Oct 5 2020 - Introduction to Hebrews

Who wrote this letter?

The Authorised Version (or King James Version) of the Bible entitles this letter, "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews". But the very position of this letter in our New Testaments casts some doubt upon that attribution. Paul's letters are not arranged in chronological order in our New Testaments but in order of decreasing length (while also keeping together letters written to the same destination). Hebrews is an anomaly; a fairly lengthy letter positioned after the very short letter to Philemon. This positioning suggests that those who assembled and ordered our New Testament had doubts concerning the Pauline authorship of Hebrews. The lack of explicit attribution within the text of the letter also suggests that it was not written by Paul; Paul always 'signs' his letters.

In fact, the authorship of this epistle has long been the subject of debate among Christians. Origen, a third century theologian and biblical scholar, having considered the best opinions in his own day concluded, "Only God knows for certain who wrote it." But if Paul did not write this letter, why do we consider it to be an authoritative part of our New Testament? John Calvin, who did not think that it came from the pen of the Apostle Paul, provides an answer to this question when he writes, "I class it without hesitation among the apostolical writings [i.e. the authoritative writings that make up our New Testament]… There is indeed, no book in Holy Scripture which speaks so clearly of the priesthood of Christ, which so highly exalts the virtue and dignity of that only true sacrifice which he offered by his death, which so abundantly deals with the use of ceremonies as well as their abrogation, and, in a word, so fully explains that Christ is the end of the Law."

Message of Hebrews

This letter is addressed to Jewish Christians who are suffering opposition and persecution because they have abandoned their previous way of life within Judaism to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. They are being placed under pressure to abandon Christ and to turn back to their previous Jewish way of life.

The letter emphasises that the Old Testament or Old Covenant finds its fulfilment in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one to whom it all pointed. The New Covenant inaugurated by him is therefore superior to the Old. Those addressed in this letter are therefore urged to go on following the Lord Jesus – not to abandon the incomparable glory of the Saviour to return to the old ceremonies and shadows that he has fulfilled and swept away. Christ who suffered for them, is now with them in all his risen power. He will enable them to go on following him and living for him even in the face of opposition and suffering. To abandon Christ now would be to reject the great salvation he has won for them.

One commentator draws attention to the parallels between Stephen's defence in Acts 7 and the letter to the Hebrews. He suggests that Stephen's ministry resulted in the conversion of many Jewish priests in Jerusalem (Acts 6:7). Hebrews, he suggests, was addressed to such priests in the context of the persecution which broke out after Stephen's death – persecution which may have forced them to flee Jerusalem and perhaps Palestine.

The letter would seem to have been written before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

Peter Misselbrook