The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

27 Melchizedek. He comments that the truth of Melchizedek will be more difficult to teach than what has come before. "Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain . . " (5: 11). In 6: 1 the author exhorts the audience to press on to maturity which involves their laying hold of the deeper truths which he is about to explain. The author seems to be warning his readers that the truths of chapters five and following are of a different nature or at least more difficult than those found previously. 42 What in particular is "hard to explain" is most likely the concept of replacement. Whereas the force of the first chapters was on a simple comparison of the importance of listening to the new as opposed to the old, the message of 5-12 is much more profound in that here the new replaces the old. Repeatedly the author uses the terminology of finality and replacement. For example, in 7: 12 he states, "For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also." The implication here is that the Law of Moses is to be replaced. In 7: 18 the author states, "For, on the one hand , there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessnes " indicating the ame truth. In 8:13 the author repeats the theme in terms of covenant, "When He aid, 'A new covenant ,' He has made the first obsolete . But whatever is becoming ob olete and gro mg old i ready to disappear. " Such word would have haken the theological foundation of th audience and could easily be termed "hard to explain." Once again, in 10:9 referring to the acrificial y tern and hri t' n f r all acri ice, the writer tate ' then He aid, ' B HOLD , I H He tak s aw th fir t in rd r t e tabli h th nd ." in 11 m 42 "Tlu ntr I f t 1s ... th the t n it ry and m mpl t r ad r uld Im t rt inl ti n o th r m ind r th D H WIL ' t th pl r um nt· ur n I f