Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 65:2 (NA 2014)
Article: Thomas Aquinas On Hebrews The Excellence Of Christ
Author: Dana T. Benesh

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Thomas Aquinas On Hebrews
The Excellence Of Christ1

Dana T. Benesh

([email protected])

Due to the influence of his two great Summae, Thomas Aquinas’ reputation as a ‘systematic’ theologian far surpasses his reputation as a biblical exegete. Yet his commentaries merit attention due to Thomas’ ability to explicate Scripture, his contributions to the development of exegesis, and the fact that his commentaries reflect the same doctrinal and theological concerns as his better-known works. An examination of Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on Hebrews is worthwhile, given the growing interest in pre-modern exegesis as well as the priority that Thomas assigned to the epistle. Organizing the entire corpus of Scripture according to the purposes of God, Thomas orders the Old Testament books in regard to God as king or Father and the New Testament books in regard to Christ and the church. In Thomas’ scheme, Hebrews comes immediately after the four gospels. Among all the epistles, Hebrews is preeminent, according to Thomas, because it reveals the power of the grace of Christ as head of the church. The aim of this dissertation is to understand and appreciate Thomas’ exposition of Hebrews in the context of his theological works and in the context of medieval exegesis.

Thomas’ commentary on Hebrews is a series of lectures on the text, delivered at the University of Paris or at a Dominican school. Thesis chapters on Thomas’ academic and exegetical context consider the exegetical tools and authorities in use during his time and survey his approach to writing biblical commentaries in light of his exegetical heritage. The seminal work of Augustine and the influence of the Victorines are particularly important. Thomas relies primarily on the literal sense of Scripture throughout his commentaries, as the sense best

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suited for instruction and argumentation; the literal sense includes metaphor and figuration. The spiritual senses—allegorical, tropological, and anagogical—have the literal sense as their foundation. Thomas’ method in each lecture is to divide and outline the text of Hebrews; he then discusses textual and lexical issues before moving on to doctrine or theology. Each word, and the placement of each word, matters, leading Thomas to apply grammar, logic, and related Scripture verses in order to examine closely the words and meaning of each phrase and verse.

A discussion of prologues to medieval commentaries addresses their development and concerns, and, for Thomas, their programmatic function. According to his prologue to the Hebrews commentary, the excellence of Christ is the epistle’s s...

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