The Book of Hebrews: Lesson 1 - The Background and Purpose of Hebrews

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Followers of Christ have suffered persecution  throughout history. Stolen property, beatings,   imprisonment and martyrdom have been  the fate of countless Christians.   And by some reports, Christ’s followers are  being persecuted more than ever in our own day. For those of us who aren’t suffering in these  ways, it’s hard to imagine the temptations   that persecution brings. Christians who live  in peace and safety often compromise their   faith even without threats. But can you imagine  how tempting it would be to compromise what you   believe to protect yourself, your spouse, your  children and closest friends from serious harm?   How could we possibly encourage  fellow believers in these conditions? This was the challenge that faced  the author of the book of Hebrews.   He wrote to a group of Christians who had  suffered in the past and were now threatened   with even more suffering. They’d done well  years ago, but the author of Hebrews feared   that they might now turn away from  Christ to avoid further persecution. This is the first lesson in  our series The Book of Hebrews   and we’ve entitled it, “The Background and  Purpose of Hebrews.” In this lesson, we’ll   introduce a number of perspectives that should  guide our interpretation of this complex book. As our title suggests, we’ll look at  the background and purpose of Hebrews   in two ways. First, we’ll  consider the book’s background.   And second, we’ll summarize the overarching  purpose for which Hebrews was written.   Let’s begin with a sketch of some important  background issues related to the book of Hebrews. We’ll explore the background of Hebrews  by considering three interrelated topics.   We’ll look first at its authorship. Then we’ll  investigate the original audience. Lastly, we’ll   examine the date when the book of Hebrews was  written. Let’s look first at Hebrews’ authorship. From the earliest times, there have been a variety  of positions on the authorship of Hebrews. For our   purposes, we’ll touch on two issues. First,  we’ll discuss the identity of the author.   And second, we’ll construct a profile for the  author by focusing on some features of his book.   Let’s begin by examining the author’s identity. Identifying the author of Hebrews is not as simple  as it is with many other New Testament books   because the author never identified himself.  As early as the patristic period, Clement of   Alexandria, who lived from approximately A.D.  150 to 215, and Origen of Alexandria, who lived   from around A.D. 185 to 254, acknowledged  that there was a variety of opinions on   the authorship of Hebrews in their day. Early  on, the apostle Paul was the candidate named   most frequently, but scholars also suggested  Barnabas, Luke, Apollos, and even Clement of Rome. Around A.D. 325 the church historian Eusebius in  his History of the Church referred to Origen’s   outlook on the authorship of Hebrews in book  6, chapter 25, section 14. As we read there: But as to who wrote the epistle [of  Hebrews], God knows the truth of the matter. Origen’s comment reflects how uncertain  he and many others were in his day.   And most biblical scholars today concur. Only  God knows for certain who wrote this book. 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. Of  course, notable scholars like Clement of Rome,   who died sometime around A.D. 99, treated  Hebrews as equal to other New Testament books.   And Justin Martyr, who lived from A.D. 100 to 165,   did the same. But Hebrews was omitted from both  the Marcionite Canon, written around A.D. 144,   and the Muratorian Canon, written around A.D.  170. By the end of the patristic period, however,   the majority of influential interpreters in the  eastern and western church came to recognize   Hebrews as part of the Canon. And they generally  agreed that the apostle Paul was the author. Throughout the medieval period, most leading  scholars continued to believe that Paul wrote   Hebrews. But during the Reformation,  Protestant Reformers questioned many   ecclesiastical traditions, including the  traditional view of Pauline authorship.   Martin Luther suggested that Apollos was  the author. John Calvin didn’t suggest an   alternative, but he insisted that the  book could not have come from Paul. Today, the majority of interpreters reject  Pauline authorship. We’ll touch on three   reasons for this stance. First, as we’ve  already mentioned, this book is anonymous,   and it was Paul’s practice to name himself in his  epistles. In fact, as 2 Thessalonians chapter 2   verse 2 makes clear, Paul was deeply concerned  that forgeries had spread under his name.   So, it seems unlikely that he would have failed  to identify himself had he written Hebrews. Second, the book of Hebrews emphasizes subjects  that don’t receive much, if any, attention in   Paul’s letters. For instance, the author of  Hebrews mentioned Melchizedek three times.   He drew attention to the Old Testament tabernacle.   And he dealt at length with Christ  as the high priest. Taken together,   these themes distinguish the book of Hebrews  from books that we know were written by Paul. Third, the strongest reason  for doubting Pauline authorship   is the way the writer of Hebrews distanced himself  from the first generation of Jesus’ followers.   