Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews

by snowbird 16 Replies latest jw experiences

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  snowbird

  Who wrote the Book of Hebrews? Apollos? Barnabas? Luke? Paul?

  While with the JW's, I assumed it was written by the Apostle Paul. However, a careful reading shows the author is unnamed. Wonder why?

  Snowbird
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  Hortensia

  well just out of curiosity I googled the question to see what the answer is - all I got is that it probably wasn't Paul but someone who could read Greek and was familiar with Greek philosophy. Not much help, eh?
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  LtCmd.Lore

  It most definately WAS NOT written by Paul. In fact the hard part is trying to figure out how it was ever attributed to Paul in the first place.

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_the_Hebrews

  There doesn't seem to be any idea of who acctually did write it, just that it wasn't Paul.

  Cool, now the next important question is: How can we use this fact against the JWs?
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  Leolaia

  Nobody knows. It is an anonymous homily and its language, style, and theology distinguishes the author as a mind quite different from Paul. Because of the connections between Hebrews and Alexandrian typology and the Wisdom of Solomon (which was written in Alexandria), a popular and plausible theory is that it was written by Apollos. But Apollos was not the only Christian with an Alexandrian background, and there is nothing to link it uniquely to Apollos (or Barnabas for that matter). We have no other writings of theirs for sake of comparison (as for Barnabas, it is another anonymous Alexandrian-influenced homily ). The only thing imho that would support such speculation is the probability that it originated from someone prominent in the early church, but again how many of these people were influenced by Alexandrine Judaism? The author of John seemed to have been as well to some degree.
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  cyberguy

  Hey Leo,

  What’s the possibility it was Luke, since Paul and Luke were connected in some way on the writing of Acts?

  With kindly regards,

  Cyber
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  Narkissos

  I guess the traditional ascription to Paul (from the late 2nd century maybe) results from the introduction of simili-Pauline (or genuinely Pauline, according to some) material in chapter 13 (esp. v. 17f, 22ff) -- perhaps as a deliberate attempt to make the last edition of the work appear Pauline. The ascription to Apollos, which is very clever from a literary and theological standpoint, first came up with Luther afaik.

  Otoh the name of Luke circulates in early Christian tradition: According to Eusebius (Church History 6,14,4) Clement of Alexandria assumes it was written in Hebrew (!) by Paul and translated into Greek by Luke...

  Of course one must remember that the whole Paul-Luke story rests on the merging of two elements: (1) the mention of one otherwise unknown "Luke" in Pauline and post-Pauline epistles and (2) the similarity of Acts (with its famous "we-passages") and the Third Gospel, both of which later came to be ascribed to "Luke".
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  cyberguy

  Thanks Narkissos,

  Are you saying that Luke could have been the writer with Paul at his side? Paul’s writings do not appear to be of the level of the writer of Hebrews. Only Luke, of the writers we know about, would seem to fit here. Leo, please step in anytime!

  With kindly regards to all,

  Cyber
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  Narkissos

  Hi cyberguy

  Are you saying that Luke could have been the writer with Paul at his side?

  Not at all. Imo Hebrews suits neither Paul nor "Luke" (i.e, the assumed main "author" of Luke-Acts). In style, ideas and concepts they are very different. There are some correspondences with Stephen's discourse as representative of Hellenistic anti-Temple theology in Acts 7 (which also strikes as different from the rest of the book, in spite of the Lukan "rewriting"). The most obvious conceptual similarities are with Philo of Alexandria (which makes the Alexandrine Apollos a "clever guess" from a literary standpoint). But it mostly stands alone in the NT and early Christian theology as any reader easily perceives. "Alexandrine Anonymous" is still the best to me.
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  Marcel

  its a similar question like the question who wrote the revelation. some think its john of the gospels, but the writing style and its grammar mistakes differs much from the gospels - so its propably another "john". some religions even see the revelation as a book that doesnt belong to the bible canon. what would make the book spiritistic to the JWs. but instead for them its truth that it is written by john and they spent a whole book of its contents.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Revelation#Authorship
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  snowbird

  Thanks for all your replies. Isn't it wonderful to think outside the box of JWdom? I suppose that is why the WTS views independent research so negatively. Just think what it would be like if this kind of discussion could be carried on at the KH!!!

  Have a wonderful morning/afternoon everybody.

  Snowbird