Hebrews Annual Bible Study Teaching Guide: Encouragement for a Life of Faith

To state the obvious, Hebrews is a unique book. It is generally designated a letter or epistle and situated among a number of similar New Testament books, and yet it stands out from those around it like a necktie at a “contemporary” worship service. It is stately and polished in the midst of nitty-gritty letters full of busy instructions. It is abstract and picturesque beside blunt pastoral letters and general epistles. It is anonymous in the company of a host of epistles traditionally attributed to the apostles of the greatest generation of Christianity.These contrasts would have been especially evident in the early Greek texts, from which Hebrews stands out as an elegant example of the art of speechwriting. Perhaps partly because of this unique style, Hebrews did not find a consistent place within the emerging Scriptures of the early church. Sometimes it was included among Paul’s letters, sometimes not, and sometimes it wasn’t even included in the authoritative early Christian Scriptures! However, the unique content of Hebrews—its bold ideas—likely played an even larger role in the early church’s apparent quandary as to what to do with the book.Despite a rocky beginning, Hebrews found a place in the canon, and it often played an important role in theological controversies at a time when an orthodox path of Christian theology was emerging from the early streams of tradition. The book’s distinctive portrayal of the nature of Jesus was influential during early debates over Christology, and its use of the Old Testament helped pave the way for centuries of allegorical and typological interpretation of the Bible.This Teaching Guide for the Smyth & Helwys Annual Bible Study on Hebrews includes teaching options, suggested worship and sermon outlines, and approaches to leading discussions and group study. The study also includes relevant lesson plans for including children and youth in a congregational study of Hebrews.

Dalen C. Jackson is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, he is a graduate of Samford University and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He previously held academic positions in Alabama and Georgia, and now resides with his wife and two children in Lexington, Kentucky.