Listen to the words of Hebrews chapter 2 verse 3: 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. The author’s admission  that he received his Christian faith secondarily   contrasts with passages like Galatians chapter  1 verses 1, 11 and 12, and 1 Corinthians chapter   11 verse 23 where Paul insisted that he  received the gospel directly from Jesus. The short answer to the question, “Who wrote  the book of Hebrews?” is, we don’t know.   We have some clues as to who he was. Down  throughout church history there have been   numerous answers as to that question. So, for  many years the church thought Paul had written it.   I think probably Paul didn’t write it  because there are differences between   Hebrews and Paul’s letters. For instance,  Paul often... will always identify himself   and then speak to the addressees of  the letter. Hebrews doesn’t do that.   There are themes in Hebrews like Christ as  the High Priest that just don’t feature very   much in Paul’s letters. So, Paul’s probably  not the writer. Other suggestions have been   Barnabas or Apollos, — Martin Luther thought  maybe it was Apollos — Priscilla. And yet,   we just don’t know. I think the most we can say is  that the writer of Hebrews was a second-generation   believer. In chapter 2 he refers to those  who heard from Christ and then handed on   what they had heard from Christ, so he seems to  be putting himself in that second generation. We’ve explored the authorship of the book of  Hebrews and seen that the author’s identity   remains unknown. But we can still construct  something of a profile for the author. For the sake of time, we’ll point out just two  rather obvious features of the author’s life. In the first place, the author  of Hebrews was a Hellenistic   Jew. Most scholars today agree  that Paul did not write Hebrews.   In the end, though, it’s best to conclude  with Origen that only God really knows.   Hebrews’ authorship has been debated throughout  the years, but this shouldn’t prevent us from   learning as much as we can about the author  and his character from clues found in the text. We can see from the text that both Jewish and  Hellenistic influences shaped the author and   his book. The author’s strong Jewish heritage is  evident in his knowledge of the Old Testament.   In fact, he quoted the Old Testament  at least 31 times in his 13 chapters. It would also appear that the author  had a strong Hellenistic upbringing.   In the past, interpreters pointed to the author’s  use of the Septuagint, the Greek translation of   the Old Testament, as evidence that he was a  Hellenistic Jew. In the second half of the last   century, however, research into the Dead Sea  Scrolls has revealed that quotations initially   assumed to be directly from the Septuagint, could  have come from non- traditional Hebrew texts.   For this reason, we can’t be certain that  the author of Hebrews used the Septuagint. But despite this discovery, we can still  be confident that the author of Hebrews   was Hellenistic. His sophisticated Greek offers  strong evidence of a Hellenistic upbringing.   And his vocabulary and style give  evidence of a mastery of the language   that even surpasses the writings of Luke. Not only was the author of  Hebrews a Hellenistic Jew,   but we can also add to our profile  that he was a passionate intellectual.   Interpreters widely acknowledge that the author  of Hebrews was an intellectual. The theological   arguments in Hebrews are more complex than many  of those found in the rest of the New Testament.   In fact, the author himself noted the priority  of sophisticated theological reflection   in passages like Hebrews chapter 5  verses 13 and 14 where he indicated   that to distinguish good from evil, followers  of Christ must become doctrinally mature. From the contents of the letter of  Hebrews, there are a number of things   we can say about the author. One is that  he was brilliant. He knew the Septuagint,   the Greek translation of the Old Testament,  backward and forward. He knew how to   link texts in ways that were very persuasive  to traditional Jewish audiences. Probably   he was a Hellenistic Jewish author, probably  writing to a Hellenistic Jewish audience.   When I say "Hellenistic Jewish," I mean  Greek-speaking and probably in the diaspora,   but very committed to their Jewish traditions  and very knowledgeable in Scripture. Even though the author of Hebrews  should be considered an intellectual,   he was not a cold, detached academic. He was  deeply passionate about the Christian faith.   His devotion and passion for his fellow  Christians is evident in his writing. Listen to the way he empathized with his  audience in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 33 and 34: In a similar way, in chapter 12 verses 1 and 2  he showed his passion for Christ when he said: It’s difficult to read these and similar  passages without realizing that this author   was hardly an impersonal scholar. He was  passionate about his audience and Christ.   If we miss this passion, we miss one  of the book’s most prominent features. What we also learn about the author is that  he was really concerned about the people he   was preaching to and writing for. He was  concerned about their spiritual apathy,   and so he comes back again and again to the danger  of becoming weak or tired, or even apostasized.   