Hebrews has a slightly ambiguous position in our New Testament. It is placed right after Paul’s letter to Philemon and just before the letter of James. Paul’s letters are organized (roughly) by length from the longest, Romans, to the shortest, Philemon. So Hebrews could be thought of as “with Paul’s letters” (which, at first, the Church in the western part of the Roman Empire was skeptical of, though the Church in the East was convinced) or as the first (and longest) of the non-Pauline epistles. Hebrews is aimed at Jewish Christians, not Gentiles, which would be unique for Paul, as would anonymity. Nevertheless, it could be by someone in Paul’s circle, based on what it shares with Paul. Beyond that, guesses multiply.
Scholars say it has some of the very best Greek in the New Testament, and a far-ranging vocabulary. Hebrews first came to prominence in Alexandria, Egypt, a place recognized for centuries of Jewish history as a refuge when the land of Israel was under attack. Alexandria had a thriving Jewish community in the 1st Century and was well-known for Jewish scholarship. Jews there produced the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (that we identify with the abbreviation “LXX”) that was used over most of the Roman Empire.
Many modern scholars thought Hebrews was a late addition to the New Testament, but now it is increasingly recognized that there is no necessary reason to doubt Hebrews was written, as it appears to be, while sacrifices were still being performed in the 2nd Temple before the Romans destroyed it in AD 70. A date of AD 49-50 is suggested.
Below is chapter 1, NABRE translation. I have added the references in brackets.
Chapter 1
1 In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; 2 in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,
3 who is the refulgence of his glory,
the very imprint of his being,
and who sustains all things by his mighty word.
When he had accomplished purification from sins,
he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4 as far superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say:
“You are my son; this day I have begotten you”? [Psalm 2:9]
Or again:
“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me”? [2 Samuel 7:14]
6 And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says:
“Let all the angels of God worship him.” [Psalm 97:7, also see Deuteronomy 32:43 LXX]
7 Of the angels he says:
“He makes his angels winds
and his ministers a fiery flame”; [Psalm 104:4 LXX]
8 but of the Son:
“Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever;
and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You loved justice and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your companions”; [Psalm 45:7-8]
10 and:
“At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands.
11 They will perish, but you remain;
and they will all grow old like a garment.
12 You will roll them up like a cloak,
and like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same, and your years will have no end.” [Psalm 102:26-28]
13 But to which of the angels has he ever said:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool”? [Psalm 110:1, see also Mark 12:35-37]
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
. . . . . . .
Questions:
- Consider the phrase “various and partial ways” in verse 1. Reading the “various ways” as we do in our Bibles, we tend to think of them all as “written” or literary ways. In terms of how they were originally communicated, though, they were really “various.” Name several of those different ways.
- What do you think the author of Hebrews means by “these last days” in verse 2?
- We are used to hearing Jesus described as “priest, prophet, and king” in homilies and instruction. In the first three verses alone, try to pick out references that imply those things about Jesus.
- Look up the cross references for the quotations our author uses. Do you think there is anything unusual about his choices? Why would he not have to state the sources of these quotations for his original audience?
- Note this definition, copied from Wikipedia: In psychology, WEIRD is an acronym for Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic — a capsule description of the undergraduates that the majority of psychological tests are done on. Mostly first-year psychology students. The term is intended to denote awareness that doing all your studies on this tiny group (approximately 10-15% of human population)[1] may not in fact give results indicative of humanity in general, and that such claims may in fact be rubbish.
In your opinion, how awake are we Weirdos to the possibility purely spiritual beings (such as angels, demons, ancestor-spirits, etc.) co-inhabiting this world we live in compared to non-Weird people living all around us?
like the new LTTL.
Greetings, fellow WEIRDO! (Or perhaps not…I’m can’t pass the “R” test in the acronym.) Anyway? I’m not “awake” to the possibility of “ancestor-spirits” inhabiting in this world. Not at all.
However, it’s not just a “possibility” but pretty much dogma than angels and demons DO inhabit this world. “Co” inhabit? I don’t think so…I mean, they’re here but they don’t share this world. Certainly demons don’t. Angels? Well, they’re bi-local — you know, the way your Angel Guardian at Mass stays with you and at the same time sings and dances joyfully at every Mass?
Like Janet Dawson, I like LTTL too…thank you!
2. What do you think the author of Hebrews means by “these last days” in verse 2?
I think there are a couple of ways to interpret this phrase.
First, I think we can view this chronologically. In the Old Testament, God is revealed through signs and wonders, and through the Prophets. Each of these revelations, though, is partial, and somewhat veiled. We don’t get the full picture of Who God is, or how salvation will be accomplished. This all changes with Jesus, Who reveals the Father and connects us to Him. And so, one way to interpret “these last days” would be, “in these recent days,” or, “more recently”. Just a chronological reference.
However, I also think a deeper eschatological meaning is intended. Salvation history is divided into various periods. One period, for example, is the time after creation but before the fall of man. Another period would be after the fall, up until Noah. When Hebrews was being written, we had already experienced Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The next eschatological event, then, is the second coming of Christ in judgement, and therefore it is fair to say that the author of Hebrews, as well as ourselves, was truly living in the last days.