This letter is concerned with the Jews and the relationship between the new covenant and the old. It is important to understand the Old Testament to understand this letter. Once you are aware of the background, the superb parallel can be drawn between the Old Testament and the life, death and resurrection of Christ. Hebrews sets out to answer the doubts of some Christians who weren’t sure how to relate their old lives to the new lives.
Hebrews also contains the Bible’s sternest warnings about the risk of falling away from God, and some of the clearest statements about the divinity of Christ. The famous passage on faith in chapter 11 is about having confidence in what is unseen.
To present the sufficiency and superiority of Christ.
Paul, Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Silas, Priscilla, and others have been suggested because the name of the author is not given in the biblical text itself.
To the Hebrew Christians (perhaps second generation Christians) who may have been considering a return to Judaism, perhaps because of immaturity, stemming from a lack of understanding of the biblical truths; and all believers in Christ.
It was written probably before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70, because the religious sacrifices and ceremonies are referred to in the book, but no mention is made of the temple’s destruction.
The Christians were probably undergoing persecution, socially and physically, both from the Jews and from the Romans. Christ had not returned to establish his kingdom, and the people needed reassurance that Christianity was true and Jesus was the Messiah.
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (1:3)
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (11:1)
How does our old life relate to our new life in Christ?