If there was anything that Christians the world over desired to do together, it was to have Bible Study. Studying the Bible as a group was the best way to have fellowship and the Gatherers loved to do both. They once again gathered together in the shelter they had come to know as home and took their places at the table with their Bibles ready. David King sat at the head of the table. To his right sat Darren T. Fuller. Then, William Fronk and Erin Greye. At the end of the table, directly across from King, sat Marc Shiva. On King’s left sat Michael Lenox. Then, Staci Cohen. And finally Albert Barrington.

They fellowshipped for a short while, just sharing testimonies of what the Lord Jesus Christ had done for them. They had their coffee’s and their soft drinks and water and other assorted refreshments simply because everyone knew that at fellowship meetings, there was always refreshments.

But were they there for the refreshments?

No.

Were they there to talk about their own testimonies or about the weather?

No.

They were there to come into the very presence of the Lord and worship Him. They were coming together to study the Word of God and glean more truths as they were led by the Spirit.

King hadn’t even told them what they were going to be studying. He was like that. He enjoyed coming to the end of one study so he could begin to hint at the next one. It drove the other Gatherers crazy.

Now, they were together once more, and King finally waved his hands at them to begin the study. “My brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, I am once more honored and happy to meet with you for what is about to become another glorious journey along God’s wonderful Thruway. A Thruway we call Route 66. But before we do, I would, of course, love to start out with prayer. So let us hold hands and pray to the One who saved us and provided us with His Word so we can come to know Him on a level of intimacy.”

They held hands around the table.

King prayed. “Our Lord, words cannot express the thanksgivings deep within our hearts for the things You have done for us. You are a most gracious God. A wonderful God. Lord, You are absolutely everything to us and all we can do is thank You and praise You, but we could never do that enough because of who You are. You’ve created us with Your words. You’ve created the world we live on. You’ve provided us everything we’ve ever needed. And yet we have turned You away, we’ve spit on You, we’ve beaten You, we’ve hung You on a cross to die…and then we buried You. But You rose again, oh, Lord! And we thank You for loving us and saving us from the wrath yet to come. We don’t deserve it. We don’t deserve You. But because You first loved us, You came to us to save us if we would let You…and I’m so glad we did! Thank You, Lord.

“Thank You for Your Word, and I pray that You will guide us by Your Spirit and help us understand more of You as we study once more. We thank You, we praise You, and we worship You…In Jesus’ name…Amen.”

“Amen!” the others agreed.

King clapped his hands together. “Now…who of you can tell me what it is we are about to get into.” He looked around at the faces of his family and smiled knowingly. “Anyone?”

Fronk raised his hand.

“Yes, brother?”

Then, he held up the Bible. “We’re going to study…from this book.”

“Yes…Of course, that’s true. But what is it we’re going to study?”

“Something good,” Barrington said with a chuckle. “Anything studied from the Bible is always good.”

King pointed at him. “Ah, but you’re only generalizing what we are going to study. Shall I give you a hint?”

Staci looked at him. “David, can’t you just tell us? Your hints don’t always reveal what it is you’re about to tell us. So…come on! Don’t keep us guessing.”

“Yes, David,” Shiva began, grinning. “We know it’s about one of the books in the Bible. So…what? Old Testament? New Testament?”

King nodded. “Alright. I’ll tell you.” He paused. “New.”

Fuller smiled. “I love the New Testament.”

“But you also love the Old,” Lenox told him.

“This much is true.”

“Give us another hint, David,” Erin encouraged.

King paused. “Okay. In this book…here and there, you will find some stern warnings and also some exhortations.”

“Revelations has some stern warnings,” Fronk pointed out. “I’m not really sure about the exhortations, though. And if I were to guess further, I would say we aren’t going to be studying from any of the Gospels.”

Fuller nodded his head and sat back. “I agree. I think it has to be a letter or an epistle, as they’re called.”

King chuckled. “Oh, I’m sure you probably already have guessed it, Darren.”

Fuller winked.

“Alright. Another hint. This…letter is somewhat difficult. In fact, it is just downright difficult in some places. Why, several of the verses are frankly hard to understand clearly, but intriguing nonetheless. And also…another helpful hint…this letter soars in other places.”

Lenox considered that. “Is this going to be like Leviticus? As I recall, going through Leviticus was like needing to wear those hip-boots that fishermen use. And that was because of wading through the various tabernacle sacrificial rituals from Leviticus.”

“That may be, my brother, but you have to take the time to understand what is being said. You’ll be staggered by the implications.” He smiled. “This letter is just filled with high grade nuggets of Christian truth that will stay with us all of our lives.”

“And this letter would be…?” Erin trailed off intentionally.

