Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews

Here is my rough translation of the table of contents of Jordi Cervera's new book:

Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews:

A Christology from a Jewish Matrix

Table of Contents

Presentation

Introduction

First Part

The Hebrews

First Chapter

THE HEBREWS: BELIEVERS IN JESUS FROM A JEWISH MATRIX

1. Judeo-Christian: an imprecise term

2. Kaleidoscope of believers from a Jewish and Gentile matrix according to the Second Testament

    2.1. Believers from a Jewish provenance

        2.1.1. Hebrews observant of the Torah who required it for Gentile brothers

        2.1.2. Hebrews observant of the Torah who did not require it for Gentile brothers

        2.1.3. Hebrews flexible with the Torah who dismissed it for the Gentiles

        2.1.4. Hebrews observant of the Torah who followed Jesus secretly

        2.1.5. Conclusion

    2.2. Believers from a Gentile provenance

        2.2.1. Gentiles who rejected the Torah and rejected the Jewish tradition

        2.2.2. Gentiles who respected the Torah despite not observing it

        2.2.3. Judaized Gentiles

        2.2.4. Conclusion

    2.3. The antichrists

        2.3.1. Syncretistic or Gnosticized believers who denied the humanity of Jesus

        2.3.2. Messianic believers who did not accept the divine filiation of Jesus

        2.3.3. Conclusion

3. From kaleidoscope to binoculars

Second Chapter

The Hebrews: Historical Panorama

1. The New Testament testimony

2. The apocryphal writings

    2.1. Apocrypha of the first testament

    2.2. Apocrypha of the second testament

3. The apostolic writings

4. References from the fathers of the Church

    4.1. Justin (150–160 AD)

    4.2. Polycrates of Ephesus (ca. 195 AD) concerning the quartodecimans

    4.3. Origen (ca. 185– ca. 253 AD)

    4.4. Epiphanius of Salamis (ca. 315–403 AD) concerning Joseph of Tiberius

    4.5. Jerome (331–420 AD)

5. Groups of Christians from a Jewish matrix according to the fathers of the Church

    5.1. Nazarenes

    5.2. Ebionites

    5.3. Cerinthians and Elkasites

6. Assessments of Rabbinic Judaism

    6.1. The Christians from a Jewish matrix according to the Tannaitic sources

    6.2. The Christians according to Amoraic sources

    6.3. The Birkat ha-Minim as an explanatory synthesis

    6.4. Conclusion

7. A tradition and a progressively irrelevant group

Second Part

The Letter to the Hebrews

Third Chapter

“To the Hebrews”: An author and recpients from a Jewish matrix

1. “To the Hebrews”: A genuine title

    1.1. Hebrews in the papyrus Chester Beatty P46

    1.2. Hebrews in the Codex Sinaiticus (אּ)

    1.3. Hebrews in the Codex Alexandrinus (A)

    1.4. Hebrews in the Codex Vaticanus (B)

    1.5. The genuineness of the title “to the Hebrews”

2. A largely Judaized writing with later adjustments

    2.1. A surprising exordium (Heb 1:1–3)

    2.2. The thirteenth chapter

    2.3. A postscript of delivery

    2.4. Textual dissonances

        2.4.1. Hebrews 7:12 and Hebrews 7:18–19a

        2.4.2. Hebrews 13:8

        2.4.3. Hebrews 13:16

    2.5 Internal contradictions

        2.5.1. The sacrificial affirmations of the ninth chapter

        2.5.2. Contradictions in the tenth chapter

        2.5.3. Comparative schema

    2.6. Adjustments to a largely Judaized writing

Third Part

Christology of the Letter to the Hebrews

Fourth Chapter

The christological context of Hebrews

1. The New Testament and apostolic stamp

    1.1. The Johannine writings

    1.2. The proto-Pauline writings

    1.3. The first letter of Peter

    1.4. Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, the Martyrdom of Polycarp

