The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (156 page)

^*
For a more extensive list see Spicq,
L'Epître aux Hebreux
, 2:252—78. For a chart on hook words in Hebrews, see D. J. MacLeod, “The Literary Structure of the Book of Hebrews,”
BSac
146 (1989): 188

Literary Plan

Turning now to the second item of literary import, the book's structure, Hebrews has proven to be difficult to outline. Scholars have suggested many different divisions of the text, some based on traditional exegesis,
⁴⁴
others based on the newest literary methods. In spite of the prolonged interest, no consensus is on the horizon. The intricate structure that makes it difficult to outline the book is due to a variety of factors, including the rhetorical style and hermeneutical principles employed by the writer, but most of all it is due to the fact that the author of Hebrews employed some of the smoothest transitions in the entire NT.
⁴⁵

At present, three proposals are the most popular. First, some are influenced by A. Vanhoye and understand the book to be arranged into five parts, plus an introduction and conclusion. These parts are generally arranged chiastically (in an ABB'A' pattern), with Christ's high priesthood taking center stage. But these divisions often seem contrived, and it is unlikely that any hearer could follow an extended series of macro-chiasms for an extended period of time.
⁴⁶

Second, some see in the letter a rhetorical structure following the conventions of ancient rhetoric that basically arranges the text in five sections.
⁴⁷
The problem is that Hebrews resists such a structure. Westfall's conclusion seems cogent: “Therefore, though Hebrews is riddled with rhetorical devices, the organization of Hebrews does not fit the template of typical classical Hellenistic structure.”
⁴⁸

Third, many divide Hebrews into three major literary units. These scholars organize the material around the major exhortations in the letter while viewing any intervening paraenetic (hortatory) material as subordinate.
⁴⁹
Refined by W. Nauck, the divisions are as follows: (1) 1:1-4:13 (marked by hymnic portions); (2) 4:14-10:31 (marked by parallel hortatory subjunctives); and (3) 10:32-13:17 (marked by parallel imperatives).
⁵⁰

Whole monographs have been written on this subject.
⁵¹
In short, the tripartite proposal by Nauck, which was refined by the discourse analysis of Westfall (see below), seems to unlock the structure of the text most successfully. What follows is a slight adaptation of that scheme. One of the strengths of Westfall's approach is that it recognizes the importance of
transitional phrases in Hebrews, which properly belong to both of the sections they span. For example, the perennial difficulty about whether 4:14 concludes the previous section or begins a new unit, is thus solved: the verse belongs to both sections at once.
⁵²

Two thematic discourse peaks appear at 4:11—16 and 10:19—25, marked by triads of hortatory subjunctives (see 4:11, “Let us make every effort”; 4:14, “Let us hold fast to the confession”; 4:16, “Let us approach”). These mark the end of the first division and the beginning of the third. This creates a central section dominated by the theme of Christ's high priesthood. While the beginning and ending sections feature a whole series of exhortations, only one appears in the main text of the central section, and only one imperative occurs as well. This is because the central section is a sustained exposition of the high priesthood of Jesus.

Table 16.2: Major Structural Proposals for Hebrews

^*
The structure proposed by A. Vanhoye in his monograph
La structure littéraire de l'ép
î
tre aux Hébreux
, 2d ed. (Paris: Desclée de Brouwer, 1976; ET 1989) and various other works on the structure of Hebrews is reproduced in Guthrie,
Structure of Hebrews, 14—17
(it is here condensed; for subheads, see ibid., 16). As Guthrie noted, Vanhoye's work represents the most influential work ever written on the structure of Hebrews. Major commentators who follow Vanhoye include Attridge, Ellingworth, and Lane.

