Notes on Hebrews 2 0 1 7 E d i t i o n Dr. Thomas L. Constable Introduction DATE The writer said that he and those to whom he wrote had come to faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of others who had heard Jesus (2:3-4). Apparently those preachers had since died (13:7). The original readers had been Christians over an extended period of time (5:12). So probably the earliest possible date of composition was about A.D. 60. Some scholars believe that the book must have been written before A.D. 70, since the writer spoke of the mentioned sacrifices as being offered at the time of writing (7:27-28; 8:3-5; 9:7-8, 25; 10:1-3, 8; 13:10-11). However, the writer showed no interest in the temple, but described the sacrifices like those the Israelites offered when the tabernacle stood. He evidently used the present tense to give these references a timeless quality, rather than indicating that temple worship was still in practice. Nevertheless a date of composition before A.D. 70 seems probable.1 "The best argument for the supersession of the old covenant would have been the destruction of the Temple."2 The reference to Timothy's release from imprisonment (13:23) appears to date the book later in the life of that outstanding man. Almost all scholars believe that the Timothy referred to in Hebrews is the same one named elsewhere in the New Testament. No other New Testament writer mentioned Timothy's imprisonment. The imprisonment of Christians seems to have been a well-known fact of life (10:34; 13:3). This was true after Nero launched an empire-wide persecution in A.D. 64. All of these factors, when taken together, seem to point to a writing date near A.D. 68-69. WRITER As to authorship, most students of this subject are not dogmatic or even certain, for good reason.3 As early as Origen, the Alexandrian church father who died about A.D. 255, no 1William L. Lane, Hebrews 1—8, pp. lxii-lxvi; Andrew H. Trotter Jr., Interpreting the Epistle to the Hebrews, pp. 27-38; Philip E. Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, pp. 30-31. 2H. W. Montefiore, A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 3. 3See Hughes, pp. 19-30; Trotter, pp. 39-57; or Donald A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, pp. 600-4; for good discussions. Copyright © 2017 by Thomas L. Constable Published by Sonic Light: http://www.soniclight.com/ 2 Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 2017 Edition one knew who the writer was for sure. After careful study of the authorship of Hebrews, 4 Origen wrote, "But who it was that really wrote the epistle, God only knows." "The language of the Epistle is both in vocabulary and style purer and more vigorous than that of any other book of the New Testament. ". . . The vocabulary is singularly copious. It includes a large number of words which are not found elsewhere in the apostolic writings, very many 5 of which occur in this book only among the Greek Scriptures . . ." "All that can be said with certainty is that Hebrews was composed by a creative theologian who was well trained in the exposition of the Greek 6 Scriptures. . . . He was surely a hellenistic Jewish-Christian." 7 8 9 Commentators have made cases for the writer being Paul, Apollos, Barnabas, Luke, Peter, Jude, Stephen, Silvanus (Silas), Epaphras (Epaphroditus), Philip the Evangelist, Priscilla, Mary the mother of Jesus, Clement of Rome, Aristion, and others. However, the masculine participle diegoumenon ("to tell"), which refers to the writer in 11:32, would seem to rule out a female writer. Ancient testimony mentioned only four possibilities: Paul, Luke, Barnabas, and Clement. None of these suggestions has found enthusiastic general reception for various reasons. Probably we should be content to share Origen's 10 agnosticism on this question—and look forward to getting the answer in heaven. "The absence both of solid testimony, internal or external, and of any firm traditions means that, as things are, the riddle of the authorship of 11 Hebrews is incapable of solution." The early Christians originally accepted all the New Testament books as inspired by God because they each contained teaching from an official apostle. For this reason, the writer was probably either an apostle or a close associate of at least one of the apostles (cf. 13:23). RECIPIENTS The original recipients of the epistle are also unknown. The title "The Epistle to the Hebrews" implies that they were Jewish Christians. This title is ancient and is probably a safe guide to the identity of the first readers. References in the epistle also suggest that the original readers were mainly Jewish. The writer assumed, as we can infer from his material, that they were very familiar with the institutions of Judaism. The warnings against turning away from Jesus Christ back to the Old Covenant also imply this identity. 4 Eusebius, The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, p. 247. 5 Brooke Foss Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. xliv. See Trotter, pp. 117-43. 6 Lane, p. xlix. 7 W. J. Conybeare, in The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, pp. 788-790; Adolph Saphir, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 1:19, footnote 10; William R. Newell, Hebrews Verse by Verse, p. 493; Arthur W. Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews, pp. 18-21; J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, 5:503. 8 A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 5:329. 9 David L. Allen, Lukan Authorship of Hebrews. 10 See Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Greek Text, pp. 3-21. 11 Hughes, p. 19. 2017 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 3 Other indications of a Jewish target audience are: the emphasis on the superior priesthood of Jesus, and the many appeals to the authority of the Hebrew Scriptures. However, the brand of Judaism in view seems to have been Hellenistic rather than Palestinian (Hebraic) While conceding that it is now impossible to identify the original recipients exactly, some respected scholars favor the theory that they were probably former Jewish priests, 12 probably of the Essene variety. . The reference to the generosity of the readers and their helping other believers (6:10) suggests that the original audience did not live in Palestine. The Palestinian churches had a reputation for needing material assistance, rather than for giving it to other Christians (cf. Rom. 15:25-31; 1 Cor. 16:3). Probably, therefore, they were Jews of the Diaspora. This conclusion has support in the writer's consistent use of the Septuagint Old Testament version. Hellenistic Jews used this translation widely, but Palestinian Jews did not use it as much. Arguments for the recipients being Palestinian Jews include: their intimate knowledge of temple rituals, and their opportunity to escape suffering by conveniently 13 returning to the observance of Jewish practices and feasts. I think the arguments for their living outside Palestine are stronger. In most of the New Testament churches, there was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile believers. The appeal of this epistle would certainly have been as great to Gentiles, tempted to return to paganism, as it would have been to Jews facing temptation to return to Judaism. However, the writer's primary concern appears to have been, that, his Jewish readers were failing to appreciate that Christianity is the divinely revealed successor to Judaism. He did not want them to abandon Christianity and return to Judaism. Probably the letter originally went to a house-church, outside of Palestine, that had a strong Hellenistic Jewish population. This church may have been in or near Galatia, in view of conditions that existed there that the Epistle to the Galatians reflects. However, they may very well have lived in another area. Many scholars believe that the letter went 14 first to a church in or near Rome. Evidently, knowledge of where the original recipients 15 lived disappeared about the same time as knowledge of who the writer was. PROVENANCE In view of 13:24b, it has seemed to some scholars that the writer was in Italy when he sent this epistle, perhaps in Rome. However, the expression "from Italy" in that verse probably refers to those living outside Italy, such as Priscilla and Aquila, who were Jews 16 forced to leave Rome by Emperor Claudius' edict in A.D. 49 (Acts 18:2). This expression suggests that the writer was not in Italy when he wrote. 12 See ibid., pp. 10-15. 13 See Pink, p. 11; J. Dwight Pentecost, A Faith That Endures, pp. 12-13. 14 See Lane, pp. lviii-lx; Ellingworth, p. 29; and Donald Guthrie, The Letter to the Hebrews: An Introduction and Commentary, pp. 25-27. 15 James Moffatt, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, p. xvii. 16 See Merrill C. Tenney, "A New Approach to the Book of Hebrews," Bibliotheca Sacra 123:491 (July- September 1966):234-35. 4 Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 2017 Edition "A great many other places, virtually covering the Mediterranean world from Spain to Galatia, have been proposed both for the epistle's origin and 17 for its destination." GENRE Many students of the book have observed that Hebrews is more of a sermon in written 18 form, than an epistle in the traditional New Testament sense. The writer even described it as a "word of exhortation" (13:22). Hebrews is like a sermon reduced to writing (cf. James; Jude). Indications of this fact are the writer's references to speaking and hearing (cf. 2:5; 5:11; 8:1; 9:5; 11:32). His epistle is more typical of speech than of writing. ". . . Hebrews is a sermon rooted in actual life. It is addressed to a local gathering of men and women who discovered that they could be penetrated by adverse circumstances over which they exercised no control. It throbs with an awareness of the privilege and the cost of discipleship. It is a sensitive pastoral response to the sagging faith of older and tired individuals who were in danger of relinquishing their Christian commitment. It seeks to strengthen them in the face of a new crisis so that they may stand firm in their faith. It warns them of the judgment of God they would incur if they were to waver in their commitment. Exhortations to covenant fidelity and perseverance are grounded in a fresh 19 understanding of the significance of Jesus and his sacrifice." "It [Hebrews] is called an epistle and so it is, but of a peculiar kind. In fact, . . . it begins like a treatise, proceeds like a sermon, and concludes 20 like a letter." There is an alternation in the genre of this epistle, from exposition to exhortation to exposition to exhortation, and so forth. Noting these major changes makes interpreting the book much easier. The blocks of material by genre are as follows. I shall note the changes in the notes that follow as well. Exposition Exhortation ch. 1 2:1-4 2:5-18 3:1—4:14 4:15—5:10 5:1—6:12 6:13—10:18 10:19-39 ch. 11 chs. 12—13 17 Hughes, p. 18. 