The Epistle of St Paul to the Hebrews (Book of Hebrews)

The Epistle to the Hebrews, in the Vulgate Epistola ad Hebraeos, is the last of the fourteen Epistles of St Paul, placed after the letter to Philemon and before the Epistle of St James. It opens without a greeting, like a sermon, and its own author calls it "this word of consolation" (Hebrews 13, verse 22). Its subject is Jesus Christ, the Son through whom God has spoken last of all, the High Priest who offered Himself once for all. No other book of the New Testament explains so fully why the sacrifices of the Old Law have passed away, and why the Church has a priesthood, an altar and a sacrifice of her own.

It is not "the Hebrew Bible," the Old Testament as the Jews keep it, whose first five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is a New Testament letter to Hebrew Christians, though no book of the New Testament is more woven out of the Old.

Who wrote the Book of Hebrews?

The Church has received it as the work of St Paul the Apostle. The Council of Trent (1546) names "fourteen epistles of Paul the apostle," the last "to the Hebrews."

The internal witness points the same way. The writer is a companion of Timothy, "our brother Timothy," just "set at liberty" (13:23); he writes from Italy, where Paul had been a prisoner, "The brethren from Italy salute you" (13:24). His doctrine is Paul's: the Old Law as a shadow, as in Galatians, and "my just man liveth by faith" (10:38), the verse of Habacuc that Paul also quotes in Romans.

The patristic witness is clear in the East and slower in the West. St Clement of Rome already used the epistle about AD 96. Clement of Alexandria, as Eusebius reports (Church History VI, 14), held that Paul wrote it in Hebrew for the Hebrews and that St Luke translated it into Greek, whence its style, like that of Acts; Paul omitted his name because the Hebrews "were prejudiced and suspicious of him."

Origen judged that the thoughts are the Apostle's but the wording another's, and added the famous line: "But who wrote the epistle, in truth, God knows" (Eusebius VI, 25). In the West, Tertullian ascribed it to Barnabas, and several Latin writers hesitated until the late fourth century. St Jerome (Letter 129) and St Augustine received it as canonical, and their authority settled its place in the West; St John Chrysostom and St Thomas Aquinas commented on it as Paul's.

The Pontifical Biblical Commission settled the Catholic position on 24 June 1914, with the approval of St Pius X. It answered that the early Western doubts give no reason to hesitate in counting Hebrews among the genuine epistles of St Paul; that the absence of his name and the Greek style do not weaken his authorship, while its agreement with his doctrine confirms it; but that one need not hold that Paul gave the letter the very form in which we have it. Many modern scholars hold the author to be unknown, or name another of Paul's circle; the Church's tradition, and the Commission, keep to St Paul. For the Apostle's life, see our article on St Paul.

Who was the Book of Hebrews written to?

To Christians of Jewish birth. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 holds that the letter points "with the highest probability" to the Church of Jerusalem. Its readers knew the Temple, the priesthood of Aaron and the Day of Atonement. They had suffered for the faith: "you endured a great fight of afflictions," you "took with joy the being stripped of your own goods" (Hebrews 10). Now they were weary, some were "forsaking our assembly," and they were tempted to drift back to the worship of the Temple.

When and why was it written?

Before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, for the letter speaks of the Levitical sacrifices as still being offered (10:1-2). The Catholic Encyclopedia places it in "the second half of the year 63 or the beginning of 64," in Italy, most likely at Rome, after Paul's release from his first Roman captivity and while Timothy had just been freed. It was written to men tempted to go back to the shadows: the Old Covenant was a figure, and to leave Christ for the figure is to leave everything.

What is the Book of Hebrews about? A summary

The first words announce the theme: "God, who, at sundry times and in divers manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days, hath spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1). The Son is greater than all who mediated the Old Covenant: the angels, Moses, and the priests of Aaron.

The Son above the angels (chapters 1–2)

In chapters 1–2 the Son is "the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance," and the Father says to Him what He never said to an angel: "Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee" (Psalm 2); "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever" (Psalm 44 (45)). The angels are "ministering spirits, sent to minister for them who shall receive the inheritance of salvation" (1:14), a verse the Church reads of the guardian angels. Yet the Son was "made a little lower than the angels" (Hebrews 2), taking flesh and blood "that, through death, he might destroy him who had the empire of death, that is to say, the devil," and become "a merciful and faithful priest before God."

Greater than Moses; the rest of God (chapters 3–4)

Moses was faithful as a servant in God's house; Christ is the Son over it (Hebrews 3). The Apostle then comments on Psalm 94 (95), the Invitatory with which the Church opens Matins nearly every day: "Today if you shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts." The generation that rebelled in the desert, told in Numbers 14, never entered the promised land; Josue (the Douay keeps the Greek "Jesus" at 4:8) did not give the true rest. "There remaineth therefore a day of rest for the people of God" (Hebrews 4), and we must labour to enter it.

