Pastoral and General Epistles Exegetical Paper

Covenant Theological Seminary
The Suffering Champion
Phillip Bozarth
Drs. David Chapman and Greg R. Perry
April 26, 2010
NT350 Pastoral and General Epistles and Revelation, Spring 2010
St. Louis, Missouri

Introduction
Hebrews is a sermon which was likely written before the destruction of the temple in AD
70 but a couple of decades after Christ’s ascension. () Its many parenetic passages attest that it
was occasioned by the author’s concern that some in the church of his hometown were tottering
between the Christian Faith and a kind of Judaism which reverenced angels. Its author is
unknown, but Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, and Luke are leading candidates.
This paper provides a commentary on Hebrews 2:10-16. It should be noted that the
pericope more properly spans from 2:10-18, but space limits the scope of the paper to the end of
the author’s argument for Christ’s superiority over the angels, which closes in 2:16. It is
appropriate to begin in v. 10 because the verse marks the authors explanation of how the most
anticlimactic part of Jesus’ life—his death mentioned in 2:9— leads to the most victorious part
of the gospel. The chapter breaks at 2:18 because in 2:17-18 the authors teaches upon
implications of the incarnation for Christ’s priestly office.
In 2:10-16 the author teaches upon the incarnation to call his audience to a deeper
commitment to Christ. In defending Jesus’ superiority to the angels, the author quotes from the
Old Testament (OT), alludes to Greek myths, and addresses the Greco-Roman culture’s greatest
fear. The passage comes on the heels of a Christological interpretation of Psalm 8 (2:5-9) and
begins with a theodicy for Jesus’ passion (2:10). It then asserts that those who Jesus sanctifies
are adopted into the family of God (2:10-11) and submits OT proof texts for Jesus’ solidarity
with humanity (2:12-13). The Christus Victor story is retold with allusions to Greek myth (2:14-
15), and the author summons his teaching on the incarnation as a reason his audience should not
succumb to the temptation of angel worship. (2:16)

