The Book of Hebrews

Hebrews has special virtues within the wider New Testament Canon. The New Testament has two lengthy letters, both of which articulate the gospel in a thorough and systematic fashion, namely Romans and Hebrews. They are both probably written to the church in Rome, a major center of the early church. One point that is quite certain is that Paul did not write Hebrews. It therefore represents a significant contribution on its own that complements the profound definition of the gospel available from the Gospels, the Pauline letters and the Johannine writings. Here are some of its outstanding features:

1. Its teaching on the incarnation is only perhaps matched by the Johannine teaching on the incarnation.

2. It contains the most thorough teaching on the atonement in the New Testament.

3. Its Greek grammar is superior to all of the other New Testament books, showing that the author was one of the best educated of the New Testament authors.

4. The author combines three literary skills: it is the best example of Greek Rhetoric in the New Testament; the author makes use of the Rabbinic method of midrashic interpretation of the Old Testament more than any other writer; and the style of the text is that of a sermon, not a letter, delivered by one of the prophets of the early church.

5. Using these three skills, the author exalts Jesus in a particularly exuberant way, and at the same time, provides a deeply penetrating pastoral challenge to ongoing total commitment to Jesus.