Who wrote the book of Hebrews? Who was the author of Hebrews?

The author of the epistle does not mention his name. Many a supposition has been made as to who the author might have been: Paul, Luke, Barnabas (so says Tertullian), Apollos (so says Martin Luther), Silas or even Aquila and Priscilla have been suggested.

Most of the modern scientists refuse to accept Paul as the author because contents, structure and language of the epistle are not typical for him. And yet the old Alexandrian tradition ascribes this epistle to the apostle Paul. The fact that the author knew Timothy well (Heb. 13:23) and that Peter who also wrote to Jewish Christians mentions an epistle of Paul to them (2 Pet. 3:15) speak for the Alexandrian tradition. However the addressees of the epistle were Jewish Christians in Palestine whereas Peter wrote to the scattered strangers (1 Pet. 1:1) who lived outside Palestine. If Paul was the author one reason for not mentioning his name might be that he was an apostle to the nations whereas Peter was an apostle to the Jews (Gal. 2:7-8).

As a matter of fact the author of the epistle remains unknown. The Holy Spirit who inspired this epistle deliberately wanted to introduce the Lord Jesus only as apostle and high priest of our profession (Heb. 3:1). The church father Origines (around 185 to 254 AC) appropriately wrote: Only God knows in truth who the author is.

It will be noticed that 1 & 2 Thessalonians contain no title, but the names only of Paul and his two companions. In Philemon Paul takes the title of "prisoner" only, and links Timothy with himself. In every other of his Epistles, except Philippians, Paul uses the title of "apostle." This title included in it the authority that the Lord had given him (See 2 Cor. 10:8), and in most of these Epistles he is exercising this authority. In Corinth and Galatia the churches had challenged his authority. In Philemon Paul says, "I might be much bold to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged." That tells us plainly why he does not wish to exercise his authority here; so we would not expect to find the title "apostle." We do not know the human author of Hebrews, and it is best for us not to guess at what the Lord has seen best to hide: but we can well understand the reason that we find no title, or "signature", of author here, for in Hebrews Christ Himself is the Apostle, the High Priest, the Author and Finisher of faith (3:1 & 12:2). How unseemly would it have been for any man to have assumed a place or title in the face of such an array of titles of our Lord Himself!*

The question of authorship of Hebrews is of much interest. Many volumes have been written on it. Origen wrote, "The thoughts are Paul's, but the phraseology and composition are by someone else. Not without reason have the ancient men handed down the Epistle as Paul's, but who wrote the Epistle is known only to God." The question is then, did Paul write Hebrews and if he did not, who wrote this Epistle? Some are very positive that Paul did not write Hebrews, as will be seen by the following statement:

"The only fact clear as to the author is that he was not the Apostle Paul. The early Fathers did not attribute the book to Paul, nor was it until the seventh century that the tendency to do this, derived from Jerome, swelled into an ecclesiastical practice. From the book itself we see that the author must have been a Jew and a Hellenist, familiar with Philo as well as with the Old Testament, a friend of Timothy and well-known to many of those whom he addressed, and not an apostle but decidedly acquainted with apostolic thoughts; and that he not only wrote before the destruction of Jerusalem but apparently himself was never in Palestine . The name of Barnabas, and also that of Priscilla, has been suggested, but in reality all these distinctive marks appear to be found only in Apollos. So that with Luther, and not a few modern scholars, we must either attribute it to him or give up in the quest" ( Weymouth ).

This is very sweeping, and quite incorrect and superficial. It is not the final word. To follow the controversy in our brief introduction is quite impossible. All that has ever been written on it may be condensed as follows:--1. There is no substantial evidence, external or internal, in favor of any claimant to the authorship of this Epistle, except Paul. 2. There is nothing incompatible with the supposition that Paul was the author of Hebrews. 3. The preponderance of the internal, and all the direct external evidence, go to show that the Epistle was written by Paul. The Pauline authorship can hardly be questioned after the most painstaking research.

In common with the large majority of Christians, I attribute its immediate authorship to the apostle Paul. I shall not, however, detain the reader by any statement of my reasons for this conclusion. It is an interesting point. But it is one which may well be left to the decision of the godly and careful student of the New Testament. Differences of judgment on this minor question will probably continue to exist among the lovers of the truth, There are none, who, through the riches of Divine mercy, have tasted that the Lord is gracious, who hesitate to accept this Epistle as a portion of the word of God.