By recasting the Father’s redemptive purpose for humanity in the language of Greek
legend, the author presents a spiritual economy in which the experience of suffering is the metal
and medal of champions and the incarnation of the Son of God commends him to God’s other
children as the one worthy of their worship, fidelity, and trust.
Commentary
ἔπρεπεν γὰρ αὐτῷ, δι᾽ ὃν τὰ πάντα καὶ δι᾽ οὗ τὰ πάντα, πολλοὺς υἱοὺς εἰς δόξαν ἀγαγόντα τὸν
ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν διὰ παθημάτων τελειῶσαι.
For, it was fitting for him, for whom everything exists and through whom everything exists, in
bringing many sons into glory, to prepare the champion of their salvation for his task by making
him to suffer. Hebrews 2:10
Verse 10 holds some words with semantic ranges that are hard to concisely convey in the
English language. πρεπw appeared commonly in Hellenistic theodicy to justify the behavior of
the gods, and it communicated what actions were appropriate for the gods.1 Use of the word here
suggests that the sufferings of Jesus were consistent with God’s known character and purpose,
and that Jesus’ sufferings were pursuant to the Father’s goal of bringing many sons to glory.2
ἀρχηγὸν could be a title applied to leaders, rulers, and originators of arts, it was also a
title bestowed upon legendary figures, heros, founders of cities, trailblazers, and champions.3, 4, 5, 6
The myth of Hercules was well-known in Hellenistic culture. For his victorious battle with the
1
William L. Lane, Word Biblical Commentary: Hebrews, Word biblical commentary, v. 47., (Dallas, Tex: Word
Books, 1991), 55.
2
Books, 1991), 55.
3
Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B.
Eerdmans, 1993) 161.
4
Books, 1991), 57.
5
Harold W. Attridge and Helmut Koester, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the
Hebrews, Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the Bible, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989) 87.
6
George H. Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV application commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 107.
personification of Death, the Hellenized world knew him as Arcgoj and soter (savior).7 To call
Jesus Arcgoj in a Hellenized culture was equivalent to calling Jesus “the real superman” in
American culture.8 Given the context which unfolds in Heb. 2:14-16, the best translation is
“champion.” 9, 10 While Exodus and messianic typology are more properly assigned to the two
other occurrences of the word in the NT, Attridge asserts that the ensuing verses underplay those
meanings and hark more of Herculean wrestling in the underworld.11
“[T]o prepare… for his task” is a dynamic equivalent translation. τελειoῶ was used
widely in Greek in a purely formal sense to mean “complete,” “whole,” or “adequate.”12 At
Levitical priests’ ordination, the LXX translates the Hebrew idiom “fill the hands,” with τελειoῶ,
and, in Greek, a form of the word was assigned to someone who was “qualified for office.”13
Rogers assesses the import of the word in this context to mean Jesus would undergo a
“vocational process by which he is made complete or fit for his office.”14 That process was Jesus’
suffering which the Father saw fit (πρεπw) for him to endure.
7
Books, 1991), 57.
8
George H. Guthrie, Hebrews, The NIV application commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 108.
9
Ibid., 107.
10
Books, 1991), 57.
11
Hebrews, Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the Bible, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989) , 88.
12
Ibid., 83.
13
Ibid., 83-84.
14
Cleon L. Rogers and Cleon L. Rogers, The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament,
(Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub.House, 1998), 520.
Ellingworth, Hughes, and Lane ascribe ἀγαγόντα to the Father rather than to Jesus
because the participle is anarthrous and because infinitives take an accusative subject.15 16 17 18
Without an article before πολλοὺς, Jesus is leading, but, grammatically, nothing is conjoined to
his leadership. Because the infinitive τελειῶσαι needs an accusative subject, the participle form
of ἀγw takes an accusative case, and this makes the Father perform the action of “leading many
sons to glory.”
Hughes says the participle is a proleptic aorist, and Rogers also finds that usage here
defensible.19, 20 Bruce, Ellingworth, and Koester agree that the action of the participle is
