Hebrews 4:12-16

Hebrews 4:12-16
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Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible - KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- Chapter IX, Adversus Judaeos, Tertullian (c. 198)
- Chapter III, The Prescription of Heretics, Tertullian (c. 200)
- II.VI.4, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- I.3, I.23, I.36, Commentary on the Gospel of John, Origen. (c.228)
- VIII.XXXIV, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
- Statement of Faith, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 330.
- Part 31, On the Incarnation of the Word, Athanasius of Alexandria, c. 318.
- From the Geneva Notes.
  - "Lest he appear by the great glory of our High Priest, to prevent us from going to him, he adds after, that he is nonetheless our brother indeed, (as he proved before) and that he counts all our miseries as his own, to call us boldly to him."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  - "In the sight of Infinite Wisdom, it was needful that the Saviour of men should be one who has the fellow-feeling which no being but a fellow-creature could possibly have; and therefore it was necessary he should actual experience of all the effects of sin that could be separated from its actual guilt."
- From Wesley's Notes.
  - "It is God whose word is thus "powerful:" it is God in whose sight every creature is manifest; and of this his word, working on the conscience, gives the fullest conviction."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - "PHILO similarly speaks of "God passing between the parts of Abraham's sacrifices (Ge 15:17, where, however, it is a 'burning lamp' that passed between the pieces) with His word, which is the cutter of all things: which sword, being sharpened to the utmost keenness, never ceases to divide all sensible things, and even things not perceptible to sense or physically divisible, but perceptible and divisible by the word.""
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
  - "A high priest must be in sympathy with those for whom he ministers."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary, Hebrews 4:12-16, Amy L.B. Peeler, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
  - "In a passage that sets a chilling warning immediately before a great comfort, it is God and the audience’s relationship with him that unites the disparate sections. He, ever judge, can also be experienced as the giver of grace."
- Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
- Commentary, Hebrews 4:12-16, Scott Shauf, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
  - "There should be no greater encouragement to us as Christians than that of the mercy and grace God promises to us, mercy and grace that are based on Christ having loved us enough to identify with us to the point of suffering and death."
- "Living Word," "Piercing Word," Steve Garnaas-Holmes, Unfolding Light, 2012.
- Commentary, Hebrews 4:12-16, Pentecost 19, Bryan J. Whitfield, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
  - "Hebrews stresses that the Son's work as high priest joins together these two ideas of claim and succor."
- "First Thoughts on Year B Epistle Passages in the Lectionary," Pentecost 20, William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
  - "Compassion and kindness, grace and mercy, are there when we face our times of need. This is not so much about when we fail, as it is when we face hard times and are confronted with temptations which threaten to overwhelm us."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- "God Knows Our Way," Alan Brehm, The Waking Dreamer, 2009.
  - "As long as we worship a “hidden” God, we may never permanently dispel our doubts about God and salvation. But in the face of our deepest doubts, the idea that Jesus incarnated God means that God really and truly understands what it is like to be fully human. Jesus’ experience of our full humanity assures us that God empathizes with us in every facet of our lives."
- Hebrews 4:9-16, Wandering But Not Lost, Stanley N. Olson, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1985.
- "The Word of God," "Jesus the Great High Priest," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
  - "So then, in the face of our frail humanity, constantly undermining our reliance on Jesus, hold firm to the thread of faith. It is enough."
- "Christ, Our High Priest in Heaven," Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., in Kerux: The Online Journal of Biblical Theology (Reformed).
  - "It doesn't matter how complicated, how desperate, perhaps even hopeless your life has become. No matter how overwhelmed you may feel by your problems, if your trust is in Jesus Christ, you can be sure that he is praying for you now and through that prayer he will provide for you the resources to bring you relief or enable you to carry on."
- "Empathy and the New Testament," L. Ann Jervis, McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry, 2000.
  - "Empathy connotes not just listening to another?s story but also participating in the other?s story, so that the listener not only hears and believes the facts of another?s experience, but actually feels the experience at some level. To have empathy with another is not simply to believe what that person says but to feel along with that person, to participate in that person?s experience. "
- "A Preliminary Exegesis of Hebrews 4:15 with a View Toward Solving the Peccability/Impeccability Issue," Daniel B. Wallace, Dallas Theological Seminary.
  - "It is my conviction, based on several strands of evidence seen throughout the New Testament, that Jesus Christ was incapable of sinning (thus, he was impeccable). But Heb 4:15 must be dealt with if this view is to be maintained."
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Bamberger, Henry, "New Light on the High Priest," Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 1981.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Bouman, Stephen Paul, "Confirming Erik," The Christian Century, 2003.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Cowdery, Ann Hoch, "Hebrews 4:1-13," Interpretation, 1994.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Enns, Peter, "Creation and Re-Creation: Psalm 95 and Its Interpretation in Hebrews 3:1 - 4:13," Westminster Theological Journal, 1993.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Forney, David, "Quieting the Echoes of Sin," Journal for Preachers, 2002.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Galloway, Lewis F., "Hebrews 4:14-5:10," Interpretation, 2003.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Olson, Stanley N., "Wandering But Not Lost," Word & World, 1985. (Section on this text begins on page 429.)
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Rowell, J.B., "Our Great High Priest," Bibliotheca Sacra, 1961.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Smillie, Gene R., "'HO LOGOS TOU THEOU' in Hebrews 4:12-13," Novum Testamentum, 2004.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Smillie, Gene R., "'The Other LOGOS' at the End of Heb. 4:13," Novum Testamentum, 2005.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Smothers, Thomas G., "A Superior Model: Hebrews 1:1-4:13," Review and Expositor, 1985.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Songer, Harold S., "A Superior Priesthood: Hebrews 4:14-7:28," Review and Expositor, 1985.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Wadell, Paul J., "Living by the Word: Mark 10:17-31, Hebrews 4:12-16," The Christian Century, 2009.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Wood, Charles M., "On Being Known," Theology Today, 1987.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Sermons:
- "A Time for Sacrifice: The Sacrifice of Pride," 15 October 2006, Samuel Zumwalt, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
With Children:
- Worshiping with Children, Proper 23B, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
- "Temptation Island," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
Drama:
Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Clip Art, Hebrews 4:15, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
- Commercial Site: "Approach with Boldness," Visual Liturgy/Film, The Work of the People.
Hymns and Music:
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Hebrews 4:12, 14, 15, 16. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymn selections (United Methodist) and more from Hymnsite.com.
- Hymnal Scripture References, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
- At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
Movies Linked at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance, with the following themes:
- Temptation
- Repentance
- Judgment
- Prayer
- See especially "The Full Monty" reviewed by Glen Powell)
Study Links and Resources for the Book of Hebrews