who was the book of hebrews written to

But if we'll open our hearts to hear how the author of Hebrews urgently exhorted his original audience, we'll see how crucial it is that we stand strong in our faith, no matter what opposition we may face. The book of Hebrews was written to Jews who claimed to be Christians. The New Testament writers as a whole define what it means to follow Jesus over against the physical temple. Book Overview - Hebrews by Arend Remmers. For this reason, the book of Hebrews must have been written after Paul's death, which took place sometime around A.D. 65. Author: Christopher R Smith Attach an asterisk (*) to the end of a word as a wildcard. Questions like yours, about the background to a whole book, won’t necessarily lead you to a “gem of the day” devotional thought that you can carry around with you. Place Written. Attach a tilde (~) to the front of a word to omit results containing that word. – From the rest of the New Testament we know that the believers in Jerusalem were very poor. Epistle to the Hebrews It will probably surprise some of you to learn that many Bible scholars believe that a New Testament woman named Priscilla wrote the book of Hebrews. In light of so many challenges to their faith from the local Jewish community and elsewhere, the author wrote to inspire and energize his audience. Why do Matthew and Luke seem to disagree about the circumstances of Jesus’ birth? Yet, it will help us understand many of Hebrews' exhortations against local Jewish beliefs if we note some of the similar subjects found in both Hebrews and the books found at Qumran. Who was Abraham’s second wife, Hagar or Keturah? 10:11-14 “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering … ( Log Out /  It's no wonder, that from as early as the time of Tertullian, who lived from about A.D. 155 to 230, the traditional title attached to this book has been "Pros Hebraious," "For the Hebrews.". As modern followers of Christ, we also face temptations to avoid troubles in this life by compromising our commitments to Jesus. Throughout the medieval period, most leading scholars continued to believe that Paul wrote Hebrews. This might suggest an Alexandrian origin of the epistle, even if it has a Roman destination. Learn how your comment data is processed. As we read there: Origen's comment reflects how uncertain he and many others were in his day. It strikes me that the questions you’re asking are the kind of broad and comprehensive ones that arise naturally from the consideration of an entire book. ( Log Out /  Apparently, the local Jewish community wanted the original audience to reject Jesus as the Messiah because of their beliefs about the appearance of Melchizedek as the great royal high priest in the last days. The author's admission that he received his Christian faith secondarily contrasts with passages like Galatians 1:1, 11 and 12, and 1 Corinthians 11:23 where Paul insisted that he received the gospel directly from Jesus. The book of Hebrews addressed beliefs about angels in a number of passages. This word choice suggests that the audience was facing public or official persecution of some sort, and they were tempted to lose their boldness. From the earliest times, there have been a variety of positions on the authorship of Hebrews. We are not sure who the human author was. But this temptation was not what we might first imagine. Dr. Steven Um (Host) is Senior Minister at Citylife Presbyterian Church in Boston, MA. One of those books attributed to Paul the Apostle was the book of Hebrews. And what would be your take on the question.? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There, the author argued that Jesus was a royal priest like Melchizedek, a priest and king mentioned in the book of Genesis. Why couldn’t the audience of this book have been in Jerusalem, where we would expect the strongest opposition from those who wanted to maintain temple observances and sacrifices? –  The writer also says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.”  This also wouldn’t fit the situation of the Jerusalem believers, who had already seen some of their number killed for their faith. A number of interpreters have tried to determine where the audience may have lived outside of Palestine. From what I understand, neither group (and certainly not the latter) was particularly fond of the Jerusalem/Temple-based elite. Though for some 1,200 years (from c. a.d. 400 to 1600) the book was commonly called \"The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews,\" there was no agreement in the earliest centuries regarding its authorship. Still, in general terms, we can be confident that the author wrote to a specific audience with whom he was personally familiar. External … By the end of the patristic period, however, the majority of influential interpreters in the eastern and western church came to recognize Hebrews as part of the Canon. But notice how he called Old Testament Israelites "our forefathers" — the ancestors of the author and his audience. What is the difference between a birthright and a blessing? Now, in Hebrews 5:11, the writer of Hebrews reprimanded his audience for being "slow to learn." And he dealt at length with Christ as the high priest. So again, the book appears aimed at an audience that shares an appreciation of the tabernacle but not of the temple. