by Giuseppe Monno
Hebrews 1:3
“He is the reflection of God’s glory and bears the impress of God’s own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged our sins, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.”
Hebrews 1:8
“But to the Son he says: Your throne, God, will last for ever and ever; and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom.”
The first chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews stands as one of the most solemn and theologically rich passages in the entire New Testament. In particular, verses 3 and 8 present one of the highest Christological affirmations: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the radiance of his glory and the perfect imprint of his being. He sustains the universe, accomplishes the redemption of the world, and reigns as the eternal King, worthy of worship, whose throne endures forever.
Christ is “radiance” (apaugasma): light that proceeds from a luminous source, like a ray from the sun. This means that he is not merely a reflection of divine glory, but its natural and consubstantial radiance. Just as a ray shares the same nature as the sun, so the Son shares the same nature as the Father: “God from God, Light from Light…” (cf. the Nicene Creed).
He is also the perfect imprint (charakter) of the Father’s substance (hypostasis), that is, of the very reality of God, and not a created copy. He shares indivisibly the same substance (homoousios), as was solemnly defined by the Council of Nicaea (325).
“He sustains all things by his powerful command.” The verb (pherōn, “sustaining” or “upholding”), in the present tense, indicates a continuous action: all things hold together in him (cf. Colossians 1:17). In a single verse, the author attributes to Christ what belongs to God alone: he is Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer of the world.
The biblical expression “he has taken his seat at the right hand of God” signifies full participation in the power and glory of the Father. The Son, seated at the right hand of the Majesty, shares fully in the divine kingship.
Christ is true God, “the radiance of the Father’s glory” and “the imprint of his being”: not a created or inferior being, but consubstantial with the Father. He performs works that belong to God alone: he creates and sustains the universe, purifies from sins, and sits at the right hand of the divine Majesty.
Hebrews 1:3 thus stands as one of the clearest professions of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ.
In verse 8, the author quotes Psalm 45 (44), applying it directly to Christ and explicitly attributing to him the title of God. A clear contrast is drawn between what is said of the angels (v. 7) and what is affirmed of the Son (v. 8): the angels are described as servants, while of the Son it is proclaimed: “Your throne, God, will last for ever and ever.”
The following verse (v. 9) continues: “That is why God, your God, has anointed you…”. Here two divine Persons are clearly distinguished, not merely symbolically identified. The author explicitly affirms that the Son is called “God” (ho theos).
It is the Father himself who addresses the Son and calls him “God.” The Son sits on an eternal throne, holds a sceptre of righteousness, and reigns forever—attributes that belong to God alone.
Taken together, verses 3 and 8 offer explicit testimony to the divinity of Christ. The Father is God, the Son is God, yet the Son is not the Father: here the doctrine of the Trinity is already implicitly present, in the distinction of Persons and the unity of the divine nature.
These verses hold a central place in Catholic doctrine: they affirm the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, ground the Church’s faith in the Trinity, and reveal Christ as God incarnate, Lord and eternal King.