Session 1: Introduction to the Book of Hebrews

Authorship

Authorship

Hebrews doesn't ascribe itself to any authors. It doesn't begin with a claim of authorship; it's anonymous.

However, the Jewishness, if I can use a broad term like that—is still going to come through

It does suggest a male author, though

Although it has been suggested that the author was Priscilla or some other woman, we are well advised to refer to the author as “he” in light of the masculine ending of the participle diēgoumenon in . The little part of that verse that says "to tell" is a participle in Greek, and it's a masculine participle.

Hebrews 11:32 ESV

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—

But not Paul

[The writer] classed himself as one who had not heard the Lord deliver the message of salvation (). [MH: He wasn’t one of the twelve.] He was capable of writing some of the finest Greek in the NT, far superior in vocabulary and sentence construction to that of Paul.

message of salvation (). [MH: He wasn’t one of the twelve.] He was capable of writing some of the finest Greek in the NT, far superior in vocabulary and sentence construction to that of Paul.

Hebrews 2:3–4 ESV

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

The anonymity of the text is an immediate difficulty for Pauline authorship, since nowhere is there any suggestion that Paul would have written anonymously. [MH: Again, in all the other stuff he gives his name.] An apostle who meticulously claims authority in the introduction to the existing epistles attributed to his name is not likely to have sent a letter without reference to that special authority vested in him.

Perhaps Apollos

Luke’s description of Apollos as “an eloquent man” (), a designation associated with formal rhetorical training and so used by Philo has suggested to many scholars that Apollos was the author of Hebrews.

Acts 18:24 ESV

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.

Audience

Book opening: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets…” – a very Jewish context

But which Jews?

Since Timothy is mentioned, they would have had to know Timothy

Apostasy is mentioned, but it is apostasy AWAY from Christianity, not to Judaism

Likely then Jewish converts to Christianity as opposed to Gentiles moving from Christianity to Judaism

But it does not mean Gentile Christians cannot benefit.

Remember, the Word of God in the 1st Century was the OT. That was their Bible, too.

Occasion

Several verses provide clues as to the occasion

Group is being led away from traditions previously taught

Hebrews 13:7–9 ESV

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.

Concern in the delay of the 2nd Coming (; )

Hebrews 10:25 ESV

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:35–39 ESV

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Several verses addressing faltering of hope (; , ; ; )

Hebrews 3:6 ESV

but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Hebrews 6:11 ESV

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

Hebrews 6:18–20 ESV

so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 11:1 ESV

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This explains the urgent tone and pastoral strategies seen in this epistle

Date

These are 2nd generation Christians: both the writer and his audience had come to faith through the preaching of those who had heard Jesus () and had subsequently served as leaders during the formative period of the community ().

Hebrews 2:3–4 ESV

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.

Hebrews 13:7 ESV

Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

the present members had been believers for an extended time (). If we allow that at least three or four decades have elapsed since the beginning of the Christian movement [the resurrection], the earliest date we can assign for the composition of Hebrews would be around A.D. 60.

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

We know it is before 70 because there is no mention of the destruction of the temple by Titus.

We have Timothy's imprisonment and he was connected with Paul and the chronology of Paul's life (his death is usually sort of fixed around the mid-60's

This was a decree where there were a lot of Jewish Christians expelled from Rome by the Emperor Claudius in A.D. 49. Some Hebrew scholars think that refers to this event (also covered in ), others, the persecution by Nero which were in the early 60’s.

Hebrews 10:32–34 ESV

But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.

Acts 18:2 ESV

And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them,

Either way, it is safe to place the book of Hebrews before 70 A.D.

The Septuagint

Hebrews makes heavy use of the OT and the Septuagint is quoted extensively.

Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible used by the Christ, the Apostles, and the early church.

This might provide different wording than many of our English translations such as the KJV and American Standard Version

Lenses

Become a 1st Century Jew

When we look at the way a first century person quotes a text that was written a millennium earlier, and the person who wrote it a millennium earlier is culturally, religiously, and ethnically part of the same group, they are able to understand how this text that they are quoting could have been understood or read.

They're just going to see things that we don't. They're going to see connections. We look at a term and we're going to think two or three possibilities. They're going to think five or six. And some of those five or six are going to be built on metaphor, intellectual framework, cognitive frame of reference, worldview, cosmology, and all this stuff.

Again, we are moderns and we are taught to think about texts in certain ways. We do not read the Old Testament like Israelites read those books. We need to do that, and the more we do that, I think the deeper meaning will make more sense.

You've got to be able to think outside of that box and try to think more abstractly and set the ideas against the backdrop of the ancient Near Eastern worldview. If you can do that, you're going to see how the writer could get where he landed and how Christ is a big factor in that and how it doesn't violate the Old Testament itself.