Of all the letters in the NT, only Hebrews and 1 John lack the typical opening expected in a Letter. Why does the author remain anonymous?
It is possible the letter was not anonymous in the first place, but the address was lost early in the history of the letter. Perhaps the original document was intended to be delivered with a cover letter from the author which was customized for various synagogues or churches in Rome. Since the cover letter was unique to the church, it was not copied in the same way the letter might. But there is no evidence for this, either by manuscript or tradition. It is better to see the letter as intentionally anonymous.
It is also possible the letter was anonymous to protect the writer from any attacks from either Jews hostile to the gospel or Romans wishing to persecute the leaders of the church. Some scholars have pointed out that the Gospel of John does not identify every disciple (there are unknown disciples throughout the book). At least one explanation for this was to protect these still-living disciples from persecution. But this would seem odd for the author to hide his identity given that the letter encourages the readers to face persecution with boldness!
It is more likely that the letter was likely intended to be read in a number of different contexts as a literary piece, not a letter written for a particular occasion. Hebrews is a sermon addressed to anyone struggling with the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, although it is especially applicable in Rome in the early 60’s. An introduction with greetings from the author may not have been appropriate, if this is the case.
There are a host of reasons to remain anonymous when writeing a letter, especially during the time in which you would be put to death if you even sounded a little heretical. The book of Hebrews sounds so much different than the books that Paul wrote that it was maybe in the best interest of the author to not say who they were. In todays studys of the Bible we see that there is a connection and some similaritys to the Pauline littiture. It seems that the book of Hebrews is an expultion of what to do with the ideology that Paul gave in his letters. It is a book that says “this is what you do with what you now know.”
I really like the take that you have on the reason the writer is anonymous. I honestly have never really cared as much until this past semester as to who wrote certain books of the Bible. I hadn’t realized that the books of the Bible each have different ‘flavors’ with each writer’s different styles. As far as who wrote the book of Hebrews and why or why not it is revealed I do not know, and nobody will know for sure until we meet the Lord in Heaven. I know that Jobes doesn’t think that Paul wrote the book, and I find her reasons to be interesting. I also wonder… is the reason the author is not exposed for the purpose of the different people who would be reading it. I wonder if Jews or Gentiles might have had a different perception going into the book of Hebrews if they had known Paul had wrote it (just as an example since it is unclear as to who actually wrote the book). If somebody has offended you or made you super happy, you remember, and it affects your perception of them. Now, say the person then becomes your teacher. Your feelings of them before the class carry into how you perceive the instructor. That would be the same as to how the Jews and Gentiles would look at the book of Hebrews with a known author. I am more than likely wrong and I am purely spit balling, but this is an idea of why Hebrews has an unknown author.
Looking at the book of Hebrews it is interesting to think that it is written from an anonymous author. Jobes mentions that “the careful reader of the epistle will note that the book of Hebrews is in fact anonymous.” When we look at many of the books in the new testament it is obvious who the author is, either inferred by the writing or directly mentioned. For example the book of Romans in chapter 1 directly starts off with Paul’s name and his intent for the writing. Jobes also presents that internal evidence within the book indicates that the author wasn’t Paul. So back to the anonymous factor it is interesting to ask the question why the author does not mention a name. The cover letter idea poses an interesting possibility. It would make sense that if there were possibilities of persecution then anonymity would be a plus in the situation. Either way the anonymity of the author does not necessarily change the intent of the writing. As mentioned already it makes sense for it to be a literary piece addressed possibly to those in Rome as they struggled with their new found faith in Christ and what they were to do in the coming time to further the faith.
I find it very interesting that the author of Hebrews is anonymous. It most certainly makes me wonder why. I especially wonder why the author chose to remain completely anonymous instead of just using a pseudonym. Perhaps the author was originally known. If so, when did we this documentation disappear, and why? The anonymity of the author poses many questions. Perhaps there is a simple answer to all these questions. It may be that we are simply not meant to know who the author is. Maybe God never intended for us to know. Maybe He wanted us to simply focus on the content of the chapter without worrying so much about who wrote it. Jobes quotes Origen saying, “but who wrote the epistle, in truth only God knows”. I tend to agree with Origen. There are many things in this world that only God knows. We are not meant to know everything. It is interesting to wonder at who the author might have been, but in the end, I believe that it is the content of Hebrew, not the author, that we should pay attention to.
