Speaking about people of faith and the works of faith, the author of the letter states that they too reached "perfection," but, in his words, "not without us." By "us" he undoubtedly means Christians, the Church as the body of Christ. Of course, this kind...
Speaking about people of faith and the works of faith, the author of the letter states that they too reached "perfection," but, in his words, "not without us." By "us" he undoubtedly means Christians, the Church as the body of Christ.
Of course, statements of this kind are often understood to mean that Christianity is the final and most correct religion, containing in itself the whole fullness of Revelation and therefore the whole fullness of truth. In that case, everything true that existed in the history of Revelation before Christ belongs to Christianity, because there is no other truth in the world. It must be recalled, however, that representatives of some other religions have asserted something similar, each having in mind, of course, his own tradition. And if Christianity really were a religion, there would be enormous room here for arguments, discussions, and rivalry.
But Christianity is not a religion, but life with Christ in His Kingdom. And in speaking of "perfection," the author of the letter clearly has in mind the fullness of the Kingdom, not the fullness of some religious tradition. In that case it turns out that all people of faith in all times were seeking one thing: the Kingdom and its fullness. And now they too have been joined to this fullness, together with Christians.
Of course, if one absolutizes the time of the fallen world, one has to imagine approximately the following picture: all the righteous who died before Christ found themselves in the world of shadows, which the Old Testament books call sheol in Hebrew and the New Testament books call hades in Greek. There they wait until the Messiah comes and frees them, bringing them into the Kingdom. But the picture looks like this only when one perceives it through the prism of the reality of the fallen world. Here time is one-dimensional and absolute, directing the unfolding of all the cause-and-effect chains that determine the existence of this world.
In the Kingdom, however, everything is somewhat different. There is no one-dimensional time there, and cause-and-effect chains exist there differently from the form familiar to us. Therefore the sequence of events there turns out to be different. In the Kingdom there is no "first" and "then" to which we are accustomed. The reality of the Kingdom can appear at any point of the space and time within which our world exists. And the measure of a particular person's involvement in the life of the Kingdom is determined only by the quality of his existence, by what determines this existence: fallen nature or God's breath of life.
It is no surprise that people who strove to build their lives so that only the breath of life would determine them receive the Kingdom and its life insofar as they can reach the goal they have set. But they reach it only with the coming of Christ, when sin loses all power over them. For them this is not a story of staying in the world of shadows, as their life may appear to us, but a path into the Kingdom, completed by meeting Christ. For us such a meeting often turns out to be the first step; for them it is the final one, after which the life of the Kingdom opens to them in all its fullness.
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11:32 After Samuel, the prophets are properly mentioned. David also was a prophet; but he was a king too. The prophets - Elijah, Elisha, etc , including likewise the believers who lived with them.
11:33 David, in particular, subdued kingdoms.Samuel (not excluding the rest) wrought righteousness.The prophets, in general, obtained promises, both for themselves, and to deliver to others. Prophets also stopped the mouths of lions, as Daniel; and quenched the violence of fire, as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. To these examples, whence the nature of faith clearly appears, those more ancient ones are subjoined, (by a transposition, and in an inverted order,) which receivelight from these. Jephthah escaped the edge of the sword; Samson out of weakness was made strong; Barak became valiant in fight; Gideon put to flight armies of the aliens.Faith animates to the most heroic enterprises, both civil and military. Faith overcomes all impediments effects the greatest things; attains to the very best; and inverts, by its miraculous power the very course of nature. Sa2 8:1, etc; Sa1 8:9, etc; Sa1 13:3, etc; Dan 6:22; Dan 3:27; Jdg 12:3; Jdg 15:19, etc; Jdg 16:28, etc; Jdg 4:14, etc; Jdg 7:21.
11:34 See note at Heb 11:33
11:35 Women - Naturally weak. Received their dead - Children.Others were tortured - From those who acted great things the apostle rises higher, to those who showed the power of faith by suffering. Not accepting deliverance - On sinful terms.That they might obtain a better resurrection - An higher reward, seeing the greater their sufferings the greater would be their glory. Ki1 17:22; Ki2 4:35
11:36 And others - The apostle seems here to pass on to recent examples.
11:37 They were sawn asunder - As, according to the tradition of the Jews, Isaiah was by Manasseh. Were tempted - Torments and death are mentioned alternately.Every way; by threatenings, reproaches, tortures, the variety of which cannot be expressed; and again by promises and allurements.
11:38 Of whom the world was not worthy - It did not deserve so great a blessing. They wandered - Being driven out from men.
11:39 And all these - Though they obtained a good testimony, Heb 11:2, yet did not receive the great promise, theheavenly inheritance.
11:40 God having provided some better thing for us - Namely, everlasting glory. That they might not be perfected without us - That is, that we might all be perfected together in heaven.