The Epistle to the Hebrews (original) (raw)
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Neotestamentica, 2022
The Epistle to the Hebrews, with its strong antithesis between the old and new covenants, has often been accused of supporting anti-Jewish polemics or even of displaying them itself. Hebrews is thus considered an obstacle to Jewish-Christian dialogue. This contribution aims to further the dialogue. It offers hermeneutical and exegetical perspectives to formulate a positive eschatological view of “Israel” from the overall theological witness of Hebrews in analogy to Romans 9–11, without abandoning the Christ-centred soteriology of the letter. These perspectives promote the idea of the one “believing people of God” in combination with the eschatological idea in Hebrews 11:39–40, that all believers will together enter their eschatological completion.
The Destination of the Epistle to the Hebrews
If there were ever a prize for the New Testament book with the most puzzling mysteries surrounding its creation, the Epistle to the Hebrews2 would take home first place. From its authorship, to its literary style, to references to obscure figures like Melchizedik, this Epistle is full of unknowns, and therefore open to much speculation. Yet, the Epistle remains one of the most enjoyable, moving, and influential works in the New Testament, and has contributed significantly to the Church’s understanding of herself, her understanding of Old Testament, insights to the purpose the sacrificial system served, and provides a wellspring of encouragement and strength in trying times from the faithful saints the came before them. One of the mysteries that surrounds the purpose, and possibly the interpretation, of this Epistle is who the intended recipients were and the original destination of the Epistle. Numerous theories, spanning from Spain to Antioch,3 have been suggested and possible destinations. This essay aims to demonstrate, through the studying of the external ecclesiastical testimony and the internal content of the Epistle, that the work (labeled) “to the Hebrews” was intended for Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Once a profile of the audience this Epistle addresses is constructed, the implications of this essay’s conclusion promises a refreshed understanding of the occasion of the Epistle and deeper appreciation and encouragement by the pastoral intentions behind this Epistle.
Hebrews and the General Epistles
The Bible
Hebrews and the General Epistles (we here refer to James, 1 and 2 Peter, and Jude) 1 share some common themes and assumptions as they address the problem of sin. All five texts are heavy on exhortation. Their authors direct their epistles to insiders-those who already belong to the community of believers in Jesus. 2 As such, much of the exhortation of these letters focuses on the need to remain firm in one's commitment to this belief and to the community of the faithful. One of the central characterizations of sin in these texts is, therefore, turning away from Jesus and the believing community, and/or returning to a past state and past behaviors. Each of these epistles also seeks to reinforce a reorientation of disordered desires. Sin arises when one's primary orientation or inclination is towards the present, visible world. This entails accepting the logic and values of the evil age. Humanity in general is inclined to desire the corruptible things of this world. These texts argue that a proper orientation for life looks instead towards unending life in unhindered fellowship with God in the future age. Thus entering into the coming, eternal realm is the goal of such an orientation. This desire for God and for obtaining the promises he has made stands at the heart of faith. Life that is rightly ordered in the here and now-a faithful life-is life lived in line with the eschatological hope of this future inheritance made possible by Jesus' salvific work. 1 For a discussion of the Johannine epistles see the essay in this volume by Gary M. Burge. 2 Dale Allison has recently challenged the conclusion that James is directed to communities of believers arguing instead that the epistle intends to foster good relations between Christ-believing Jews and non-Christ-believing Jews in synagogue contexts (
The Contribution of Hebrews to New Testament Christology
This essay attempts an exegesis of some of the key Christological texts in the Epistle to the Hebrews in order to sketch the author’s Christology. The challenging introductory questions relating to the Epistle’s composition are largely avoided; the exegetical method instead focuses on context, grammar and syntax, and intertextuality. Competing scholarly viewpoints are presented and weighed. Particular emphasis is placed on the exordium (Hebrews 1:1-4), the catena of scriptural quotations (Hebrews 1:5-14), the discussion of Christ’s humanity (Hebrews 2:6-18), the comparison of Christ with Moses (Hebrews 3:1-6), and the enigmatic comparison of Christ with Melchizedek (Hebrews 7). Other Christologically significant texts discussed more briefly include Hebrews 4:15-16, Hebrews 5:7-9, Hebrews 9:15-16, Hebrews 10:5-10, and Hebrews 13:8. The conclusion drawn from the study is that the author of Hebrews regarded Jesus as the pre-existent, divine Son of God who became incarnate to deal with sin and was exalted by God for his faithfulness unto death. By its dual emphasis on Christ’s divinity and humanity, Hebrews provides the raw materials for later Chalcedonian orthodoxy, although it does not develop these concepts or attempt to resolve the tension between them.
The Catholic Epistles and Hebrews
Redemption and Resistance in the Messianic Hopes of Jews and Christians in Antiquity. Ed. by M.N.A. Bockmuehl and J. Carleton , 2007
The Catholic Epistles, despite being grouped and named as such since at least the fourth century (HE 3.23.25) and appearing along with Acts in the textual tradition as the Apostolos, do not constitute a collection of texts with a distinctive and closely shared theological perspective. Add to this much neglected collection the letter to the Hebrews, often attributed to Paul in the early tradition (e.g. Clement of Alexandria in HE 6.14.2-4) but now never seriously argued to be his, and we have a group of texts which, while sharing internally and with other early Christian texts some common theological convictions, encompasses considerable variety. It would therefore seem appropriate to consider each text's individual perspective, rather than offer a synthetic treatment.