The Author of Hebrews
2022-06-17
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews is unclear because, unlike other epistles in the New Testament, there is no initial greeting. Here are when some church fathers had to say on the matter.
Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 150-215)
[Clement of Alexandria] says that the Epistle to the Hebrews is the work of Paul, and that it was written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language; but that Luke translated it carefully and published it for the Greeks, and hence the same style of expression is found in this epistle and in the Acts. But he says that the words, Paul the Apostle, were probably not prefixed, because, in sending it to the Hebrews, who were prejudiced and suspicious of him, he wisely did not wish to repel them at the very beginning by giving his name. Farther on he says: “But now, as the blessed presbyter said, since the Lord being the apostle of the Almighty, was sent to the Hebrews, Paul, as sent to the Gentiles, on account of his modesty did not subscribe himself an apostle of the Hebrews, through respect for the Lord, and because being a herald and apostle of the Gentiles he wrote to the Hebrews out of his superabundance.” (Eusebius, Church History 6.14.2-4, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250106.htm)
Hippolytus (A.D. 170-235)
Some of the statements are inaccurate, for instance, that the epistle to the Hebrews is not the work of the apostle Paul. (Photius, Bibliotheca or Myriobiblion 121, https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_03bibliotheca.htm)
Origen (A.D. 185-253)
Origen has a few different ideas, including Paul with the assistance of Luke, or Clement:
(11) In addition [Origen] makes the following statements in regard to the Epistle to the Hebrews in his Homilies upon it: That the verbal style of the epistle entitled ‘To the Hebrews,’ is not rude like the language of the apostle, who acknowledged himself ‘rude in speech’ that is, in expression; but that its diction is purer Greek, any one who has the power to discern differences of phraseology will acknowledge. (12) Moreover, that the thoughts of the epistle are admirable, and not inferior to the acknowledged apostolic writings, any one who carefully examines the apostolic text will admit.’ (13) Farther on he adds: If I gave my opinion, I should say that the thoughts are those of the apostle, but the diction and phraseology are those of some one who remembered the apostolic teachings, and wrote down at his leisure what had been said by his teacher. Therefore if any church holds that this epistle is by Paul, let it be commended for this. For not without reason have the ancients handed it down as Paul’s. (14) But who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows. The statement of some who have gone before us is that Clement, bishop of the Romans, wrote the epistle, and of others that Luke, the author of the Gospel and the Acts, wrote it. But let this suffice on these matters. (Eusebius, Church History 6.25.11-14, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250106.htm)
Tertullian (A.D. 155-220)
Tertullian assumed the author was Barnabas:
For there is extant withal an Epistle to the Hebrews under the name of Barnabas--a man sufficiently accredited by God, as being one whom Paul has stationed next to himself in the uninterrupted observance of abstinence (Tertullian, On Modesty 20, https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/tertullian32.html)
Gaius of Rome (Early 3rd Century A.D.)
There has reached us also a dialogue of Caius, a very learned man, which was held at Rome under Zephyrinus, with Proclus, who contended for the Phrygian heresy. In this he curbs the rashness and boldness of his opponents in setting forth new Scriptures. He mentions only thirteen epistles of the holy apostle, not counting that to the Hebrews with the others. And unto our day there are some among the Romans who do not consider this a work of the apostle. (Eusebius, Church History 6.20.3, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250106.htm)
Eusebius (A.D. 265-339)
Eusebius himself wrote the following:
Paul’s fourteen epistles are well known and undisputed. It is not indeed right to overlook the fact that some have rejected the Epistle to the Hebrews, saying that it is disputed by the church of Rome, on the ground that it was not written by Paul. But what has been said concerning this epistle by those who lived before our time I shall quote in the proper place. In regard to the so-called Acts of Paul, I have not found them among the undisputed writings. (Eusebius, Church History 3.3.5, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm)
Wherefore it has seemed reasonable to reckon it with the other writings of the apostle. For as Paul had written to the Hebrews in his native tongue, some say that the evangelist Luke, others that this Clement himself, translated the epistle. The latter seems more probable, because the epistle of Clement and that to the Hebrews have a similar character in regard to style, and still further because the thoughts contained in the two works are not very different. (Eusebius, Church History 3.38.2-3, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm)
John Chrysostom (A.D. 347-407)
John Chrysostom assumed the author was Paul, and argued that:
For as yet he was not arrested. Two years then he passed bound, in Rome; then he was set free; then, having gone into Spain, he saw Jews also in like manner; and then he returned to Rome, where also he was slain by Nero. The Epistle to Timothy then was later than this Epistle. For there he says, “For I am now ready to be offered”; there also he says, “In my first answer no man stood with me.” (John Chrysostom, Homilies on Hebrews, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/240200.htm)
