Chapter 4 “Behold! I Am with the Children God Has Given Me”: Ekphrasis and Epiphany in Hebrews 1 –2 Scott D. Mackie Nearly every aspect of Heb 1–2 is capable of eliciting superlatives, and perhaps this is appropriate for a work which is itself in large part governed by a rhetoric of comparison ( synkrisis). While exhibiting “rhetorical artistry” which “sur- passes that of any portion of the New Testament,” 1 the exordium (1:1–4) extols Jesus in terms that are matched by only three other New Testament texts: John 1:1–18; Phil 2:6–11; and Col 1:15–20. A dramatized portrayal of Jesus’ exal- tation and enthronement in Heb 1:5–13 gathers together the lengthiest collec- tion of Old Testament texts in the New Testament, one whose deliberate struc- turing reflects “the most subtle and recondite mind in the NT.” 2 In ch. 2 the author enlists his formidable rhetorical and theological skills in a pastorally oriented exposition that is imbued with a love for Jesus and his “siblings.” A nuanced presentation in 2:5–9 of the “now, not yet” eschatological tension that characterizes and challenges Christian existence is balanced in 2:10–18 by the most warm-hearted portrayal of Jesus in New Testament (excepting perhaps the Gospels). In 2:10–18 the Adam Christology that supports the argument of 2:5–9 is joined by a profusion of other Christologies (“pioneer of salvation,” Son of God, Christus Victor, Isaianic sin-bearer, and high priest), the extent of which is unmatched in the New Testament. Every aspect of this nearly exhaus- tive collection of Christologies is carefully crafted to meet the needs of the addressed community, bringing “the good things that have come” through the Christ event (9:11) to bear upon their personal circumstances. 3 Thus, in the short span of some thirty-two verses, the author o f Hebrews’ inestimable 1 Harold W. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hermeneia; Minneapolis, Minn.: Fortress, 1989), 36. See also Ceslas Spicq, L’Épître aux Hébreux (2 vols.; EBib; Paris: Gabalda, 1952–1953), 2:2; John P. Meier, “Structure and Theology in Heb 1,1–14,” Bib 66 (1985): 168–89, esp. 170. 2 John P. Meier, “Symmetry and Theology in the Old Testament Citations of Heb 1,5– 14,” Bib 66 (1985): 504–33, here 533. 3 Unless otherwise noted, all translations are my own.