Here's my introduction to the book of Hebrews, and its course.
The book of Hebrews was written primarily to a Hebrew or Jewish audience in the 1st Century A.D. The basic Greek title is Pros Ebraious, meaning "To Hebrews." The book is filled with references to the sanctuary services of the Old Testament, the animal sacrifices that were made, and the Levitical priesthood. It also draws heavily on information from other Old Testament characters (such as those names and stories discussed in Hebrews 11, the very famous "Faith" chapter!). It is clear that this book was originally written to a Jewish audience, but certainly it holds great importance and significance for Christians from any background and in all ages! The book of Hebrews explains to us how Jesus Christ is "better" than all the old things that were done under the first covenant that God made with His people during the time of Moses. It explains how Jesus Christ is the "substance" or the real thing that God had been promising all along, for thousands of years, while the sacrifices and other things under the old covenant were simply "shadows" or types that were pointing us forward to Christ Jesus, the then coming Messiah! Hebrews presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the entire earthly sanctuary system. Christ was the innocent Lamb who was to die for our sins (such as was promised by the prophet Isaiah in his 53rd chapter), and Christ Jesus was and is the High Priest who ministers His blood for us in the Heavenly Sanctuary above (Hebrews 2:17; 4:14-16; 8:1-5). His blood was shed once and for all for us (Heb. 10:14). This book clearly was written to keep Jewish believers who were facing persecution for their faith from lapsing back into an empty Judaism without the realization of their promised Messiah! This book shows us that Jesus is the answer and fulfillment of God's promises through all ages!
It is not clear to exactly which group of Hebrews this book was addressed. It was not pointed to any one certain city, town, or group in any one locale. Some have surmised that it may have been directed to Hebrews in the vicinity of Jerusalem, but internal evidence suggests that that wasn't necessarily the case. For example, those in Jerusalem experienced some great poverty from a famine in the mid first century, yet these believers were helping others financially (See Rom. 15:26 and Heb. 6:10). It is also not 100% clear where it was written from, since these details were not specifically mentioned. The line "Those from Italy Greet you" (Heb. 13:24) would likely suggest that it was written from somewhere in Italy, perhaps from Rome, but we are not sure. Others have interpreted that text to suggest that the author was outside of Italy, but writing to somewhere in Italy, and sending greetings from Italians who were outside of Italy (being "from" there), but wishing to greet their countrymen. Personally, I do not buy the second suggestion and I would tend to favor the idea that this book was written from somewhere within Italy to somewhere outside of it (although I cannot prove it beyond all doubt until Jesus comes to explain it to us all!). The date of writing is not exactly specified either, but the existing evidence suggests to us a date between A.D. 64 and A.D. 68. The book was referenced by Clement of Rome in A.D. 95 which tells us it had to have been written much prior to that date, circulated, and accepted by Christians of the time. It also neglects to mention the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies under general Titus which took place in A.D. 70. Such a fact would be strange to leave out for a book that was dealing so heavily with the topic of the Sanctuary. Also Timothy was still alive at this time (13:23), and persecution towards believers was growing. That again gives us a pretty fair date range for authorship of A.D. 64 to A.D. 68.
Authorship for this book has been challenged too. From about the 4th Century to the late 19th Century most Christians believed that Paul wrote the book to the Hebrews. In the earlier days though there seems to have been some uncertainty. In the West most thought Luke, Barnabus, Clement, or another anonymous author had written the book. Among the churches in the Eastern part of the Roman Empire it was believed that Paul had written it. The book lacks the common listing of Paul's name at the beginning or end of the letter. It also does not include his familiar greetings at the beginning of it. The Greek style is also a bit different from Paul's writing in his other letters. Those are some of the challenges. However, the book does mention Timothy as Paul might have done (13:23) and there is some very striking similarity in concepts and wording when you compare Hebrews 8-10 with the 2nd chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossians! Certainly, there is evidence to suggest that it was Paul's work, but was maybe penned by another's hand, or with a different audience in mind, etc. Although the human authorship of this letter was questioned, the content of this letter is incredibly solid and in line with all that we know from teachings in other parts of the New Testament (2nd Testament) and also from the Old Testament (1st Testament). The inspiration of Hebrews and its sure place as part of our New Testament Scripture is not questioned at all! From a very early date this book was accepted by Christians and the message presented is very solid in the biblical context. My personal thought is that Paul did write the book of Hebrews, but we'll have to wait until we all get to heaven to get our facts 100% straight!
Blessings in Christ as you study His precious word!
Ben B.
