"This publication is the first survey of Jonathan Edwards's harmonic interpretation of Epistle to the Hebrews. This methodology emphasized harmony between the history of the world and its account in the Word. Drawn from a planned publication on The Harmony of the Old and New Testament, the harmonic interpretation of Jonathan Edwards sought to harmonize the Old and New Testament by employing three habits: (1) the habit of observing Old Testament prophetic fulfillment in the person and work of Christ in the New Testament; (2) the habit of perceiving typology in the natural world and Scripture that typified the Messiah, Jesus Christ; (3) the habit of harmonizing the Old and New Testament according to its doctrines and precepts. After introducing this methodology to readers, this study provides eight thematic case studies on how Edwards demonstrated this methodology in his interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews."
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Jonathan Edwards and Hebrews
"This publication is the first survey of Jonathan Edwards's harmonic interpretation of Epistle to the Hebrews. This methodology emphasized harmony between the history of the world and its account in the Word. Drawn from a planned publication on The Harmony of the Old and New Testament, the harmonic interpretation of Jonathan Edwards sought to harmonize the Old and New Testament by employing three habits: (1) the habit of observing Old Testament prophetic fulfillment in the person and work of Christ in the New Testament; (2) the habit of perceiving typology in the natural world and Scripture that typified the Messiah, Jesus Christ; (3) the habit of harmonizing the Old and New Testament according to its doctrines and precepts. After introducing this methodology to readers, this study provides eight thematic case studies on how Edwards demonstrated this methodology in his interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews."
Monday, March 10, 2025
Review of Myers, Authorship of 1 Peter and Hebrews
New RBL review:
Elizabeth A. Myers. Authorship of 1 Peter and Hebrews: New Evidence in Light of Probable Intertextual Borrowing. Review by John-Christian Eurell.
Friday, February 28, 2025
Friday, February 21, 2025
Review of Hellenistic Jews and Consolatory Rhetoric
Samuel D. Stewart reviews: Christine R. Trotter, Hellenistic Jews and Consolatory Rhetoric: 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, 1 Thessalonians, and Hebrews.
The Humanity of Jesus in Hebrews 2
Video discussion:
Ian Paul, and James Blandford-Baker. The Humanity of Jesus in Hebrews 2.
Why Does Hebrews Matter?
Video:
George Guthrie. Unlocking Hebrews: Why This Book Matters for Your Faith.
Why Write Another Commentary on Hebrews?
This video is a couple years old now:
Loveday and Philip Alexander: "Why write another commentary on Hebrews?"
I look forward to their commentary which will be in the ICC series.
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Hebrews' Relationship to Second Temple Judaism
A link to this dissertation has been added to the Theses and Dissertations page:
Strickland, Phillip David. “Pro Hebraious: The Epistle to the Hebrews and Its Relationship to Second Temple Judaism.” PhD diss., McMaster Divinity College, 2019.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Rest, Rhetoric, and Suffering in Hebrews
A recent doctoral dissertation that is available on the internet:
Ngama, Dickson Kûng’û. “Rest, Rhetoric, and Suffering in the Letter to the Hebrews: How the Author of Hebrews Uses Classical Rhetoric to Resolve Tension between Invitation to God’s Rest and Present Suffering.” PhD diss., Rawlings School of Divinity, 2024.
HT: Lee Zachary Maxey
Monday, January 6, 2025
Articles on Hebrews from Africa
Steyn, G. J. “Die vita Christiana volgens Hebreërs 10:19–25: Eksegetiese kantaantekeninge.” Dutch Reformed Theological Journal/Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskriff 48 (2007): 612–20.
Jones, M. “Calvin and His Puritan Heirs on Christ’s Humanity in Hebrews.” Dutch Reformed Theological Journal/Nederduitse Gereformeerde Teologiese Tydskrif 54.1 (2013): 59–69.
Boaheng, Isaac. “A Soteriological Reflection on Priestly Christology from an Akan Perspective.” Stellenbosch Theological Journal 9.1 (2023): 1–18.
Friday, January 3, 2025
Article on Hebrews from Ukraine
"This article seeks to identify a single source of intertextual connection that has been influential in forming theological statements about Christ’s death in Heb 13:12 in terms of spatial-topological theology. It reexamines and evaluates the theological approaches to the interpretation of place-space indicators such as “outside the gates” and “outside the camp”. For the first time in studies of this kind, the differences in the soteriological and eschatological scenarios associated with the choice of the respective backgrounds are pointed out, and the practical implications of these differences are outlined. The motive that led the apostle Paul to use the language of a specific Old Testament background, with the help of which he recorded the true reality and its intentionality, was made explicit. It has been shown that the rituals of Yom Kippur are not the hermeneutical context of the indicators mentioned and cannot serve as an interpretive axiom. In turn, this has shed light on the negative consequences of imposing the Day of Atonement motif not only for the contents of Heb 13:12, but for the whole document. Certainly, this approach to dealing with the crucial informative aspects in this Exhortation to Hebrews, is evidence of the domination of academic thinking by fixed theological motivations, and within the boundaries of a particular scholarly trend. It has been exegetically argued that the ritual activity of the daily service in the earthly Tabernacle, is regarded as a non-alternative outline in the explication of the cumulative features of the informative constituents in Heb 13:12. In general, this made it possible not only to coordinate the vector of interpretation of the soteriological component with the intentions of the author of the document, but also to determine how the identified data, outline the contours of the practical life of church members, forming their doctrinal-worldview horizon."