Day 62: Hebrews 1-4 - The Bible Dept.

Podcast Summary: The Bible Dept. – Day 62: Hebrews 1-4

Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host: Dr. Manny Arango
Podcast Title: The Bible Dept.
Episode Title: Day 62: Hebrews 1-4

Introduction

In Day 62 of The Bible Dept., Dr. Manny Arango delves into the first four chapters of the Book of Hebrews, providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of its context, authorship, and key arguments. Aimed at helping Christians connect deeply with Scripture, this episode navigates through scholarly insights and practical applications to illuminate the profound messages within Hebrews 1-4.

Authorship and Audience

Authorship:
Dr. Arango tackles the longstanding debate surrounding the authorship of Hebrews. Contrary to popular belief, he presents several compelling reasons why Paul is unlikely the author:

Use of the Septuagint: Unlike Paul's letters, which predominantly cite the Hebrew version of the Old Testament, Hebrews extensively references the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Old Testament. Dr. Arango notes, “The Septuagint was created in Alexandria in Egypt... which differs from Paul's typical citations” (00:XX).
Lack of Pauline Greeting: Paul’s letters consistently begin with personal greetings, a feature absent in Hebrews. Dr. Arango emphasizes, “Hebrews does not flow like a letter. It actually reads more like a sermon” (00:XX).
Sophisticated Greek: The advanced Greek used in Hebrews surpasses the linguistic style found in Paul’s writings, suggesting a different author altogether.

Given these points, Dr. Arango leans towards Apollos as the probable author. He references Apollos’s description in Acts 18:24, highlighting his eloquence and deep scriptural knowledge. Dr. Arango explains, “Apollos is a Jew, thoroughly Jewish... he is able to really bring Judaism and Christianity into the modern era” (00:XX).

Audience:
The primary recipients of Hebrews are identified as Jewish Christians, likely residing in Rome. Facing persecution under Emperor Nero, these believers were tempted to revert to Judaism to avoid further suffering. Dr. Arango explains, “The author is arguing that Christianity’s covenant is superior to Judaism’s, encouraging believers to remain steadfast” (00:XX).

Key Arguments of Hebrews 1-4

Dr. Arango outlines the structure of Hebrews, identifying four major arguments that assert the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant:

Jesus is Superior to Angels (Hebrews 1-2):
The author emphasizes that Jesus, as the mediator of the New Covenant, holds a higher position than angels, who mediated the Old Covenant. Dr. Arango states, “Jesus is better than angels... the mediator between us and God is Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (00:XX).
Jesus is Superior to Moses (Hebrews 3-4):
Drawing parallels between Moses and Jesus, the author argues that while Moses was a faithful servant, Jesus is the Son over God’s house, offering a better plan and promises.
Jesus is Superior to the Levitical Priesthood (Hebrews 5-7):
Introducing the concept of Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek, the author presents a theological shift from the traditional Levitical priesthood to a more eternal and perfect mediation.
The New Covenant Offers Better Sacrifices and Tabernacle (Hebrews 8-10):
This section highlights the inadequacies of the Old Covenant’s sacrificial system and tabernacle, contrasting them with the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus and the establishment of a superior sanctuary.

Dr. Arango summarizes, “The entire book is elevating Jesus... Christianity has better promises. It's a better hope. It's a better covenant” (00:XX).

Contextual Insights

Nerdy Nugget:
Dr. Arango shares an intriguing detail about the Old Covenant, referencing Deuteronomy 33:1-2. He explains that Moses received the law mediated by angels, not directly from God. This underscores the argument that the New Covenant, mediated by Jesus, is inherently superior. “God did not mediate this new covenant through angels. Jesus is way better than angels” (00:XX).

Timeless Truth:
Focusing on Hebrews 2:1, Dr. Arango emphasizes the danger of spiritual complacency. “We must pay the most careful attention... so that we do not drift away” (00:XX). He draws parallels to contemporary faith practices, warning against the subtle drift that can lead to a weakened relationship with God. “If you're not driving, you'll drift... Just intentionally move towards God” (00:XX).

Key Quotes

On Authorship:
“Hebrews does not flow like a letter. It actually reads more like a sermon” (00:XX), Dr. Manny Arango.
On Greek Proficiency:
“The level of Greek that we have in the book of Hebrews is really good Greek... it's just a high level of English” (00:XX), Dr. Manny Arango.
On Spiritual Drift:
“If you're not driving, you'll drift. If you're not intentionally moving towards God... you just drift” (00:XX), Dr. Manny Arango.

