The Book Of Hebrews Has Long Left Readers With Various...

The book of Hebrews has long left readers with various unanswered questions. This is largely due to the fact that its origin is a mystery and has left readers to create multiple theories on how the book came into being. From the author to the intended audience, and from the land of its origin, to its travel across the ancient world, and its eventual acceptance into the compilation of scripture, much of what we know about the book of Hebrews is speculation. This article seeks to delve deeper into the questions regarding the book s origin and to the overall purpose of the book which led to its inclusion in the New Testament. The book of Hebrews was written with the intention of making three clear points to its readers. First, it seeks to†¦show more content†¦It is uncertain whether the book of Hebrews was intend for Jewish Christians or for Gentile Christians, though it does appear that the author is well informed about Jewish culture (38). What scholars do seem to agree on is the fact that, whoever it was written for, the readers were finding it difficult to stay strong in their faith. It is because of this that some have suggested that Hebrews was likely written during a time of persecution for the Christians (38). For this reason, it has been suggested that Hebrews was likely written sometime around 60 AD. The reasoning behind this is the fact that Hebrews suggests that the Christians were beginning to experience persecution again, despite having just been freed from it not too long before. It was around the suggested time that Emperor Nero took over Rome from Emperor Claudius (39). Both were known for their persecution of the Christian population and ruled close enough together for the readers of Hebrews to remember, and have been a part of, both eras of mistreatment. Based on the supposed date, it then falls to scholars to determine who wrote Hebrews. There are many theories regarding the authorship of the book, but like the date in which it was wr itten, these are mostly speculation. Many have supposed that it was Paul who wrote Hebrews as a letter to Rome s struggling Christians, but in recent years, the case for Pauline authorship has been greatly weakened. There are