Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews

But whereas there want not Evidences sufficient to discover who was the Writer of this Epistle, whereby also the exceptions made unto its Divine Original may be finally obviated, they also shall be taken into Consideration. A Subject this is, wherein many Learned Men of Old, and of Late, have exercised themselves,¹ until this single Argument is grown up into entire and large Treatises, and I shall only take care that the Truth which hath been already strenuously asserted and vindicated, may not again by this review be rendered dubious and questionable.

But whereas there want not Evidences sufficient to discover who was the Writer of this Epistle, whereby also the exceptions made unto its Divine Original may be finally obviated, they also shall be taken into Consideration. A Subject this is, wherein many Learned Men of Old, and of Late, have exercised themselves,¹ until this single Argument is grown up into entire and large Treatises, and I shall only take care that the Truth which hath been already strenuously asserted and vindicated, may not again by this review be rendred dubious and questionable.

1. 1Frider. Span. Fil. de Au. Epist. ad Heb.

St. Paul it is by whom we affirm this Epistle to be written. It is acknowledged that § 2 this was so highly questioned of Old, that Origen after the examination of it concludes,¹ [Greek or Hebrew]; What is the very Truth in this matter God only knows. However he acknowledgeth that [Greek or Hebrew], the Ancients, owned it to be written by Paul, and that he says not without good Reason, whereas the ascription of it unto any other, he assigns unto a bare report. It may not then be expected, that now after so long a season, the Truth of our Assertion should be so manifestly evinced, as to give absolute satisfaction unto all; (which is a vain thing for any man to aim at in a Subject wherein men suppose that they have a liberty of thinking what they please) yet I doubt not but that it will appear not only highly probable, but so full of Evidence in comparison of any other Opinion that is, or hath been promoted in competition with it, as that some kind of blameable pertinaciousness may be made to appear in its refusal. Now the whole of what I shall offer in the proof of it may be reduced unto these six Heads. (1.) The manifest failure of all them who have endeavoured to assign it unto any other Penman. (2.) The insufficiency of the Arguments insisted on to disprove our Assertion. (3.) Testimony given unto it in other Scriptures. (4.) Considerations taken from the Writing it self, compared with other acknowledged Writings of the same Author. (5.) The general suffrage of Antiquity, or Ecclesiastical Tradition. (6.) Reasons taken from sundry Circumstances relating unto the Epistle its self. Now as all these Evidences are not of the same nature, nor of equal force, so some of them will be found very cogent, and all of them together very sufficient to free our Assertion from just Question or Exception.