Hebrews: a Reader's Companion: Staying in the Service

By Michael Cannon Loehrer

Hebrews: A Readers Companion is the first in a series of books called The Jewish Christian Letters. A decidedly Jewish mind-set governed the first century church in the cradle of Christianity. There was also a Gentile mind-set, which has governed ever since, leaving most of the New Testament more easily understandable during these times of the Gentiles. However, several books in the New Testament are best understood as Jewish-Christian documents. The historical setting of the first century yields many insights, which make for a full interpretation and ready application of the Jewish-Christian letters, a truth nowhere more apparent than the book of Hebrews, which this readers companion to Holy Scriptures offers to bring to life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781512756838

Michael Cannon Loehrer

Michael Cannon Loehrer holds an AB from California State University, Fresno, a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Biola University. He served in pastoral ministry for nearly forty years. Presently, he is an adjunct professor of Bible at Multnomah University, Reno, Nevada.

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Copyright © 2016 Michael Cannon Loehrer.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Scripture translated by the author from the SBL Greek New Testament. Copyright © 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software.

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5684-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5685-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5127-5683-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016915029

WestBow Press rev. date: 9/27/2016

Contents

Acknowledgements

Preface

Format

Section One

The Background of Hebrews

Prologue: In the Imperial City

Under House Arrest

Clarifying the Context

Prayerful Pondering

At the Praetorian Barracks

Caesar’s Household

The Scarlet Beast

Dealing with Diversity

Formulating Preferences

Challenging Legalistic Conformity

God-Inspired Truth

Outline of Hebrews

Section Two

The Book of Hebrews

Hebrews 1:1-4: The Clear Communication of Christ

Hebrews 1:5-14: The Gracious Ministry of Christ – Part One

Hebrews 2:1-4: The Danger of Drifting Away

Hebrews 2:5-18: The Gracious Ministry of Christ – Part Two

Hebrews 3:1-6: The Priestly Rule of Christ

Hebrews 3:7-4:13: The Danger of Departing

Hebrews 4:14-5:10: The Eternal Priesthood of Christ - Part One

Hebrews 5:11-6:20: The Danger of Becoming Dull

Hebrews 7:1-28: The Eternal Priesthood of Christ - Part Two

Hebrews 8:1-10:18: The Gracious Covenant of Christ

Hebrews 10:19-39: The Danger of Drawing Back

Hebrews 11:1-40: The Compelling Power of Christ - Part One

Hebrews 12:1-29: The Danger of Discouragement

Hebrews 13:1-19: The Compelling Power of Christ - Part Two

Hebrews 13:20-25: The Peace of God in Christ

Section Three

The Broadcast of Hebrews

Instructions from Peter

Instructions from Luke

Epilogue: On the Journey to Jerusalem

Appendix I: The Historical Characters

Appendix II: The Imaginary Characters

Appendix III: An Approximate Scriptural Chronology

Appendix IV: Authorship of Hebrews

Figures

Figure 1: Human Government

Figure 2: Clear Conscience

Figure 3: Hebrews Outline

Figure 4: Believer-Priests

Figure 5: Prizes and Penalties

Figure 6: Priestly Intercession

Figure 7: Faith and Fear

Dedication

In Memory of All Who Fearlessly Faced Death Full of Faith in Jesus

And to All Who Would Fearlessly Face Opposition for Making Disciples.

Acknowledgements

Deepest gratitude belongs to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for continual forgiveness, cleansing, and healing by His Gracious Spirit, which impacted this work in countless ways. Next, I acknowledge the indispensable lifelong partnership of my loving wife, Paula, for continually complementing our unified life. Beyond that, appreciation belongs to those who have otherwise invested in this work. Blessings on those who were willing to read the manuscript in its earliest forms and who freely commented as it evolved: Jo Stone, Michael Moore, Julie Myers, and Sharon Girkins. Finally, I owe special thanks to Lora Doncea, editor par excellence. Her advice—in preparing this manuscript for publication—was to me like apples of gold in settings of silver (Proverbs 25:11).

Preface

Historical novels present a problem when weaving fact with fiction, leaving readers wondering exactly what is true, which betrays my purpose—to grasp the truths of eternal life. The historical references cited are factual, as near as I can tell, but some of the characters I have developed are fictional, except for those named in Scripture and historical works, as identified in Appendix II. Yet, since I fabricated much of this work, you might wonder how such a book could transport readers back to the truth. I hope a living encounter with the historical setting, such as I offer, will provide a framework for grappling with the meaning of Scripture in personal terms. Many read the Scriptures as inspired by God—as well they should—but without fathoming the meaning or grasping the continuity of a particular document, so much so that the Word of God is less compelling to them than it should be. I find this grievous.

