"Gazing Upon the Author and Perfecter of the Faith, Jesus"

Approach to Heb 12,1-3

Abstract

We are already in the middle of the "Year of Faith" that Pope Benedict XVI opened last October. With this proposal he has invited the whole Church to "intensify reflection on the faith in order to help all believers in Christ to make their adherence to the Gospel more conscious and especially at a time of profound change such as the one 1. In line with this ecclesial context is the the biblical-theological contribution that we propose on the passage of Heb 12, 1-3. In fact, the central statement of these verses is the one quoted by the Holy Father in the Apostolic Letter Porta fidei as a guideline for this year: "During this time we will have our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ, "who initiated and makes our faith complete" (Heb 12:2): in him he finds his fulfillment every desire and every longing of the human heart" 2. to deepen the scope of this novel New Testament confession of faith, original of the letter to the Hebrews, since it expresses a the intimate connection between the faith of the believer and the one who is its origin and perfection. First we will concentrate on the aspects grammars of the text, in its structure and literary genre, to offer after the exegetical comment, a relationship between the Christological aspects present in the text and the Christology of the whole letter to the Hebrews.