In all honesty, I do not think I have ever really taken a care to who wrote what book of the Bible. I wasn’t even sure of how people really knew most of the time until I discovered that for many books the author was mentioned somewhere in the first couple of verses. So I guess it is easy for me to tell you that the first reading we needed to do were rather boring because I had a lack of care. But at the same time I have to agree with Sari that this authorless book makes me curious as to who the author really is. In one of P.Long’s posts he mentions that fact that Hebrews was written right after Romans which apparently is the time of Pauline Letters. This is a great argument for supporting Paul as the author of Hebrews. I am not sure of whether I really believe one way or the other with who I think wrote the book of Hebrews, whether it was Paul, a close worker with Paul, or someone else. But I do feel that it is a strong possibility that only God knows and He may be the only one who will know. I understand that each author wrote according to a different time with different events, but every word (all scripture) is God breathed. So every author was inspired by one God.
I never really new or even paid attention to which the letter was written by. Since Hebrews and 1 John’s authors are anonymous, it would make sense that they did not put their names down to protect their nation. There is so much history that I never even thought of or even would take into consideration about why the author chose not to sign their name. But, in saying that, whoever wrote Hebrews, wrote in a way that mimicked Paul’s style of teaching. In Jobes this is called soteriology and she gives a great example, “For instance, the statement in Hebrews 10:14 that those who have been “made perfect” are in the process of being “made holy” sounds very much like Paul’s teaching on justification (e.g., Rom. 3:21-5:9) and sanctification (e.g., Rom. 8:1-17)” (39). Then Jobes goes on to say that Paul and the anonymous writer, were trying to describe something in the same way. So, even though history has lost the name of the writers of Hebrews and 1 John, there are many key ideas to which we can unlock and see if our theories are right.
It is interesting to consider different reasons as to why the author of Hebrews chooses to remain anonymous. One reason may be because of Christian persecution. Like you said, it may have been dangerous for the author of Hebrews to proclaim authorship; whether it was hostile Jews or Roman persecution. I have not heard of the “cover letter” theory before this class. To suggest the letter was not anonymous in the first place is appealing to some extent but without any evidence it loses its sustainability to me. So I agree that it is “better to see the letter as intentionally anonymous”. Although it will remain a mystery until we get to Heaven, we can still learn from Hebrews. For me, its anonymity does not subtract from its purpose or substantive value.
I think it was a smart idea the writer remained anonymous. When you lived in a time that by saying one wrong thing you could be executed. If I was living in that time period and wrote something I would not my name on it knowing I could be killed if someone finds in offensive. I know that there is a point where you just want your voice to be heard but at the expense of being executed I would not sign my name. Its not just about protecting yourself its also about protecting other people like yourself. “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty,But who can find a trustworthy man?” (Proverbs 20:6)
Good book of Hebrews have been written between 66 and 69 AD by Paul from Rome?
Perhaps Paul got word through inside sources (church members from among Caesars household–Phillip. 4:22) that Titus was being sent by Vaspacian to destroy Jerusalem. This would also result in the destruction of the Temple. The book of Hebrews seems to be preparing the church for the loss of the Temple. Perhaps he wrote the book anonymously so as not to endanger his sources.
The problem there is that Paul dies during the reign of Nero, well before the revolt even started…Vespasian was still only a general at the time and had no hope of being emperor.
Jesus had made it quite clear that the disciples would have to suffer for the name of Christ. I can’t imagine being scared to put his name on this book, even if there was a revolution happening or even with his life being at risk. I have never paid attention to the book of Hebrews, or the authorship for that matter. If Hebrews was truly written after Rome, and after the Pauline Letters were written, then wouldn’t it make sense that Paul wasn’t the author of Hebrews? If we suggest that the letter was to remain anonymous intentionally, what good is it to be scared if the persecution of Rome when Jesus had already said the road after him would be a rough one. Peter had denied Jesus three times, and suffered an internal defeat. If the writer of Hebrews had done the same thing, to me this is suffering the same thing as Peter had done, not telling people you stand behind Jesus by attaching your name, which back in ancient times was a huge deal because of all the pseudonymous writers, and letting people know it was you. To me this seems like the author was truly in fear of persecution, and wanted no one to know it was indeed him.
