why is the book of hebrews so important
It teaches us that the whole Bible declares the same message. In fact, the author himself noted the priority of sophisticated theological reflection in passages like Hebrews 5:13-14 where he indicated that to distinguish good from evil, followers of Christ must become doctrinally mature. An Introduction To The Book Of Hebrews Related Media I. AUTHORSHIP: 1 It is not possible to be certain about who authored the Book of Hebrews: A. Every epistle or letter in the New Testament contains exhortations to its audience. Yet, it will help us understand many of Hebrews exhortations against local Jewish beliefs if we note some of the similar subjects found in both Hebrews and the books found at Qumran. [Dr. Mark L. Strauss]. One more example, for the purpose of this article, is the book of Hebrews. The good news is that God helps those who cannot help themselves. The author also exhorted his audience by using imperatives, which we often translate as direct orders. He intended to live among the Israelites and manifest His shekinah glory (Exodus 40:3435)another proof that they were indeed His people. So, its likely that these priestly activities were still going on when Hebrews was written. With the Old Testament background in mind, the author argues that God's glory and redemptive plan are finally and most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. Hebrews a 13 week study guide (to print and use), download page for our free 450 page course book. First, well consider the books background. We learn from passages like Luke 4:16, Acts 13:15, and 1 Timothy 4:13 that leaders of synagogues and Christian churches supervised the reading and explanation of Scriptures to their congregations. Proud member This theory is supported by a number of factors. In fact, he quoted the Old Testament at least 31 times in his 13 chapters. Now, its important to note that these teachings were not exclusive to this community. Well look in some detail at each of these divisions in our next lesson. So there are those forms of persecution they were facing. A quick glance at the text does not do it justice. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The book of Hebrews is one of the most challenging books of the New Testament. How then could anyone follow what he said instead of the revelations of angels? So, it may be that even a more intense, violent persecution is on the horizon. The introduction to the letter is considered one of the best literary examples of ancient Greek writing known to us. Early on, the same was true for Christians because they were closely identified with Judaism. In 10:32-35, the author drew attention to the suffering that at least some in the audience had experienced in the past: Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded (Hebrews 10:32-35). You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions (Hebrews 10:33-34). 1:1). This long list was designed to persuade the audience that servants of God should remain faithful throughout their persecution. Just received Chuck's "Stuff I've Learned That I'll Never Forget" CD in the mail yesterday. Rather, this verse refers to those who profess faith and experience many of its blessings, but without regeneration and justification. To whom was the author writing?That knowledge helps us to understandwhy the book of Hebrews was written.Hebrews emphasizes the Old Testa-ment. And they generally agreed that the apostle Paul was the author. It is all about Jesus. And it explains where Jesus is, now. And he still is urging the readers at this point, as he writes, to be willing to bear the reproach of Christ to face exclusion from the camp, which hes describing in Old Testament terms but probably means to be excluded from the synagogue, and if they were to go to Jerusalem, to be excluded from the temple, which I believe was still standing as he wrote. the purpose of proclaiming the gospel through publishing For the longest time, interpreters had difficulty explaining why the comparisons between Melchizedek and Jesus were so important to the author of Hebrews. The content of Hebrews indicates that the audience was familiar with theological teachings that were more common among Jews living outside of Palestine than among more traditional Jewish circles within Palestine. 3 For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has sai. Passionate Intellectual. If we miss this passion, we miss one of the books most prominent features. View Chuck Swindoll's chart of Exodus, which divides the book into major sections and highlights themes and key verses. Ask Question Asked 10 years, 7 months ago Modified 9 years ago Viewed 6k times 4 The book of Hebrews in the New Testament shares a name with the Hebrew people of the Mosaic Law. In all likelihood, this was the kind of situation facing the original audience of Hebrews. It touched me, so I would recommend it to anyone. They camped at Mount Sinai, where Moses received Gods commandments. hebrews Share Warning: Therefore, be careful to listen to the Gospel truth so that you do not drift away (Hebrews 2:1). And Justin Martyr, who lived from A.D. 100 to 165, did the same. