HEBREWS’ RHETORICAL STYLE

HEBREWS’ RHETORICAL STYLE

Virgil Warren, PhD

1.   Hebrews uses the Old Testament text more than any other New Testament book does. (Matthew is next.) It has the longest Old Testament quotation of any book in the New Testament: 8:8-12 > Jeremiah 31:31-34.

2.   The author makes every major point from an Old Testament quotation. There is a deliberate exegetical pattern (especially Psalm 110:4). This pattern represents profound insight in exegesis rather than allegorical method of interpretation, as some suppose.

3.   In the subsequent commentary, the author sprinkles terminology from the quotations. This pattern occurs also in Romans, Galatians, and elsewhere, but not so consistently.

4.   The book intersperses segments of hortatory material between didactic portions. The proportion of hortatory material increases toward the end of the book.

5.   In relation to the picture of Messiah, the book begins with him in a position of exaltation, then humiliation, then exaltation again.

6.   The Greek is highly structured, with a greater number of participles than normal.

7.   It includes many nice contrastive statements like 7:16.

8.   Recurrent, distinctive phrases and themes help give the book its unity: draw near to God, Son, angels, better, promise, hope, oath, faith, and so on.

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