Ephrem the Syrian : God "tasted death for every one," but, because his immortal nature could not die in the flesh in which he died, he who was dead, as it is, did not die. He did not die because of his nature; he nominally clothed himself with death for his love to us. Since he was superior to death by his nature, death could not approach him. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS John Chrysostom : Then again there is another consolation if indeed He who is hereafter to have all put in subjection under Him, hath Himself also died and submitted to sufferings innumerable. "But," he says, "we see Him who was made a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, for the suffering of death" - then the good things again, - "crowned with glory and honor." Seest thou, how all things apply to Him? For the expression, "a little," would rather suit Him, who was only three days in Hades, but not ourselves who are for a long time in corruption. Likewise also the expression "with glory and honor" will suit Him much more than us. Again, he reminds them of the Cross, thereby effecting two things; both showing His care for them and persuading them to bear all things nobly, looking to the Master. For (he would say) if He who is worshiped of Angels, for thy sake endured to have a little less than the Angels, much more oughtest thou who art inferior to the Angels, to bear all things for His sake. Then he shows that the Cross is "glory and honor," as He Himself also always calls it, saying, "That the Son of Man might be glorified" (John xi. 5); and, "the Son of Man is glorified." (John xii. 23.) If then He calls the sufferings for His servants' sake "glory," much more shouldest thou the sufferings for the Lord. Seest thou the fruit of the Cross, how great it is? fear not the matter: for it seemeth to thee indeed to be dismal, but it brings forth good things innumerable. From these considerations he shows the benefit of trial. Then he says, "That He by the grace of God should taste death for every man." "That by the grace of God," he says. And He indeed because of the grace of God towards us suffered these things. "He who spared not His Own Son," he says, "but delivered Him up for us all." (Rom. viii. 32.) Why? He did not owe us this, but has done it of grace. And again in the Epistle to the Romans he says, "Much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." (Rom. v. 15.) "That by the grace of God He should taste death for every man," not for the faithful only, but even for the whole world: for He indeed died for all; But what if all have not believed? He hath fulfilled His own part. Moreover he said rightly "taste death for every man," he did not say "die." For as if He really was tasting it, when He had spent a little time therein, He immediately arose. By saying then "for the suffering of death," he signified real death, and by saying "superior to angels," he declared the resurrection. For as a physician though not needing to taste the food prepared for the sick man, yet in his care for him tastes first himself, that he may persuade the sick man with confidence to venture on the food, so since all men were afraid of death, in persuading them to take courage against death, He tasted it also Himself though He needed not. "For," He says, "the prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in Me." (John xiv. 30.) So both the words "by grace" and "should taste death for every man," establish this. — Homily on Hebrews 4 Oecumenius : "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels." Paul endeavors to show that what was said applies to Christ, and he says that even if he subjected all things, it does not yet seem to fit him; and yet we showed that ultimately even this will occur; but then that he was made a little lower than the angels, this fits Him rather than us. For he indeed, having been three days in Hades as a man, was a little inferior to the angels, since he was in no way subject to death there; but we, being destroyed for a long time, are not briefly but far more greatly made inferior to the angels. And that to be crowned with glory and honor because of the passion suits Him more than it does us. "because of the suffering of death." Having spoken of the suffering of death, he revealed true death. For it was not an illusion of death, but an active suffering. "crowned with glory and honor." He calls the cross glory and honor. For to make heaven and earth and man and the powers above is not as worthy of God and exceedingly glorious as to deem it worthy to be crucified for us. This he says also comforting them, as if he were saying, "If Christ endured these things for us, what great thing is it if you also endure trials for him?" "so that by the grace of God." For it is by the grace of the Holy Trinity that the Son suffered. For the Father did not give the Son according to obligation, nor did the Son accept it, nor did the Spirit cooperate in the Cross, but everything happened by grace. It is rightly said, "he might taste." For He did not remain in death, but only in a certain manner did He taste it. — The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews Oecumenius : It should be noted that the Nestorians distort the Scripture, and thus they read it in such a way that He tasted death apart from God, constructing this by asserting that Christ had the indwelling of the Word of God and not a union, claiming that His divinity did not accompany Him while He was crucified. Indeed, it has been said, they argue, "Without God he would taste death." But see how a certain orthodox one has responded. First of all, it is stated, χάριτι Θεοῦ, that is, grace or through the grace of God; yet even if it is said as you wish, χωρὶς Θεοῦ, that is, "without God", it must be understood that Christ died without God or except for God for everyone. For he did not die only for men, but also for the heavenly powers, to break down the barrier of separation and unite the lower with the higher. (Eph. 2:14)This is similar to what has been said elsewhere. But when