Christ, the fulfillment of the scriptures

Read or listen The Epistle to the Hebrews online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Introduction - God's revelation in the Son

The Epistle to the Hebrews is a profound study of the Old Testament. That is why many Christians consider it the most difficult epistle in the New Testament. What does the sacrificial service of the Old Testament have to do with the life of a Christian?

Profound things cannot be understood by superficial examination. It is almost impossible to understand the Epistle to the Hebrews without knowing the Old Testament temple worship. The Book of Hebrews shows us how the first Christians interpreted the Old Testament. The connection between the Old and New Testaments can still be built on this foundation today.

Unknown theologian

The author of the letter is unknown. The letter is the only book in the New Testament that is not associated with any apostle or disciple of an apostle.

In the East, the letter began to be considered written by Paul in the 2nd century. Even in the West this idea was accepted in the third century. Thus, some Bibles still speak of "Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews" (for example, the King James Version).

During the Reformation, it was stated that the letter was probably not written by Paul. Erasmus of Rotterdam based his argument on linguistic factors. He thought the author was Clement of Rome. Luther, on the other hand, believed that Apollos was the author of the letter. Silas, Luke, and Barnabas have also been suggested as authors of the letter.

The writer of the letter belonged to Paul's close circle, because in Hebrews 13:23 it is said that Timothy was freed from prison. The language of the letter is perhaps the best Greek in the entire New Testament. The writer is educated, perhaps having been educated in Alexandria, the center of Egyptian civilization.

Since he knows the Old Testament very well, he must be Jewish - although Christians also read the Old Testament. The New Testament did not even exist at that time. The writer was a second "generation" Christian, for he heard the gospel from the apostles:

"It was declared at first by the Lord,
and it was attested to us by those who heard"
(Heb 2:3)

Compare with Paul in Gal 1:12: "For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

• Good knowledge of Greek language points to Luke, but the style is different from Luke's Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles.
• The Alexandrian level of education and good knowledge of the Old Testament would point to Apollos as the author (Acts 18:24).
• The earliest mention of the letter's author speaks for Barnabas. The church father Tertullian, around the year 200, considered Barnabas to be the author. Barnabas could also be referred to in Hebrews 13:22: "words of exhortation", because in Acts 4:36 it is said that Barnabas was called "son of encouragement" (the same word in Greek in both passages). As a Levite, Barnabas was certainly well acquainted with the Old Testament regulations for worship.
• Clement of Rome was the first to quote the Epistle to the Hebrews (First Epistle of Clement) around 95 AD.

In the end, we have to settle for the conclusion of the church father Origen (circa 200 AD): "God alone knows who wrote the letter."

To whom?

The title of the letter "To the Hebrews" is only from the 1st century. Traditionally, it has been thought that the recipients were Jewish Christians. This has been justified not only by the title of the letter, but also by the fact that the letter requires a good knowledge of the Old Testament.

But "to the Hebrews" would strictly mean that the letter was sent to the early church in Jerusalem, since "Hebrew" meant a Jew whose native language was Aramaic. There were few of them outside of Jerusalem. But the letter was unlikely to have been sent there. Hebrews 6:10 says that the recipients had ministered to other saints. The Jerusalem church, on the other hand, received contributions from other Christians. Hebrews 2:3 says that the recipients had not themselves heard Jesus, and Hebrews 10:32-34 speaks of a persecution that the recipients had experienced. Neither fits the churches in the Promised Land.

It is possible that the recipients were Jewish Christians living elsewhere. But there are passages in the letter that suggest that the recipients were former Gentiles: Hebrews 6:1 speaks of dead works and how the recipients had come to know God. Hebrews 9:14 also speaks of dead works. The passages would be more appropriate for those who had become Christians from paganism, although of course Jewish legal piety can also be understood as dead works. It is possible that the writer of the letter addressed his message to Christians of both Jewish and Gentile backgrounds.

The letter ends with greetings from "those who come from Italy" (Hebrews 13:24). Since the letter is first quoted by Clement of Rome, it has been concluded that the letter was sent to Rome, where there were both Jewish and Gentile Christians.

The above details indicate that the letter was written to a specific group of Christians, not, for example, all Christians of Jewish background (compare also Heb 13:19,23). Some scholars even suggest that the group of recipients was only part of a larger congregation (compare Heb 10:25).

Writing situation

The letter talks a lot about the sacrificial services of the Old Testament. But the question is specifically about the sacrificial services of the Old Testament - not of the Temple in Jerusalem. Hebrews 10:1-3 has been thought to indicate that the temple in Jerusalem was still standing. But Clement of Rome speaks in the same style as late as the 90s, more than 20 years after the destruction of the temple.

