Thomas Aquinas Commentary Hebrews 5:8-14

"though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him the author of eternal salvation; named of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that some one teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But solid food is for fullgrown men, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil." — Hebrews 5:8-14 (ASV)

Having listed three things that belong to a high priest and shown that two of them were fulfilled in Christ—namely, the office and the proper way of attaining it—the Apostle now considers the third requirement: mercy and compassion. In this regard, he does two things: first, he shows what Christ suffered; second, he shows what benefits resulted for others .

The Apostle has stated that a high priest must be able to have compassion, and now he shows that Christ is such a high priest. Since He is the Son of God from all eternity, He could not suffer or have compassion in His divine nature. Therefore, He assumed a human nature in which He could suffer and show compassion. This is what the Apostle means when he says that although Christ was a Son from all eternity, He learned obedience in time.

But only the ignorant can learn, while Christ, being God, had the fullness of knowledge from the very instant of His conception as a man. Therefore, He was not ignorant of anything and, as a result, could not learn in the ordinary sense. I answer that knowledge is of two kinds. The first is intellectual knowledge, and in this respect, the objection is valid because He was not ignorant of anything. But there is also knowledge gained by experience, and it is in this way that He learned obedience. The Apostle says, He learned obedience through what he suffered, meaning He experienced it.

The Apostle speaks this way because one who learns something comes to it voluntarily. Christ voluntarily accepted our weakness; therefore, the author says that He “learned obedience.” He learned how difficult it is to obey because He obeyed in the most challenging circumstances, even to the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8). This shows how difficult the good of obedience is. Those who have not experienced obedience or learned it in difficult situations believe it is very easy. But to truly know what obedience is, one must learn to obey in hard things, and one who has not learned to submit himself by obeying does not know how to rule others well. Therefore, although Christ knew what obedience is through His divine intellect, He nevertheless learned it experientially from the difficult things He suffered in His passion and death. As it is written, By the obedience of one many shall be made just (Romans 5:19).

Then, when he says, and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, he mentions the fruit of His Passion, both in Christ and in His members. In Christ, the fruit was glorification. Hence, he says, and being made perfect. From the instant of His conception, Christ was perfectly complete in the happiness of His soul, as it was drawn to God. But He still had a nature that could suffer, although after His Passion He could not suffer. Therefore, because He was now completely perfect in this respect, He could perfect others, for it is the nature of a perfect thing to be able to produce its like. Because He arrived at that consummation through the merit of obedience—as it is written, The obedient man shall speak of victory (Proverbs 21:28)—He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, not temporal but eternal: Israel is saved by the Lord with an eternal salvation (Isaiah 45:17).

Therefore he says, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedech.

Then he prepares the souls of his hearers for what is to follow. In this regard, he does two things: first, he points out their slowness; secondly, he states his intention (see chapter 6). Regarding the first point, he shows the importance of what is to be said, and then he shows their slowness to understand it.

He says, therefore: I have said that Christ was called a high priest, and About this we have much to say. As it is written, Hear, for I will speak of great things (Proverbs 8:6). They are great because they deal with the salvation of souls: A faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). About this we have much to say which is hard to explain, meaning that it cannot be perfectly explained, for no words can express the things of Christ: Glorify the Lord as much as you ever can, for he will yet far exceed, and his magnificence is wonderful. Blessing the Lord, exalt him as much as you can, for he is above all praise . Alternatively, we have much to say which is hard to explain means it needs to be interpreted because of its height, magnitude, and depth: He shall understand a parable and the interpretation, the words of the wise and their mysterious saying (Proverbs 1:6). For the interpretation of Scripture is listed among the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10).

It also needs to be interpreted because of our slowness: you have become dull of hearing. Those who are weak in intellect cannot understand profound things unless they are explained in detail: I have yet many things to say to you: but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12); I could not speak to you as to spiritual, but as to carnal (1 Corinthians 3:1).

Then he shows that their slowness is culpable. He does three things: first, he mentions the sin of slowness; secondly, he applies a simile; thirdly, he explains it (starting in verse 13).

Slowness is a sin when a person has been listening for a long time, though it is not a sin for a recent hearer. Negligence is not without sin. Therefore, the Apostle says, for though by this time you ought to be teachers of others, considering the time during which you have heard the law and the prophets—Search the Scriptures, for you think in them to have life everlasting (John 5:39)—as well as Christ Himself, the apostles, and many converted by them: Have I been so long a time with you, and have you not known me? (John 14:9).

Yet, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God’s word. The principles are the first things taught in grammar, namely, the letters themselves. Therefore, the beginnings of the words of God, the first principles and elements, are the articles of faith and the precepts of the Decalogue. If a person studied theology for a long time and failed to learn these, that time would count against him. Therefore, he says, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of God’s word. This is like being one who is Ever learning and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7); For the child shall die one hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be left accursed (Isaiah 65:20).

Next, he describes their situation with a simile. It should be noted that sacred doctrine is like the food of the soul: With the bread of life and understanding she shall feed him , and also, They that eat me shall yet hunger, and they that drink me shall yet thirst . Sacred doctrine, therefore, is food and drink because it nourishes the soul. Other sciences only enlighten the soul, but this one both enlightens—The commandment of the Lord is full of light, enlightening the eyes (Psalms 19:8)—and nourishes and strengthens it.