As we read through Hebrews there is a lot of debate and curiosity of who is the actual writer of Hebrews is and why is the author so unanimous. One thing that I pick up on is that at the time that this book was written the Christians were being thoroughly persecuted by the romans and being put to death by them for the beliefs that they have. Along with that the split between Christians and Jews were tense as the Jews didn’t like what the Christians believe. For these reasons it is understandable that the author would want to stay quiet and not show who he is. Because in this him showing who he is and why he is writing may bring a lot of people to his door and persecute him more for his belief. But at the same time, I also see the other side which as Christians we are to follow. This meaning we need to spread the gospel to all people and make Jesus known. If someone has a lot of knowledge on a topic then why wouldn’t they want to talk and preach more about it? Finding out the author of Hebrews is up for some curiosity but I think if we dwell on trying to find out who it is we miss out on what the book is actually about and the things that we can learn from the words and lessons in this book.
Over my years in church and at Grace Christian University, I have heard many different theories on who wrote the book of Hebrews. Even just yesterday, my brother-in-law and I discussed our theories. I have heard theories like Moses wrote Hebrews, maybe Paul wrote it. Some say it must have been a woman. Others think it could be Apollos or someone around that time. Each person has reasons for their views. This blog post made me expand my thinking about the benefits of being anonymous. It might not have been intentional to be anonymous, but this is how it worked out. In this opportunity, it protected the writer and opened the door for a broader context. I think it is interesting to think about the other theories, but this does not take away from the value inside. The book of Hebrews was not about one specific place or occasion, it was made for all people who were struggling with Judaism and Christianity. So, when people ask me who wrote it, I am still not sure, but I trust that this opportunity was used for God’s work to grow throughout the nations.
Why Remain Anonymous?
It is interesting that Hebrews does not disclose who its author is especially since it is a letter to a church. As this blog suggests I could see a world in which the cover letter was lost and so the author’s name was lost with it. However, it is interesting to note that with other letters the author’s name was not lost making me question why that would happen with only one letter instead of several. With that being said I don’t think that the author’s name was simply lost with the cover letter. Another suggestion from this blog is the idea that the author wanted to remain anonymous in the face of persecution. I do not see this as a viable solution to the problem because many Christians were not afraid of persecution but considered it as a sign that they were doing the will of God.
I think that the author of Hebrews remained anonymous because of God’s will for that book. Perhaps someday we will know who wrote the book of Hebrews and what the purpose was but for now, I think that we just have to trust God and how his hand was clearly directing the writer of Hebrews just as he was the whole Bible.
As I look through the Hebrews I look at One thing I did notice was that at the time that this book was coming together was the Christians were being kept by Romans and being put to death by the people because of what they believe in which I find very crazy because God don’t Judge no one at all even if it right or wrong he always love you no matter what. With the crazy thing between Christians and the Jewish people they were budding heads because the Jewish community wasn’t really feeling and liking what the Christian was believing in. I think the author wanted to stay quiet because he didn’t show who he is because of his belief probably because they would get judge and things will Escalate to something deeper. I think him remaining unknown is somewhat smart and somewhat crazy. Because if that what he believe in he should stand up for that and be proud in what he believe in but everyone different and want to go about thing differently
Hebrews was written in a “letter” form; however, it was lacking the typical letter opening statement. There are many possibilities of why this letter is anonymous to this day. One possibility is that the letter might not have always been anonymous. The address could have gotten lost in the early times of history when the letter was first written. Unfortunately, there is no clear evidence of this possibility, so it is better to see the letter as just being intentionally anonymous.
A possibility that this letter was intentionally left anonymous could have been to protect the writer. Some reasons why the writer might have needed protection would have been from attacks from Jews who were hostile to the message in the letter, the Gospel, or from Romans who were seeking to persecute leaders of the church. However, this theory seems strange because this letter is calling people to be unashamed and bold in sharing the Gospel in the face of their persecutors.
