When was the book of Hebrews written?
The letter to the Hebrews carries no date, no address, and not even the writer's name, so its timing has to be worked out from clues inside the text. Those clues turn out to be sharper than expected, and they pin the letter to a small window in the years just before Jerusalem fell.
No Stated Date
The letter never tells us when or where it was composed. What it does show is a Jewish sacrificial system still running, which sets a firm outer limit:
Morrish Bible DictionaryWhen and where the epistle was written is unknown: the temple service was still being carried on, and therefore it was written before A.D. 70 (compare Hebrews 8:4-5; Hebrews 10:11; Hebrews 13:10). It probably dates from A.D. 63 or 64.
The Tense Of Hebrews 8:4
The strength of that argument rests on a single verb. The writer speaks of the temple priests in the present tense, not the past:
F. B. HoleFirst, the last clause of verse 4 shows us that this epistle was written before Jerusalem was destroyed, when the Jewish offerings stopped. "There are priests," it says, not, "There used to be." This same fact meets us again when we come to the last chapter, and the importance of it is made clear there.
Narrowing To A Few Years
If the sacrifices were still being offered, then the Roman invasion had not yet begun. That, together with the call to leave the temple system, closes the window from both ends:
C E StuartAs yet then the Temple had not been destroyed, nor had that invasion by the Roman army started, which would threaten the continuance of the Jewish system and worship, and would make the Christians prepare to leave the doomed city. So it must have been written some time between A.D. 63 and A.D. 67. So whoever the writer was, the time of its composition must be fixed within the limit of a few years. If Paul was the author, we can get closer to the date, and fix it near A.D. 63. For in that case it must have been composed shortly before or just at the close of his first imprisonment at Rome.
Another line of reasoning reaches the same years from the personal notes at the end of the letter. A writer working through early church history reads the reference to Timothy alongside Paul's words to the Philippians:
Church HistoryWe can hardly doubt that these passages were written by the same pen at about the same time, and that they refer to the same intended movements. But we do not press this point. One thing, however, is clear — that the epistle was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, since the temple was standing and the temple worship was going on undisturbed.
Where The Writer Was
The closing greeting from Italy places the writer, and commentators differ over exactly where in Italy he was. One reading has the letter sent the moment he landed:
The Bible TreasuryThe words, "They of Italy salute you" (chapter 13:24), give the impression that it was sent from Italy immediately after his landing there, perhaps before he reached Rome itself… One remark fits well here — Timothy, who had sailed with him out of Asia (Acts 20:4), was not with him (Hebrews 13:23). He had been imprisoned somewhere other than Rome, had been released, and was shortly expected.
Others place it later, after the imprisonment had ended, and add a caution about how much weight such reconstructions can bear:
VariousOn the whole, it seems probable that the epistle was written after his release from his imprisonment at Rome, but that he felt himself kept in Italy still for a season. No evidence, however, is known to exist from which definite conclusions may be formed about the rest of the apostle's personal history… It is a point which may interest critics, but solving it would add nothing to the solid blessing of the believer.
Why The Timing Matters
The date is not a trivia question, because the whole purpose of the letter depends on it. It was written while the old system was still standing but already condemned:
J. N. DarbyThe Epistle to the HEBREWS was written at a relatively late period, in view of the judgment that was going to fall upon Jerusalem: it called the Jews who had become Christians to separate themselves from what God was about to judge.
Readers should also know that opinions vary, and that outside evidence gives a further outer boundary:
Arend RemmersRegarding the time of writing, the opinions of the scholars differ as much as they do about the authorship of the epistle. It is certain though that a writing of Clement of Rome (around 95 A.D.) shows many references from the epistle to the Hebrews.
Summary
- Undated. The letter itself never says when or where it was written, so every date offered is an inference from clues inside it.
- Before. The clearest clue is a working temple: "there are priests," present tense, means the letter came before Jerusalem fell in A.D. 70.
- Between. With the sacrifices still running and the Roman invasion not yet begun, the window narrows to roughly A.D. 63–67, most often placed at 63 or 64.
- From. The greeting from Italy and the news of Timothy's release put the writer in Italy, though commentators differ on whether that was Rome or elsewhere.
- Why. The date carries the message: written while the old system still stood but was already under sentence, calling Jewish believers to separate from what God was about to judge.