The Superiority of the Son to Angels (Part Two)

1. Hebrews 2:5-9 (Ps 8:5-7)

In Heb 2:5, as further proof that the son is superior to the angels, the author says that God did not subject the world to come to the angels; implicitly, the author affirms that God did subject it to the son (see J. Swetnam, Jesus and Isaac, chap. 5). (lt is sometimes claimed that the references to "angels" in 2:5 and 2:16 form an inclusion and thereby create a literary unity [Lane, Hebrews 1-8, 44; G. Gäbe, Die Kulttheologie des Hebräerbriefes, 134, 144]. But not every repeated word should be interpreted as the author's attempt to create an inclusion, especially those that are so far apart in the text. It is doubtful that a reader or hearer of the letter would even notice this.) The use of gar ("for") serves to connect 2:5-9 to the 1:4-14 as the second part of the discourse on the son's superiority to angels. The term "world to come" (hê oikoumenê hê mellousa) refers to the age of Israel's eschatological salvation; for him "world" denotes a period of time or age. In second-Temple Jewish understanding, history is divided into two ages, the present age or this age and the age to come. The age to come is the time of eschatological fulfillment, when God would bring to realization all of the promises made through the prophets, including in some cases the appearance of the Messiah. The author's reference to "these last days" in Heb 1:1is the functional equivalent of "the world to come" (Michel, Der Brief an die Hebräer, 69-70).  