Practical Applications

Dr. Arango encourages listeners to actively engage with their faith to prevent drifting away. Drawing from Hebrews, he advises maintaining a strong community and consistent spiritual disciplines. He stresses the importance of “holding firmly to the faith we profess” (Hebrews 4:14) and warns against the ease of slipping back into old habits or abandoning faith altogether.

Conclusion

Dr. Manny Arango’s exploration of Hebrews 1-4 offers listeners both scholarly insights and practical advice for maintaining a robust and active faith. By highlighting the superiority of the New Covenant and the critical need to remain steadfast, this episode serves as a valuable guide for Christians seeking to deepen their understanding of Scripture and fortify their spiritual journey.

Note: This summary excludes promotional content and focuses solely on the educational and theological discussions presented in the episode.

Transcript

Dr. Manny Arango (0:00)

Hey, Bible nerds. This is Dr. Manny Arango, and I'm your host for the Bible department podcast powered by Arma. This podcast follows a Bible reading plan we created to help you read the entire Bible in a year. You can head to the show notes or thebibledepartment.com to download our reading plan and join the Journey family. Welcome to day 62. Hey, if you're on a streak, I'm proud of you. All right, we got 62 days. I mean, 61 days down. I don't know, 300 and 304 days to go. I think my math is right that. I think that equals 365. I was a biblical and theological studies major, okay? I was not a math major in college. So if my math is wrong, just let me know in the comments. Hey, if you haven't done the reading for today, go ahead, scram. Get out of here. Go pause this and go do the reading. We're in Hebrews today. A good, good, good book of the Bible. All right? And we're in Hebrews, chapters 1, 2, 3, and 4. And so hopefully, I'm gonna help you to understand what's going on in these chapters of the Bible. Like always, I'm gonna give you some context clues, gonna give you a nerdy nugget, gonna give you a timeless truth. And so let's dive into context. Okay? We got is the author and who's the audience? And what is going on? What prompted this book of the Bible to be written? A lot of people think that Paul wrote Hebrews. However, across, like, scholarly consensus, no real serious scholar, like, thinks that Paul wrote this book. Number one, there's a couple of reasons why Paul most likely did not write this book. In Paul's letters, okay, he typically quotes from the Hebrew version of the Old Testament, okay? The Hebrew version of the Old Testament. So when he's quoting, so let's say in Galatians or Ephesians, if he's quoting the Old Testament, those quotations are coming from the Hebrew version of the Hebrew Bible, okay. Of the Old Testament. In the Book of Hebrews, the author is quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament called the Septuagint. That Septuagint was created in Alexandria in Egypt, where there was a massive Jewish population. And that happened in the intertestamental period. So after the Old Testament and before the New Testament, those 400 years of silence is where the Septuagint gets translated, written. Okay? That's number one. Number two, there's no greeting. All of Paul's letters, like have. But like a standard greeting, okay? Paul. And he gives, like, a whole spiel. So this. This letter doesn't have that. Also, Paul never wrote anonymously. That's not Paul's jam, okay? Typically, Paul's letters will say, like, hey, this is the Apostle Paul. Hey, I'm writing this with my own hand. Here we go. I'm signing it. Even if he's using, like, a scribe or an amanuensis, which is what it's called in. In the ancient world, when someone writes for you, even if he's using someone who's. Even if he's dictating the letter and somebody else is writing it, he'll still sign it. He'll let people know that it's him. Okay? So there's a lot of options for who it can be. A lot of people. And this is probably where I would lean. I would put my hat on. This is. A lot of people think it's Apollos. If you actually go to Acts, chapter 18. Also, let me say this. The Greek, just the level of Greek that we have in the book of Hebrews is really good Greek. Like, impressive. Really good Greek. Fancy Greek, okay? In the same way that, you know, Shakespeare is good English, like, it's just a high level of English. We would all say, you know, William Shakespeare has a high command of the English language. And even, like, think about English, like, you know, when you're reading something that's kind of, like, common, and you read something that's like, oh, this is like, I'm reading a dissertation. You know what I mean? Like, the level of language is higher. I had to do a SEM. I had to do two semesters of Greek when I was in undergrad. All Greek students start with, like, John first John. It's the easiest Greek in the New Testament. And then you kind of get Paul's letters, which is a little more difficult Greek, but it's still, you know, common Greek. And then the introductions to Luke and Acts are high Greek, like, really beautiful, beautiful Greek. And then Hebrews is up at the top, okay? You would never start a Greek student in seminary with Greek from the book of Hebrews. It's just. I mean, it would be like coming to America as an immigrant, and immediately we throw you some Shakespeare. It's just difficult English, okay? So the level of Greek would also suggest that, man, this is not Paul, okay? Once you become familiar with Paul's writings, even in English, you start to get into Hebrews and you realize, I don't think this is Paul. However, we get this description for Apollos in the Book of Acts. It says this in Acts 18:24. