j Ex eJnov" in Hebrews 2,11 519 (spevrma) of Abraham, not angels. Angels cannot die, but the descendants of Abraham can. The precise force of spevrma in the context is normally not deemed worth discussing, inasmuch as most commentators presume that the word refers to Abraham’s physical descendants. But in the light of the structure of the passage, given the thematic relevance of 2,13a, the word is best taken as referring to Abraham’s spiritual descendants (10). Jesus is “taking in hand” (ejpilambavnomai) Abraham’s spiritual descendants to give them his own distinctive faith-trust in addition to the faith-trust which characterized Abraham at the moment of his supreme test of faith. For Abraham was faced not with his own personal death but with the death of his son Isaac. He passed this test, and all who imitate his faith-trust can be considered his spiritual children. But with Jesus comes the additional factor of faith-trust in the face of one’s own death. Hence Jesus, who came to share in the faith-trust of Abraham’s spiritual children because he took on their blood and flesh (cf. 2,14), adds something distinctive, something which the example of Abraham did not give. Implied in the taking on of the capacity of dying is all that is involved in facing death, as 2,18 makes clear. Jesus was a spiritual child of Abraham by the very fact that he took on a mortal body in the context of Jewish tradition. But to this faith-trust which imitated the faith-trust of Abraham in the face of the imminent death of his son (11), Jesus added his own distinctive faith-trust. This seems to be the implication of his “taking in hand” the seed of Abraham: he identified with the seed of Abraham, but he added something new. This, then, is the structural background in which Heb 2,8b-12, the immediate context of ejx eJnov" at Heb 2,11, is found. 3. The Immediate Context of ejx eJnov" at Hebrews 2,11 The immediate context of Heb 2,11 is found in the section 2,8b-13a. 2,8b begins immediately after the quotation of Ps 8, 5-7. In fact, the verse echoes the final words of the psalm by emphasizing that God has placed all things under Jesus’ feet, though not all things have been visibly placed under his feet (2,8bc). But what Christians do see (with the eyes of faith) is Jesus crowned with glory and honor through the suffering of death (12). That is to say, in this sub-section the author of Hebrews has the risen Jesus in mind. From this vantage point, looking back on the sub-section 2,13a-18, it is possible to see that in this sub-section the author of Hebrews has the earthly Jesus in mind: he is looking at the earthly Jesus from the standpoint of the risen Jesus, a standpoint he establishes in 2,8b-13a. According to the structure being suggested here, this means that Jesus’ faith-trust in 2,8b-13a has been answered at the resurrection, whereas Jesus’ faith-trust in 2,13b-18 is being looked at as not yet having been answered. (10) Cf. J. SWETNAM, Jesus and Isaac. A Study of the Epistle to the Hebrews in the Light of the Aqedah (AB 94; Rome 1981) 136. (11) Cf. the use of peiravzw at Heb 11,17. (12) The enigmatic crux constituted by the words o{pw" cavriti qeou' uJjpe;r pantov" geushtai qanavtou must for the moment remain enigmatic. An attempt to explain them will v be given below.