HEBREWS

Hebrews
Who wrote the epistle?
There is no explicit mention of the author (Both author and recipients)

A few suggestions about who write the book
Paul (13:23)- Mention of Timothy
Contemporary scholars say that the book is not written by Pual
o Typical Pauline themes dont appear (Pauline circle)
Luke
Clement of Rome
Apollos
o Very adept at Greek
Silas
o Unlikely to have written by him though
Epaphras
Philip
Priscilla
A few observations on authorship
Second generation believer
Well versed Greek

The genre thing again
Epistle
Sermon or homily?
A sermon or homily with an epistolary ending?
Genre imposes interpretative strategy

To the Hebrews?
Superscriptions were not part of the autpgraph
Recipients were
Christians
Jewish
o Former members of a sect of Judaism?
Those from Italy- We assume that it came
Perhaps from a house church

An elusive date
Sometime before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70
Some believer it may have been written at a later date (AD 80s)

Why? Why? Why?- The occasion
Not holding on to the blessings of the new covenant (Sin of
apostasy)
Instead they turn back to the old covenant
Three stages in their history
Reception of the gospel
o Passing out of darkness into light (1 Peter 2)
o Language of enlightenment= language of conversion
Persecution
o Heb. 10:32-34
Dull and sluggish and danger of slip sliding away
o Heb.6:6; 10:25
Hebrew is
A call to hold fast what they confessed as Christians
o Warning against apostasy
o Proclaims Christ as better or superior to their old ways
(13X!!)
o TUKIP Theology
T
U
Limited atonement
Ireesistable grace
Perseverance of saints
o The old will pass away

5/2/2009 9:41:00 PM
Hebrews is
A call to hold fast what thy confessed as Chrisians
o Warning against apostasy
o Christ- the better or superior

Message Superiority of Christ
o Christ is superior to the Prophets (1:1-3)
o Christ is superior to the angels (1:4-2:18)
1
st
warning against apostasy (2:1-4)
o Christ is superior to Moses
2
nd
warning against apostasy (3:7-19; 4:1-2)
o Christ superior to Joshua (4:1-13)
o Christ superior to Aaron and the Jewish Priesthood (4:14-
7:28)
3
rd
warning against apostasy (5:11-6:8)
o Christ is Minister f a Superior Covenant (8:1-13)
o Christ is Minister in a Superior Tabernacle (9:1-38)
o Christ offers a Superior Sacrifice (10:1-18)
o Christ is superior as the New and living way (10:19-12:29)
4
th
warning against apostasy (10:26-31
5h warning against apostasy (12:14-29)
o Conclusion (13:1-25)