1Now in the things which we are saying, the main point is this: we have such a high priest, who sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2a servant of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, not man. 3For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4For if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law, 5who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, even as Moses was warned by God when he was about to make the tabernacle, for he said, “See, you shall make everything according to the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.” 6But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on better promises has been given as law.
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. 8For finding fault with them, he said,
“Behold, the days are coming”, says the Lord,
“that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers
in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt;
for they didn’t continue in my covenant,
and I disregarded them,” says the Lord.
10“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days,” says the Lord:
“I will put my laws into their mind;
I will also write them on their heart.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11They will not teach every man his fellow citizen
and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for all will know me,
from their least to their greatest.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness.
I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.”
13In that he says, “A new covenant”, he has made the first obsolete. But that which is becoming obsolete and grows aged is near to vanishing away.
Hebrews is one of the most theologically profound books of the New Testament, masterfully bridging the Old and New Covenants. It presents Christ as both High Priest and God, fulfilling and surpassing the Levitical system. Its literary sophistication and doctrinal depth make it a cornerstone of Christian theology.
Though it proclaims the superiority of the New Covenant in Christ, Hebrews contains more Old Testament quotations, allusions, and references—proportionally—than any other New Testament book, even surpassing Romans and Matthew in intertextual depth. This remarkable density reflects the author’s profound grasp of God’s covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David, and reinforces his authority to declare how the New Covenant fulfills and surpasses the Old.
The authorship of the Book of Hebrews has been a subject of debate for centuries. The author does not explicitly identify himself in the text, which has led to various theories. Some of the most prominent suggestions are:
Paul: Many in the early church traditionally attributed Hebrews to the Apostle Paul due to the letter’s theological depth and focus on Christ as the High Priest. However, many modern scholars doubt Paul’s authorship for several reasons, including the style of his Greek, the lack of a typical Pauline greeting, and the absence of his usual references to his apostleship.
Barnabas: Some early church fathers, including Tertullian, proposed that Barnabas, a companion, might have written Hebrews. Barnabas was a Levite, which could account for the author’s deep appreciation of Jewish customs and priesthood.
Apollos: Martin Luther suggested Apollos, a learned man from Alexandria who was known for his eloquence and knowledge of the Scriptures, and as a potential author. The argument is based on the fact that the author of Hebrews demonstrates a profound understanding of Jewish Law, which fits with Apollos’ reputation as a learned, eloquent missionary (Acts 18:24-28; 1 Cor 3:5-6; Titus 3:13), as well as a profound knowledge of classical Greek.
Priscilla: Some scholars, including the early church theologian Origen, suggested that Priscilla, a prominent early Christian figure, could have written the book. This theory is less common but is considered due to the text’s lack of gender-specific references and the intellectual skill in explaining complex theology.
Unknown Author: There is no direct evidence to support authorship by any of these candidates. The most widely accepted view among modern scholars is that the author of Hebrews remains unknown. Despite Origen’s speculation about Priscilla as the author, he also wrote that “only God knows” who wrote the epistle. He acknowledged its canonicity, however, writing, “The church has received the book, and it is read in the churches.”
There are compelling reasons to believe that Paul composed the letter, with Luke serving as his scribe during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome.
One key objection to Pauline authorship is Hebrews 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard.” Critics argue that this verse implies the author was not an eyewitness of Christ’s ministry, whereas Paul received direct revelation from the risen Jesus, who spoke with Paul seven times (Acts 9:4-6; 18:9-10; 22:7-8, 17-21; 18:9-10; 20:35; 23:11; 26:14-15; Galatians 1:11-12; 1 Cor 11:23; 2 Cor 12:9). However, Paul did interact with Jesus post-resurrection. This verse can, therefore, be interpreted as simply acknowledging Paul’s lack of firsthand experience with Christ before the resurrection, rather than excluding him as the author.
Paul’s letters consistently open with his name—yet Hebrews is anonymous. Why? One possible reason is Paul’s strained relationship with many of the Jews. Throughout Acts, Paul’s teachings led to controversy, riots, and rejection among Jews (Acts 21:27-36). If he had placed his name at the start of the letter to the Hebrews, Jewish readers opposed to Paul might have dismissed it before reading it. By leaving it anonymous, he allowed the message to stand on its own merits.
While Hebrews differs stylistically from Paul’s, this could be explained if Luke served as Paul’s scribe or translator:
Paul’s, that is, was written to people in response to specific events or questions; Hebrews is pure theology, and thus, it is understandable that its author would adopt a more formal rhetoric. This theory would account for both the Pauline thought and the Lukan Greek style.
Hebrews 13:24 states, “Those from Italy send you greetings.” This strongly suggests that the author wrote the letter from Rome. There is no evidence from the apostolic age claiming that Barnabas or Apollos ever went to Italy. Certainly, Priscilla and Aquila did, for they were originally from Italy (Acts 18:2), and in AD 54, Paul addressed his book of Romans to the believers there, including them (Rom 16:3-5). The greetings from Italy fit neatly with Paul’s first or second imprisonment in Rome, where Luke was present.
Given its themes of endurance under persecution and the superiority of Christ over the Mosaic Law, Hebrews aligns well with Paul’s concerns. If he were the author, this would be his fourteenth New Testament letter. (Three of his epistles—his first and third letters to Corinth and one to Laodicea—are lost.)
While Hebrews does not bear Paul’s name, its theological depth, connection to Timothy (see below), and alignment with Paul’s circumstances make it plausible that he conceived the letter, with Luke refining and writing it down.
Another subtle clue points to Paul: his self-identification as “Hebrew of Hebrews”(Phil 3:5), together with the linguistic pattern of the New Testament, which overwhelmingly refers to the people of Judea as “Jews” (190 times) or “Israel” (68 times). The term “Hebrews” appears only three times (Acts 6:1;2 Cor 11:22; Phil 3:5)—two of which are in Paul’s writings. This suggests that if Paul wrote Hebrews, he may have intentionally chosen the rare term “Hebrews” to address his Jewish audience in a distinct way.
Hebrews provides a key historical reference, mentioning Timothy’s release (Heb 13:23), suggesting Timothy was either imprisoned and then freed or “released” on a specific mission, probably by Paul. Hebrews states in four places that the Levitical priesthood was still active at the time of writing (Heb 7:8; 8:3-5; 9:6-9; 10:1-3), affirming that the book was written before AD 70 when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
If the Temple had already been destroyed, the author could have made a compelling argument against reverting to Judaism—namely, that the entire sacrificial system had ceased to exist. Instead, the warnings against returning to the Old Covenant system imply that it was still an active and available option. Hebrews was thus written before the fall of Jerusalem on 10 Av, August 3, AD 70 (Josephus, The War of the Jews, 6:4:5).