The Role of Chiasm for Understanding Christology in Hebrews 1:1-14

Albert Vanhoye, in his book entitled La structure littéraire de l'Épître aux Hébreux, discusses different literary devices employed by the author of Hebrews.¹ Through a careful analysis of these devices in Hebrews, he proposes that the overall structure of the epistle is symmetrical (or chiastic).² In addition, he suggests that many passages of Hebrews are written in a chiastic manner.³ However, he fails to identify the overall symmetrical patterns of 1:1-4 and 1:5-14. In recent years scholars have recognized the complexity of the literary design of Heb 1:1-14. Some share the opinion that the exordium (1:1-4) is so intricately organized in form and style that it is probably one of the finest literary works in the whole NT.⁴ Others have even observed the presence of a chiastic structure in this passage.⁵ Richard Bauckham maintains that the catena of the OT quotations in 1:5-13 has a chiastic arrangement.⁶ Moreover, others have come to realize that there are literary and conceptual correlations between 1:1-4 and 1:5-14. For instance, William L. Lane suggests that there exists a synthetic parallelism between the two passages.⁷ Likewise, John P. Meier argues that there is a general agreement between 1:1-4 and 1:5-14, even though the symmetry lacks a one-to-one correspondence.⁸ These scholars have provided helpful insights for a better understanding of the structure and theology of Heb 1:1-14. However, they might have overlooked the possibility that the author of Hebrews may have intended vv. 1-4 and vv. 5-14 to be in a perfect symmetry with the idea of different stages of Christ's existence (i.e., exaltation, preexistence, and incarnation). I propose that Heb 1:1-14 was designed as a chiastic structure by the author, which may be illustrated as follows:

A The function of the Son: God's final spokesperson (vv. 1-2a).

     B The Son in his exaltation: heir of all things (v. 2b).

        C The Son in his preexistence: bearer of God's nature, creator, and sustainer of the world (vv. 2c-3b).

           D The Son in his incarnation: purifier of sins (v. 3c).

              E The Son in his exaltation: he sat down at the right hand of God, with the result that he became superior to the angels (vv. 3d-4).

              E´ The Son in his exaltation: because of God's enthronement of the Son at the right hand, he is superior to the angels (v. 5).

           D´ The Son in his incarnation: the Son who is brought into the world is superior to the angels because they worship him (v. 6).

        C´ The Son in his preexistence: the Son is superior to the angels because he is God (vv. 7-12).

     B´ The Son in his exaltation: the Son is superior to the angels because the Father has exalted him at his right hand (v. 13).

A´ The function of the angels: the Son is superior to the angels because they are the ministering spirits for the sons who will inherit salvation (v. 14).

The analysis of 1:1-14 indicates that in 1:5-14 the author repeats and further elaborates the themes he introduced in the exordium (vv. 1-4) in an inverted order. In this proposed chiastic structure one can see that sections from A to E show why the Son is qualified to be the authority for speaking the final revelation of God. Nils W. Lund asserts that in a chiastic structure the center is where the turning point takes place and that a shift of thought in the center is continued to the end of the system.⁹ I detect this type of pattern from sections E´ to A´ (1:5-14). In section E´ (v. 5) there is a shift of thought from "God's final revelation through the Son" to "the Son's superiority to the angels," which continues to end of the passage (A´, v. 14). The...