2. References from intertestamental literature

    2.1. A priestly messianism at Qumran

    2.2. The new priesthood of the Testament of Levi

    2.3. Melchizedek at Qumran

    2.4. Melchizedek in the Targums

Fifth Chapter

An inspired apology from the death and heavenliness of Jesus

1. Recipients from a Jewish matrix with difficulties to confess the communal faith

    1.1. Messianic traits of Jesus assumed by believers of the Jewish matrix

        1.1.1. A preexistent Messiah, son, and session at the right hand

        1.1.2. A suffering Messiah who expiates sins

    1.2. Christological depth and novelty

        1.2.1. The new covenant in Jesus

        1.2.2. A Messiah fully son, celestial and universal priest

    1.3. The christological controversy

        1.3.1. Jesus is also God

        1.3.2. His blood expiates sins in a definitive manner

    1.4. Difficulties of communion in the confession of faith

    1.5. A postbaptismal catechesis

2. A sacrificed and exalted Jesus: an expiation and a definitive mediation

    2.1. The relevancy of the great high priest in Hebrews

    2.2. Jesus and Melchizedek

    2.3. Conclusion

3. A theology of a Jewish matrix with remarks of a Greek stamp

Sixth Chapter

A symphony of christological titles

1. A rhythmical combination of christological titles

2. Melodies of priestly messianism

    2.1. High priest/priest and son of God

    2.2. Christ, high priest, son

    2.3. High priest and son

    2.4. Christ and high priest

    2.5. Offering and Jesus Christ

3. Priestly melodies

    3.1. High priest and sacrifice

    3.2. Sacrifice and offering

4. Melodies of priestly mediation

    4.1. Envoy and high priest

    4.2. Precursor and high priest

5. Complementary melodies

    5.1. Melody of messianic mediator: son and heir

    5.2. Messianic melody: Christ and son

    5.3. Melody of mediation: great shepherd and our Lord

6. Melodies that outline christological themes

Seventh Chapter

Titles descriptive of the celestial cult of Jesus

1. High priest

2. Priest

3. Minister

4. Sacrifice

5. Offering

6. Conclusion

Eighth Chapter

Titles descriptive of the divine status of Jesus

1. Proclamation of the divinity of Jesus (Heb 1:3–4)

2. Son of God

3. The son

4. Christ

5. Jesus Christ

6. Conclusion

Ninth Chapter

Titles descriptive of the celestial mediation of Jesus

1. Mediator

2. Our Lord

3. Firstborn

4. Initiator and culminator

5. Guarantor

6. Conclusion

Tenth Chapter

Jesus, the glue and backbone title

1. Jesus: celestial high priest and perfect offering

    1.1. Celestial high priest

    1.2. Perfect offering

2. Jesus: preexistent, suffering, enthroned, universal messiah

3. Jesus: mediator of the new covenant and of a new faith in God

    3.1. Jesus: author, leader, and forefather of the new covenant

        3.1.1. Author of the new covenant

        3.1.2. Leader and forefather of the new covenant

    3.2. Jesus: spokesman of a new faith in God

Fourth Part

Epilogue

Eleventh Chapter

Hebrews: A mystic approach to God and to Jesus

1. An existential ascent through Jesus

2. Contemplating Jesus

3. Observing Jesus

4. Fixing the eyes on Jesus

5. Approaching God and Jesus

6. Entering into the celestial realm

7. A mystic and communal journey to heaven

Bibliography used

Index of authors

Index of citations

My First Book in Catalan!

Many thanks to Jordi Cervera for sending me a copy of his book, Jesús en la Carta als Hebreus: Una cristologia de matriu jueva. It is my first book in Catalan!

Prahlow Reviews Allen, Lukan Authorship of Hebrews

Jacob Prahlow reviews David L. Allen's book Lukan Authorship of Hebrews.