I offer a fresh translation of Hebrews, which should remain suspect until proven by careful and qualified readers. However, without apology, I follow the Byzantine text type, giving preference to Family 35.¹ Nevertheless, in reading this book, be ever alert to distinguish the truth of Scripture from my efforts to explain it and from the surrounding story. If you do, it will lead you to search the Scriptures quite carefully, my deepest longing. In doing so, I hope you will find my efforts in close keeping with the history, culture, and language of the first century. I have chosen to portray this story primarily in the first person—like reading a play—because it engages you with the people you encounter, which I hope will make the story more compelling. I selected this approach because I believe most people understand content better by context in the same way they prove what politicians promise by observing their behavior. Finally, may you find this book a mere tool for making more meaningful the good Word of God. So, may God use these efforts to compel your heart; may you come to know Him deeply; and may you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The general time frame of the following story is Summer AD 61, some thirty odd years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and five years from the time Rome would invade Palestine to destroy the Jerusalem Temple and decimate the Jewish people. Messianic Jews living in the Land of Israel were under increasing pressure from the established leaders (i.e. the Sadducees) to support centralized Temple worship, conform spiritual living to legal requirements, and promote growth by urging Jews to attend Temple services and events. The Apostles, by contrast, stressed outreach. The Jewish religious establishment focused inward, while the disciples of Jesus focused outward. Institutional Judaism stressed conforming newcomers to Temple worship. Spirit-filled, Messianic Jews stressed community evangelism and establishing home training centers identified as assembly-temples, Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:5-6, 9-10 with Hebrews 3:1-6; 4:14-16; 5:1-10.

I consider Paul and Luke as the most likely authors of the Book of Hebrews.² The setting for this story involves Luke living in the home of a benefactor, but it also involves a rented apartment in the vicinity of the Roman Forum where the Apostle Paul is under house arrest after appealing to Caesar for a hearing due to false accusations and unjust treatment at the hands of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. A steady stream of visitors has filled Paul’s days since his arrival in Rome. The story begins with a conversation between Luke and Valerius, his benefactor, about the eventful trip from Caesarea to Rome.

***

Paul: (AD 5–64/67) An apostle and missionary to the nations during the first century. His name means small. Perhaps Paul was his given Roman name. His given Jewish name was Saul, likely after King Saul. He was born a Roman citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, Jewish by heritage, of the tribe of Benjamin, Acts 22:3, 28; Philippians 3:5. He was trained at the pharisaical school of Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Gamaliel was the leading authority in the Sanhedrin in the middle of the first century and the grandson of the famous Rabbinic teacher Hillel the Elder, Acts 5:34-ff; 22:3. Gamaliel was reputed to be one of Judaism’s greatest teachers in his own right. He ardently supported the inspiration of Scripture, yet insisted that Sabbath observances should be less stringent than others of his day. He also urged compassion toward women during divorce, and promoted kindness toward those who were not Jewish. Saul, however, was driven by zeal to persecute the early church, until his dramatic conversion experience on the road to Damascus, whereupon he immediately became equally zealous in his service to Christ as an apostle and theologian, starting churches throughout the northern Mediterranean basin. Tradition has it that Paul was beheaded on the Ostian Road at Aquae Salviae, about three miles from Rome during the mid-sixties of the first century.

Luke: (11 BC–AD 74) A gospel writer, church historian, and travelling companion of Paul the Apostle. Luke’s Greek nickname, Loukas, was abbreviated from the Roman Lucanus. Some identify Lucius with Luke, though Lucius is not a derivative of Loukas/Lucanus (compare Acts 13:1; Romans 16:21). Luke certainly wrote the gospel assigned his name, as well as the Acts of the Apostles, and perhaps Hebrews as well. Paul’s letter to the Colossians (4:14), and his second letter to Timothy (4:11), portray Luke as an attending physician of the Apostle. If Luke were in fact Lucius, he would have been Jewish (see Romans 16:21 where Paul calls him a kinsman, meaning either he was a family member, or more likely that he was Jewish; but consider Colossians 4:10-14 for the possibility that Luke was not Jewish). John Chrysostom (AD 349-407) surmised that the brother Paul mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8:18 is either Luke or Barnabas. If Lucius is Luke, he could have witnessed Pentecost (Acts 2:10), and perhaps experienced the scattering of the disciples after Stephen was martyred, Acts 8:1; 11:19-20; 13:1. If so, he preached Jesus in Antioch, and became a notable church leader there. Such strands of tradition propose that Luke was one of the Seventy (Luke 10:1, 17; Epiphanius, Panarion 51.11), and one of the two on the Road to Emmaus, Luke 24:13. However, the Muratorian Fragment (an early annotated list of generally accepted New Testament books) suggests that Luke did not personally see Jesus.