This letter, that is written in the form of a sermon, is written to be taken, read, and interpreted in a number of different contexts. The early 60’s in Rome is the first context it can be taken in, and it continues to be used an interpreted today for struggling Christians.
Like others have mentioned in their comments, up until now I never put much consideration into the authorship of the books in the Bible. To be honest, reading the Bible in a literary context was never on my radar…until I began taking your courses! As someone who has spent many years working in the world of books this may seem strange. But there always seemed to be a distinct difference between what I consider “literature” (novels, classic works, etc.) and the Bible. However, looking at the Bible as not only the inspired word of God, but also a piece of literature that has withstood time, does bring a new light to details such as authorship and literary style. Your position on the anonymous nature of Hebrews because of its literary nature, really does make sense. If someone wanted their work to be read throughout the years, by many people in many different contexts, could claiming authorship possibly limit it’s reach? For instance, if I read a book by Hemingway that I did not like, there is a high likelihood I am always going to bypass anything else written by him. However an anonymous authorship prevents me from immediately discriminating against a book I might truly enjoy and learn from. To me, this shows the insight the author of Hebrews already had. He may not have imagined the absolute reach his writing would have throughout the ages, but he knew his message was one that could bring encouragement to a wide variety of readers. It could also be that he was simply a humble man who did not need the accolades! All that to say, I loved the quote by Origen, found in Jobes, emphasizing that God is the only one who knows the truth. Really, that should be a good enough answer, regardless of our human desire to know who this mysterious person was!
Reference
Jobes, K.H. (2011). Letters to the Church. Zondervan.
As we read the letter, the author of the Hebrews is unknown. As far as we know, the ancient manuscripts do not attribute it to anyone, either in the text of the epistle itself or in the context of any other epistles. In addition to Paul, candidates for author included Luke. The letter closes with the words “Grace be with you all” (Hebrews 13:25), which is the same closing found in each of Paul’s known letters. However, it should be noted that the author of Hebrews was Paul.
I like and agree that you said about the possibility of the author. “Perhaps the original document was intended to be delivered with a cover letter from the author which was customized for various synagogues or churches in Rome. And the letter was anonymous to protect the writer from any attacks from either Jews hostile to the gospel or Romans wishing to persecute the leaders of the church.” These are the possibilities that the reasons of the author protect himself from under the persecution from the Jewish or Romans.
As we read Pual epistles, there are severals similar of the book of Hebrews. It quotes several passages from the Old Testament. Paul, as a Pharisee, would have been familiar with the Scripture in its original Hebrew language. However, all of the quotes in this epistle are taken out of the Septuagint. The writer or Hebrews specifically says that he was taught by an apostle (Hebrews 2:3). If Paul didn’t write the letter, who did? I personally think that the letters fill both outlines our faith and defines faith itself in the same way that Romans defines the tenets of Christian living. There is still much evidence that Paul wrote the letter. However, there is no strong evidence for this. Because there is no personal salutation and greeting like he wrote in other epistles. God only know the author.
There is no other book like Hebrews so defines Christ as high priest of Christianity, superior to the Aaronic priesthood, and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. I think the reason why remain author was unknown because the Holy Spirit was the divine author of Hebrews, and of all Scripture, even though we don’t know who put the human pen to the paper and traced the words. This book belongs in the Bible. Therefore, its human author its unimportant. What is important is to treat the book as inspired Scripture.
It is strange that there is no author named in the beginning of Hebrews. I have tossed around two ideas in my mind for this. Although Jobs makes the point that there was persecution of the Jewish population between 37-41 AD when this book was likely written, I believe it would be a bit hypocritical to write an entire book about facing persecution and the consequences of not facing it, and then intentionally leaving your name out for fear of persecution. (p.30, Letters to the Church: A Survey of Hebrews and the General Epistles. 2010). I believe it is more likely that the cover has been lost or destroyed than intentionally leaving it out. It may have been lost or destroyed because these documents often traveled a long distance before they were read for their intended audience. Also Jobes states several times that Hebrews was likely a sermon. In which case it may not have been important to name the author. It was meant for everyone to hear and draw information from. So if I had to choose between the possibility of the author intentionally leaving the name out because of fear, or the possibility that it was lost or unimportant to the original message, I would choose the latter.
