Hebrews 10, Entering the Holy of Holies

We continue examining Jesus's sacrifice as God's High Priest.

Hebrews 10:1-4, The Law, a Shadow

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.  If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins.  But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,  because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Once again, this sounds like Plato!  (C. S. Lewis notes this in the psalms.)

Hebrews 10:5-7, Jesus comes to fulfill the Law
Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.  Then I said, `Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'" 

The quote in verse 7 is from Psalm 40:6-8 (the Septuagint.)  The author is claiming that Jesus had one goal, to complete the mission of God.

Hebrews 10:8-9, Setting aside the old system
First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made).  Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.

And in so doing, Jesus sets aside the old covenant, the Law and its sacrifices.

Hebrews 10:10-14, The Final Sacrifice
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

So it is Jesus who is the Lamb of God, the very final Lamb.  And so He will eventually defeat every nation, every enemy, every pain and evil.

Hebrews 10:15-18, The Covenant written on hearts
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:  "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

The quote in verses 16 and 17 is from Jeremiah 31:33-34.

And so we are done with sacrifices and, in a sense, done with sin and forgiveness!

Hebrews 10:19-22, Enter the Holy Place with confidence!
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

This passage is the height, the climax, of the book of Hebrews. This should then change how we think for we, just like the ancient high priest, can go right into the Throne Room!

Hebrews 10:23-25, and then go out to change the world!
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Now that that mission has been accomplished, it is time to move on, as Kingdom citizens.

Hebrews 10:26-31, One more warning about the danger of disobeying God
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.  Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The quotes in verse 30 are from Deuteronomy 32:35-36 and Psalm 135:14.

And so we have a brief caution, a warning, about the need to leave the old ways behind.

Hebrews 10:32-35, Remember your early enthusiasm ...
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

Remember how excited you were!  Remember your earlier enthusiasm!  Kindle it again!  (A message for all ages, for indeed we can lose that old enthusiasm!)

Hebrews 10:36-39, ... and so persist.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.  For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay.  But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

The quote in verse 38 is from Habakkuk 2:3-4.  It is one of three New Testament passages that quote Habakkuk 2:4.  The other two are Galatians 3:11 and Romans 1:17.

Hebrews 9, A Sacrifice Once For All

We now enter an in-depth look at how Jesus completes the old covenant created by the Mosaic law.

Hebrews 9:1-5

Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary.  A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.  Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place,  which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered ark of the covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant.  Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.

The earthly tabernacle was described and constructed in the book of Exodus as the Israelites fled into the desert of the Sinai peninsula. It represented God present, living among this young nation-tribe.   In this passage the details of the inner sanctuary are described, based on the temple (present tense?!) and the past tabernacle.

Hebrews 9:6-7

When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry.  But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance.

But the high priest went into an even more holy sanctuary, a dangerous and scary place!  The Holy of Holies was where God was physically manifested and could only be entered once a year.  The was a very serious thing. Leviticus 16 gives specific details to Aaron, after two of his sons died for entering the Holy of Holies.  There is a legend, probably fictitious (see here) that claims that the high priest would have a rope tied around one ankle, for if God struck the high priest down, the worshipers would need a way to pull out his body!  This legend persists because it summarizes the fear created by the idea of entering into such a supernatural, holy, special place.

Hebrews 9:8-10
The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.  This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper.  They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

The Old Covenant was all outward actions without necessarily changing the inward heart.  It was a metaphor, a symbol of things to come.

Hebrews 9:11-13
When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.  He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.  The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.

So Christ is our new high priest.  Which holy sanctuary did Christ enter?  The inner one, and that in heaven, not here in the Shadowlands.

Hebrews 9:14-15
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!   For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

The phrase "from acts that lead to death" could also be "from useless rituals".

The Lamb of the New Covenant replaces all the sacrifices of the old!  The writer's tone rises with excitement and enthusiasm, as we are members of the right kingdom!

Hebrews 9:16-18
In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.  This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.

In verses 16 and 17, the same Greek word is used, one meaning both covenant (contract) and testament (will.)  But here we have that strange use of covenant as "testament", as in "last will and testament."   Here the concept of a "will" or "last testament" is more meaningful since a person's will is not put into effect until after their death.

Hebrews 9:19-22
When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.  He said, "This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep."  In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies.  In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The quote in verse 20 is from Exodus 24:8. In the Old Testament sacrificial system, there was no forgiveness without the replacement death of an animal.  (The Old Testament sacrificial system was quite gruesome!)

Hebrews 9:23-26
It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.  Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own.  Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The heavenly tabernacle is the real one....

"Once for all".  A simple and deep concept.  We resist it, as it is not human....

Hebrews 9:27-28
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

And then this Messiah will come again!

Hebrews 8, High Priest of a New Covenant

In the previous chapter we digressed to discuss an ancient high priest, Melchizedek, who (at least according to Jewish tradition) was an individual superior to Abraham.  Some traditions even equated him with the archangel, Michael.

Hebrews 8:1-2
The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man.

There is a Platonic view here -- a real sanctuary exists in heaven; the one on earth was just a shadow. Our high priest, Jesus, is even better than Melchizedek since he is the priest of the heavenly sanctuary.

