“But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than theirs as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises — the comparison structure (diaphora) emphasizes superiority at every level: the mediator is superior, the covenant is superior, the promises are superior. Better (kreitton) appears repeatedly in Hebrews to mark the triumph of Christ's work over all prior arrangements. The ground of superiority lies not in institutional structure but in the divine promises undergirding the new covenant.
Church Fathers on Hebrews 8:6
“But now has He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant.” You see (he means) how much better is the one ministration than the other, if one be an example and type, and the other truth [reality]. But this did not profit the hearers, nor cheer them. Therefore he says what especially cheered them: “Which was established upon better promises.” Having raised them up by speaking of the place, and the priest, and the sacrifice, he…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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