THE BIBLICAL MUSEUM: A COLLECTION OF NOTES ON THE Holy Scriptures, ESPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR THE USE OF MINISTERS, BIBLE- BY JAMES COMPER GRAY, Author of "Topics for Teachers," "The Class and the Desk," &c. &c. VOL. V. Containing the Epistle to the Hebrews to the end of New Testament. LONDON: ELLIOT STOCK, 62, PATERNOSTER ROW. İ. Author, uncertain. Two principal hypotheses: i. PAUL. 1. The writer was well known (x. 34; xiii. 18-23), and must have been spoken of. Early fathers of E. Ch. say that it was handed down as a writing of P.'s. Some (Clem. Alex., Orig., Euseb.) regard this testy. as conclusive. 2. The writer intimate with Jewish system, and having sympathy with Jews (cf. Ro. ix. 10, 11; Phil. 3). 3. The personal refs. not oppos. to known hist. of P. 4. Style not strikingly Pauline, yet resembling his speeches recorded by Lu. 5. The withholding of author's name increases the prob. that it was the work of P. Among those who believe this Ep. to be the work of P., are Lardner, Wetstein, Sir Is. Newton, Lightfoot, Whitby, Mill, Pearson, Beza, Bengel, Moses Stuart, Davidson, Michaelis, Wordsworth, Angus, etc. But Erasmus, Luther, Calvin, and the principal modern critics, as Ewald and Bleek, followed by Alford, reject the Pauline hypothesis. "I do not believe St. Paul to be the author of the Epistle, to the Hebrews. Luther's conjecture is very probable, that it was by Apollos, an Alexandrian Jew. The plan is too studiously regular for Paul. It was evidently written during the yet existing glories of the Temple. For 300 years the Church did not affix Paul's name to it; but its Apostolical or Catholic character, independently of its genuineness as to Paul, was never much doubted."-Coleridge. The arguments adduced to prove it was written by Paul, as set forth by Moses Stuart, in his work on the Epistle, appear to me convincing. It may be observed that some who do not admit it was exactly written by that Apostle, acknowledge its Pauline character, and consider it to be composed under his influence by Luke or Barnabas."-J. Stoughton, D.D. ii. APOLLOS [iii. 172]. One of the first to sugg. this view was Luther, more recently adopted by De Wette, Tholuck, Credner, Bunsen, Reuss, Lunemann, and Bleek, who says, "everything seems to favour the hypothesis that Apollos wrote our Epistle." Of others, who have been indicated as the poss. authors of this Ep., may be named (1) Luke (Delitzsch, Grotius); (2) Luke and Paul (Ebrard, etc.); (3) Clemens Rom.; (4) Barnabas (Ullman, Wieseler, Tertullian); (5) Silas (Böhme). II. For whom written. For JUDEO-CHRISTIANS. Not prob. to the whole of such converts throughout the world. Not, necessarily, to the mother Ch. at Jerus., but perh. to the Ch. at Alexandria (Schmidt, Wieseler, who favour the view that Apollos was the writer), or more likely to the Jewish Christians at Rome (Wetstein, etc. This hypothesis accs. for the greater use being made in this Ep. of the Ep. to the Roms. above all other of Paul's Epp.). III. Time, bef. destr. of Jerus. If aft., that event would prob. have been refer. to, in an Ep. addressed to such readers. Prob. A.D. 68-70, i.e. during siege of Jerus. (to wh. xiii. 14 may be an all.). IV. Place, uncertain, but perh. EPHESUS (Alford). V. Design, "The object of this Ep. is to show the superiority of the Gospel to the former covenant: and that mainly by exhibiting, fr. the Scriptures, and fr. the nature of the case, the superiority of Jesus Himself to both the messengers and the high priests of that former covenant. This is the main argument of the Ep., filled out and illustrated by various corollaries springing out of its dif. parts, and expanding in the directions of encouragement, warning, and illustration" (Alford). "The Epistle was designed primarily for the Jewish Christians of Palestine, who were tempted to relapse into Judaism, and for other Jewish Christians, and also for the benefit of Jewish readers throughout the world, and lastly for universal use. It was designed for enemies as well as for friends, for Judaizing Christians, and for unchristianised Jews." --Wordsworth. |