Hebrews 8:3-5
Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer.  If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law.  They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: "See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."

The tabernacle of Moses is merely a shadow of the heavenly tabernacle.  This is very reminiscent of Plato's shadows and forms, described in Plato's allegory of the cave, in his Republic.  In that allegory, things we see on earth might be described as shadows cast on a cave wall; we see only the shadows, not the real, true objects.

The quote in verse 5 is from Exodus 25:40.

Hebrews 8:6-7
But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.  For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.

The covenant offered by Jesus is a superior covenant.  The word "covenant" here was translated "testament" in the King James Version and is the source of the terms "Old Testament, New Testament" for the two portions of the Bible.

Hebrews 8:8-9
But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord.

The new covenant (New Testament) is deeper, more profound, final.

In verse 8, an alternate translation to "God found fault with the people and said," is "God found fault and said to the people".

Hebrews 8:10-12
This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.  For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

The quote in verses 9-12 is from Jeremiah 31:31-34.  Read that ancient passage for a beautiful Old Testament description of the new covenant.  This New Covenant has the Holy Spirit teaching us, from within our hearts.

Hebrews 8:13
By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

And so, the author argues to the Jewish readers, move on to the final, new covenant!  It is silly to stay behind!

This chapter is a short 13 verses, serving as a hinge between Melchizedek and a detailed description coming in chapters 9 and 10, of the role Jesus plays as high priest.

Hebrews 7, That Great Hero, Melchizedek??

We continue the"Jesus is high priest" theme by examining the ancient and mysterious figure of Melchizedek.  You might never think to notice him if you were just reading along in Genesis 14:18-20.

Hebrews 7:1-10
This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means "king of righteousness"; then also, "king of Salem" means "king of peace." Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.  Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder!

The crux of the matter with Melchizedek: he is higher than Abraham!  The lack of information about Melchizedek is used to suggest (probably as a metaphor) that he was ageless, eternal, a "type" for the Messiah.

Salem was most likely the town that would, one day, become Jerusalem.

Hebrews 
Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people--that is, their brothers--even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises.  And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater.  In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living.  One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor.

A strange argument meant to show that Mel is above the Levites and their priesthood.  The author is confronting an apparent contradiction -- that the final High Priest came out of Judah's line, not Levi's!

Hebrews 7:11-17
If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still need for another priest to come--one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?  For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change of the law.  He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar.  For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.

So Judah and Levi are reconciled.  The High Priest line is one of faith, not Law.  (See Paul's teaching in Galatians.)

Hebrews 
And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life. For it is declared: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Jesus, model for both Judah and Levi.  The Old Testament quotation is from Psalm 110:4, the only passage, outside of Genesis 14, that mentions Melchizedek.

Hebrews 7:18-22
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.

A Pauline idea; the Law was a tutor....  It was weak and useless, waiting to be strengthened by the Messiah and the accompanying Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 
And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: `You are a priest forever.'" Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

The concept of "Covenant" appears.  The King James Version used "testament" in 22 and from there we get our Old and New "Testaments".

Hebrews 7:23-28
Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

23-28 Jesus provides a better, complete and permanent covenant.   The phrase "save completely" could also mean "save forever".

Hebrews 
Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.  Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.  For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

"Once for all" -- this will become a theme in the next few chapters.  The old sacrificial system is over; the Final Lamb has made his sacrifice.

Hebrews 6, A Scolding

In this chapter the writer digresses to scold his readers for slowing down in their spiritual life; they may even be turning around, backtracking, in their walk with God and their Messiah.

Hebrews 6:1-3
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.

This is a clear call to stepping up to more serious growth as a Christian and not hanging out at the "Jesus Saves" introductory level of spiritual understanding.  The readers are called to move on to maturity in (1) faith in God, (2) instruction about baptisms (?!), (3) laying on of hands, (4) resurrection of the dead, (5) Eternal judgment.

Although the writer hopes to eventually move on, he/she has to digress too far, apparently, to cover some of this.  How I would like to know what was going to be said about "the laying on of hands" or "instructions on baptisms"!  Was the writer prevented by immature Christians from continuing in these instructions?  Or did God have a better plan and not intend for these more esoteric discussions to appear here?

Instructions on baptisms could also be "cleansing rites".

Footnote on "acts that lead to death" in verse 1: could be translated "from useless rituals".

Hebrews 6:4-8
It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

A strange instruction about turning back.  (I need a C. S. Lewis quote from some novel which I can't find -- an evil individual has a moment of enlightenment, a perception that his view is completely wrong and that God is waiting, ready to redeem, yet at the last moment the individual shakes his head and moves on....)

This is a problem passage.  Some say it teaches one can lose their salvation.  If so, it then teaches that the salvation is lost forever.  I think it warns a group of people of the dangers of faking it.

Hebrews 6:9-12
Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned.

This is an agricultural metaphor, similar to the parable about the fig tree (Luke 13:6-9.)

Hebrews 6:9-12
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case--things that accompany salvation. God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

The passage is now upbeat and encouraging, as if the writer knows his readers, at some deeper level, have been serious about their faith and need to be merely reminded.

