Preface

Summary

The Letter to the Hebrews is so obviously full of theology that the main problem is not how to dig it out, but how to present it in an assimilable form. In preparing this book I considered the possibility of a systematic treatment, dealing with all the standard topics of theology in a logical order. I decided against this on the grounds that the theology of Hebrews is related to a sustained argument, which runs through the letter from start to finish. This argument is not a theological treatise, but an urgent address to the original readers, who are on the brink of taking action which their leaders regard as nothing short of apostasy. The author uses his considerable rhetorical skill as a writer to persuade them to change their minds. Consequently his theology is liable to be misrepresented if it is detached from the context in which it is used. I have therefore adhered closely to the order of the text, except that Hebrews 13, which provides the clues for understanding the situation of the readers, is dealt with at the beginning.

This explains why the subjects are taken in a seemingly illogical order, why some subjects receive what may be regarded as disproportionate attention, and some subjects little or no attention at all.