Hebrews 2 - Who wrote it

Hebrews Highlights #2

Who wrote and to whom was Hebrews written?

 

            The Book of Hebrews was one of the last New Testament books to become one of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament canon. The early church’s hesitancy was due to uncertainty about either its author or to whom it was originally written. Among the Church fathers the leading view was that it was written originally in either the Hebrew or Aramaic language to Jewish Christians in the area of Judea-Palestine. But this was not universally received even among the Church fathers. Some church fathers favored Barnabas and others thought the book to be written by Clement of Rome. At the time of the Reformation Luther pushed for Apollos as the original author. But this view was never mentioned by any of the fathers nor claimed by Alexandria which had most strongly favored Hebrews as part of the canon, and where Apollos was venerated as Alexandria's founding father. The predominate view seems to have favored Paul writing the letter in Hebrew or Aramaic to Jewish Christians in the area of Judea-Palestine; and then Luke translating if into the Greek text received into the canon. But nothing is certain. This uncertainty of author and recipient can be disconcerting to some Christians, and some others will look at the uncertainty as a place of weakness in the Christian canon. How is a teacher of a Sunday school class to be honest with such a question and leave his class encouraged as we prepare ourselves to study the Book of Hebrews? This blog gives a sense of how I handled the issue in our Hebrews class.

            I explained that it seems to me that Hebrews was the sort of letter which was the equivalent in ancient times of a post going viral. Someone wrote it originally to someone, and then they passed it on to someone else, and before long it was getting sent all over the place as people were hitting their share buttons and saying, “Hey look at this, it’s absolutely great.” Hebrews was an early church viral sensation that nourished a deeply felt need among believers in the early church.

            Then I had seven people read different brief passages of two or three verse sections from the Book of Hebrews. Among those being read was the following passage photographed from the New King James Version found in Hebrews 4:14-16.

 

            After the reading of the seven passages, I asked the class “Could you imagine a New Testament without these words?

            That is, ultimately in the final analysis, why the Book of Hebrews became included in the Church’s canon of New Testament Scriptures. Despite its original author and recipients being uncertain, its message was embraced by Christians who read it wherever the letter was read. Ultimately the church itself had to deal with the question “Can you imagine a New Testament without these words?” The Church at that time, as she has in every time and place in Church history replied “We cannot imagine a New Testament without these words.” Perhaps that is exactly how God wanted this book to be received – not for its writer’s authority or reputation, but for the undeniable divine quality of the message contained.