Hebrews

Extract


Authorship:

The author of Hebrews is never explicitly mentioned throughout the whole of Hebrews. Church history has been far from unanimous on the authorship of Hebrews. The early church proposed a variety of different authors. The early church father Tertullian argued that Barnabas, sometime companion of Paul, authored this book. Irenaeus and Hippolytus likewise defended a view of non-Pauline authorship. Following Jerome and Augustine, Pauline authorship was assumed by most biblical scholars. The Council of Nicea recognized the canonical status of Hebrews partly based on accrediting its authorship to Paul. The medieval church, following Nicea, largely approved of Paul’s authorship, and Thomas Aquinas defended Pauline authorship. In the time of the Reformation, the view that Paul was not the author resurfaced through the influential works of Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin—Calvin preferring either Luke or Clement of Rome as the author. On the other hand, the Belgic Confession of Faith (AD 1561) endorses Pauline authorship, and the Puritan John Owen argued extensively for Pauline authorship.

Go BACK? Scroll the cards below and choose where you wish to return.

ByJustus Musinguzi

Promoting the annual reading and study of the whole Bible, and teaching the treasures of God's truth that honors God, is saturated with grace, exalts Christ, and is driven by the gospel.