So in all the most ancient manuscripts, and so referred to by Origen, quoted 'IJy Eusebius (' Hist. Eccl.,' vi. 25), and, though the tradition of St. Paul's o.uthorship was undoubtedly a very early one, yet it was not in primitive times, any more than in our own, considered conclusive by those who were competent to judge, including Fathers of the highest repute from the second century,downwards. The earliest known allusion to the authorship of the Epistle is that of Clement of Alexandria, already referred to as having often quoted it in his extant works, spoken of it himself, and recorded something that Pantamus before him had said of it. We are indebted to Eusebius for the preservation of this interesting reference to the 'Hypotyposes' of Clement :-'.' In the • Hypotyposes,' to speak briefly, he (i.e. Clemens Alexandrinus) has given a compressed account of the whole testamentary Scripture, not omitting even the disputed books; I mean the Epistle of Jude and the rest of the catholic Epistles, and that of Barnabas, and the so-called Apocalypse of Peter. And as to the Epistle to the Hebrews, he says that it is Paul's, but that it was written to the Hebrews in the Hebrew language, and that Luke translated it carefully and published it to the Greeks; that consequently there is found the same colour, with regard to style, in this Epistle and in the Acts; but that it is not prefaced by' Paul the apostle' with good reason; 'for' (says he) 'as he was sending it to the Hebrews, who had conceivecl a prejudice against him and suspected him, he very wisely did not repel them at the beginning by appending his name.' Then he goes on to say, 'But,' as the blessed presbyter before now used to say, 'since the Lord was sent to the Hebrews, as being the Apostle of the Almighty, Paul, out of modesty, as having been sent.to the Gentiles, does not inscribe himself apostle of the Hebrews, both because of the honour due to the Lord, and because of its being a work of supererogation that he wrote also to the Hebrews, being herald and apostle of the Gentiles'" (Eusebius, 'Hist. Eccl.,' vi. 14).1 "The blessed presbyter" referred to may be concluded to have been Pantmnus, to whose teaching Clement acknowledged himself to have been especially indebted: "who also in the' Hypotyposes,' which he composed, makes mention by name of Pantrenus as his master" (Eusebius, 'Hist. Eocl,' v.11; of. vi. 13). Also in his 'Stromates' (i.§ 11) Clement, speaking of his various teachers in va1·ious places, says that he found at last in Egypt the true master for whom he had before sought in vain, meaning undoubtedly this same Pantmnus, whom Eusebius, speaking of the time of Commodus (A.D. 180-192), mentions as the leading teacher at Alexandria. (' Hist. 1 The later Greek Fathers, after St. Paul had oome to be accepted as the WJiter,; give gencrnlly this reason for the nbseucc of bis name (see ' C11tenro 1' edit. Cramor) iv INT·RODUCTION TO
Eccl.,' v. 10). Jerome also (' In Catal.,' 36) speaks of Pantoonus thus: "Pa.ntmnns, stoiom seotoo philosophus, juxta quandam veterem in Alexandria consuetudinem, ubi a Marco Evangelista semper ecolesiastici fuere doctores, te.ntm prudentiie et eruditionis ta.m in Soripturis divinis, quam in sreculari literatura., fuit, ut in Indiam quoque . . . mitteretur." It would appear, then, that Clement, on coming to Alexandria., found Pantmnus presiding over the famous catechetical school there, whom, aooording to Eusebius and others, he succ0eded in his office. The period of Clement's presidency having been circ. A.D. 190-203, it thus is evident that, certainly not long after the r:iiddle of the second century, the Epistle to the Hebrews was received in the Alexandrian Church as one of St. Paul's; and of course the presumption is that it had been handed down as such from a much earlier date ( cf. Origen's words. quoted below, about "the ancients" having so transmitted it). This distinct early tradition is plainly of great impor- tance in the argument as to authorship. It appears, further, from the above quotation that the Alexandrian scholars had observed certain peculiarities in the Epistle, distinguishing it from others by St. Paul. All that Pantaanus is said to have remarked on was its being, unlike the rest, anonymous; and this he had his own way of accounting for. After him Clement suggested a. further expla- nation, and was also struck by the style being unlike St. Paul, and reminding him rather of St. Luke. He therefore maintained, having possibly started, the view of the Greek Epistle being a translation by that evangelist from a. Hebrew original. It does not appear from the way in which Eusebiua quotes him, as above, that this was more than his own opinion, or that he had anything beyond internal evidence to go upon, though Delitzsch thinks otherwise. His view, in any case, is untenable, since the Epistle has distinct internal evidence of being an original com- position in Greek. And so Origen, a. still abler and more distinguished man, who succeeded Clement as head of the Alexandrian school, seems to have clearly seen, Eusebius being again our authority. After a.n account of Origen's catalogue of the canonical books, the historian proceeds, "In addition to these things, concerning the Epistle to the Hebrews, he (Origen) sets forth in his homilies upon it as follows: 'That the style (x.apaKTTJP rijs >..itu,,r;) of the Epistle entitled to the Hebrews has not the rudeness in speech ( Ta iv My'f' iou,n-tKav) of the apostle, .who acknowledged himself to be rude in speech (IBump, T'f' My'f': see 2 Cor. xi. 6), that is, in his diction, but that the Epistle ia more purely Greek in composition ( crvv0icrn rijs Ait£ws), every one who is competent to judge of differences of diction would acknowledge. Again, that the thoughts of the Epistle are wonderful, and not second to the acknowledged apostolic writings, this, too, every one that gives atten- tion to the reading of the apostolic writings would agree.' Then, after other things, he adds, further, 'But I, to declare my own opinion, should s::iy that the thoughts are the apostle's, but the diction and composition that of some one who recorded from memory the apostle'& teaching, and, THE EPlSTLE TO THE HEBREWS. v