Fragment on Hebrews

Name: Fragment on Hebrews
Author: Didymus the Blind

Fragmentum in Hebraeos

Didymus the Blind (c. 313–c. 398 AD)

Didymus the Blind (c. 313–c. 398) is the author of this fragment on Hebrews. It is not Severian's fragments on that letter.

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Contents3 passages

1The Superior Nature of Christ
2The Creator vs the Created
3Christ's Union with the Created Flesh

Author

Didymus the Blind (c. 313–c. 398 AD) — Blind from early childhood, he taught at Alexandria for decades; Jerome and Rufinus studied with him. He followed Origen in reading Scripture and was condemned with him in 553, so many of his works survive only in fragments.

All works by Didymus the Blind

About this text

A few lines on Hebrews 1 by Didymus the Blind: all creation, the angels included, worships Christ, and since Scripture forbids the worship of a creature, Christ is the Creator, who also took created flesh.

He argues that if all creation worships Christ, Christ is not a creature. The fragment then speaks of Christ's union with created flesh.

A reader needs the line in which the angels worship the Son, and the difference between the Creator and a creature. The citations use the old names of the biblical books.

Printed text used

Translated from PG (Greek)

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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The Superior Nature of Christ§1

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1If all created nature worships Christ—for through the designation of the angels he signifies a nature superior in reason, just as it was once said in some passage concerning the angels: 'Sit at my right hand' (Ps 110:1); and he is above this—and the word of the scriptures forbade worshiping a creature, saying: 'lest, looking up into heaven and seeing the sun and the moon and the stars and all the cosmos of heaven, going astray, you worship them' (Deut 4:19). Since worshiping these is forbidden, so also for the other creatures, even if any should happen to be highly ascended. As has been said before, it is fitting to be confirmed that it is not a creature but the Creator who is Christ, even if for our sake he united to himself the created flesh, having obtained a soul rational and intelligent, and thus he is worshiped as God by all the creation (Heb 1:6).

To all belongs time, and an opportune time to every single thing under the heaven.

Greek · §1

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The Creator vs the Created§2

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2heaven, and seeing the sun and the moon and the stars and all the world of heaven, having been led astray, you will worship them. But as he is forbidden to worship these, so also to the other creatures, even if one should happen to be highly exalted. As also has been said before, it is proper to confirm that it is not the creature but the Creator who is to be worshipped.

Greek · §2

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Christ's Union with the Created Flesh§3

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3Christ, even if for our sake he united to himself the created flesh, having been granted a soul both rational and intelligent, and thus being worshiped as God by all of creation.

Time for all things, and an opportune time for every single thing under the heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

Greek · §3

The Greek is on each section page: §3

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