AN
EXPOSITION,
W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,
OF THE EPISTLE TO
T H E H E B R E W S.
CONCERNING
this epistle we must enquire,
I. Into the divine authority of it; for this has been questioned by
some, whose distempered eyes could not bear the light of it, or whose
errors have been confuted by it; such as the Arians, who deny the
Godhead and self-existence of Christ; and the Socinians, who deny his
satisfaction; but, after all the attempts of such men to disparage this
epistle, the divine original of it shines forth with such strong and
unclouded rays that he who runs may read it is an eminent part of the
canon of scripture. The divinity of the matter, the sublimity of the
style, the excellency of the design, the harmony of this with other
parts of scripture, and its general reception in the church of God in
all ages--these are the evidences of its divine authority.
II. As to the divine amanuensis or penman of this epistle, we are not
so certain; it does not bear the name of any in the front of it, as the
rest of the epistles do, and there has been some dispute among the
learned to whom they should ascribe it. Some have assigned it to
Clemens of Rome; other to Luke; and many to Barnabas, thinking that the
style and manner of expression is very agreeable to the zealous,
authoritative, affectionate temper that Barnabas appears to be of, in
the account we have of him in the acts of the Apostles; and one ancient
father quotes an expression out of this epistle as the words of
Barnabas. But it is generally assigned to the apostle Paul; and some
later copies and translations have put Paul's name in the title. In the
primitive times it was generally ascribed to him, and the style and
scope of it very well agree with his spirit, who was a person of a
clear head and a warm heart, whose main end and endeavour it was to
exalt Christ. Some think that the apostle Peter refers to this epistle,
and proves Paul to be the penman of it, by telling the Hebrews, to whom
he wrote, of Paul's having written to them,
2 Peter 3:15.
We read of no other epistle that he ever wrote to them but this. And
though it has been objected that, since Paul put his name to all his
other epistles, he would not have omitted it here; yet others have well
answered that he, being the apostle of the Gentiles, who were odious to
the Jews, might think fit to conceal his name, lest their prejudices
against him might hinder them from reading and weighing it as they
ought to do.
III. As to the scope and design of this epistle, it is very evident
that it was clearly to inform the minds, and strongly to confirm the
judgment, of the Hebrews in the transcendent excellency of the gospel
above the law, and so to take them off from the ceremonies of the law,
to which they were so wedded, of which they were so fond, that they
even doted on them, and those of them who were Christians retained too
much of the old leaven, and needed to be purged from it. The design of
this epistle was to persuade and press the believing Hebrews to a
constant adherence to the Christian faith, and perseverance in it,
notwithstanding all the sufferings they might meet with in so doing. In
order to this, the apostle speaks much of the excellency of the author
of the gospel, the glorious Jesus, whose honour he advances, and whom
he justly prefers before all others, showing him to be all in all, and
this in lofty strains of holy rhetoric. It must be acknowledged that
there are many things in this epistle hard to be understood, but the
sweetness we shall find therein will make us abundant amends for all
the pains we take to understand it. And indeed, if we compare all the
epistles of the New Testament, we shall not find any of them more
replenished with divine, heavenly matter than this to the Hebrews.
Matthew Henry "Verse by Verse Commentary for 'Hebrews' Matthew Henry Bible Commentary".
.