Early Date of Hebrews (AD 62-63

135 64. Paul’s letter to Philemon in Colossae had stated that he intended to visit Colossae (in Asia) after his release. The churches in Achaia, Thessalonica and Macedonia are fairly close to Italy, while the churches in Asia were further away. Paul evidently left Timothy in Ephesus on his trip to Colossae, after they had passed through all the churches in Achaia and Macedonia (i.e., Corinth, Thessalonica, Berea, Philippi, Troas, et al). Paul went on to Colossae, while Timothy stayed at Ephesus. Since I believe John Mark was the courier for the book of Hebrews, it is easy to understand how Hebrews found its way into all the churches of the Diaspora and inside Palestine.

The general epistles (Hebrews, James, 1 & 2 Peter, 1, 2, & 3 John, and Jude) seem to be encyclicals, intended for duplication and wide circulation among all the churches both inside and outside Judea.

Paul sent several letters on ahead of him (Eph, Col, Phm, Php) before he sent the Hebrews epistle. One of the purposes of all those letters, including Hebrews, was to alert his churches in Greece, Macedonia, and Turkey of his plan to visit them soon. Tychicus and Onesimus had been dispatched to Ephesus and Colossae, while Epaphras had been dispatched to Philippi. Justus disappeared from the list of fellow workers that were present with Paul just before his release. That left only Mark, Luke, Aristarchus, Demas, and Timothy with Paul. Since Timothy, Luke, Aristarchus, and Demas were planning to travel with Paul, it seems that Mark must have been the courier whom Paul dispatched with the book of Hebrews to go ahead of him to visit all of the churches not only in Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor, but also the rest of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Phoenicia, Palestine, and Judea, on his way back to Peter and his home church in Jerusalem.

Early Date of Hebrews (AD 62-63)

Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews was evidently written in late 62 and early 63 just before the final phase of his trial and his release. We have to wonder what effect the book of Hebrews would have had on the outcome of his trial in Rome if it had been put into circulation there in Rome before his case went to trial. Would the Jews in Rome have used it as evidence against him? And what about afterwards? Evidently the epistle was sent by courier right after Paul had been released. What would the unbelieving Jews in Greece, Turkey, Syria, Alexandria, and Palestine have thought about this epistle? Would it have made them even more determined to kill Paul? I suspect so. That may be one of the factors which caused “all who are in Asia” to turn away from Paul when he visited those churches in Asia after his release from Rome (2 Tim 1:15). The book of Hebrews had already been delivered to those churches in Asia, in an area where there were many unbelieving Jews. In fact, it was unbelieving Jews from that very region of Asia who caused the uproar in Jerusalem that got Paul arrested originally (Acts 21:27; 24:18). It is no surprise, therefore, that Paul got such a cold reception in Asia when he went back there after his release from Rome.

It is difficult to know for sure what Paul meant when he said, “Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you” (Heb. 13:23). It could mean that Timothy had just been released and was on his way to wherever Paul was at the time. Or, it could mean that Timothy had been released some time ago and had gone on a courier trip for Paul, and was expected back from that trip shortly, at which time they would leave Italy together to visit the various churches in Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor on Paul’s way to Colossae. It is this latter option that seems most likely. Notice what Paul said to those fellow Hebrew Christians whom he was “soon” planning to visit:

So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is about to be. Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. [Heb. 13:13-16 NAS95]

136 do not have a lasting city.” This was an encouragement to all Hebrew Christians to share in the reproach and ostracism that was beginning to be heaped upon them by the Jewish establishment, just like Jesus and the apostles had already suffered. Those Jewish Christians were being cast out of the synagogues, persecuted, and rejected. Paul encourages them to remember that Jesus was cast out of the synagogues and crucified outside the earthly city as well. The earthly city was not the ultimate place to which they were going. Instead, it was the heavenly city which was “about to be” [Gk. mello]. It is this very encouragement (“go out to Him outside the camp”) which has caused some interpreters of Hebrews to suggest that Paul had already read the book of Revelation by this time, since it contains a similar description of the heavenly city, and a command to the Christians to “come out of her my people” (Rev. 18:4). When we remember all the other statements about the new heavens and earth and the new heavenly Jerusalem which Hebrews contains, it seems even more probable that Paul either had seen the book of Revelation by that time, or else received an independent revelation of these things which was harmonious with and parallel to what John says in the book of Revelation.

What pushes me further in the direction of an AD 62 date for the book of Revelation are the statements by Peter in both of his epistles (1 Pet. 5:13 and 2 Pet. 3:7-16), where he states that he was writing to the churches outside Palestine in the Diaspora (implying that he was in Palestine at the time of writing). Notice in 1 Pet. 5:13 that Peter claims to be writing from a church that was in a city code-named “ Babylon” where Mark was. We know that Mark’s mother had a home in Jerusalem. Peter’s reference to Jerusalem as being “Babylon” tells us that either he had read the Apocalypse already, or had received a parallel revelation about Jerusalem being “Babylon.” Since both Paul and Peter show awareness of the contents of the Apocalypse in AD 63, before the Neronic persecution began, it implies that Revelation had already been written and put into circulation in late AD 62, just as Paul was finishing his epistle to the Hebrews (late 62 and early 63), and just before Peter wrote his first epistle (AD 63).

Hebrews appears to be Paul’s last big book that he wrote before his pastoral epistles (AD 63) and his martyrdom (AD 63-64). Many students of first century history have overlooked the probability that Hebrews was written while Paul was in Rome awaiting his trial. We know that the epistle to the Hebrews was SENT to the churches right after Paul was released from prison in early 63. However, that does not automatically mean that it was WRITTEN in that short space of time between his release and his leaving Rome with Timothy “soon” afterwards (Heb. 13:23). The book is too sophisticated in its argumentation and exhortation to have been hastily thrown together at the last minute after Paul was released. The complexity and sublimity of its theology implies an extended period of time for its composition. That is why I believe it was most likely written during the last six months of Paul’s imprisonment (Late 62 and Early 63), after Luke had finished his two-volume work of Luke-Acts, but before the other four prison epistles were written. Hebrews was probably finished by the time Paul’s case went to trial (early 63). Then, after the trial was over and he was released, he added the closing verses of chapter 13 and sent it out by courier (Mark).

If this is correct, then it means that Hebrews was actually WRITTEN before the other four prison epistles, during the Summer or Autumn of 62, but not released and SENT by courier until after the trial was over in early 63. We might wonder why it was not sent out earlier. Perhaps Paul was unsure about what effect it might have on his trial if it got into the hands of unbelieving Jews or his Roman captors there in Rome before the trial was over. This concern for the outcome of his trial may also be why he did not write any epistles to the churches during his first year of house-arrest. Only when he felt more confident in the outcome did he dare write to his churches, and even then the language was cautious not to say anything about his situation which might put him or his churches at further risk.

When Mark joined Paul in Rome (AD 61), he probably brought with him at least three documents: copies of the two gospels, Matthew and Mark, plus the Epistle of Barnabas. Luke evidently used those other two gospels to write his own gospel (Luke) and the book of Acts, which were evidently