A Biblical Theology of Hebrews

Douglas W. Kennard

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781532664571
• eBook ISBN: 9781532664588
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Criticism & Interpretation

Using a biblical theology method, this book reflects the content of the epistle of Hebrews within its Jewish-Christian context. Within Jewish monotheism, a Two Powers Christology is championed to float a simple missional Trinitarianism. Jesus Christ is also presented as a superior prophet, Davidic king, and Melchizedek priest. Christ initiates the new covenant with his very Jewish atonement in the Day of Atonement pattern, ultimately perfecting believers' conscience (as an Edwardsian Religious Affection) and providing everlasting forgiveness. This provision initiates the believer on a new exodus toward the celestial city within a two-way soteriological framework. To make it to that heavenly goal, the believer must continue in faith. Those who are faithful already begin to experience rest in this life as a foretaste of the kingdom rest to come, when Christ brings in eschatological salvation.

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Introduction

The author of the book of Hebrews is unknown. The book does not identify the author. The early church is familiar with the book and is encouraged by its spiritual content and high Christology.1 Pauline authorship was claimed by early patristics.2 For example, the author knows Timothy as a mature and equal minister, perhaps after Paul’s death, and plans to travel with him (Heb 13:233). However, it was recognized early on that the vocabulary and style do not fit Paul’s other writings.4 Others authors have been suggested, including Barnabus,5 Apollos,6 Silas,7 Luke,8 Aquila,9 and Priscilla.10 Origin claimed that it was not written by Paul, and that only God knows the author.11

With Hebrews likely composed by a unique and unknown author, a biblical theology of the book will best stand on its own without connecting it as from other NT authors.12

The book is written to Jewish Christians. The title “to the Hebrews” was affixed to the book before the end of the second century, much like several NT letters had titles added.13 Hartwig Thyen maintained that Hebrews was similarly positioned as a Jewish-Christian homily with several other volumes of its era.14 Old Testament citations and allusions permeate the book, implying that the readership has familiarity with them, but with a high Christology of Jesus’ deity. The temptation for the readers in the book is to depart from Christ and return to disobedience under the Mosaic law and Judaism (Heb 2:2–4; 3:7—4:13; 10:26–31). This temptation is not what gentile Christians were dealing with in the first century so they do not seem to be the primary audience.

The closing of Hebrews expressed the standard features for letter form,15 namely, final exhortations (Heb 13:1–19, 22–23), benedictions or blessings (Heb 13:20–21, 25), the plan to visit recipients (Heb 13:23), and greetings (Heb 13:24). The plan to visit might localize the intended original audience to a particular location familiar to Timothy (but not Ephesus, where Timothy had a prolonged ministry). The greetings identify that the author is with a group who had exited from (ἀπὸ) Italy,16and they greet the readers, probably indicating that the author writes from somewhere other than Italy (Heb 13:24). Might this hint that the author writes to somewhere in Italy? One cannot say definitely. None of the standard letter form features were found in the introduction to the book.

It is difficult to determine the intended location and time of the Jewish-Christian readership of the book. The fact that the author develops a tabernacle instead of the Jerusalem temple (Heb 9:1–10) probably indicates that the book is composed to dispersion Jews. The fact that the LXX is amply utilized and modified for quoting the OT further supports that the original readers are among dispersion Jews. The fact that there is no mention of the temple having been destroyed probably also indicates that the book is composed before the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 AD, because to mention such a destruction would have aided the argument in the book for the obsolescence of the Mosaic covenant and the initiation of the new covenant with Christ’s atonement.

Many take the dominant theme of the book to be the superiority of Christ.17 The word κρείττων (“much better”) occurs thirteen times in the book, but the superiority is more diversified than Christ, so it is better to see its use as part of the method of argument through the book than as a center.18 That is, Christ is superior to angels (Heb 1:4), the believer has a better salvation than damnation (Heb 6:9), Melchizedek is spiritually superior to Abraham (Heb 7:7), and Christ as a Melchizedek priest obtains better covenant access and atonement with God than the law (Heb 7:19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 12:24), enabling the believer to obtain a better inheritance (Heb 10:34; 11:16) and better resurrection (Heb 11:35, 40).

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Table of contents

• Title Page
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: God
• Chapter 3: Spokesman for God
• Chapter 4: Hebrews’ Epistemology of Prophecy as Rhetorical Proclamation that Christ is Supreme
• Chapter 5: Christ as God-King, Superior to Angels
• Chapter 6: Apostle Jesus, More Glorious than Moses
• Chapter 7: Melchizedek Priest
• Chapter 8: The Law and the New Covenant
• Chapter 9: Christ’s New Covenant Atonement
• Chapter 10: The Narrow Exodus Way of Faith to Salvation
• Chapter 11: Warnings in Hebrews
• Chapter 12: Final Letter Features
• Bibliography