This Age and the Age to Come

For He did not subject to angels the World to Come, concerning which we are speaking. (Hebrews 2:5)

In traditional Jewish thought, there are only two dispensations of time that God has mapped out for humanity: this age and the age to come. The writer to the Hebrews community had the age to come in view when writing this epistle. Of course, the epistle to the Hebrews has much to say about this age as well but his point was that what he was writing about taught us about the age to come in contrast to the current system of this age.

In traditional Jewish eschatology, the advent of the Messiah will initiate the age to come. According to the prophets, the Messiah will come, gather the people of Israel back to the Land of Israel and peace will sweep the entire world. From an Apostolic perspective, apparently, previous to the age to come, which refers to the promised new heaven and new earth, there will be a thousand-year reign of the Messiah in which all of the covenant-promises made by God to Israel will be fulfilled. In that time, believers from all eras will be granted resurrection and immortality. It is with these things in mind, the future reign of the Messiah and the age to come, as we study the epistle to the Hebrews. Too often Christians think that the new age began when Jesus died and rose two thousand years ago. While we should certainly affirm that in that great event the "future had invaded the present," it would be detrimental to our interpretation of the Scriptures and the epistle to the Hebrews in particular if we thought that the new age has already come.

The Historical Context of the Epistle

The epistle to the Hebrews community, like the epistle to the Galatians, has historically been interpreted with a faulty hermeneutic. The fault comes from not properly understanding the context of the situations facing the first century believing communities. It is widely and incorrectly assumed that the Apostles and the associates of the Apostles taught against followers of Yeshua continuing to observe the commandments of the Torah. Specifically, it's assumed that the writer to the Hebrews community was contrasting the new grace-based religion of Christianity as over against the old works-based religion of Judaism. This dispensational paradigm, however, denies that Yeshua has always been God's way of salvation. The Torah was not kept by the faithful of the Tanakh and of the Gospels to earn their salvation. Rather, the Torah was kept because God commanded it be kept and as His redeemed people they obeyed Him in love. The same remained true into the Apostolic period, throughout history and remains to this day.

That being said, why, then, was the epistle to the Hebrews community written? Who wrote the epistle and which community was the Hebrews community? It would appear that the epistle was written from Italy by someone who was an associate of Timothy, who himself was an associate of the Apostle Paul. It says at the end of the epistle:

Take notice that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you. (Hebrews 13:23-24)

Though we can't be dogmatic, it would appear that this epistle was written between 64 and 67 AD. According to tradition, the Apostle Paul was beheaded in Rome by order of the emperor Nero in 64 AD. It's possible that Timothy was also imprisoned in Rome at this time. Additionally, the epistle makes no mention of the Jewish revolt that began in 67 AD nor of the Temple's destruction, which happened in 70 AD. This, as mentioned, would place the writing of this epistle in the mid-60s of the first century AD.

The question of who authored the epistle has been debated for hundreds of years. The most popular opinion is that it was written by the Apostle Paul. There are some early traditions that say it was written by Paul's associate Barnabas. Again, we cannot be dogmatic about it but it's my contention that this epistle was written by an associate of Paul, possibly even with the assistance of the Apostle himself. It's very much a possibility that the epistle was written and structured by Luke, with the theology originating from Paul or a close associate of Paul.

It would appear that the epistle was written to a community that was labeled "the Hebrews." While the epistle itself does not contain this designation, some early manuscripts do contain the title "to the Hebrews." Who were the Hebrews? The Hebrews most likely refers the group of believing Jews who maintained their distinct Jewish identity by speaking Hebrew and leading a traditional Jewish life. This is contrasted with Hellenistic Jews, who were Jews who spoke Greek and were open to Greek ideas. We see this contrast in the book of Acts:

And in these days, the disciples multiplying, there came a murmuring of the Hellenists at the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily ministration, (Acts 6:1)