Thomas Hobbes · Complete work
Part III, Chapter XLI, 1
Part III, Chapter XLI, 1 of 101. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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OF THE OFFICE OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR
We find in Holy Scripture three parts of the Office of the Messiah: the first of a Redeemer, or Saviour: The second of a Pastor, Counsellour, or Teacher, that is, of a Prophet sent from God, to convert such as God hath elected to Salvation; The third of a King, and Eternall King, but under his Father, as Moses and the High Priests were in their severall times. And to these three parts are corespondent three times. For our Redemption he wrought at his first coming, by the Sacrifice, wherein he offered up himself for our sinnes upon the Crosse: our conversion he wrought partly then in his own Person; and partly worketh now by his Ministers; and will continue to work till his coming again. And after his coming again, shall begin that his glorious Reign over his elect, which is to last eternally.
To the Office of a Redeemer, that is, of one that payeth the Ransome of Sin, (which Ransome is Death,) it appertaineth, that he was Sacrificed, and thereby bare upon his own head, and carryed away from us our iniquities, in such sort as God had required. Not that the death of one man, though without sinne, can satisfie for the offences of all men, in the rigour of Justice, but in the Mercy of God, that ordained such Sacrifices for sin, as he was pleased in his mercy to accept. In the old Law (as we may read, Leviticus the 16.) the Lord required, that there should every year once, bee made an Atonement for the Sins of all Israel, both Priests, and others; for the doing whereof, Aaron alone was to sacrifice for himself and the Priests a young Bullock; and for the rest of the people, he was to receive from them two young Goates, of which he was to Sacrifice one; but as for the other, which was the Scape Goat, he was to lay his hands on the head thereof, and by a confession of the iniquities of the people, to lay them all on that head, and then by some opportune man, to cause the Goat to be led into the wildernesse, and there to Escape, and carry away with him the iniquities of the people. As the Sacrifice of the one Goat was a sufficient (because an acceptable) price for the Ransome of all Israel; so the death of the Messiah, is a sufficient price, for the Sins of all mankind, because there was no more required. Our Saviour Christs sufferings seem to be here figured, as cleerly, as in the oblation of Isaac, or in any other type of him in the Old Testament: He was both the sacrificed Goat, and the Scape Goat; “Hee was oppressed, and he was afflicted (Isa. 53.7.); he opened not his mouth; he brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is dumbe before the shearer, so opened he not his mouth:” Here he is the Sacrificed Goat. “He hath born our Griefs, (ver.4.) and carried our sorrows;” And again, (ver. 6.) “the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquities of us all:” And so he is the Scape Goat. “He was cut off from the land of the living (ver. 8.) for the transgression of my People:” There again he is the Sacrificed Goat. And again (ver. 11.) “he shall bear their sins:” Hee is the Scape Goat. Thus is the Lamb of God equivalent to both those Goates; sacrificed, in that he dyed; and escaping, in his Resurrection; being raised opportunely by his Father, and removed from the habitation of men in his Ascension.