In some of second-Temple sources, it is made explicit that human history is divided into two ages, the first characterized by disobedience, which is followed by an time period marked by obedience. The author of 4QInstruction considers all history as constituted by two ages, and believes that the transition between the two has been predetermined: “All deceit will come to completion and the period of truth (qts 'mth) will be completed” (4Q416 frg. 1.13) (see the synonymous term “period of peace” [qts šlwm] in 4Q418 frg. 161.9; frg. 113.1–2). The period of truth comes after the fulfillment of the historical period characterized by deceit, according to God’s historical purposes. The phrase “its period” occurs in line 12, and probably has as its antecedent “evil” (rš`h) in line 11, in which case “period of evil” may be the opposing dualistic term to “period of truth.” Truth is used in a soteriological sense but also more generally as a synonym for righteousness or obedience to the Law. Elsewhere in 4QInstruction, the sage explains that, “Engraved is the decree and ordained is all the visitation” (4Q417 frg. 1, col. 1.14 [formerly frg. 2, col. 1] = 4Q418 frg. 43). What he means is that God has ordained that judgment will come upon the wicked at the appointed time and has written this in a heavenly book, probably somehow related to the “mystery of what is to come.” He then adds, “The decree has been engraved by God for all time against [ ] the sons of Seth” (4Q417 frg. 1, col. 1.15 [formerly frg. 2, col. 1 = 4Q418 frg. 43) (see Exod 32:16). The phrase “sons of Seth” is probably an allusion to Num 24:17, where the enemies of Israel are called “all the sons of Seth.” The point is that God has written in a heavenly book that at a foreordained time in history all the wicked will be punished according to their sins; this time represents the transition between the two ages. The author of 4QTime of Righteousness (4Q215a) also works with an explicit two-age understanding of history. The present age, characterized by disobedience, will yield to the eschatological age at a time predetermined by God. The age of wickedness will yield to “the time of righteousness” (`th h[ts]dq (frg. 1, col. 2.5), also called “the period of peace” (qtsšlwm) (frg. 1, col. 2.6) (see 4Q418 frg. 161.9; frg. 113.1–2). Later in the text, it is referred to as “the rule {of righteousness} of goodness” (mmšl {htsdq}htwb) (frg. 1, col. 2.10). It is the time when human beings will be perfectly obedient. The eschatological age will be also characterized by knowledge, worship of God and unity (frg. 1, col. 2.5, 7–8). In the author’s view, the transition between the two ages is imminent: “For the age of wickedness has been completed and all evil will pas[s away]” (frg. 1, col. 2.3–4). In 1 En 71:5 (Similitudes of Enoch), an angel announces to Enoch, "He [God] shall proclaim peace to you in the name of the world to come" (see also 1 En 48:7). 2 Enoch distinguishes the "this age of suffering" from "the never-ending age" (66.5-6), also known as the "great age" (58.5; 61.2; 65.7-8; see also 65.10). According to the author of 4 Ezra, the period of disobedient human history will yield to the new age at the time appointed by God. Precipitating his first vision, Ezra complains that it is unjust that the instrument used by God to punish his people does not suffer at all, since the Babylonians (i.e., Romans) are morally worse than Israel (4 Ezra 3:30–36; 4:22–25; see 5:21–30; 6:55–59). In his view, Israel should be at least relatively more favored than their oppressors and other gentile nations. In response, Uriel tells Ezra only that the age (saeculum) is hastening to its completion, after which the new age will come, when there will be a reversal of fortunes. The angel compares this age to a field sown with evil that must first come to maturity before the field sown with good seed will come (4:26–32; see 6:18–19; 15:6–11). Until then, those who reject God and his Law will persecute the righteous (7:79; 8:56–58). The end is compared to the moment when a woman gives birth: “In Hades the chambers of the souls are like the womb. For just as a woman who is in travail makes haste to escape the pangs of birth, so also do these places hasten to give back those things that were committed to them from the beginning” (4:42; see 4:38–43). But when Ezra asks why judgment does not come sooner, the response is that history must run its course, as God has predetermined (5:41–55; see 6:6; 7:74; 13:58; 16:35–39). God has fixed the time of the retribution of the righteous, but Uriel does not disclose this to Ezra. Only when the total number of the righteous is complete will the end come (4:35–37; see 2:39–41). In the meantime, those who keep the Law and suffer for it must be patient, for they cannot hasten the appearance of the end. After the death of the Messiah, the world shall exist in primeaval silence for seven days; afterwards all that is corruptible shall be removed and then replaced by the incorruptible. In other words, “this age” (saeculum hoc) (4:27; 6:9; 7:12), also known as the “corrupt age” (saeculum corruptum) (4:11) will be replaced by the “future age” (futurum saeculum) (6:9; 8:1), also referred to as the “greater age” (maius saeculum), the “immortal time” (immortale tempus) (7:119), the “future time” (futurum tempus) (8:52) and the “future immortal time” (futurum immortale tempus) (7:113). In other second-Temple texts the two-age understanding of history is implicitly present insofar as the idea of the end of disobedient human history is found. In Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum, a limit has been set for the present period of disobedient history; after the appointed time has been reached, final judgment will come. God speaks to Moses just before his death about “when the time comes for him to visit the earth” (cum appropinquaverit visitare orbem) (LAB 19:13); this is a reference to eschatological judgment (see LAB 3:9–10; 19:15; 23:13; 36:4). At this time, all will be raised from the dead and judged according to their works. In LAB 3:9–10, God explains to Noah that “when the years appointed for the world have been completed” (cum autem completi fuerint anni seculi) he will bring the dead back to life: “And I bring the dead back to life and raise up the ones who are sleeping in the earth” (see 1 En 51:1). The dead are portrayed as sleeping until