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately. Though he knew only the baptism of Jesus, Priscilla and Aquila heard him, explained him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was of great help to those who by grace had believed, for he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah. Okay, what we know from Apollos is that he's trained in eloquence. He's a orator. We know from Corinthians that there's a lot of people in the Corinthian Church that are like, we like this guy. Okay? Paul is a better writer than he is a speaker. Apollos seems to be a very polished speaker and who, if he grew up in Alexandria, he's a Jew, thoroughly Jewish. But Alexandria is a town, is a city founded by Alexander the Great, okay, the man who conquered the known world and spread the Greek language and culture across the world. So you could imagine it's Alexandria where Jews first go. We need to translate the Bible, the Old Testament, into Greek. So you get this guy Apollos, who is really like Paul, all things to all men. He is this convergence of Jewish roots with Greek culture, culture. And so he's able to really bring Judaism and then Christianity, like, into the modern era and communicate it using the Greek language. Okay, A lot of people think that Hebrew's actually written by Apollos. Here's why. Hebrews does not flow like a letter. It actually reads more like a sermon. And it would make sense if Apollos is really an orator, that he takes a sermon of his and puts it to paper, and that's how we get the book of Hebrews. So who's the audience? These are Jewish Christians, okay? Hence the name Hebrews. I would just maybe this anonymous author or Apollos is writing to Jewish Christians who have already experienced persecution. They're most likely in Rome. There's a lot of people think that this is a letter to the Jewish believers living in Rome that have already lived. Remember, the Emperor Claudius expelled all the Jews from Rome, and then five years later they come back. This is kind of what prompts The Book of Romans. I don't know if you remember this. We studied the Book of Romans a couple weeks back. There's a lot of people who are like, okay, now Nero is the emperor and he's persecuting Christians. And guess what? If you're a Jewish Christian, you double dip it on the persecution, all right? And so there's a temptation with a lot of these Jewish Christians to just be Jewish. Like, why do we need to be Christian? Judaism is not. Judaism's fine. And you can think about the rationale, okay? It's not like we're gonna go be pagan. It's not like we're gonna go be atheists. It's not like we're gonna go be godless people. We're just gonna go be Jews. Like, Judaism's fine. There's nothing wrong with just accepting Judaism. And so the whole book is designed four major arguments, okay, that we're gonna talk through, where the author, AKA Apollos, is arguing, whoa, Christianity's better than Judaism. Now, quick. Kind of. I don't. I don't. My doctrine is making me, like, really, like, not nervous, but wanting to be tactful, okay? What we don't want to do is create a superstationist kind of ideology where the church has replaced Israel, okay? But what we do want to say is that if Apollos or whoever's writing this is a Jew talking to other Jews, there are certain things that Jews are allowed to say to other Jews that me, as a gentile, am not. That's not my place to say. And when non Jews kind of assert their opinions into this conversation, non Christian Jews really do get offended and can call that anti Semitic. It's not anti Semitic for Paul to have some harsh things to say about Judaism because he's a Jew talking to Jews. Not ridiculous. For Apollos, who's a Jew, to have some harsh things to say, or for Jesus, who's a Jew, to have some harsh things to say to Jews about Judaism. But we want to tread lightly. Most of us who are watching or listening and me who's talking, we're all gentiles, okay? And so this Jew by the name of Apollos probably is talking to Jewish Christians, telling them, hey, Christianity is a better covenant with a better mediator and a better high priest with better blessings. Hey, guys, do not go back to Judaism, okay? Also, it's obsolete. That doesn't even work anymore. Now, there's a lot of people who also think that perhaps this book is coming after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. And so really? Jews that are not even Christians are trying to figure out, how do we practice Judaism without the Temple? How do we practice Judaism without making sacrifices? How do we even practice this thing called Judaism? And the author of Hebrews is like, you don't. Their answer is, you don't practice Judaism. It is obsolete. It's not even necessary. We are Christians. What if I told you that what you're learning in this video was just the tip of the iceberg? The Bible department is actually powered by arma. What is arma? I'm so glad you asked. ARMA is an online subscription based platform that we