The peculiarity I have in view, is the enthymeme or imperfect form of syllogism, and unfinished sentences and comparisons; which, it has been often observed, are characteristic of Paul's mode of writing. He states the major, or major and minor terms, of a syllogism; or the first parts of a sentence or comparison; and then leaving it in this unfinished state, he turns aside to illustrate or confirm some hint, which was suggested to his mind by what he had stated; or some train of thought is introduced, to which the natural association of ideas would lead; and after descanting on this, he returns, and with, or without, repeating his proposition or sentence at first commenced, presents in full the conclusion or epitasis, which is required to complete it. A striking example of this occurs in Rom. 5: 12-18. "Wherefore," says he " as by one man sin entered the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, in that all have sinned, v. 12." The premises being thus stated, he turns aside to descant on the universality of sin, its pernicious consequences, and the salutary effects of the blessing which is proffered by Christ; and it is not until he reaches the 18th verse of the chapter, that the proposition which he had commenced is repeated, and the conclusion fully brought out, where it is thus stated, "Therefore as by one offence, condemnation came upon all men; so by the obedience of one, the blessing of justification unto life comes upon all men." So in Rom. 2: 6, Paul says, "Who [God] will render to every man according to his works ;" and after nine verses of explanatory matter, which was suggested by the mention of rendering to every man according to his works, he adds, at last, the remainder of the sentence which he had begun, viz. "in the day when the secret doings of men shall be judged by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel which I preach, Rom. 2: 16." So in Eph. 3: 1, the apostle says, "For this cause, I Paul the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles ;" then leaving the sentence thus commenced, he proceeds on 12 verses, with thoughts suggested by the mention of his being a messenger to the Gentiles; and finally, in the 13th verse, he adds the conclu sion of the sentence commenced in the first, viz. "I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory." In the same way, has the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews constructed some of his reasonings and sentences. In Heb. 4: 6, he says, "Seeing then it remains that some should enter into [the rest], and they to whom the good tidings were formerly proclaimed, did not enter in through unbelief-;" the sentence is then suspended, until the writer introduces another quotation from the Psalms, and reasons upon it, in order to prove that the rest in question could not have been such a rest as the land of Canaan proffered. After this, and in the 9th verse, we have the concluding part of the sentence or syllogism, viz. “there remaineth, then a rest, for the people of God." How entirely this coincides with the Pauline manner above exhibited, must strike the mind of every one who considers it. So in Heb. 5: 6, the writer introduces the divine appointment of Christ as a priest after the order of Melchisedek, with a design to show that this was an appointment of the most solemn nature, and of a higher order than that of the Jewish priests. He then suspends the consideration of this topic, and introduces another, in vs. 7-9; after which he resumes the former topic. But no sooner does he do this, than he turns aside once more, in order to descant upon the difficulties which present themselves in the way of an ample discussion of it. These result from the very imperfect state of religious knowledge among those whom he addresses, 5: 11--14; the criminality and danger of which state he dwells upon at large, in chap. vI. intermixing threats and encouragements. It is not until we come to chap. 7: 1, that the subject of Melchisedek's priesthood is resumed; where it is treated of, at full length. So in Heb. 9: 7, the writer says, that the Jewish high-priest, entered into the holy place, once in each year, with the blood of victims, in order to make atonement.' This is designed as one member of a comparison; but the other member follows only in 9: 12, after descanting on several matters suggested by what the writer had stated. There the antithesis is stated, viz. "Jesus the high priest of future blessings, entered the sanctuary of the temple not made with hands, with his own blood, accomplishing eternal redemption, 9: 12." Such is the suspended connexion here, even if we adopt that method of interpretation which will make it as close as possible. But an attentive consideration of the whole preceding context, will perhaps render it probable to the attentive reader, that Heb. 9: 11 may be the antithesis of the latter part of 8: 4, and first part of 8: 5 ; where the Υπόδειγμα and σκιὰ τῶν ἐπουρανίων, are in contrast with the μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν and the μείζονος καὶ τελειοτέρας σκηνῆς, οὐ χειροποιήτου, of 9: 11. How much such suspensions resemble the manner of Paul, need not be again insisted on. Instances of this nature might easily be increased; but no attentive critical reader can help observing them, as they abound in the epistle to the Hebrews. The instances above produced may serve to shew, that, as to form and method, in regard either to general arrangement, or the deducing of arguments from the Old Testament, or the exhibition of a peculiar