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Hebrews

  1. Lesson One
    Overview of Hebrews
    15 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. LESSON TWO
    Hebrews' Christology (Hebrews 1–3, 5, 8–9)
    18 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  3. LESSON THREE
    The Old Testament in Hebrews (Hebrews 4, 7, 11)
    20 Activities
  4. LESSON FOUR
    Exhortations in Hebrews
    17 Activities
  5. LESSON FIVE
    Persecution
    14 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Hebrews Overview of Hebrews In Front | Athanasius and Canonization
Lesson 1, Activity 10

In Front | Athanasius and Canonization

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The Eastern church accepted the book of Hebrews as authoritative at a relatively early date, but the Western church, centered in Rome, was slow to do the same. Hebrews had an honored place in Christian reading, but the fact that Paul’s authorship of Hebrews was in doubt led some to question its authority as official Scripture. The biblical scholar and historian F. F. Bruce has suggested that the acceptance of Hebrews as Scripture in the Western church can be traced to a visit from Athanasius of Alexandria in the forth century, while he was in exile:

In 340 Athanasius, exiled from his see in Alexandria, made his way to Rome and spent a few years in the fellowship of the church there. He established good relations with the bishop of Rome (Julius I) and other church leaders, and the Roman church profited in various ways from the presence within it of such a distinguished theologian from the east.  

It is probable that he persuaded the Roman Christians to fall into line with their eastern brethren in admitting the canonicity, if not the Pauline authorship, of Hebrews. 

From that time on the right of Hebrews to be accepted as a New Testament book was not seriously questioned at Rome, or in those western churches which fell within Rome’s sphere of influence.   

Today, very few scholars believe Hebrews to have been authored by Paul but, as in Athanasius’ time, this doesn’t diminish the book’s authority. Stories like this, that situate the Bible canon in historical context, and locate early Christian thinkers in close relation to the way we read the Bible today, are some of the reasons early Christian theologians have a place of precedence in many Christian traditions. When we’re dealing with people like Athanasius, or Irenaeus, or Augustine, or similar “Church Fathers,” we’re dealing with generations of believers who not only read and interpreted the Bible like we do, but who were on the scene when the canon emerged. 

Quoted from: Donald Hagner, Encountering the Book of Hebrews, 2002, p. 193.