Who Do You Think Wrote The Book Of Hebrews?

[clontzjm]

Hebrews 4:2 rules out Paul as the primary author - "For we also have had the good news preached to us, just as they did. But the message they heard was of no value to them, because they were not united in faith with those who listened." [CNT] Paul states in Galatians that he received the gospel through revelation.

 

Barnabas was converted after hearing the good news preached to him. He was a levite and Hebrews contains a good deal of levitical imagery. Tertullian ascribes Hebrews to Barnabas. If Barnabas dictated the letter to Paul, then Paul's authorship would be partially explained.

 

My answer is that Barnabas dictated the letter to Paul who actually "penned" Hebrews.

 

 

[GoldenEagle]

 

1. Paul

2. Luke

3. Apollos

4. Priscilla

5. Combination of two or more

6. Other

I took a course on this a while back and the main source was: Lea, Thomas D., and David Alan Black. The New Testament: Its Background and Message. Second Edition. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 2003.

Here are some thoughts.

I. AUTHORSHIP: It is clearly anonymous. (Lea, pp. 502-5)

• It seems the 1st-century readers knew who the writer was:

a. The plural number in Heb. 2:1-4; 4:14-16 suggests the writer and readers shared these experiences.

b. Heb. 6:9-11; 10:25, and 32-34 suggest the writer knew personal spiritual details about the readers.

c. Heb. 13:23 suggest the readers knew the writer’s identity, who was coming to visit them.

d. The request for prayer in Heb. 13:19 suggests the readers knew the writer.

• However, it is unclear today who the writer was.

1. Paul

Evidence For (internal):

a. This is the traditional view, which was accepted through the Protestant Reformation.

b. Hebrews contains some doctrinal similarities to Paul.

c. There are stylistic similarities to Paul

d. The letter reflects a Jewish Christian author who was learned in the OT and who had an effective ministry with both Jews and Gentiles

Evidence Against (internal):

a. The letter is anonymous, yet all 13 of Paul’s NT letters mention him as the author in the first sentence.

b. The writer made no claim to apostolic authority, unlike Paul. Instead, the writer appealed to eyewitnesses of Jesus’ ministry (Heb. 2:3).

c. Hebrews has a highly polished Greek, which is different from Paul's abrupt style.

d. The theological emphasis is not characteristically Pauline (such as saying Jesus was the great high priest: Heb. 4:14-16).

e. OT quotations in Hebrews are usually from the LXX, but Paul did not always follow this practice.

f. Hebrews’ place in NT seems to question authorship.

Evidence Against (external):

a. Both the Council of Hippo (AD 393) and the 3^rd Council of Carthage (AD 397) listed Hebrews separately from Paul’s 13 letters.

b. During the Reformation, Calvin claimed Clement of Rome or Luke wrote Hebrews.

c. Lea says virtually no NT scholar today proposes Pauline authorship.

2. Luke

Evidence For:

Similarities of the polished Greek to Luke-Acts.

Evidence Against:

It is not likely a Gentile would write with such a Jewish outlook

This leaves Appolos, Priscilla, and Barnabas as the other main possibilities IMO.

3. Apollos (Martin Luther favored him as the author)

Evidence For:

a. He was a friend of Paul, so this would explain theological similarities.

b. He was known as an eloquent speaker (Acts 18:24-28), which would explain the polished literary style.

c. He was a Jew, an Alexandrian, learned in the OT, which would explain the use of the LXX (which was written in Alexandria).

d. He had a successful ministry to Jews.

e. He had contacts with Timothy as well as considerable influence in various churches.

Evidence Against:

a. There is no early evidence for this view.

b. If Hebrews were written by so prominent a person, why is his authorship forgotten? This same argument works against Barnabas being the author. (See below)

4. Priscilla (Adolf Harnack proposed)

Evidence For:

1. She had close ties with Paul

2. Since she was a woman it would explain the anonymity.

Evidence Against:

1. Little external evidence to support this

2. The reference to self in Heb. 11:32 with the masculine participle of the word “tell” is problematic.

5. Other Choices:

A. Barnabas

Evidence For:

a. Tertullian attributed Hebrews to him.

b. Barnabas was a Jew and a friend of Paul, so his theology must have been similar to Paul’s.

c. Barnabas could minister to both Jew and Gentile alike.

d. His Levitical background (Acts 4:36) would explain the interest in priestly functions found in Hebrews.

Evidence Against:

a. Barnabas probably was an eyewitness to, yet the author of Hebrews depended on the testimony of others (2:3).

b. It is hard to explain how the name of a leader like Barnabas could have been lost.

c. The lack of early references to him as the author is hard to explain.

B. Other minor possibilities: Clement of Rome, Silas, Acquilla, Philip, Mark, Titus

What do you think? Anything to add? Or something that doesn't sound right?

God bless,

GE

 

 

Bump

[missmuffet]

It is an enigma.No one is certain.It is doubtful it is Paul because Paul's salutation is missing.