Hebrews 1:1 - 1:4

who wrote this thing?
written by:
probably written by a buddy of paul's
paul? well, some early church tradition says that it was him writing in hebrew and not signing it to disguise his identity (luke translated it to greek).
barnabus? well, he knew paul well, and some say it was him.
priscilla? some moderns say priscilla; and that she uses the masculane article for herself to disguise her girlness.
apollos? some moderns pick him because the greek is so good and it seems hellenistic in origin.
 
but really? nobody knows.

written when:
time: 60-100 AD
ok, we don't really know.
bottom limit? after the initial apostolic ministry (because of heb 2:3b,4).
it was first communicated through the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him, while God confirmed their witness with signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

upper limit? 1 clement quotes hebrews pretty well and was written...well...likely in the 90s (but as broad as 80-150 AD).
70 AD / temple as an upper limit?
some argue that the discussion of sacrifice (presnt tense) indicates that sacrifices were still being made.
the counter is that the discussion revolves around the tabernacle / moses, and that the present tense is used to emphasize the timelessness.

canon process:
one of the more argued about books in the canon actually. west: meh. east: yay!
quoted in west by clement (96AD), referenced by a few others.
kind of dropped out of use
used and considered pauline in the east
eventually recognized in the west as well, cemented by the favor

argument about what 'pauline' meant.
the east considered it pauline; did that mean pauline directly or indirectly?
it was often not placed in the usual scheme for paul's letters (by length), so it's status as an exception was certainly known.

the church unified strongly around it during the process of 'official' canonification; jerome and augustine were especially influential.


 
structure and style
type/style
more sermon than epistle
- especially notable is the opening. no greeting, no blessing, nothing
the language is arguably the most beautiful greek in the bible.
full with rhetorical patterns, alliteration, allusion, etc
very difficult to translate for greek scrubs
trouble with outline
very tight structure, but somewhat difficult to outline.
it transitions between topics really smoothly; foreshadowing, staggared transitions, etc
- organized around old testament quotations?
- but that's at analysis level; understanding should be not to terrible.

outline
1-4: jesus as the ultimate revelation of god
1,2: jesus as superior to the angels
3,4: jesus as superior to moses (well, really to 4:14)

5-10: jesus as the ultimate high priest (from 4:14)
4:14-5:10 jesus as a compassionate high priest
5:11-6:12 warning 3: against spiritual immaturity (grow up)
6:13-6:20 perseverance based on god's steadfastness (abraham as an example)
7:1-7:20 jesus as priest like melchizedek
8-10 the ultimate tabernacle

11-13: response to jesus: examples and specifics
11:1-11:40 examples of faith
12:1-13:25 application


5 warnings, all similar
2:1-4 warning 1: against ignoring christ
3:7-4:13 warning 2: against disbelief
5:11-6:12 warning 3: against spiritual immaturity (grow up)
10:19-10:39 warning 4: against disobedience
12:14-12:29 warning 5: don't reject jesus

 
themes you'll see?
christ
- his status
- his work

obedience
- warnings against not responding to god (pursuit). most of the book focuses in on our core values/goals.
- examples: bad and good
- specifics...but only at the end.


 
heb 1:1 - 1:4
1. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
2. in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
3. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
4. having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
the first days and the last days
divide history in half
the early church spoke of time/history in two halves; the former days and the last days.
everything after christ is considered the last days.
 
revelation in the old testament:
god revealed that he had a plan (abraham).
god revealed himself (sinai).
god revealed sin (experience with the law; numbers, judges, etc).
god revealed his forgiveness and patience (number, judges, david, prophets, etc).
god revealed that he would remove sin (prophets).

then...the new testament
god reveals himself directly, on earth.
god reveals the depth of his love for his people.
god has shown his final plan for humanity.

christ is the divider; we now wait for the return of christ and the conclusion of humanity (as we know it).

christ is the revelation of god
not just a sacrifice...but also revelation.

 
the divider between former/last days is the incarnation of christ.
 
god had used humans to reveal himself prior to christ;
in christ, god choose to become a human and to reveal himself directly.
 
as such, the incarnation of christ is the most significant revelation god has ever given humanity.

 
the significance of the son
4 things jesus is:
1. "heir of all things"
'all things'. nothing is over christ - all is his.

2. "through whom also he made the world"
christ as the first mover; before and above all things, not part of creation.

3. "the radiance of his glory"
god as light - light is often used in the bible to describe the glory of god.
matt 17:2 "and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light"
john 1:9 "the true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world"

shakinah - the glory of god was revealed as light even residually. ex 34:29,30
when moses came down from mount sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, moses did not know that the skin of his face shown because he had been talking with god.
aaron and all the people of israel saw moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

 
thus the halo in art.

4. exact representation of his nature
fully god - son as equal not as subservient
back to revelation:
as jesus says in john 14:9, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father"

2 things jesus does:
1. upholds all things by the word of his power
'word'
magic and the 'true name' for things
in the beginning...and god 'spoke'
wisdom/philo

2. when he had made purification of sins, he sat down
- purification of sins
high priest (foreshadowing)
that this is mentioned next to creation/etc should show how important this task is
- he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high
 
- he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high
work is done.
he is installed in glory

result of action: having become as much better than the angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name than they
- transition: christ is better than angels
- maybe not a question we have, but one that the author felt needed to be answered

 
compare to outline:
in some ways, v1-4 serve as a mini-outline for the book.
 
the first 4 chapters will discuss the supremecy of christ as the revelation of god ("in these last days has spoken to us through is son").
5-10 will discuss the supremecy of christ as the high priest, who deals with heavenly things (not earthly) and who makes ultimate atonement for our sins.