Augustine (A.D. 354-430)
He was then openly blessed by Melchizedek, who was priest of God Most High, about whom many and great things are written in the epistle which is inscribed to the Hebrews, which most say is by the Apostle Paul, though some deny this. (Augustine, City of God, 16.22, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120116.htm)
Jerome (A.D. 347-420)
The epistle which is called the Epistle to the Hebrews is not considered his, on account of its difference from the others in style and language, but it is reckoned, either according to Tertullian to be the work of Barnabas, or according to others, to be by Luke the Evangelist or Clement afterwards bishop of the church at Rome, who, they say, arranged and adorned the ideas of Paul in his own language, though to be sure, since Paul was writing to Hebrews and was in disrepute among them he may have omitted his name from the salutation on this account. He being a Hebrew wrote Hebrew, that is his own tongue and most fluently while the things which were eloquently written in Hebrew were more eloquently turned into Greek and this is the reason why it seems to differ from other epistles of Paul. (Jerome, On Illustrious Men 5.59, https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2708.htm)
Discussion on the Church Fathers’ Writings
If we consider the church fathers above, some say the author is Paul, and some say it was not Paul. Some say the letter had Paul’s content, thought to be originally written in the Hebrew language, while another, such Luke or Clement of Rome translated it and stylized it in a more polished Greek. They may have recalled his teachings and wrote it down. It was said the style of Hebrews is like that of Luke and Acts or 1 Clement.
Tertullian is most notable in departing with the Paul-or-not-Paul dilemma by assuming a specific man, Barnabas, wrote it. Those in Rome tend to be those who denied Pauline authorship. Augustine said most people assumed Paul wrote it.
The consensus was that Paul wrote it; it was not until the 19th century that Pauline authorship was widely rejected. Considering this was when the rise of theological liberalism began, their conclusions are suspect to me.
The Text of Hebrews
The epistle ends with “Grace be with you all. Amen” (Hebrews 13:25). This compares with all the other Pauline epistles: Romans 16:20, 24; 1 Corinthians 16:23; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24; Philippians 4:23; Colossians 4:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:28; 2 Thessalonians 3:18; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; Titus 3:15; Philemon 1:25. He had a common farewell that he used to identify his authorship in writings because some had written in his name: “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (2 Thessalonians 3:17-18; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:2).
Paul did not write with a sophisticated vocabulary (1 Corinthians 1:17; 2:1; 2 Corinthians 11:16). Origen mentioned this. Greek would not have been Paul’s first language. This gives credence to Paul writing the original content in Hebrew and another following up to translate it into a more polished letter.
Moreover, it makes much sense that if Paul wrote it, it would have to be in Hebrew. Consider his address to the men in Jerusalem when he was arrested:
And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. (Acts 21:40; 22:1-3)
Because the Hebrew language was cherished by the Hebrew people as a part of their heritage, and they listened more intently because of the language, Paul would have written to the Jews in their language. If Paul wrote this, it surely would have been translated by someone, since all we have are Greek manuscripts for this epistle. It makes sense that only Greek manuscripts would survive; the Jews were generally hardened to the Gospel, and the Greek language was the lingua franca throughout the world. Gentiles would have read Greek, not Hebrew.
However, if Paul was the writer, what do we make of this: “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” (Hebrews 2:3)? As an apostle, Paul was not taught by another, except Jesus Himself:
Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) (Galatians 1:1).
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11-12)
Likewise, Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles (Galatians 2:7-9); if that were his focus, why write a letter to the Hebrews? The reason would likely be this: “That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:2-3).
Peter, who was an apostle to the Jews (Galatians 2:7-9), presumably wrote to the Jews, alluding to Paul’s writing to them:
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; 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 (2 Peter 3:15-16).
The mention of Timothy in Hebrews 13:23 is significant. He was close to Paul, and otherwise the apostle’s protégé is not mentioned in any non-Pauline epistle.
Conclusion
My theory, given the above, is that the content of Hebrews was Paul’s, but it was translated or compiled into Greek by someone else. The likely someone would be Luke. Clement is mentioned in the Bible once at best (Philippians 4:3), while Luke was with Paul a lot, including at the end of his life (2 Timothy 4:11). The strongest evidence against my conclusion is Hebrews 2:3, as discussed above. However, one way it could be reconciled is that the “them that heard him” could be the 12 original apostles that spent several years with the Lord Jesus, where Paul was not among them.