Jobes, Karen H. Letters to the Church: A Survey of Hebrews and the General Epistles. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2010.
I think that the most interesting idea from this article is the idea that Hebrews may have had authorship to begin with that was then lost. Imagine being the guy to lose that. Jobes states that the author of Hebrews had to have knowledge and believed in the divine inspiration of the Old Testament. This makes more sense when faced with the idea that the author may have remained anonymous to protect themselves from an attack. If the author needed to protect themselves from the persecution that was beginning to crop up in this era then what was the point of them telling the Christians to remain strong in their sufferings when the author could not even name themselves. Jobes and the article point to intentional anonymity in the book of Hebrews, which makes sense when thinking about the persecution of Christians. If Christians were being persecuted and the author was about to put out a book encouraging Christians to stay strong in the faith even with the persecution around them. This book was an encouragement to them even though they were being told to be quiet and were being punished for being Christians. I also thought a discussion about the contexts of this book was interesting, in our class we discussed how it may have been a sermon rather than a letter that was passed around to be read aloud by the leader of a particular church. This was a very good addition to the discussion in class this morning.
It is very interesting and odd how the letter of Hebrews remains anonymous. There are various assumptions that it could have been Paul, Barnabas, Apollos, or Timothy. But they are only assumptions and ultimately God is the only one that knows. The book of Hebrews is very different than the rest of the books. Jobes states, “The vocabulary is sophisticated, and it includes 150 words that are not found elsewhere in the New Testament… (Jobes, 2011).” Interesting point “it is also possible the letter was written to protect the writer from attacks…(P.Long) ”. Jobes states “Since the original readers had experienced, scholars have looked to date the book during a time of persecution in one of the likely destinations (Jobes, 2011).” So, we can’t completely disregard the idea that the author might have been hiding from persecution since it was something they were facing. In Hebrews 11:35-38, the author recounts the life of a Christian martyr. That include suffering, ridicule, imprisonment, and torture which are factors of persecutions. Yet, like you stated (P.Long), Hebrews 10:35-36 contradicts this. The author is stating that we will face trials and persecution, but we must persevere in faith. Therefore, we are unsure why the book of Hebrews was left anonymous.
It is interesting to think about the reasoning behind why Hebrews does not have “a typical opening” that might have been expected had the writer been writing to a specific church or group. The author, whoever they may be, begins Hebrews with a running start. From the first few words Hebrews is trying to get the reader on track to understand something important about the contrast between the old and the new covenant by explaining the way God spoke back then, and the way God speaks now. The anonymous nature of the author is even more intriguing when considering how important the book of Hebrews is for its role in explaining Jesus as the Great High Priest from the order of Melchizedek, and the “full and final way in which God has spoken to humankind” (Jobes, 2011). It is ironic that Hebrews, a book that brings so much clarity about the key aspects of a Christ followers foundation of faith though considering the plan set in place from creation for restoration from Jesus’ ultimate fulfilling sacrifice, has an author that is a mystery. Perhaps that author did not want his message to be read or rejected based on his status. It is likely that new believers may not have wanted to hear from someone who heard about Jesus’ teaching second-handedly in a time where there was so much division over what was acceptable for Christians or not (Hebrews 2:3), and perhaps the author was trying to reach as many people as possible with this inspired word proclaiming a beautiful aspect of God’s intricate plan.
What is the purpose of Hebrews? The answer to that very question I humbly believe remains a great mystery. Some likely candidates at first glance appear to be someone like Paul, but between contradictories in writing styles and different interpretations of scripture and different kinds of emphasis on teaching, we are left still searching for just who this author was. One of the most interesting aspects of this discussion we’ve had in class so far had to do with the fact that the author of Hebrews could have been a woman! This is an intriguing aspect that I have never considered. And this conjecture really sounds plausible once you take time to really think about it. The fact that the authorship of Hebrews remains anonymous could be due to the fact that a woman wrote it, and during Bible times this would have not been accepted, if the author was in fact a woman, she would surely face intense persecution, and perhaps could have even died. That must be why, if this is true, why the author remained anonymous. All in all, perhaps God intended this mystery to remain a mystery because He wanted to focus more on the scriptural truth contained in Hebrews, and perhaps we are better off not knowing who wrote the book.