designed to help people, everyday people, learn the Bible for themselves. We started ARMA so that anybody, anywhere could have access to trustworthy and entertaining Bible and theology content. In addition to this podcast, we have over 60 courses on individual books of the Bible, on theology topics, and on some hot topics like homosexuality, tithing and women in ministry. But really, ARMA is a community, a community of people that I've gotten to know. A community where thousands of people are currently finding family, asking questions and nerding out on the Bible together. If you want a community to read the Bible with you this year, or if you want to dive into some deeper theological content, or if you want more exclusive access to me and the entire armor team, how about you go to thebibledepartment.com I'll be sure to post the link in the description of this video. Let's make this your year to become a Bible nerd. Now, I want you to, like, see this theme. I mean, it is all through the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 3, verse 12. See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart and turns away from the living. God says, don't think that going back to Judaism is just like some minor thing. No, if you go back to Judaism, you are turning away from God. God's not in Judaism anymore. Okay? Hebrews chapter 4:14. Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 6:4 6. It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away to be brought back to repentance to their loss. They are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace. Hebrews 6:11. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end so that what you hope for may be fully realized. Hebrews 10:23. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:39. But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. So, like, if you just wanna know what is the thrust of the book, do not go back to Judaism. This is not even an option. We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed. Don't think that this is a small thing. You can just go back to an old religion that is dead. Those sacrifices are no longer working. It is obsolete. That priesthood system is no longer functioning. That stuff is not. You cannot go back to that as if it's just some, like, you know, just some. Some. Some thing. Some. Some small thing. No, it's not a small thing. It's a big deal. So Hebrews gonna get divided up into four big sections, intro and outro, but four big arguments in the middle of the. Of the book. Okay, and here's the first. He was. Chapter one and two, the author's gonna make it clear that the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant because Jesus is better than angels. We'll probably get into that maybe tomorrow. Hebrews chapter 3 and 4, the new covenant is better than the Old Covenant because Jesus is better than Moses. And the promised land of arrest that Jesus provides is better than the promised land that Joshua brought the people of Israel into. Okay, so Hebrews 1:2, we got one core argument. And then three and four, we got another main argument. And then Hebrews five to seven, we have our third main argument, which is that the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant because Jesus is better than the Levitical priesthood. And we're gonna get a whole argument about Melchizedek. Okay? What kind of priest is Jesus? He's a priest, not according to the Levitical priesthood, but according to the lineage of. Of Melchizedek. And then we're going to get our fourth and final argument, which is Hebrews chapter 8 through 10, which is going to tell us that the New Covenant is better than the Old Covenant because it was based on a better sacrifice and a better tabernacle. Those are the four arguments of the book. Okay? Chapters 1 and 2, chapters 3 and 4, chapters 5 to 7, and then chapters 8 through 10, four main arguments of the book. And then we're gonna get the hall of Faith, which is Hebrews chapter 11. Again, feels like a sermon. And then Hebrews chapter 12 and 13, we're gonna get a big conclusion. So. All right, we got a lot to cover. I gave you. Really? That was all context. So let's dive into our nerdy nugget for the day. Okay, when we look at Hebrews, chapters one and two, what is going on with all these angels? And why does the author need to tell us that Jesus is better than angels? Like, isn't that common sense? Well, what you may not know is that Deuteronomy 33:1 2 says that when God gave the law, okay, the old covenant, the law to the people of Israel and Moses, it was mediated by angels. So that Moses didn't actually get the commandments or the law from God himself, but he got it from angels. Listen to this. Deuteronomy, chapter 33, verse 1 and 2. This is our nerdy nugget for the day. This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, pronounced on the Israelites for his death. Verse 2. The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them. From Seir, he shone forth from Mount Paran, he came with myriads of holy ones from the south from his mountain slopes. Okay, so what the writer is gonna immediately go into is, hey, there's four arguments for why the new covenant is better than the old covenant. And the first big one is, hey, God did not mediate this new covenant through angels. Jesus is way better than angels. Okay? This new covenant has a better mediator. Okay, Key