|
THE BOOK OF HEBREWS |
Dr. Charles F. Pfeiffer 1
| 1. Who Wrote Hebrews? |
| 2. When Was The Epistle Written? |
| 3. From What Place Was It Written? |
| 4. To Whom Was It Addressed? |
| 5. Why Was The Letter Written? |
| 6. Are There Companion Epistles? |
WHO WROTE
HEBREWS?:
The Epistle to the Hebrews is anonymous. The name of Paul was not associated
with it until the end of the second century, and even then many other authors
were suggested. The early church suggested Barnabas, Luke, Silvanus,
Philip, Priscilla, and Clement as possible writers of the letter. Martin
Luther suggested still another author -- the eloquent Apollos of Alexandria
(Acts 18:24-25). Calvin concluded, "Who, then, composed it is not to be
discovered, however hard one labors, but that the nature of the thought, and
that the style are quite unlike Paul's is abundantly evidenced." The
Spirit of God has seen fit to use numerous unnamed writers in giving us our
Bible. Neither external nor internal evidence is sufficient to solve the
problem of identifying the author of Hebrews. God spoke through him,
however, and his message was designed to edify the Church of Jesus Christ.
WHEN WAS THE EPISTLE WRITTEN?
Internal evidence indicates that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written before
the destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). Since the epistle argues that the
death of Christ renders obsolete the Old Testament sacrificial system it seems
certain that mention would have been made of the destruction of the Temple if
that had already taken place.
The letter makes reference to persecution (12:4) and it implies that Christians had been called upon to suffer much for the cause of Christ. The persecution under Nero came to a head in A.D. 64, and it is probable that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written some time during the decade A.D. 60-70.
FROM
WHAT PLACE WAS IT WRITTEN?:
Although the letter itself contains no hint of its point of origin, Alexandria
in Egypt has often been suggested. Alexandria contained a large Jewish
settlement which formed something of a synthesis between Judaism and Hellenism.
There, during the third and second centuries B.C., the Hebrew Scriptures were
translated into Greek in the version known as the Septuagint ("The LXX,"
compiled by 70 scholars) The author of Hebrews consistently quotes from that
translation. The contrast between the "shadow" of the Old Testament and
the heavenly reality which finds it ultimate expression in Christ would be of
particular interest of Jews who had an interest in Platonic Philosophy, as the
Alexandrians did. Philo of Alexandria (25 B.C. - A.D. 50) was a leading
exponent of Hellenistic Judaism.
TO WHOM
WAS THE LETTER ADDRESSED?:
The Epistle "to the Hebrews" was addressed to Jewish Christians. The writer had
a particular congregation of believers in mind (cf. 5:11-12; 6:10; 13:19).
We are not certain where they lived -- Jerusalem, Caesarea, Ephesus, and Antioch
have been suggested. The most probably location, however, is Rome.
The epistle was known in Rome as early as A.D. 95 when Clement of Rome quoted it
in a letter to the Corinthians. Internal evidence may be found in the
words, "they of Italy salute you" (13:24), implying that Christians from Italy
living near the writer wished to be remembered to their kinsmen at home.
WHY WAS THE LETTER WRITTEN?
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews knew and loved those whom he addressed.
They had been true to Christ in past times of persecution. There were,
however, signs pf defection. and the letter was written to send a warning
against apostasy (6:4-8; 10:26-31; 12:14-19). refuge could not be sought
in the Old Testament economy, which was not antiquated (12:18-29). There
must, indeed, be a willingness to press on into spiritual maturity (6:1-3).
Christ is God's "last word" to man and, while He may bring trials into the lives
of His children, they must learn that the life of faith is the life of divine
blessing.
COMPANION EPISTLES:
Philemon, Hebrews, James
GO
TOP
| 1. Who Wrote Hebrews? |
| 2. When Was The Epistle Written? |
| 3. From What Place Was It Written? |
| 4. To Whom Was It Addressed? |
| 5. Why Was The Letter Written? |
| 6. Are There Companion Epistles? |
1 Pfeiffer, Dr. Charles F., Everyman's Bible Commentary, "The Epistle To The Hebrews," Moody Press, Chicago, 1962, pp. 7-9
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