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Apoftle neglected to appear before the court, the forfeiture of the bail cannot be confidered as an inftance of fuffering for the fake of Chrift: and a man's being obliged to make good his engagements cannot properly be termed a confifcation of his property. But it appears to me, that the fecurity, which the magiftrates of Philippi demanded of Jafon, was by no means for the appearance of St. Paul before the court, as commentators generally fuppofe, but that he would not admit the Apostle in future into his houfe: for Jafon could hardly give fecurity for St. Paul's appearance, fince the Apostle had already escaped from Jafon's house, and was no where to be found at Philippi. Further, a comparifon of the Epiftle to the Hebrews with thofe to the Theffalonians clearly fhews, that they were written to perfons of a very different defcription. And lastly, if the Epiftle, called the Epiftle to the Hebrews, was an Epiftle to the inhabitants of Theffalonica, it was, without doubt written in Greek: but if it was written originally in Greek, it could not have been written by St. Paul, whofe Greek ftyle is very different from that, which appcars in the Epistle to the Hebrews. I might add, that the Theffalonians, when St. Paul wrote to them, had been only a short time converted to Chriftianity, which cannot be affirmed of the perfons, to whom the Epiftle to the Hebrews was addreffed. But what I have already faid on this fubject is fufficient.

SECT. VI.

Of the fituation of the community, to which the Epistle to the Hebrews was addreffed.

HE fituation of the perfons, to whom this Epiftle

TH

At

was addreffed, is evident from its contents, whence it appears, that they had endured fevere perfecutions, which had begun with the commencement of Chrif tianity (ch. x. 32.), and had fince increafed, fo that feveral of their principal teachers, among whom we may probably reckon St. James, had been put to death, ch. vi. x. xi, xii. 1-12. xiii. 7. 13. Hence the community was brought into imminent danger of apostatizing from the faith: fome of its members appear to have actually returned to Judaifm, and even to have blafphemed Chrift, of whofe amendment the author entertains very little hopes, ch, vi. 4-8. x. 26-31. Others wavered in the faith, while others again continued Chriftians in their hearts, but were afraid to frequent the affemblies of public worship, ch. x. 24, 25. the fame time it appears from the whole Epiftle, that the Adverfaries of the Chriftian religion endeavoured to recall its converts back again to Judaism by arguments, fimilar to thofe, which the Jews in modern times have advanced, though in a fomewhat different fhape: they contended namely, that the Mofaic religion was delivered and confirmed in a manner fuperior to the Chriftian, that the former was certainly a divine religion, and therefore not to be abandoned. The author of the Epiftle is fo very diffuse in his answers, and has introduced fo much learning, especially in respect to the priesthood of Melchifedec, as implies, that the perfons, to whom it was addreffed, were well acquainted with rabbinical literature: at leaft no Epiftle in the whole New Teftament is fo learned, as that in, question.

many

of

A part

A part of the hiftory of this community, to which allufion is made, ch. xiii, 8, 9, 10. entirely fails us, which, if we were acquainted with it, would throw great light on the Epiftle, especially on this obscure paffage, From the words, Jefus Chrift, the fame yefterday, and to day, and for ever,' taken in their connexion with the feventh verfe, Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God, whofe faith below, confidering the end of their converfation,' I can draw no other conclufion, than that feveral members of the community had endeavoured to introduce into Chistianity fome doctrines different from thofe, which had been taught by their former teachers, efpecially by St. James. This appears more plainly, when we read further, Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines." The question cannot here relate to the retaining of the Levitical law, as a fyftem of unchangeable and eternal commands of the Deity; for this was no new doctrine among the Chriftians at Jerufalem, all of whom, even after they had become converts to Chriftianity, remained zealously attached to the law of Mofes, Acts xxi, 20. Immediately after (Heb. xiii. 9.), the subject relates to offerings: It is a good thing that the heart be established with grace, not with meats, which have not profited them, which have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the tabernacle,' This likewife was nothing new at Jerufalem; and when St, Paul, Acts xxi. 2326. defrayed the expences neceffary for the performance of fome Nazarite vows, the ceremonies were accompanied with offerings. See Numb, vi. 14, 15. where a ram is ordered for a meat-offering, and ver. 20. where the Nazarite, after the fulfilling of his vow, is permitted again to drink wine. I am inclined therefore to fuppofe, that attempts had been made to introduce offerings as a part of the Chriftian fervice, perhaps general offerings in the name of the whole community:

but

but, as we have no hiftorical evidence for the affertion, I advance the opinion merely as conjecture.

That the author of the Epifle to the Hebrews believed in the divinity of Chrift, is manifeft from what he fays, ch. i. 2, 3. But, when I confider what pains he has taken, ver. 4-14. to prove that Chrift is greater than the angels, and in the third chapter that he is greater than Mofes, I conclude, that the perfons, to whom it was fent, were not univerfally convinced, that Christ was God: for if they were, they were of course convinced, that he was greater than Mofes and the angels, a point-therefore, which it would have been uselefs to have proved by fo many quotations. But on this fubject I must requeft the reader to examine my Notes to this part of the Epiftle, where it will appear, that the author of it has taken his proofs, not from the divinity of Chrift, of which the quoted paffages cannot be explained without the utmost violence and perverfion, but from the facerdotal office of Jefus, and the biblical as well as the Jewifh doctrine of angels. That many of the Jewish Chriftians, the Ebionites for inftance, confidered Chrift as a mere man, is a known fact. If therefore a writer, in order to obviate the arguments for a return to Judaism, undertook to convince fuch persons, that the Christian religion was not inferior to the Mofaic, either in fublimity or in the divinity of its origin, nor to be lefs valued than the law, which was given by the miniftration of angels, it was neceffary to argue from data, which they already granted, and not to found his reafoning on principles, of which they would not have ad、 mitted the truth,

SECT. VII.

Of the time when, and the place where, this Epiftle was

A

written.

FTER that, which I have already faid on the perfecution of the Chriftians under the younger Ananus, and the martyrdom of St. James, I must conclude, that the Epiftle to the Hebrews was not written till after the death of the Procurator Feftus, in the year 64, which was immediately followed by the perfecution under Ananus, the author of the Epistle having already experienced its effects on the Hebrews, who began to waver in the faith, to forfake the places of public worship, and fome of them even to apoftatize. This date agrees likewife with the circumftance, that in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, ch. x. 28. 37-39. the coming of the Lord, namely to hold judgement over Jerufalem, is defcribed as being at hand: for the Jewish war commenced in the year 67, and in 70 Jerufalem was taken and deftroyed. But I apprehend, that it was written before the troubles actually commenced, and therefore not during the government of Ceftius Gallus: for though I believe, that the Christians in Palestine, at leaft thofe, who deferved the name, (for I do not include thofe, who expected the coming of the Meffiah to overthrow the Roman power, and establish a temporal kingdom') did not entertain any rebellious principles, yet I think, if it had been written fo late as the year 66, when matters were ripe for rebellion, it would have contained fome allufion to the existing troubles, with advice to the Chriftians, not to take part in the public disturbances.

Nearly the fame date has been affigned to this Epiftle by other commentators, who argue from ch. xiii. 23.

* Mark xiii. 6. Luke xxi. 8.

where

VOL. IV.

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