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Gal. 3: 15.
"No man disannulleth."
I Thess. 4: 8.
"He therefore that despiseth" (twice), margin "rejecteth".
I Tim. 5: 12.
"Have cast off their first faith."
Heb. 10: 28.
"He that despised Moses' law."
Jude 8.
"These . . . . . despise dominion."
We believe that no one after pondering this list of occurrences can avoid the
conclusion that atheteo means "to set aside" or "to annul" as a covenant or a
commandment. The word occurs 57 times in the LXX, and in order that no phase of the
meaning should be left unconsidered we have consulted every reference. We cannot
spare the space to give them here, and it is not necessary. Every occurrence deals either
with rebellion, treachery or the setting aside of covenant obligations. Indeed, in one of
the cases the word stands alone, the word covenant being implied. The same remarks are
true also of athetema (LXX) and athetesis.
Athetesis, this word actually occurring in Heb. 9: 26, occurs nowhere else but in
Heb. 7: 18. There the passage is rendered:
"For there is verily a DISANNULLING of the commandment going before for the
weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For the law made nothing perfect, but the
bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
Chapter 7: is dealing with the failure of Israel's priesthood; the law concerning
priesthood "perfected nothing". Only in the virtue of a "better hope" can any draw nigh
unto God. Chapter 9: 19-28 is dealing with the failure of Israel's sacrifices; the law
concerning sacrifices was a shadow and could not "perfect" those who drew nigh. Only
in the virtue of a "better sacrifice" can any draw nigh to God. The parallel is complete.
Moreover both sections deal with the removal and failure of the Old Covenant:
A |
7: 18. The setting aside (athetesis) of the commandment concerning the priests.
B
| 8: 8. Finding fault with the first Covenant.
A |
9: 26. The setting aside (athetesis) of the sin offering.
B
| 10: 9. Taking away the first Covenant.
It may be objected that where we have inserted "sin-offering" the A.V. says "sin", but
it is recognized by students of Scripture that the word "sin" often stands for the "offering
for sin", and consequently may be so understood here. Heb. 9: 26 is not dealing with
the forgiveness or the putting away of sin, it deals with the abrogation of the sin-offering,
a fact absolutely necessary if Israel were to believe on the Son of God, and to leave the
shadows of the Old Covenant. "He appeared to set aside the sin-offering by the sacrifice
of Himself." The reader has only to read Heb. 10: 4-9 to find abundant confirmation of
this interpretation.
The idea that has been read into this verse by the advocates of Universal
Reconciliation that the offering of Christ was "for the repudiation of sin at the conclusion
of the aeons" does violence to the order of the words in the original and fails to give the
true meaning of athetesis. There is not one single instance in either the New Testament
or the LXX where the word is used in connection with "putting away sin", whereas the