they are awakened on the day appointed for final judgment; the implication may be that they are unconscious during the interval between their deaths and the eschaton (see LAB 3:10; 11:6; 19:2, 6, 12–13; 24:5; 28:10; 29:4; 33:4; 35:3; 51:5). Whether a bodily resurrection is intended is unclear. Similarly, in 2 Baruch, it is explained that the end will come but not before its appointed time (2 Bar 22:1–8). When Adam sinned, God determined the total number of his descendents to be born over a determined number of generations; only when that number has been reached can the end come (2 Bar 23): “No creature will again live unless the number that has been appointed has been reached” (2 Bar 23:5). Until the time of the final judgment, the souls of the righteous dead will be kept in treasuries (2 Bar 30:2; see 24:1). It is clear that the Qumran sectarians, like many other Jews from second-Temple period, divided history into two ages. The pre-eschatological age is that in which the community finds itself under the dominion of both spiritual and human enemies: Belial and the spirits of his lot along with the community's Jewish opponents ("sons of darkness") and gentile oppressors. Fragments of two copies of a text called The Ages of Creation have been found in cave four; this text seems to describe human history comprehensively from the creation until the eschaton. (see 1 En 10.11–12; 93.9–10; 91.11–17 (Apocalypse of Weeks); 83–90 (Dream Visions) Dan 9:24–27; Jubilees). History is divided into ages (qtsym), and will culminate in its fulfillment: “(Each) age to fulfill [all that is] and all that will be” (4Q180 frg. 1.1-2). The fulfillment of the ages of history is the eschaton. What is implied is that history actually has two major divisions: the period before the fulfillment (consisting of different "ages") and the period after the fulfillment (The reference to “the periods of their dominion” [4Q180 frg 1.4] may refer to ages in which certain nations or groups of human beings come to dominate.) It is affirmed in what appears to be the opening line of the composition that the entire course of human affairs is predetermined according to God’s sovereign design; this is engraved on heavenly tablets (4Q180 frg. 1.1–3; see also frgs. 2-4, col. 10). The pre-eschatological age of human history is characterized by disobedience; for this reason it is called the "age of wickedness" (qts hrš`h) (CD 6.14; 12:23; 1QpHab 5.7-8; 4Q301 frg. 3.8; see 4Q509 frg. 205 1.2) or the "whole age of wickedness (kwl qts hršy`) CD 6.10; 15.7, 10). A related but longer designation for this period of disobedience is the "age of (the) rule of wickedness" (qtz mmšl[th] rš`h) (4Q510 frg. 1.6-7; 4Q511 frg. 10, col. 1.3). There is also a reference to the "completion of the age of these years" (šlym hqts hšnym), which refers to termination of this period of disobedient history (CD 4.8-9). The Qumran sectarians also called this period of history the "age of Israel's trespass" (qtz m`l yšr'l) because they believed that Jews were not obeying the Law according to its correct interpretation (CD 20.23). Moreover, the pre-eschatological age is understood to be under the rule of Belial and the spirits of his lot, which is why it is sometimes identified as the "dominion of Belial" (mmšlth bly`l) (1QM 14.9; 4QM1 frgs. 8-10, col. 1.6; 1QS 1.18, 23-24; 2.19; 4Q177 2+ 1.8). In the Two-Spirits Teaching, it is explained that the Angel of Darkness, another name for Belial, is responsible for all the sins of the sons of righteousness: “But in the hand of the Angel of Darkness is the dominion of the sons of deceit; and in the ways of darkness they walk” (1QS 3.20b–21a). Even though they walk in the spirit of truth and are therefore under the dominion of the Angel of Truth/Prince of Lights, still the Angel of Darkness is able to lead them astray: “And all their sins, their iniquities, their guilt and their acts of rebellion are because of his dominion” (3.22). The time of the beginning of the transition from the age of disobedience to its opposite is called the "last days" ('chryth hymym) (4Q161 frgs. 2-6, col. 2.22; 4Q162 frg. 1, col. 2.1; 4Q163 frg. 4-6, col. 2.12; frg. 13, col. 1.4; frg. 23, col. 2.10; 4Q169 frg. 3-4, col. 2.2; 4Q177 3.7; 1QpHab 2:5-7; 11QMelch 2.4; 4Q182 frg. 1.1; 4Q174 frgs. 1-3, col. 1.15). The community believed that it was in the "the last days," the last years of the period of disobedience (See 1QpHab 2:7 "final generation" [hdwr h'chrwn].) God’s final judgment, which is the condition of the appearance of the next era, is called his “visitation” (1QS passim; 4Q286; CD 7.9 = CD 19.5–6). This is the time that God has set in order to “visit” the earth in judgment. The exile functions as a paradigm of what will occur during the “visitation,” which is why the exile is called “the time of the first visitation” (CD 7.21; 19.11). God has set an end to the existence of deceit, a term used to describe the period of disobedient history; at the appointed time he will destroy it eternally (1QS 4.18–19). This period of history after the visitation is called variously "age of salvation for the people of God and age of rule for all the men of his lot" (1QM 1.5), "the decreed age of new things" (1QS 4:25) and "the dominion of light" (1QS 10.1). According to the War Scroll, Belial and his angels fight in the eschatological war on the side of the sons of darkness, but after a protracted forty-year war, the enemies of God, including Belial and the spirits of his lot, will be defeated and destroyed (1QM 14.9, 15; 17.5-6; 18.1-3; 4QM 1 frg. 10 2.15; frg. 11 2.18; 4Q161 frgs. 8-10.22-25). In 11QMelchizedek, when Melchizedek, who is probably the archangel Michael, appears at the eschaton, among other things, he will also execute judgment on Belial and the spirits of his lot. In this text, the year of jubilee is interpreted eschatologically, so that final salvation is understood as the ultimate year of release, and this is the fulfillment of the prediction of the release of the “captives” foretold in Isa 61:1. The community probably anticipated building a third Temple in Jerusalem according to the plans laid out in the Temple Scroll (11QT). The distinction between the two ages occurs in the New Testament outside of the Letter to the Hebrews: "the age to come" (ho aiôn ho erchomenos) (Mark 10:30 = Luke 18:3); "the next age" (ho aiôn ho mellôn) (Matt 12:32; Eph 1:21).

