Thomas Aquinas Commentary Hebrews 1:10-12

"And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of thy hands: They shall perish; but thou continuest: And they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up, As a garment, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, And thy years shall not fail." — Hebrews 1:10-12 (ASV)

Previously, the Apostle mentioned four ways in which Christ excelled the angels, and he has already proven two of them: that Christ excels them because He is the Son and because He is the heir. Now he proves the third point: that Christ excels them in His power to act, because through Him the Father made the world. The Apostle proves this on the authority of the same prophet.

In this regard, he does two things. First, he shows the power of Christ's activity as Creator. Second, he shows the difference between the Creator and the creature. Concerning the first point, he again does two things: first, he describes the creation of the earth, and second, the creation of the heavens (v. 10b).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that this can be interpreted in two ways. In one way, it can be taken as a word from the prophet directed to the Father. It is as if to say: You, Lord—that is, God the Father—founded the earth in the beginning, meaning in your Son, who is the beginning: “I am the beginning, who also speak to you” (John 8:25). This is the same as saying: You founded the earth through the Son, as in, “You have made all things in your wisdom” (Psalms 103:24). But the Son is Wisdom begotten; hence, the Apostle earlier called him the splendor of His glory. What he says here corresponds to what he said before: through whom He also made the world.

Alternatively, it can be interpreted as a word directed to the Son, as if to say: And you, O Lord, founded the earth in the beginning—that is, at the beginning of time. This excludes the opinion of those who say the world is eternal. Or, it means “in the beginning” of the production of things, which excludes the opinion of those who say that bodily things were not created with spiritual things, but after them. As Scripture says, “In the beginning God created heaven and earth” (Genesis 1:1), and, “He that lives forever created all things together” .

It should be noted that the earth can be distinguished from heaven in three ways. First, “earth” can be understood as the element of earth, and “heaven” as the higher bodies. Just as Moses did not mention the air because it exists with water, so here “heaven” is understood to include the sky itself and the other two elements, air and fire, which most resemble the nature of the heavens, as is clear from their place. This is the way Moses took it (Genesis 1:1).

He says, you founded, to show three things that pertain to the earth. First, the earth’s rest, for all other things share in motion, but the earth alone, in its totality, remains motionless. It is as if to say: You have founded, meaning firmly established it: “Who has founded the earth upon its own bases” (Psalms 103:5). Second, to show the permanence of the world, for the foundation of a building is its most enduring part: “But the earth remains for ever” (Ecclesiastes 1:4). In this sense, he says, You have founded, meaning you have established it forever. Third, to show the order of the earth; because just as the foundation, which is the first part of a building, is below, so the earth holds the lowest place among the elements: “My hand also has founded the earth” (Isaiah 48:13); “His hands formed the dry land” (Psalms 94:5).

He does not say, “You made the heavens,” but the works of your hands are the heavens, because that which a person makes with his hands, he seems to make with greater care. Consequently, he speaks this way to signify their nobility and beauty: “My right hand measured the heavens” (Isaiah 48:13).

Second, “earth” can be understood as all bodily nature, with its matter being the place and foundation of forms, while “heavens” can be understood as spiritual substances: “Praise him, you heavens of heavens” (Psalms 148:5). And these are the works of His hands because He made them in His own image and likeness.

Third, “earth” can refer to the imperfect in the Church, who are the foundation of the others (for if there were no active life in the Church, the contemplative life could not exist), and “heavens” can refer to the contemplatives. These were made in the Church in the beginning, that is, by the Son: “I have placed my words in your mouth, that you might found the earth”—that is, the imperfect—“and plant the heavens” (Isaiah 51:16).

Regarding the heavens, the author says, the works of your hands are the heavens. He says this, and not simply “you made the heavens,” for four reasons:

1. First, to exclude the error of those who say that God is the soul of the world and that, consequently, the whole earth and its parts should be worshipped as God, as idolaters did. But he excludes this when he says, the works of your hands are the heavens. It is as if to say: They are not proportioned to you as the body is to the soul, but they are subject and proportioned to your power and will: “Lest perhaps, lifting up your eyes to heaven, you see the sun and the moon and all the stars of heaven, and being deceived by error, you adore them” (Deuteronomy 4:19).
2. Second, to designate the dignity and beauty of the heavens, because we say that we make that with our hands which we make carefully. Therefore, to show that the heavens were made by divine wisdom in a more excellent way than the other bodily creatures, he says, the works of your hands are the heavens. This is clear, because the diversity in these lower things can be traced to the disposition of the matter, but the diversity of heavenly bodies can be traced only to divine wisdom. That is why, whenever mention is made of the creation of the heavens, prudence and understanding or something of that sort are also mentioned: “The Lord has established the heavens by prudence” (Proverbs 3:19); “Who made the heavens in understanding” (Psalms 135:5).
3. Third, to show that the divine power of the Creator is more striking in the heavens, for there is nothing in creatures in whose condition so much of God’s power appears. This is because of their magnitude and order: “For by the greatness of the beauty and of the creature, the Creator of them may be seen” .
4. Fourth, to show that of all bodies the heavenly body receives God’s influence more directly: “Do you know the order of heaven, and can you set down the reason thereof on the earth?” (Job 38:33). It is as if to say: “If you consider carefully the disposition of the heavens, you cannot attribute the cause of its order to any earthly thing, but to God.”

Alternatively, this can be explained so that by “earth” is meant all bodily matter, and by “heavens,” spiritual substances. Then the sense is this: In the beginning of time you founded the earth, that is, corporeal matter; you have established it as the foundation of forms. This is the way to understand the statement of Psalm 148:7: “Praise the Lord from the earth, you dragons and all you deeps.” But the heavens, that is, spiritual substances—“Praise him, you heavens of heavens” (Psalms 148:4)—are the works of your hands, because you made them in your image and likeness.

