Who is the author? Most likely the Apostle Paul, but most certainly God.
"The Author of this letter was the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew whom He trained to write it was the Apostle Paul." - George Williams in The Student's Commentary.
After disposing of Luke, Barnabas, Apollos and Clement of Rome as possible authors, Sir Robert Anderson in Types in Hebrews says: "As for the other companions of the Apostle, their claims rest on mere conjecture; there is not a scintilla of evidence to connect them with the book."
"Luther and Calvin both questioned the Pauline authorship of Hebrews, but John Owen, the translator of the English edition of Calvin's Commentary on Hebrews, writes: 'As far, then, as the testimony of history goes, almost the whole weight of evidence is in favor of Paul being the author...Luther indeed, ascribed it to Apollos — a mere conjecture. Calvin, as we find, supposed that either Luke or Clement was the author; for which there are no satisfactory reasons. Beza differed from his illustrious predecessor, and regarded Paul as the writer; and such has been the opinion entertained by most of the successors of the Reformers...' (Calvin's Commentaries, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1949, The Epistle to the Hebrews, P.VIII)." - C.R. Stam in The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Internal evidence:
1. It is evident from 2 Peter 3:15 that Paul wrote a letter to the Hebrews. If this epistle is not that letter, where is it?
2. The author of Hebrews wrote from prison in Italy (Heb 13:18-24) and we know that Paul was a prisoner in Rome.
3. Timothy is mentioned in Heb 13:23. He had been the writer's fellow-prisoner until recently and was now expected shortly to travel with him. Do we know if Timothy was closely associated with anyone else besides Paul?
The preponderance of evidence points to Paul being the author, but it is interesting to note how he began each of his other epistles:
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle..." (Rom 1:1)
"Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (1 Cor 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (2 Cor 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle (not of men..." (Gal 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (Eph 1:1)
"Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Christ..." (Phil 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (Col 1:1)
"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church..." (1 Thes 1:1)
"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church..." (2 Thes 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (1 Tim 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (2 Tim 1:1)
"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (Titus 1:1)
"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ..." (Philemon 1:1)
"The Author of this letter was the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew whom He trained to write it was the Apostle Paul." - George Williams in The Student's Commentary.
After disposing of Luke, Barnabas, Apollos and Clement of Rome as possible authors, Sir Robert Anderson in Types in Hebrews says: "As for the other companions of the Apostle, their claims rest on mere conjecture; there is not a scintilla of evidence to connect them with the book."
"Luther and Calvin both questioned the Pauline authorship of Hebrews, but John Owen, the translator of the English edition of Calvin's Commentary on Hebrews, writes: 'As far, then, as the testimony of history goes, almost the whole weight of evidence is in favor of Paul being the author...Luther indeed, ascribed it to Apollos — a mere conjecture. Calvin, as we find, supposed that either Luke or Clement was the author; for which there are no satisfactory reasons. Beza differed from his illustrious predecessor, and regarded Paul as the writer; and such has been the opinion entertained by most of the successors of the Reformers...' (Calvin's Commentaries, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1949, The Epistle to the Hebrews, P.VIII)." - C.R. Stam in The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Internal evidence:
1. It is evident from 2 Peter 3:15 that Paul wrote a letter to the Hebrews. If this epistle is not that letter, where is it?
2. The author of Hebrews wrote from prison in Italy (Heb 13:18-24) and we know that Paul was a prisoner in Rome.
3. Timothy is mentioned in Heb 13:23. He had been the writer's fellow-prisoner until recently and was now expected shortly to travel with him. Do we know if Timothy was closely associated with anyone else besides Paul?
The preponderance of evidence points to Paul being the author, but it is interesting to note how he began each of his other epistles:
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle..." (Rom 1:1)
"Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (1 Cor 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (2 Cor 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle (not of men..." (Gal 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (Eph 1:1)
"Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Christ..." (Phil 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." (Col 1:1)
"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church..." (1 Thes 1:1)
"Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church..." (2 Thes 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (1 Tim 1:1)
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (2 Tim 1:1)
"Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (Titus 1:1)
"Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ..." (Philemon 1:1)
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