And so, he was certainly a superb theologian  and interpreter of Scripture, but at the same   time he was a person who knew his audience very  well, evidently personally very well. He really   cared about them and was marshaling  everything that he could in terms of theology,   interpretation of Scripture and application  to help them in their spiritual pilgrimage. So far in our discussion of the background  of the book of Hebrews we’ve focused on the   book’s authorship. Now we should turn to our  second issue: Hebrews’ original audience. The book of Hebrews doesn’t clearly identify  its audience by name, city or region. Still,   in general terms, we can be confident that  the author wrote to a specific audience with   whom he was personally familiar. In chapter 13  verses 19 through 24, the author assured his   audience of his intent to visit them again. He  spoke of Timothy, whom he called “our brother,”   and he also mentioned a group of people from  Italy that his audience apparently knew. We’ll look at five important  factors about this original   audience that we should consider  as we study the book of Hebrews. First, there’s reason to think that at least a  good portion of the original audience was Jewish.   Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 makes this clear: Here, the author referred to how  God had revealed himself to Israel   in the Old Testament. But notice how  he called Old Testament Israelites   “our forefathers” — the ancestors  of the author and his audience. It’s no wonder, that from as early as the time of  Tertullian, who lived from about A.D. 155 to 230,   the traditional title attached to this book  has been “Pros Hebraious,” “For the Hebrews.” Second, it’s also likely that the  audience was in large part Hellenistic.   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. A number of interpreters have tried to determine  where the audience may have lived outside of   Palestine. The fact that the first epistle of  Clement of Rome referred to the book as early   as A.D. 95 has led some to suggest that the  audience was in Rome. Hebrews chapter 13 verse   24 has been used to support this point of view  because it mentions “those from Italy.” These   suggestions are interesting, but the most we  can say, with any degree of confidence, is that   the original audience consisted in large part of  Hellenistic Jews who lived outside of Palestine. Third, the original audience  of Hebrews was immature.   Listen to the way the author described  them in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 12: Notice that the audience had been  believers long enough for the author to say   “by this time you ought to be teachers.” They  should have made great doctrinal progress. But   as the author noted, they needed to be taught “the  elementary truths of God’s word all over again.” 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.   How do these features of the book fit  with the immaturity of the audience?   The best way to make sense of  this situation is to keep in mind   that early Christians adopted a common  practice used in first century synagogues. We learn from passages like  Luke chapter 4 verse 16,   Acts chapter 13 verse 15, and 1 Timothy  chapter 4 verse 13 that leaders of synagogues   and Christian churches supervised the reading and  explanation of Scriptures to their congregations.   So, the author of Hebrews wrote some of the most  theologically sophisticated New Testament writings   because he expected church leaders to  teach his book to their congregants.   Now, in Hebrews chapter 5 verse 11, the  writer of Hebrews reprimanded his audience   for being “slow to learn.” So, it’s quite possible  that the larger portion of the original audience   remained theologically immature because  they didn’t properly respect their leaders. This suggestion is confirmed by Hebrews chapter  13 verse 17 where the author told his audience: Fourth, the original audience  of Hebrews was persecuted.   There were two well- known times of  persecution for Christians during   the first century A.D. that may have  impacted Hebrews’ original audience,   at least indirectly. In A.D. 49, the Roman Emperor  Claudius expelled Jews from the city of Rome.   And around A.D. 64, Emperor Nero persecuted  Christians in the vicinity of Rome. As we read through the book of Hebrews, it  becomes evident that the original audience had   already faced persecution in the past, some  of them were suffering in the present, and the   author’s expectation was that more of them would  suffer, perhaps even more severely, in the future. In chapter 10 verses 32 through  35, the author drew attention to   the suffering that at least some in the  audience had experienced in the past: Here we see that the author praised his audience  for their strength when they were persecuted   in “those earlier days after [they] had [first]  received the light.” But he also encouraged them   not to “throw away [their] confidence.” The Greek  term translated “confidence” here is parrēsia,   which in many contexts means “courage,”  “boldness,” or “fearlessness” in the presence   of dignitaries. This word choice suggests  that the audience was facing public or   official persecution of some sort, and  they were tempted to lose their boldness. In chapter 13 verse 3 the author also referred  directly to present persecutions when he said: We can see from this verse that the author  exhorted his audience to “remember those in prison   as if [they] were their fellow prisoners.” And to  remember those “mistreated as if [they themselves]   were suffering.” It’s clear that not all of  his audience’s persecution was in the past. In addition to persecution in  the past and in the present,   the author of Hebrews acknowledged in chapter  12 verses 3 and 4 that his audience was facing   the threat of more persecution in the  future. Listen to this exhortation: As this passage indicates, the author expected  more persecutions to come against his audience,   and he was deeply concerned with  this feature of their experience. The original audience of Hebrews faced a number  of issues... as the author mentions in chapter 10,   they had faced various forms of suffering; some  of them had lost property, some of them had been   imprisoned, they’d been subjected to public  ridicule of some sort. 