Who wrote the book of Hebrews?
Who wrote the book of Hebrews?
One topic of apologetics is defending the reliability of
scripture, typically I write about the general reliability of scripture and
that the Bible has not been corrupted over time because we have ancient copies
(Dead Sea Scrolls), and that the Bible is indeed history (defending historicity
of the resurrection, Jesus existed, events of Old Testament, etc.), but today
we will take a look at a new topic for me, the authorship of specific books of
the Bible. This is more of a Christian to Christian conversation in my view,
but since churches split over differences like this, it is worth it to pursue
so we have a fair treatment of both sides and can have an honest discussion and
hopefully maintain unity in the church, even if we come to different
conclusions about issues like this. Today we are looking at the book of Hebrews,
a book that really doesn’t have authorship attributed to it today, but is traditionally
thought of as being written by Paul.
Ancient vs Modern Views on Hebrew Authorship
Traditionally, it was thought that Paul wrote Hebrews, and was
included in that collection, but later scholarship has muddied the waters, such
that most Bibles don’t contribute authorship to anyone in particular. There are
some cases for Paul, some for Luke, and some for other writers, such as Clement
of Rome, Silas, or Apollos. Eusebius argues that Paul did write Hebrews in the Hebrew
language, but was translated to Greek by Luke, as there are similar styles of
writing to the book of Acts, which is attributed to Luke. In the 2nd
century, it was thought that someone else, like Clement of Rome wrote what Paul
taught, preserving Paul’s teachings, but in Clement’s writing style. Augustine
fought for Paul’s authorship of Hebrews, but Hebrews was generally accepted as
part of New Testament canon at that point (As opposed to the “Lost Gospels”
like the gospel of Judas or Thomas, which were late writings and excluded from
the New Testament)
Modern scholars like Dan Wallace have rejected Pauline authorship
for a number of reasons, with only a handful of modern theologians making a
case for Pauline authorship, like R.C. Sproul. Most of these modern scholars
just accept Hebrews as part of canon, but shrug their shoulders and say that
only God knows who penned the epistle.
Evidences for Pauline Authorship.
As mentioned above, it is possible that Paul omitted his name
from Hebrews since the original audience was hostile to Paul, and he wanted to make
sure it wasn’t dismissed just because he wrote it. Despite some stylistic differences,
there are parallels in Hebrews that follow the same flow that Paul used in
other books, Colossians, 1 Corinthians, Philippians, 2 Corinthians, and Romans.
If Hebrews was originally penned in Hebrew by Paul, then
translated by someone like Luke or Clement, then technically Hebrews was
originally written by Paul. Clement’s other writings show theological
differences between his credited writings and Hebrews, so the idea of Clement being
the author of Hebrews originally is a little hazy.
Evidences against Pauline authorship
Paul does not identify himself as author, like he does in
other letters. Although, since the Hebrews may have been hostile and suspicious
of Paul, Paul may have chosen not to identify himself so as to not turn them
away in the first paragraph of the letter.
Stylistic differences in Hebrews compared to other Pauline
writings may support a traditional hypothesis, that Paul wrote it in Hebrew,
and someone else, like Luke or Clement, translated into Greek, incorporating
their own styles and habits in their translation. The differences noted are the
vocabulary and rhetorical structure of the Greek that are of higher
sophistication than seen in other letters written by Paul. There are also some
interesting theological points, such as depicting Jesus as a priest, that are
not laid out like this in other books. Given that Paul is not identified, and
the style of writing in Hebrew is different than Paul’s other letters, it might
identify another person writing Hebrews.
One last point is that found in Hebrews 2:3, where it states
that the gospel was confirmed “to us” by those who heard the Lord announce
salvation. Paul claimed to be one of those who heard the Lord announce
salvation, so unless he is confirming to himself, this seems to indicate a
different writer than Paul.
Possible Authors for Hebrews if not Paul
Luke – Companion of Paul. Styles used in Hebrews similar to
Acts
Clement of Rome
Barnabas -Companion of Paul. Levite who was familiar with Levitical
laws that are cited in Hebrews
Apollos – Companion of Paul, suggested by Martin Luther.
Native of Alexandria and other writings were complex and eloquent like Hebrews
Silas
Priscilla
Epaphras
Does Authorship Matter as long as the book is inspired?
I personally do not think the authorship of Hebrews is a
make or break issue for the faith, especially if the book is early (does not
mention the destruction of the temple in 70 AD) and the early church fathers
referenced it. The book has also been included in the New Testament canon since
it was formalized, so it is recognized as the inspired word of God and stands
along with the gospels and other writings of the New Testament. I view this as
one of those questions to ask God when my time comes and I am standing in His
presence.
References
https://bible.org/article/argument-hebrews
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/review/lukan-authorship-of-hebrews/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/3259999?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
https://zondervanacademic.com/blog/who-wrote-the-book-of-hebrews
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Letter-to-the-Hebrews
https://sharperiron.org/article/authorship-of-hebrews-why-not-paul
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorship_of_the_Epistle_to_the_Hebrews
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