Who wrote Hebrews?
Question 01197
The letter to the Hebrews is anonymous. That is simply a fact. Unlike Paul’s letters, which consistently identify their author in the opening verse, Hebrews begins without naming anyone. The question of authorship has been debated since the earliest centuries of the church, and the honest answer is that no one can state with certainty who wrote it. What can be said is that its authority does not depend on resolving that question.
What the Early Church Said
Origen of Alexandria, writing in the third century and one of the most learned biblical scholars of his era, concluded his discussion of Hebrews with a statement that has never been bettered: “But who wrote the epistle, in truth God knows.” He noted that the thoughts were Pauline, the style noticeably different from Paul’s other letters, and suggested that someone from Paul’s circle had written the letter down. Tertullian attributed it to Barnabas. The Eastern church was largely convinced of Pauline authorship, which contributed significantly to the letter’s acceptance into the canon, while the Western church was more hesitant because of the stylistic differences.
Martin Luther proposed Apollos, and the proposal remains among the most attractive on offer. Apollos is described in Acts 18:24-28 as “eloquent” and “competent in the Scriptures,” a Jewish Christian formed in Alexandria where sophisticated Greek rhetoric and deep engagement with the Old Testament converged naturally. The Alexandrian background would account for both the literary quality of Hebrews and its profound engagement with the Levitical system.
The Internal Evidence
The letter’s Greek is widely regarded as the finest in the New Testament. It is polished, literary, and rhetorically sophisticated in ways that differ from Paul’s letters to the Corinthians or Galatians, where passion frequently overrides rhetorical elegance. The theological content, however, is deeply Pauline in its categories: the superiority of Christ’s priesthood over the Levitical system, the faith of the Old Testament saints as anticipating Christ, the warning passages addressed to Jewish believers in danger of reverting to Judaism. The author knows Timothy personally (Hebrews 13:23), which places them within Paul’s immediate orbit.
The reference in 2:3 to having received the gospel from “those who heard” the Lord is sometimes taken as evidence against Pauline authorship, since Paul elsewhere insists he received his gospel directly from Christ and not from human intermediaries (Galatians 1:12). This does not eliminate Paul entirely, but it is a genuine difficulty for the traditional view, and it should be acknowledged rather than smoothed over.
Why the Question Matters and Why It Does Not
The authority of Hebrews does not rest on the identity of its human author. The canon was formed on the basis of apostolicity in a broad sense, meaning either direct apostolic authorship or close association with the apostolic circle, along with the reception of the churches. Hebrews meets both criteria: it bears apostolic thought, it was received by the churches as authoritative, and its theological depth has served the people of God across twenty centuries.
The question of who held the pen is a legitimate historical enquiry. The identity of the One who breathed out every word of Scripture is not in doubt.
So, now what?
Hebrews invites the reader not to speculate about its author but to attend to its argument: that Jesus is greater than Moses, greater than the angels, greater than the Levitical priesthood, and that His sacrifice is not the shadow but the substance. Whatever human instrument God used, the message is clear enough.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” Hebrews 1:1-2