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 he’s 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. So there are those forms of   persecution they were facing. He says in  chapter 12 that their sufferings had not   escalated to the point of shedding blood, and yet  he seems to be aware of their need to be assured   that they have been set free from the fear of  death, as he says in chapter 2, by the victory   of Jesus Christ. So, it may be that even a more  intense, violent persecution is on the horizon. Fifth, as the audience of Hebrews faced  persecution, at least some of them were   near apostasy. Rather than simply being  discouraged or weakened by sufferings,   they were in danger of turning  away from Christ entirely.   For instance, in Hebrews chapter 10  verses 26 and 27 we read this warning: We need to be clear here that  the author of Hebrews was not   concerned about peccadillos or  small sins. He warned his audience   severely because for those who utterly turn away  from Christ, “no sacrifice for sins is left.”   When people reject the Christian faith, like  some in the original audience of Hebrews were   tempted to do, they prove that they never had  faith that saves. And for this reason, they can   only have “a fearful expectation of judgment and  of raging fire” reserved for “the enemies of God.” As we’ll explain in our next lesson, this  and similar passages don’t imply that true   believers can lose their salvation. Rather,  this verse refers to those who profess faith   and experience many of its blessings, but without  regeneration and justification. In all events,   it’s evident that some in the original audience  of Hebrews were sorely tempted to leave the faith. Now that we’ve investigated the background of  Hebrews by considering the book’s authorship   and the original audience, we  should turn to our third issue:   the date when the book of Hebrews was written. Although the exact date for  Hebrews remains uncertain,   the earliest and latest dates for this book can be  established rather firmly. We’ll look first at the   earliest possible date for the book, or "terminus  a quo," and then at the latest possible date,   or "terminus ad quem." Both of these dates can  be determined with some degree of confidence   using scriptural and historical evidence. On the one side, Hebrews chapter 13 verse 23 helps  confirm the earliest possible date for the book.   In this verse the author wrote: Here we see that “Timothy [had]  been released” recently from prison.   We don’t hear of Timothy’s imprisonment  anywhere else in the New Testament.   In fact, in the book of 2 Timothy, Paul’s  last letter written shortly before his death,   Timothy was free to travel and bring Paul  supplies. Yet, this verse tells us that   by the time Hebrews was written Timothy had been  imprisoned and released. For this reason, the book   of Hebrews must have been written after Paul’s  death, which took place sometime around A.D. 65. 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. In addition, many commentators have observed that,   in passages like Hebrews chapter 5 verses 1  through 3, the author used the present tense   to describe the sacrificial duties of the high  priest. This is important because in the rest   of his book the author consistently used the  Greek past tense when referring to past events.   So, it’s likely that these priestly activities  were still going on when Hebrews was written. Also, in chapter 8 verse 13 the author  encouraged his audience not to turn back   to the “obsolete” sacrificial practices  established by God’s covenant with Moses.   He explained that in light of the new covenant,  these practices would “soon disappear.”   We know that the high priest’s activities, and  the Levitical sacrificial system as a whole,   came to an end in A.D. 70 when the Romans  destroyed Jerusalem and its temple.   So, these evidences suggest a date for Hebrews  sometime after Paul’s death around A.D. 65   and before the destruction  of the temple in A.D. 70. In our lesson on the background  and purpose of Hebrews,   we’ve looked at several features of the  background of the book of Hebrews. Now,   we’re in a position to address the overarching  purpose of the book. Why was Hebrews written? It’s fair to say that any book as long and complex  as the book of Hebrews is written with many   different purposes in mind. But for this lesson,  we're primarily interested in summarizing the   overarching purpose of the book. Each  part of this book has its own emphases,   and we’ll explore these emphases in our next  lesson. At this point, we want to see how the book   as a whole was designed to impact the concepts,  behaviors and emotions of the original audience. Interpreters have summarized the overarching  purpose of the book of Hebrews in a variety   of ways. But for this study, we’ll describe  the original purpose of Hebrews in this way: The author of Hebrews wrote to exhort his  audience to reject local Jewish teachings   and to remain faithful to Jesus. This description of the author’s purpose   helps orient us to the main ideas  found in the book of Hebrews. As we’ve just suggested, the author of  Hebrews wrote to exhort his audience.   