Transcript The Book of Hebrews: Authorship

Sanctuary Typology in
Hebrews
Richard M. Davidson
Andrews University
Theological Seminary
The Book of Hebrews:
Authorship
• No author mentioned in the Epistle
• Critical scholars deny Pauline authorship
• Evidence for Pauline authorship:
– SDA Bible Commentary and John Lee
– Testimony of Albert VanHoye
• Perhaps Paul’s scholarly “Magnum Opus” to the
Jews
– (in contrast to his occasional letters dashed off
spontaneously)
Target Audience of Hebrews
Jewish Christians in the Diaspora (Greek
speaking, who had LXX [Septuagint, or
Greek translation of the OT] as their Bible)
Problem:
• They were tempted to forsake Christianity
and return to Judaism
Central Theme of Hebrews
Don’t Forsake Jesus!
• If they forsook Jesus, where could they go?
• The OT types pointing to Jesus have met
their reality in Him
• He is the Better Joshua, Moses, blood,
covenant, priest, sacrifice, sanctuary, etc.
Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
Christ’s Death = the Antitypical Fulfillment
of the entire OT sacrificial system
I.
–
–
–
–
–
The daily (tamid): (Heb 10:1-4,11-12)
The red heifer (Heb 9:13)
“bulls and goats” (9:13;10:4) = summary of entire
sacrificial system in OT (Psalm 50 [49 LXX]:13; Isa
1:11)
Even the Day of Atonement sacrifices (Heb 9:2526)
All OT sacrifices coalesce into the One once-for-all
sacrifice of Christ, BASED UPON Psalm 40:6-8
Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
• II. Christ’s Ascension to Heaven (31 AD)
– Traditional SDA Position: Christ Began His High
Priestly Intercessory Ministry (in the Holy Place of the
Heavenly Sanctuary)
– Albion Ballenger (1861-1921), evangelist in Great
Britain, president of Welsh and Irish Missions
– Ballenger taught that Christ entered the Most Holy
Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary in 31 AD and began
the Day of Atonement ministry
– Ballenger’s key text was Heb 6:19-20
Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
When Christ Ascended to Heaven in 31
A.D.:
--Was it to start the Day of Atonement, as
Albion Ballenger claimed (based upon
Heb 6:19-20) or as Desmond Ford claims
(based upon Heb 9:12)?
--Or is there evidence within the text for
a different typological background?
Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
Christ’s Ascension:
--Three main passages in Hebrews
speaking of Jesus’ “entering” the
sanctuary: Heb 6:19-20; 9:12; and
10:19-20
--The literary structure of the central
section of Hebrews shows the
relationship of these passages to each
other
Chiastic Literary Structure of Heb 6:19-10:20
A.
The Veil (6:19-20)
B. The Priesthood (7:1-25)
C. The Sacrifice (7:26-28)
D. The Sanctuary (8:1-5)
E. The Covenant (8:6-13
F. The Sanctuary (9:1-10)
F. The Sanctuary (9:11-14)
E. The Covenant (9:15-22)
D. The Sanctuary (9:23-28)
C. The Sacrifice (10:1-10)
B. The Priesthood (10:11-18)
A. The Veil (10:19-20)
Chiastic Literary Structure of
Hebrews 6:19 – 10:20
• This structure was adapted from an unpublished paper by
William Shea
• Note how the two entrance passages of Heb 6:19-20 and
Heb 10:19-20 match each other as parallel “A” members in
the chiasm.
• Heb 6:19-20 = Heb 10:19-20
• Scholars generally recognize that these two passages refer
to the same event
• But scholars almost always see this event as the antitype of
the OT Day of Atonement, when Jesus entered within the
veil of the Most Holy Place
• Is the majority opinion of scholars correct?
Chiastic Literary Structure of
Hebrews 6:19 – 10:20
• What is the OT background event?
• Heb 6:19-20 does not tell us explicitly
• But Heb 10:19-20 is the KEY!
– This passage identifies Christ’s work as He
enters as egkaini,zw (enkainizo, v. 20) = “to
inaugurate”!
– This word group egkaini,zw [enkainizo] is used in
a technical sense in the Septuagint (LXX)
which was the version of the OT from which
the author of Hebrews consistently quoted
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
Egkainizw
• Throughout the Pentateuchal references to
sacrifices (LXX), the word group Egkaini,zw
[enkainizo] is found in only ONE chapter:
• Numbers 7 (vv. 10, 11, 84, 88) –which describes
the INAUGURATION of the sanctuary, as its
services started up.
• The word Egkaini,zw [enkainizo] NEVER refers to
the Day of Atonement in the OT!
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
• The immediate context of Egkainizw [enkainizo] in
Heb 10:20 verifies this identification
• Heb 9:18: Egkaini,zw [enkainizo] clearly means
“inaugurate” or “dedicate” and describes the
setting up of the sanctuary services and NOT the
Day of Atonement
• Thus Heb 10:19-20 and its chiastic parallel
passage (Heb 6:19-20) refer to INAUGURATION
and not Day of Atonement
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
• This is a fulfillment of Dan 9:24: “anoint the
Most Holy Place”
• It doesn’t matter which veil Heb 6:19-20 and Heb
10:20 refer to (second or first), contra Ballenger
and Ford, since at the inauguration of the
sanctuary Moses (acting in his priestly function
before the ordaining of Aaron) went into both the
Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (Exod 40:910; Num 7:1)
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
•
•
•
•
Heb 9:12
“The Blood of goats and calves” –what does
this refer to?
