Hebrews Introduction... The study of any Bible book will seek to answer these questions:  Who wrote it?  To whom was it written?  Why was it written?  When was it written?  From where was it written?

Hebrews Introduction... Who wrote Hebrews?  There have been many answers suggested: Clement of Rome (an early church leader); Barnabas; Silas; Mark; Apollos, and others. Many scholars have agreed for various reasons that Paul the apostle is most likely the author.

Hebrews Introduction... Who wrote Hebrews?  The case for Paul’s authorship of Hebrews:  Many of the “church fathers” attributed the book to Paul.  The internal evidence of Paul’s authorship:  The style of writing.  The author’s friendship with Timothy.  The Hebrew writer used the word “mediator,”employed only by Paul elsewhere.

Hebrews Introduction... Who wrote Hebrews?  The case for Paul’s authorship of Hebrews:  Many of the “church fathers” attributed the book to Paul.  A negative argument against Paul”s authorship: Why did Paul not identify himself since he always did so in other letters?

Hebrews Introduction... To whom was the book written?  No salutation is affixed to the letter.  “To the Hebrews” was attached at an early date after its writing.  It is generally agreed that it was addressed to Jewish Christians in Palestine.

Hebrews Introduction... To whom was the book written?  Internal evidence suggests strongly that Jewish Christians received the letter:  It assumed that the recipients were familiar with Jewish history  It assumed familiarity with the Jewish Law  It assumed familiarity with Jewish ceremonial activities

Hebrews Introduction... Why was the book written?  To show the unquestioned superiority of the New Covenant over the Old.  To encourage wavering Jewish Christians to be faithful to Christ:

Hebrews Introduction... When was it written?  The temple service seems to have been in place at the time of writing (8:4; 10:11).  The temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. Hebrews must have been written prior to that date, possibly between A.D. 63 and A.D. 65. From where was it written?  It probably was sent from a Roman prison prior to Paul’s release (13:19,24).