performed by the Father, but they attribute rather an ingressive aorist usage to the participle.21, 22,
23
Wallace differentiates the two functions of the aorist, saying ingressives are common in
Scripture while proleptics are rare.24 A proleptic banks upon the occurrence of a future event so
strongly that it is reckoned as done, while an ingressive stresses the start of an action without
commenting on whether it continues.25 However, the passage’s broader context vouches for the
proleptic. In Heb. 2:9 Jesus is said to have been “crowned with glory and honor,” yet 2:8
15
Eerdmans, 1993), 158.
16
Philip Edgcumbe Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, (Grand Rapids, Mich: W.B. Eerdmans
Pub. Co, 1977), 102.
17
Books, 1991), 56.
18
Daniel B. Wallace, The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar, (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan Pub. House, 2000), 192.
19
Pub. Co, 1977), 102.
20
21
Frederick Fyvie Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews: Revised Edition, (Grand Rapids: W. B. Eerdmans, 1990), 77.
22
Eerdmans, 1993), 160.
23
Craig R. Koester, Hebrews: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, (New York: Doubleday,
2001), 227.
24
Zondervan Pub. House, 2000), 558, 563.
25
Ibid., 558, 563.
acknowledges that some of that glory which God will give to Jesus and to humankind is yet not
fully recognizable. Heb. 2:8-9 gives more traction to the proleptic because the author speaks of
glory as something that is already and is also yet to come.
ὅ τε γὰρ ἁγιάζων καὶ οἱ ἁγιαζόμενοι ἐξ ἑνὸς πάντες· δι᾽ ἣν αἰτίαν οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται ἀδελφοὺς
αὐτοὺς καλεῖν.
For the Sanctifier and those sanctified are all from one Father. For this reason, he is not ashamed
to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:11
Hughes, Ellingworth, and Buchanan doubt ἐξ ἑνὸς designates God the Father because,
grammatically, ἑνὸς is a masculine substantive, and, without specifying what it modifies, it could
conceivably pair with any masculine noun.26 27 28 The discomfort with ἑνὸς modifying “Father,”
in Hughes case, derives from his perception that a common divine origin would blur the
“absolute and essential” distinction between Creator and creation and that Jesus’ relation to his
Father is inherently different from the relation those whom he sanctifies have to the Father.29
Ellingworth objects that, since the angels could also claim God as their source, ἑνὸς denoting
God the Father does not grant any uniqueness to the Son’s solidarity with the other sons, which
is clearly the intent of the passage.30 Alleging that the incarnation is the point of the passage,
Hughes posits that a referent of Adam or Abraham better coheres with the thrust of the passage.31
26
Pub. Co, 1977), 104-105.
27
Eerdmans, 1993),164-165 .
28
George Wesley Buchanan, Anchor Bible. To the Hebrews, (Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1972),32 .
29
Pub. Co, 1977), 104.
30
Eerdmans, 1993), 165.
31
Pub. Co, 1977), 105.
He puts forth Abraham as the likeliest possibility, since he is named in v. 16, and Buchanan
concurs.32 Ellingworth adds his assent, noting that the author often had Abraham in mind as he
wrote Hebrews, since the book speaks of him several times.33
Though Hughes and Ellingworth attribute to ἑνὸς to Abraham as the likeliest proper noun
it modifies, they think the verse is better translated by a common noun. Their argument lies in
the observation that ἑνὸς may legitimately be taken as neuter, in which case, its referent may be
seed, kind, or blood.34 Many commentators agree that this option makes the most of the
passage’s incarnation theme.35 36
But most ancient, medieval, and modern commentators understand ἑνὸς as Father, like
Attridge, Koester, and Lane prefer.37 38 39 First, Adam is never mentioned in the book of Hebrews,
and, although Abraham is spoken of several times, he will not be named by the author until 2:16.
The topic changes a few times in the interval of four verses. Rather, the immediate context, v. 10,
is theocentric, which makes God the Father the likeliest referent of ἑνὸς in v. 11.40 As for the
theme of incarnation, vv. 10 and 13 identify those who Jesus sanctifies as the children of God the
Father, and v. 10 and 11 stress the redemptive work of Christ through which God adopted those
who are sanctified as his children.41

