SUBJECT: Book of Hebrews
QUESTION: Who is the author of the book of Hebrews?
Is it Paul?
ANSWER:
First, commentary from Nelson's Dictionary:
HEBREWS, EPISTLE TO THE
Authorship:
Other than 1 John, the Epistle to the Hebrews is the only
letter in the New Testament with no greeting or
identification of its author. Although the King James
Version entitles the book "The Epistle of Paul the Apostle
to the Hebrews," this title stems from later manuscripts
which came to include it. It is highly doubtful, however,
that Paul wrote Hebrews. The language, vocabulary, and style
of Hebrews differ from Paul's genuine letters. Such
typically Pauline expressions as "Christ Jesus," "in
Christ," or "the resurrection" are all but absent in
Hebrews. When Hebrews and Paul treat the same subjects, they
often approach them differently. For example, in Hebrews the
"law" means the ritual law, whereas for Paul it means the
moral law; "faith" in Hebrews is belief in the
trustworthiness of God, whereas for Paul it is a personal
commitment to a living Lord. The author of Hebrews sounds
more like a Platonic philosopher than Paul when he speaks of
the old covenant <8:5> and the law <10:1> as "shadows" of
their originals.
There has been no shortage of suggestions concerning who the
author may have been. The list includes Luke, Priscilla,
Aquila, Clement of Rome, Silvanus, and Philip. Perhaps the
two most likely candidates are Apollos and Barnabas. Both
have characteristics which commend them, Apollos because he
was an eloquent Alexandrian Jew who knew the Scriptures well
<Acts 18:24>, and Barnabas because he was a Levite <Acts
4:36>. As with the others, however, this suggestion is only
a possibility. The writer of the epistle remains anonymous.
~from Nelson's Illustrated
Bible Dictionary
FROM MR. ARMSTRONG:
I have always believed Paul wrote Hebrews. It is not
vitally important either way, but the idea that Priscilla or
Clement wrote it is ridiculous. The authorship is not as
important as the authenticity. I know God does not
necessarily always deal in numerology; but the 14 books, 2 x
7 is at least an indication. Since Peter was the Apostle to
the Jews, and Paul to the Gentiles, some have suggested
Peter may have written it. Those who talk about "Pauline"
phrases and structure seem to completely forget that Paul
wrote hardly ANY of the letters bearing his name; but that
men like Tertius (See Romans 16:22), Aristarchus, Segundus,
Gaius, etc., may have written them. Look at 1 Corinthians
16:21, where Paul interjects only one line (probably
with "large letters" in an inimitable scrawl because of his
partial blindness) of greeting as a testimony to
authenticity. Notice also Galatians 6:11, where he says
"with large letters (margin:
note in Bullingers)" he had written with his own
hand. I am personally satisfied Paul wrote Hebrews. But if
he didn't, it does not set aside its place in the received
text.
Garner Ted Armstrong |