The author is claiming that the eschatological age, the time of fulfillment, or, in his terminology, "the world to come," has arrived, and God has subjected this period of human history not to the angels but to the son. Probably, the intended readers hold the opposite view: that a particular angel (or perhaps angels) was assigned an important eschatological role. For the Qumran community and perhaps other Jews from the second-Temple period, Michael the archangel, also known as prince of lights, angel of truth and Melchizedek, was to be the eschatological conqueror and judge (see Angels). It is conceivable that the readers had a similar belief or were moving towards such an idea, in which case Jesus (the "son") as the Davidic Messiah would be subordinate to angels or one angel in particular in terms of his salvation-historical function.

    There are a few Old Testament references to the fact that angels were involved in the administration of "this world": In the LXX and a non-MT Hebrew version discovered at Qumran (4QDt-q) it is implied in Deut 32:8 that angels are given nations over which to rule: "He set the bounds of the people according to the number of the angels of God (Gk:  aggelon theou; Heb: bene 'el or bene 'elohîm). Likewise, in Daniel, angels are said to have been granted authority over certain nations: Dan 10:20 prince of Persia / prince of Greece; Michael the great prince over Israel Dan 10:21; 12:1. In the second-Temple period, angels are also conceived as having a role in the administration of this age (see Sir 17:17; 1 En 60.15-21; 89.70-76; Jub. 35:17). There also develops the idea of Satan—often going by the name of Belial, Mastema, prince of darkness or Melchiresha—and the angels under his authority who lead human beings astray. Of special interest is Jub. 15:31-32, where it is said that angels rule the nations and turn them away from God, whereas God alone rules Israel.) In contrast to the angels, the son rules over the eschatological age or the world to come, which has already been inaugurated with the son's exaltation.

    The rest of the argument in Heb 2:5-9 is difficult to follow, but it does make sense if one grants the author's assumptions (see G. Hughes, Hebrews and Hermeneutics, 54-59; W. Loader, Sohn und Hoherpriester, 29-38). He goes on to quote the Jewish scriptures from memory, seemingly without remembering the exact source (The author uses the vague formula: pou tis ("Someone somewhere"), which occurs also in Philo's writings: Ebr. 61; Plant. 90; Deus imm. 74; see also 1 Clem. 15:2). The scriptural text is in fact from LXX Ps 8:5-7, which is somewhat different from the MT text. The MT probably should be translated as "He made him a little less than the angels" (8:6), but the translator of the LXX interpreted the Hebrew text to mean “He made him for a little time less than the angels” (elattosas auton brachu ti par' aggelous). It should be noted, however, that the Hebrew adverb m't can have a temporal meaning ("for a little time") in some contexts, so that the LXX's brachu ti is an alternative interpretive choice not a mistranslation (Exod 17:4; Job 24:24; 32:22; Pss 37:10; 81:14 [15]; Jer 51:33; Hos 1:4; Hag 2:6). The use of the LXX translation allows the author to interpret the psalm messianically as referring to the time period of the son, the Davidic Messiah, on earth before his exaltation over the angels (F.F. Bruce, Hebrews, 35-36; G. Buchanan, To the Hebrews, 38-51; D. Leschert, Hermeneutical Foundations of Hebrews, 79-121). (The author omits the phrase from LXX Ps 8:7a "You placed him over the works of your hands," presumably because this was not relevant to his messianic interpretation of the psalm.) There is no evidence that Ps 8 was interpreted messianically in the second-Temple period or even by the early rabbis. Paul, however, does seem to allude to Ps 8:6 when writing of the subjection of all things to Jesus: "For he has put all things under his feet" (panta gar hupetaxen hupo tous podas autou) (1 Cor 15:27) (see also the citation of Ps 8:2 in Matt 21:16). This means that it is possible that the early church was already interpreting the passage messianically and so the author can assume that his readers will accept Ps 8 as messianic without argumentation. It should also be noted that in 8:5 (LXX 8:6), the MT uses the term elohim, which could mean "God" or "heavenly beings," i.e. angels; the LXX, which the author uses, however, translates elohim as aggeloi ("angels"). What attracted the author to this passage was two phrases: "You made him for a little time less than the angels" and "You crowned him with glory and honor having put everything under his feet." In fact, in Heb 2:9, these two passages frame the name of "Jesus": "We see for a little time made less than the angels Jesus through the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor." (Heb 2:9 is the first reference to the proper name "Jesus," which is assumed to be synonymous with "son.") The author understands "man" and its parallel "son of man" in Ps 8:5-7 as referring to the Davidic Messiah, no longer to human beings generically considered (For the use of "son of man" as a synonym for "man," see Ezekiel, Ps 80:17) (J. Hering, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 15). It could be the case that the author believes that the phrase "son of man," parallel in meaning to "man," allows for a messianic interpretation of this text, since this is a common messianic title used by Jesus in the gospels, although the author himself does not use this messianic title. (This is contrary G. Gäbel, who argues that the idea of the rivalry between angels and human beings stands behind the author's use of Ps 8 [Die Kulttheologie des Hebräerbriefes, 132-63]. See also J. Swetnam, Jesus and Isaac, 137-40; Lane, Hebrews, 1-8, 46-48.) Or perhaps the author is interpreting Jesus messianically as the second Adam (man), as Paul does (1 Cor 15:21-22; Rom 6:2-21). Whatever the case may be, the point made is that, after his temporary subjection to the angels, "man" was crowned with glory and honor, having all things subjected under his feet; according to the author, "man" referred to in this passage is Jesus, the Davidic Messiah, who has been exalted (see 1:3, 13). (See Schröger, Der Verfasser des Hebräerbrief als Schriftausleger, 79-87; F.J. Moloney, "The Reinterpretation of Psalm VIII and the Son of Man Debate," NTS 27 [1981] 656-72.)

