The first chapters of Acts describe that thousands of Jews came to believe. The Hebrews were Jews in Palestine who had got converted upon the preaching of the apostles. Their deaths were a witness for the Lord. Acts 7:59 Acts 12:1-2 tell us of Stephen the deacon and James the apostle. Saying this, the scientists obviously overlook the fact that the apostle Paul himself did not belong to the apostles who had seen and heard the Lord Jesus on earth. Many who refuse Paul's authorship conclude for reason of Hebrews 2:3 Hebrews 13:7 that the epistle must have been written for some time after the apostles' death. This is why many scientists believe the epistle was written during the years 60 to 70 AC. Hebrews does not mention this destruction. The temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Roman general and later emperor Titus in the year 70 AC. It is certain though that a writing of Clemens of Rome (around 95 AC) shows many references from the epistle to the Hebrews.įrom Hebrews itself we see that the Old Testament service of offerings in the temple was still in existence (chap. Rregarding the time of writing the opinions of the scientists differ as much as they do in respect to the authorship of the epistle. The church father Origines (around 185 to 254 AC) appropriately wrote: Only God knows in truth who the author is. The Holy Spirit who inspired this epistle deliberately wanted to introduce the Lord Jesus only as apostle and high priest of our profession ( Hebrews 3:1). If Paul was the author one reason for not mentioning his name might be that he was an apostle to the nations whereas Peter was an apostle to the Jews ( Galatians 2:7-8).Īs a matter of fact the author of the epistle remains unknown. However the addressees of the epistle were Jewish Christians in Palestine whereas Peter wrote to the scattered strangers ( 1 Peter 1:1) who lived outside Palestine. The fact that the author knew Timothy well ( Hebrews 13:23) and that Peter who also wrote to Jewish Christians mentions an epistle of Paul to them ( 2 Peter 3:15) speak for the Alexandrian tradition. And yet the old Alexandrian tradition ascribes this epistle to the apostle Paul. Most of the modern scientists refuse to accept Paul as the author because contents, structure and language of the epistle are not typical for him. Many a supposition has been made as to who the author might have been: Paul, Luke, Barnabas (so says Tertullian), Apollos (so says Martin Luther), Silas or even Aquila and Priscilla have been suggested. The author of the epistle does not mention his name. They were taught, admonished and encouraged by this epistle. This is seen in Hebrews 10:11 Hebrews 10:34 (compare Acts 8:1). In contrast to "the scattered strangers" that are the converted Jews of the Diaspora (see 1 Peter 1:1) the addressees of the epistle to the Hebrews lived in Palestine. These were in particular people who had professed to be Christians but had no true faith in the Saviour Jesus Christ. These Christians however were partially in danger to withdraw from Christendom and to go back to Judaism because of the heavy outward pressure of persecution ( Hebrews 6:4-8 Hebrews 10:26-31). The apostle Paul calls such Christians "a remnant according to the election of grace" in Romans 11:1-5. The addressees however had come to the conclusion that God's way of salvation was not the divine service of the OT but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ ( Hebrews 2:1-4 Hebrews 3:1 Hebrews 3:6 Hebrews 4:1-2 Hebrews 4:14-16 Hebrews 6:1-3 Hebrews 10:13-25). Also the mention of Moses, Joshua and Aaron, who all belonged to the chosen people of God, confirm the same. To this fact such expressions as "the fathers", "the prophets" ( Hebrews 1:1), "the elders" ( Hebrews 11:2) would point. The addressees must not only have been very familiar with the OT but they are also frequently addressed as originating from the people of Israel. And yet the epistle cannot have received its name for the fact only that there are so many references to the OT in it. "Hebrews" is a name for the Israelites and for the descendants of Abraham (compare Genesis 14:13 Philippians 3:5). But who were these Hebrews, and where did they live? As there is no other name known for the epistle it probably goes back to a very old tradition. The title "to the Hebrews" only appears in the 2nd century with Clemens of Alexandria (around 150 - 215 AC). Neither author nor addressee is mentioned in it. The epistle starts off as a written sermon and closes in the form of an epistle. To rightly understand this epistle one needs a thorough knowledge of the Jewish divine service in the Old Testament. At the same time this epistle is also one of the most difficult ones. The Lord Jesus occupies the central place in it. The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most beautiful ones of the NT.
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