Hebrews : An Essay Depth Look At The Authorship And Hebrews 11

In his recent article for the October 7th issue of Commonweal magazine, David Bentley Hart highlighted how different the Christians of the New Testament are from modern day Christians. Hart’s article, titled “Christ’s Rabble; The first Christians were not like us”, argues that the first Christians were so different than present day Christians that we would have a very hard time getting along with one another if we meet today. Hart, a fellow at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies, came to this conclusion after in-depth study of the text of the New Testament in its original koine Greek. His work translating the New Testament for Yale University painted a clear picture of the character of the first Christians and underscored how far from the original meanings of the text we have come.

The Bible is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. This paper mainly focuses on the Old Testament. The Old Testament has 39 books in total which is also subdivided into four categories namely; Pentateuch books (5 books), the historical books (12 books), the poetic books (5 books) and the prophetic books (17 books). The Old Testament books were written back in 1400 B.C. The Pentateuch books were written by Moses during his time in Canaan, while the other 34 books were also written by different authors at different stated time. The aim of this paper is therefore, to analyze the authorship, dating, content, outline, themes, and unique features of one book of the Old Testament, and the book chosen is the book of Leviticus.

Harris, R. L. (1999). 68 אָחַר. (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke, Eds.)Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press.

For many, the Hebrew bible is read and accepted without question. It plays a significant role in the practice of many religions and yet not many dare to wonder who wrote such sacred writings that would still be read to this very day. For generations, it was almost unheard of to ask or even fathom the identity of the author. Richard Elliot Friedman, a biblical scholar and graduate from Harvard University, explores, studies, and analyzes the bible to discover who wrote it. Having earned a master degree in theology, B.A degree in Philosophy, and master degree in Hebrew literature, Friedman proves to be a knowledgeable expert in his field of studies. From the years of work he invested into, Friedman aims to provide convincing evidence that the book is written by four persons through historical, archaeological, logical proof.

The branch between the Old Covenant (OC) and the New Covenant (NC) is, for many, a debatable issue. The main topics for these debates are on salvation coming from the OC Law (Mosaic Law/ Torah) that one must “work” to accomplish, or salvation coming from faith in the NC alone. Many theological genres have sprouted up throughout the year’s arguing the relevance of the OC Laws (Jewish Torah), and the “Law of the Spirit” as Paul states in Romans 8:2. Because of these different views, various doctrine have become scattered throughout the world. In this essay, the main theme will be to uncover the connection between the OC Law and the Gospel as spoken by Paul. “The Law of the Spirit” that Paul teaches, is ultimately the same as the OC Law throughout the Torah, but the NC demonstrates Christ’s fulfillment of that Law and the New Commandment to Love, which is the completion of the Law.

Our source of knowledge of the apostolic work of Paul comes first from the Book of Acts. The epistles written by Paul serve to further our knowledge of his mission. These letters were written to churches that he had founded or churches that were known to him. Luke’s account of Paul introduces us to the basic facts about this important biblical figure. A more complete understanding of Paul’s journeys can be gleaned from his letters. These epistles were written almost at the time they occurred and they comprise some of the earliest works contained in the New Testament.

The history of how the Bible came into existence has been explored for centuries and is an active area of study today. There are many facets to the Bible and each has its own set of unique characteristics and teachings. The Old Testament is considered a contemporary guide for daily living, even though it was composed hundreds of years ago. Where did the Old Testament come from? What are some of the influences that shaped the Old Testament? What are the significant events of the Old Testament? In order to gain a better understanding of the Old Testament and its message to Christians, special consideration is given to its historical and cultural context, and to the major milestones in its development. Personal application of the teachings offered in this section of the Bible should be the aspiration of all Christians today.

John H. Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible is broken up into fourteen chapters. Those fourteen chapters are each part of one of five sections. This book also contains over twenty historical images. Before the introduction, the author gives readers a full appendix of all images used in this published work. The author then gives his acknowledgements followed by a list of abbreviations.

Hebrews is an epistle that really makes clear the superiority of Jesus and that he is the one who saved us from original sin. To the Jewish christians the message of Jesus’ superiority would have been very important for them to hear. A way for us to bring this

The Jewish religion and tradition is rooted in sacred writings. Muslim rulers often called their Jewish subjects “People of the Book,” a term that emphasized the importance of holy texts to the Jewish people. Recently, Jewish people have begun using the term to apply to themselves. The Tanakh, or Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament, consists of many books written from approximately 1200 to 200 BCE. The Torah recounts that God delivered these sacred texts to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Many Bible scholars believe this Epistle to the Hebrews was written by Paul, however most of the Bible scholars agree that no one knows exactly who wrote Hebrews. Paul usually gives his customary greeting in all his writings Hebrews , however is missing Paul's signature , which may be another reason several authorities believe that it could have been written by several people . Some feel it could have been written by several people like Paul and Luke , Barnabas or perhaps even Apollos , we do know it was written before 70 A.D. As we read in 2nd Timothy we are confident in this one thing that God wrote the Bible through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit even though it was written by man. The name of the book (Hebrews) informs us that it

Before the gospels and Pauline epistles, early church Christians related to the Old Testament as Scripture and viewed their Christian walk as the fulfillment of the promises made to Israel from the Old Testament, which foretold of the coming age of the Messiah. The first New Testament Christians understood the importance of the Old Testament; it was their “Bible” they preached from. Just as in the early church, Christians today need the Old Testament for preaching and in which to reference and understand Christ’s purpose for why he came.

In Ephesians 2:14-22, Paul writes a letter to the people of Ephesus both Jews and Gentiles of the time, telling them that Christ had broken down the wall of hostility so that they can live in peace and unity. Within this paper, there will be an extensive exegetical look at the history of the passage; what the significance of this passage is to the biblical audience, and the differences between the biblical audience and today’s audience. By studying this passage, people today can grasp the meaning and apply it to their lives.

Created by Johannes Gutenberg, The Gutenberg Bible was the first mass produced book through the use of a moveable printer. Known for its artistic Latin writing, the Bible only has forty-nine copies remaining, one residing at the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin. The Gutenberg Bible exhibits religious qualities from the message, directly from God, and the original purpose of the creation of the Bible.

The book of Hebrews hold a complete description of Jesus as our great high priest and what he did for mankind. He made the perfect sacrifice for our sins. In the Book of Hebrews, it addresses the extreme importance of having Faith in our lives. “Let us run with patient endurance, steady but with active persistence for the appointed course that Jesus has set before all of us”. (Hebrews 12:1) This verse symbolizes to me that no matter what is going on in our lives, the road paved before us has already been protected by Jesus himself. This powerful chapter in the bible, Hebrews, reveals Jesus to us as our magnificent High priest who is greater than Moses or anyone in the land. This book stirs us to enter into full rest by keeping our focus on Jesus Christ alone as our perfection before the Father we all shall meet one day. The writer of the book of Hebrews is unknown, but the earliest church fathers taught the book of Hebrews to anyone that would listen. Many Early church fathers believed that the Book of Hebrew was solely written by Paul for the Jewish people. Eusebius (AD 260-339) refers to an even earlier apostolic father, Clement of Alexandra (AD 150-211), who confirms without question that Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews in the Hebrew language for the Hebrew people that were believers of our beautiful mighty father.