King gave in. “Alright! The letter we are about to study is Hebrews. And Hebrews is absolutely an amazing book. It truly is nothing like anything we’ll see in the New Testament. Does anyone know what this book is for?” When no one answered, he said, “In the four Gospels, what is Jesus known as having? They went with Him wherever He went, for the most part.”

“He had disciples,” Shiva answered.

King nodded. “Yes, He did. That’s exactly right. So Hebrews, my brothers and sisters, is certainly a book for disciples. Why is this? Because it stirs our faith and it nips at our heels when we get lazy in our walk. And we do get lazy, don’t we?”

Lenox nodded in agreement. “I’ll say we do.”

“Right at this moment, Hebrews is a very good book to study because it helps us to see Jesus in a new way. It enables us to understand the role of suffering to discipline and trains us up as the Lord’s disciples. Though Hebrews discusses at length Old Testament themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and Israel's high priest, it isn't about these things. Ultimately, the Letter to the Hebrews is a lens, which focuses all of our attention on Jesus Christ. Who He is in both His humanity and divinity…and what He has done for us now and forever.”

“That’s heavy,” Shiva said.

Fronk looked at him.

“Well,” King began, “Hebrews is both a challenge and a joy. Are you up for the journey?”

“You know I am,” Barrington told him.

“Then…allow me to introduce the Book of Hebrews.”

“Now Hebrews has 13 chapters,” King told the group. “There is a lot to learn in these 13 chapters. About Jesus, the Father’s own Son. Jesus, who tasted death for everyone. Jesus, the Giver of rest. Jesus, our sympathetic High Priest. Jesus, our High Priest forever. Jesus, Mediator of a better Covenant. Jesus, our willing sacrifice. We will also find warnings against apostasy.”

“David,” Staci began, hesitantly, “what is apostasy?”

King leaned forward. “Apostasy is a term generally employed to describe the formal renunciation of one’s religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy. One who commits apostasy is an apostate.”

“So…that is someone who leaves their faith?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. “Okay. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He continued with, “In Hebrews, we will also look at the confidence, nature, perspective, perseverance, and workings of faith. Now, I am sure there will be many questions throughout this study. Ask them and we’ll see if we can answer them. The question I would like to ask you is who do you believe the Book of Hebrews points to?”

Barrington grinned. “Well, that’s obvious, David. The book points to Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

“The author and finisher of our faith,” King added with a nod. “Absolutely. In Hebrews, He is depicted as the Son of God as well as the one who humbled Himself to be human…made like His brothers in every way. ‘Therefore in all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 1’ He is both our Sacrifice for sin as well as our merciful High Priest who brings us to God and strengthens us when we are weak. The book explains the costliness and the completeness of our salvation.”

“Man!” Fronk exclaimed loudly, causing Erin to jump. “That sounds like one powerful book.”

King couldn’t help but grin at him. “Hebrews is one of the most powerful books in the New Testament, William. But we know little about its origins, its authorship, its recipients, and its date, though some of these can be surmised.”

“Like how?” Staci asked. “How can those things be surmised? And what can be?”

Fuller cleared his throat. “We can come to some conclusions about the authorship, Staci. I think it’s pretty clear that Paul wasn’t the author here, even though the book’s title in the King James Version of the Bible and many previous Bibles also attributed it to Paul.”

“Wow,” Lenox said. “Done your homework, have you?”

Fuller grinned. “When we don’t study as a group, I do still have some time to study alone.”

“My King James Version of the Bible doesn’t have Paul listed as the author. It just mentions that the author is uncertain.”

“You have an earlier printed version. But getting back to what I was saying, Paul would have underscored how Christ had revealed the gospel to him directly. In Galatians 1:12, Paul writes, ‘for I neither received it from man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.’ In the 16th verse, Paul continues with, ‘to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen, I conferred not immediately with flesh and blood.’ And then, in Galatians 2, verse 2, he writes, ‘And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.’” He held up a hand. “But…the author of Hebrews, however, says, ‘How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by those who heard Him, God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will? 2’”

Staci shook her head. “I…don’t understand. How does that show the author of Hebrews wasn’t Paul?”

“Well, the author sounds like one who was old enough to learn from the eyewitnesses to Christ's life, the apostles, but was not one himself. While his doctrine is Pauline, he writes in a much different style. It’s written in a more elegant Greek than Paul‘s.”

“The author was a second-generation Christian,” King began, “who quite possibly was very familiar with the Old Testament in its Greek Septuagint form.”

“So we don’t know who actually wrote Hebrews,” Erin commented.

“No. But many people have been put forward as possible authors. Luke, Barnabas, and Apollos, to name a few.”

Shiva paused. “Who was Apollos?”

“He was ‘a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures...3’” King answered. “However, there are no attested writings from him, so it’s difficult to prove or disprove any theory.”

Barrington shrugged. “So whoever the author is can be anyone’s guess. The bottom line seems to be that we’ll find out from the author himself when we meet in Heaven.”

