New Tyndale Article on Hebrews

New article:

Stevens, Daniel. “Changes: Literary and Theological Consideration of Two Variation Units in Hebrews 1:8b.” Tyndale Bulletin 74 (2023): 65–86.

 

Two New Novum Testamentum Articles on Hebrews

Two new Novum Testamentum articles on Hebrews have appeared:

 

Seleznev, Mikhail. “ Νόμος/νόμοι in the Septuagint and the Letter to the Hebrews.” Novum Testamentum 65.4 (2023): 498–516. 

 

"This article explores the usage of plural νόμοι versus singular νόμος throughout the whole corpus of the Greek Bible. Obviously, the singular is predominant. If we put aside later variants and textual traditions, the rare passages where the plural νόμοι is used (in Proverbs, Jeremiah, Esther, and 2 Maccabees) mutually elucidate each other: the plural occurs where the translators wanted to stress that the law(s) in question should be distinguished from the Torah. With respect to Jer 31:31–34 (LXX 38:31–34) and the quotations from it in Hebrews, the article demonstrates that the plural νόμοι in the LXX cannot be explained by the Vorlage, as many modern researchers suggest, but was a conscious device used by the LXX translator. The aim of the translator, followed by the author of Hebrews, was to stress the distinction between the Law of Moses and the Laws of the New Covenant."

Grindheim, Sigurd. “Direct Dependence on Philo in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Novum Testamentum 65.4 (2023): 517–43. 

 

"The near consensus opinion that the author of Hebrews was not directly influenced by Philo needs to be reevaluated. Even though there are no obvious cases of borrowing, the cumulative weight of the evidence indicates a more linear relationship than what may be accounted for by situating them both within Hellenistic Judaism. A number of parallels are sufficiently detailed to suggest direct dependence. These parallels are of a formal character, such as the metaphor of the dagger and the particular use of the terms ὑπόστασις, ἀρχηγός, τελειόω, ἄθλησις, τεχνίτης, and δημιουργός, as well of a material nature, concerning the development of key ideas, such as the eternal nature of the Son, his Melchizedekian high-priesthood, and the perception of the heavenly sanctuary."

Explanatory Notes on Hebrews

My friend Ken Schenck has published his latest book on Hebrews with Wipf & Stock:

 

Explanatory Notes on the Sermon of Hebrews.

 

Description:

"In 1755, John Wesley was forced to rest for a year because of illness. In that year, he wrote his Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament. These were meant to provide brief commentary on the text for his lay preachers and others to use. These Explanatory Notes on the Sermon of Hebrews are also meant to provide brief interpretations of the text of Hebrews without extensive engagement with scholarship. The goal is for the reader to gain a good overview of Hebrews' train of thought, its overall purpose, as well as some engagement with contemporary application for a Christian. In the case of Hebrews, a good deal is unknown. If we knew the details, the sermon's argument would come clearly into view. For this reason, these notes engage in a little more speculation than a normal commentary might."

Review of Hebrews–An Earth Bible Commentary

New RBL Review:

Jeffrey S. Lamp. Hebrews–An Earth Bible Commentary: A City That Cannot Be Shaken. Review by Judson D. Greene.

Garrard on The Epistle to the Hebrews

Wipf & Stock has announced the publication of this book:

David J. Garrard. The Epistle to the Hebrews.

It is not clear to me whether this book is a commentary or a monograph on Hebrews:

"The author to the Hebrews tells us that in the past God spoke through the prophets but now he has spoken through the Son: Jesus. The message transmitted is now complete and clear. The entire letter is concerned with the superiority of this new covenant of the Son. It is better in every way when compared with Sinai's rules and regulations as it is now no longer based on shadows of the heavenly reality but the reality itself. There can be no going back to the former, since all is better--including the promises, the priesthood, and the relationship with the Father through the Son. He shares the heavenly throne with the Father and is our unique intercessor. His new covenant means that there is no need for any other mediator, and the Holy Spirit's power enables a complete forgiveness of sin for all who persevere and give themselves to following the purposes of God with passionate faith. However, experiences of the past do not guarantee the future, and there is a race to be run, which means that passion and purpose are required on an ongoing basis."