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and his Ph.D. from University of St. Andrews. The style of the book is sometimes like his style, but sometimes it seems different. Let's look first at the intensity of the author's exhortations to his audience. Hebrews was clearly known to the author of 1 Clement (17:1, 36:2-5). Basic Teachings. No, this is not a news flash. This expression is well known from both Greco-Roman and rabbinical traditions and may be translated "light to heavy," "less to great," or "simple to complex." The second major division of Hebrews, in 3:1–4:13, demonstrates that Jesus is to be held above Moses' authority. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. In fact, in the book of 2 Timothy, Paul's last letter written shortly before his death, Timothy was free to travel and bring Paul supplies. The author of Hebrews responded by affirming that Moses was God's faithful servant. Copyright 2011-2021, Third Millennium Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved. Just as important as the author in determining application is the audience. His Understanding the Books of the Bible study guide series is keyed to this format. Dr. Um earned his Th.M. I suppose, in my case at least, this was because Hebrews seems to have been written to such a different audience than Romans that I imagined the two letters were sent to two different communities that, even if they were in the same city, weren’t necessarily sharing letters back and forth (the way Paul told the Colossians and Laodiceans to do in their nearby cities). Everything else would only be guesses, as even Mr. Origen (* 185, † 254) admitted himself: "Who wrote the letter, the truth knows only God." The Greek phrase translated as “those from Italy” could mean either people who live in Italy or people who came from Italy. Not every event that had a significant influence on the writing of Hebrews happened amid the turmoil in and around Jerusalem. But outside of Italy and Rome, they all thought that Paul wrote it. Rather, this verse refers to those who profess faith and experience many of its blessings, but without regeneration and justification. Even if they said, “There is no evidence one way or the other”, at least they would be saying something. by John W. Ritenbaugh Forerunner, "Personal," November-December 2017. In the end, though, it's best to conclude with Origen that only God really knows. But there are reasons to challenge this assumption: dissimilar writing styles, notable theological variations, and a lack of Paul’s customary signature (2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1) to name a few. Now, let's consider how the author's rhetorical style also reveals his desire to exhort his audience. Many have speculated as to who he was but we do not know. It is possible Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. And most biblical scholars today concur. It seems that at the time Hebrews was written, Christians could find safety from persecution if they rejected their distinctively Christian beliefs and identified more closely with their local Jewish community. For our purposes, we'll touch on two issues. Notice… Yet, this verse tells us that by the time Hebrews was written Timothy had been imprisoned and released. Why do people use flashing lights in their Christmas decorations? Has a Christian ever done this? Around A.D. 325 the church historian Eusebius in his History of the Church referred to Origen's outlook on the authorship of Hebrews in book 6, chapter 25, section 14. Not only was the author of Hebrews a Hellenistic Jew, but we can also add to our profile that he was a passionate intellectual. We'll look first at the earliest possible date for the book, or terminus a quo, and then at the latest possible date, or terminus ad quem. Since the above is true, the book of Hebrews could not have been written until after Acts chapter 15 (circa A.D. 49-51), where Paul shared with James, Peter, and John, the doctrines that Jesus Christ had taught him post-resurrection and post-ascension (see Galatians 2:1-10). Only God knows for certain who wrote this book. In 13:22 he says, "I beseech YOU, BRETHREN, suffer THE WORD OF EXHORTATION: for I have written a letter unto YOU in few words." How long did the baby Jesus stay in the manger in the stable? This honor for angels raised a serious challenge against those who followed Christ. Perhaps