Ans.For centuries past that question has occupied the attention of theologians to little purpose. For our own part we have no difficulty in accepting the general belief that it was written by Paul, but the first word in the epistle, "God," shows the essential authorship!

Authorship. — But who wrote it? It bears no name. No Apostle has sent it forth as proceeding from his pen. Indeed it would have been scarcely fitting for that last to have been done, seeing the Apostle of the confession of the Hebrews is stated in its pages to be no less a person than the Lord, the Son of God (3:1). Still the writer of the letter was well known to the readers in the day that it reached the latter, as 13:19 plainly intimate he had formerly been with them, and looked to be with them again at no distant date. Known then to them all, not only by name, but in person, that knowledge perished, it appears, with their departure from earth, and left the question of authorship open to conjecture. Of this some have availed themselves to start different theories about it.

Clement of Alexandria, according to Eusebius, held that the Epistle was St. Paul's, written by him in Hebrew, and translated into Greek by Luke. Were this correct, we have a version of the Pauline Epistle, but not the original text. Still it is to be held that Paul was the author. Clement died about A.D. 220.

There have been, and are, as you may know, persons who doubt whether the apostle Paul was the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. And there have been many more or less wild suggestions made, as to who was the author.

Q. — The Epistle to the Hebrews, who wrote it? Learned men contend for Apollos, Barnabas, Silas, Titus or Luke. Is there any real ground to doubt the prevalent belief that it was the apostle Paul? Z.

A. — The difference of style has been pleaded, the absence of Paul's name, and the circumcision addressed in it, all proved by the nature of its contents. But there is nothing in any or all these circumstances to weaken the claim of the apostle. That it expounds the law more fully than does any other of his Epistles, that he withholds his name and title purposely, the one as writing outside his allotted sphere of the Gentiles, and the other as presenting the Lord Jesus in the light of the apostle of the Christian confession, may satisfactorily account for its peculiarities. Here he is the inspired interpreter of the O.T. rather than unveiling the mysteries of the N.T.

This Epistle presents many problems. Some refuse to call it an Epistle and look upon it as a treatise, but the leading question is about the author of this document. It is anonymous; the writer has carefully concealed his identity. It is the only portion of the New Testament of which this can be said. What was a possible motive for doing this? We may answer that He who inspired this great message guided the pen of the instrument to put himself out of sight. Dr. Biesenthal, in a very learned work on Hebrews, advances an interesting theory why the writer did not mention himself. He shows that the teaching of Christianity that animal sacrifices, once foreshadowing the great sacrifice and now completely ended and no longer necessary, was being felt in heathendom. In consequence the many sacrifices used in heathen worship at births, marriages and different other occasions were being more and more neglected. The priestly class which lived by these sacrifices and the very large industry of cattle raising was being threatened with utter ruin, on account of which a bitter antagonism was being stirred up against Christianity and its advocates. On account of this, Dr. Biesenthal, concludes, the writer of Hebrews kept his name a secret. Furthermore, this scholarly Hebrew Christian, advancing the strongest arguments for the Pauline authorship, shows additional reason why the Apostle Paul had very valid reasons to keep himself in the background. (This work, "Das Trostschreiben an die Hebraer--The Message of Comfort to the Hebrews," has, as far as we know, never been translated into English.) His heart was filled with such burning love for his Hebrew brethren that he was constrained to send to them a special message of love and entreaty. At the same time he was deeply concerned about those who had believed. Under heathen persecution, as well as through ignorance concerning the full meaning of Christianity, a tendency towards apostasy threatened these Hebrew Christians, especially those who lived in Jerusalem before the destruction of the temple and the Jewish worship. And Paul knowing how he was disliked by the Jews, and how he had been discredited by the judaizing teachers, whose evil work he had exposed and so severely condemned in the Epistles to the Galatians and Corinthians, feared that if his name was made prominent, the message would at once be discarded. He therefore omitted his name.

The epistle to the Hebrews differs in some important respects from all those which have been before us; so much so that many have questioned whether it be the writing of the apostle Paul, of Apollos, of Barnabas, etc. Of this my mind has no doubt. I believe that Paul, and no other, was the author, and that it bears the strongest intrinsic traits of his doctrine. The style is different, and so is the manner of handling the truth; but the line of truth, though it be affected by the object that he had in view, is that which savours of Paul beyond all: not of Peter, or John, or James, or Jude, but of Paul alone.