OUTLINE

1. JESUS THE APOSTLE OF OUR CONFESSION (1:1-4:16)
   
   1. Jesus as the Heir of the Universe (1:1-3:2)
      
      1. God's Ultimate Messenger (1:1-2:4)
         
         1. God Has Spoken through His Son (1:1—4)
            
         2. “Son” Is a Better Name (1:5-14)
            
         3. Warning: Do Not Drift (2:1-4)
            
      2. Jesus as a Faithful High Priest (2:5-18)
         
         1. God's Intention for Humanity (2:5-9)
            
         2. Jesus Is Superior Because of His Humanity (2:10—18)
            
         3. Partners in the Heavenly Calling (3:1-2)
            
   2. Enter the Remaining Sabbath Rest (3:1—4:16)
      
      1. Jesus Is Better than Moses (3:1-6)
         
      2. A Call to Endurance (3:7-19)
         
      3. Enter the Remaining Rest (4:1-16)
         
2. JESUS OUR HIGH PRIEST (4:11-10:25)
   
   1. Carry on to Maturity (4:11-5:14)
      
      1. Draw Near to the Throne of Grace (4:11-16)
         
      2. A High Priest like Melchizedek (5:1-10)
         
      3. The Fact of Sluggishness (5:11-14)
         
   2. Maturity Enables Hope (6:1-7:3)
      
      1. Let Us Be Carried on to Maturity (6:1-3)
         
      2. Warning: Do Not Languish (6:4-12)
         
      3. The Basis of Hope (6:13-7:3)
         
   3. Drawing Near to God (7:4-10:25)
      
      1. The Fact of Jesus' High Priesthood: He Is the High Priest like Melchizedek (7:4-28)
         
         1. The Superiority of Melchizedek (7:4—10)
            
         2. Changing to an Eternal High Priest (7:11-19)
            
         3. Jesus' Priesthood Is Initiated by an Oath and Held Forever (7:20-25)
            
         4. Conclusion: Jesus Is Our Fitting High Priest (7:26-28)
            
      2. The Results of Jesus' Priesthood: Cleansing and Qualification (8:1-10:18)
         
         1. Jesus' Priesthood, Covenant, Tabernacle, and Sacrifice (8:1—13)
            
         2. Cleansing the Conscience of the Believer (9:1-14)
            
         3. The Mediator of the New Covenant (9:15-28)
            
         4. The End of Sacrifice (10:1-18)
            
      3. The Response to Jesus' Priesthood: Draw Near to God (10:19-25)
         
3. JESUS THE ONE WHO RAN THE RACE BEFORE US (10:19-13:16)
   
   1. Run the Race (10:19-11:40)
      
      1. Move Each Other Forward (10:19-25)
         
      2. Warning: No Other Sacrifice for Sin (10:26-39)
         
      3. Faith and Endurance (11:1-40)
         
   2. The Course Set Before Us (12:1-29)
      
      1. Endure the Discipline of God (12:1-13)
         
      2. Hold on to Grace (12:14-29)
         
   3. Go with Jesus outside the Camp (13:1—16)
      
4. CONCLUSION (13:17-25)
   

UNIT-BY-UNIT DISCUSSION

I. Jesus the Apostle of Our Confession (1:1-4:16)

Hebrews begins in a rather abrupt manner. Some have identified 1:1—4 as the introduction to the book. If so, the mention of angels at both 1:4 and 5 is an example of how the author elegantly transitions from one section to another.

A. Jesus as the Heir of the Universe (1:1—3:2)
Without a formal prescript, the book opens like a rhetorical presentation rather than a letter (1:1—4). Immediately, the author drew a sharp contrast between the prophets who spoke of old and the Son through whom God speaks in the present. This section smoothly transitions into the first major section of the book.

Hebrews 1:4 introduces the idea that “Son” is a better name than the angels, and verses 5—18 adduce seven OT quotations to prove this point (1:5—14). These are organized in the form of a pair of three quotations with a concluding quote, a common rabbinical rhetorical device called “pearl stringing.”
⁵³

The three pairs of quotations are as follows. (1) In 1:5—6 the author contrasted the position of the Son and of the angels: he is the Son, and the angels worship him (citing Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14; Deut 32:43, LXX). (2) In 1:7-12 the author contrasted the work of the Son and the angels: angels are his servants, but he is the sovereign ruler of the universe (citing Pss 104:4; 45:6; 102:25-27). (3) In 1:13-14 the author concluded the string of citations with a quote of Ps 110:1, reemphasizing that the Son is the ruler while the angels are “ministering spirits.”