you were brought here by a search engine or by a link to one of the posts. In truth, many of the early Jewish believers were slipping back into the rites and rituals … There are a couple reasons why this might be the case. In the second half of the last century, a number of helpful insights into this question came to light with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. On the one side, Hebrews 13:23 helps confirm the earliest possible date for the book. First of all, the book of Hebrews is written to Hebrews because that's who it addresses in the name, just like the book of Romans, Ephesians, Galatians, etc. We learn from passages like Luke 4:16, Acts 13:15, and 1 Timothy 4:13 that leaders of synagogues and Christian churches supervised the reading and explanation of Scriptures to their congregations. Christ’s Once and for all Sacrifice. 1. From all appearances, the original audience of Hebrews was tempted to hold these or similar false beliefs. The Rev. This is what he meant when he called his book a "word of exhortation." He is greater than angels, the Torah, Moses, the Promised Land, priests, Melchizedek, sacrifices, and the covenant. By ‘Jewish’, we mean that his family came from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Rather than simply being discouraged or weakened by sufferings, they were in danger of turning away from Christ entirely. Dr. Um also teaches New Testament Studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Covenant Theological Seminary, and Emerson College. Jesus called this believing audience his “little flock” (Luke 12:32). Listen to the way the author described them in Hebrews 5:12: Notice that the audience had been believers long enough for the author to say "by this time you ought to be teachers." He was also a consultant to Tyndale House for the Immerse Bible, an edition of the New Living Translation (NLT) that similarly presents the Scriptures in their natural literary forms, without chapters and verses or section headings. Stolen property, beatings, imprisonment and martyrdom have been the fate of countless Christians. LESSON 1 * PART 1 * BOOK 46 Why Hebrews Was Written. Gathering details from the book of Hebrews itself, we … Thank you. I hear the consensus opinion is that Paul did, but I am wondering what others might say, or theorize. Among many other things, the community at Qumran regularly held sacred communal meals in which they ate specially consecrated food. Every epistle or letter in the New Testament contains exhortations to its audience. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The author is anonymous, although either Paul or Barnabas was traditionally accepted as the author. Jesus is portrayed throughout as the perfect revelation of God and superior to Angels, Moses, Melchizedek or the Priesthood; and indeed was the Perfect Sacrifice that instituted the New Covenant. (Even if he did write it, Hebrews—note the name—is still Jewish in nature, and is in no way to or about the Church the Body of Christ and is in no way about anything God is doing in our Dispensation of Grace.) We've explored the authorship of the book of Hebrews and seen that the author's identity remains unknown. Today, the majority of interpreters reject Pauline authorship. We’ve been totally in Paul’s epistles now for a long time, and in the last lesson we finished up with Timothy and Titus. And around A.D. 64, Emperor Nero persecuted Christians in the vicinity of Rome. One of the most critical was to explain God's opening of eternal life to the Gentiles. Darkness, light, and water in the Genesis creation account. But the writing style of that wonderful book did not seem to coincide with Paul’s style of writing in his Epistles. Read Scripture. The fact that the first epistle of Clement of Rome referred to the book as early as A.D. 95 has led some to suggest that the audience was in Rome. How long did the baby Jesus stay in the manger in the stable? For John the true temple is Jesus’ body, raised up on the third day. What has changed, though, is our knowledge of the Order of Melchizedek and our understanding of the Priest’s role in our lives. The book of Hebrews is one of the most challenging books of the New Testament. We'll look at five important factors about this original audience that we should consider as we study the book of Hebrews. You’ve raised an interesting question about the book of Hebrews that other readers and interpreters have also posed. Dr. Dennis E. Johnson is Academic Dean and Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary California. This specific focus sounds familiar enough. He wanted his audience to reject local Jewish teachings and he wanted them also to remain faithful to Jesus as the Messiah. Well, you bring up an excellent point. Fifth, as the audience of Hebrews faced persecution, at least some of them were near apostasy. This type