“And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.”
Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat (hilastērion) — Can I ask: should we discuss the theology of the atonement cover here, or shall I continue the narrative arc? The cherubim (divine guards) and their overshadowing (episkiazo) of the mercy seat indicate God's throne-like presence. The mercy seat (kapporet, the atonement cover) is where God meets Israel, where the blood of atonement is sprinkled once yearly. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail (apolegoumenoi).
Church Fathers on Hebrews 9:5
He has shown from the Priest, from the Priesthood, from the Covenant, that that [dispensation] was to have an end. From this point he shows it from the fashion of the tabernacle itself. How? This, he says, [was] the “Holy” and the “Holy of Holies.” The holy place then is a symbol of the former period (for there all things are done by means of sacrifices); but the Holy of Holies of this that is now present. And by the Holy of Holies he means Heaven; and by the veil, Heaven,…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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