Hebreus 7
Eusebius of Caesarea · Comentário Patrístico (catena)
Hebreus 7:1
An ancient priest of the Mosaic order could only be selected from the tribe of Levi. It was obligatory without exception that he should be of the family descending from Aaron and do service to God in outward worship with the sacrifices and blood of irrational animals. But he that is named Melchizedek, which in Greek is translated "king of righteousness," who was king of Salem, which would mean "king of peace," without father, without mother, without line of descent, not having, according to the account, "beginning of years or end of life," had no characteristics shared by the Aaronic priesthood. For he was not chosen by humans, he was not anointed with prepared oil, he was not of the tribe of those who had not yet been born; and, strangest of all, he was not even circumcised in his flesh, and yet he blesses Abraham, as if he were far better than he. He did not act as priest to the Most High God with sacrifices and libations, nor did he minister at the temple in Jerusalem. How could he? It did not yet exist. And he was such, of course, because there was going to be no similarity between our Savior Christ and Aaron, for he was neither to be designated priest after a period when he was not priest, nor was he to become priest, but be it. For we should notice carefully in the words, "You are a priest forever," he does not say, "You shall be what you were not before," any more than, "You were that before which you are not now"—but by him who said, "I am who I am," it is said, "You are, and remain, a priest forever." …And the fulfillment of the oracle is truly wondrous to one who recognizes how our Savior Jesus, the Christ of God, now performs through his ministers even today sacrifices after the manner of Melchizedek's. For just as he, who was priest of the Gentiles, is not represented as offering outward sacrifices but as blessing Abraham only with wine and bread, so in exactly the same way our Lord and Savior himself first, and then all his priests among all nations, perform the spiritual sacrifice according to the customs of the church and with wine and bread darkly express the mysteries of his body and saving blood. This by the Holy Spirit Melchizedek foresaw and used the figures of what was to come, as the Scripture of Moses witnesses, when it says, "And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abraham." And thus it followed that to him only was the addition of an oath, "The Lord God has sworn and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.' " The psalm too, continuing, even shows in veiled phrase the passion of [Christ], saying, "He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head." And another psalm shows "the brook" to mean the time of temptations: "Our soul has passed through the brook; yes, our soul has passed through the deep waters." He drinks, then, in the brook, that cup of which he darkly spoke at the time of his passion, when he said, "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." And also, "If this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."6 It was, then, by drinking this cup that he lifted up his head, as the apostle says, for when he was "obedient unto death, even death on a cross, therefore," he says, "God has highly exalted him," raising him from the dead and setting him at his right hand, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name which is named, not only in this world but in that which is to come. And he has put all things in subjection under his feet, according to the promise made to him, which he expresses through the psalmist, saying, "Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.… Rule in the midst of your foes."8 It is plain to all that today the power of our Savior and the word of his teaching rule over all them that have believed in him, in the midst of his enemies and foes. — PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 5.3
Hebreus 7:4
So far, then, we have learned that they who are called "Christs" in the highest sense of the term are anointed by God, not by people, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, not with a prepared unguent.It is now time to see how the teaching of the Hebrews shows that the true Christ of God possesses a divine nature higher than humanity. Hear, therefore, David again, where he says that he knows an eternal priest of God and calls him his own Lord and confesses that he shares the throne of God Most High in the one hundred ninth psalm. … And note that David in this passage, being king of the whole Hebrew race and, in addition to his kingdom, adorned with the Holy Spirit, recognized that the being of whom he speaks, who was revealed to him in the Spirit, was so great and surpassingly glorious, that he called him his own Lord. He said, "The Lord said to my Lord," for he knows him as eternal high priest, priest of the Most High God, and throned beside almighty God and his offspring. Now it was impossible for Jewish priests to be consecrated to the service of God without anointing, which is why it was usual to call them Christs. The Christ, then, mentioned in the psalm will also be a priest, for how could he have been witnessed to as priest unless he had previously been anointed? It is also said that he is made a priest forever. Now this would transcend human nature, for it is not in humanity to last forever, since our race is mortal and frail. Therefore, the priest of God described in this passage, who by the confirmation of an oath received a perpetual and limitless priesthood from God, was greater than human. "For the Lord has sworn," he said, "and will not change his mind, 'You are a priest after the order of Melchizedek.' " … The object of the psalmist's prophecy, therefore, is presented distinctly as an eternal priest and Son of the Most High God, begotten by the Most High God and sharing the throne of his kingdom.… Thus I think I have clearly proved that the essential Christ was not man, but Son of God, honored with a seat on the right hand of his Father's Godhead, far greater not only than human and mortal nature, but greater also than every spiritual existence among things begotten. — PROOF OF THE GOSPEL 4.15