***

Now, before you continue, dear reader, I must apologize. This series, though presented in novel form, is hardly light reading. Why require heavy reading in a day when many readers consider print passé? Well—for the love of reading—I hope to prompt you to read meditatively. For this reason, the chapters are brief. I bid you to read slowly, carefully, pausing to ponder the implications. Resist the urge to read quickly, merely for content. Ask God to grant you wisdom and discernment, and allow Him time to do His work in your heart.

If you carefully read one chapter per night before bedtime, it will take most of you considerably less than half an hour, and you will still finish this book in about a month. However, a more preferable approach would be to read a chapter a week and then discuss it in a group setting. Prayerful people who share spiritual insights broaden their perspectives. Therefore, I ask God our Father to bless especially those who share this book in small groups, who consider themselves the temple of the Holy Spirit and individually priests that offer spiritual sacrifices, assisting their Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, to reconcile the world to Himself.

Finally, let me offer a word of explanation for my apparently awkward and clumsy translation of our beloved Scriptures. I wish that every reader of holy writ would learn the original languages. The insights gained are many and profound. Since most will not, I attempt a word-for-word translation, an impossible task. I retain idioms and odd expressions, all in the hope of yielding additional insights. The reader will labor—even suffer—through such an embarrassingly wooden translation as mine, for which I beg your pardon. Yet, I risk my reputation to offer all who read a closer chance at reading the original.

_____________

1 Wilbur Pickering unabashedly claims that Family 35 is the only significant line of transmission, both ancient and independent, that has a demonstrable archetypal form in all 27 books. For further examination of the evidence, see Wilbur N. Pickering. The Greek New Testament According to Family 35. Second Edition. San Bernardino, CA, 2015.

2 For a detailed examination of the subject of authorship, see David L. Allen. Lukan Authorship of Hebrews. NAC Studies of the Bible & Theology. Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2010.

Format

Throughout the text of this work you will find font and style variations as follows:

Written around AD 61 from Rome

Prior to citing a passage from an ancient document, I offer a date and place to distinguish it from the chronology of events, which unfold in the story.

God, who at various times and in different ways… (Hebrews 1:1)

At the beginning of each chapter, there is a fresh translation of the passage cited from the original language in which it was written.

Author’s Comments:

Indented solid lines separate comments offering insights related to the history, culture and language of the first century intended to establish and enhance the setting of the story.

Outline: THE CLEAR COMMUNICATION OF CHRIST

Every chapter of Hebrews begins with an outline of the text up to that point in the story.

Timeline AD 61 (Summer)

Dates are given before the dialog begins in each chapter to orient the reader to the time period when these events are transpiring.

Luke:

Bold print is used to denote the person presently engaging in the ongoing dialog. This imaginary dialog endeavors to reflect the history and culture of the times.

Luke Prays:

Bold italics indicate prayers, or musings; sometimes silently, sometimes aloud.

Luke leisurely enjoys conversation with his benefactor Valerius….

Bold italics indented present a transition in the dialog or a shift in the story.

***

Valerius: (Vah-LEHR-ee-uhs) His name means strong. Though he was…

Asterisks indicate the introduction of a character new to the narrative.

***

For Further Reflection and Group Discussion:

• A few bullet questions follow each chapter to prompt further reflection or perhaps aid discussion in group study. Many of these difficult questions invite further study and meditation for the serious disciple.

Section One

THE BACKGROUND OF HEBREWS

Prologue

In the Imperial City

Written May, AD 61 about events in October, AD 60

Now when it was the fourteenth night, of us being carried about in the Adriatic, in the middle of the night, the sailors were suspecting some land to be approaching them. And, having taken a sounding, they found twenty fathoms, and going a little farther along, having also taken a sounding again, they found fifteen fathoms. (Luke, Acts 27:27-28)

Timeline AD 61 (Early June) Rome

Luke leisurely enjoys conversation with his benefactor, Valerius, as they relax on a bench in the sun outside the bakery. The conversation shifts as Luke shares his story of shipwreck with Valerius.

***

Valerius: (Vah-LEHR-ee-uhs) His name means strong. Though he was a relatively new believer at this time, he quickly proved himself a faithful servant. He had recently received a large inheritance and was extremely generous. He not only paid a large amount toward Paul’s lodging, he provided a room in his own house so Luke would have a place to stay while in Rome.