Ken Schenck's Book Is Out

Ken Schenck has announced that his new book on Revelation, Hebrews, and the General Epistles is now available:

The Early Church: Letters to the Body of Christ

Congratulations, Ken!

My Response to Felix Cortez’ Review of My Book

Felix Cortez’ review of my book has recently appeared on the RBL website. In his critique of my book, he says that I failed to uncover the story world of Hebrews. However, it was not my intent to uncover the entire story world of Hebrews except for that part of the story world which was pertinent to revealing the character of Jesus. The story world of Hebrews also “includes the stories of the OT . . . as well as the story of the community to which the author was writing” as I note on page 204 in my book. Ken Schenck has already attempted to uncover the story world behind Hebrews in his popular introduction Understanding the Book of Hebrews: The Story behind the Sermon. Cortez notes that I trace the characterization of Jesus in the argument of Hebrews, not its story world, in chapter 5 of my book. But I do reconstruct part of the story world of Hebrews in chapter 4 of my book.

Cortez takes issue with some of my reconstruction of the chronology of Jesus’ life. At the time I was writing my dissertation I did associate the cleansing of sins and atonement with Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Certainly there are those who contend that the cleansing of sins and atonement is not completed until after Jesus enters heaven and offers his blood. This interpretation has certainly come to the fore with the publication of David Moffitt’s monograph Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in the Epistle to the Hebrews. I think Hebrews can lend itself to either interpretation and hence this remains a contested issue in Hebrews’ study.

Cortez, I think, wrongly critiques me on his next point: “it is difficult to understand why the submission of the enemies under Jesus—or submission of all things—is included in the list before his appointment as high priest.” He contends that the submission of enemies should be listed after his appointment as high priest. I, in fact, do not believe that the submission of enemies takes place before his appointment as high priest. As I note before compiling the chronology, “a strict chronological framework is impossible since many of the deeds occur simultaneously” (p. 203). It is impossible to narrative simultaneously deeds that take place simultaneously. If two things happen at the same time, one can only describe one thing and then the other. I connect the submission of Jesus’ enemies with Jesus’ enthronement as king, not with his appointment as high priest. Hence, on page 205 I describe all the events associated with his enthronement first, and then I describe the events associated with his high priesthood second. I do say “simultaneously with his enthronement, Jesus was also appointed as high priest” (p. 205). The submission of enemies takes place after Jesus’ enthronement and his appointment as high priest.

Cortez then remarks in the next sentence: “There is, however, the more fundamental question whether this reconstructed story of Jesus is coterminous with the story behind Hebrews or just a part of it.” I take it, then, that Cortez believes that the story of Jesus is coterminous with the story world of Hebrews. I, however, take the story of Jesus as only part of the larger story world that lies behind Hebrews. His suggestion in the penultimate paragraph certainly points to further avenues for exploration.

Johnsson Dissertation Available Online

Steve Cook informed me that the following dissertation is available online:

Johnsson, William George. “Defilement and Purgation in the Book of Hebrews.” Ph.D. diss., Vanderbilt University, 1973.

As usual, I will add a link to the dissertations and theses page.

Hebrews Articles in La Nouvelle Revue Théologique

I was pleased to discover that the journal La nouvelle revue théologique has a number of their articles available online, including the following articles dealing with Hebrews. I came across some articles I have not discovered before (I don't know how that happened . . .).

Vanhoye, Albert. “Salut universel par le Christ et validité de l’Ancienne Alliance.” La nouvelle revue théologique 116.6 (1994): 815–35.

Grelot, Pierre. “Le ministère chrétien dans sa dimension sacerdotale.” La nouvelle revue théologique 112.2 (1990): 161–82.

Bonnard, P.-E. “La traduction de Hébreux 12, 2:‘C’est en vue de la joie que Jésus endura la croix.’” La nouvelle revue théologique 97.5 (1975): 415–23.

Andriessen, Paul. “La traduction de Hébreux 12, 2: ‘Renonçant à la joie qui lui revenait.’” La nouvelle revue théologique 97.5 (1975): 424–38.