32
George Wesley Buchanan, Anchor Bible. To the Hebrews, (Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1972), 32.
33
Eerdmans, 1993), 165.
34
Ibid., 164.
35
Pub. Co, 1977), 105-106.
36
37
Hebrews, Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the Bible, (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989), 89.
38
2001), 229.
39
Books, 1991), 58.
40
Ibid., 58.
41
2001), 230.
More poignantly, a reference to Abraham in v. 11 does not minister to the Hebrew’s in
their crisis of faith. They did not need to know that Jesus descended from Abraham; his ancestry
was well-enough known. What they did need to know, however, was that they would be
vindicated for faith in Jesus, even if that faith required their death. By assuring them that Jesus
had made them sons of God so that they both they and Jesus belonged to the Father as his
legitimate children, the author bolstered their faith in the Jesus who was their incarnate God.
As to the other objections above, the angels’ relationship to God is strictly one of fealty,
and Hebrews 1:14 classifies them as servants to elect humanity. Thus, finding the Father as the
source of both Jesus and the children of God does not at all require that he be as equally
endeared to the angels as he is to his children. Further, because 2:17 speaks of Jesus’ incarnation
with the aorist tense and Heb. 1:2-3 declare the uniqueness of Jesus’ relationship to his Father,
allowing ἑνὸς to designate the Father serves no more injury to the Creator/ creation distinction
than any other scripture-based claim to the legitimate, albeit, adopted sonship of those whom
Jesus has sanctified. Thus, v. 11 does show that Jesus and the adopted sons of God have a unique
unity in coming from one Source, God the Father.
λέγων· ἀπαγγελῶ τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε,
Saying, I will proclaim your name to my brothers, in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise
to you. Heb. 2:12
2:12 comes from Ps. 22:22, thus, the use of this quote here evidences that Ps. 22 was
recognized as messianic by the early church. Its references to pierced hands and feet, cruel
mocking, and division of the sufferer’s garments as spoil, as well as Jesus’ recitation of at least
22:1 while upon the cross commended it as messianic to any first century Christian.42 Bruce
42
advises that the whole OT context of NT quotations of the OT be imported into every instance
where the NT quotes the OT.43 Here, at least, the author does that, finding in v. 22 support for the
fraternal relationship Jesus attained with fellow worshippers. Lane understands this verse as
teaching that Jesus takes on the liturgical function of leading the people of God in worship in the
eschaton.44
καὶ πάλιν· ἐγὼ ἔσομαι πεποιθὼς ἐπ᾽ αὐτῷ, καὶ πάλιν· ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ
θεός. Heb. 2:13
And again, “I, I also will trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children which God gave
to me.”
Although καὶ πάλιν presents two separate quotations within 2:13, the author quotes Is.
8:17 and then Is. 8:18. καὶ πάλιν likely signifies that the author intends to make two separate
points from the same OT pericope.45 The first quote serves the author’s point by casting Jesus as
dependent upon Yahweh in faith like every other human. Significantly, the author edits the quote
by adding an emphatic ἐγὼ, the purpose of which is to comment upon Jesus’ condescension to
full humanity while remaining still “the heir of all things” and the one through whom the world
was made.46, 47 (Heb. 1:2)
But on what basis does the author attribute either of these quotations from the prophet
Isaiah to Jesus? The key to interpreting the passage as messianic is to follow Bruce’s tact of
43
Ibid., 82.
44
Books, 1991), 59.
45
Eerdmans, 1993), 169.
46
Books, 1991), 57-58.
47
Donald Guthrie, The Epistle to the Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, (The Tyndale New Testament
commentaries, 15. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2002), 91.
importing the whole OT context into the NT quotation. Isaiah 8 concerns the disaster which will
strike Judah for its unfaithfulness. While his countrymen despise his words, Yahweh gives Isaiah
children, the names of whom attest to impending doom. In saying, “Behold, I and the children
Yahweh has given me,” Isaiah delineates the community of faithful from the community of the
unfaithful, and Isaiah acknowledges his role as an Arcgoj of sorts to the children of God on
Yahweh’s behalf. The author, with the license of apostolic exegesis, plays Jesus in the role of
Isaiah, claiming that Jesus likewise emerged as an Arcgoj to the people of God amidst an
unfaithful generation, and, in doing so, he demarcated the community of the faithful from the
community of the unfaithful. Lane and Bruce understand the verse similarly.48, 49 Bruce errs,
however, to infer from Heb. 2:13 that those who are sanctified relate to Jesus as their father, a
notion unsupported in the rest of the NT.50, 51 ἔδωκεν need not connote fatherhood, though it
could imply custody or kinship. The Father entrusts his own children to his trustworthy son,
(2:17) the Arcgovn of their salvation. (2:10)
Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκός, καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν
αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ θανάτου καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν τὸν
διάβολον, Heb 2:14
Since, then, the children partake of flesh and blood, he also likewise partook of the same, that
through death he should defang the one who formerly had the power of death.
48
Books, 1991), 60.
49
50
Ibid., 84.
51
Pub. Co, 1977), 109.
Although the parallel structure of the sentence makes κεκοινώνηκεν and μετέσχεν
synonymous, Lane and Ellingworth make much of their respective perfect and aorist aspects.52 53
The author speaks of humanity’s existence in flesh with the perfect tense because humans always
have had flesh and still do. The author speaks of Jesus existence in flesh with an aorist because
he existed without it for an eternity before becoming incarnate. His incarnation, though it
continues to this day, happened at his birth to the virgin Mary.54
καταργήσῃ has a semantic range much larger than “defang.” BDAG defines it as to cause
something to “loose its power” or “come to an end.”55 Hughes attests to its meaning “render
inoperative… nullify.”56 The Devil as a serpent is a motif throughout Scripture, thus the unique
contribution of “defang” here for a dynamic equivalent translation. “[F]ormerly” is added to
convey in English the utter defeat represented by the fuller meaning of καταργήσῃ in the aorist
tense, lest “defang” alone soften the author’s intent. The verb affirms the theme in this pericope