18 See Lane, pp. lxix-lxxxiv, for an extended discussion of the genre, or Trotter, especially pp. 59-80. 19 Lane, p. xlvi. See also Ellingworth, pp. 78-80. 20 Robertson, 5:328. 2017 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 5 Within the two parts of chapter 12, there is further alternation between exhortation and exposition, though the main genre there is exhortation: exhortation (12:1-2), exposition (12:3-11), exhortation (12:12-13); and exhortation (12:14-17), exposition (12:18-24), exhortation (12:25-29). PURPOSE The writer urged the original readers to persevere in their faith, rather than turning from Christianity and returning to Judaism. A note of urgency and pastoral concern permeates the whole letter. This tone comes through especially strongly in the five warning passages and in the encouragements that follow these warnings. ". . . the purpose of the writer to the Hebrews is not to give us an interpretation of Old Testament prophecy. . . . Using material not from the prophets but primarily from the Psalms, with other materials added to elaborate the argument, the writer's goal was to establish the superiority of the gospel in contrast to all that went before, particularly the levitical system. The primary evidence of the supremacy of Christianity is presented in its finality. Coming to Christ means final access to God 21 without any barrier." ". . . in Hebrews the author is battling to stop a stampede from Christ back to Judaism, a revolt (apostasy) in truth from the living God. . . . It is the 22 first great apologetic for Christianity and has never been surpassed." THEME "The comprehensive theme of the Epistle to the Hebrews is that of the absolute supremacy of Christ—a supremacy which allows no challenge, 23 whether from human or angelic beings." "To the writer to the Hebrews Jesus was the one person on earth who gave access to reality [the great goal of the Greeks] and access to God [the great 24 goal of the Jews]." STYLE Various stylistic devices enable the student of this book to identify the sections of the writer's thought. These devices include inclusio, linking words, the repetition of key terms, alternation between exposition and admonition, and others, which I shall point out where appropriate. These rhetorical devices were common in the writer's culture, and his use of them indicated to the original readers where his thoughts were moving. 21 Robert L. Saucy, The Case for Progressive Dispensationalism, p. 56. 22 Robertson, 5:331. 23 Hughes, p. 2. 24 William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, p. xvii. 6 Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 2017 Edition 25 ". . . Hebrews is written in the best Greek in the New Testament." The Book of Hebrews is very similar to a sermon that has been adapted to an epistolary (letter) format. The Books of James and Jude are similar in their styles. CHARACTERISTICS "In several noticeable respects Hebrews differs from all the other Epistles of the New Testament. The name of the writer is omitted, there is no opening salutation, the ones to whom it was first specifically and locally sent are not mentioned. On the positive side we may note, that the typical teachings of the O.T. are expounded here at greater length than elsewhere; the priesthood of Christ is opened up, fully, only in this Epistle; the warnings against apostasy are more frequent and more solemn, and the calls to steadfastness and perseverance are more emphatic and numerous 26 than in any other N.T. book." 27 OUTLINE I. The culminating revelation of God chs. 1—2 A. The agent of God's final revelation 1:1-4 B. The superiority of the Son 1:5-14 C. The danger of negligence (the first warning) 2:1-4 D. The humiliation and glory of God's Son 2:5-9 E. The Son's solidarity with humanity 2:10-18 II. The high priestly character of the Son 3:1—5:10 A. The faithfulness of the Son 3:1-6 B. The danger of disbelief (the second warning) 3:7-19 C. The possibility of rest for God's people 4:1-14 D. The compassion of the Son 4:15—5:10 III. The high priestly office of the Son 5:11—10:39 A. The danger of immaturity (the third warning) 5:11—6:12 1. The readers' condition 5:11-14 2. The needed remedy 6:1-3 3. The dreadful alternative 6:4-8 4. The encouraging prospect 6:9-12 25 Ibid., p. xxii. 26 Pink, p. 15. 27 For an evaluation of three views of the structure of Hebrews, the traditional (doctrinal followed by practical sections), that of Albert Vanhoye (chiastic structure), and "patchwork," see David Alan Black, "The Problem of the Literary Structure of Hebrews: An Evaluation and a Proposal," Grace Theological Journal 7:2 (Fall 1986):163-77. See also Lane, pp. lxxxv-cxv; Trotter, pp. 81-94; and Ellingworth, pp. 50- 62. 