Hebrews was written for a Christian community that had gone through several phases of development. First, the community had been established through the proclamation of the gospel by some Christian evangelists. Their message had been confirmed by miracles and a vivid sense of God’s Spirit working (2:3-4). Second, the community had experienced conflict with others, who verbally abused them, took property, and placed some Christians in prison. Despite the challenges, the members of the community supported each other well (10:32-34). Third, time passed, and members of the community seemed dispirited. The intensity of persecution and resistance gave way to a sense of dullness and malaise, and some were drifting away from the community (2:1; 5:11; 6:12; 10:25).
The traditional assumption is that Hebrews was addressed to Jewish Christians who were leaving the church and returning to the synagogueA synagogue is a Jewish house of worship. Jesus often taught in synagogues where he sometimes ran afoul of Jewish leaders. In the book of Acts, Paul and others attend synagogues and teach in them. More. Many, however, have observed that the book could just as easily address Christians of any background. The author never says that the readers were specifically Jewish. Hebrews often refers to the Old Testament, but the Old Testament was widely used by all Christians, both Jewish and GentileA gentile is anyone who is not Jewish. The term, which is derived from words that the Bible uses to denote the "nations" of the world, reflects beliefs that God had designated Israel as a nation that would be distinct from others, and a blessing... More. The readers were drifting away from the Christian community, but the author never refers to problems with local synagogues. What is clear is that the readers were discouraged and in need of encouragement to remain faithful.
In the early church, Hebrews was sometimes identified as a letter written by the ApostleDerived from a Greek word meaning "one who is sent," an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person's idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus... More Paul. Currently, however, most agree that Paul did not write it. Paul’s name is never mentioned, and the style is different from Paul’s letters. Moreover, many now consider Hebrews to be a sermon rather than a letter. The book lacks the kind of opening salutation that appears in all of Paul’s letters (compare Hebrews 1:1-4 and 1 Corinthians 1:1-3). The book calls itself “a word of exhortation,” and this was a common way to refer to sermons (Hebrews 13:22; Acts 13:15). Since the author includes greetings from Italians, who are apparently away from home, it seems likely that the book was sent to Christians in Italy and perhaps specifically to Rome.