of Christ as a victorious warrior.57
καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους, ὅσοι φόβῳ θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας.
And release them, who, by fear of Death, were enslaved through their whole life. Heb. 2:15
Antiquity regarded the fear of death as the sum of all fears. Greco-Roman culture
particularly identified it as a fundamental human problem, such that Seneca told of a protagonist
52
Books, 1991), 60.
53
Eerdmans, 1993), 171.
54
55
Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and William Arndt, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 525.
56
Pub. Co, 1977), 111.
57
Eerdmans, 1993), 172.
who conquered death by overcoming the fear of death.58 Euripides, Plutarch, and Cicero each
wrote of the fearing death as a kind of slavery.59 Thus, the author’s reference to an enslaving “fear
of death” was not abstract or foreign to his audience. Note that at this point also, a Hellenistic
reader would probably have understood that the author was recasting the myth of Hercules
entering the underworld to do mortal combat with Death.60 61
τοῦ ζῆν is an articular substantival infinitive.62 The article renders “to live” a noun, and
the genitive case of the article shows the constructions utility with διὰ. While τοῦ is singular, the
plural of τούτους, ἔνοχοι, and ἦσαν govern. The singular of τοῦ ζῆν claims this slavery through
the fear of death as the collective experience of humankind.
οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται.
For surely, he did not take on the nature of angels, but he takes on the nature of the seed of
Abraham. Heb 2:16
The interpretation of v. 16 hinges upon the meaning of ἐπιλαμβάνεται. Rogers defines the
word as “take hold of, seize, take to oneself,” but many modern translators put into English as
“help,” a metaphorical sense of the word which only emerged in the seventeenth century.63 64
58
59
2001), 232.
60
61
Books, 1991), 61.
62
Zondervan Pub. House, 2000), 235.
63
64
Pub. Co, 1977), 116.
Anti-Trinitarian teachers advocated this weakened meaning because it was less detrimental to
their error, though now the position is respected by evangelical scholars.65
But the consensus among the early Greek and Latin Fathers and most ancient versions
was that the word pertained to the Son of God taking on human nature.66 67 68 In more than thirty
occurrences of the word in the LXX, it never means “help” in a metaphorical sense.69
Furthermore, v. 18 describes Jesus as one who helps, and there the word is bohqew, therefore,
something different from “help” is intended.70
Lastly, translating ἐπιλαμβάνεται as “taking on the nature” fits better with the author’s
argument. The audience was being drawn away from worship of Christ by a form of Judaism
which required them to reverence angels, thus the lengthy excursus showing not only Christ’s
superiority to angels but man’s also. This verse is the last the author speaks of angels until 12:22,
and v. 16 marks the closure of his argument against angel worship, therefore, v. 16 ought to deal
a fatal blow against the appeal of worshipping angels.
ἐπιλαμβάνεται is present tense, which means the action it expresses is ongoing. Thus, his
finale is that the Son of God sits now in heaven as a human, a σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ, not as an
angel. If the point of v. 16 is that humanity has been raised higher than the angels because the
Son of God sits at the right hand of his Father as a human, that is reason not to worship angels.
The effect is, “Do not worship angels because you have been raised above them, and they are
servants to you.” But if the point of v. 16 is that nowadays Jesus “helps” humans rather than
65
Ibid., 61.
66
Eerdmans, 1993), 177.
67
2001), 232.
68
Pub. Co, 1977), 115.
69
Pub. Co, 1977), 118.
70
Ibid., 118.
angels, his argument falls flat. Perhaps he does not help them because serve him well, in which
case, they may still merit worship. His argument only works if the thrust of v. 16 is that Jesus is
incarnate, a human, not an angel.
Conclusion
The first of many theological contribution of Hebrews 2:10-16 are the implications of
Christ’s victory as the Arcgoj over his people’s long dreaded tyrant, the Devil. That Christ has
defanged him and made his people no longer subject to his slavery means freedom from the fear
of death. Because his victory came through resurrection, the removal of the fear of death results
fundamentally in the abatement of every other fear humans face.
The passage also gives the Church a theology of suffering. Suffering was the means
through which Jesus was perfected for the task of sanctifying the children of God. Significantly,
the Father, who had all means available to him (2:10), chose this path for qualifying the
Champion of his people’s salvation. This says three things. First, the Champion suffered, then so
will his followers. Second, his followers must expect suffering to qualify them for their callings
as it did Jesus for his calling. Third, the children of God must know that the grief of their
suffering, though it comes to them from their Father, will result in glory given to them from their
Father who loves them.
In challenging the audience to consider Jesus as more worthy of worship than the angels,
the author implies that Christians must treasure and trust Jesus more than anyone or anything
else. Angel worship was a chief temptation of the author’s audience, and, in later chapters, he
compares Christ as superior to Moses and the Levitical priesthood. In doing so, he strikes down
as unworthy for worship anything or anyone other than Jesus, and the passage teaches the
Church to worship Christ exclusively.
Lastly, by handily quoting scripture, speaking in terms of his culture’s legends, and
addressing his culture’s fear, the author instructs those who communicate the gospel to ground
their presentation of the gospel in Scripture and craft it so that it is culturally relevant. His
example should inspire them to both deeper bible study and better acquaintance with their
culture. Their message should bring forth treasures new and old.
Those preaching or teaching Hebrews 2:10-16 would do well to bring out the above-
mentioned theological contributions and applications of this passage. They should study the
influence of Greco-Roman culture upon the author and his original audience, and be careful to
speak of the OT quotations from their historical context. Lastly, heed to the Church’s tradition in
interpreting this key text on the incarnation is advisable.
Bibliography
Attridge, Harold W., and Helmut Koester. The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the
Epistle to the Hebrews. Hermeneia--a critical and historical commentary on the Bible.
Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989.