2017 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 7 B. The basis for confidence and steadfastness 6:13-20 C. The Son's high priestly ministry 7:1—10:18 1. The person of our high priest ch. 7 2. The work of our high priest chs. 8—9 3. The accomplishment of our high priest 10:1-18 D. The danger of willful sinning (the fourth warning) 10:19-39 1. The threefold admonition 10:19-25 2. The warning of judgment 10:26-31 3. The encouragement to persevere 10:32-39 IV. The proper response 11:1—12:13 A. Perseverance in faith ch. 11 1. Faith in the antediluvian era 11:1-7 2. Faith in the patriarchal era 11:8-22 3. Faith in the Mosaic era 11:23-31 4. Faith in subsequent eras 11:32-40 B. Demonstrating necessary endurance 12:1-13 1. The example of Jesus 12:1-3 2. The proper view of trials 12:4-11 3. The need for greater strength 12:12-13 V. Life in a hostile world 12:14—13:25 A. The danger of unresponsiveness (the fifth warning) 12:14-29 1. The goal of peace 12:14-17 2. The superiority of the New Covenant 12:18-24 3. The consequences of apostasy 12:25-29 B. Life within the church ch. 13 1. Pastoral reminders 13:1-21 2. Personal explanations 13:22-25 MESSAGE I would summarize the message of this epistle in the following words: We will only realize our full eternal reward as believers, if we appreciate the greatness of Jesus Christ, and continue to trust God, rather than turning away from Him in this life. The ultimate goal that the writer had in view was our full eternal reward as believers. I do not believe that it was the conversion of the unsaved members of his audience. He addressed his readers consistently as believers. He wrote to encourage Christians to persevere faithfully, so that they will receive all that God wants to give them at the judgment seat of Christ. Our rewards are at issue in this letter, not our salvation. The writer did not want us to suffer loss, but to enter into our full inheritance, our full rest, the fullness of our salvation. 8 Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 2017 Edition To accomplish this, he wrote that we must know one thing and do two things, one positive and one negative. We must know, and appreciate, the greatness of Jesus Christ. In this epistle, the writer presented Him as the greatest revelation that God has given humankind. God's revelation in His Son is superior to all other revelations that He has given, in three respects. First, it supersedes all other revelations: God's revelation through angels (the Mosaic Law), His revelation through humans (the prophets), and His revelation through rituals (the Old Covenant). When Jesus Christ came to reveal God, He brought revelation that superseded what had preceded Him. The revelation that He brought was similar to that of a spotlight, compared to previous candle-like revelations. Second, God's revelation in His Son is sufficient to meet every basic human need. God spoke through His Son, so the need for a prophet (a revealer of God) no longer exists. He established a New Covenant, so the need for a priest (a mediator for man) no longer exists. And He exalted His Son to His right hand, so the need for a king (a righteous ruler) no longer exists. Third, God's revelation in His Son ensures final victory in every basic sphere of life. The individual (the human order) attains perfection through the Son. Society (the social order) will experience perfection through the Son. And the universe (the cosmic order) will reach perfection through the Son. This is what we need to know, objectively, to do, subjectively, what is necessary to gain our full reward as believers. All Christians will go to heaven and receive many blessings (Eph. 1; 1 Pet. 1). But faithful Christians will receive additional rewards (the crowns, reigning with Christ, etc.; cf. 2 Tim. 2:12). What we must do is continue to trust God. Hebrews places great emphasis on the importance of living by faith. It teaches us three things about faith (ch. 11): First, Hebrews defines faith. "Faith" is volitional surrender and obedience to God, regardless of appearances. It is not just intellectual conviction. It is the action of the will that expresses intellectual conviction. This epistle regards unbelief as disobedience, as does all of Scripture. People in the past who lived by faith made decisions and acted because they believed God, in spite of appearances (ch. 11). Second, Hebrews also illustrates faith. It describes faith as doing, as suffering, and as waiting. These are the primary activities of faith that the writer of Hebrews emphasized. They are progressively more difficult. It is harder to suffer persecution for our faith than it is to obey God when obedience does not involve suffering. It is most difficult to keep on trusting God when suffering does not end. Waiting for God to fulfill His promises is hardest of all when our hopes do not materialize (e.g., Christ's return). Third, in addition, Hebrews vindicates faith. It assures us of the ultimate triumph of faith. People in the past, who acted in faith, achieved. People who suffered for their faith triumphed. People who waited in faith received their reward. There are examples of all three types of people in Hebrews. 