Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Craig Koester on Hebrews 10:19-20 and the Veil of Jesus' Flesh

 

HEB 10:19-20: THE VEIL OF JESUS’ FLESH

 

Similar perspectives appear in 10:19-20, which mention the tabernacle veil and introduces the exhortations that conclude the discussion of Jesus’ high priestly ministry

 

(10:19) Therefore brethren, since we have boldness for a way into the sanctuary (την εισοδον των αγιων) by the blood of Jesus, a new (προσφατον) and living way (οδον), (2) which he made new (ενεχαινισεν) for us through the veil, that is through his flesh . . . (22) let us draw near with a true heart . . .

 

Only in this passage does the author equate the tabernacle veil with Jesus’ flesh. Because the image is unusual and becomes unintelligible when pressed into a full typology, some interpreters have argued that the words “through his flesh” actually refer to the “way” or to the whole of v. 20a, not to the veil. James Moffatt, however, has rightly called the reference to Jesus’ flesh a “daring poetical touch” which should not be taken as a full typology. Moreover, the word order, and the parallel use of genitive case for χαταπετασμα and σαρξ indicates that “through his flesh” does refer to the curtain than to the way, a conclusion which is consistent with the appositional use of τουτ’ εστιν elsewhere in the epistle (2:14; 7:5; 9:11; 13:15; cf. 10:20).

 

By identifying Jesus’ flesh with the veil, the author recalls the spatial interpretation of the tabernacle that appeared in chap. 9. There the author identified the forecourt of the tabernacle with the realm of the flesh, and the holy of holies with the realm of the conscience or heaven (9:9-10, 24). The veil of the tabernacle separated the two regions. At the time of his death, Jesus left the realm of the flesh and entered the heavenly realm, where he offered the sacrifice that purifies the conscience (9:14; 10:22).

 

The emphasis on the newness of the way also recalls the temporal contrasts of Hebrews 9, where the tabernacle’s forecourt was “the present time” and the holy of holies was the new age (9:9, 11, 26). The author stresses that Jesus “made new” (ενεχαινισεν) a “new” (προσφατον) way into the sanctuary, since his high priestly ministry marked the beginning of a new age.

 

In chap. 9, the lower realm and the present age were associated with the Mosaic statues (9:9-10). The verses surrounding 10:19-20 also relegate the Mosaic law to a time that has passed and an inferior realm. The law prescribed various offerings for sin, but Christ abolished them and instituted a new covenant, so that there is no longer any offering for sin (10:8, 16-18). The new covenant, unlike the Mosaic covenant, is inscribed on the heart and mind, which, like the conscience, is associated with a higher realm of being (10:22). By his sacrificial death, Jesus moved beyond the realm of the Mosaic law, making it possible for his followers to do the same. (Craig Koester, The Dwelling of God: The Tabernacle in the Old Testament, Intertestamental Jewish Literature, and the New Testament [Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series 22; Washington, D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1989], 164-65)