There can be many reasons for an author to remain anonymous besides the prospect of avoiding danger of prosecution and the weariness of Christian life. The author of the letter, in my opinion, is following their own advice of remaining bold in the face of adversary. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). What I mean is the prospect of even delivering a letter can be dangerous when it comes to prosecution, as the messenger can be caught and lead them back to the author, especially with the possible long journey. The author can also be a woman, and that can pose a danger by itself without even putting their name on the letter. There is always a risk, and if there was a cover letter that was lost, that only proves it. In addition, the concept of boldness can hold a different meaning in the biblical context than it does for people today. What they deem to be bold, we may automatically think of a definition that is essentially off the mark.
The letter of Hebrews is more of a letter of encouragement and strength. The author tells them, “Brothers, I ask you to bear with this message of encouragement, for I have written to you rather briefly” (Hebrews 13:22). What the letter gives is a chance for the Jewish Christians to look at their newly chosen life with renewed awe, as the author wants to offer renewal to them by reminding them of why they chose to be a Christian. He or she does this by talking about Jesus, who he is, what he has done, and why he was sent down. In this time the Jewish Christians are turning back toward Judaism, not just because of prosecution but because of the confusion they have. They were born into Judaism, and because they grew up knowing the laws, and knowing who to turn to in times of need, they are more used to it compared to Christianity. This new culture is a thing they tell themselves to be a spur of the moment. They lose sight of why they converted to Christianity in the first place, because, though conversion may seem easy on the surface, it is, in fact, not.
When thinking about culture, a person may move from one country to the next. They may learn everything they can about this culture, but when they actually get there they are faced with a dilemma: They mix up their culture with this new culture, doing things that is okay in their country and not in this new one. The same concept can be applied to Jews turning to Christianity. They have a lot of questions that cannot be answered readily and at their disposal, especially with the threat of prosecution. With that in mind, it can be easy to say the author of Hebrews is telling them to be bold in the face of prosecution, but it can also be him or her telling them to be bold in the face of all this confusion and longing to return back to Judaism. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1). In that theological standpoint on boldness, the author is definitely displaying what he or she is teaching, even though they do not have their name written on the letter.
Another thing to consider highly is why the author chooses to remain anonymous despite all of this confusion, or lack of boldness. The author of Hebrews may choose to remain out of the picture for the sake of the readers. In other words, the absence of the author’s name can bring the focus onto the readers instead of the author, which provides the reader the renewal or a building up of their spirit and their relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In this way, the biblical readers can be confident and not stray from the faith they have chosen. The author provides one more piece of encouragement in his or her letter by telling them, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:23-25). In this verse, it is clear how the author is essentially giving them a community to turn to in encouragement, turn to in times of confusion, and to turn to in comfort. By telling them they are not alone, by telling them to be bold, and by telling them to encourage one another, the author of Hebrews does not need to say his or her name, because there is no need in this context.
I believe the writer of Hebrews is anonymous and not Paul. Typically with Paul’s letters he is addressing a group of people that need a specific message. Paul was emboldened in his faith, and the Book of Hebrews speaks a lot about being bold in the face of persecution. It would not align with Paul’s character, who even goes to jail on account of his faith to remain anonymous as the author to protect his safety, as some suggest. The message within the book of Hebrews could also be a message for multiple groups rather than to a specific group. It doesn’t seem like the writer would be anonymous to protect his identity because of the contents of the book. If the writer truly has these convictions then they would not actually want to remain anonymous for safety reasons. It makes more sense that the author is unknown due to lost transcripts. It is suggested that the letter could have been addressed to a specific church but lost or not copied in the same fashion as the letter. It is more likely that the letter did not include a cover letter because it was not written for a specific church. Hebrews applies to Jews and Gentiles alike and is a message for all believers to be bold.
