HEBREWS, EPISTLE OF THE

ono of the most important N. T. writings. The epistle is anonymous, and although many conjectures have been made, the authorship has not been established. It is certain that the author was a Jew who had a knoweldge of Jewish and Gr. literature and of contemporary philosophy. According to an old theory, the author was Luke; Apollos, suggested by Luther, may be nearer the truth; Tertullian refers to epistle and says it is the work of Barnabas; Harnack’s view that it was written by Aquila and Priscilla is the most likely. There is no direct evidence to whom it was sent; the conjecture is that it was written to a Jewish Christian community, most probably in -Rome, for the purpose af defending Christian belief and hope. There was an urgent danger that those to whom the author was writing were falling away from Christianity; he exhorts them to hold fast and cultivate patient endurance and faith, imitating the heroes of the faith and looking unto Jesus. Christianity is the perfect and therefore final religion, because it brings free acce to God. te date of the epistle is about A. D.