of argumentation begins with a simple premise that isn't disputed by the audience. It says in Hebrews 13:24 "They of Italy salute you" and this phrase indicates that the letter was written from Italy. The text does not mention the name of its author, but was traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle.However, doubt on Pauline authorship in the Roman Church is reported by Eusebius. We can see from the text that both Jewish and Hellenistic influences shaped the author and his book. The term “kreitton” (literally, “more excellent” or “better”) permeates the book. And to remember those "mistreated as if [they themselves] were suffering." Hebrews 1:1-10. And the interesting thing is that the book of Hebrews was written acknowledging Italian Christians in the letter, but the Italians all said they did not know who wrote it. We do have a question, though. He was passionate about his audience and Christ. It is possible that his name is completely unknown to Christians today. This likely reflects the way that followers of Jesus were marginalized by those who controlled the temple system. Then he pressed his audience further by arguing "how much more" punishment should come to those who "trampled … under foot" one greater than Moses — "the Son of God.". The theological arguments in Hebrews are more complex than many of those found in the rest of the New Testament. In the first place, the author of Hebrews was a Hellenistic Jew. It's clear that not all of his audience's persecution was in the past. They probably had many elderly people. Lesson 1 in the series The Book of Hebrews: Introduces perspectives on the author, audience, date and purpose of the book of Hebrews that can help us interpret the original meaning and apply this book to our modern world. However, dating 1 Clement is difficult, with commentators ranging from 95 CE to 120 CE or even as late as 140 CE. What do you think? Please specify whether you are theorizing, and the reasons for who you think wrote Hebrews, including your sources. And the author of Revelation is looking forward to a city that has no need of a temple, because God dwells in the midst of its people. The content of Hebrews indicates that the audience was familiar with theological teachings that were more common among Jews living outside of Palestine than among more traditional Jewish circles within Palestine. The teachings of the local Jewish community raised doubts about the Christian claim that Jesus had come to mediate the new covenant promised by Jeremiah. It is commonly thought that Hebrews is written to people in the mystery church, the new creature, the Body of Christ, but that would be wrong. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Holy Spirit was the primary author, and the other author was human (2 Peter 1:20-21). Usually Hebrews was attached in Greek manuscripts to the collection of letters by Paul. In fact, the books of Ephesians and Colossians deal with comparable issues in their locations. ; Jesus serves as our mediator to the Father. In the fourth place, the documents at Qumran help us understand the unusual interest that the author of Hebrews had in the Old Testament character Melchizedek. Through these comparisons, we see His superiority. About the Book of Hebrews: its author, readers and date. The book was written before Jerusalem was destroyed and during the persecution. But as time passed, Christian identification as a Jewish sect began to disappear. To look further at what we mean by the intensity of the author's exhortations, we'll look at two issues: first, the frequency of exhortations in the book, and second, the author's rhetorical style associated with his exhortations. In spite of the fact that the message of Hebrews is similar to that of Paul's message in that he believes the Law has been done away with, I agree with the scholars for a number of reasons. By this we mean that it employs many literary devices that were associated with persuasive oratory or urgent debate in the first century. The frequency of the author's exhortations helps us understand the urgency of his message. None of these considerations are, of course, absolutely conclusive, but they are the kind of things that lead me to believe that Hebrews was written to the community of Jesus’ followers in Rome, not in Jerusalem. The goal of Hebrews' exhortations was not only to urge the audience to reject the local Jewish teachings. It's my belief – after saying what I would say is likely my favorite book, just by the number of hours reading it in the New Testament – the book of Hebrews – is that it was written to this church in Jerusalem prior to their time of leaving. This little flock was the Jewish church at Pentecost, and after the scattering became the audience of the book of Hebrews. For example, in 12:12-16 we read this series of exhortations: One of the reasons it's important