Wrestling with Hebrews

Hebrews' author is unknown and puzzling: He demonstrates knowledge of rabbinic exegesis and operates within a Platonic worldview

By DWIGHT A. PRYOR
hebrews (photo credit: courtesy)
hebrews
(photo credit: courtesy)
One of the most beloved books in the New Testament is also one of the most problematic. The Epistle to the Hebrews significantly shaped early Christian thought. Indeed, an early manuscript placed it immediately after Romans.
Hebrews is noteworthy to scholars for its elegant Greek and exceptional rhetoric. 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 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 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?) are also unknown, as is the date of its composition (before or after the destruction of the Temple?). And what was its purpose? 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 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 highly favor Hebrews. One common proof-text 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:
1) Keep in mind its sermonic nature and pastoral orientation. Hebrews likely was first delivered orally – perhaps as a synagogue sermon. The author’s passion stems from pragmatic, pastoral concerns for a specific congregation. His is “a word of exhortation” (13:22), not an abstract treatise.
2) Beware of reading the text anachronistically, assuming an 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 later divide between church and synagogue, or Christianity and Judaism.
3) Hebrews shares many characteristics with Jewish apocalyptic literature. The faithful Jewish covenanters at Qumran, for example, critiqued the Temple sacrifices and priesthood. So with our author. The Torah is not rejected, but the Levitical sacrificial system, compared to Christ, is deemed insufficient and therefore “becoming obsolete.”
4) The author operates with a Torahbased 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.
5) 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.
Download a free lecture from Dr. Pryor’s new series on Hebrews at jcstudies.com/