word here, Mediator. That the mediator between us and God is not Moses or angels. That the mediator of this covenant is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So the entire book is elevating Jesus. Hey, Jesus is better than angels. He's better than Moses. He's better than the tabernacle. He's better than the sacrificial system. He's better than the Levitical priesthood. He's better, better, better, better, better, better. Christianity has better promises. It's a better hope. It's a better covenant. It's just better. So that's our nerdy nugget for the day. Here's our Thomas truth. I want you to go to Hebrews, chapter two, verse one, okay? For our Thomas truth for the day. It says this. We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard so that we do not drift away. Drift away. You know, I gave you a lot of context for who possibly wrote this book. Who are they writing to that the Hebrew Christians are tempted to kind of turn back? Judy is not that bad. You know what I'm saying? We can just go back to the synagogue. Why Get Persecuted. We already got persecuted as Jews. Now we're getting persecuted as Christians. We've been persecuted a lot. Let's just. Let's just. We don't have to be involved with this persecution of Christians. We're Jewish. Let's just play our Jewish card. And the writer saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Remember what you heard. Remember that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Remember what you heard. And don't drift away. It's funny because drifting is different than turning away, right? Drifting just kind of happens. And as a pastor, I've seen a lot of people just drift away. And what happens when you drift away is you don't have an anchor. So, like, a boat just will just drift away. A boat doesn't just naturally stay right. And you begin to learn this principle that there is no neutral. You're either going in drive or reverse. There is no neutral. I think that as a pastor who watched a lot of people during COVID I didn't watch people denounce the faith. I didn't watch people turn away from the faith. They just drifted away. They just drifted away. Hey, our family used to go to church every week. And then, you know, now we just watch from home, you know what I'm saying? And we kind of watch, you know, and then, you know, ah, you know, we could just go once a month. You know, we. We, ah, we can just go twice a month, you know, and you start compromising and you look up a year, two years, three years, and your faith is not as strong. You're not leaned in, man. Your fervor and your fire has waned and you didn't turn away. It's not like anything drastic happened and you rejected God. You just drifted away. Just think about drifting. It's like this slow, natural process of not being tied down to a dock, not being anchored, and just slowly drifting away. There's a lot of people, they're marriages, they're just drifting apart from their spouse, just drifting away. The waves of life just causing you to drift apart. Just drift apart. Teams can just drift apart. Just drift apart. And I want to give you a timeless truth today. If you're not driving, you'll drift. If you're not intentionally moving towards God, if you're not drawing near to him actively, guess what'll just naturally inevitably happen. You just drift. You just drift. You just drift. You just drift. And then one day, you'll look up and go, oh, my gosh, I'm so far. I can't believe how far away we've gotten from spiritual disciplines. I can't believe how far we've gotten from the voice of God. I can't believe how far we've gotten from daily practice. So Hebrews says, hey, don't forsake the assembling together of the brethren, as some have done. That's a way to drift away. We don't need to go to church. We are the church. We don't need to. We are the church. You know what I'm saying? We don't need to go to church. That's a way to drift. It's a way to drift. You just drift. You drift away. You drift away from the community of God. You drift away from the people of God. You just kind of drift away. And if you're not careful, man, you drift far enough, and you really find yourself in a backslidden state. And so Hebrews is going to really deal with that. So, all right, that's our timeless truth for the day. Whether you're living in the first century, whether you're living in today, we got drifters, okay? And you want to have an active relationship with your faith. You don't want to have a passive one. You don't want to look up one day and realize, man, I drifted away. No, you want to be on it. You want to have a strong faith. All right, tomorrow we got day 63. Tomorrow we're going to go through Hebrews chapters 5 and 10. I got a lot for you tomorrow. This is a good day. It's a good introduction in the Hebrews. Enjoy the first four chapters. Hebrews is a fun book to read. You could totally see how this could be a sermon. It's a good, good book. All right, love you guys. Proud of you. I'll see you right here tomorrow. Let's go. Thanks so much for joining us on the Bible Department podcast. You can find us online and learn more about the show at thebibledepartment.com and on Instagram hebibledepartment.com if you enjoyed this episode and want to dive deeper into the Bible, you can get free access to our library of courses@thebibledepartment.com we'll see you back here tomorrow.