Hebrews Annual Bible Study
Encouragement for a Life of Faith

To state the obvious, Hebrews is a unique book. It is generally designated a letter or epistle and situated among a number of similar New Testament books, and yet it stands out from those around it like a necktie at a “contemporary” worship service. It is stately and polished in the midst of nitty-gritty letters full of busy instructions. It is abstract and picturesque beside blunt pastoral letters and general epistles. It is anonymous in the company of a host of epistles traditionally attributed to the apostles of the greatest generation of Christianity.

These contrasts would have been especially evident in the early Greek texts, from which Hebrews stands out as an elegant example of the art of speechwriting. Perhaps partly because of this unique style, Hebrews did not find a consistent place within the emerging Scriptures of the early church. Sometimes it was included among Paul’s letters, sometimes not, and sometimes it wasn’t even included in the authoritative early Christian Scriptures! However, the unique content of Hebrews--its bold ideas--likely played an even larger role in the early church’s apparent quandary as to what to do with the book.

From the evidence of the early centuries, it appears that only in the eastern part of the Christian world (such as Antioch and Jerusalem) was Hebrews widely accepted as a revealed message from God with authority akin to that of Paul’s letters and the Gospels. In the eastern and southeastern Mediterranean areas, in fact, many believed Paul himself wrote Hebrews. The difference in the style of Hebrews from that of the rest of Paul’s letters did not go unnoticed, but eastern Christians generally attributed it to Paul’s modesty or to the influence of another skilled writer, such as Luke, who actually wrote down the letter for Paul.

In the western Mediterranean, however, especially at Rome, Hebrews is often either not found in early lists of Christian writings or characterized as a letter with disputed authority. The churches of the West appear to have been much more reluctant to accept Pauline authorship, based on the obvious differences between Hebrews and the accepted Pauline letters. It is also apparent that the letter’s emphasis on the impossibility of lapsed Christians being restored to a saving relationship with God did not match the sentiments of many in the western church and likely discouraged those Christians from embracing the letter.

Despite a rocky beginning, Hebrews found a place in the canon, and it often played an important role in theological controversies at a time when an orthodox path of Christian theology was emerging from the early streams of tradition. The book’s distinctive portrayal of the nature of Jesus was influential during early debates over Christology, and its use of the Old Testament helped pave the way for centuries of allegorical and typological interpretation of the Bible.

While Hebrews is traditionally identified as a letter, or an epistle, it is also recognized today more significantly as a carefully crafted sermon. There is no reason we should have to choose between the two of these because the text displays important characteristics of both. Although the standard salutation and greetings so familiar to us from Paul’s letters are missing from the beginning of Hebrews, closing remarks at the end of the letter distinguish it as a writing intended to be carried to a distant congregation to relate the writer’s message. These comments give us some of the most direct information we have about the circumstances of the writing of Hebrews. For instance, the statement that “(t)hose from Italy send you greetings” in 13:24 suggests that as the author wrote the letter, Roman Christians accompanied him or her. This may mean that the letter was written from Rome, but it may just as well refer to expatriate Romans who have traveled abroad to share the gospel. The reference to Timothy in the final verses of Hebrews likewise conjures up associations with the Pauline mission and the many important letters connected with that mission.

The author’s frequent references to a shared mission (“Let us . . .”) and to an audience (“you”) toward whom he clearly directs his exhortations could be characteristic of either a letter or a sermon. The apparent fact is that the writer of Hebrews was unable to deliver his or her message in person and opted for a written word to be carried to the familiar Christians with whom he or she wished to communicate. In this sense, the writing is surely a letter.

On the other hand, Hebrews is also an example of a well-structured sermon intended to persuade its readers and hearers not only to agree to certain ideas, but also to be moved to act upon those ideas and make a renewed commitment to following the way of Jesus. The sermon shows clear signs of intentional and skillful development along the lines of ancient rhetorical conventions.

The authorship of Hebrews has been something of a mystery since the earliest days of the church. As mentioned above, the possibility that Paul was the author gave special standing to the book in some early Christian communities, while skepticism about the possibility of Paul’s authorship may have played a role in the reluctance of other communities to consider the book authoritative. Hundreds of years of church tradition and centuries of critical scholarship have not resolved this impasse, so we will do well to make a few general observations about the author while recognizing the futility of trying to identify a particular individual...

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