“Whoever wrote Hebrews,” Lenox added, “the truth is only God knows.”

“If we don’t know who wrote it,” Erin began questioningly, “do we know who it was written for?”

King paused. “That is a good question, Erin. Let’s talk about the recipients of this epistle.”

Lenox sat back and took a hold of his coffee mug as he considered what they had already discussed. “I would say the book of Hebrews is written to the Hebrews.”

Fronk sat up straight. “Did you assume that from the title of the book?”

“Well, who else can it be for?”

King answered that. “It really is unclear. Hebrews opens up without addressing anyone in particular. However, unlike most epistles, there are few personal references. In Hebrews 13:22 and 23, the writer writes, ‘And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for I have written this letter unto you with few words. Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty, with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.’ In the 24th verse, he writes, ‘Those from Italy salute you.’ So perhaps that gives us a clue as to who Hebrews is written to. It is possible that the author is writing to Christians in Rome, but they could be Roman citizens in any major city.”

“I believe,” Fuller began, “that we can make some deductions about the readers from the author's exhortation. They seem to be primarily Jewish Christians who are familiar with the Greek Old Testament. They’ve been through persecutions, though none of their number has been killed as yet. The author works hard to convince them not to return to their former Judaism, that Jesus is truly the Messiah, and there is no turning back.”

“My brother, you do study on your own.”

“Thank you, David. I’m sure I’m not the only one. I simply enjoy studying the Bible because it is rich in detail with theology, doctrine and plenty of history. About the recipients of Hebrews, I think it's probable then that they’re Greek-speaking Jewish Christians who have become disillusioned with Christianity and are considering going back to Judaism.”

“When we come to the date of Hebrews,” King replied, “it also is unclear. An exact date cannot be determined, only surmised.”

“I think you like that word,” Staci commented, smiling at him to show she was teasing. “Surmised.”

“It only means that we can give this our best guess.”

She nodded. “I know. But, really, David, is it all that important for us to know who wrote the book, and who it was written for…and when it was written? God knows all that. Do we have to?”

“No, we don’t have to.”

Barrington nodded. “But I’d like to. I think it’s just as important to know these things. Knowledge is good to have, especially when it comes to the Bible. Kind of gives you a taste of what it was like back then at the time the books were written.”

“A taste of history,” Lenox added. “A history we’re a part of now because of our connection with Jesus.”

Staci paused. “Well…history is hard to follow, but I’m with you as much as I can on it. Just be warned. I’ll ask a lot of questions.”

King smiled. “And I look forward to your questions. Bible study should be full of questions. Now…what have we learned about the date of Hebrews?”

Erin shrugged. “We didn’t.”

“Right,” Shiva agreed. “All we know is that we don’t know when it was written.”

“We’re going to see,” King began, “that the writer speaks about temple sacrifices. He possibly writes Hebrews prior to the fall of Jerusalem, the cessation of sacrifices, and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.” He looked at Fuller. “If you truly are a history buff, my brother, then you know where this is going.”

Fuller nodded with a grin. “I do. If the recipients were in Rome, the persecution they had faced could have been under Nero about 65 AD, brought on by the fire that engulfed much of Rome. So, probably, then, Hebrews was written around 65 AD.”

“Well, that’s good surmising,” Staci said.

King smiled at her. “Sometimes, surmising is all we can do, but one day, we will know all of the details from Jesus Himself. That truly is a day to look forward to, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Erin agreed.

Shiva nodded knowingly. “Amen to that, brother.”

The others also agreed.

“Now,” King replied, “since Hebrews doesn't purport to be written by an apostle, its status as an accepted part of the New Testament canon was unclear for some time, though the book was considered quite valuable. It is quoted or referred to by a number of early Christian writers. There was disagreement and speculation among early Fathers about who the author was, but the eastern church, Clement of Alexandria and Origin, for example, placed it early among the writings of Paul. Some Western Fathers did not accept Hebrews as apostolic, but eventually it was accepted as canonical by both Jerome and Augustine, and was recognized at the Synods of Hippo in 393 AD and also Carthage in 397, 419 AD as among the standard New Testament writings among the writings of Paul. One other note, in his earlier works, Augustine accepted Hebrews as Pauline, but in his later works he viewed it as anonymous.” King smiled. “Now…with some of the history out of the way, we can come to the purpose and themes of Hebrews.”

“What do you believe the purpose of Hebrews is?” King asked the study group.

Erin shook her head. “I really don’t have a clue. The only thing I know about Hebrews is what’s called the Hall of Faith.”

Staci nodded. “Yeah. Me, too. That’s all I’m familiar with.”

“There’s a lot of names in there,” Shiva replied. “I imagine we’ll be studying a lot about some of those names, if not all of them.”

