The Evangelical Theological Society

Description
Who wrote the books of the New Testament? Does it matter? Some might argue that the identity of the authors is irrelevant in light of divine inspiration that is believed to underlie the biblical writings. In truth, however, questions concerning authorship are vitally important for biblical studies today. Assumptions made about the human authors influence, not only the perceived authenticity and authority of the writings, but also interpretation of the texts. Historical-critical methods of NT interpretation rely largely on the historical context from which the author writes, which is difficult to ascertain for documents of uncertain authorship. Conclusive answers to questions of authorship, however, often are elusive. Authorship of Hebrews, in fact, is one of the greatest mysteries of the NT, and although apostolic authorship of 1 Peter was largely uncontested throughout the Christian era, recent studies claiming pseudonymous authorship have posed serious challenges to the traditional view. This book offers a fresh perspective on authorship of both 1 Peter and Hebrews by taking a new approach that allows important new evidence to emerge.

Authorship of 1 Peter and Hebrews first demonstrates that the author of Hebrews very likely knew and used the letter known as 1 Peter while crafting the epistle to the Hebrews. The matter of authorship then comes to light by examining the relationship between the Hebrews author and his/her sources. Focusing on why the author used 1 Peter as a source and how the author came to be acquainted with the letter, new evidence is discovered which not only shows that the author of Hebrews understands 1 Peter as authentically apostolic, but also reveals a striking portrait of the elusive Hebrews author which narrows the large field of proposed authors to just one credible candidate. The outcome delimits the proper historical context for exegetical study of 1 Peter and Hebrews. It narrows the range of dates during which the two documents could have been written and identifies the likely provenance, intended destination, and original recipients of both correspondences. The book includes 21 figures, 44 tables, appendices with supporting data, an index of Scripture and other ancient sources, and an index of modern authors.