Bruce, Frederick Fyvie. The Epistle to the Hebrews: Reviseds Edition. Grand Rapids: W. B.
Eerdmans, 1990.
Buchanan, George Wesley. Anchor Bible. To the Hebrews. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1972.
Carson, D. A., Douglas J. Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich:
Zondervan, 2005.
Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, and William Arndt. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Ellingworth, Paul. The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids,
Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1993.
Guthrie, Donald. The Epistle to the Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary. The Tyndale
New Testament commentaries, 15. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2002.
Guthrie, George H. Hebrews. The NIV application commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
1998.
Hughes, Philip Edgcumbe. A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Grand Rapids, Mich:
W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1977.

Koester, Craig R. Hebrews: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New York:
Doubleday, 2001.
Lane, William L. Word Biblical Commentary: Hebrews. Word biblical commentary, v. 47.
Dallas, Tex: Word Books, 1991.
Rogers, Cleon L., Cleon L. Rogers. The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New
Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub.House, 1998.
Wallace, Daniel B. The Basics of New Testament Syntax: An Intermediate Greek Grammar.
Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 2000.

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What is the main argument being made in the passage?

What is the main argument being made in the passage?

How does the author address the concerns of his audience?

How does the author address the concerns of his audience?

Covenant Theological Seminary

The Suffering Champion

Drs. David Chapman and Greg R. Perry

April 26, 2010

NT350 Pastoral and General Epistles and Revelation, Spring 2010

St. Louis, Missouri

implications of the incarnation for Christ’s priestly office.

succumb to the temptation of angel worship. (2:16)

children as the one worthy of their worship, fidelity, and trust.

ἀρχηγὸν τῆς σωτηρίας αὐτῶν διὰ παθημάτων τελειῶσαι.

him to suffer. Hebrews 2:10

meanings and hark more of Herculean wrestling in the underworld.11

widely in Greek in a purely formal sense to mean “complete,” “whole,” or “adequate.”12 At

glory as something that is already and is also yet to come.

to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:11

wrote Hebrews, since the book speaks of him several times.33

passage’s incarnation theme.35 36

who are sanctified as his children.41

unity in coming from one Source, God the Father.

to you. Heb. 2:12

θεός. Heb. 2:13

was made.46, 47 (Heb. 1:2)

(2:17) the Arcgovn of their salvation. (2:10)

continues to this day, happened at his birth to the virgin Mary.54

contribution of “defang” here for a dynamic equivalent translation. “[F]ormerly” is added to

of Christ as a victorious warrior.57

entering the underworld to do mortal combat with Death.60 61

the fear of death as the collective experience of humankind.

οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπιλαμβάνεται.

their error, though now the position is respected by evangelical scholars.65

something different from “help” is intended.70

a fatal blow against the appeal of worshipping angels.

incarnate, a human, not an angel.

fundamentally in the abatement of every other fear humans face.

Father who loves them.

Church to worship Christ exclusively.

interpreting this key text on the incarnation is advisable.

Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989.

Mich: W.B. Eerdmans, 1993.

New Testament commentaries, 15. Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2002.

W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co, 1977.

Dallas, Tex: Word Books, 1991.

Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Pub.House, 1998.

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. House, 2000.

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