Hebrews 6:13-20
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

The quote is from Genesis 22:17.   This is =an apparent tangent? A strange argument... that God needs to swear by Himself?!

Hebrews 
Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

What are the two unchangeable things?

Hebrews 
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

We are encouraged to follow Jesus into the inner sanctuary, "behind the curtain."

In the next post we go on to a serious conversation about Melchizedek.  (Yes, Melchizedek!)

Hebrews 5, The Role of The High Priest

We continue the discussion of the Jewish high priest, one sympathetic with our human frailties, yet divinely appointed to stand for us.

Hebrews 5:1-3, Human high priests

Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.  He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness.  This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.

The high priest is human, sympathetic to humans.  Like us, he is Frail (by Jars of Clay).

Hebrews 5: 4-6, Jesus appointed high priest
No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was.  So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father."  And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

The position of high priest, given to a frail human being, required a divine appointment.  This, too, Jesus had.

The Bible passages are from Psalm 2, verse 7, and Psalm 110, verse 4.  Both psalms are messianic passage about the coronation of David and David's line.

Hebrews 5: 7-10, Jesus' ministry a life of priesthood
During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.  Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

So Jesus is both the Son and a human high priest, both savior and sympathetic brother.  The author is apparently alluding to events in Jesus's life when he prayed with "loud cries and tears".  It is not clear to which events the author is thinking, but the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane comes to mind.  If so, the author provides that as evidence of Jesus's submission and process of being "made perfect."

Once again, Melchizedek is mentioned.  But the discussion of Melchizedek must wait, for the writer of this letter has a serous concern.

Hebrews 5:11-14, Frustration
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

The author of Hebrews digresses to chide his readers for their lack of maturity. They have been Christians for some time....

This passage ends with a note of frustration.  The frustration builds throughout the next chapter, to become a serious scolding.

The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews

The letter to the Hebrews makes no authorship claims within the text.  The letter is quite old; it is quoted by Clement of Rome in 96 AD in Clement's letter to Corinth (says F. F. Bruce and others) and towards the end of the letter, there is a casual mention of Timothy, a traveler with Paul on his missionary journeys.

It has been suggested, from ancient times, that the writer was Paul, the Apostle.  But there are strong arguments against that.  Biblical commentators say that the letter is written in excellent and learned Greek, very different from the rough Greek of Paul's writings.  Some aspects of the style are different too; readers of Paul's letters would expect his customary greeting at the front of the letter, for example.  But most convincing is the simple statement in Hebrews 2:3, that the gospel "was confirmed to us by those who heard him [Jesus]." But Paul repeatedly stressed, in his letters and in his missionary preaching, that he had heard from Jesus directly and that Jesus had appeared to Paul, "last of all, as one untimely born" (I Corinthian 15:8.)  Paul would never have said, "I heard about Jesus from others", as the writer of Hebrews does.

Still, Paul was often suggested as the author of this book in ancient times.  It has been suggested that the motivation for suggesting Paul's authorship was to assist the letter in disputes about the canon of the New Testament, as letters written by Paul tended to be beyond dispute.

If the letter was not written by Paul, it was likely written by someone in Paul's group of travelers. A century later, Clement of Alexandria suggested that it might have been written by Paul in Hebrew and then translated by Luke into Greek.  Origen says that "the thoughts are the apostle's [Paul's]" but that "some say... it was written by Clement [of Rome] ... others that it was written by Luke, the writer of the Gospel and Acts."

Tertullian believed that Barnabas was the author and claims that others in his circle agreed with him.  There is a certain attraction to this claim, as Barnabas was a nickname, "Son of Encouragement" given to Joseph of Cyprus (Acts 4:36) and the exhortation message of Hebrews certainly fits the image of Barnabas as seen in Acts.  This idea also nicely fits with an ending phrase (Heb 13:22) in which the author of the letter even calls it "my word of exhortation."  But then (as others point out), this may have just been a common phrase for a sermon (see Acts 13:15 for example.)

We might agree with Origen that "the thoughts are the apostle's" and suspect that the author was a traveling companion of Paul's.  This would be in agreement with Hebrews 2:3, where the writer claims to have learned the gospel from others who had heard Jesus.  In the late Middle Ages, John Calvin suggested Luke or Clement of Rome as author.  Martin Luther suggested Apollos, another traveler whose ministry and connections with Paul are described in the book of Acts.

One of my favorite suggestions is that maybe the letter is written by the couple, Priscilla and Aquila, with, possibly, Priscilla doing the majority of the writing.  Arguments for this (in addition to their close relationship with Paul) are (1) the first-person plural pronoun "we" occurs in numerous places and (2) if Priscilla was the author, the tendency for others to question a woman's role might explain the fact that the author's name has disappeared from the letter!

Regardless of the suggestions, the letter is from someone in the first century church, most likely a traveling companion of Paul. Although it is not clear where the readers lived, it is reasonable to believe that they were a Jewish community in Roman, for the letter was known in Rome within the first century.

I am using an old edition of this excellent commentary on Hebrews by F. F. Bruce.  (My copy was published in 1964; I bought it in 1972.   I think I was probably 3 years old then....)