Doctrinal Theme of Hebrews? DTS

300 Bibliotheca Sacra / July–September 1989

The Doctrinal Center of the Book of Hebrews...

Conclusion

The expository sections of Hebrews center on the doctrine of the high priesthood of Christ. The paraenetic sections, on the other hand, are dominated by the pilgrimage motif.³⁹ Two questions pre-sent themselves: Which of the two themes is central to the epistle as a whole? How are the two to be integrated? Attempting to answer the first question is almost futile. The two themes are not ri-vals; they belong together. "The doctrine leads to the exhortations, the exhortations are based on the doctrine."⁴⁰ Nevertheless the au-thor's assertion in 8:1 leads to the conclusion that the high priest-hood of Jesus Christ is the controlling theme of the epistle.As for the second question it has been suggested⁴¹ that the two themes are easily integrated if it is remembered that God's pilgrim people are a "cultic [or priestly] community on the move." These pilgrims on their way to the promised rest are "sanctified," "perfected," and "purified." They have the priestly privilege of access to God's tabernacle through Jesus their High Priest. With such a High Priest they can and should persevere (cf. 2:18; 4:16).In summary, the doctrines of Christ's high priesthood and the pilgrimage of God's people dominate respectively the expository and paraenetic sections.⁴² The theme of Christ as High Priest, how-ever, is central to the epistle as a whole.

full article