A high priest according to the order of Melchisedech (chapters 4:14–7)

"Having therefore a great high priest that hath passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God: let us hold fast our confession" (4:14). Christ did not take the honour to Himself, but was called by God, "as Aaron was," and in His Passion He "learned obedience by the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5). After a stern warning to his slow hearers (Hebrews 6), the Apostle unfolds Psalm 109 (110): "Thou art a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech."

Melchisedech, the king of Salem who met Abraham in Genesis 14, blessed the patriarch and received his tithes; he appears "without father, without mother, without genealogy," because Scripture records none of these, and so he is "likened unto the Son of God" (Hebrews 7). Christ, "always living to make intercession for us," has an everlasting priesthood that passes to no successor.

The better covenant, sanctuary and sacrifice (chapters 8–10:18)

The tabernacle of Moses was made "according to the pattern which was shewn thee on the mount" (Exodus 25), a copy of heavenly things (Hebrews 8). God Himself foretold a new testament by Jeremias 31, and "in saying a new, he hath made the former old."

On the Day of Atonement of Leviticus 16 the high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year with the blood of animals; "but Christ, being come an high Priest of the good things to come... by his own blood, entered once into the Holies, having obtained eternal redemption" (Hebrews 9). Christ, coming into the world, says in the words of Psalm 39 (40): "Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldest not: but a body thou hast fitted to me," and "by one oblation he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10).

Persevere in faith (chapters 10:19–12)

"Let us draw near with a true heart, in fulness of faith," and fear the judgment that awaits wilful apostasy: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Then comes the great roll of faith in Hebrews 11, from Abel and Abraham to those who "were racked, not accepting deliverance, that they might find a better resurrection," which Catholic commentators have long read of the Machabean martyrs of 2 Machabees 7. Surrounded by "so great a cloud of witnesses," we run "looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith," for we have come not to Sinai but "to mount Sion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem" (Hebrews 12).

Life in the Church (chapter 13)

Brotherly charity, hospitality, care of prisoners, the honour of marriage, obedience to "your prelates," and the sacrifice of praise fill Hebrews 13; then come a blessing from "the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great pastor of the sheep," and greetings from Italy.

Themes and the Catholic reading

The priesthood and the Mass. The Council of Trent's teaching on the Sacrifice of the Mass (Session XXII, 1562) is built on this epistle: Christ, about to offer Himself once on the Cross, at the Last Supper declared Himself "a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech" and offered His Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. "The victim is one and the same," Trent teaches, "the manner alone of offering being different." The Roman Canon itself names the three figures that Hebrews holds up: "the gifts of thy just servant Abel, the sacrifice of our patriarch Abraham, and that which thy high priest Melchisedech offered." See the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders.

"We have an altar." "We have an altar whereof they have no power to eat who serve the tabernacle" (13:10): St Thomas reads it of the Cross, or of Christ Himself, whom we receive in the Sacrament.

The Blood of the New Testament. "Without shedding of blood there is no remission" (9:22). The Blood "which speaketh better than that of Abel" (12:24) is honoured on the feast of 1 July and in the Litany of the Precious Blood.

Faith that perseveres. Trent's Decree on Justification (Session VI, chapter 8) calls faith "the beginning of human salvation" and cites Hebrews: "without faith it is impossible to please God" (11:6). The faith of chapter 11 obeys, offers, suffers and waits; see what God says about faith.

The hard sayings of chapters 6 and 10. The Novatians used them to deny that the Church can forgive sins after Baptism. Challoner's note on 6:4 explains: "it is impossible for such as have fallen after baptism, to be again baptized," and on 10:26 that the Apostle speaks "of the sin of wilful apostasy from the known truth," for which there is no second Baptism; yet sins committed afterward are forgiven, his note on 10:18 adds, "in virtue of the one oblation of Christ's death."

Famous verses and chapters of Hebrews

Hebrews 4:12. "For the word of God is living and effectual and more piercing than any two edged sword," the best-known verse of Hebrews 4.

Hebrews 9:27. "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9), a classic text for the particular judgment.

Hebrews 10:25. "Not forsaking our assembly, as some are accustomed," cited for the duty of Sunday worship (Hebrews 10).

Hebrews 11:1. "Now, faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not" (Hebrews 11).

Hebrews 12:1-2. "So great a cloud of witnesses over our head... looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith" (Hebrews 12). Verse 14 adds: "Follow peace with all men and holiness: without which no man shall see God."

Hebrews 13:2 and 13:8. "Hospitality do not forget: for by this some, being not aware of it, have entertained angels," recalling Abraham at Mambre in Genesis 18; and "Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever" (Hebrews 13).

Its place in the canon and the liturgy

Hebrews is in the New Testament of every Bible, Catholic and Protestant, with the same thirteen chapters. The Vulgate of St Jerome places it last among the Pauline letters. The African councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397) counted "thirteen epistles of Paul the apostle" and "one of the same to the Hebrews," a trace of Latin hesitation over its form; the Roman list of 382 and later the Councils of Florence and Trent simply count fourteen. Luther doubted it, but Protestant Bibles have always kept it. For the history of our English and Latin texts, see the Douay-Rheims Bible and the Latin Vulgate.

In the 1962 Missal, Hebrews 1:1-12 is the Epistle of the Third Mass of Christmas Day; Hebrews 9:11-15 is read on Passion Sunday and again on the feast of the Most Precious Blood, 1 July. The Commons of martyrs read Hebrews 10:32-38 ("call to mind the former days") and Hebrews 11:33-39 ("who by faith conquered kingdoms"), and the feast of St Josaphat (14 November) takes Hebrews 5:1-6. In the Breviary, the Matins lessons from St Paul that run from the Epiphany toward Septuagesima end with this epistle. Our liturgical calendar shows each day's Mass, and the Breviary the day's Office.

How to read the Book of Hebrews

Read it first at a sitting: it is one argument. Keep Genesis 14, Exodus 25, Leviticus 16 and Psalm 109 (110) open beside it. Then return to chapters 7 to 10, the heart of the letter, with the Vulgate beside the English, since sacerdos, hostia, oblatio and testamentum carry the doctrine Trent defined. Read Hebrews 11 slowly, a figure at a time, and finish with the counsels of chapter 13 as a rule of life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote the Book of Hebrews in the Bible?

The Church has received the Epistle to the Hebrews as the work of St Paul the Apostle, and the Council of Trent lists it among his fourteen epistles. The Pontifical Biblical Commission (1914) taught that it is to be counted among his genuine letters, while allowing that its final Greek form may come from a disciple, perhaps St Luke, as Clement of Alexandria held.

Who was the Book of Hebrews written to?

To Jewish Christians, most probably those of Jerusalem, who knew the Temple and its sacrifices. Having suffered for Christ, they were tempted to grow slack and return to the worship of the Old Law.

When was the Book of Hebrews written?

Before the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, since the letter speaks of its sacrifices as still offered. The Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 dates it to the second half of 63 or the beginning of 64, written in Italy, probably at Rome, shortly after Timothy was "set at liberty" (13:23).

What is the main message of the Book of Hebrews?

That Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is the final word of God and the one High Priest of the New Covenant, "a priest for ever according to the order of Melchisedech." His one sacrifice has done what the Law could only foreshadow; therefore hold fast the faith.

How many chapters are in the Book of Hebrews?

The Book of Hebrews has 13 chapters and 303 verses in the Douay-Rheims and the Latin Vulgate, and 13 chapters in Protestant Bibles as well. You can read each one here, beginning with Hebrews 1, Latin and English side by side.

What is Hebrews 11 about?

Hebrews 11 is the chapter of faith. It opens with the definition, "faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, the evidence of things that appear not," then shows faith at work from Abel and Abraham to Moses, the prophets and the martyrs, teaching that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (11:6).

Is the Book of Hebrews the same as the Hebrew Bible?

No. The Hebrew Bible is the Old Testament as kept by the Jews, beginning with the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Book of Hebrews is a New Testament epistle written to Hebrew Christians. The Catholic Old Testament also includes books the Jews did not keep, explained in the deuterocanonical books.

Read the whole Epistle to the Hebrews verse by verse, Latin and English, in the Iter Fidei Catholic Bible app.

Sources. The Epistle to the Hebrews, Latin Vulgate and Douay-Rheims (Challoner revision, 1749-1752), with Challoner's notes; Eusebius, Church History VI, 14 and 25 (Clement of Alexandria and Origen); St Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians; Tertullian, On Modesty 20; St Jerome, Letter 129 to Dardanus; St John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews; St Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews; Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397); Council of Florence, Decree for the Jacobites (1442); Council of Trent, Session IV, Decree on the Canonical Scriptures (1546), Session VI, Decree on Justification (1547), and Session XXII, Doctrine on the Sacrifice of the Mass (1562); Pontifical Biblical Commission, De epistola ad Hebraeos (24 June 1914); The Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), "Epistle to the Hebrews"; Missale Romanum (1962); Breviarium Romanum (1962).