Let’s just start off by establishing the fact that NO ONE knows for sure who wrote the book
of Hebrews and to which city it was originally sent. Origen, a Christian scholar in the 3rd
century AD is reported to have said: “But who wrote the epistle, in truth—God knows.”
The same could be said of its first readers: only God truly knows.
However, despite the uncertainty surrounding its authorship and recipients,
Hebrews was recognized as inspired by God as early as the end of the first century.
While we don’t need to know who the author and first readers were in order for the
Holy Spirit to use its message to encourage and challenge us today,
understanding the options (and the reasons for them) is a good exercise
in evaluating evidence. And this is something we always need to do when we study the Bible.
Though additional authors have been suggested, in this video I’m going to limit myself to
looking at evidence for and against authorship by Paul, Apollos, and Barnabas. For the location
this “word of encouragement” was originally sent, Jerusalem and Rome are our main options.
Many early church fathers assumed Paul was the author (or that Paul wrote the letter originally
in Hebrew, and then doctor Luke later translated it into Greek). However, the language of Hebrews
(even in English translations) and the letter’s focus (on the priesthood and sacrifices) is so
different from the undisputed Pauline letters, that this conclusion was in doubt, even early on.
Further, scholars who have evaluated the Greek, including Origen back in the 3rd century,
have noticed that the author of Hebrews uses significantly better Greek than Paul, and that
his style evidences hellenistic rhetorical training. Further, it is highly unlikely
that Paul would have said that his message was dependent on eyewitnesses, which is what
the author of Hebrews does in 2:3 when he writes that salvation was “declared at first by the Lord,
and it was attested to us by those who heard.” In Galatians 1:12, Paul was very insistent
that he did not receive the gospel message through man but directly from Jesus himself.
Hebrews’ elevated style—more so than any letter by Paul—has led some to suggest Apollos may have
authored the work. In Acts 18, Luke describes Apollos as “an eloquent man, competent in the
Scriptures” who “taught accurately” and “powerfully refuted the Jews in public,
showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.”
Luke also mentions that Apollos was a native of Alexandria,
a city in the Empire known for philosophy, literature, and as the birth place of hellenism.
Beyond these facts, however, there isn’t much evidence for or against Apollos as the author.
The argument for Barnabas’ authorship goes back to a North African scholar, Tertullian,
in AD210. From Acts, we know that Barnabas was the first person to believe in the sincerity of Paul’s
conversion and to mentor him in ministry. Acts also informs us that he was a Levite (potentially
very familiar with the sacrificial system and levitical priesthood), he was from Cyprus (so
a hellenistic Jew potentially trained in rhetoric), and that his nickname meant “son
of encouragement,” which the author might have hinting at Hebrews 13:22 when he urges the readers
to bear with his brief word of encouragement to them. An argument against Barnabas’ authorship
includes Acts 14:12, which identifies Paul, not Barnabas, as the chief speaker.
This might suggest that of the two, Barnabas was less eloquent. So with the Greek of Hebrews
surpassing Paul’s Greek, it’s wondered if Barnabas even could have penned this text. Further, both
Luke and Paul refer to Barnabas as an apostle, which makes it unlikely that he would have claimed
to have received the gospel second-hand, as the author of Hebrews does in chapter 2 verse 3.
As for the destination of the letter, Rome and Jerusalem are the main options. The recipients of
this letter obviously have a Jewish background—it is absolutely saturated with language and ideas
from the Hebrew Scriptures, and they are urged to recognize that the old covenant system has come to
a decisive end in Jesus. Because of this, some think its first recipients lived in Jerusalem.
But it’s difficult to believe that there would be no eyewitnesses living in Jerusalem at this time,
even decades after Christ’s earthly ministry (remember
both the author and the original readers are said to have received the gospel
from eyewitnesses, not being so themselves in Hebrews 2:3).
Our video took the perspective of a Roman church as the first readers.
The Roman church’s persecution under Claudius in AD49, involving the expulsion of Jews (both
Christian and not) from the city seems to match the reference in Hebrews to an earlier persecution
which the readers endured with joy. The current crises facing the church was more serious,
involving a threat to their lives, and it might be identifiable
as the heightened persecution under Nero in AD64. In this persecution, Christians were
specifically targeted as scapegoats for the fire that destroyed a large part of the city,
some of whom might have sought security by retreating to the Jewish roots of Christianity.
The question of destination really hinges around how Hebrews 13:24 ought to be understood. Does,
“Those who come from Italy send you greetings” mean that the author is IN Italy,
sending his letter with greetings from the local church to the church in Jerusalem or elsewhere.
Or does the author mean that though he is currently OUTSIDE OF Italy,
he nevertheless has Italians among his companions, and they are eager to attach their greetings to a
letter that will be sent to Rome, and to family and friends back home. Check out how Luke uses
a similar phrase in Acts 18:2 to help you form your own conclusion on this issue.