Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven. – Hebrews 8:1

Today's Scripture Reading (June 28, 2024): Hebrews 8

Dating any biblical books is a task worthy of the fictional Sherlock Holmes. It is a task of attempting to discern the clues present in the biblical writing set before us and what these clues might mean. Experts can often read the same book and come up with different conclusions. Yet, the task is worthwhile because to understand any biblical book accurately, we must understand what communication means to the first readers.

For the Epistle to the Hebrews, most experts believe that the letter was written around 63-64 C.E., before the opening shots of the First Jewish-Roman War, which started in 66 C.E. and resulted in the Second Temple's destruction. Part of the reason this makes sense is that the author of the letter uses a lot of Tabernacle imagery, which might not make sense after the Second Temple was destroyed.

But that is not the only available information. One of the statements that sticks out to me is found in the opening words of what we have as the eighth chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. Here, we see this exclamation from the author: "We do have a High Priest." Part of my reaction was that as long as the Jewish Temple stood, there was a High Priest in Jerusalem. The last High Priest in Judaism was Phannias ben Samuel, who died in the Temple at the time of its destruction. Could this exclamation in Hebrews 8 be evidence that Hebrews was written after the destruction of the Temple and the death of Phannias?

While that is possible, another interpretation fits with the theory that Hebrews was written in 63 C.E. Sixty-three C.E. was a year that saw four different High Priests serve in the Temple in Jerusalem. Maybe the most important of these four was the second, Ananus ben Ananus. Ananus would become one of the central leaders of the Great Revolt of Judea or the First Jewish-Roman War. But in 63, during his three months as High Priest, Ananus made his mark on Jerusalem by arresting and executing James the Just, or James the brother of Jesus, the leader of the Christian Church in Jerusalem. The outcry from the Jewish people was immediate, and Ananus had to be removed by King Agrippa at the request of the people because of his action against James.

The message we can take from either of these scenarios is likely the same. If Hebrews was written after 70 C.E., it is an encouragement that even though there is no earthly High Priest, we still have one in heaven. But if Hebrews was written around the year 63 C.E., then it is likely an encouragement that even though the human High Priests seem to be corrupt, we have a High Priest who sits in the presence of God and who carries our needs and concerns with him to the throne room of God.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9