Fronk clapped his hands and shouted, “Whoo!” This, of course, once more caused Erin to jump. “Man, this is like the sprinkles of an ice cream cone. I’m telling you! We haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet. I’ve already got goose bumps and they’re spreading.”

Erin looked at him. “Would you please stop doing that? Contain yourself.”

The others laughed.

“I just think,” Fronk continued, “that the purpose is simply to learn more about our Savior, and it talks about how we can strengthen our faith.”

Lenox indicated Fuller with a nod. “I don’t know, Bill. Todd pointed out something earlier about how some of the Jewish Christians were wavering in their faith and making noise about returning to their former Judaism. The book of Hebrews sounds like it was a call to them not to desert Christ.”

“That is definitely one purpose of Hebrews.” King held up two fingers. “But there is another.”

Barrington looked at Fuller. “Come on, Todd. You can tell us. You know you want to.”

Fuller paused. “Alright…if you insist. Hebrews may also have been written to help both Jewish and Gentile Christians to make some sense out of the Old Testament. With Hebrews, they could show its importance in a world influenced by Greek ideas. That, of course, is according to Guthrie, and I can see how he could be right.”

Staci pursed her lips together. “Okay. See? You keep mentioning other names. Both you and David do…Clement. Origin. Guthrie. I mean….who are these people? What do they have to do with Hebrews?”

She expected Fuller or King to answer but was surprised when Fronk gave the answer. “Donald Guthrie was a British New Testament scholar who wrote several books, like New Testament Introduction, and New Testament Theology.” He sat back and took on a professorial tone. “Clement of Alexandria was the first member of the Church of Alexandria to be more than a name, and one of its most distinguished teachers. Origin was an early Christian scholar, theologian, and one of the most distinguished of the early fathers of the Christian Church.” He looked at Staci and puffed out his cheeks. “Does that help, my dear?”

“Yes, it does,” Staci replied. “Thank you, Professor Crazy Man.”

“It’s quite alright, my dear, and most expected, of course.” He narrowed his eyes and peered over the top of his glasses at King and Fuller. “There are others here besides the two of you who knows a bit about history.”

“We’re glad you’re here, William,” Fuller told him.

Fronk suddenly grinned and waved. “Thanks, Skipper!”

Fuller shook his head. “David…let’s move on, shall we?”

King nodded. “Of course.” He glanced at his notes. “Well, we have the purpose. Now…what about the themes of Hebrews. Every book in the Bible has a theme, or several themes. Hebrews is one, which carries several themes.”

“I think while Hebrews ends like a letter, with a few personal references, it doesn't begin like one.” Barrington paused as he thought about what themes could be in there. He flipped through the pages of his Bible, looking Hebrews over. “Instead, it seems to be structured almost like a sermon.”

“Or a homily,” Fronk pointed out.

Staci looked at him. “Uhm, what’s that?”

Shiva chuckled. “Just a fancy way of saying sermon. It means the same thing.” He nodded toward Fronk. “He’s just showing off.”

“My point is,” Barrington continued, “a sermon is something that usually has a number of points…or themes.”

Erin looked at him. “So what themes are in Hebrews, besides faith?”

“How many themes are in Hebrews?” Staci asked. She looked at King. “Maybe that will help.”

King chuckled. “There are eight. And I’ll give you the first one. The first strong theme is Jesus’ fulfillment of the Old Testament as both High Priest and sacrifice.” He turned his head and smiled at Erin. “And, yes, faith is another one of the major themes; a recitation of the faith of heroes and heroines of the faith.”

Fronk raised his hand. “Another theme is an expectation of the City of God.”

“What about the greatness of Christ,” Lenox began, “in contrast with other human leaders and angels?”

“Yes,” King assured him with a nod. “Very good! Excellent one. Yes, that is definitely a strong theme.”

Barrington put his Bible down. “Well, I do see a couple of other themes here. Like the preexistence, humanity, and exaltation of Jesus as God’s Son.”

“I would have to believe that the ability,” Shiva began, “to call upon their great High Priest for help in daily pressures and trials.”

Barrington nodded. “Yeah, that was one of the other ones I found here.”

King paused. “Would anyone else want to take a guess at the remaining two themes?” When no one did, he said, “The last two themes are…the most thorough Christian view of the Old Testament found in the Bible, and an exhortation to be faithful in spite of suffering and a glimpse into the role of suffering to help one mature as a Christian. Now, Hebrews is a rich expression of our Christian inheritance and hope, without which the people of God would be greatly impoverished. The writer seeks to accomplish in the Letter to the Hebrews what he prays for in his concluding benediction in Hebrews 13:20 - 21. I also believe this is the perfect timing for us to stop here so that we can then begin our journey in earnest. ‘Now the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.’”

1 - Hebrews 2:17
2 - Hebrews 2:3 - 4
3 - Acts 18:24

This concludes the Introduction of Hebrews.