Listen to the way the author himself  characterized his book in chapter 13 verse 22: Notice here that the writer “urge[d]” his audience  to receive his book as a “word of exhortation.”   The words “I urge” derive from the Greek verb   "parakaleō," the verbal form of the Greek noun  translated “exhortation” in the same sentence. The terminology of exhortation implies “to  summon to the speaker’s side” or “to call   for someone to take the speaker’s point  of view.” The same expression is used to   describe John the Baptist’s urgent, persuasive  call for repentance in Luke chapter 3 verse 18. Interestingly, the phrase “word of exhortation”  also appears in Acts chapter 13 verse 15   where the men of the synagogue in Pisidian  Antioch invited Paul and his companions to   give “a message of encouragement” after the  reading of Scripture. It’s quite possible   that the expression “word” —  or message — “of exhortation”   was a first-century technical designation  for what we call a sermon today. Well, the author identifies his work as a word  of exhortation — this is in 13:22 — and what this   means is that Hebrews is an exhortation; it’s like  a sermon. And so the use of rhetoric is basically   a tool for persuading the audience to be faithful  in their commitment to Jesus as the Son of God   and as their Lord and Savior. So, the rhetoric in  the letter of Hebrews, or the homily of Hebrews,   allows the author to elaborate on themes, to  exegete Jewish Scriptures — that is, interpret   Jewish Scriptures in a way that is meaningful  — and then present it in a very forceful way   so that the audience understand clearly what the  author wants him to do, wants them to do. He wants   them to adhere to the salvation that Christ has  offered to them, that God has offered in Christ. Every epistle or letter in  the New Testament contains   exhortations to its audience. But  the book of Hebrews stands apart   from other New Testament epistles due  to the intensity of its exhortations. To explore the author’s purpose, let’s look more  closely at the intensity of the exhortations   that are so prominent in the book. And then,  we’ll examine the goal of these exhortations,   how the author hoped his audience would respond.   Let’s look first at the intensity of the  author’s exhortations to his audience. To look further at what we mean by the intensity  of the author’s exhortations, we’ll look at two   issues: first, the frequency of exhortations in  the book, and second, the author’s rhetorical   style associated with his exhortations. Let’s  begin by examining the frequency of exhortations. The frequency of the author’s exhortations  helps us understand the urgency of his message.   These exhortations are implicit at times,  but at least 30 times they appear explicitly.   On many occasions, the author used what Greek  grammarians call the “hortatory subjunctive.”   These verbal forms urge or implore and are  often translated “let us” do this or that.   For instance, in chapter 4 verses 14  and 16 we read two such exhortations: The author also exhorted his audience by using  imperatives, which we often translate as direct   orders. For example, in chapter 12 verses 12  through 16 we read this series of exhortations: One of the reasons it’s important to keep  in mind how often the author directly   exhorted his audience is that the book’s complex  theological reflections often obscure the author’s   purpose for writing. He didn’t simply want to  inform his audience of theological doctrines.   He informed them doctrinally in order to persuade  them to adopt different attitudes and actions.   This is what he meant when he called  his book a “word of exhortation.”   If we don’t keep this urgency in mind, we’ll  miss a crucial dimension of the book of Hebrews. We’ve seen how the intensity  of the author’s exhortations   is reflected in the frequency with  which he exhorted his audience. Now,   let’s consider how the author’s rhetorical style  also reveals his desire to exhort his audience. The book of Hebrews has often been  characterized as highly rhetorical.   By this we mean that it employs many literary  devices that were associated with persuasive   oratory or urgent debate in the first century.  Many of these rhetorical devices appear now and   then in other New Testament books, but  we find them far more often in Hebrews. Hebrews is probably the best example in the New  Testament of an author who has strong literary   and rhetorical skills, and those rhetorical skills  really help to accomplish the author’s purpose.   He’s trying to demonstrate the superiority  of Christ and the new covenant over the old   covenant, and he does so in part with a very  convincing strong literary argument. And he   uses lots of different structural features to  accomplish that... So, beautifully structured,   using rhetoric to draw his readers in, and then  to convince them of the argument that he’s making. One rhetorical device, called synkrisis in  Greek, is a detailed comparison between two   or more things designed to convince audiences  to affirm the speaker’s point of view.   