Hebrews and the End of the Exodus

Author(s): Matthew Thiessen

Source: Novum Testamentum, Vol. 49, Fasc. 4 (2007), pp. 353-369
Published by: BRILL
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Novum
Testamentum
AnInternational
for
Quarterly
Novum

BRILL

Hebrews

Testamentum

49

(2007)

www.brill.nl/nt

353-369

and the End of the Exodus*

Matthew Thiessen
Durham,

North

Carolina

Abstract
paper argues that the letter to the Hebrews
exodus which comes to an end as a result of Christ

This

the promise

renarrates Israel's
as an extended
history
to the author,
high priesthood. According
that Joshua was unable to lead Israel into God's

of rest in Psalm 95 demonstrates

on this
promised
exegetical key, the author rereads Israel's history, from Abraham
the letter
up until the present day, as an extension of Israel's wilderness period. Nonetheless,
encourages its readers by narrating them into this period at the doorstep of the land of rest.
rest. Based

Keywords
Hebrews,

exodus, wilderness

I. Introduction
Forty years ago O.H. Steck argued that the theme of the continuing exile of
God's people and the expectation for Israel's full restorationwere
ubiquitous
in the literature of Second
Temple Judaism.1 This thesis has been taken up
anew in recent yearswith the
hope that itwould be of value in understanding
not only
but
also
these
Judaism
Jesus and early Christianity.2 While
early
can
have
no
sustained
there
be
that
doubt
criticism,
arguments
many Jews,

*) I am
to Richard B.
Hays and David M. Moffitt for their comments
grateful
version of this paper.
1)
O.H.
Steck, Israel und das gewaltsame Geschick der Propheten:
Untersuchungen
erung des deuteronomistischen Geschichtsbildes imAlten Testament, Sp?tjudentum
tentum (WMANT
23; Neukirchen-Vluyn:
2) N.T.
New Testament and
The
Wright,
268-72;
idem, Jesus andthe Victory ofGod

Neukirchener,
the People

zur

?berlief
und Urchris

1967).

of God

(Minneapolis:

on an earlier

(Minneapolis:

Fortress,

1996)

Fortress,
615-50;

1992)

J.M. Scott

(ed.),Exile:Old Testament,
56; Leiden: Brill, 1997);
JewishandChristianConceptions(JSJSup

idem, Restoration: Old Testament, Jewish, and Christian Perspectives

2001).

? Koninklijke BrillNV, Leiden,

2007

DOI:

(JSJSup 72; Leiden:

Brill,

10.1163/156853607X186482

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354M. Thiessen?NovumTestamentum
49 (2007) 353-369
under the hegemony of either Greek or Roman rulers, believed that their
tenuous and
incomplete possession of the land fell far short of the promise of
a
restoration
such as was envisioned inDeutero-Isaiah,
and cried
glorious
out inwords that echoed Ezra's prayer: "We are slaves
in
the
land you
today
to
our
to
ancestors"
is
That
that
Isra
believed
(Neh.
9:36-37).
gave
say,many
el's history remained frozen in the period of exile. The hope thatGod would
fulfillhis promises of old and restore glory to national Israel should be con
sidered a dominant current of thought during the Second Temple period
thatmust have played some role in shaping the thinking of early followers of

Jesus.3

In contrast to this trend of dealing with the continuing

subjugation of
God's people to foreign nations by narrating Israel's current history as an

extension of the exile, the epistle to theHebrews proposes a very different

renarration of Israel's history. The purpose of this paper is to examine
Hebrews to determine inwhich period of Israel's history the author believed
himself and his readers to be living.4 Itwill be determined that, analogously
to the historical schema outlined above, the author ofHebrews believed that
had not yet fully been obtained,5 though, in a unique
even
not
he
does
move,
place himself and his readers in the time of exile but
further back in Israel's history, into the time of the exodus and wilderness
the promises of God

to the author, Israel has been

brought out of Egypt
wandering.6 According
but has never, even up until his own day, entered into the land thatGod had
3) Cf. CA.
C.C.

