by Dwight A. Pryor
One of the most beloved books in the New Testament is also one of the most puzzling and problematic. The Epistle to the Hebrews (as it came to be called) significantly shaped Christian thought from the earliest centuries. Indeed an early manuscript placed it immediately after Romans.
Hebrews is noteworthy to scholars for its elegant Greek and exceptional rhetorical skills. The common Christian reader cherishes its many comforting exhortations (“I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” 13:5) and memorable architectural and athletic metaphors (“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek one to come” 13:14; “Let us lay aside every weight ... and run with perseverance the race that is set before us” 12:1).
What is so puzzling about Hebrews, then? First its author is unknown. The epistle was controversial from the beginning, but eventually entered the canon on the assumption that Paul wrote it. Few scholars today, however, hold to Pauline authorship. Critical literary analysis has demonstrated too many weighty discrepancies between Hebrews and Paul’s other letters. Who then was the author? Numerous candidates have been proposed, among them Priscilla, Barnabas and Apollos.
Next, Hebrews’ intended audience (Jewish?) and their location (Rome? Corinth? Jerusalem?) also are unknown, as is the date of its composition (before or after the destruction of the Temple?). And what was its purpose originally? A polemic against Judaism and a warning to Jewish believers not to revert to the Torah and Temple worship has been one persistent view.
Further, Hebrews is paradoxical in many ways. For example, the author shows a profound grasp of the Hebrew scriptures but always in their Greek translation, the Septuagint (LXX). He demonstrates a sophisticated knowledge of Rabbinic exegesis but often appears to operate within a Platonic worldview. Hebrews extols an exalted Christology -- with God’s son as the eternal High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary -- but focuses more on the humanity of Jesus (who “learned obedience through what he suffered” 5:8) than any other NT epistle.
Several harsh statements seemingly against the Torah and the Mosaic covenant are to be found in Hebrews. E.g., “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming -- not the realities themselves” (10:1). No surprise then that those who argue that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s covenant economy highly favor Hebrews. One common prooftext is 8:13, “In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
A MORE HEBRAIC reading of Hebrews in its first-century setting is possible. Here are some suggestions:
- Keep in mind its sermonic nature and pastoral orientation. Hebrews likely was delivered first as an oral presentation -- perhaps a synagogue sermon? -- and only later sent out as a letter. The author’s passion stems from pragmatic and pastoral concerns for a specific congregation. His is a “word of exhortation” (13:22), not an abstract theological treatise.
- Beware of reading the text anachronistically, assuming a polemical attitude against Judaism that arose only centuries later. The author operates fully within a first-century Jewish frame of reference and knows nothing of the divide between Church and Synagogue, or Christianity and Judaism.
- Hebrews shares many characteristics with Jewish apocalyptic literature. The covenanters at Qumran, for example, critiqued the Temple sacrifices and priesthood as faithful Jews. So with our author. The Torah is not rejected, but the Levitical sacrificial system, compared to Christ, is insufficient and therefore “becoming obsolete.”
- The author operates with a Torah-based pilgrimage paradigm of redemption. Only those who are faithful and endure to the end enter the promised place of God’s presence, power and glory. With eschatological urgency therefore he admonishes a persecuted congregation of the perils of falling away, and exhorts them to emulate the Champion of their faith.
- From beginning to end Hebrews is a passionate sermon and sustained argument, conveyed with sophisticated rhetorical skills, for Jesus as God’s Son and our High Priest, and the inaugurator of Israel’s promised new (renewed) covenant. The struggling audience is urged to “look to Jesus” (12:2), the Pioneer and Perfecter of their faith, and to imitate his enduring faithfulness. He will succeed in bringing many sons and daughters to their glory as children of God.
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Want to study this subject in-depth? We recommend Wrestling with Hebrews.
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