HEB 10:19-20: THE VEIL OF JESUS’ FLESH
Similar perspectives appear in
10:19-20, which mentions 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 (τν εισοδον
των αγιων) by the blood
of Jesus, a new (προσφατον) and living way (οδον), (20) which he made new (ενεκαινεσεν) 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
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 καταπετασμα and σαρξ indicates that “through his flesh” does refer
to the curtain rather 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 of heaven (9:9-10; 10:24). The veil of the tabernacle
separated the two regions. At the time of his death, Jesus left the realm of
his 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” (ενεκαινισεν) a “new” (προσφατον) way into the sanctuary, since his highly priestly
ministry marked the beginning of a new age.
In chap. 9, the lower realm and the
present age were associated with 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 R. Koester, The Dwelling of God: The Tabernacle in the Old
Testament, Intertestamental Jewish Literature, and the New Testament [The
Catholic Biblical Quarterly Monograph Series 22; Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick
Publications, 1989], 164-65)