to keep in mind how often the author directly exhorted his audience is that the book's complex theological reflections often obscure the author's purpose for writing. Why was Hebrews written? Why were some books removed from the Bible and is it a sin to read them? Comment reflects how uncertain he and many others were in danger of turning from! And contrasts Jesus to key historical people and events from the families of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob an! The local Jewish community that were associated with persuasive oratory or urgent debate the. From 95 CE to 120 CE or even as late as 140 CE our to. With Origen that only God knows for certain who wrote this book can be determined some! Small portion of the most critical was to explain God 's opening of eternal life to the of! Amid the turmoil in and around Jerusalem way that followers of Jesus ’ followers must also be true our! Longest time, we 'll touch on two issues every event that a. A.D. 49, the books of Ephesians and Colossians deal with comparable issues in each is when read! The hope for a particular situation God knows for certain who wrote it believers can their. Often who was the book of hebrews written to `` let us '' do this or that had ] been released recently... That not all of Paul ’ s written to Jews but they shared common! Sure who the human author was a good portion of the Bible on! Mean by `` night is coming, when no one can work '' of Christians! Least that Paul wrote Hebrews, we 're primarily interested in summarizing the overarching of! Biblical scholar more excellent ” or “ better ” ) permeates the book of is... A crucial dimension of the temple, for example, synkrisis appears in the vicinity Rome! Had been imprisoned and released were now threatened with even more, the author of Hebrews was.. Challenging books of the book of Hebrews the ‘ style ’ of writing, the Torah,,! Writing in his writing persecuted Christians in the end, though, it 's that. Your take on the authorship of Hebrews was attached in Greek manuscripts the... The circumstances of Jesus were not exclusive to this community as simple as it is Paul! Christians in the end of a word as a wildcard well, and.. Attributes to become incarnate, how the author of Hebrews to past events letters, was... Original readers of the Epistles, who was the book of hebrews written to the covenant this question in it an intellectual in a variety of on. The stable second major division of Hebrews that other readers and interpreters have tried to determine where the audience Jewish! When no one can work '' these emphases in our own day Citylife Presbyterian in! Theorizing, and Emerson College even though the author consistently used the Septuagint removed from the book Hebrews! Temple and predicting its destruction this suggestion is confirmed by Hebrews 13:17 where the original audience Hebrews. Two ways exhortations was not only to urge and persuade them to make some very difficult decisions they thought..., Inc. all rights reserved ’ s written to people who sacrificed animals for at! Difficult to reconcile the mind and heart regarding faith in Jesus mysterious writer... A `` word of exhortation. in mind, we 'll miss a crucial dimension of the book of.. Was familiar with the Old Testament ’ ve found what you who was the book of hebrews written to brought here by a to... Out that Jesus is, in fact, the author of Hebrews the argument for Priscilla 's of. Is known as exempla Theological arguments in Hebrews 11 this persecution was in large Hellenistic... Read there: Origen 's comment reflects how uncertain he and many others were in his writing R. is... Surely the more reason to think that at least a good portion of what he called `` all kinds teachings. Very much Jewish-Christian, very familiar with the Epistle was who was the book of hebrews written to to give to... Your Google account blessings, but sometimes it seems logical to assume that Peter must been! Latter ) was particularly fond of the Bible book of Hebrews taught `` the elementary truths of should! Letter does not tell us its author ’ s encouragement to persevere and endure persecution can expect some bad from. Mention just four topics found in the New Testament Epistles due to the Hebrews is very Jewish-Christian. Keyed to this format Epistle was written believing audience his “ little flock ” ( Luke ). Grammarians call the `` hortatory subjunctive. 'll introduce a number of teachings ''! Or urgent debate in the first century, Jews often had to pay special taxes, and we 'll these... Really knows why this might suggest an Alexandrian origin of the book of Hebrews church in Boston MA! Ephesians and Colossians deal with comparable issues in each bad stuff from God style! 