Hebrews

[Gr.Hebreios "one from beyond(Jordan)"]

Courtesy of James Earl Jones(Bible Audio)The Book of Hebrews




THE SUBSTANCE OF FAITH

Hebrews chapter 1-6

Chapter 7-10

Chapter 11-13

Background:We do not know who wrote this letter,nor who the readers were.Since the writer's theme is that the temple and its ceremonies were temporary pointers to Christianity it is probably that the original readers were Jews.The keyword for this letter is "better".Jesus has offered a better(and last)sacrifice(4-7).He is better than all that has gone before:greater than the angels(1,2),greater than Moses(3).The new covenant has replaced the Old(8-10).In the closing chs. he writes to encourage his readers to keep going in the face of difficulties and hostility.The people of the OT did wonderful things because they rellied on God(11).Christians must follow their example of Jesus(12).13chs

Author:Manny have been suggested:Paul(see Romans),Apollos,Barnabas,Luke(see Luke),Priscilla and Silas

Date and Location:Probably cAD68,perhaps from Italy(13:24):

*It was probably before the Temple's destruction in 70:

*The Temple was apparently still in use(8:4,5;10:11)

*If the destruction had occurred, it would surely have been mentioned because of its interest to the readers and relevance to the book's theme

*however,it was probably not much earlier than 70:

*The recipients were apparently second-generation Christians who themselves had been believers for a fairly long time

*Timothy had just been released from prison(13:23)His imprisonment is not mentioned elsewhere

Recipients:Second-generation Jewish Christians living in or near Jerusalem,who had been Christians for some time(2:3,4;5:11-14;10:32)and had suffered persecution(12:3,4)

Purpose:

-To show the superiority of the person and work of Christ to all aspects of Judaism(1-10:18)

-Encourage Christian maturity(5:11-6:3)

-Give comfort amid persecution(11-12:13)

-To warn about the danger and severity of divine chastisement(See Unique features)

Unique Features:

-He quote from the OT about 100x,from the Septuagint rather than the Hebrew text.It does more to explain OT typology than any other bible book

-It contain God's final recorded message to Israel before the final destruction of its Temple in AD70

-It contains 5 warning passages concerning the danger of abandoning the gospel and returning to the law.These warnings include exhortations and illustration from the OT(2:1-4;3:7-4:13;5:11-6:20;10:19-39;12:14-29)

-It contains the famous "Hall of Faith"(11)

-The key theme of "Let us"

^4:1,11,14,16;6:1;10:22,23,24;12:1a1b,28;13:13,15

Comparison:

*Mt shows how Christ fulfilled OT prophecy;Heb.shows how he fulfilled the OT worship

*Jn and Heb.both begin by praising Jesus Christ as both Creator and Redeemer(compare 1:1-4=Jn1:1-4)

*Rom.shows the necessity of Christ;Heb.shows the preeminence of Christ

*Col.show the preeminence of Christ by direct statement;Heb.shows the preeminence of Christ by striking contrasts


Abbreviations:Heb./Hbr./He.

MV:1P1:5

Bib1Yr:He6Impossible For Those