An Introduction to Hebrews, Continued
Intro:
What we are going to cover in these first two weeks:
- Author
- Audience
- Date
- Reason/Characteristics/Themes
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.
(Read/Pray)
The Audience of Hebrews: Guess What? They’re Hebrew!
There are several clues scattered throughout the book to suggest that the author addressed himself to a Jewish-Christian congregation and its leaders who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah…but who had later been tempted to revert to Judaism because of increasing persecution.
While Judaism was a recognized religion in the Roman Empire—a religio licita—Christianity was not. What this meant was that as long you were a pious Jew, you were protected; but if you converted to Christianity, and professed faith in Christ, you became the target of persecution, not only by the Romans, but even by non-messianic Jews. We see this clearly in the book of Acts where typically non-messianic Jews were the primary forces behind the persecution of Christians while the Roman authorities were mostly just trying to keep the peace.
-Andreas Köstenberger
Consider:
- Hebrews quotes extensively from the O.T. (Including the longest continual O.T. quote in the N.T. which appears in Hebrews 8)
- Hebrews assumes the audience understands the O.T. sacrificial system.
- The letter may have been addressed to a Jewish-Christian church in Rome. In 13:24, the author mentions “those who come from Italy” who “send you greetings.” Most likely, this refers to people who came from Italy (whose capital was Rome) and who sent greetings to their friends back in Rome from wherever the letter was written (we don’t really know where that was).
When was Hebrews Written?
Most likely Between AD 64-69
A. Hebrews is known and cited by Clement of Rome in 1 Clement (AD 95)
B. Hebrews bares no mention of the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by Titus in AD 70
C. The writer of Hebrews seems to regard the sacrificial system of the Old Testament to still be in operation
D. Hebrews was written during the lifetime of Timothy whom the author knew
Why was Hebrews Written?
It is just as important to know what the audience was facing, not just who they were.
The author was concerned that they were “falling away” (2:14-18).
The church may have been going through a leadership change (13:7, 17). The church was concerned about their security and permanence (6:19, 11:10, 13:8, 14).
J.I.Packer:
“Perhaps the situation is that of the persecution under Nero (AD 64). In that case, the suffering mentioned in 10:32-34 could have been caused by the Edict of Claudius, which expelled the Jews from Rome in AD 49 (Acts 18:2).”
Summary:
Subject to suffering and shame for their confession of Jesus, stripped of the familiar and visible institutions of the organized Jewish religion, and confused by the hidden character of Jesus’ glory, the audiences of Hebrews are tempted to turn away from the faith (10:38-9), and to fall into unbelief.
Having (hopefully) addressed the topics of author, audience, date, and reason for the book, let us again return to the first two verses for some insight as we wrap up this two week introduction to Hebrews.
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.
Observations:
“these last days” may not refer to “end times” (it has been 2000 years since Hebrews was written.)
It could well be referring to the “last days” of the end of the Jewish State, or the the most recent “age” of God speaking through his son.
Closing Thought:
It is abundantly clear from scripture that God has spoken to us in many different ways over the course of history. The author of Hebrews is telling us that in these most recent days he has spoken to us through his son.
An argument is to be made that we are actually in an age past the age of Jesus, or the primary way that we hear from God is through the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit. The point remains the same for the author of Hebrews as it does for every gospel believing church today: the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things is the singularly most important doctrine a human being can answer to.
As I began to state last week, the book of Hebrews will present an image of Jesus, that is unique within the New Testament. It is an incredible journey that we are about to go on, and I pray that you pray for my wisdom and humility as a parts through this text, and we should all be praying for each other that this book would come alive, and draws closer to the supremacy of Jesus Christ.