Hebrews at a Glance

Introduction

One of the most mysterious, complex, and meaty books in the Bible.

The book of Hebrews offers a unique look into the NT interpretation of the OT, specifically when it comes to the priesthood. Through severe warnings, encouraging accounts of the faithful, and theological contemplation on who Jesus Christ is, we have a book with one clear message: to keep the faith because Jesus is best.

Who, When, Where (The Context)

Who wrote it?

Paul?

Barnabbas or Apollos?

Unknown.

Familiar with Paul and his teaching.

A friend of Timothy.

Likely not an Apostle

Was familiar with the OT, Greek and Jewish rhetoric, and writers like Philo (a Jew who wrote around the time of Christ in a way that combined Jewish religion with Greek philosophy).

Where was it written to?

Unknown, but many scholars believe Rome could be likely. Clement of Rome, who write towards the end of the first century, was familiar with the book and its contents which may suggest that they were the recipiants. However, it is ultimately uncertain.

Likely not in Judea. Somewhere with a population of Hellenized Jews.

When was it written?

Likely sometime between 50-70 AD, but possibly as late as 90 AD.

What and Why (The Content)

Content

There are three general styles or genres of writing that are all found in the book of Hebrews. Each has its own purpose and all three support the others.

Theological Treatise

Chapter 1 begins with the language of a theological speech full of OT references and establishes a very high view of Christ.

The theme of Jesus as a great high priest will also emerge as the Author shows Jesus to be both above the angels and yet, for a little while, makes himself lower than the angels in the form of a man in order to play the role of a perfect high priest. Jesus as our Great High Priest is one of the main theological themes in Hebrews.

He also gives a detailed study on the atonement and Jesus as our true sacrifice for sins.

Exegetical sermon

At other times, the book sounds less like a seminary lecture and more like a fiery sermon. In these parts of the book, the author takes on a very serious tone of warning his readers against falling away from the faith into apostasy.

Among these are some of the most frightening passages in the Scriptures. Interestingly, these warning tend to be weaved into the more theological texts where the author is exegeting the OT and showing Jesus to be a great hight priest, better Moses, better Joshua, founder of a better covenant, and God himself. The theological and practical texts are not isolated, they and interwoven into each other.

Exhorting Epistle (letter)

There are parts of the book, particularily the end, that make it clear that this letter existed as an Epistle, a letter from the author to a group of Christians he is familiar with and wishes to instruct.

This is ultimately what the book is, although it is equally a sermon. Probably the best way to think of Hebrews is like a recorded sermon today that you might watch on youtube (which of course, these people didn’t have). It is a sermon put into the formate of a letter, which is then to be read as a sermon to the intended audience. Obviously, the author is not present with his audience and so this medium of communication is necessary. However, it is still helpful to read the letter as primarily meant to be heard out loud like a sermon, rather than studied as written text.

Purpose of the Letter

To encourage the weak, those who were in danger of giving in to the pressures of the world.

To correct the rebellious, those who seemed to be actively drifting away from Christ. They were ignoring church attendance, giving into sin, and considering a return to Judaism or whatever they previous way of life was.

To point the church to Christ, the most excelllent. One of the main points of this epistle which we will see over and over again is the simple theme that Jesus is better. Better than sin, better than the OT priests, better than Moses, better than the sacrifices of bulls and goats, better than the Old Covenant, better than all that tempts the readers to revert to what they were before they believed. This is a surprisingly underused but effective way of countering possible apostacy; why would anyone leave Jesus when he is overwhelmingly better in every way to any other way of life.

How (The way the author acheives his purpose in writing)

As we already saw, the book of Hebrews is a letter that begins with a declaration and then continues in the form of a homily or sermon before closing like a typical letter or epistle. Because the book was primarily meant to be heard and delivered like a sermon, the style of delivery is a bit different from what we tend to see in Paul’s epistles. Paul usually writes in a very organized and linear way, going from one topic to another, one argument to the next, to make his point in a logical conclusion. The author of Hebrews communicates a little differently. Instead, he does what I call “talking in circles”. He will visit one topic, then move to another, than return to his previous topic, and do this back and forth as he makes his way through the material. So, rather than going in a straight line from one topic to another, he takes his time to explore the same topics from different angles, going away and coming back to them like a needle stitching the ideas into out mind, in and out and in and out again. This is especially true in the Author’s weaving practical exhortations into his theological developments.

For example, at the end of chapter 2 and the beginning of 3 the Author introduces the idea of Jesus as our high priest. He then spends the rest of 3 into 4 warning against unbelief which denies us access into the Sabbath rest of God. Then from 4:14-5:10 he talks about Jesus as High Priest again, and again in 6:20, and again in chapter 7.

This might seem redundant and unnnecessarily repetitive to us, but it is actually a really effective way of communicating through speech. When you are reading a book, it is easy for you to reread a sentence, flip back a few pages, and read at your own pace. Most books are written with an introduction, an unpacking of the content in a more-or-less linear way, and a conclusion summerizing the content, which can be looked back on and reread if the reader chooses. But this doesn’t work as well when you are giving a speech, sermon, or homily. You have to constantly keep the audiences attention, present ideas at a pace that you know they can keep up with, and help them unpack the ideas without written words before them. So how can you effectively do this when you are trying to unpack a rich and complex theological topic to those listening to you? One effective way of doing this is, instead of explaining the entire concept at once and hoping that your listeners will follow you, you can explain it in little chunks that relate to other topics you are covering as well. That way, not only are you explaining the concept in bit-sized peices, but you are also effectively showing your listeners why it is important and how it fits into other ideas.

In the case of Jesus as High Priest, we see this topic spread out while the author warns against apostacy and shows Jesus’ superiority to OT heroes. These help us understand why seeing Jesus as our High Priest is so important, and how it applies to our lives.

In this and other ways, the style of the book of Hebrews can be similar to the way parts of the OT are written, with a style of rhetoric and communication that was familiar to Jewish people at the time. It weaves theological teachings with practical instruction in a way that makes an important point for us: that theology and study of the Scriptures always has some effect on our lives. All doctrine is practical if it is studied correctly.

Conclusion: Tools We Will Need for Studying This Book

As we begin our way into this deep and challenging epistle, it is necessary that we prepare ourselves with the right tools for studying it.

We must seek to understand how first century Jews and Christians read the OT and how they would have taken the reasoning of the author of Hebrews. If we try to fit this book into the narrow box of how someone living in Canada 2000 years later thinks and communicates, we will miss the point. It is our job to not only study the text, but also to try our best to get inside the heads of the people this letter was written to.

This letter is instructive both in teaching us about who Jesus is and about how to live the Christian life. These two overlap and must not b e separated. Every time we are in a part of the book that gives us theological teaching, we should look around the text to see how it is applied to the Christian life. When we are in parts of the book exhorting our Christian living, we should look around and see what theological teaching that its based in. In this way, we may bridge the gap between theological learning and practical application.

This is not an easy letter to study. It dives deep into OT themes and fulfilments, gives urgent warnings, and pushes us on to greater obedience and faith. It is necessary for the church today and understanding its message will strengthen your faith. So go home and read it, read it in one sitting. Read it again. Memourize parts of it. Look up your study bible notes or a commentary. Begin to enrich yourself in this book as we begin this journey together.