Hebrews: A Commentary

About the Book

This academic commentary on the original languages and NIV and Greek text of Hebrews focuses on the thought, beliefs, message, that are unique to this biblical author, without reference to any possible person tradition has considered as the author lest such a reference determine all possible outcomes of this study.. The various theories of authorship are studied in the Introduction, but the message in its entirety is of unusual significance for Christian Jewish thought and relationships, and the development of the Christian-Jewish church in the first century and today. The So-called epistle in shell is actually a theological treatise and impassioned sermon to those facing extreme forms of persecution and efforts to coerce denial of the faith. These believers are faced with an accepted legal status as Jews in the Roman Empire versus the people of ‘the Way’ that was viewed as sectarian by the Jews and as an illegal sect by Rome. The quick expansion of the church into the Roman world under the emphases and apologetics of Paul combating some opposition to his message both in the Jewish leadership as well as in the Jewish Christian churches. The cruciality of holding on to the eternal truths of the past and not compromising the truth in Jesus of Nazareth places this writing front and center to the basic questions of the relationships of church and Judaism. The stance of this author is that of mainline Evangelical thought, with awareness of the Wesleyan, Lutheran, Anabaptist and Calvinistic emphases as well as others. The issues of text, canon, and history of interpretation are specialized studies not covered in this commentary.

About the Author

William Bicksler grew up and was converted to Christ in the Evangelical Congregational church where he was first licensed to preach in 1951. He is a graduate of Houghton College B.A (1955), Asbury Theological Seminary MDiv (1958), Wheaton Graduate School M.A (1964), Brandeis University Department of Mediterranean Studies MA, PhD (1973), researching and successfully defending his Ph.D dissertation on “Slavery Documents of Old Babylonia” available from University Microfilms.. In 1957 he was ordained elder in the Free Methodist Church and held Annual Conference relation in New York and in Taiwan. He has pastored churches in Kentucky and Vermont, is ordained, and served both as missionary and professor in Taiwan from 1958 to 2003 with times in the states for graduate studies. He has taught at Holy Light Theological Seminary 1959 to 1969, China Evangelical Seminary 1973 to 2003, Soochow University 1973 to 1977; and Indiana Wesleyan University 1978 to 1982. In graduate studies he completed three dissertations.  He also has contributed to three Festschrift published by China Evangelical Seminary. The seminary also published a biography including few collected short papers in 2002. He has published a Commentary on Daniel through the China Evangelical Seminary Press, in Chinese, 2001, Commentary on Galatians 2004.and a  Commentary on Romans 2005. This Commentary on Hebrews owes its existence to several courses taught on the seminary level. A Commentary on Job has been submitted for publication 2005. At present he is completing the manuscript for a Commentary on the Psalms.