For as much therefore, as he that Redeemeth, hath no title to the Thing Redeemed, before the Redemption, and Ransome paid; and this Ransome was the Death of the Redeemer; it is manifest, that our Saviour (as man) was not King of those that he Redeemed, before hee suffered death; that is, during that time hee conversed bodily on the Earth. I say, he was not then King in present, by vertue of the Pact, which the faithfull make with him in Baptisme; Neverthelesse, by the renewing of their Pact with God in Baptisme, they were obliged to obey him for King, (under his Father) whensoever he should be pleased to take the Kingdome upon him. According whereunto, our Saviour himself expressely saith, (John 18.36.) “My Kingdome is not of this world.” Now seeing the Scripture maketh mention but of two worlds; this that is now, and shall remain to the day of Judgment, (which is therefore also called, The Last Day;) and that which shall bee a new Heaven, and a new Earth; the Kingdome of Christ is not to begin till the general Resurrection. And that is it which our Saviour saith, (Mat. 16.27.) “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his Angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” To reward every man according to his works, is to execute the Office of a King; and this is not to be till he come in the glory of his Father, with his Angells. When our Saviour saith, (Mat. 23.2.) “The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat; All therefore whatsoever they bid you doe, that observe and doe;” hee declareth plainly, that hee ascribeth Kingly Power, for that time, not to himselfe, but to them. And so hee hath also, where he saith, (Luke 12.14.) “Who made mee a Judge, or Divider over you?” And (John 12.47.) “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” And yet our Saviour came into this world that hee might bee a King, and a Judge in the world to come: For hee was the Messiah, that is, the Christ, that is, the Anointed Priest, and the Soveraign Prophet of God; that is to say, he was to have all the power that was in Moses the Prophet, in the High Priests that succeeded Moses, and in the Kings that succeeded the Priests. And St. John saies expressely (chap. 5. ver. 22.) “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son.” And this is not repugnant to that other place, “I came not to judge the world:” for this is spoken of the world present, the other of the world to come; as also where it is said, that at the second coming of Christ, (Mat. 19. 28.) “Yee that have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his Glory, yee shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
If then Christ while hee was on Earth, had no Kingdome in this World, to what end was his first coming? It was to restore unto God, by a new Covenant, the Kingdome, which being his by the Old Covenant, had been cut off by the rebellion of the Israelites in the election of Saul. Which to doe, he was to preach unto them, that he was the Messiah, that is, the King promised to them by the Prophets; and to offer himselfe in sacrifice for the sinnes of them that should by faith submit themselves thereto; and in case the nation generally should refuse him, to call to his obedience such as should beleeve in him amongst the Gentiles. So that there are two parts of our Saviours Office during his aboad upon the Earth; One to Proclaim himself the Christ; and another by Teaching, and by working of Miracles, to perswade, and prepare men to live so, as to be worthy of the Immortality Beleevers were to enjoy, at such time as he should come in majesty, to take possession of his Fathers Kingdome. And therefore it is, that the time of his preaching, is often by himself called the Regeneration; which is not properly a Kingdome, and thereby a warrant to deny obedience to the Magistrates that then were, (for hee commanded to obey those that sate then in Moses chaire, and to pay tribute to Caesar;) but onely an earnest of the Kingdome of God that was to come, to those to whom God had given the grace to be his disciples, and to beleeve in him; For which cause the Godly are said to bee already in the Kingdome of Grace, as naturalized in that heavenly Kingdome.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the complete 1651 English text (introduction, forty-seven chapters, review and conclusion) for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity. Hobbes’s marginal summaries are omitted.
OF THE OFFICE OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOR
In Holy Scripture we find three parts to the office of the Messiah: first, that of Redeemer or Savior; second, that of Pastor, Counselor, or Teacher—that is, a Prophet sent from God to convert those whom God has elected to salvation; third, that of King, an eternal King, though under his Father, as Moses and the High Priests were in their respective times. These three parts correspond to three times. He accomplished our redemption at his first coming, by the sacrifice in which he offered himself for our sins upon the cross; our conversion he accomplished partly then in his own person, and partly accomplishes now through his ministers, and will continue to accomplish until he comes again. After his return will begin his glorious reign over his elect, which will last eternally.
To the office of a Redeemer, one who pays the ransom for sin (and that ransom is death), it belongs that he should be sacrificed and thereby bear upon his own head and carry away from us our iniquities, in the manner God required. Not that the death of one man, though sinless, could satisfy strict justice for the offenses of all, but that God in his mercy ordained sacrifices for sin which he was pleased to accept. Under the old Law (as we read in Leviticus 16), the Lord required that once every year atonement be made for the sins of all Israel, priests and others alike. For this Aaron alone was to sacrifice a young bull for himself and the priests, and for the rest of the people to receive two young goats from them. He was to sacrifice one; upon the head of the other, the scapegoat, he was to lay his hands, confessing the people's iniquities and laying them all upon that head, and then have some suitable man lead the goat into the wilderness, where it would escape, carrying away the people's iniquities. As the sacrifice of one goat was a sufficient price for the ransom of all Israel, because it was acceptable, so the Messiah's death is a sufficient price for the sins of all humankind, because nothing further was required. The sufferings of our Savior Christ seem to be figured here as clearly as in the offering of Isaac, or any other prefiguration of him in the Old Testament. He was both the sacrificed goat and the scapegoat: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted (Isa. 53.7.); he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep is silent before the shearer, so he opened not his mouth.” Here he is the sacrificed goat. “He has borne our griefs (ver. 4.) and carried our sorrows”; and again (ver. 6.), “the Lord has laid upon him the iniquities of us all”: here he is the scapegoat. “He was cut off from the land of the living (ver. 8.) for the transgression of my people”: again he is the sacrificed goat. And again (ver. 11.), “he shall bear their sins”: he is the scapegoat. Thus the Lamb of God is equivalent to both goats: sacrificed in that he died, and escaping in his resurrection, when he was raised at the appointed time by his Father and removed from human habitation in his ascension.
