(...)
He is the Mediator of the new covenant,
so that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions
that
were under the first covenant,
those who are called might receive the promise
of eternal inheritance.
For where a covenant is, the death of
him covenanting must be offered.
For a covenant is affirmed over those
dead, since it never has force when the covenanting one is living.
From which we see that neither was the
first covenant dedicated without blood.
For when Moses had spoken every precept
to all the people according to the Law,
he took the blood of calves and
of goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both
the
book, and all the people,
saying,
"This is the blood of the
covenant which God has enjoined to you."
And likewise he sprinkled with blood both
the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.
And almost all things are by the law purged
with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission.
Therefore it was necessary that the patterns
of things in the heavens should be purified with these,
but the heavenly
things themselves were purified with better sacrifices than these.
For Christ has not entered into the Holy
of Holies made with hands, which are the figures of the true,
but into
Heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.
Nor yet that He should offer Himself often,
even as the high priest enters into the Holy of Holies every year with
the blood of others
(for then He must have suffered often
since the foundation of the world),
but now once in the end of the world
He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
And as it is appointed to men once to
die, but after this the judgment,
so Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many.
And to those who look for Him He shall appear the second
time without sin to salvation.
(...)