    In Heb 2:8, the author makes this point explicit by saying that God has put everything under Jesus' feet and has left nothing not subjected to him, but he adds by way of a qualification, "But now we do not see everything subject to him." No doubt, he means that there is a future dimension to the subjection of all things to Jesus, possibly with Ps 110:1 in mind: "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet." He then explains in Heb 2:9 that unexpectedly and ironically the means by which Jesus was exalted, i.e., "crowned with glory and honor," was the "suffering of death" (to pathêma tou thanatou). The use of the preposition dia + accusation indicates that Jesus' "suffering of death" is the cause of his exaltation. The phrase "suffering of death" means the suffering originating with Jesus' being put to death (genitive of origin). This hearkens back to Heb 1:3b, where the son is said "to have sat at the right hand of the majesty on high," after having made a cleanisng for sin; implicitly Jesus' "suffering of death" is connected to his providing the possibility of this cleansing. Jesus' being "made for a little time less than the angels" includes the necessity of his "suffering of death." In this passage, the author indicates that the purpose (use of conjunction hopôs + subjunctive) of Jesus' "suffering of death" is that by the grace of God he would taste death on behalf of all; this idea of Jesus' vicarious death will be elaborated later in the letter. (On the alternative reading "without God" [chôris theou], the meaning would be that Jesus died in a state of being completely abandoned by God [see J. Elliot, "When Jesus Was Apart from God: An Examination of Hebrews 2:9," ExpT 83 (1972) 339-41].) The phrase "by the grace of God" in this context means "God's gracious design for humanity" as the underlying motive for Jesus' suffering and death. The idiom "to taste death" means to experience death, including the suffering preliminary to death; the author's point is that Jesus fully experienced human suffering and death (see Mark 9:1; John 8:52; 4 Ezra 6:26).

    In summary, the author has again proven that the son is superior to the angels, though he was made for a little time while less than they were for a period of time. The author may have been addressing the "problem" that the son's humanity, suffering and death might be used to prove his inferiority to the angels. In addition, his intended readers perhaps did not have a clear understanding of the salvation-historical importance of Jesus' death and resurrection. They may have viewed Jesus as simply the Davidic Messiah whom God vindicated by raising from the dead. Their view of Jesus may have been restricted to what Peter said about him on the Day of Pentecost: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts 2:36). If so, then they would have attributed no salvation-historical significance to his suffering and death and were not in a position to understand Jesus as High Priest, an important theme developed later in the letter.

Question for Discussion

How do you respond to the author's interpretation of Ps 8? Can you appreciate the messianic interpretation of the psalm?

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