Since the one who redeems has no title to the thing redeemed before redemption is made and the ransom paid, and since that ransom was the Redeemer's death, it is clear that our Savior, as man, was not King of those he redeemed before he suffered death—that is, while he lived bodily upon the earth. I mean he was not then King in actuality by virtue of the covenant the faithful make with him in baptism. Nevertheless, by renewing their covenant with God in baptism, they were obliged to obey him as King, under his Father, whenever he should choose to assume the Kingdom. Accordingly our Savior himself expressly says (John 18.36.), “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Scripture speaks of only two worlds: this present one, which will remain until the day of Judgment (therefore called the Last Day), and the world of a new Heaven and a new Earth. Christ's Kingdom, then, will not begin until the general Resurrection. This is what our Savior says (Mat. 16.27.): “The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Rewarding everyone according to their works is the exercise of a King's office, and this will not occur until he comes with his angels in his Father's glory. When our Savior says (Mat. 23.2.), “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; therefore observe and do all that they bid you,” he plainly assigns kingly power at that time not to himself but to them. He does the same when he says (Luke 12.14.), “Who made me a judge or divider over you?” and (John 12.47.), “I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.” Yet our Savior came into this world so that he might be a King and a Judge in the world to come. For he was the Messiah, that is, the Christ, the anointed Priest and sovereign Prophet of God: he was to possess all the power held by Moses the Prophet, by the High Priests who succeeded Moses, and by the Kings who succeeded the Priests. And St. John expressly says (chap. 5. ver. 22.), “The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son.” This does not conflict with the other passage, “I came not to judge the world”: the latter concerns the present world, the former the world to come. So too it is said of Christ's second coming (Mat. 19.28.): “You who have followed me in the Regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, you shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
If Christ had no Kingdom in this world while he was on earth, what was the purpose of his first coming? It was to restore to God, by a new Covenant, the Kingdom that had been his under the Old Covenant but had been severed by the Israelites' rebellion in electing Saul. To do this, he had to proclaim to them that he was the Messiah, the King promised them by the Prophets; offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of those who would submit to him in faith; and, if the nation as a whole rejected him, call to obedience those among the Gentiles who believed in him. Thus our Savior's office while he dwelt upon earth had two parts: to proclaim himself the Christ, and, by teaching and working miracles, to persuade and prepare people to live so as to be worthy of the immortality believers would enjoy when he came in majesty to take possession of his Father's Kingdom. This is why he often calls the time of his preaching the Regeneration. It is not properly a Kingdom, nor therefore a warrant to deny obedience to the magistrates then in office (for he commanded obedience to those who sat in Moses' chair and payment of tribute to Caesar), but only a pledge of the Kingdom of God to come for those to whom God had given the grace to be his disciples and believe in him. For this reason the godly are said to be already in the Kingdom of Grace, as citizens naturalized in that heavenly Kingdom.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete 1651 English text (introduction, forty-seven chapters, review and conclusion). Hobbes’s marginal summaries are omitted.
On the Office of Our Blessed Savior
Holy Scripture describes three parts of the Messiah's office. First, he is a redeemer or savior. Second, he is a pastor, counselor, or teacher: a prophet sent by God to bring those God has chosen to salvation. Third, he is a king—an eternal king, though under his Father, as Moses and the high priests were in their respective times. These three roles correspond to three periods. At his first coming, he redeemed us by offering himself on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. He began bringing people to faith in person then. He continues to do so now through his ministers, and will continue until he comes again. After his return, his glorious reign over those he has chosen will begin and last forever.
