Franco Manzi, «La fede degli uomini e la singolare relazione filiale di Gesù con Dio nell’Epistola agli Ebrei», Vol. 81 (2000) 32-62

The results of this specifically exegetical study on the Epistle to the Hebrews in the first place go against a tendency to interpret in an intellectualistic vein the passages dealing with human faith. For the Epistle, in fact, while faith does have a cognitive aspect, it is above all characterised by eschatological tension, and involves a participation, mediated by Christ, of the whole human person in divine life. In the second place, the study distances itself from prejudicial attempts at assimilating the filial relationship that exists between Jesus Christ and the Father to the mere faith that Christians have in God. On the basis of the Epistle’s repeated affirmation of the Son of God’s having, fulli sin, assumed fulli truly human nature, apart from sin, it is possible to undertake a comparative examination of the characteristics proper to these two relationships. The outcome is to bring out how the unique relationship of Jesus to the Father is marked by his reverence towards God, his obedience to God and his constancy in maintaining the relationship. However, these characteristics are also those of the faith of men, even though that faith remains founded solely on the fact of Christ himself being worthy of trust.

ha un senso causale ("in ragione di")³⁹, con una sfumatura di complemento di origine⁴⁰. D’altro canto, il sostantivo eu)la/beia non ha sempre il significato negativo di "angoscia" o di "paura". Al contrario, in Eb 5,7d, come in alcuni altri passi neotestamentari⁴¹, ha un’accezione positiva⁴², indicando il "timore" religioso, che l’uomo pio prova al cospetto di Dio e che sfocia nella "buona accoglienza" della rivelazione dei desideri divini e nella piena disponibilità a realizzarli. Stando ad Eb, è precisamente questo timore religiososperimentato da Gesù che opera in lui in senso salvifico, perché lo porta ad apprendere l’obbedienza al Padre dalla sofferenza della passione, che avrebbe potuto spingerlo invece ad un’istintiva ribellione contro Dio stesso.