The letter to the Hebrews was written by an anonymous
author sometime prior to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its
temple in 70 AD. This date is based on speculation regarding the writer’s
silence concerning the temple’s destruction and the proof that would yield in
that Jesus Christ fulfilled what the temple only foreshadowed. Mind you,
remember then that the date is mere speculation.
Hebrews was one of the few New Testament writings that
was also “late” in its general acceptance as an inspired writing for the NT
canon. The anonymous nature of the epistle cast concern about its origin and
authority. Obviously the Holy Spirit prevailed by bringing this weighty
doctrinal treatise into the New Testament.
The overall nature of Hebrews is quite interesting. It is
not a “catholic” or “general” epistle as some maintain; no, this letter was
written to Jewish Christians who were being seduced back into Judaism, and the
writer passionately portrays Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of the Old
Testament sacrifices and priesthood, rendering such worship obsolete. Hebrews
is a resume’ declaring the sufficiency and perfection of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Its overall structure reveals Him to be greater than angels, the lawgiver, the
priesthood, even the tabernacle itself. Partially this is because all of these
are created things, and Christ is their Creator, Hebrews 3:3-4.
We find a few resounding themes throughout Hebrews. One
is of the supremacy of Jesus Christ over all. The rest flows from this fact
like water from its source. We find assurance of salvation taught throughout
this epistle, and we find the finality of all sacrifice expounded in this
epistle. Christ completed with one act what the OT sacrifices foreshadowed
every time they were performed: the vicarious offering of another life on
behalf of the offending sinner. The lamb that died on Jewish altars was killed
for the one who brought them; that life was given in exchange for the life of
the offending party. When God offered His Son on the cross it was the perfect
sin bearing sacrifice that fulfilled what animal sacrifice never could; He took
away the sin of the world, John 1:29; Hebrews 10:2-4; 12.
1:1-2 God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds
The writer of Hebrews does not give his name or any
information straightway about himself, but plunges right into the heart of his
content with some amount of urgency. We are about to enter into one of the most
systematic defenses of the person and purpose of Jesus Christ that the entire
Bible offers. First we must understand that this epistle was written to Jewish
Christians who were thinking about reverting to Judaism due to persecution from
their fellow countrymen. They had come out of the shadow of all that the Old
Testament prophesied regarding God’s Messiah and were now living in the light
of this revelation; but the shadow was again proving to be enticing, since
within it they could hide among their present enemies and be at peace with
them.
The writer desired to present Jesus Christ as the sum of
the Old Testament. He was greater than angels, prophets, the Law, the temple
and anything else. For this reason the writer also had to be very well
acquainted with the Old Testament in regards to the temple and its sacrificial
offerings. As such, Hebrews was the very first Biblical exposition ever
written: it was an exposition of the Old Testament, applying the foreshadowing
God had done within its pages to the reality of them in the person of Jesus
Christ. This book easily rivals any picture of Christ’s deity that we can find
in the New Testament, elevating our Lord to a position far above all created
things and revealing Him as both infinite Creator and perfect Redeemer. In Him
we find fulfillment of all things that we have waited for. In Him the Jews had
their Messiah, the Coming One that had been their cherished desire for
countless centuries. Though it seemed that very few Jews were actually still
waiting for the Messiah’s arrival. By the time Jesus came unto His own,
fulfilling scores of prophecies that predicted how, when, where and why He
would come, they did not receive Him but in fact killed Him, also fulfilling
prophecy. So, among other things this book will frame the deity of our Lord in
unmistakable terms, and present an Old Testament picture of the rituals of yore
that foreshadowed Jesus’ arrival, and how they were fulfilled in Him.
Consequently, Hebrews is one of the best books to lead someone to who is
grappling with the doctrine of eternal security. It happens to be a major
recurring theme within its pages, as we shall see.
I suspect that Hebrews was a joint effort of Paul and Luke, combining Paul's logic with Luke's writing style, and some statements later in the book seem to support that idea.
ReplyDeleteOver the years I have heard numerous comments that it is impossible to understand Hebrews. I believe that it is true if a person has an incorrect understanding of who Christ is, or what salvation entails. It contains strong teaching on eternal security while standing strongly against the easy believism so widely preached today.
The presentation of Christ's work in salvation is difficult to understand if one accepts the idea of baptismal regeneration.
Interestingly, nowhere in the book does the author imply it was primarily for Jews. I suspect it was to help both Jews and Gentiles understand what was required for us to be saved.
While it does not specifically state that the letter was to a Jewish audience, the idea of lapsing back in Judaism, something Gentiles by and large were not a part of, implies a Jewish audience. The fact that the writer stresses the supremacy of Christ over the earthly models replete within the OT also suggests that the writer was speaking to those who had come from such a background: primarily Jews or Jewish proselytes. Not trying to start an argument; merely stating my reasons for saying what I did.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think it was Paul and Luke? I don't think I've heard anyone mention both men before; I was just wondering what led you to that suspicion.
In all of Paul's writings, he identifies himself clearly. Luke, on the other hand, never identifies himself in either Luke, or Acts. At the same time, the last few verses of Hebrews 13 seem to indicate Paul was telling what to write. We know that Paul frequently had another do the actual writing, apparently because of his vision problems, and Luke was with him throughout the later part of his ministry.
ReplyDeleteThe comment in Galatians 6:11 "Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand," implies when Paul wrote himself, he had to write excessively large. In most of his letters, he had some one else do the writing, only writing the greetings and salutations himselfas proof of the letter's authenticity. II Thessalonians 3:17 says,"The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write." Romans 16:22says, "I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord," making it clear other's did some of the writing.