Andriessen, Paul. “Angoisse de la mort dans l’Épître aux Hébreux.” La nouvelle revue théologique 96.3 (1974): 282–92.

Andriessen, Paul. “L’eucharistie dans l’Épître aux Hébreux.” La nouvelle revue théologique 94.3 (1972): 269–77.

Vanhoye, Albert. “Le Christ, grand-prêtre selon Héb. 2,17–18.” La nouvelle revue théologique 91.5 (1969): 449–74.

Coppens, J. “Les affinités qumrâniennes de l’épîtreaux Hébreux.” La nouvelle revue théologique 84.2 (1962): 128–41.

Coppens, J. “Les affinités qumrâniennes de l’épîtreaux Hébreux.” La nouvelle revue théologique 84.3 (1962): 257–82.

Review of Barnard, The Mysticism of Hebrews

Jody Barnard has informed me that a brief review of his book, The Mysticism of Hebrews, has appeared in La nouvelle revue théologique. The review appears on his blog with his translation.

Hebrews Highlights May 2015

It appears that posts on Hebrews have slowed to a crawl. Here is the only post for the past two months on Hebrews:

Henry Neufeld discusses Yet Again Hebrews Authorship.

Comparatives in Hebrews

I stumbled across this article which has now been added to the Articles page:

Köstenberger, Andreas J. “Jesus, the Mediator of a ‘Better Covenant’: Comparatives in the Book of Hebrews.” Faith and Mission 21/2 (2004): 30–49.

The Double-Logos of Hebrews 4:12–13

A new article on Hebrews has appeared in the Journal of Theological Interpretation:

Rebekah Eklund. "'To Us, the Word': The Double-λόγος of Hebrews 4:12–13." Journal of Theological Interpretation 9.1 (Spring 2015): 101–16.

Resurrection in Hebrews

A recent issue of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology  has an article on resurrection in Hebrews. The full issue is available as a pdf download. Downloads of individual articles are also available.

David Schrock. "Resurrection and Priesthood: Christological Soundings from the Book of Hebrews." The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 18.4 (2014): 89–114.

Mosser Reviews Calaway's, The Sabbath and the Sanctuary

In the latest round of RBL reviews Carl Mosser reviews Jared Calaway's monograph:

Jared C. Calaway. The Sabbath and the Sanctuary: Access to God in the Letter to the Hebrews and Its Priestly Context.

Manson Article Added

Now added to the Articles and Essays page:

Manson, T. W. “The Problem of the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Bulletin of the John Rylands Library 32 (1949): 1–17.

New Book on Hebrews . . . in Catalan!

Jordi Cervera, professor at the Facultat de Teologia de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, has informed me that his book on Hebrews is coming out soon:

Jordi Cervera i Valls. Jesús en la Carta als Hebreus: Una cristologia de Matriu Jueva. Col·lectània Sant Pacià 110.

Abstract:
"El discurs de la Carta als Hebreus s’escriu esguardant el cel i convidant a fer el mateix, eixamplant horitzons i mostrant el destí final dels creients. El cel d’Hebreus no és informe i eteri, sinó a manera de santuari on reposa—en el lloc més sagrat— l’excelsitud de la Majestat divina amb Jesús assegut a la seva dreta. Els destinataris són convidats a pujar vers aquests espais, aprofitant el decisiu moment escatològic: són els darrers temps inaugurats amb l’encarnació de Jesús, uns temps messiànics que romanen oberts gràcies a la seva ascensió al cel i que es clouran amb el seu retorn definitiu. Els  creients han d’aprofitar l’avinentesa d’aquest apropament excepcional entre cel i terra, que obre un camí segur i directe a Déu i que passa per Jesucrist. Es tracta d’un recorregut que comença d’una manera responsable i compromesa en els espais terrenals i que culminarà en les altures, al costat del qui ha inaugurat aquest accés. Hebreus esdevé una aturada per reagrupar els creients i cohesionar-los, per encoratjar-los a la perseverança tot admirant el gran sacerdot Jesucrist, que els facilita el camí mitjançant la seva intercessió, i els espera a la fi del trajecte amb les portes del cel obertes."

