Hebrews

Hebrews has no greeting and no signature, and its author is unknown. The text addresses Christians of Jewish background tempted to give up and return to their former practices, probably under social pressure. The argument is comparative: Christ is superior to the angels, to Moses, to the priests and to the repeated sacrifices, because he offered himself once for all. Between doctrinal sections come severe warnings and encouragements. Chapter 11 is the gallery of the heroes of faith, from Abel to Rahab, and chapter 12 uses the image of a race with a great cloud of witnesses in the stands. It is the New Testament book that most uses imagery from Old Testament worship.