For example, "synkrisis" appears in the book of  Hebrews in chapter 7 verses 11 through 28. There,   the author argued that Jesus was a royal priest  like Melchizedek, a priest and king mentioned   in the book of Genesis. But rather than simply  asserting his belief, the author of Hebrews gave   his audience a compelling, eight-point comparison  between Melchizedek and Christ: their parentage,   genealogy, birth, death, office, actions, status  and achievements. These detailed comparisons   were designed to settle all doubts about the  claim that Jesus is the great, royal High Priest. Another rhetorical device in the book of  Hebrews is known as exempla. Exempla are   lists of illustrations or examples that follow one  after the other to build a persuasive argument for   a particular point of view. This oratorical  technique appears in the familiar list of the   faithful in Hebrews chapter 11. There the  author listed by name: Abel, Enoch, Noah,   Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,  the Israelites, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson,   Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets.  This long list was designed to persuade the   audience that servants of God should remain  faithful throughout their persecution. A third rhetorical device used by the  author of Hebrews is known by the Hebrew   expression "qol wahomer." This expression is  well known from both Greco-Roman and rabbinical   traditions and may be translated “light to heavy,”  “less to great,” or “simple to complex.” This type   of argumentation begins with a simple premise that  isn’t disputed by the audience. It then builds   to a more complex conclusion that the audience  initially doubts, but can now more easily accept.   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 this rhetorical device  appears in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 28 and 29: Here the author began with a premise  that the audience understood:   the punishment for those who rejected the  law of Moses was death. Then he pressed   his audience further by arguing “how  much more” punishment should come to   those who “trampled ... under foot” one  greater than Moses — “the Son of God.” These examples help us see the urgency of the  author’s intentions. He was convinced that his   audience faced a very serious situation and  that it was time for them to make some very   difficult decisions. So, he did all he could to  urge and persuade them to make the right choices. Now that we’ve seen how the author’s purpose was  strengthened by the intensity of his exhortations,   we should turn to a second feature of  the book: the goal of these exhortations. We saw earlier that the overarching purpose of  the book of Hebrews can be defined in this way: The author of Hebrews wrote to  exhort his audience to reject   local Jewish teachings and  to remain faithful to Jesus. As this definition affirms, the goal of the  author’s exhortations was twofold. He wanted   his audience to reject local Jewish teachings and  he wanted them also to remain faithful to Jesus as   the Messiah. Let’s consider how the author urged  his audience to reject local Jewish teachings. We’ve noted that the audience of Hebrews had  suffered persecution and that this persecution   was tempting them toward apostasy. But this  temptation was not what we might first imagine.   It seems that at the time Hebrews  was written, Christians could find   safety from persecution if they rejected  their distinctively Christian beliefs   and identified more closely with  their local Jewish community. In the first century, Jews often had to pay  special taxes, and they suffered persecution   from time to time. But often, Jewish communities  in the Roman Empire were free to observe their   faith. Early on, the same was true for Christians  because they were closely identified with Judaism.   But as time passed, Christian identification as a  Jewish sect began to disappear. In fact, the book   of Acts reports that even in the days of Paul,  Jewish synagogues rejected followers of Christ   and encouraged local authorities to mistreat them.  In all likelihood, this was the kind of situation   facing the original audience of Hebrews. And  their prolonged sufferings tempted them to accept   teachings in their local Jewish community  that were contrary to the Christian faith. Interestingly, the author of Hebrews  didn’t address the sorts of issues   normally associated with  Jewish hypocrisy and legalism.   As crucial as these matters were, they’re  not a major concern in the book of Hebrews.   Rather, the author dealt primarily with erroneous  beliefs and practices, specifically those that   developed in Jewish communities outside  the mainstream of Palestinian Judaism.   Listen to what the author of Hebrews  wrote in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 9: In this verse, the author contrasted  being “strengthened by grace”   with being strengthened “by ceremonial foods.”  This specific focus sounds familiar enough.   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.   So, what were these “strange teachings”  that the audience was tempted to follow? In the second half of the last century, a  number of helpful insights into this question   came to light with the discovery  of the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran.   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. It contained books like  The Rule of the Community, The Damascus Covenant,   the War Scroll, The Midrash on Melchizedek,  as well as sections of 1 Enoch called “The   Book of the Watchers” and “The Book  of Dreams”. These books have a number   of teachings that closely parallel the  theological issues addressed in Hebrews. Now, it’s important to note that these  teachings were not exclusive to this community.   Other Jewish groups in the Mediterranean  world held to similar views.   In ffact, the books of Ephesians and Colossians  deal with comparable issues in their locations.   