The Superiority of the Son over Angels
For the glorious human nature is placed beneath the angels, yet it was also thus superior to every name that is named. Just as John imitated the mind in the dawn and the character, having named the Word and having said he is toward God (Heb 1:7–8), so also here he imitates John. Just as he said: 'This was in the beginning, all things came through him' (Heb 1:2), instead of 'this was, these things were', so also Paul: regarding the angels, 'the one doing'; but regarding the Son, 'your throne'—in order to show: that which is being done was not, but the one having the throne was always toward the Father eternally.
He does not say a change of nature is happening, but speaks by comparison, that these things are more likely to perish, just as they are destroyed in comparison to the setting forth of the Son's immortality (Heb 1:12–14). For the Lord, foretelling the second coming, says that stars shall fall, but not yet sun or moon or heaven. To which of the angels has he ever spoken? Having left all creation behind, he says that which is superior to this, the angels; for if there is a difference to the Son according to the fact of being born versus not being born, how much more according to all the invisible things? And it must be noted that through the phrase 'you yourself are' (Heb 1:10), he demonstrated the eternal and the unshakeable nature, and through the phrase 'are not all they are ministering spirits for service' (Heb 1:14), he demonstrated that the Son is not a minister but a co-worker.
He does not say a law, but the one many times administered through angels (Heb 2:2). It was confirmed to us by those who heard. This is similar to that in the epistle to the Galatians, where he says, 'I went up according to a revelation, and I proposed the gospel to them, lest I should be running in vain or have run' (Gal 1:12). It was confirmed not by our asking, but by the being fully convinced of all the others, that what I preach, I preach well.
He says 'the time to come' (Heb 2:5). Immediately he added 'the last'; but now we do not yet see all things made subject to him; but we see Jesus, being made a little lower than the angels (Heb 2:7–9). So what is it that he says, 'you remember him'? He says it was fitting for Jesus; for the things of common humanity were fitting for him. But as the Son himself says, 'out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself, and I will see the heavens as the work of your fingers' (Ps 8:2), no one would say that the man of whom God remembered, having prepared praise out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies for the sake of your enemies, and I will see the heavens as the work of your fingers, had prepared it; he remembered the man and made him a little lower than the angels. And who is the man? Jesus. Because of the suffering of death, being made a little lower than...
Greek
ὑποκάθηται γὰρ τὼν ἀγγέλων τὸ εὐκλεὲς ἡ ἀνθρώπου φύσις–, ἦν δὲ καὶ οὕτως ὑπεράνω παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου. Hebr 1,7–8 Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἀπαυγάσματος καὶ τοῦ χαρακτῆρος ἐμιμήσατο τὸν νοῦν Ἰωάννου, λόγον ὀνομάσαντος καὶ πρὸς θεὸν εἶναι εἰπόντος, οὕτως καὶ ἐνταῦθα μιμεῖται τὸν Ἰωάννην. ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν· οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ, πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, ἀντὶ τοῦ οὗτος ἦν, ταῦτα οὐκ ἦν, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους· ὁ ποιῶν, πρὸς δὲ τὸν υἱόν· ὁ θρόνος σου– ἵνα δείξῃ· τὸ μὲν ποιούμενον οὐκ ἦν, ὁ δὲ θρόνον ἔχων αἰώνιον ἀεὶ πρὸς πατέρα ἦν. Hebr 1,12–14 Οὐ μεταβολὴν λέγει φύσεως γινομένην, ἀλλὰ κατὰ σύγκρισιν, ὅτι ἐγχωρεῖ ταῦτα ἀπολέσθαι μᾶλλον καὶ ὥσπερ ἀπόλλυται ὅσον πρὸς παράθεσιν τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀϊδιότητος. καὶ γὰρ ὁ κύριος προλέγων τὴν δευτέραν παρουσίαν, ἀστέρας μὲν πεσεῖσθαι λέγει, οὐκέτι δὲ ἥλιον ἢ σελήνην ἢ οὐρανόν. Πρὸς τίνα δὲ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴρηκέν ποτε; ἀφεὶς τὴν κτίσιν πᾶσαν τὸ ταύτης ἀνώτερον λέγει, τοὺς ἀγγέλους· εἰ γὰρ πρὸς ἀγγέλους διαφορὰ τῷ υἱῷ κατὰ τὸ τοὺς μὲν γενέσθαι, τὸν δὲ μὴ γενέσθαι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον πρὸς τὰ ἀόρατα πάντα; δεῖ δὲ ἐπισημήνασθαι ὅτι διὰ τοῦ σὺ δὲ ὁ αὐτὸς εἶ, καὶ τὸ προαιώνιον καὶ τὸ ἄτρεπτον τῆς φύσεως ἐδήλωσεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦ φάναι· οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς διακονίαν ἐδήλωσεν ὅτι ὁ υἱὸς οὐκ ἔστι λειτουργὸς ἀλλὰ συνεργός. 348 Hebr 2,2–3 Οὐ νόμον λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸν πολλάκις δι' ἀγγέλων οἰκονομηθέντα. ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουσάντων εἰς ἡμᾶς ἐβεβαιώθη. τοῦτο ὅμοιόν ἐστιν ἐκείνῳ τῷ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Γαλάτας ἐπιστολῇ, τῷ ἀνέβην κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν, καὶ ἀνεθέμην αὐτοῖς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, μή πως εἰς κενὸν τρέχω ἢ ἔδραμον. ἐβεβαιώθη δὲ οὐχ ἡμῶν δεηθέντων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων πληροφορηθέντων, ὅτι ἃ κηρύσσω, καλῶς κηρύσσω. Hebr 2,5–9 Τὸν μέλλοντα αἰῶνα λέγει. αὐτίκα τελευταῖον ἐπήγαγεν· νῦν δὲ οὔπω ὁρῶμεν αὐτῷ ὑποτεταγμένα τὰ πάντα· τὸν δὲ βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους ἠλαττωμένον βλέπομεν Ἰησοῦν. ὥστε τὸ τί ἐστιν ὅτι μιμνήσκῃ αὐτοῦ; τῷ Ἰησοῦ προσήκειν φησίν· τὰ γὰρ τῆς κοινῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αὐτῷ προσῆκεν. ἀλλὰ ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ υἱὸς λέγει τὸ ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον ἕνεκεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, καὶ ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, οὐδεὶς δ' ἂν εἴποι τὸν ἄνθρωπον οὗ ἐμνήσθη ὁ θεός, πεποιηκέναι τὸν ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων καταρτισάμενον αἶνον ἕνεκεν τῶν ἐχθρῶν σου, καὶ ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου· οὗτος ἐμνήσθη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἠλάττωσεν αὐτὸν βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους. τίς δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος; Ἰησοῦς. διὰ τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου ἠλαττωμένος βραχύ τι παρ'
About this text
A defense of Paul's authorship of Hebrews, exploring style and hidden dangers.
Original English Translation of Severianus of Gabala’s Fragmenta in epistulam ad Hebraeos — new OET from PG 65 Greek.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 65 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.