DrIBEX Ideas

I had an email exchange with a brother about Hebrews 1:1-4 and thought that it might interest some readers. He asked if I viewed 1:1-4 as a section or if 1:4 is part of the next section on angels. He also wondered what might be the semantic connection between 1:14 and 1:5-2:4. There is some Greek here, but I have translated it for you!

“I think that Black’s discourse analysis of Heb 1:1-4 settles the question that Heb 1:1-4 is a a self contained unit. In teaching the Greek text of Hebrews over the years I have also seen how Auctor (I like to give him a name!) uses “catchwords” to transition to his next section. I think he is also doing this in 1:4 and 5 with the word αγγελος.

If this happened only once, it might not be an indicator of his style, but look at the other catchword links:

1:14 / 2:3 σωτηρια “salvation”
2:17 / 3:1-2 πιστος & αρχιερευς “faithful” and “high priest”
6:12 / 6:13 επαγγελια & μακροθυμια & κληρονομεω “promise” “patience” “inherit”
6:20 / 7:1 Μελχισεδεκ “Melchizedek”
7:28 / 8:1 αρχιερυες “high priest”
8:13 / 9:1 πρωτη “first”
10:39 / 11:1 πιστις “faith”
11:39 / 12:1 μαρτυρεω “witness” or “testify”

So I think that while 1:4 ends the first section, it also spans or bridges to the next section, by also introducing the next topic, angels.

I think your suggestion of a semantic link between the two initial sections is a valid one.The link may lie in the semantic field of αγγελος (angelos) - the idea of a “messenger.” Jesus is greater than the human messengers of the old covenant who mediated the word. Note the use of the participle λαλησας (“having spoken”) in 1:1 and ελαλησεν (“spoke”) as the climactic main verb in 1:2. He is also greater than the heavenly messengers who mediated the word (λογος - logos) from Sinai (note use of the participle λαληθεις - “having been spoken” in 2:2 and then the climactic λαλεισθαι (“spoke” in 2:3).”

The final word is not the Bible, but Jesus