Hebrews

• Hebrews?
• Apollos? Silas? Paul? Who wrote this book? I don’t know. It was probably not Paul. It doesn’t start with I, Paul. There is a vast style difference. The greek of Hebrews is the most sophisticated. There are also theological differences. And, the author of Hebrews says that he got his gospel from others. Paul got his gospel from Damascus Road
• Origen: as to the human author, God only knows. Silas or Luke, the two most likely candidates.
• The letter was most likely written while the temple was still standing, 66-70.
• Purpose of the Letter: written to Jewish Christians who have been tempted to return to some form of Judaism
• One thing driving them towards that is the fact that Jews had protection under the law and Christians didn’t.
• Also, societal and family pressure. Just like ex-catholic converts.

• Overview: what you have now is good. If you were to return to idealized Judaism, that would be good. Fine good great. And there are angels involved in this. But you have the Son of God, which is FAR superior to angels or the temple or blickity black wha wah.
• Sermonic qualities:
• Time does not permit me to go on,
• Other things in the letter also seem like it is a transcript of a speech/sermon.
• Hebrews 6: easier to understand when you think that this book is a sermon to a congregation.
  

• The use of the OT in Hebrews

1. There are countless allusions to the OT in Hebrews

2. Tends to take his understanding of redemption from the Pentetuch
3. Tends to take his view of the person of Christ from the Psalms.
4. There are at least 30 quotations of the OT in Hebrews
2. The way the author quotes is actually pretty interesting. He says, “God says.” The human author is actually almost ignored in Hebrews. This is not to say that the human author is not important, but not compared to God.
3. Sometimes it’s “Christ says,” the “Son says”
1. Heb 2:12, 13a, 13b, 10:5-7—the Son
2. Heb 3:7-11, 10:16, 17—Holy Spirit
3. Heb 4:7, 8:8-12—God
4. The Holy Spirit is quoted, sometimes God is quoted the same passage. Therefore God is the Holy Spirit.

Hermeneutics

1. The OT still speaks to us. How do we know this?

1. The author quotes God by saying what he “says” not “said.”
2. The OT is authoritative
1. The whole argument of this book falls flat if the OT is not authoritative
2. The author doesn’t try to prove it but he just assumes that the readers agree.
3. The author of Hebrews is not in any way neutral when reading the OT.
1. He sees it as a Christian book
2. He is not apologetic about this
3. He knows what the new covenant is like, he knows who Jesus is, and he knows what the end looks like. Now let’s go back and take a look at the Old Testament that pointed to Christ’s messianic character.
4. Unlike Matthew he does not use the OT to try to prove his case. Rather, he uses to OT to buttress his argument
5. Before Jesus came, people were not reading Psalm 23 and Isaiah 53 as messianic prophecies. But once you know what the end looks like, you can go back and check things out.
4. God is sovereign and in control of history
1. God put certain things in history, like Melchizedek
2. These things prefigure later historical figures and events
3. The Exodus, David’s kingship, the OT sanctuary/tabernacle
5. The Bible is in unity—God spoke in the past and now God is speaking through the Son.
1. Typology—Actual historical figures
2. Allegory—There is no need to have actual historical figures in allegory. Aesop’s fables are allegories. Animal Farm by Orwell is also an allegory.
3. Type/Antitype
1. Even though the type comes first, the antitype defines the type
2. Although Melchizedek came first, Jesus is who determined what his name would be.
3. Although the earthly sanctuary came first, the heavenly sanctuary is the true type
6. The OT teaches its own incompleteness/inadequacy.
3. The promise of the Promised Land—they would have rest when they got there. Was this fulfilled? Not completely because, 400 years later, God also says that if they don’t harden their hearts there will be a rest for them.
4. If salvation had come from the Levitical system, there would not need to be another priest in the order of Melchizedek. Anytime you come up with something new that implies that the new thing will be better.
   
   
   Conclusions:

1. The OT cannot just be plopped down and applied to modern day America.

2. However it is authoritative. It is authoritative on its own, but it is only in the light of Christ that we see the true meaning of the Old Testament’s message.