But in bodily food, there is a difference: children use one kind of food and adults another. Children use milk, as it is thinner, more suited to their nature, and easily digestible; but adults use more solid food. So it is in Sacred Scripture: beginners should listen to easy things, which are like milk, but the learned should hear more difficult things. Therefore, he says, you need milk, like children: As newborn babes, desire the rational milk without guile, that thereby you may grow to salvation (1 Peter 2:2); I gave you milk to drink, not meat (1 Corinthians 3:2). And this is what follows: and not solid food, which is lofty doctrine concerning the mysteries and secrets of God, which strengthen and confirm the soul.

Then he explains the simile: first, he explains what he said about milk; secondly, what he said about solid food (in verse 14). Regarding the first, he gives the explanation and then the reason behind it.

He says, therefore: I say that you need milk like little children, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. This means that everyone who must be nourished with milk is unskilled and cannot fully grasp the word of righteousness: unless your justice abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20). But children do not partake of such things: Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand the hearing? Them that are weaned from the milk, that are drawn away from the breasts (Isaiah 28:9).

But the Apostle had taught them many difficult things, namely, the mystery of the Trinity, the sacrament of the Incarnation, and many other lofty subjects. Therefore, either they were not children, or such things should not have been taught to children. I answer, according to Augustine, that in the teachings of faith we should not suppose that some things are taught to the mature and other things to the immature, for there is not such a difference between them. The same things should be presented to both. But for the little ones, these truths should be merely proposed, not explained or expanded upon, because their minds would falter instead of being elevated.

According to a Gloss, an example of milk would be that the Word was made flesh. But that seems just as hard to understand as that the Word was with God. Augustine says that the latter is found in Plato’s works, but not the former. But, said Augustine, Plato could not have suspected something contained in the mystery of the Word made flesh. I answer that to know by simple faith that the Word was made flesh is quite easy, because it can be imagined and, to a certain extent, perceived by the senses. But that the Word was with God is something that transcends all sensing and can be grasped by reason alone, and only with great difficulty.

Then he gives the reason when he says, for he is a child. This does not mean a child in age but in understanding. A person can be a little child in humility: You have revealed them to little ones (Matthew 11:25); in age: As long as the heir is a child, he differs nothing from a servant (Galatians 4:1); or in understanding: Do not become children in sense, but in malice be children and in sense be perfect (1 Corinthians 14:20). It is in this last way that “child” is meant here.

Then, when he says, but solid food is for the mature, he explains what he had said about solid food. This is evident in bodily food: when a man reaches maturity, he uses stronger, nobler, and more solid food. Likewise, when a spiritual person has reached spiritual perfection, a more solid doctrine should be proposed to him. But perfection is of two kinds. One is perfection of intellect, when a person has the wisdom to discern and judge correctly about matters proposed to him. The other is perfection of love, which charity produces, and it is present when a person adheres entirely to God. Hence, after laying down the precepts of charity, the Lord continues, Be you, therefore, perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48). But perfection of charity, as Augustine says, is present when there is no covetousness. For the closer a person comes to God, the more he scorns temporal things: For what have I in heaven? and besides you what do I desire upon earth? For you my flesh and my heart have fainted away: you are the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever (Psalms 73:25–26).

The doctrine of Sacred Scripture contains matters not only for speculation, as in geometry, but also matters to be accepted by the will. Hence it is stated in Matthew 5:19: He that shall do and teach, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, in the other sciences it is enough that they perfect a person’s intellect, but in this one it is required that he be perfected in both intellect and will. Lofty mysteries should be proposed to the mature: However, we speak wisdom among the perfect (1 Corinthians 2:6). A person judges things according to his own disposition; thus, an angry person judges one way when he is angry and another way when he is calm. Similarly, an incontinent person judges that something is good when he is passionate, and otherwise when the passion has subsided. Consequently, the Philosopher says that as a person is, so his end appears to him. Because the things taught in Sacred Scripture pertain to the will and not only to the intellect, a person must be perfect in both. Therefore, the Apostle, desiring to show who the mature are to whom solid food should be given, says that they are those who have their faculties trained by practice.

He speaks properly here because, as the Philosopher says, the intellect, when it judges what to desire and what to do, is considered a sense because it deals with particular things. Hence the word “sense” is not used here to refer to an external sense. Therefore, one who “senses” the things of God is perfect: Let us, therefore, as many as are perfect, be thus minded (Philippians 3:15); But we have the sense of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). But those who sense only carnal things cannot be pleasing to God, as is clear in Romans (see Romans chapter 8).

The second thing to consider is the disposition of the one who has this sense: he should be exercised. Exercise yourself unto godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). One who is not exercised cannot form a correct judgment, which is required for perfection: A man that has much experience shall think of many things . On the other hand, one who is inexperienced knows few things.

Thirdly, the cause of this exercise is custom, not idleness but an abundance of activity. Hence, he says it comes by custom, namely, the custom of acting properly: A young man according to his way, even when he is old, he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6). Therefore, if you wish to be perfect, do not give yourself to idleness, but accustom yourself to what is good from your youth.

Fourthly, the end of this exercise is to distinguish good from evil. A person is perfect when he discerns between good and evil, between good and better, and between evil and worse. For many things seem good but are really evil: There is a way which seems just to a man: but the ends thereof lead to death (Proverbs 14:12). It is in these matters, therefore, that correct judgment is needed.