2017 Edition Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 9 On the positive side, then, we need to continue to trust God in order to realize our full reward as believers. What we must not do is turn away from God. This is the negative responsibility that the letter also stresses. If we apostatize, we will lose our full reward. Hebrews teaches us three things about apostasy, as it does about faith. First, this epistle defines apostasy descriptively. Apostasy is the opposite of faith. It consists of disobedience because of appearances (e.g., the 10 Israelite spies; cf. Jude). Apostasy for a Christian is turning away from faith, having previously embraced faith. An apostate, however, can be a believer or an unbeliever. Second, Hebrews also illustrates apostasy in the same three ways as it illustrates faith. Apostasy acts. It involves a deliberate turning away. It also suffers, not now, but in the future, because of what the apostate loses. It also waits, even though it lives for the present, rather than for the future. Third, Hebrews condemns apostasy. It assures us of the ultimate tragedy of apostasy. Apostates may achieve what they want in the present, for example, success, but they will lose what is far more valuable in the future. They may avoid suffering now, but later they will be sorry. They may not want to wait for their reward now, but they will wait forever for it later and not get it. This is the central message of the epistle: We will only realize our full eternal reward as believers if we appreciate the greatness of Jesus Christ and continue to trust God, rather than turning away from Him. The writer urged his readers to persevere in faith by using two appeals: one negative, and one positive. The first appeal is negative: the warning passages. There are five warning passages in Hebrews. Each one warns of the danger of apostasy from a different angle. The first passage (2:1-4) warns of the danger of drifting away from the truth (2:1). It pictures a ship dragging its anchor. The tides of our age can draw us away from our moorings. We need to keep standing firm in the faith (cf. Col. 1:23). The second passage (3:7-19) warns of the danger of disbelief (3:12). Disbelief results in heart-hardening (3:13). We need to keep on believing, rather than ceasing to believe (cf. Luke 17:3). The third passage (5:11—6:12) warns of the danger of immaturity (5:12). When we do not put truth into practice, we do not just remain in the same spiritual state. We regress. Therefore we need to keep on growing (cf. 2 Pet. 3:18). The fourth passage (10:19-39) warns of the danger of willful sinning (10:26-27). If we abandon confidence in the efficacy of Jesus Christ's sacrifice, there is no other sacrifice that can protect us from God's judgment on us as believers. We need to keep submitting to God (cf. Rom. 6:16). 10 Dr. Constable's Notes on Hebrews 2017 Edition The fifth passage (12:14-29) warns of the danger of unresponsiveness (12:25). The message of this letter demands positive response. If we do not respond positively, we will lose part of our reward (12:17). We need to keep on obeying God (cf. Titus 3:8). The second appeal is positive: the encouragement passages. Accompanying each of the warning passages is at least one word of encouragement. The writer balanced his negative warnings with positive words of encouragement. The first passage (2:1-4) encourages the readers with a reminder of God confirming His promises with miracles in the apostolic age (2:3b-4). The second passage (3:7-19) encourages by reminding us of Jesus' example of faithfulness (3:1-6) and our resources as believers (4:12-16). The third passage (5:11—6:12) encourages with a reminder of the readers' past faithfulness (6:9-12) and God's firm promises (6:13-20). The fourth passage (10:19-39) also encourages with a reminder of the readers' past perseverance (10:32-39). The fifth passage (12:14-29) encourages by reminding us of Jesus' example of perseverance (12:1-2) and the reason for divine discipline (12:3-11). By way of application, I would like to make three observations based on three major revelations in the epistle: First, appreciation for Jesus Christ is foundational to faithful perseverance. The reason many Christians turn away from the Lord is that they do not appreciate His greatness. Many church congregations get very little preaching and teaching on who Jesus Christ is, and the many-sided splendor of His person. Isaac Watts once wrote a 12-stanza hymn ("Join All the Glorious Names") in which he included 17 different names of Jesus Christ. Just singing this one hymn helps one appreciate the greatness of the Savior. Many people who are now members of cults were once in Christian churches. But they left them because the cult promised a deeper understanding of the truth, which they felt they were not getting in their church, because all they ever heard was the simple gospel message. Second, Christian leaders need to emphasize the Christian's hope more in their ministries. We live in a present-oriented culture that values immediate self-gratification. Many Christians are apostatizing because they do not appreciate the reward that they will receive, if they remain faithful to the Lord. This life is preparation for the next. Prophecy conferences stress our hope. Baby boomers, especially, are searching for hope. Third, we need to realize that God will judge Christians who apostatize. They will not lose their salvation, but they will lose much that they will wish they had never given up, if they stop walking by faith (cf. Rom. 8:18). It is hard to finish well, but it is possible (cf. Jude 24; Heb. 12:1-3). Our motivation should include a combination of the fear of God 28 and the love of God, like the two wings on an airplane. 28 Adapted from G. Campbell Morgan, Living Messages of the Books of the Bible, 2:2:107-21.