Theology: An Analysis of the Book Of Hebrews An Analysis of the Book of Hebrews: Theology

The book of Hebrews is one of the most controversial books in the New Testament. The controversy derives largely from the fact that the book's author is yet to be identified. This text presents the various arguments that have been put forth about the book's authorship, intended audience, destination, and date.

Analysis of the Epistle to the Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most controversial writings in the Bible. It is unique, convincing and elaborate in the way it speaks about priesthood and the superiority of Christ. It presents Christ as the High Priest that God sent to get mankind closer to Him. The controversy surrounding the book, however, stems from the fact that it does not conclusively state who the author is. Most scholars have thus come to accept that only God knows who the true author of the epistle is. This text covers the various arguments that have been put forth about authorship and other historical matters including who the audience was, their ethnic background, what they were going through at the time, and the purpose that the epistle was meant to serve.

Part 1: Composite Profile of Hebrews

To whom was the Epistle written?

Proof inside the book of Hebrews supports the idea that the book was written to Jews who had converted to Christianity. First, the author's constant reference to Old Testament scriptures is a clear demonstration that he was confident that his audience was well-acquainted with the same; Jews and not Gentiles received daily teachings about the scriptures (Ogden, 1998). Moreover, in verse 11 of chapter 7, the author makes reference to the acceptance of the Leviticus priesthood -- Gentiles did not relate to the Leviticus priesthood, and hence, it is highly likely that the intended audience was made up of predominantly Jews (Ogden, 1998). Finally, in 10: 32-34, the author speaks of the intended audience having been persecuted by others...

Gentiles who followed Christ's Gospel did not receive as much persecution as Jews; thus, one can rightly conclude that the epistle was written to Jewish Christians -- people who came from Jewish families, but who had chosen to obey the Gospel of God (Ogden, 1994).
It is believed that the intended readers lived in the region of Palestine. The reason for this is that the persecutions described in Acts 8: 1 and Hebrews 10: 32-34 were intense; Jewish Christians outside Palestine suffered relatively less compared to their counterparts in Palestine (Ogden, 1994). Moreover, in Hebrews 8:4, the author makes reference to the ritual of making sacrifices according to the law -- at the time of the book's writing, this practice was done very little outside Palestine (Ogden, 1994).

Why was the Epistle Written?

Jewish Christians were facing intense persecution from their unconverted counterparts, and had been separated from the things that symbolized their God-authored heritage: the temple, the Mosaic Law, and the priesthood. They had been cut off from their people and their Jewish heritage as a result of clinging their faith to Jesus as the Messiah. Their tribesmen considered them worse than Gentiles, who had lost the knowledge of God and become idol worshipers. Owing to this, these Christians were beginning to lose their faith in Christ, and were beginning to doubt whether Christ indeed was the Messiah. The book of Hebrews was written to strengthen them and proclaim the superiority of Christ over everything, including any Old Testament sacrifice, ritual, institution or person (1: 1-2) .

Who Wrote the Epistle?

The question of who wrote the book of Hebrews remains a subject of controversy. He was a deeply spiritual person; wholly committed to Christ and with deep knowledge of things concerning Jesus as evidenced in Hebrew 13: 24. Some scholars attribute the book's authorship to Paul given that it is included…