A goat and (bull) calf were indeed sacrificed
at the time of Day of Atonement (Lev 16:6,
15)
Does Heb 9:12 therefore refer to the Day of
Atonement?
NO! Not if one looks at the original Greek
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
Heb 9:12
– “Goat” = tra,goj [tragos]
– “Calf” = mo,scoj [moschos]
In the LXX the word mo,scoj [moschos] is used for both the
inauguration and the Day of Atonement (7 times in Lev
16 and 17 times in Num 7 & 8)
In the LXX there are TWO words for “goat” used in
reference to the sacrificial system: Tra,goj [tragos] and
ci,maroj [chimaros]
– Which one is used for the Day of Atonement in Lev 16?
– Ci,maroj [chimaros]! Not tra,goj [tragos]
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
Tra,goj [tragos](The “Goat” of Heb 9:12)
– In the LXX the word appears in only ONE chapter of
the Pentateuchal material describing sanctuary rituals:
• Numbers 7 (13 times)
• The setting of Num 7 = Inauguration of the
sanctuary!
• Heb 9:19 verifies this interpretation of Heb 9:12, as
it uses the same two words “calves” and “goats,”
(mo,scoj [moschos] and tra,goj [tragos]) clearly in the
context of the inauguration of the covenant (v. 18)
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
Heb 9:12 and the Word ta `agia (“The Holies”)
• The term ta hagia does not refer to the Most Holy Place by
itself
• In LXX usage (also Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus)
ta hagia NEVER refers to the Most Holy Place by itself
• It is the regular term for the entire sanctuary as a whole
•
•
In the LXX ta hagia appears109 times referring to the sanctuary, and 106
times refers to the entire sanctuary, and 3 times refers to the Holy Place (1 Ki
8:8; 2 Chr 5:9,11)
See Carl Cosaert, “A Study of ta `agia in the LXX, Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and
Josephus, and Its Implications in Hebrews,” Nazarene Theological Seminary,
2000
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
Summary:
• When Christ entered the heavenly
sanctuary, He entered to inaugurate it, to
officially start up the services as PriestKing.
• He went into the entire sanctuary, as in the
type (Num 7:1; Exod 40)
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
• He “sat down at the right hand of the
Father” (Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2)
• This is a description based upon Ps 110:1:
“Sit at My right hand until I make your
enemies a footstool.”
• This is clearly a FUNCTIONAL description
and not primarily locational, since in v. 5,
the Father is at the Son’s right hand!
The Inauguration of the Sanctuary
• To “sit at the right hand” or to “sit on the throne”
is the biblical way of indicating royal STATUS
• See 1 Kgs 8:14-15, 20: The king is standing
(blessing the people) but says, “I sit on the throne
of Israel”
• Cf. 1 Kgs 1:35,46; 2:12;1 Chr 29:23; Jer 17:25
• Christ’s “sitting at the right hand” of the Father in
the heavenly sanctuary is a statement of His kingly
status, and does not box Him in the Most Holy
Place
• Christ was installed as both King and Priest
The Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
III. Christ’s Ongoing Priestly Work in the
Heavenly Sanctuary in the First Century
( When the Epistle to the Hebrews Was
Written)
•
= the antitypical equivalent of the tamid
(regular/continual) Holy Place ministry
•
Heb 7:25-27 “Intercession” (=tamid)
•
Heb 10:11-14 “daily” (=tamid)
•
Heb 13:10-12 “daily” (=tamid)
The Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
IV. Christ’s Future Work (from the Perspective of
the First Century A.D.)
•
= the work of Day of Atonement
•
Heb 9:23-27: Judgment is still future
•
Heb 10:25-31
•
•
•
•
Future
Investigative followed by Executive judgment
God’s professed people are judged
Yoma = “The Day [of Atonement]” (v. 25)! Cf. the tractate
of the Jewish Mishnah on the Day of Atonement entitled
Yoma
The Basic Contours of Sanctuary
Typology in Hebrews
Conclusions:
• The basic contours of sanctuary typology in
Hebrews are consistent with Leviticus, with
Daniel, with Revelation, and with the SDA
doctrine of the investigative judgment based on
these passages
• The author of Hebrews does not indicate the exact
time of the future Day of Atonement judgment;
for this we need to go to Daniel 8 & 9
The Practical Message of Hebrews
Sanctuary Typology
We can NOW enter by faith into the heavenly
sanctuary!!
• Heb 4:16
• Heb 6: 19
• Heb 10:19-20
• Heb 12:22-24
Christ invites us to His house, and we may
come with boldness!
The Practical Message of Hebrews
Sanctuary Typology
• Not just sanctuary prayer
• Sanctuary Life!!!
Resources
• Richard M. Davidson, “Christ’s Entry ‘Within the
Veil’ in Hebrews 6:19-20: The Old Testament
Background, Andrews University Seminary
Studies 39 (2001): 175-190.
• See also “Inauguration or Day of Atonement?”
AUSS 40 (2002): 69-88.
• Website: www.andrews.edu/~davidson
• E-mail address: [email protected]