The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-30


this connection being the question wnetn-
er these were necessarily converts from I
Judaism might also have been Gen |
tile Christians. Zahn inclines to the fol- |
mer view, but the probabilities are in |
favor of the later. AT any rate, the mead |
ing ITO the Hebrews" is not autheatic-
Virtually no progress, however, has |
been made in determining the author
snip of the letter. Origen Already de-
SPARED of a solution when he declared
that only God knew for truth VINO had
written this letter" Zahn expressly de-
cIares that his Investigations have led
him to the same results There are,
however, excellent reasons for believing
that Priscilla and Aqula are the authors.
especially the former, and that Luther S
guess, who thought of Apolios, was in so
far correct as IT made the letter prod
uct of the Pauline circle of friends, but
he was mistaken In the Identification of
these exact persons. The reasons why
the probabilit es point to Aqul la ard
Priscilla is because on this hypothesis all
of the characteristic features of the let
ter can be readily explained: and, see
ondly, too, because on this bass the
loss of the name of the writer can nt:-
urally be accounted for. In the New
/ Testament there are six passages that
/ speak of this noteworthy coupe, and
| from these passages it appears that II ~
were both prominent in the instruction
! and conversion of Apollos, and that in
general they were very active in the OK
tensve mission enterprises of the Whole
] church of that period. Paul expressly
| declares that not only he but ali the
/ churches of the Gent.les We're indebted
to them. Their activity must have been
almost as widespread as CHRIS tianity was
at that time. And further comparison
| shows that in this work the leadership
| belonged rather to the woman than 10
| the man, as her name is more than once
| placed before that of Aquila.
The following eight reasons can be ass
| signed fer ascrblng the Epistle to the
| Hebrews TO this couple and especially TO
| PRISCILLA:
l. This letter is the production of 4
highly cultured and skilled representa-
tive of the Chr stan cause; and this
AquiIa and Priscilla were, as is ev.denc-
ed by their teaching even the Alexandra
an Apollos.
2. he letter is written by a person
who belonged to Paups circle of friends;
and this was especially true of these
two.
8. The writer stands in Intimate rela-
tonship to Timothy and knows that he
is his equal in rank. OF Priscilla ana
Aqnila we know that they labored to-
gether with T notify in Corinth fol
eighteen months as missionaries and
teachers, and then Joined him in Ephe-
sus.
t. The author of Hebrews wrote his let
ter after the death of ST. Paul, and prob
ably some time after this event. Priscills
and Aquila were certainly yet Living
when Paul wrote the last document
which we still possess from his hands
q Tim. iv.), and there are no reasons
for doubling that they lived two decade:
after his departure.
5. The author of this Epistle must a
So ~1,I1
| err band of Christians in Rome "a hous
congregation, and must have occupied
q high rank in this circle, probably tina
of a teacher. In his letter he still feel
himself to be a member of this band ant
talks to his readers in the manner of
companion with authority. Priscilla ant
Aquila came originally from Rome AM
after number of years returned to tina
city and there became the head of
household congregation, and at a late
period again left Rome. This combina
ton of historical facts explains at one
what was hitherto en:gmatical in the re
lation that existed between the write
and his readers.
G. The Epislie to the Hebrews Is tn
! work of single writer. but back of tn
author stands closely connected com
munion, Indicated by the repeated I'VE
OF the letter. and the noteworthy ex
change and interchange of this we wit
the ~ All these CONDITIONS are we
met by the position occupied by thi
teaching and preaching pair. .
4. The most paFadoxical feature in con
nect.on with the Epistle to the Hebrew
is the fact that the church has lost alto
gether all tradition as to the name of tn
writer. If Barnahas or Luke or Clemen
or Apollos had been the writer this los
could not be naturally explained i
however, these two were the authors, o
| toll ,.ic had hoo v1ra r1fay,
in the composition, then the disappear
Il ance of the name can be explained with
/ out any difficulty whatever. and eX
r cellent reason can be assigned for tn
= suppression of the name when the lette
; was sent out from Rome in the begin
}. ming of the second century. For a goo
r reason the letter could not be sent OH
= to the churches as the production of
It woman. Paul already In several of hi
h | letters had expressed himself unfavora
bly, to the prominence of women in tn
# churches, but had made exceptions to tn
J. rule, as is Indicated by his Judgment o
o Priscilla. In post-apostolic years NOR
n rigorous views against the teaching Q
;. women in the Cure, prevailed. Thi
: condition of affairs explains why tn
n name of l.. couple was suppressed an
t the thoroughness of ..ils suppression ca
e best be explained on the --ypothess tina
q not the -uspanu but lie more g--ted an
r active wife ha- chief part in the com
a position of this letter
8. But we are not confined to generals
y ties in this matter. We have actual his
r torical evidence to prove that in the ear
# ly period on the church systematic effort
e were put forth to suppress the promi
h nence of Priscilla in the primitive church
e and that even letter which she ha
/, sent gu, was declared to have been no
# from her pen and was ascribeu to anoth
+ er author. The details of this matter
: based on changes made in a number o
Greek New Testament manuscripts, hav
g been given in the Reports of the Prus
n sian Royal Society of Sciences, Januar
, IL, 1900.
!. A combination of these facts and dat
g makes 1t at least possible am indee
n proba BILE that Priscilla was the writer @
/ the Epistle to the Hebrews, possibly /
k conjunction with her husband Aquila
# Should anybody take offense at the ide
I that New Testament book is the pro
l. duction of a woman's pen then too mus
|. IL take offense al the fact that st. Pau
f recognized this same woman as his CO
It adjutor. At any rate, of the many the
Y cries concerning the authorship of He