CHARACTERISTICS AND PECULIARITIES OF HEBREWS

CHARACTERISTICS AND PECULIARITIES OF HEBREWS

Virgil Warren, PhD

    1.    the only canonical New Testament epistle without any statement of authorship (John’s three epistles do not very clearly identify their author either.)

    2.    has the most extensive use of the Old Testament numerically and proportionately of any New Testament book. Every major point in the book is based on an Old Testament reference.

    3.    the only New Testament book to develop the priesthood theme in connection with Jesus

    4.    the only New Testament writing to assign Old Testament texts to the Holy Spirit without mentioning the human writer (3:7-11; 10:15-17; cp. 9:8)

    5.    makes the longest continuous quotation from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34 in 8:8-12)

    6.    the only New Testament book to cite Psalm 110:4 as a Messianic prophecy and to develop its implications

    7.    the only New Testament book to use onomatopoeia (because of Psalm 95:11 in the LXX translation at 94:11): 3:11

    8.    the only New Testament book to identify the Messiah as our pioneer/author/captain/ forerunner (ὰρχηγός [archēgos]) in its more etymological sense: 2:10; 12:2 (cp. Acts 3:15; 5:31, the only other New Testament usages)

    9.    the most rhetorically polished writing in the New Testament

  10.    contains the only reference to the temptation of Jesus in Gethsemane outside the gospels (5:7)

  11.    is the only book to indicate that the crucifixion occurred outside the city wall of Jerusalem (13:12)

  12.    the only book to use the characterizing phrase “draw near (to God)”: 4:16; 7:25; 10:1, 22; 11:6 (12:18); 12:22. cp. 1 Peter 2:4

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