The Book Of Hebrews In The Bible
Hebrews is the twelfth book of the New Testament and the only letter in that collection written by Paul. It was originally sent to Jewish Christians who were living in Jerusalem under persecution from both Jews and Romans. The purpose of this letter was to encourage these believers who had become discouraged because their fellow Jewish believers were abandoning Christianity for Judaism again.
Key facts
The book of Hebrews was written by Paul. The book was written to the Jewish Christians in Rome, as well as other Jewish-Christians throughout the Mediterranean world. It was probably composed around A.D. 58-61 and is therefore one of the latest New Testament books (written after Acts).
Author: Anonymous
We don’t know who wrote this book. It does not name its author anywhere within the text, nor does it give us any clues about who it might have been. The author is anonymous, which can be confusing for students new to the Bible because many other books of the New Testament do name their authors (e.g., Matthew, Paul).
For this reason and others, some scholars have suggested that we should not read Hebrews as Scripture at all—that instead it was written by a non-authoritative apostate Jewish writer named Apollos or perhaps even by an early Christian leader like Barnabas or Clement of Rome. Others argue that since there are no extant manuscripts from before the fourth century CE which contain an attribution to Paul as author, these same people would have had access to such information when they copied down these ancient documents onto papyrus scrolls in subsequent centuries (and therefore could have been influenced by what they heard).
Date written: 60-68 AD
The Book of Hebrews was written to Jewish Christians who had been converted to Christianity. The author is Paul and the date that it was written is approximately 60-68 AD. The book was written in Greek, which is one reason why many people think that it may have been written by someone other than Paul.
Date Written: Paul wrote the letter somewhere around 60-68 AD, although some have argued for an earlier date of 46-48 AD.
The question of when Paul wrote the letter depends on who you ask. Some scholars believe that Paul wrote the letter sometime between 48 and 60 AD, while others argue for a later date of around 70 AD. The first group claims it was written somewhere around 50-55 AD, while the second group believes it was written somewhere around 60-68 AD.
The majority opinion is that Paul wrote this letter between 55 and 57 AD; however, many scholars point out that there are significant differences between their interpretation of Hebrews 1:1–2:18 (known as “Hebrews A”) and those parts of Hebrews 2:19–3:14 (known as “Hebrews B”). According to these scholars, these differences suggest two separate authors wrote Hebrews A and B respectively—with one author writing Hebrews A sometime before 54 AD, while another author wrote Hebrews B sometime after 54 AD.
Purpose: To encourage Jewish Christians who were being tempted to revert to Judaism and to warn them against doing so.
The purpose of the book is to encourage Jewish Christians who were being tempted to revert to Judaism and to warn them against doing so. The author wrote this letter in order to encourage his readers, who were tempted by false teachers, to remain faithful to Jesus Christ.
Setting: The Greek city of Rome was the center of the Roman Empire where Paul lived and worked at the end of his life (c. AD 62).
The Book of Hebrews is the book that focuses on Christ’s Priesthood and Kingship. The author writes to Jewish believers who are living in the Greek city of Rome (or perhaps, to Jewish Christians who have moved from Jerusalem to Rome). He describes how they can be saved by God through faith in Jesus.
Paul spent his final years imprisoned in Jerusalem and then transferred to another location where he was under house arrest; he died there in c. AD 62. Scholars believe this second location was probably Rome because it was home to one of the two major prisons for political prisoners: the Mamertine Prison or Tullianum Palace.
Audience: Jewish Christians living in Jerusalem who were being persecuted for their faith in Christ by both the Jews and the Romans.
The author of Hebrews was a Jewish Christian living in Jerusalem, who was writing to other Jewish Christians there. His purpose in writing this epistle was to encourage the recipients, who were being persecuted by both the Jews and the Romans. The Roman government had outlawed Judaism, so if you were a follower of Christ, you could be punished by either your Jewish or Roman neighbours. They would beat you and throw stones at you until they killed you (see Acts 14:19).
The author used several rhetorical strategies to communicate his message: metaphors (1:3), analogies (2:17-18), and parables (2:14). He also emphasized certain themes throughout the book including salvation through faith alone in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 6:1); our sinfulness before God without Him (Hebrews 10:1); and our need for salvation from sin through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Other names for Hebrews: Letter to Hebrews; Epistle to the Hebrews
The Book of Hebrews is also known as the Epistle to the Hebrews. The word epistle comes from a Greek word meaning “letter.” The letter was written to a group of Christians living in Alexandria, Egypt during the first century A.D., but its message is still relevant today. In fact, many Bible scholars consider this book one of the most important writings in all of Scripture because it helps us understand who God is and how He works through His Son Jesus Christ.
Because it has been referred to by so many different names over time, we need to make sure that we know exactly what each name means when we read them together or separately from each other.
Key Characters in Hebrews include Jesus Christ, God, Holy Spirit, Angels, Moses, Abraham, Melchizedek
- Jesus Christ, the author and mediator of the New Covenant.
- God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth in order to help us understand more fully what God has taught us through his Son.
- Angels (“ministering spirits sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation”) who assist in interceding with believers on behalf of those who are not yet saved by praying for them and encouraging them to repent so they can be forgiven their sins (Hebrews 1:14).
- Moses was a key figure because he was one who was faithful even when no one else was (Hebrews 11:24-26). He also gave up everything so that he could enter into God’s rest (1 Corinthians 10:7-11; Hebrews 4:7-11; Hebrews 11:28-40). Abraham’s sacrifice is an example for us—he put Isaac on the altar without hesitation when God asked him too! We need this kind of faith if we’re going to follow Jesus’ example today.”
Hebrews focuses on Jesus as superior to all other leaders of God’s people.
The author of Hebrews focuses on Jesus as superior to all other leaders of God’s people. Jesus is superior to Moses, angels, and Abraham. His superiority is also highlighted in the contrast between Melchizedek and Levi.
In summary, Hebrews is a letter written by Paul and addressed to the Jewish Christians of Jerusalem. It focuses on Jesus as superior to all other leaders of God’s people.