Hebrews

The New Testament in the original Greek. Westcott, Brooke Foss; Hort, Fenton John Anthony, editors. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1882-1892.

Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0

Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.

This work is a theological treatise in the form of an epistle that demonstrates the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ and the perfection of His salvation as the great high priest, contrasting them with the laws and institutions of the Old Testament. The author begins by declaring that Christ is the Son of God, far superior to angels and Moses, using various scriptures for validation. In the central section, the author expounds on Christ's qualifications as an eternal high priest according to the "order of Melchizedek," surpassing the Levitical priesthood, and explains how His once-for-all sacrifice with His own blood established a "new covenant" that superseded the earthly tabernacle. Warning the readers with the historical rebellion of the unfaithful generation in the wilderness, the text presents the endurance of faithful ancestors since Abraham as a noble model. Finally, the epistle exhorts believers to look unto Jesus, the perfecter of faith, and to lead practical Christian lives worthy of the unshakeable kingdom, keeping the hope of the heavenly Jerusalem in their hearts.