Some of the most important things to consider when wondering why Hebrews was written anonymously are the purpose and authorial intent. Long (2012) offers the possibility that “It is possible the letter was not anonymous in the first place, but the address was lost early in the history of the letter. Perhaps the original document was intended to be delivered with a cover letter from the author which was customized for various synagogues or churches in Rome.” If this is true, the evidence for it is minimal – letter addresses in the New Testament Greco-Roman world weren’t frequently “lost,” especially if it was circulated as a sermon as the historical-cultural context of Hebrews attests (Jobes, 2011, p. 4). Pauline authorship of the letter would fail to make sense on the basis that Pauline Epistles primarily concerned Gentil congregants and the new reality of their acceptance into the body of Christ. While many of the churches to which Paul wrote contained Jewish-Christian congregants, the overwhelming majority was Gentile. Additionally, the Christological implications of the letter would best conjoin it with a Jewish-Christian worldview, since the language concerns Jesus Christ as both Son of God and High Priest of the new covenant (Jobes, 2011, p. 80). Paul certainly was familiar with the Greek rhetoric the letter frequently employs, but surely he would not have such extravagant knowledge of the Jewish customs surrounding ritual sacrifice – such that Jesus Christ “sat down” at the right hand of God while the typical High Priest cannot (Hebrews 10:12 ESV) – or Melchizedek as a genealogical figure (Jobes, 2011, pp. 90-92). As written by Guthrie (2017), “According to the background given in chapter 10, Hebrews was addressed to some Jewish Christians facing renewed challenges. Though they had confessed Christ as Savior and been faithful in the past, they now faced a new wave of persecution. Some were in danger of reverting to Judaism” (p. 241). Thus, there are several interpretive problems with having no widely attributed author to the book of Hebrews in light of Pauline authorship being denied by modern scholarship (Jobes, 2011, p. 11).
I see that Jenna above me has proposed the following, “What I mean is the prospect of even delivering a letter can be dangerous when it comes to prosecution, as the messenger can be caught and lead them back to the author, especially with the possible long journey. The author can also be a woman, and that can pose a danger by itself without even putting their name on the letter.” Stephen was stoned for his faith. Paul landed in prison multiple times and was reportedly beheaded, even if not explicitly for his faith. It’s a rather silly assumption to make that, despite the veritable, gripping reality of being a Jesus-follower at the time, people suddenly got cold feet about one letter in particular. If Paul’s theology – “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:22-23)” – did not terrify people, then what makes Hebrews a special case? All that said, it remains a question that requires contemplative consideration.
Hebrews being anonymous does make sense considering the time that it was written in. It was written during a time where Christians were knowingly being persecuted and working in secrecy was common practice. But does it really matter who wrote Hebrews and does the absence of a known author effect the accuracy of the letter. Well one thing we do know is that it was written about one of the most important churches at the time, the church in Rome. During this time the church was generally suffering and distraught that even though they were faithful and followed biblical doctrine, they were under fire and persecuted. But Hebrews brings a critical point to those that follow the faith, which that faith doesn’t mean wealth, prosperity, and blessings but eternal rewards. The things of the world are directly against God and what he wants, so of course the Christian church would be under fire from society, because it is in direct opposition of the world. It is understandable if a church contributes to its society to make it better and affect its community positively, but still faces persecution. Jesus was a blessing to mankind but was still executed for his teachings and works.
The authorship of the Book of Hebrews has been, and will most likely always remain a mystery, despite some attempts to identify the author. In its earliest traditions, the book was assumed to have been written by Paul (Long, 25). Both Clement of Rome and Origen believed it was of Pauline authorship, although Origen also famously stated that the only one who truly knows the authorship of Hebrews is God Himself. It seems unlikely that Paul wrote the letter, since while it has some similar grammatical or literary features, it does not begin with a greeting like most of Paul’s letters (Gal 1:1-5, Rom 1:1, 1 Cor 1:1, 2 Cor 1:1, Eph 1:1, Phil 1:1, Col 1:1, 1 Thess 1:1, 2 Thess 1:1, 1 Tim 1:1, 2 Tim 1:1, Titus 1:1, Phm 1). Additionally, Paul often presents Christ as the Lord and King of the cosmos, never referring to Him as a high priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 7:17). These differences, along with other historical and theological trends, have led to the idea of Pauline authorship to be universally abandoned (Long, 25). Other suggested authors, range from Luke, Barnabus, Apollos, and even Mary the mother of Jesus, with Apollos being a favorite candidate among modern scholarship.