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) serves as the senior pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, North Carolina. Interestingly enough, even though the audience was theologically immature, the book of Hebrews contains some of the most advanced, sophisticated theological teachings in the entire New Testament. Only God knows for certain who wrote this book. As we read there: But as to who wrote the epistle [of Hebrews], God knows the truth of the matter. Lets begin by examining the authors identity. In the first place, the author of Hebrews was a Hellenistic Jew. We mentioned earlier in this lesson that the book of Hebrews spoke against false beliefs about angels. He Gave Us Scripture: Foundations of Interpretation -. Jesuss sacrifice on the cross fulfilled the Law. Are you truly redeemed? Interestingly enough,The Rule of the Communityand theWar Scrollat Qumran give a great deal of attention to these and similar matters in ways that differed from the mainstream of Palestinian Judaism. When we remember what the people of the past endured, we grow in our resolve to be faithful. So far in our discussion of the background of the book of Hebrews weve focused on the books authorship. Change). Hebrews Commentary > Study Guide. Apparently, the local Jewish community wanted the original audience to reject Jesus as the Messiah because of their beliefs about the appearance of Melchizedek as the great royal high priest in the last days. Lets look first at Hebrews authorship. Is Culture a Hinderance to the Local Church? He wants them to adhere to the salvation that Christ has offered to them, that God has offered in Christ. Though the children of Israel were enslaved in a foreign land, God miraculously and dramatically delivered them to freedom. For our purposes, well touch on two issues. The Book of Hebrews: The Background and Purpose of Hebrews: Forum A companion video to lesson 1 of the same series that asks the following questions:Who wrote the book of Hebrews? From all appearances, the original audience of Hebrews was tempted to hold these or similar false beliefs. And who the audience was originally intended for. Starting at 8 a.m. The teachings of the local Jewish community raised doubts about the Christian claim that Jesus had come to mediate the new covenant promised by Jeremiah. So, he did all he could to urge and persuade them to make the right choices. But notice also that this was just one example of what he called all kinds of strange teachings. In other words, unusual or strange teachings taught by local Jewish communities. Some pieces of the Bible are repeated (several times even) without changes. In the third place, the literature at Qumran helps us understand the focus on angels in the book of Hebrews. Probably he was a Hellenistic Jewish author, probably writing to a Hellenistic Jewish audience. In the second place, an assortment of basic teachings addressed in the book of Hebrews also appears in texts at Qumran. And by some reports, Christs followers are being persecuted more than ever in our own day. These folks knew about angels, the Old Testament heroes, the devil, and Moses' tabernacle, but someone thought they needed to know a little more. In fact, the central motif of Hebrews is Jesus Christ is better (the words better, more, and greater appear a total of twenty-five times). these events from Exodus are foundational to the Jewish faith. Notice here that the author of Hebrews mentioned how salvation was first announced by the Lord in other words, by Jesus himself and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. That is, the author and his audience had the gospel verified for them by people who had heard Jesus directly. A large population of dispersed Jews and God-fearing people lived in Rome in the first century. Here are some of the meaningful words of encouragement from the letter to the Hebrews that can encourage us in our faith today. Now, lets consider how the authors rhetorical style also reveals his desire to exhort his audience. But the book of Hebrews stands apart from other New Testament epistles due to the intensity of its exhortations. So, its an interesting comparison since, of course, Melchizedek is a type of Christ in the book of Hebrews, that in the Dead Sea Scrolls he becomes a messianic figure. The author of the letter to the Hebrews was concerned that the believers in Rome were discouraged in faith to the point of giving up Christian belief and returning to Jewish practice. Hebrews shows us that the Bible is not a collection of unrelated stories, but is rather one unified storythe story of redemption through Jesus Christ. Another reason why people find Hebrews a hard book to study is the way in which the author uses the Old Testament Scriptures in his epistle. Listen to the way this rhetorical device appears in Hebrews 10:28-29: Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. This long-lost collection of documents included Old Testament texts, but also extra-biblical writings that represented the distinctive teachings of a disenfranchised Jewish community living near the Dead Sea. If for no other reason than the fact that the Exodus directly or indirectly generated many of the important events cited by other groups, this is the event of human history. Well look first at the earliest possible date for the book, orterminus a quo, and then at the latest possible date, orterminus ad quem. This 12-week study will help readers understand and appreciate how the book of Hebrews testifies to Christs supremacy through imagery, metaphor, and Old Testament analogy. They were unsure about Jesus, but they had high regard for angels. Well touch on three reasons for this stance. Now, were in a position to address the overarching purpose of the book. Accounts of people and events recorded from different authors, in different times, and in different cultures. Learn Video Seminary Curriculum Kingdom & Covenant in the New Testament The Gospels The Book of Acts The Heart of Paul's Theology Paul's Prison Epistles The Book of Hebrews The Epistle of James The Book of Revelation Kingdom, Covenants & Canon of the Old Testament The Pentateuch The Primeval History Father Abraham The Book of Joshua You open its pages and find history, poetry, lament, and letters. Interestingly, the author of Hebrews didnt address the sorts of issues normally associated with Jewish hypocrisy and legalism. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot? We need to be clear here that the author of Hebrews was not concerned about peccadillos or small sins. The author made many references that he knew his readers would understand. And he dealt at length with Christ as the high priest. Your browser does not support JavaScript. 13:22 ). HEBREWS: One reason Hebrews is so important is because Paul abolishes Judaism in the book of Hebrews, using the allegory of the old sacrificial system as a picture of the new. We can see from the text that both Jewish and Hellenistic influences shaped the author and his book. On the other side, the latest likely date for the book would be around A.D. 95 shortly before Clement of Rome referred to the book of Hebrews in his letter,1 Clement. He was convinced that his audience faced a very serious situation and that it was time for them to make some very difficult decisions. For example, in 12:12-16 we read this series of exhortations: Strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. As well explain in our next lesson, this and similar passages dont imply that true believers can lose their salvation. The book was written during the reign of Nero, after the burning of Rome but before Jerusalem was destroyed. Many of these Christians belonged to local Jewish synagogues. Through the Law, God says that all of life relates to God. The stark warning passages of Hebrews remind us of the call to live faithful and fruitful lives for the glory of God (2:14; 3:719; 5:116:12; 10:2639; 12:2529). Here are some of the main ones: (1) The Book of Hebrews declares powerfully who Jesus is. But for the folks to whom the book of Hebrews was written, that is a significant statement because they weren't sure about Jesus. Internal evidence (material found within the text of Exodus itself ) adds support for Mosess authorship. Why is Exodus so important? These detailed comparisons were designed to settle all doubts about the claim that Jesus is the great, royal High Priest. Copyright 2023, Bible Study Tools. The local Jewish community called for Christians to return to Moses and his ways. [Dr. Craig S. Keener]. Around A.D. 325 the church historian Eusebius in hisHistory of the Churchreferred to Origens outlook on the authorship of Hebrews in book 6, chapter 25, section 14. But during the Reformation, Protestant Reformers questioned many ecclesiastical traditions, including the traditional view of Pauline authorship. Here the author began with a premise that the audience understood: the punishment for those who rejected the law of Moses was death. Lastly, we should think about the reasons why the Book of Hebrews is so important for Christians to study. Unfortunately, questions about authorship and the ways some heretical groups misused the book of Hebrews, led some people during the patristic period to doubt if Hebrews should be included in the New Testament Canon. When one understands this, things become less complicated and much easier to understand. This honor for angels raised a serious challenge against those who followed Christ. Listen to this exhortation: Consider Christ who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Tep Ro on Pixabay The Book of Hebrews "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see." Those were the words of the author of the Book of Hebrews. Ezekiel wants us to know that God is where he always is; he is with his people. Among many other things, the community at Qumran regularly held sacred communal meals in which they ate specially consecrated food. Simply put, this argument says that because the simple premise is true, then surely the more difficult conclusion must also be true. Listen to the way he empathized with his audience in Hebrews 10:33-34: Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. He wanted his audience to reject local Jewish teachings and he wanted them also to remain faithful to Jesus as the Messiah. Hebrews is beautifully written and has an Alexandrian feel, fitting with Apollos's eloquence and Alexandrian roots ( Acts . Exodus begins in the Egyptian region called Goshen. But if well open our hearts to hear how the author of Hebrews urgently exhorted his original audience, well see how crucial it is that we stand strong in our faith, no matter what opposition we may face. . You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 450 page course book. But the author of Hebrews pointed out that Jesus is, in fact, the mediator of the new covenant. His sophisticated Greek offers strong evidence of a Hellenistic upbringing. Other Jewish groups in the Mediterranean world held to similar views. It contained books likeThe Rule of the Community,The Damascus Covenant, theWar Scroll,The Midrash on Melchizedek, as well as sections of1 Enochcalled The Book of the Watchers and The Book of Dreams. Just as significantly, God provided detailed directions on the building of His tabernacle, or tent. Following the Beatitudes: Why Are the Pure in Heart Blessed? (LogOut/ But despite this discovery, we can still be confident that the author of Hebrews was Hellenistic. Matt has written various articles for websites and blogs, such as the Gospel Coalition, the Gospel Project, and For the Church. In fact, the mediator of the book of Hebrews pointed out that Jesus is author, probably to... 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