What Scripture says
Hebrews never names its author. Unlike Paul’s letters, it has no opening greeting with a name. A few clues appear:
- The writer received the gospel second-hand: salvation “was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard” (Hebrews 2:3, ESV).
- The writer knew Timothy: “You should know that our brother Timothy has been released” (Hebrews 13:23).
- The letter sends greetings from “those who come from Italy” (Hebrews 13:24), so either the writer or the readers were connected with Italy.
- The writer uses a masculine participle about himself (Hebrews 11:32, “time would fail me to tell”), which most take to rule out a female author.
What the evidence says
Textual Criticism
The candidates
| Candidate | For | Against |
|---|---|---|
| Paul | Eastern church tradition; included with Paul’s letters in early manuscripts | Different, more polished Greek; Paul insists he received the gospel directly from Christ (Galatians 1:12) |
| Apollos | Eloquent and “competent in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24); from Alexandria | No ancient writer suggests him |
| Barnabas | A Levite (Acts 4:36), fitting the letter’s focus on priesthood; Tertullian named him | Little evidence beyond Tertullian |
| Luke | Similar polished Greek; companion of Paul | His writings are narrative, not sermon-like |
| Priscilla | Taught Apollos (Acts 18:26); proposed by Adolf von Harnack | The masculine participle in Hebrews 11:32 |
Others suggested include Silas, Clement of Rome and Philip.
Early opinions
- Clement of Alexandria (c. 200) thought Paul wrote it in Hebrew and Luke translated it into Greek.
- Tertullian (c. 200) named Barnabas.
- Origen (c. 240), one of the greatest scholars of the early church, noted that the thoughts were Paul’s but the style wasn’t, and concluded: “who wrote the epistle, in truth God knows.” Eusebius preserves his comment.
- The Eastern church generally accepted Pauline authorship, while the Western church doubted it for a long time.
- Martin Luther suggested Apollos; John Calvin concluded it wasn’t Paul.
Manuscripts
Papyrus 46 (c. AD 200), one of the oldest New Testament manuscripts, places Hebrews right after Romans, among Paul’s letters. That shows it was associated with Paul’s circle early, though not that Paul wrote it.
Style
Hebrews is written in some of the most polished Greek in the New Testament, with careful rhetoric and sustained argument. It reads more like a sermon (“my word of exhortation”, Hebrews 13:22) than a letter. Its style differs noticeably from Paul’s letters, which is the main reason most scholars, conservative and critical, doubt Paul wrote it.
History
The church accepted Hebrews because its teaching was apostolic and it was widely read, not because the author was known. The Western church took longer to accept it, partly because of doubts over authorship and partly because some read Hebrews 6:4–6 as denying repentance after baptism. Its content won out, and it was in Athanasius’s list (367) and the councils of Hippo and Carthage.
Where they meet
Hebrews shows that authority in the canon didn’t depend on knowing the author’s name. What mattered was whether a book carried the apostolic message and came from the apostolic circle, which Hebrews’ link with Timothy and its early acceptance suggest.
What’s still open
The author’s identity. There simply isn’t enough evidence to decide, and new evidence is unlikely to appear.
Bottom line
Unknown. Paul, Apollos and Barnabas are the main proposals, but none can be shown. Its authority never depended on knowing. Because the evidence is too thin to conclude, this is rated Open.