In centuries past the book of Hebrews was generally attributed to the Apostle Paul, but now many mainstream Bible scholars, language experts, and theologians have concluded that there are some major differences between the book of Hebrews and Paul's known writings. Luke has been put forth as a possible candidate for authorship because the literary style and the classical Greek match up quite well with the gospel account Luke wrote and with the book of Acts. Some scholars propose other well-known or even unknown teachers and evangelists of the first century AD as the author of Hebrews.
We may never know definitively who wrote the book of Hebrews, but there are some things we do know. It's author is brilliant with his use of words, is able write in some of the most literary classical Greek that is contained in the entire New Testament, is intimately acquainted with Jewish religious culture, is a Christian, is a friend of Timothy, is writing from Italy, and is writing to the Jewish believers prior to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 70 AD.
The mention of Timothy is important, for it lends some credence to the idea of Pauline authorship. What the author says about Timothy is this: "I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you." (Hebrews 13:23) When addressing Timothy directly Paul often calls him his son, but when referring to Timothy to others he often calls him "our brother". It appears that Timothy has been held in custody, likely for the preaching of the gospel, and has been released. The author of Hebrews hopes to visit Jerusalem with Timothy soon. If this is Paul speaking, he would have to be writing while not a prisoner anywhere himself, for he is free to travel. The mention of Timothy doesn't exclude Luke as a candidate for authorship, since he too was a close friend of Timothy. So were several other major New Testament characters.
Something that casts doubt on Pauline authorship is that his customary salutation is not present at the beginning of the letter. But there is no salutation at all, so that portion of the letter could have been lost or it could have been cut out since many scholars believe this long letter was intended to be used as a guidebook for Jewish Christians. The salutation at the beginning and the signature at the end could have been removed so that this writing could be used as a book and not as a letter.
Until the last few years I would have stated without doubt that Paul is the author of the book of Hebrews, but now I'm not so sure. I'd be perfectly happy if its author is Luke, any of the other apostles and teachers, one of the brothers of the Lord, or even an unknown Christian author who is ministering to the Jewish believers. One thing that makes me lean toward Pauline authorship, and something that kind of makes me chuckle, is when the writer says, "Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly." (Hebrews 13:22) The letter is thirteen chapters long, so it's not what I would consider brief, but someone who is known to be very wordy and long-winded like Paul might think it was brief. (Remember, Paul once preached so long that he put a young man to sleep, the young man fell out an open window and died, Paul raised him back to life, then Paul continued preaching til the next morning. See Acts 20:7-12) But I'm sure Paul isn't the only wordy apostle and teacher who wrote letters to the churches in the first century AD, so even this amusing statement about the "brief" thirteen-chapter letter doesn't prove whether he wrote Hebrews.
Today we're only going to look at the first three verses, but in them the author clearly attributes to the Lord Jesus Christ all the glory and power and authority of God the Father. He tells us that if we want to know what God is really like, all we have to do is look to Christ. The things Christ did and said clearly demonstrate for us the loving personality and the holy character of our Creator.
"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom also He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." (Hebrews 1:1-3) No man has seen God. Even Moses, who dared to ask God to reveal His glory to him, saw Him only from the back because God said, "You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live." (Exodus 33:20) Our human bodies are too frail and too unholy to be able to stand meeting God face to face. The glory of His holiness would consume us. But we want to see our Creator, don't we? Moses did too. He didn't feel he could perform the enormous task of leading the people of Israel to the promised land without a glimpse of the Lord's glory. We often feel the same way ourselves, that we can't make it through the hardships of this world without a glimpse of the One who is our Helper. Not only do we want to see God, but God wants to be seen by us, and the only way He can be seen by us is through His Son---the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) The indescribable glory of the living God had to be wrapped in a cloak of human flesh so that we could behold His face and live.
The Son, the Word of God, is the One by whom God created all things. I believe that when God said, "Let there be light!", it was in the voice of the Son. The author of Hebrews makes it clear that the Son was involved in every aspect of the creation and that word which He spoke is what is holding all things together to this very day. He has always been, and will always be, in control of everything that exists. Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking we are in control, and we think things are going to fall apart if we aren't able to keep a tight hold on all the circumstances of our lives, but it is the Son who holds all things together.
Though we can't look on God the Father with human eyes, we can view Him through the Son. The Son displayed God's love and mercy in the way He interacted with human beings while He walked the earth. The words the Son spoke prove to us that God is fair and just and will judge those who hurt and exploit others. The actions of the Son---the healing, the casting out of demons, the raising of the dead---assure us that nothing is impossible for God. These miracles are the evidence that everything that exists is subject to Him. The sacrifice of the Son is the ultimate expression of God's love, a love that doesn't want anyone to spend eternity away from Him. The resurrection of the Son is all the proof we need that God accepts His sacrifice on our behalf and that God will accept as righteous all who come to His Son in faith.
Studying the life of the Lord Jesus Christ clearly communicates to us who God is. The Son is the radiance of God's glory, and through Him we are able to learn everything we need to learn about the One who fashioned us with His own hands.
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