it is said that all things are subjected, it is evident that it is outside of the one who subjected all things to Himself. (1 Cor. 15:28) — The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews Oecumenius : "taste death for everyone." Not only for the faithful, but for the whole world. For even if not all were saved because of their own unbelief, he himself bore his own on behalf of all and for all. And rightly so, "he might taste"; for he did not remain in death, but only in a certain way tasted it; for he immediately rose again. Therefore, in this respect, he is greater than the angels, because he proved to be superior to death. "For it was fitting that he." It was fitting, Paul says, for God and the Father for whom are all things; he is indeed the beginning of all things. "by whom all things exist." For if all things are indeed through him, the Father is the one who created all things, who begot the Creator. "through whom all things exist." See the phrase "through whom," which is placed with the Father. For if there were a decrease, it would belong only to the Son, and it would be added to the Father. But what does the phrase "through whom" mean? Understand this: since he said "through whom all things," so that no one might conceive anything absurd, that he is needed by all; (for the preposition "by" also means something like this, as when we say, "through the man the creation came into being"); he introduced "through whom," explaining that "through" means in this way, "through him," that is, all things having been made by him. Therefore, also concerning the Son, when the phrase "through whom" is said, accept it thus, instead of "by whom." "in bringing many sons." He says that the one who brought them in, in the glory of the only-begotten, through the gift of adoption, the Author of their salvation, their sons, that is, Christ, was perfected through sufferings, in order to show perfect and glorious, as through the cross.And he is a Son, and we are sons; but he is genuine; we, however, are adopted; he saves; we are being saved; we are united with him, and again we are separated; through him, who has brought many sons to glory, we share; through him, the author of their salvation, we are separated. perfected through sufferings; that is, to complete what was lacking in Him. But what was lacking in Christ, as one might think of a man? The immortal part, namely, so that He might have the image continuously. Therefore, the Father fulfilled what was lacking to Him through the resurrection; for having risen, His death no longer has dominion; and through Him, filling all men,(Rom. 6:9) just as the same apostle says elsewhere: "And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." (Heb. 5:9) Thus, the holy Cyril and in the one hundred sixty-fourth chapter of Philalethes. — The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews Origen of Alexandria : We understood the Christ to be the creator, but the Father is greater. He, indeed, who is such great things as "the advocate," "the expiation," "the propitiatory," because he showed compassion "on our weaknesses" in experiencing temptation "in all things" human "in our likeness, without sin," is a "great high priest" who offered himself as the sacrifice offered once for all, not for humans alone, but also for every spiritual being. For "apart from God he tasted death for all." This appears in some copies of the epistle to the Hebrews as "by the grace of God."But whether "apart from God he tasted death for all," he died not only for humans but also for the rest of the spiritual beings, or "by the grace of God he tasted death for all," he died for all apart from God, for "by the grace of God he tasted death for all." And, indeed, it would be strange to declare that he tasted death for human sins but not also for any other creature, besides man, that happened to be in sin—for instance, for the stars, since not even the stars are absolutely pure before God. As we have read in Job, "And the stars are not clean in his sight," unless this was said hyperbolically. For this reason he is a "great high priest," since he restores all things to the kingdom of the Father, causing the things that are lacking in each of the creatures to be supplied, that they may be able to receive the Father's glory. — COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF John 1.255-58 Origen of Alexandria : How is it possible for it to be said by the Apostle concerning God: "the Only One who has immortality"? Let us investigate, and we shall discover, that Christ Jesus tasted death for everyone, except for God. This is how the one God has immortality. — DIALOGUE WITH HERACLIDES Severian of Gabala : He calls it the age to come. Then he adds at last, "we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus made lower than the angels." Then he applies to Jesus the question, "What is man that you are mindful of him?" For the things common to humanity belong to him. But as the Son himself says, "Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings I will establish praise for the sake of your enemies" and "I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers." No one would say that the man God remembered had made "the praise established from the mouth of babes and infants for the sake of your enemies" and "I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers." This one remembered humanity and lowered himself a little lower than the angels. But who is the "man"? Jesus. Because of the suffering of his death, "he was made a little lower than the angels." — FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE Hebrews 2.5-9 Symeon the New Theologian : But let us look, if you will, and examine closely the mystery of the resurrection of Christ our God, the very thing that mystically comes to be in us as we wish, and how in us Christ is buried in us as in a tomb, and how being united to our souls, he rises up and raises us with him. This is the goal of this discussion.Christ our God was hanged upon a cross and nailed upon it the sin of the