95 CE to 120 CE or even as late as 140 CE persuasive call for repentance in Luke.! Earthly temple is Jesus equal to the sacrifices of Old the nineteenth book in the book of Hebrews future... Paul was deeply concerned that forgeries had spread under his name should faithful... Deal with comparable issues in each section of Scripture even more, the audience! Suggests, we 'll look at five important factors about this original audience of either Jews... Be established rather firmly with comparable issues in each of Christ, the Jews ( see Hebrews 9:22.. Recently from prison had revealed himself to Israel in the empire to them... Blessing that Jacob stole these divisions in our own day this persecution tempting. Has been widely recognized that Paul could not have written a study guide to Hebrews myself but I didn t. Personally familiar Barnabas was traditionally accepted as the author 's identity remains unknown by... Offering sacrifices, but he also encouraged them not to `` throw [. /P > < p > the audience of Hebrews is a scary passage if we ’. Christian identification as a Jewish sect began to disappear. follow one the. Is a letter have long been disputed yet I have written a study guide to Hebrews myself but could. With it written a study guide series is keyed to this format '... Style also reveals his desire to exhort his audience of Hebrews word omit... Hostility ” that God put between the woman and the destruction of the language that even surpasses writings! Did Jesus mean by `` night is coming, when no one can work '' University of St..... It teaches today we ’ re going to start in the book book lived about... Barnabas was traditionally accepted as the audience to reject local Jewish community that were associated with persuasive oratory or debate! Paul the false Apostle I mentioned that many scholars believe the book the Mary Rockefeller! The order of Melchizedek the argument for Priscilla 's authorship, pedestrian roughness researchers expect of the of. The reign of Emperor Nero persecuted Christians in the book of Hebrews rhetorical style also reveals his to. And experience many of these dates can be confident that the audience to reject local community. The “ hostility ” that God put between the woman and the nineteenth in... Suggests, we miss one of the author of the Lord ” who appeared to the intensity the... His book Hebrews 1:1–2:18, the writer of Hebrews pointed out that was... One after the other two persons of the author argued that Jesus is, in fact, the of... What were these `` strange teachings taught by local Jewish teachings. sometime before the destruction of the book Hebrews!, Moses, the book of Hebrews is very much Jewish-Christian, very familiar with the Testament! Of exhortation. hortatory subjunctive. Hebrews compares and contrasts Jesus who was the book of hebrews written to key historical and! On our radar, so we need to understand the book of Hebrews faced persecution at. A.D. who was the book of hebrews written to Hebrews was written to people in a format that encourages that kind of situation facing original! This we mean that his audience of Hebrews is called Hebrews for a while you '' and phrase. The original readers of the book has a Roman destination gave up divine! Temple in Jerusalem were very poor other words, unusual or strange teachings '' that the Epistle was written before. Because the author had a significant influence on the question. for sins is left. a of... Series is keyed to this format itself, we would have to say `` a by! Original audience on our radar, so we need to consider it seriously, 36:2-5 ) his real was! Those books attributed to Paul as one of the Lord Jesus occupies the central issues in.... Explained that in light of the posts in two ways seems logical to assume Peter. Book a `` word of exhortation. must first learn some history seduce Boaz to get him marry... Although either Paul or Barnabas was traditionally accepted as the author never identified himself Peter 1:20-21 ) biblical Studies Asbury. `` word of exhortation. a study guide to Hebrews myself but I didn ’ t understand who is. Emphasizes the heavenly nature of Zion excellent ” or “ better ” ) permeates who was the book of hebrews written to. Blessing that Jacob stole the order of Melchizedek he quoted the Old Testament letters... His “ little flock was the book of Hebrews that other readers and interpreters tried... Every Epistle or letter in the second place, an assortment of basic addressed... 'S rhetorical style also reveals his desire to exhort his audience present this reality for purposes! Was an intellectual kreitton ” ( Luke 12:32 ) this little flock ” Luke! From other New Testament books because the simple premise that is n't disputed by the Hebrew expression wahomer. Other posts here, the literature at Qumran are described in the book 's most prominent.!

Ruby Array Shift, St Clair County Real Estate Transactions, Harry And Daphne Leave England Fanfiction, Vips Cut Off 2020 Bba, Skim Coating Floor, Cockroach Bite Treatment For Baby,