Yet, one might question why the author would remain anonymous in the first place, what would lead the author to do this? One reason could be that the address was simply lost early in the church’s history and the author’s name to history, although this seems unlikely. Another reason could be that the author desired to protect his identity, fearing persecution from zealous Jews and the Roman authorities, which may fit with the context of his message to Jewish believers to remain steadfast despite persecution. However, this would also seem strange since he is willing to mention Timothy by name toward the end of the letter, seemingly not concerned for Timothy’s safety (Heb 13:23). It seems that the book was intended to be read as a sermon in various social settings and contexts, perhaps lending to the lack of authorship and broad appeal to Jewish believers, whether in Rome or elsewhere. In the end, as much as we would wish to know more information surrounding the authorship and background context of the Book of Hebrews, we simply do not have such information. What truly matters is the message of encouragement and boldness in persecution, a message that many Christians around the world benefit from today, whether Jew or gentile.
The anonymity of Hebrews allows the reader to learn and feel less targeted for their struggles. By setting it up like a sermon to be read or dissected, the author effectively lets the readers (or listeners for that matter) learn about the emerging culture in a nonconfrontational way. It isn’t thrown in their faces by an author known or unknown. There was already so much tension in their culture already because of the persecution. The last thing they needed was division among themselves. Hebrews aimed to curve that. The persecution not only caused Jewish Christians to lean away from Gentile Christians, it also caused them to lean toward Judaism.
It does seem odd that someone talking about facing persecution would hide in a sense from their own persecution. It makes one wonder if in fact it was written by someone who was a believer among the persecutors. There is no evangelizing while dead. The author being a person of statue among the Roman empire would explain the intellectual side, the access to scripture (more specifically Paul’s teachings as Hebrews is modeled after), and the need to hide their identity. If it came out that they were tied to disciples and spreading the gospel, it could signal a quick end to the author’s teaching.
I would agree with the blog post, especially since it was written “Between AD 60 and AD 70 (Jobes, 2011, p. 36).” This time is significant because while the Christians are not being persecuted now, Emperor Nero would go on to persecute and martyr the early Christians (Jobes, 2011, p. 33).
Therefore, while the Book of Hebrews was written before persecution began, it is also possible that whoever wrote Hebrews decided to remain anonymous to protect themselves (Long, 2012, para. 3), but this has also been argued against as well. While the second does make sense, it is also possible that when the letter was written and then sent out, one could make the argument that the author’s name was on it, and over the years, it somehow vanished. Regardless of the reason of the author of the Book of Hebrews was anonymous, there is a very good reason as to why it was written, even if we do not know the author, and can only guess as to what happened to the title of the author’s name (if there even was one). No matter what, however, the Book of Hebrews is a very important theological book, and should definitely be read so one can understand more.
There could be some reasons that the writer was remaining anonymous, like the writer could be attacked and killed if they knew who he was. But it was not sure why the writer was remaining anonymous. And no one could know who wrote the book of Hebrews. I think it is very interesting because we know the authors of other Bible books. Only God knows who the author is, and the author was influenced by Paul. The author was Jewish and educated. Some thought the author could be Paul, but they did not really know for sure. The author seems to have a deep love for and care for Jewish Christians. Jewish Christians were in Rome, and they were tortured a lot. Most Jews practiced Judaism at that time, and in our generation, most of them are still practicing Judaism. Since Jewish believers and their parents practiced Judaism, then Jewish believers could turn back to their faith. It was possible for them to leave Jesus behind and practice Judaism. So the author of Hebrews wrote about faithfulness and love. He wanted them to be faithful and trust in our Lord Jesus. The author understood that they had temptations, and their temptations were too strong. They were beaten and killed, and they lost their properties. The author was afraid that they would stop following Jesus. In Hebrews 2:3, it says, “How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.” Salvation was first announced by Jesus himself and confirmed to us by those who heard him.