The first of several warning passages follows on the heels of the exposition (2:1—4). The argument follows a lesser to greater pattern.
⁵⁴
If just punishment was meted out for violations of of the OT law (mediated through angels), how much more would this be the case for those who rejected the Son, who was manifestly greater than the angels, which points back to 1:1—4. Thus the readers should pay close attention to what God says today through the Son.

The author then cited two reasons that the recipients ought to pay close attention to his message: (1) lest they “drift away” (a constant danger for believers; notice that this does not necessarily imply apostasy); and (2) lest they fall under the discipline of the Lord.

Citing Ps 8:4—6, the author continued to demonstrate his thesis that Jesus is superior to the angels (2:5—9). “The world to come” will not be under the dominion of angels but subject to one who had become human, the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the OT citation, the author recalled that God's original intent was for human beings to subdue the earth (Gen 1:28) but that this intent had not been fulfilled. Humanity had not fully subdued the earth. Yet God's purpose would be fulfilled in Jesus (the first time that the humanity of Jesus is stressed), who had been “crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death” (2:9).

The author noted that it was fitting for God to perfect the source or author
(archegos)
of humanity's salvation through suffering (as a human being) because both Christ and believers are united in their relationship to the Father as sons of God (v. 11). Christ even calls believers his brothers (vv. 12—13 set the OT foundation for this identification). The ultimate intent is that since humans and Christ share “flesh and blood,” in his death on the cross Christ was able to break the power of the one who held human beings in bondage through fear of death, that is, the devil (vv. 14—15). In 2:16—18 the author explained that Jesus had to be made truly human so that he could serve as an effective high priest for God's people.

The argument proceeds smoothly into the next section (3:1—2; note the conjunction “therefore”), where Jesus, the superior messenger or “apostle” (Gk
apostolos)
is contrasted with Moses, who was a servant in God's house.

B. Enter the Remaining Sabbath Rest (3:1—4:13)
At the end of the previous section, the author introduced the fact that Jesus became a human being to serve as an effective high priest for God's people. The entirety of the present section functions as preparation for the development of this theme later on in the letter.

The movement from angels to Moses is best understood against the common notion in ancient Judaism that Moses was considered superior to the angels (3:1—6). The author, however, pointed his readers toward Jesus so they would consider him. The basis for the author's appeal is that Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses (3:3—4) and that he was faithful as a Son over the household rather than having been faithful only as a servant (an allusion to Num 12:7). The essence of “considering Jesus” is fleshed out in 3:6b. The readers must hold on to their public confession of Jesus in order to retain unhindered access to him and to attain the object of their hope. This leads directly to the next section, which represents a call to endurance and challenges the readers to be faithful as Jesus was faithful.

Hebrews 3:7—19 begins with a quotation of Ps 95:7—11 that was used weekly in the synagogue. Every week the worshippers were reminded of the tragic consequences of the rebellion in Numbers 13—14. The injunction in verses 12—13 is to “watch out” and to “encourage each other daily,” lest the readers are “hardened by the deceit of sin” (v. 13, author's translation). The example from Numbers refers to a group of people (the Israelites)
who were about to receive God's blessings but who did not because they would not trust God. The author warned his readers to endure to the end and trust God.

The present section (4:1—13) is made up of two paragraphs. The first describes the remaining rest and encourages the recipients of the letter to enter it. The unit is followed by a second warning passage concerning the necessity of heeding the word of God. The author shifted from a discussion of those who failed to enter the rest to a discussion of the continuing validity of a rest from God. He cited Gen 2:2 as the foundation of the Sabbath rest (which would have been the second scriptural citation given in the synagogues each Sabbath) to explain that God had invited the Israelites into his rest, but they had failed through unbelief and disobedience. Since God later through David issued another offer of rest (Ps 95:7—11), surely this “rest” was not merely the rest of conquering Canaan but a real Sabbath-type rest from God that remained for the people of God (see 4:8: “For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken later about another day”). The encouragement, then, was to make sure the readers had entered this remaining rest, that is, a rest from their own labors, salvation by grace. The final exhortation is to “make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience” (4:11).