In any case, the letter was written before 95, since Clement quotes it in his first letter. The fact that the letter makes no reference to the destruction of the temple in 70 AD does not help much. Hebrews 10:32-34 speaks of persecutions, which could refer to the persecution carried out by Emperor Nero in the mid-60s. Even on the question of timing, we have to settle for a fairly open solution: the letter was written in the 60s-80s.

It is certain, however, that the letter was written to encourage persecuted Christians, so that they would not abandon their faith. Some of the Jewish Christians may have returned to Judaism, which enjoyed the protection of the Roman government. The writer of Hebrews wants to remind those considering apostasy of what they are giving up. Worldly life will become easier, but what about eternal life (Heb 10:28-31)?

A letter or a sermon?

The Epistle to the Hebrews lacks the introduction and salutation typical of other New Testament epistles. Has the opening section been lost or was it never there? The current opening would be a good fit for the beginning of a sermon. On the other hand, the letter ends in the style of the epistles of the time, and Hebrews 5:11-6:12 and 10:32-34 would be good parts of the letter.

Some scholars consider the Epistle to the Hebrews to be a written sermon, not a letter. In the end, the difference is quite small. If the Epistle to the Hebrews is a written sermon, it was sent as a letter in any case. Support for the "sermon theory" has been sought from Hebrews 13:22, where the letter is described as "words of exhortation," which is exactly the same expression used of Jewish synagogue sermons (Acts 13:15).

The key themes

In Paul's letters we are accustomed to the division:
1. opening greeting
2. teaching
3. exhortations
4. closing greetings

In the Epistle to the Hebrews, teachings and exhortations alternate. Therefore, dividing the letter into sections is much more difficult than dividing Paul's letters.

The main teachings of the letter can be summarized in two ideas:
1. Teaching about the Word of God, about God's revelation, chapters 1-6 and 11-13
2. Teaching about the work of Jesus - about why God had to become a man, chapters 7-10

The letter contains five warnings:
1. Hebrews 2:1-4: Do not be led astray and condemned
2. Hebrews 3:7-19: Hold fast the faith, so that you do not fall away from the living God
3. Hebrews 6:1-20: Do not become sluggish and lazy, but wait patiently for the fulfillment of God's promises
4. Hebrews 10:19-39: Do not neglect the church
5. Hebrews 12:25-29: Do not turn your backs on salvation.

The Epistle to the Hebrews considers it highly unlikely that someone who has abandoned faith in Jesus would return to faith in him.

The Epistle to the Hebrews is an interpretation and explanation of the Old Testament:

• Chapter 2 is based on Psalm 8
• Chapters 3-4 are based on Psalm 95
• Chapters 5 and 7 are based on Psalm 110
• Chapters 5-7 are based on Genesis 14
• Chapter 8 is based on Jeremiah 31
• Chapter 10 is based on Psalm 40

The author sees that the message of the Old Testament cannot be received except by faith (Hebrews 4:2,6,11). The Word of God is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).

The Epistle to the Hebrews contains over 20 different titles for Jesus:

• Hebrews 1:2 Son
• Hebrews 1:6 Firstborn
• Hebrews 2:10 Savior
• Hebrews 2:10 Inheritor
• Hebrews 2:11 Sanctifier
• Hebrews 2:17 High Priest
• Hebrews 3:1 Apostle and High Priest of our confession
• Hebrews 5:6 Priest after the order of Melchizedek
• Hebrews 9:15 Mediator of the new covenant
  etc.

The writer of Hebrews compares the old and new covenants and states that the new is in every way better:

• Heb 1:4 – A better name
  "...having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."

• Heb 7:19 – A better hope
  "a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God."

• Heb 7:22 – A better covenant
  "This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant."

• Heb 8:6 – A better priesthood and a better promise
  "Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. "

• Heb 9:23 – A better sacrifice
  "Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these."

• Heb 10:34 – A better property
  "...you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one."

• Heb 11:35 – A better life
  "Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life."

• Heb 12:24 – A better blood
  "and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."
  etc.

The Epistle to the Hebrews does not quote the descriptions of Jesus in the four Gospels, but rather some other oral or written source. However, the image of Jesus is the same: the Savior who died for us and rose again, the Son of God. It is important that we have a correct understanding of Jesus. It is not irrelevant what kind of Jesus we follow. The Bible presents us with only one Jesus: the one who died on the cross and rose again.

These are the true hallmarks of Jesus:

"When he had said this, he
showed them his hands and his side.
Then the disciples were glad
when they saw the Lord."
(John 20:20)