K E V I N DAV I S

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?: A SURVEY OF HEBREWS

WHY HEBREWS?

• The key to unlocking all of Scripture.• Both OT and NT

WHY HEBREWS?

• The key to unlocking all of Scripture.• Both OT and NT

• Who is Christ?

• How does this Christ relate to the Old Testament?• Moses and the Law• Temple and Sacrifices

• What is the meaning of Christ now?• How now shall we live?

WHO IS THE AUTHOR?

• Unknown

• During early centuries of the church, it was included with Paul’s epistles.• Paul is the premier “epistle” writer.

WHO IS THE AUTHOR?

• Unknown

• During early centuries of the church, it was included with Paul’s epistles.• Paul is the premier “epistle” writer.

• Problems with attributing to Paul?• The letter itself does not tell us the author• Doubts in the early church about authorship• Not Paul’s style (vocabulary, syntax, etc.)• The Greek is very sophisticated

PROPOSALS FOR AUTHORSHIP

• Apollo• Alexandrian Jew• Close to the apostolic circle• Described as “an eloquent man” in Acts 18

• Barnabas (Tertullian’s opinion)• Hellenistic Jew and Levite – well-educated• Close to the apostolic circle

• An anonymous pupil of Paul’s inner circle, who faithfully expressed Paul’s teachings (Origen’s opinion)• Priscilla (Adolf von Harnack’s opinion)• She was part of Rome’s inner circle• As a woman, this would explain anonymity of the letter

AUDIENCE

• Jewish Christians• Converts from within Judaism• As distinct from Gentile Christians

• Hellenistic Jews• “Hellenist” = Greek-speaking• Living as faithful Jews within a Greek-Roman society

• The title, “To the Hebrews,” and the content of the letter (concerning Israel’s priesthood) indicate a Jewish Christian audience.

PLACE AND DATE

• Provenance is unknown.

• Rome is the best guess.• High literary culture• Clement of Rome is first known use (AD 95)

• Date is prior to AD 70. Why?

PLACE AND DATE

• Provenance is unknown.

• Rome is the best guess.• High literary culture• Clement of Rome is first known use (AD 95)

• Date is prior to AD 70. Why?• Destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70.• The author discusses the temple sacrifices in present

tense.• The author would have surely used the destruction of the

temple as part of his argument for the superiority of Christ.

GENRE

• What is the literary form of Hebrews?

• Sermon• Author says that it is a “word of exhortation” (13:22)• The overall form is that of a sermon.• Most scholars agree that this is the primary genre.

• Letter• Author ends with personal greetings• It was dispatched like a letter from one place to another

COMMENTARIES

Robert Rayburn,PhD., Aberdeen

THE SITUATION OF “THE HEBREWS”

“The Preacher is not preaching into a vacuum; he is addressing a real and urgent pastoral problem, one that seems astonishingly contemporary. His congregation is exhausted. They are tired – tired of serving the world, tired of worship, tired of Christian education, tired of being peculiar and whispered about in society, tired of the spiritual struggle, tired of trying to keep their prayer life going, tired even of Jesus. …

THE SITUATION OF “THE HEBREWS”

…they are losing confidence. The threat to this congregation is not that they are charging off in the wrong direction; they do not have enough energy to charge off anywhere.”

-- Thomas Long, Hebrews, p. 3

THE SOLUTION

“We recognize the problem, of course, but the Preacher’s response may astound us. What is most striking about Hebrews is that the Preacher, faced with the pastoral problem of spiritual weariness, is bold enough, maybe even brash enough, to think that christology and preaching are the answers. The Preacher does not appeal to improved group dynamics, conflict management techniques, reorganization of the mission structures, or snappy worship services.

THE SOLUTION

…Rather, he preaches – preaches to the congregation in complex theological terms about the nature and meaning of Jesus Christ.This Preacher does not float around on the surface where the desires of people cluster eagerly around this or that fad; he dives to the depths, to the hidden places where profound symbols work on the religious imagination to generate surprise, wonder, gratitude, and finally obedience. …

REVOLUTIONARY THEOLOGY

…As strategies go, the Preacher’s approach to ministry is so out of phase, so counter-intuitive, so in violation of the notion that congregations are allergic to serious theological thinking, that it probably should be seen as refreshing, and maybe even revolutionary.”

-- Thomas Long

MTD

• In his widely-cited 2005 book, Soul Searching (Oxford University Press), Christian Smith coined the expression, “moralistic therapeutic deism” (MTD).

• What are the points of MTD?

Christian Smith,University of Notre Dame

FIVE POINTS OF MTD

• A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.• God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each

other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.• The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel

good about oneself.• God does not need to be particularly involved in

one’s life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.• Good people go to heaven when they die.(Soul Searching, pp. 162-163)

THE HOLY GOD

• Hebrews is closely related to Leviticus in the OT

• What is the theme of Levitucus?

• Answer: God is holy.

• How do you approach a holy God?• How do you honor this God, offer praise to this God?• How do you atone (cover) sins?• How do you be holy as the Almighty God, Yahweh, is

holy?

THE HOLY GOD

• Leviticus is the answer to these questions.

• For the religious life of Israel, Leviticus is the most important book in the Hebrew Bible (Protestant OT).

• Holiness = Sanctification = Set Apart (by God)• “Holy” appears more times in Leviticus than any

other book of the Bible.

• Leviticus is the manual or guidebook for how Israel is to worship God.

THE HOLY GOD

• How do you access the Holy God?

• Leviticus: There is no direct access to God.• Hebrews: Direct access to God through Christ.

• In Leviticus, believers were excluded from the Most Holy Place, where God’s presence dwells.

• In Hebrews, believers have entered into the Most Holy Place (Heaven) with Christ.

THE THREE OFFICES OF CHRIST

• Each of the three offices are central to the life of Israel, each commissioned by God to make Israel holy and unique among the nations.

• King – Christ is victor over his enemies and reigns.

• Prophet – Christ is the true Word from God.

• Priest – Christ is both the High Priest and the Lamb.

• Which is the most prominent office in Hebrews?

QUESTION

• If you went to a busy metropolitan area at lunch-time and conducted “man on the street” interviews with passersby, asking the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?,” what sort of responses do you think you would get?

(John MacArthur Bible Studies)

• Use the three offices of Christ:• King – Christ is victor over his enemies and reigns.• Prophet – Christ is the true Word from God.• Priest – Christ is both the High Priest and the

Lamb.

READING ASSIGNMENT

• Hebrews chapter 1