Hebrews

What makes Hebrews special?

Hebrews is a unique book about faith. It uses both the Jewish Scriptures and ideas from Greek culture and philosophy to help explain what the new Christian faith is all about. The writer used a style of Greek that is complex when compared to most of the other New Testament books. And he also made use of speech and debate tactics common in his day in order to prove his points.

Hebrews is often referred to as a “letter,” and it ends with final greetings (13.22-25). But it is really a teaching sermon that is carefully designed to answer some very basic questions about the Christian faith and to tell people how important Jesus really is.

Why was Hebrews written?

Many religious people in the first century, both Jews and Gentiles, had questions about the religion of the early Christians. Hebrews explains that Christianity is based in the Jewish religion but also tells how it is different. The main difference is Christ Jesus, who is the perfect high priest and who offered his own life as a perfect sacrifice for sin once for all time (9.23—10.18). By dying and returning from death he has opened the way for all people to come to God (4.14—5.10; 7.1—8.13).

The writer says that Jesus is greater than any of God's angels (1.5-14), greater than any prophet, and greater even than Moses and Joshua (2.1—4.14). The forgiveness and new life that Jesus offers comes only by faith. And this faith makes his followers sure of what they hope for and gives them proof of what they cannot see (11.1). The writer praises God's faithful people of the past (11.2-40), who are part of the “crowd of witnesses” that surrounds Christians as they run the race of faith (12.1). But above all, Christians are to keep their eyes and minds focused on Jesus, who leads them in this race and makes their faith complete (12.2,3).

What's the story behind the scenes?

It is not clear who wrote Hebrews or when it was written. The Greek style is different than the style of Paul's letters, and the complex thoughts concerning the identity and work of Jesus probably took a number of years to develop. So, the letter was likely written after a.d. 60 and before a.d. 95 when parts of Hebrews appear in a letter written by Clement of Rome.

The exact identity of the letter's audience is also unclear. Hebrews 11.24 does mention followers from Italy, who may be sending greetings to friends at home. Some members of the audience have gone through hard times, being mistreated in public and having their belongings taken away (10.32-34). Some followers have quit meeting for worship, perhaps because Christ has not returned as soon as they expected (10.25). This suggests that the audience was a second generation of Christians.

How is Hebrews constructed?

Hebrews is a carefully organized speech or a sermon that makes its main points very clearly. The writer shifts back and forth between giving information and offering advice. The argument of the book is developed in five major themes. Each of these main themes is followed by sections that teach how God's people should live.