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. The Dead Sea Scrolls are fascinating documents  found, of course, in the desert in Qumran,   and they are the works of a radical Jewish  sect who defined themselves over and against   the Jewish mainstream, particularly the temple  complex. And so, somewhat analogously to the   book of Hebrews, the sectarians at Qumran  seem to have regarded themselves as a   new temple under a new covenant. Now, there are  just as many dissimilarities particularly because   some of the more ritual aspects of the old  covenant, the Qumran group really wanted to   revitalize those rather than let them obsolesce  in the way that the writer of Hebrews suggests. For this lesson, we’ll briefly mention just  four topics found in both the book of Hebrews   and the documents at Qumran. In the first place, we’ve already noted  that in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 9,   the author spoke against a particular  example of eating ceremonial foods. Many practices at Qumran are described in  the book entitled The Rule of the Community.   Among many other things, the community at  Qumran regularly held sacred communal meals   in which they ate specially consecrated food. In the second place, an  assortment of basic teachings   addressed in the book of Hebrews  also appears in texts at Qumran. For instance, in Hebrews chapter 6 verses 1  and 2, the author mentioned repentance, faith,   cleansing rites (or baptisms), laying on of hands,  resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.   Interestingly enough, The Rule of the  Community and the War Scroll at Qumran   give a great deal of attention  to these and similar matters   in ways that differed from the  mainstream of Palestinian Judaism. In the third place, the literature at Qumran  helps us understand the focus on angels in the   book of Hebrews. The book of Hebrews addressed  beliefs about angels in a number of passages.   This focus was in response to the kinds  of beliefs that were similar to teachings   in books like The Rule of the Community,  The Damascus Covenant, and the War Scroll,   as well as the sections of 1 Enoch called “The  Book of the Watchers” and “The Book of Dreams.”   These books extolled the powers of good and  evil angels, their roles as messengers of   divine revelation, and the influence  they had on inferior human beings.   Apparently, the original audience of Hebrews had  become attracted to these kinds of teachings. In the fourth place, the documents at  Qumran help us understand the unusual   interest that the author of Hebrews had in  the Old Testament character Melchizedek. For the longest time, interpreters  had difficulty explaining why the   comparisons between Melchizedek and Jesus  were so important to the author of Hebrews.   But one text found at Qumran, often called  11QMelchizedek or The Midrash on Melchizedek,   falsely taught that Melchizedek was a heavenly  figure who was going to appear in the last days   to proclaim the Day of Atonement and make final  atonement for God’s people. From all appearances,   the original audience of Hebrews was tempted  to hold these or similar false beliefs. Identifying the kinds of false teachings  that circulated within Jewish communities   helps us to understand why the author  of Hebrews exhorted his audience   to resist these teachings  and remain faithful to Jesus. There’s a number of interesting parallels  between the teaching of the Dead Sea Scrolls   and the teaching in Hebrews. The most significant  would be perhaps that both communities recognized   that they were, or believed they were, living  in the end times, that God's final salvation   was about to take place. Of course, the difference  is in Hebrews we see that God's salvation has   arrived, whereas at Qumran — or the Dead Sea  Scrolls — they’re expecting it to happen at any   time. But perhaps the most interesting comparison  between the two is the role of the figure of   Melchizedek. Melchizedek, of course, in Hebrews,  the author develops this theology of Melchizedek   as Jesus' high priesthood is not according to  the order of Aaron, not the traditional Old   Testament one, but according to the order  of Melchizedek, because we see Melchizedek   was a legitimate high priest who met  Abraham in the book of Genesis — and so,   this Melchizedek comparison. Well, in the  Dead Sea Scrolls, there is one of the Dead   Sea Scrolls — known as 11Q Melchizedek  because it was discovered in cave 11   of the Dead Sea Scrolls — portrays a figure,  this Melchizedek, as a mighty heavenly, glorious,   Messiah-like figure who brings salvation. So,  it’s 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. And so scholars puzzle over  this relationship between the Melchizedek figure   in Hebrews and Melchizedek as he appears in  the Dead Sea Scrolls. Interesting comparison. The goal of Hebrews’ exhortations was not only  to urge the audience to reject the local Jewish   teachings. Even more, the author wanted them  to remain faithful to Jesus as the Messiah. To accomplish the goal of calling his  audience to faithful service to Jesus,   the author of Hebrews organized his  exhortations into five major divisions.   We’ll look in some detail at each of  these divisions in our next lesson.   But at this point it will help to  summarize the central issues in each.  In Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 through chapter  2 verse 18, the author of Hebrews called on   his audience to affirm the supremacy  of Christ over angelic revelations. We mentioned earlier in this lesson that the  book of Hebrews spoke against false beliefs   about angels. A number of Jewish writings often  exalted angels as powerful, glorious creatures   who brought divine revelations to inferior human  beings. This honor for angels raised a serious   challenge against those who followed Christ.  Jesus was flesh and blood. How then could anyone   follow what he said instead of the revelations  of angels? The author of Hebrews responded to   this local Jewish teaching by demonstrating  from the Old Testament, and from Jesus’ life,   death, resurrection, ascension, and return in  glory, that he is actually superior to the angels. The second major division of Hebrews, in  chapter 3 verse 1 through chapter 4 verse 13,   demonstrates that Jesus is to  be held above Moses’ authority. It was obvious to everyone that followers of  Jesus were not observing the sacrificial services   God had ordained through Moses. The local Jewish  community called for Christians to return to Moses   and his ways. The author of Hebrews responded by  affirming that Moses was God’s faithful servant.   But Jesus was even greater  because he was God’s royal Son. After dealing with angels and  Moses, the author of Hebrews   turned to Melchizedek’s priesthood in chapter  4 verse 14 through chapter 7 verse 28. In this division, the author argued that Jesus  was the supreme Royal Priest after the order   of Melchizedek. 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. In response,  the author of Hebrews demonstrated that Jesus   was the true Royal Priest who appeared in the  last days to provide eternal atonement for sin. In chapter 8 verse 1 through chapter 11 verse  40, the author of Hebrews explained the supremacy   of the new covenant in Jesus. 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.   But the author of Hebrews pointed out that Jesus  is, in fact, the mediator of the new covenant. In the last major division, in chapter 12 verse 1  through chapter 13 verse 25, the book of Hebrews   elaborates on a number of ways that the audience  needed to exercise practical perseverance. This division consists of a long series of  exhortations, as well as explanations for these   exhortations. In light of so many challenges  to their faith from the local Jewish community   and elsewhere, the author wrote to inspire and  energize his audience. He exhorted them to remain   faithful to Jesus as the Messiah by reminding  them of God’s promises and blessings in Jesus. By his many exhortations, the writer to the  Hebrews, to put it positively, is encouraging his   readers to persevere. And some of his language is  very gentle, entreating, encouraging, but some of   it is, quite frankly, blisteringly frightening.  That starts as early as Hebrews 2 — "If   Old Testament saints fell away, how much more  dangerous is it if we, who are the heirs of the   new covenant, who do know the Lord Jesus, ignore  the great salvation that has been provided to us?"   And that sort of a fortiori argument, “If this,  then how much more that,” keeps showing up again   and again in the book. And then there are two  passages that are often referred to as “apostasy   passages” in Hebrews 6 and Hebrews 10 that warn  against the danger of those who have professed   profound faith in Christ — and apparently  followed for some time — falling away. And so,   even in reading the Old Testament narrative, as  in the end of Hebrews 3, the author says, don’t be   like the Old Testament saints who were rescued  from Egypt and escaped slavery but never did get   into the Promised Land precisely because they  didn’t persevere. They fell away in the desert.   A whole generation was wiped out more or less.  And, those are the sorts of pastoral parallels   that show that his incentive to encouragement is  not merely soft or cuddly, that there is warmth   and encouragement and holding up the glories of  Christ so as to be drawn to him. But there is also   threat and warning that this is serious business  and you don’t want to play around with it. In this lesson on the background  and purpose of Hebrews,   we’ve looked at the background of the  book of Hebrews, including the author,   the audience and the date of composition. We’ve  also focused on the original purpose of Hebrews   by examining how the author wrote his  book to exhort his audience to turn from   local Jewish teachings and to reaffirm  their loyalty to Jesus as the Messiah. The book of Hebrews is one of the most challenging  books of the New Testament. It offers so much that   we may never uncover more than a small portion  of what it teaches. Yet, we can benefit in many   ways from these complex teachings. As modern  followers of Christ, we also face temptations   to avoid troubles in this life by compromising our  commitments to Jesus. But if we’ll open our hearts   to hear how the author of Hebrews urgently  exhorted his original audience, we’ll see   how crucial it is that we stand strong in our  faith, no matter what opposition we may face.
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Channel: Thirdmill
Views: 79,774
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Keywords: third millennium ministries, thirdmill, third mill, Theology Matters, Reformed, Ministry, Biblical Education, God, Education, Study, Scripture, Theology, Free, Truth, For the World, Bible, Seminary, Doctrine, Hebrews, New Testament, Paul, Epistle
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Length: 57min 43sec (3463 seconds)
Published: Wed Jun 24 2020
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