A third explanation is that “earth” is understood to mean the lowly ones in the Church. They are said to be founded because they are, as it were, the foundation of the others, for unless there were active members in the Church, the contemplatives would have no subsistence. But the “heavens”—the contemplatives and more perfect—are the work of your hands, that is, endowed with a more outstanding excellence: “The heavens published the glory of God” (Psalms 18:2); “Hear, O you heavens, and give ear” (Isaiah 1:2).

Then (v. 11) he shows the difference between Creator and creature, and this in regard to two things which are proper to the Creator: the first is eternity; the second is immutability (v. 11c). In regard to the first he does two things: first, he puts a limitation on the creature; second, no limitation on God (v. 11b).

He says, therefore: they—that is, the heavens—shall perish. But Ecclesiastes 1:4 says that “the earth stands forever.” It seems, therefore, that the earth will last longer than the heavens. I answer according to Augustine and the Philosopher that in every change there is a coming into being and a passing away. Therefore, when he says that the heavens shall perish, this is not to be understood of their substance—concerning which Job 37:18 says, “The heavens are most strong, as if they were of molten brass”—but of the state they now have: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1); “The fashion of this world passes away” (1 Corinthians 7:31).

But how will they change their state? In various ways. The higher heavens are moving in regard to place but are not altered, whereas the lower heavens—namely, fire and air—are moved, altered, and subject to corruption. Therefore, the state of all the heavens is changeable. But in the end, movement will cease in the higher heavens and corruption in the lower heavens, because the air will be purged by fire: “But the heavens and the earth which exist now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (Psalms 101:13).

Here he shows the permanence of the Creator. It is as if to say: “In you there is no change nor shadow of change” (James 1:17). This can be understood of Christ as man: “Jesus Christ, yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Then (v. 11b) he shows the difference between God and creature with regard to immutability. In this regard he does two things: first, he mentions the mutability of the creature; second, the immutability of God (v. 12b). Concerning the first, he does two things: first he describes the nature of the creature’s mutability; second, he mentions that mutability (v. 12).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that “old” and “new” are consequences of time. Hence, only that which is somehow measured by time can grow old, whereas a mobile thing is measured by the “now” of time. Therefore, newness and oldness can be found in the heavens. But the heavens do not grow old as though their substance shrinks or is changed into something else, but only in regard to the length of time by which they will no longer be measured. Therefore, he says, as a garment shall you change them, not as though the cause of their change will be the loss of their power. For if the motion of the heavens ceased from a lack of power, that cessation would have a natural cause and could be determined by natural reason, the contrary of which is stated in Matthew 24:36: “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but the Father alone.”

Therefore, this motion will cease for the sake of some end. All bodily creatures are ordered toward spiritual creatures, and all changes that serve generation and corruption are ordered toward the generation of humanity. Therefore, when the generation of humans ceases—that is, when the number of the elect and predestined is filled—that motion will cease. Hence, it is called a garment, which is put on to be used and cast off when it can be used no more. Just as a person removes a warm garment in summer and a cool one with the coming of winter, so the state of the world, which is now adjusted to that end, will no longer be adjusted when the number of the elect is filled. Then it will be cast aside as a garment: “Heaven and earth shall pass away” (Luke 21:33).

Then he states that mutability when he says, and as a garment shall you change them—that is, the heavens. He rightly says, you shall change them, because they will not be changed by their own power or of themselves, but by God’s power. They will be changed from motion like a garment that is put on for use and, after it is used, is put off as the seasons require. He says, a garment, because a person’s glory is both disclosed and hidden by a garment. So, too, God is both revealed and hidden by creatures: “The invisible things of God from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood” (Romans 1:20); “For by the greatness of the beauty of the creature, the Creator of them may be seen” .

He says, they shall be changed, because they will remain changed forever. The same is true of the spiritual heavens, which will perish from the present life through the death of the body: “We all die and like waters that return no more, we fall down into the earth” (2 Samuel 14:14); “The just perishes, and no man lays it to heart” (Isaiah 57:1). Likewise, they shall fail, because as it says below (Hebrews 8:13): “That which decays and grows old is near its end.” And you shall change them—namely, their bodies, when this corruptible thing puts on incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:53)—and they shall be changed—namely, as to their mind, when they pass from seeing in a dark manner to seeing face to face: “All the days in which I am now in warfare I expect until my change come” (Job 14:14).

Then he mentions God’s immutability when he says, but you are the same. Here he does two things: first, he states his intention; second, he shows this by a sign: and your years will never end. He says, therefore, they shall perish, but you—namely, the Son of God—are the same, meaning you continue the same and are never changed: “I am the Lord and I change not” (Malachi 3:6); “With whom there is no change nor shadow of alteration” (James 1:17). He gives the sign of this immutability when he says, your years will never end. Here it should be noted that God’s “years” are His duration, just as a person’s years are. But a person’s duration fails in two ways: first, in its parts, because since a person is temporal, one part succeeds another, and when one part arrives, the previous one fails; second, as a whole, because it ceases altogether. But neither of these failures is found in God’s duration, because He continues forever, and the “parts” of His duration are eternal and all exist together without succession: “The number of his years cannot be computed” (Job 36:26).

But if His duration is one and unchangeable, why does the text say “years” in the plural and not “year” in the singular? The reason is that our intellect gains its knowledge of intelligible realities from sensible things, because all our knowledge is drawn from the senses. Hence, even God, who is absolutely simple, is described under the likeness of bodily things: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, lofty and elevated” (Isaiah 6:1). So, too, His duration is described by us in terms familiar to us, even though it is uniform and simple. For this reason, it is sometimes called a year, and sometimes a day or a month, because it includes all of time’s differences.