No Author? No Problem.
A guest blog by Shawn Blythe.
As our Bible readings take us to Hebrews, you might be somewhat surprised at the lack of the normal introductory format that most letters in the New Testament follow. These letters typically started with a clear indication as to who the letter was from. James begins his letter with “James, a servant of God”. Peter begins his two letters similarly, with I Peter stating “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ”. Jude does the same with “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ” and Paul typically uses something similar to “Paul, an apostle of Christ”.
As a result of the lack of clarity, there is a wide range of views and opinions regarding authorship. Some believe it was Paul, others Barnabus. Some believe Apollos wrote it, others suggest Priscilla. The list goes on and on.
But the interesting thing to me is not so much who wrote it, but rather why they didn’t claim it. Before I go any further it is important to note that nobody knows – and that certainly includes me. However, as I considered the potential reasons why the author did not include his own name, it made me consider how messages are sometimes received solely based on the author. We see this most obviously in our current polarized political climate.
Some people will reject what a Republican says simply because a Republican said it. Equally, Democratic statements are rejected solely based on a Democratic origin. And, of course, this inability to hear a message based on the source is not limited to politics. Old people don’t like to listen to young people because they don’t know anything. Young people don’t like to listen to old people because anything they knew is now irrelevant. Educated people dismiss uneducated people and uneducated people ignore educated people. News stories are revered or ridiculed based on the network that aired them. People refuse to listen based on race, gender, religion and virtually any other real or perceived differentiation. Even engineers snub problem-solving suggestions from literature majors (obviously this one is from personal experience!)
It made me consider what guidance, advice or simple observations I have missed because I evaluated the worth of the message based on my views on the one delivering it. What opportunities for improvement have I missed because I assessed the person before considering their message? How many times have I effectively acted like the Pharisees who dismissed the message of the blind man who was healed with an angry response of “How dare you lecture us!” (John 9:34)
Perhaps the author of Hebrews was so concerned that his or her message got through that they didn’t want anybody to potentially ignore it based solely on the author. Although I don’t believe this to be true, I sometimes imagine a well-studied Gentile writing Hebrews (which is simply packed with Old Testament references) and then realizing that the intended audience would likely never read it if the author was known.
The uncertain authorship of Hebrews makes me consider how I receive messages and provides an opportunity to focus on the message content rather than the person delivering it. I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation to Timothy “to keep these instructions without partiality” and “to do nothing out of favoritism” (I Timothy 5:21) Sometimes the most valuable messages can come from those we least expect – even engineers and literature majors!