As a redeemer, he pays the price of sin, which is death. So he had to be sacrificed. He took our wrongs upon himself and carried them away as God required. This is not because the death of one sinless man could, by strict justice, pay for every person's offenses. Rather, God mercifully chose to accept sacrifices of this kind for sin. Under the old Law (Leviticus 16), the Lord required a yearly atonement for the sins of all Israel, priests and others alike. Aaron alone was to sacrifice a young bull for himself and the priests. For the rest of the people he was to receive two young goats. He sacrificed one; on the other's head—the scapegoat's—he placed his hands and confessed the people's wrongs, placing them all on its head. Then a suitable man led the goat into the wilderness, where it escaped, carrying away the people's wrongs. Just as sacrificing one goat was a sufficient price to redeem all Israel because God accepted it, the Messiah's death is a sufficient price for all humanity's sins because God required no more. Our Savior Christ's suffering seems to be represented here as clearly as in the offering of Isaac or any other Old Testament image of him. He was both the sacrificed goat and the scapegoat: “He was oppressed and afflicted (Isa. 53.7.); he did not open his mouth; he was brought like a lamb to slaughter, and like a sheep silent before the shearer, he did not open his mouth.” Here he is the sacrificed goat. “He has borne our griefs (ver. 4.) and carried our sorrows”; and again (ver. 6.), “The Lord has laid on him the wrongs of us all.” Here he is the scapegoat. “He was cut off from the land of the living (ver. 8.) for the wrongdoing of my people.” Here again he is the sacrificed goat. And again (ver. 11.), “He shall bear their sins.” Here he is the scapegoat. Thus the Lamb of God takes the place of both goats: sacrificed when he died, and escaping when he rose again. His Father raised him at the right time and removed him from human society in his ascension.
A redeemer has no claim to what he redeems before he has paid its price. That price was the redeemer's death. Clearly, then, our Savior as a man was not yet king of the people he redeemed before he died—that is, while he lived bodily on earth. I mean he was not then their reigning king under the agreement believers make with him in baptism. Still, by renewing their agreement with God in baptism, they became obliged to obey him as king under his Father whenever he chose to take up the kingdom. Accordingly, our Savior says explicitly (John 18.36.), “My kingdom is not of this world.” Scripture speaks of only two worlds: this present one, which lasts until the day of judgment (also called the last day), and the one with a new heaven and a new earth. So Christ's kingdom will not begin until the general resurrection. This is what our Savior says (Mat. 16.27.): “The Son of man will come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to their works.” Rewarding people according to their works is a king's job, and it will not happen until he comes with his Father's glory and his angels. Our Savior says (Mat. 23.2.), “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; therefore do and observe whatever they tell you to do.” He plainly assigns governing authority at that time to them, not himself. He does the same when he asks (Luke 12.14.), “Who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” And (John 12.47.), “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” Yet our Savior came into this world so that he could be king and judge in the next. He was the Messiah, the Christ: the anointed priest and God's supreme prophet. In other words, he was to hold all the power held by the prophet Moses, by the high priests who succeeded Moses, and by the kings who succeeded the priests. St. John says explicitly (chap. 5. ver. 22.), “The Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” This does not conflict with “I did not come to judge the world.” The latter refers to the present world, and the former to the world to come. Likewise, Christ says of his second coming (Mat. 19.28.), “You who have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man sits on his glorious throne, you too will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
If Christ had no kingdom in this world while on earth, why did he come the first time? He came to restore God's kingdom through a new Covenant. God had possessed it under the old Covenant, but the Israelites broke it through their rebellion when they chose Saul. To restore it, Christ had to announce that he was the Messiah, the king promised them by the prophets. He had to offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of those who accepted him in faith. If the nation as a whole rejected him, he had to call believers among the Gentiles to obey him. Thus our Savior's work while on earth had two parts. He announced that he was the Christ. And through teaching and miracles, he persuaded and prepared people to live so as to deserve the immortality believers would enjoy when he returned in majesty to take possession of his Father's kingdom. That is why he often calls the time of his preaching the regeneration. It was not itself a kingdom and did not give people grounds to disobey the existing authorities: he told them to obey those who sat in Moses' seat and pay taxes to Caesar. It was only a pledge of the coming Kingdome of God for those to whom God gave the grace to be his disciples and believe in him. For this reason, the godly are said to be already in the kingdom of grace, like people granted citizenship in that heavenly kingdom.