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 The Hebrews
epistle was addressed to the Hebrews of Palestine. The letter is said
by some to be included among the Pauline letters by accident, as it
nowhere claims to be written by Paul. One writer says it was written
by an unknown author at an unknown place to people at an unknown
destination and at an unknown date. This epistle is different in style
and thought to the mind of Paul and is generally recognized as an
anonymous letter in the early church, it comes close to the style of
Barnabas and Priscilla, has also been suggested as the source. Clement
of Alexandria thought that Paul wrote it in Hebrew, and that Luke
translated it into Greek, it is written in most excellent Greek but
the quotes from the Septuagint would suggest the original as in Greek.
We can infer by reading that the writer was Jewish, familiar with
Philo as well as with the Old Testament, acquainted with Timothy and
known by those to whom he addressed. The author is not of the twelve
but it is still apostolic in nature and of an Alexandrian flavour.
The writer has proved from scripture there is a Sabbath Rest for the
people of יתןת. Barnabas connects this with the world to be burned up
around the year 6000 after the creation. The danger which Paul sought
to avert was the lapse back into Judaism. The book of Hebrews was
known and prized especially in the east but also in the west. It has
long been recognized that Hebrews betrays a close kinship to Philo -
the Logos in Philo, the Christ in Hebrews. But Christ for Hebrews is
not just the anointed agent (Messiah) for bringing in the kingdom; he
is the agent through whom יתןת created the world, who "reflects the
glory of יתןת, and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the
universe by his word of power." The writer aims to establish the
supremacy of Christ and Christianity. The readers had evidently been
Christians for a long time and had suffered severely. It is a warning
to those who accepted Christ of the dangers of apostasy.
The book of Hebrews is a masterful defence for the superiority of
Christianity over Judaism. Jesus is superior to the angels, superior
to Moses and superior to the high priest so that the new covenant
which Jesus mediates is superior to the old covenant which is now
obsolete. In this superiority that Jesus has, Christians must give
earnest heed to the things which we have heard and beware lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the
living יתןת. We must not fall away but hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess by fixing our eyes constantly on the example of Jesus, the
author and finisher of our faith. We as Christians are receiving a
kingdom that cannot be moved and in thankfulness we must worship יתןת
acceptably with reverence and awe.
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