***

Luke: Experienced sailors fully expected the tempest would dash our ship on the rocks in the black of night. Even battle-hardened soldiers shuddered as the severe ocean currents and monstrous waves pitched the vessel ever closer to the island coastline. The frantic crew flung the sea anchors over the stern to stem the dangerous drift. We desperately prayed for daybreak and thanked God as we watched red skies reveal the horizon. The fateful day dawned with clouds looming low over the sullen seas. Only the thunderous waves interrupted the howling winds. Lashing rains left us chilled to the bone, some even despairing of life itself.

Weakened from prayerful fasting, and weary from lack of sleep, we looked to the Lord for the mercy to survive. We took heart and thanked God as we broke bread to gain strength for the task ahead—safely beaching the ship. The deckhands emptied the cargo, cut loose the anchors, and hoisted the mainsail to the wind, but conjoining seas quickly changed our course—forcing us through a shallow isthmus—grounding the prow of the ship on shoals still some distance from shore. Ferocious waves began splintering the stern of the ship. Fearing for their lives—lest their captives escape—the soldiers took counsel to kill us. Fortunately, the centurion commanded everyone quickly to make for shore as best they could.

I rushed to grab my bag, jumped overboard, and swam for shore, thanking God for the animal skins and indelible ink that would preserve the original scroll of the Acts of the Apostles, which I lugged in my bag of belongings. As I swam for the mainland of Malta, I felt confident I would make it to shore, but the nearer I got to the mainland the more the elements battered me. The current swept me along like driftwood. Huge waves engulfed me and plunged me to the rocky depths. I groped for the surface and gasped for breath again and again. I frantically swam for my very life—but I made it!—completely exhausted. Only then, as I collapsed on the beach, did I realize I lost my bag.

Valerius: So, you made your way to Rome at the risk of your life and the loss of your book. I have been pleased to have you in my home, and you are welcome to stay here throughout Paul’s imprisonment.

Luke: Thank you, Valerius. You have such a beautiful domus.

Author’s Comments:

A domus was the style of house wealthy people often owned. Typically, it would include an indoor marble courtyard, containing a garden and trees watered by rain. Runoff drained from a slanted tile roof into an underground cistern. Rooms surrounded the courtyard, each having their own door. Exterior shops faced the street and were rented to merchants (or run by the owner’s slaves), usually without access to the interior.

Here I picture Luke living with Valerius, each in separate quarters, in a rather extensive single-story stone building. Luke’s private quarters, having no windows to the street, was accessed only by a door on the street, permitting entrance to a quiet, secure interior by means of a small passageway. I envision the house with four such entry points from the road to the interior courtyard, off of which were the inner rooms, each with a door and a window facing the garden and atrium.

Valerius: You’re welcome. I’m always glad to help a brother in Christ. I am pleased that Clement was sensitive to your needs, and that he thought of me when looking for help. Tell me a little bit about yourself.

***

Clement: His name means merciful or mild. He was a fellow worker with Paul and a member of the church of Philippi (Philippians 4:3). He became a third overseer with Linus and Cletus (AKA Anacletus, sometimes Anencletus) of the churches in Rome, later serving as exclusive overseer at the close of the first century (AD 92-99). The Liber Pontificalis I, 3-5 (started in the third century) presents a list with Peter followed by Linus, Cletus, and Clement. However, it states that Peter ordained two overseers, Linus and Cletus, for priestly service in the community—so he could devote himself to prayer and preaching—but to Clement he entrusted oversight of the entire church, appointing him as his successor. Clement is also identified as the first Apostolic Father of the Roman Church.

***

Luke: Officially my name is Lucanus [a Roman name], though I have nicknames: those who consider me dear call me Loukas [a Greek name]—a name tender to my parents and familiar to those of my youth—others, who wish to show respect publicly, call me Loukios [a Hellenized form; the Latinized form would be Lucius]—a name from my teaching days in Syrian Antioch—when the church sought to mask my identity during the persecution following Stephen’s death. Presently, the Apostle Paul variously designates me Loukas or Loukios when writing, depending on where I am and how people have known me in the past. Sounds complicated, I know, but the details of life aren’t always trim and tidy.

Author’s Comments:

A copyist wrote in a prologue to the Acts of the Apostles (circa AD 160-180) a summary of Luke’s life as follows:

Luke, a Syrian, a native of Antioch, by profession a physician, he was a disciple of the apostles and afterwards accompanied Paul until the martyrdom of Paul. He