The World Spoken Through the Son

New article out:

Pierce, Madison N. “The World Spoken Through the Son: Divine Speech and Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament (2023): 1–22.

Abstract:
"The 'Word of God' plays an important role in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews uses spoken quotations to recontextualize Scripture for the contemporary age (e.g., Heb. 2.12–13) and appeals to divine speech acts that alter the course of history (e.g., Heb. 6.14; 8.5). One such speech act is his creation of the world by the word of God, which the author claims we understand “by faith” (Heb. 11.3). But what claim is the author making with respect to creation? This article will argue that the identification of the “Word of God” in Hebrews as the Son in Hebrews 11.3 is a viable reading and then show that this reading affects other passages in Hebrews. To accomplish this, I will (1) provide an overview of some relevant interpretive issues with Hebrews 11.3; (2) discuss how intermediaries (e.g., Word; Wisdom) related to creation in early Jewish literature; (3) demonstrate how the presentation of creation in Hebrews relates to those concepts in early Jewish literature; (4) provide a reading of Heb. 11.3 in light of that synthesis; and (5) offer some suggestions regarding how other passages in Hebrews might be read to highlight Christ as the Word."

Hebrews Highlights - August 2023

Timothy Tennent discusses the importance of the figure of Melchizedek in Genesis 14:17–20 and Hebrews 7:1–17.

The Function of Divine Christology in Hebrews

New online article:

Compton, Jared. “The Function of Divine Christology in Hebrews: Critical Reflections on a Recent Proposal.” Themelios 48.2 (2023): 354–65.

Reconsidering the Context of Hebrews 13:7–14

Martin, Michael W., and Jason A. Whitlark. “Strengthened by Grace and Not by Foods: Reconsidering the Literary, Theological, and Social Context of Hebrews 13:7–14.” Novum Testamentum 65 (2023): 350–80.

"This study interprets the numerous veiled references of Hebrews 13:7–14 against the general problem addressed in the body of the speech, namely, the temptation to apostasy posed by the idolatrous, imperial culture. Specifically, the authors of this study argue that Heb 13:9 warns against idolatry and allegiance to pagan, imperial power broadly, and that the whole of 13:7–14 is a summons to embrace suffering by rejecting such identification in view of God’s promised future. Βρώματα, the authors argue, is shorthand for foods associated with pagan tables and imperial largesse. βεβαιοῦσθαι τὴν καρδίαν is an expression commonly used to depict literal nourishment, and in contexts where hunger was a real threat. Due to the perennial problems of food scarcity and chronic hunger, and to the critical role that foods derived from pagan and imperial sources played in alleviating these problems, the recipients of Hebrews likely were tempted to eat of these foods."

Death and Sacrifice of Jesus in the Letter to the Hebrews

Christian Lustig has informed me that his dissertation on Hebrews has now been published:

 

Lustig, Christian. Tod und Opfer Jesu im Hebräerbrief. Wissenschaftlich Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2/589. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2023.

 

Translation of the blurb:
"One of the central questions in the exegesis of the letters to the Hebrews is the meaning of Jesus' death. On the one hand the author attributes decisive soteriological effectiveness to Jesus' death. On the other hand he emphasizes Christ's immortality. For the author, both death and immortality are prerequisites for the entry into the effect of the new covenant. Christian Lustig shows that the background and core of his interpretation of death is a Last Supper tradition of Markan-Matthaean provenance. Christ sacrifices body and blood. His spirit, on the other hand, is eternal according to Hebrews 9:14. Thus he remains the agent of this sacrificial offering even after death. Through them he accomplishes the purification, consecration, and inauguration of the heavenly tent as well as of believers. The cultic service of the heavenly high priest takes place on earth on the cross and at the same time in the pneumatic sphere at God's own sanctuary."

 

Congratulations to Christian on the publication of his book!