Who Wrote Book of Hebrews

It is only liberalism that questions the authors of the four gospel. Generally the critique of the scripture is done without any consideration of how God works through inspiration. I have studied this at the Bachelors level and the Masters level. It is a failed process. As far as Hebrews goes anyone who says definitively that the author is not Paul doesn't know what they are talking about.

 

According to Eusebius, 'as for the Epistle to the Hebrews, [Clement of Alexandria] says indeed that it is Paul's, but that it was written for the Hebrews in the Hebrew tongue, and that Luke, having carefully translated it, published it for the Greeks; hence, as a result of this translation, the same complexion of style is found in this epistle and in the Acts: but the words, "Paul an apostle" were naturally not affixed, for, he says, "in writing to the Hebrews who had conceived a prejudice against him, he very wisely did not repel them at the beginning by putting his name."'

Make of that what you will. Proof of that would only come if a hebrew version of Hebrews was discovered, but the possibility cannot be ruled out. The Presbyterian theologian Robert Reymond has a lengthy defense of Pauline authorship in his book, 'Jesus, Divine Messiah.' For myself, on this matter, I'm content to remain an agnostic.

 

If one reads Heb 2:3 carefully.

Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

Putting faces to the pronouns will help greatly in the above verse.

The writer is not claiming to have been there when Jesus spoke of this great salvation, which was probably his words to the 11 apostles and the 70 elders post resurrection. He is claiming to be among the Hebrews who had his words confirmed to them by signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost.

He is probably not referring to a one time event of confirmation by these signs but a continual display of these signs over maybe a period of about seven years until the death of Stephan in Acts 7 when the rulers during that generation in Jerusalem rejected Jesus Christ for themselves and the nation finally and forever and killed the messenger. It was at this time that the gospel of Christ began to exceed Jewish bounds, going to Samaria. After this, the door of faith was opened to the gentiles by Peter, who had been given the keys to the kingdom of God in Matthew 16. Paul had been saved in chapter 9 in a miraculous conversion between the Samaritan (chapter 8) and the gentiles salvation (chapter 10).

According to Paul, who has stated his credentials in the Jewish religion and as a Jew, there was no one on the planet as qualified to write Hebrews and make the application to the person of Jesus Christ than he. He is the one man who had seen the risen Lord 3 times and had been taught by him and been given the revelation of the "mystery of Christ," the church in this age and would have been able to make the spiritual applications that affected the Hebrews better than any man.

Peter, writing to the strangers scattered throughout a stated 5 provinces of Asia Minor (1 Pe 1:1-2) made this statement about Paul and his writing to them.

2Pe 3:15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

These are Hebrews, though displaced from their own land and called strangers, They are called in Ga 2 the concision and are those whom the 12 apostles are called to minister to. The same warning of Hebrews is suggested by Peter in his letter.

Another indication that Paul is the author of Hebrews is the salutation. All his epistles end like Hebrews ends.



He 13:22 And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words.
23 Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
24 Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
25 Grace be with you all. Amen.

My vote is Paul as the author of Hebrews.

 

That's why I don't listen to most scholars!... I don't question it, you can if you want along with most scholars... Paul wrote Hebrews... Brother Glen

 

Paul is the author... The LORD provided the words!... Brother Glen

Psalm 12: 6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

 

The early church unanimously held that Paul was the author. It wasn't until Augustine and Calvin came on the scene that it was ever seriously questioned. Later Augustine came on board with Pauline authorship. The arguments against Pauline authorship are strictly from literary criticism and I find them unconvincing. The similarities to other Pauline works are most often ignored by those who have an agenda to oppose Pauline authorship. Some of them are the work of Christ in creation, the humiliations of Christ in the incarnation and crucifixion, the place of the new covenant, the working of the HS, speaking of the behavior of Israel in the desert.

There is enough similarities to other Pauline works to be reasonable in holding to Pauline authorship of Hebrews.

 

Doesn't it seem as if God holds certain generations accountable for recognizing and following his pivot points that are designed for changing his way of prosecuting his purpose to something new? The generation mentioned in Psa 12 cannot be one that has lived up to this present point in history, for obvious reasons. This is bound to be a future generation under prophetic discussion, don't you think.


7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.

So, I think you are right that persons will be preserved.

Revmitchell makes good points about the Pauline authorship of Hebrews, I think.

 

I can accept Paul as the author. I also think the letter is intended for Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and Luke may have been the scribe.

But, as Jon has rightly stated, it's speculative since no author is stated in the text.