This paper evaluates eight perspectives on Jesus’s perfection in the Epistle to the Hebrews—moral, cultic, glorification, vocational, definitive attestation, eschatological, unmediated access, and postmortem state—assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each. It also identifies which parameters, not previously addressed within a single framework, a new approach to this topic should encompass.
The moral view, advanced by Wesley and supported by Wikgren, Hughs, Vanhoye, and Cullmann, emphasizes Jesus’s moral growth, enhancing His empathy with humanity. This perspective allows Jesus to be an example for his followers, as mentioned in Heb 12:3. However, it presupposes that Jesus was sinful at some point in His earthly life, which is theologically problematic.
In contrast, most theologians situate Jesus’s perfection after his death, which, as this study indicates, may diminish the Epistle’s own emphasis on Jesus being an example for believers.
The cultic view, founded by Häring, sees Jesus’s perfection in consecration to the high priestly ministry. Nevertheless, this view relies on an incomplete grammatical argument.
The glorification view, originated by Kögel, suggests that Jesus’s perfection occurred through his triumphant entry into heaven. Being close to the previous cultic view, this view moves the timing of Christ’s perfection to the after-resurrection experience.
The vocational view, proposed by Peterson, with the support of Long and Lane, sees Jesus’s perfection as an experiential qualification for the role of High Priest and Savior, attained through authentic obedience. This perspective is closely associated with the moral view. However, it lacks elaboration on what constitutes Jesus’s learning during his earthly life.
Other views, such as the definitive attestation (McCruden), eschatological (Simisi), unmediated access (Dey), and postmortem state (Moffitt), present unique perspectives on Jesus’s perfection. The postmortem state view, in particular, draws on multiple aspects presented in Hebrews, such as the immortality of Jesus and His link to Melchizedek, and locates Christ’s perfection between his death and exaltation. A more detailed critical analysis of these arguments will be given.
Upon examining these views, it becomes apparent that the question of “when” impacts the understanding of “what” and “how” in this conversation. Most perspectives focus on Jesus’s latter experiences, such as his after-death experience, high priestly ministry, or exaltation. While there is a clear link between Jesus’s perfection and his high priestly ministry, this link should not be overemphasized due to the experiential distance it creates between Jesus and His followers. One shortcoming of these views is their failure to explain Jesus’s perfection more precisely instead of merely describing perfection’s realm.
This study proposes that any new perspective on this topic should draw closer to the moral and vocational views, as the Epistle emphasizes Christ’s suffering and his role as an example for believers, although not compromising Jesus’s sinlessness. A possible approach is to draw on theological threads from Hebrews that have not been employed in previous discussions—such as the usage of Christ’s will, a prominent theme in the Epistle—while offering greater precision on the “what,” “how,” and “why” of the Savior’s perfection.