HEBREWS
INTRODUCTION
§ Written in the most _______________ style of Greek in the NT
§ Reflects a distinctively _______________hermeneutic
§ Circulated with the _______________epistle collection
§ Understanding requires _______________with the OT
§ Important for understanding the relationship of a believer's _______________and God's
_______________
AUTHORSHIP
§ Formally Anonymous - author fully expected the recipients to know who he was
§ Many options - Paul, Luke, Clement of Rome, Barnabas, Apollos, Silas, Timothy,
Epaphras, Priscilla, Philip, Mary the mother of Jesus
§ Reasons for Paul
§ In P46 (AD 200), Hebrews is placed right _______________Romans
§ Clement of Alexandria - Paul wrote it in Hebrew and Luke translated it into
Greek
§ Origen - One of Paul's disciples took notes and compiled the information
§ Hebrews contains _______________emphases found in many of Paul's letters
AUTHORSHIP
§ Reasons against Paul - 1) Language and style is different from Paul; 2) Author says he
heard the gospel from those who received it from Christ (2.3)
§ Muratorian Canon, Irenaeus, Hippolytus deny Paul as the author
§ Conclusion on Paul – Earliest and strongest support but church struggled with
acceptance
AUTHORSHIP
§ Clement of _______________– Many verbal similarities with Hebrews (Jesus as high
priest, and superior to angels; use of Pss 2 & 110)
§ Similarities probably due to Clement borrowing from Hebrews
§ Not many contemporary supporters of this view
AUTHORSHIP
§ One of Paul's Co-workers
§ Luke – Advocated by David L. Allen
§ _______________has similar writing style and theology
§ He was alone with Paul close to his death (2 Tim 4:11); was not an eyewitness of
Jesus (2:3)
§ Best option if author is an _______________of Paul
§ Barnabas – Proposed for the first time by Tertullian
, § He was a _______________from Cyprus (Acts 4.36), a member of the
_______________party in the Jerusalem church, and was closely associated with
Paul
§ Insufficient evidence to firmly identify him as author
AUTHORSHIP
§ One of Paul's Co-workers
§ Apollos - Proposed for the first time by Martin Luther
§ Described as "a learned man" with "a thorough knowledge of
Scriptures" (Acts 18.24)
§ He was a native of _______________ (Hebrews shares some vocabulary
with Philo) and had connection with the Pauline mission
§ Insufficient evidence to firmly identify him as author
§ Priscilla and Aquilla
§ They taught _______________ (Acts 18.26) and they must have known
_______________ (Heb 13.23) since he worked with Paul in Corinth and
Ephesus (Acts 18.5, 19.22; 1Cor 16.10, 19)
§ Disappearance of the author's name may be due to antifeminist
tendencies
§ Insufficient evidence to firmly identify them as the authors
AUTHORSHIP
§ Conclusion - We do not know who wrote it!
§ Likely a _______________Jew who became a Christian; a
_______________believer (2.3); steeped in the _______________; and one who
enjoyed a good _______________
§ "But who wrote the epistle, in truth God knows" - Origen
DATE
§ Prior to AD 70
§ Author's claim that he and his readers were _______________Christians (2:3)
§ Repeated references to _______________earthly life and ministry (2.10-18; 5.7-
10)
§ _______________still alive (13.23)
§ Author speaks of the temple in the _______________tense (9.6-10)
§ Quoted in _______________ (AD 96)
§ No signs of later church _______________
§ Reference to persecution under _______________? (AD 64-68) - "In your
struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your
blood" (12.4)
DATE
§ Issue of _______________
§ Two persecutions - Former (10.32-34); Imminent (1.2; 3.13; 10.25, 36; 12.4, 27)