22/06/2021
WHO is the AUTHOR of the "LETTER to the HEBREWS"?
Traditionally, the Authorship of the "Letter to the Hebrews" has been assigned to the Apostle Paul - The Apostle to the Gentile Nations! But, some do Question Paul's Authorship (Click below on the link: "Who Wrote the Book of Hebrews", to read Why).
Anyways, Paul's Authorship of "Hebrews" can be confidently ascertained to be true, based on what Paul himself had to tell to his readership, that is: to look for the Sign he gave in all his Letters that authenticated his Authorship of each of his Epistles.
And the only Sign to identify his Letters, is as mentioned by Paul in his "Letter to the Colossians", Chapter 4, verse 18. And this Sign is the Salutation with which Apostle Paul concludes all his known 13 Epistles.
And, this special Sign which he gave is his concluding Salutation in all his Epistles:
*Grace Be To You. Amen* which he himself wrote, as he says, in his own hand, in all his Letters, including those Epistles that were hand-written by those to whom Paul had dictated his Letters.
Now, let's look at the concluding Salutation or the Sign in each of Paul's 13 Epistles:-
1) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with you all. Amen*. (Rom 16:24)
2) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with you*. My Love be with you all in Christ Jesus. *Amen* (1 Cor. 16:23-24).
3) The *Grace* of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, *be with you all. Amen* (2 Cor 13:14).
4) Brethren, the *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with your spirit. Amen* (Gal 6:18).
5) *Grace be with all* them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerety. *Amen* (Eph 6:24).
6) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with you all. Amen* (Phil 4:23).
7) *The Salutation by the Hand of Me, Paul*.... *Grace be with you. Amen* (Col 4:18).
8) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with you. Amen* (1 Thes 5:28).
9) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with you all. Amen* (2 Thes 3:18).
10) *Grace be with thee. Amen* (1 Tim. 6:21b).
11) The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. *Grace be with you. Amen* (2 Tim 4:22).
12) *Grace be with you all. Amen* (Titus 3:15c).
13) The *Grace* of our Lord Jesus Christ *be with your spirit. Amen* (Philemon 25).
So, all of the 13 Epistles of Paul conclude with the Salutation: *Grace Be With You*"
And this Salutation is also what concludes the Letter to the Hebrews as we read it in Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verse 25:
14) "Grace be with you all. Amen" (Hebrews 13:25).
In brief, as will be observed, each of Paul's Thirteen Epistles concludes with: "Grace To..." : the Recipients of his Epistles.
And as stated earlier, Paul tells us in Colossians 4:18 that "Grace Be With You. Amen", is his Salutation in his very own handwriting. Or, as he put it: "The salutation by the hand of me, Paul..." *Grace Be With You. Amen*.
Thus, the Salutation: *Grace Be With You. Amen* , "by the hand of Paul", identifies each of Paul's Epistles as his very own, leaving no reason for any one to doubt the authenticity of all his Epistles.
Now, the "Unknown Author" of the "Letter to the Hebrews", also concludes his letter with the same Salutation: "Grace Be With You All. Amen", thereby proving to the recipients of the Letter to Hebrews that its Author is none other than the Apostle to the Gentiles - Paul himself.
As such, none should have any questions to ask, or any doubts to further entertain as to the real Authorship of the Letter to the Hebrews. Could it be the fact that "Paul was God's chosen Apostle to preach the Gospel to the Gentile Nations" is what prompted Paul not to write his name at the beginning of his Letter to the Hebrews even as he wrote in all his other known Thirteen Letters? Perhaps!
By Joaozinho Martins
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It is possible Paul wrote the book of Hebrews. Clement of Alexandria suggests that Paul wrote the book originally in Hebrew and that Luke translated it into Greek, though the Greek of Hebrews bears no resemblance to translation Greek (e.g., that of the Septuagint). In fact, in the KJV, you’ll find...