My rough translation:
The discourse of the Letter to the Hebrews is written gazing towards heaven and inviting (others) to do the same by broadening horizons and showing the final destiny of believers. The heaven of Hebrews is not formless and ethereal, but rather a sanctuary where rests—in the holiest place—the sublimeness of the divine majesty with Jesus sitting on his right hand. The recipients are invited to ascend towards these spaces, taking advantage of the decisive eschatological moment: they are in the last times beginning with the incarnation of Jesus, a messianic time that remains open thanks to his ascension into heaven and that ends with his final return. Believers must take advantage of this unique approach between heaven and earth, which opens a sure and direct path to God and which happens through Jesus Christ. It is a journey that begins in a responsible and committed way in earthly spaces and culminates in the heights, to the side of the one who opened this access. Hebrews becomes a stop to regroup believers and unite them, to encourage them to persevere while admiring the great priest Jesus Christ, who facilitates the way through his intercession, and awaits at the end of the journey with the gates of heaven opened.

The Problem of Peak in Hebrews

The NT journal Neotestamentica has a new article on Hebrews: 

Heath, David M. “The Problem of Peak in Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 48.2 (2014): 405–16.

Abstract:
"Scholars use various terms for the phenomenon of discourse peak. Only in the last forty years have some scholars suggested different types of peak. This study explores the application of multiple types of peak in the book of Hebrews. The problem of peak in Hebrews is evident by the diverse assertions concerning linguistic peaks by Neeley (1987), Guthrie (1994), and Westfall (2005) and the discrepancies of these peaks with the chiastic centre in Hebrews 8 as asserted by Vaganay (1940), Vanhoye (1977, 1989), Neeley (1987, 63), Gelardini (2009) and Heath (2011). Until more refinement of the notion of discourse peak and uniformity of terms emerges, it may be helpful to analyse the peaks of biblical texts in light of their natures (thematic peak, climax, and apex)."

Neotestamentica Articles Added

I have discovered that the African Journal Archive contains archives of Neotestamentica through the year 2000. Neotestamentica published an issue dedicated to Hebrews in 1971. Here are the articles, which have been added to my Articles page:


Fensham, F. C. “Hebrews and Qumrân.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 9–21.

Combrink, H. J. B. “Some Thoughts on the OldTestament Citations in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 22–36.

Pretorius, E. A. C. “ΔΙΑΘΗΚΗ in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 37–50.

Vorster, W. S. “The Meaning of ΠΑΡΡΗΣΙΑ in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 51–59.

Lombard, H. A. “Katápausis in the Letter to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 60–71.

Floor, L. “The General Priesthood of Believers in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 72–82.

Waal, C. van der. “‘The People of God’ in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 5 (1971): 83–92.


In addition, Neotestamentica has published other articles on Hebrews through the years:


Wiid, J. S. “The Testamental Significance of διαθήκη in Hebrews 9:15–22.” Neotestamentica 26.1 (1992): 149–58.

Punt, Jeremy. “Hebrews, Thought-Patterns and Context: Aspects of the Background of Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 3 (1997): 119–58.

Steyn, Gert Jacobus. “A Quest for the Vorlage of the ‘Song of Moses’ (Deut 32) Quotations in Hebrews.” Neotestamentica 34 (2000): 263–72.


For articles published after 2000, check my Articles page. 

Repetition in Hebrews

Nicholas Moore has informed me that his thesis has now been published. Congratulations to him!

Nicholas J. Moore. Repetition in Hebrews: Plurality and Singularity in the Letter to the Hebrews, Its Ancient Context, and the Early Church. WUNT II 388. Mohr Siebeck, 2015.