theosophy, makes them subservient only to the elucidation of the same essential gospel as is preached. though in various forms of expression, throughout the New Testament canon. How easily that theosophy, when taken up by Christiane, might lead to perversions of the gospel is apparent from the Gnostic heresies that so soon arose out of it. But not a shadow of a tendency to such perversion is found in this Epistle. We have, too, in the so-called Epistle of Barnabas-a document of very early date, though of unknown authorship-a specimen of the treatment of Old Testament symbolism even by an orthodox: writer without the guidance of inspiration in the next succeeding age. In it, too, the ancient history and ritual are mystically interpreted after the manner of the Alex:andrine school; but, whereas in the canonical Epistle the Old Testament is treated in a broad and intelligent spirit, and with regard to its essential drift and purport, in the other particular passages are arbitrarily taken, and often fanciful mean- ings drawn out of them which they will not legitimately bear. (On the essential difference between the two Epistles, which must be obvious to all appreciative readers,·see Westcott, •On the Canon of the New Testament,' pt. i. p. 41.)
IV. To WHOM AND WHENCE THE EPISTLE WAS BENT. All we can be sureofis that itwasoriginally sent to Christians of Jewish race, residing in some definite locality. This last conclusion follows from the reference to the past experience of the persons addressed ( eh. vi. 10, etc.; x:. 32), and to their departed leaders (eh. xiii. 7), and from the writer's expressed intention to visit them ( eh. xiii. 19, 23). It was, therefore, not an encyclical Epistle to all Hebrew Churches, though it may have been intended to be generally circulated, so as to be of use to all. But what Church or group of Churches it was first meant for can only be surmised. The designation Hebrews ('Ef3pa'i.oi) is used in the New Testament to denote those who adhered to the Hebrew language in public worship and to the national Hebrew customs and traditions, in opposition to the Hellenizing Jews, called •EU71vuTTa{ (Acts vi. 1; of. ix. 29; x:i. 20); but also, in its more general and proper sense, to denote all of Hebrew race (2 Cor. x:i. 22; Phil. iii. 5). Hence it cannot be concluded from the title, Ilpo, 'Ef3pafov,, that the Jewish converts in Palestine rather than elsewhere were addressed. Nor, on the other hand, is the fact of the Epistle having been written in Greek, and of the LXX. being always quoted, an argument against this aupposi- tion. For Greek as well as Aramaic was e.t that time spoken in Palestine, and was the language of Christian literature from the first. It is remarkable in this connection that Justin Martyr, though born at Flavia. Neapolis (the ancient Sichem) in Palestine, probably at the close of the first century, shows no signs of being acquainted with the vernacular language of his country, and even in arguing with the Jew Trypho refers only to the LXX. Chrysostom, and the Greek Fathers generally suppose the Churches of HEBREWS, C xviii INTRODUCTION TO
Palestine to be addressed, and this appears still to be the prevailing view, being that which most naturally suggests itself, and at least as probable as any other. Alford, indeed, argues at considerable length against it, and in favour of the Epistle having been addressed to Rome; but his raa.soning is by no means convincing. Nor can we determine with any certainty the locality from which the Epistle was sent. The expression," They of Italy ( ot «bro 171 ., lTaX{as) salute you" ( eh. xiii. 24), does not settle the question whether the writer was or was not in Italy when he wrote. It may mean either persons who had come from Italy or s:mply Italians. In favour of the latter meaning, cf. Acts x. 23, 'TWV ar.o lor.ln]S: xii. I, 'TWV ar.o njs iKKA:qcr{as: xvii. 13, oi «bro -ris 0£crcra>..ovlKTJs: xxi. 27, oi ar.o njs 'Acrlas 'Iov8aiot. With these instances before us (all being from St. Luke, whose language that of the Epistle so constantly resembles), we may most naturally take the phrase to mean the Hebrews, or the Christians generally, who were of Italy; and if so, to suppose the writer to have been himself in Italy, possibly in Rome, when he thus sent salutations from them. He could not, in fact, have used a more appropriate expression, if this were the case. This expression, then, seems to afford a probability, though not a certainty, that it was so. The familiarity of the Roman Clement with the Epistle, though no copy of it seems to have been preserved in the Roman Church, may further be thus accounted for.
V. THE Puru>oSE AND SUBJECT OF THE EPISTLE. It is not, in original intention, an expository treatise so much as a hortatory letter, though so large a pa.rt of it is devoted to exposition. It does indeed supply, for us and for all ages, an invaluable treatise on the Law in relation to Christ; but its main purpose was originally hortatory, the expositions throughout leading up to the hortations, which come in, as the Epistle goes on, with increasing force. We may better understand this its immediate purpose, if we call to mind the original relation of the Church to Judaism and the changes in that relation which had by degrees ensued. The fust Christians at Jerusalem regarded themselves as still belonging to the religious commonwealth of Israel, and, with the apostles, attended the temple daily (Acts ii. 46). They were slow also to rise above the idea of the gospel being intended for the house of Israel only : " They which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen" for the most part" preached the Word to none but unto the Jews only" (Acts ri. 19). The Samaritans had indeed been preached to (Acts viii.), but the speaking to Greeks at Antioch by" some who were men of Cyprus and Cyrene" (Acts xi. 20) is mentioned as something new and unusual; even Peter would have hesitated to receive Cornelius into the Church without the special enlightenment of that memorable vision (Acts x.). His reception, sanctioned by signs from above, and approved at length by "those of the THE EP'18TLE TO THE HEBREWS. xix: