Heb 2:10; Heb 5:9; Heb 7:28).1 In addition to exegetical
considerations, these passages broach issues of theological importance as
well. On the one hand, it is clear that Hebrews can assess the
significance of Jesus in quite exalted, even divine terms.2 The initial
verses of Hebrews’ exordium3 in 1:1–3, for example, evince an
estimation of the Son informed by traditional sapiential language: The
Son is depicted both as the “radiance of the glory,” (!pa¼casla t r
/
dºngr) and the “impress” (waqajt¶q) of God.4 On the other hand, our
author also applies the terminology of perfection to Jesus, and more
preciselytheideaofperfectionthroughsuffering(Heb2:10).5Forsome
1 JamesKurianal’sbrief,butrecenttreatmentoftheverbtekeioOmunderscoresthe
enduringlackofscholarlyconsensusontheprecisemeaningof Jesus’perfection
in Hebrews. See James Kurianal, Jesus Our High Priest:Psalm 110,4as the Sub-
structure of Heb 5,1–7, 28 (European University Studies 23/693. Frankfurt:
PeterLang,2000) 220–34.TheverbtekeioOmoccursatotalofninetimesinthe
letter:2:10:tekei_sai5:9:tekeiyhe¸r7:19:1teke¸ysem7:28:tetekeiyl´mom9:9:
tekei_sai 10:1: tekei_sai 10:14: teteke¸yjem 11:40: tekeiyh_sim 12:23:
tetekeiyl´mym.
2 LukeTimothyJohnson,Hebrews:ACommentary(Louisville:WestminsterJohn
KnoxPress,2006) 50.HebrewsisoneofthefewNTtextstodesignatetheSon
uRºrasheºrinHebrews1:8–9.CraigKoesterobservescorrectlythatHebrews’
designation of Christ as God functions not as an ontological claim but as a
revelatory claim. See Craig R. Koester, Hebrews: A New Translation with
Introduction and Commentary AB 36 (New York: Doubleday, 2001) 189.
3 IconcurwithKoester,whoseestheexordiumof Hebrewsextendingwellpast
1:4 through 2:4. See Koester, Hebrews, 174
4 Fortheuseof JewishWisdomcategoriesinHebrewsseeHaroldAttridge,The
Epistle to the Hebrews (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989) 42–43 and Luke
Timothy Johnson, Hebrews, 69–70. Translations from the Epistle to the
Hebrews and the rest of the NT are my own. Greek text taken from Novum
Testamentum, Nestle Aland 27th ed. Unless otherwise noted, quotations from
the Jewish Scriptures taken from NRSV.
5 I align myself with the broad scholarly consensus that views Hebrews as
anonymous.Arepresentativeselectionofbothancientandmodernguessesasto
2 Introduction
commentators it is at this point that an interpretive problem immedia-
tely presents itself. For in what sense can the Son, who is the
!pa¼caslat rdºngreitherbeperfectedthroughsufferings (Heb2:10)
/
or, for that matter, learn obedience through suffering: ja¸peq £m uRºr,
5lahem !v’ ¨m 5pahem tµm rpajo¶m (Heb 5:8)?6 Or as P. J. Du Plessis
frames the problem, How can the avowed sinlessness of Jesus (see Heb
4:15) be reconciled with any conception of the Son being perfected at
all.7 Du Plessis’ observation raises the larger exegetical and theological
issue concerning the meaning and function of the concept of Jesus’
perfection in the Epistle to the Hebrews as a whole.
In his recent commentary on Hebrews Luke Timothy Johnson
notes the theological complexity inherent to the Christology of
Hebrews, a Christology at once deeply exalted and deeply human in
itsportraitof Jesus.8Whileitwouldperhapsbeanoversimplification to
view Hebrews’ Christology from within the categories of human and
divine, one cannot help but notice Hebrews’ carefully articulated
balance between a distant and intimate Christ.9 For example, Hebrews
depicts Jesus as the Son of God who has passed through the heavens
(Heb 4:14). But in the immediately following verse Hebrews celebrates
JesusasaHighPriestwhocansympathizewithhumanweaknesses(Heb
4:15). Similarly, the Son who is the radiance of God’s glory and who
has inherited a greater name than the angels (Heb 1:3–4) is the same
Son who has shared solidarity with humanity (Heb 2:14). Bearing in
mind this balance inherent to the Christology of Hebrews, the goal of
the authorship of the letter can be found in Alan C. Mitchell, Hebrews. Sacra
Pagina 13 ed. By Daniel J. Harrington (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2007)
2–6. See also Koester, Hebrews, 42–46.
6 Theproblemcentersonwhatsomehavearguedistheimplicitinferencetobe
drawn from passages like Hebrews 5:8, namely, the conclusion that Jesus was
not “perfect” to begin with. See Lewis R. Donelson, From Hebrews to
Revelation: A Theological Introduction (Louisville: Westminster, 2001) 30.
7 P.J.DuPlessis,TEKEIOS:TheIdeaof PerfectionintheNewTestament(Kampen,
1959) 212.MarieIsaacsislikelycorrectwhenshepointsoutthatthisapparent
contradiction did not present a theological problem for the 1st century C.E.
authorof Hebrews.SeeMarieIsaacs,SacredSpace:AnApproachtotheTheologyof
the Epistle to the Hebrews. JSNTSup 73 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, 1992)
103.
8 Johnson, Hebrews, 50–51.
9 AccordingtoMarieIssacstheaffirmationof thedistanceof Christfunctionsas
the defining element in Hebrews’ Christology in the sense that the death of
Christrelocatessacredspacefromearthtoheaven.SeeIssacs,SacredSpace,184–
85.