manner in the statement of these arguments, there is a striking similarity between the acknowledged writings of Paul and the epistle to the Hebrews. To the method of argument which I have thus far employed, in order to shew the probability that Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, some objections have been, and may be raised. It may be asked, Did not Paul's hearers, disciples, and intimate friends, who travelled with him, daily conversed with him, and for years heard his instructions, cherish the same views of doctrine that he did? And in writing the epistle to the Hebrews, might not an attentive hearer of Paul, and a reader of his epistles, exhibit the same sentiments? And further; if the same general manner, in which the contents of his epistles are arranged, or the contents of some of them, be found in the epistle to the Hebrews; or if the particular manner in which he quotes or employs passages of the Jewish Scriptures, or interprets them; or if even his method of stating arguments, and employing imperfect syllogisms or sentences, be found in this epistle; still, may not some favourite disciple of his, some de voted follower and successful imitator of his manner, be naturally supposed to have derived all this from hearing him and reading his letters? And how then, can arguments of this nature prove, that Paul wrote the epistle in question?' Prove it, in the way of demonstration, they certainly cannot; nor is this the purpose for which they are adduced. But of this, more hereafter. At present, I merely observe, that the force of these objections is very much diminished, if in comparing the epistle to the Hebrews with the writings of Paul, it shall appear, that not the strain of sentiment only; not merely the general arrangement of the contents of the epistle, or the particular manner of it in respect to various ways of reasoning, or constructing syllogisms and sentences; but even the idiomatical and distinctive style and diction itself of Paul abound in it. These, none but a writer that was a mere copyist or plagiarist could exhibit. But such a writer is one of the last men, who can be justly suspected of having composed an epistle, like that to the Hebrews. These suggestions naturally lead us, in the next place, to a comparison, in respect to phraseology and words, between the acknowledged writings of Paul, and the epistle to the Hebrews. § 23. Comparison of the phraseology and diction of the epistle to the Hebrews, and the acknowledged epistles of Paul. I. The similarity of phraseology and diction, where the same words, or synonymous ones, are employed; or where the shade of thought or representation is peculiar and homogeneous, although the language may be somewhat diverse. Heb. 1: 2. Δι' οὗ [ ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ] καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας [θεὸς] ἐποίησε. Eph. 3: 9, Τῷ [θεῷ] τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Heb. 1: 3, "Ος ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης και χαρακτήρ τῆς υποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. Col. 1: 15, "Ος ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου. 2 Cor. 4: 4, "Ος ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ. Heb. 1: 3, Φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Col. 1: 17, Τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκε. Heb. 1: 5, Υιός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. Acts 13: 33, Υιός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγω σημερον γεγέννηκά σε; used here by Paul, and applied in both passages, (but no where else in the New Testament), to Christ. Heb. 1: 4, Τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα. ..... Eph. 1: 21, Υπεράνω . . . . . παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου οὐ μόνον ἐν τῳ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Phil. 2: 9, Ο θεός . . . . . ἐχαρίσατο αὐτῷ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα ἵνα ἐν τῷ ὀνοματι λησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψῃ ἐπουρανίων κ.τ.λ. Heb. 1: 6, Τόν πρωτότοκον . . . Rom. 8: 29, Εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν τὸν πρωτότοκον, Col. 1: 15, Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως. V. 18, Πρωτότοκος. This appellation is applied to Christ no where else, excepting in Rev. 1: 5. Heb. 2: 2, Ο δι' αγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος. Gal. 3: 19, Ο νόμος . . . διαταγεὶς δι' ἀγγέλων. Comp. Acts 7: 53. Here is the same sentiment, λύγος and νόμος being synonymes; as, for substance, λαληθείς and διαταγείς are. However, Stephen once uses a similar expression, Acts 7: 53. Heb. 2: 4, Σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασι, καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσι, καὶ πνεύματος αγίου μερισμοῖς. 1 Cor. 12: 4, Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσὶ, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα. 1 Cor. 12: 11, Πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνέργει τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦ μα, διαροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἐκάστῳ καθώς βούλειαι. Rom. 12: 6, ̓́Εχοντες δὲ χαρίσματα κατὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖ σαν ἡμῖν διάφορα . . . . all spoken of the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, and characterized by the same shade of thought, viz. the various or different gifts of this nature, distributed by him. Heb. 2: 8, Πάντα υπέταξας ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ. |