Listen, Understand, Obey

Essays on Hebrews in Honor of Gareth Lee Cockerill

Caleb T. Friedeman, Friedeman

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781498278546
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

This volume brings together a diverse group of scholars, including biblical, systematic, and historical theologians, to honor Gareth Lee Cockerill, longtime professor of New Testament at Wesley Biblical Seminary (Jackson, MS) and distinguished scholar of the book of Hebrews. The essays focus on various aspects of Hebrews' theology, ranging from the nature of "rest" in Hebrews to the interpretation of Hebrews in early Methodism. Readers will find resources to hear and comprehend Hebrews afresh and will be challenged to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence (Heb 4: 16).

1

The Use of Psalm 8 in Hebrews

Rick Boyd

I met Dr. Gareth Lee Cockerill at a 2006 conference on Hebrews and Theology in St. Andrews, Scotland as I was beginning to prepare for my doctoral thesis on Hebrews. Following the opening morning session, as we moved en masse toward the cafeteria, Gary came up to me, asked who I was, and offered to buy me lunch. I got to know Gary that day because that is the kind of person he is. He manifests the very character of Christ, taking the initiative and offering grace to those who are strangers to him. Gary and I became friends that day because he put his arm around me both literally and metaphorically, and we now serve together as colleagues at Wesley Biblical Seminary.

Because of our close association through the book of Hebrews, I was honored to be asked to contribute a chapter in this tribute to Gary, specifically related to our common interest in the pastor’s message.1 It is with profound gratitude that I dedicate this study to my dean, mentor, and brother, Dr. Gareth Lee Cockerill.

Introduction

Hebrews is generally regarded as containing the most sophisticated use of Greek in the NT. The author’s craftsmanship is evident at every turn. Included among his2 mastery of the Greek is his use of Ps 8 in the second chapter. This is a much debated passage, specifically as it pertains to the interpretation of the appropriated psalm. The key question is whether the author uses Ps 8 christologically, anthropologically, or perhaps both. The answer to this question has repercussions related to what may be the central theme of the book, and it is the subject of this brief essay.

In the following pages I will consider the use of Ps 8 in Hebrews in terms of its various hermeneutical emphases. I will begin by surveying the interpretation of Ps 8 in early Judaism and the NT with an eye to Hebrews, and will go on to argue that Hebrews’ interpretation and appropriation of the psalm is eschatological, teleological, and filial in nature, involving both Christ and humanity. I will then conclude with some reflections on the importance of the author’s hermeneutical approach and its implications for the interpretation of Hebrews and the resulting Christian praxis.

Historical Interpretation of Psalm 8

Until the first century, Ps 8 generally had been understood as a reflection on creation, although as Mark Stephen Kinzer notes, “there are few explicit references to Ps 8 in ancient Jewish literature outside the rabbinic and Christian canon.”3 The psalm was appropriated in celebration of the exalted position the human had been given by the creator,4 a position as ruler of God’s creation,5 specifically as ruler of the animals, birds, and sea creatures (8:7–9).6

However, in the Second Temple period the interpretation of Ps 8 began to shift toward an eschatological hope related to the anticipated restoration of Israel and a “second Adam.”7 Israel, emerging from the exile and in the midst of varying degrees of oppression by other nations, was looking for God’s promise of the restoration of his people, and Ps 8 spoke to that expectation. Israel waited with increased anticipation for the coming Messiah who would be the instrument to realize the promises God had made to his people. Psalm 8 reinforced that hope by referring to the glory with which “Adam” was once crowned, a glory to be restored in the coming days.8

This hermeneutical shift in the understanding of Ps 8 may have contributed an eschatological influence on both the interpretation of the psalm in first century Judaism9 and the appropriation of the text within the NT church. One branch of Jewish interpretation saw the “second Adam” as Moses,10 while another was focused on a variety of individual figures thought to be addressed in the psalm (e.g., Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Josh...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contributors
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Gareth Lee Cockerill: A Tribute—Matt Friedeman
• Chapter 1: The Use of Psalm 8 in Hebrews
• Chapter 2: “Let us draw near . . . but not too near”
• Chapter 3: Rest Now or Not Yet?
• Chapter 4: The Living and Active Word of God
• Chapter 5: “You are my Son”
• Chapter 6: If Son, Then Priest
• Chapter 7: Preexistence, Kenosis, and Exaltation in Hebrews, John, and Paul
• Chapter 8: “Son though he was, he learned obedience”
• Chapter 9: Early Methodist Theology in the Book of Hebrews
• Bibliography of of Gareth Lee Cockerill