world, tasting death and descending to the lower parts of Hades. Then again, rising from Hades he returned to his own undefiled body, from which in his descent he was in no way separated. And immediately he arose from the dead and went up from there to heaven with great glory and power. So we now come from the world and enter through the sufferings of the Lord into a repentance and humiliation of burial like his, who himself came down from heaven and took on our body as a tomb, and united with our souls he raises them from the dead, which most surely they were. Then he permits those who were raised with Christ to see the glory of his mystical resurrection. — DISCOURSE 13.2 Theodore of Mopsuestia : Jesus is a man. For "what is man that you are mindful of him?" Yet the apostle asserts that this passage refers to Jesus, for he says, "We see him who was made a little lower than the angels, Jesus." What then do we conclude? The man Jesus was like all humans and differed in no way from those whose nature he shares, save that to him a grace was given. The grace that was given does not change his nature. But after death was destroyed, "God gave him the name which is above every name." The one who gave is God. The one to whom it was given is the man Jesus Christ, the first fruits of those who are raised. For he is the "firstborn from the dead." Therefore, he ascended and sits at the right hand of the Father and is above all. — FRAGMENTS ON THE TREATISE ON THE INCARNATION 2 Theodore of Mopsuestia : Some suffer something very laughable here, changing "without God" and making it to read "by the grace of God," not following the Scripture's train of thought. Owing to their failure to understand that he once said, "without God," they erase it to no profit and put in what seems satisfactory to their opinion. Yet what notion would be suggested by Paul inserting "by the grace of God"? And what train of thought would lead him to this? For it is not his custom to append "by the grace of God" capriciously, but always there is some logical train of thought involved. For example, he talks about grace when he, talking about his experience, adds, "by the grace of God I am what I am." Or when it is his task to speak concerning God's love for humankind and that God has done all things, even though we are not worthy to obtain them, as is contained in his statement, "By grace you have been saved," … he appends, "And this not of your own doing, it is the gift of God, not because of works, lest any one should boast." Clearly he shows through this, that he is speaking concerning the grace of God, which he showed on behalf of all people. But in Hebrews Paul is discussing what is being set forth by him concerning Christ, what sort of person he is and how he differs from the angels (the starting point of his discussion), and in what respect he seems to be lower than them because of his death. What need was there then for him to say, "by the grace of God"? It is out of place for him to speak concerning his goodness concerning us.Instead, the line of argument shows this to be the case when he says, "without God he tasted death," since his divinity was not hindered in this respect, and therefore he showed a diminution "for a short time" from his usual state. He appears also here to share the honor because of his connection with the other nature. It is most natural that those who have heard these things would think that the indwelling of the Word of God would be spectacular at the time of his suffering, even though this does not correspond with the things that have been set forth. Yet "without" God he tasted the trial of death, he adds, "For it was fitting for him, on whose account all things exist and through whom all things exist, having led many sons into glory while he was the originator of their salvation to be made perfect through suffering." It is not that his divinity was not a contributor, he says. For the usual things "were fitting." … For, let me tell you, the fact of suffering in no way was appropriate for it. But clearly this "it was fitting" confirms the notion of "without God." For although it was not fitting, Paul himself says that it is fitting, showing at the same time also what sort of things he once did, and what they were. "For it was fitting for him, because of whom and through whom all things exist." Quite clearly he is speaking about the divine Word, inasmuch as he shared with many his sonship and led them into this glory. He is the "originator" of everybody's "salvation," our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the one who is said flatly to have been accepted as a perfect man through his sufferings, so that also Christ's nature and God's grace might be made manifest. — FRAGMENTS ON THE EPISTLE TO THE Hebrews 2.9-10 Theodore of Mopsuestia : In this account of the sonship, the apostle appears to include the man who was assumed with the "many," not because, like them, he received the sonship by grace, since the Godhead alone possesses the sonship by nature. — FRAGMENTS ON THE TREATISE ON THE INCARNATION 12.2 Theodoret of Cyrus : Since Paul called him both maker and Lord of the angels, and this seemed somehow beyond belief to those being taught that the nature of the angels is immortal and yet hearing of the passion of Christ the Lord, he was obliged to offer instruction on this as well. He was made less than the angels not in the divine nature but in his suffering humanity; this shared in divine glory after the resurrection. Of course, he endured the suffering for all: everything in possession of created nature needed this healing. He said as much, in fact, "so that apart from God he would taste death for everyone," only the divine nature is without need (he is saying); all other things needed the remedy of the incarnation. By becoming man God the Word destroyed the power of death; in destroying it he promised us resurrection, to resurrection he linked incorruptibility and immortality, and visible things also will share in incorruptibility. — INTERPRETATION OF Hebrews 2