Evans's

Newman

defense

of N.T. Wright,
"Jesus and the Continuing
theRestoration of Israel (Downers Grove:

(ed.), Jesus and

Exile

of Israel,"

InterVarsity,

in

1999)

77-100.
4)
arguments in support of the possibility of female authorship by A. von Harnack,
Despite
ZNW\
"Probabilia ?ber die Adresse und den Verfasser des Hebr?erbriefes,"
16-41,
(1900)
and Other Essays (New York:
and R. Hoppin,
Priscilla, Author of theEpistle to theHebrews
Exposition,
convenience

1969)

13-116,

for the anonymous

author, not merely for
use of a masculine
in
(?vnyo\)U?vov)
participle

I use the masculine

but also because

the author's

reference to himself points to male authorship

(Heb. 11:32).
5) G.W
To theHebrews:
Translation, Comment and Conclusions
Buchanan,
(AB 36; New
a
York: Doubleday,
1972) 74, suggests that the author wrote in a time punctuated
by desire
to overthrow Rome and entertained similar hopes.
6)
TheWandering Peo
Thus, my argument adds specificity to the suggestion of E. K?semann,
R.A.
Harrisville
and I.L. Sand
An Investigation
the Letter to theHebrews
God:
(trans.
of
ple of
"the motif of the wandering
that
24,
1984)
people of God
berg; Minneapolis:
Augsburg,
forms the hidden basis ofHebrews." The motif is not merely thatGod's people are wandering,
in thewilderness ever since God first brought them out of
but that they have been wandering
Egypt. The

same can be said forWG.

Johnsson,

"The Pilgrimage Motif

in the Book

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of

M.

Thiessen ?Novum

them. This

promised
commentators

that

Testamentum

49

(2007)

353-369

355

is significantly different than the suggestion of some

the

exodus

serves

generation

merely

as

a rhetorical

or

typological example for the readers of the letter.7Throughout the letter, the
author demonstrates that the land of promise was never actually possessed

but only ever sojourned in, and thus all of Israel's history subsequent to the
exodus belongs to the period of thewilderness wanderings. Such a radical

re-reading and reconfiguration of Israel's history is demonstrated by the

explication of Psalm 95 inHebrews 3-4, the retelling of Israel's history in
Heb. 11:1-12:3, and the envisioned end of Israel's continuing exodus and wil
derness wanderings as portrayed inGod's people drawing near to the heav
enly Jerusalem (12:22-29).

II. The Remaining

How

Rest

(or Continuing

Exodus)

of Israel

does the author come to the conclusion

that the exodus is continuing

to
the scriptural account, Israel entered Canaan under the
since, according
of
Joshua, dispossessed many of the inhabitants currently occupy
leadership
the
and set up itsown monarchy that lasted a number of centuries
land,
ing

(Joshua-2 Kings)? In fact, Josh. 21:43-45 explicitly contradicts the author's

assertion that the people did not enter the Promised Land of rest:8 "And

JBL 97 (1978) 239-251, who argues for the importance of pilgrimage within the
letter but fails to see that the author envisions a
specific pilgrimage, namely, the exodus.
7) Cf. K.
the Book ofHebrews:
The Story behind the Sermon (Louis
Schenck, Understanding

Hebrews,"

2003) 61-62; H.W. Attridge, The Epistle to theHebrews: A Commentary on the

to theHebrews
(Hermeneia;
Fortress, 1989) 114. K?semann, Wander
Philadelphia:

ville: WJKP,
Epistle

for the bearer of the revelation

ing, 19, suggests: "The existential necessity of wandering
to appear as
allows Israel,
wandering
through its wilderness,
antitype of Christianity."
it is true thatMoses'
While
serve as a
(not Israel as K?semann
generation
suggests) does
as
for
the
authors
readers
distinct
from
(not Christianity
negative example
Judaism as
it
to
is
K?semann
as
incorrect
two
between
the
if
the
first was
suggests),
distinguish
only
actually in the exodus while the second was not. For an instance where the wilderness gen
eration does

also

promised
Hebrews:

as an

or in Paul's words, a xirno?, see 1 Cor.

10:1-11.
It is
example,
none
the
of
assertion
author's
that
have
entered
God's
light
actually
as does F.F. Bruce, The
to the
rest, to speak of a new exodus' inHebrews,
Epistle
function

inaccurate,

in

The
Grand Rapids:
(NICNT;
English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes
Eerdmans,
1964) 62-63.
8) P.
to theHebrews: A
on theGreek Text (NIGTC;
Grand
Ellingworth, The Epistle
Commentary
1993) 254, seems to recognize this but then alleviates the tension by say
Rapids: Eerdmans,
ing that, while Israel did possess the land for generations, thiswas not the 'true' rest. But the
tension must

persist

since the author does

not make

any distinction

such as true versus

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49 (2007) 353-369
356M. Thiessen?NovumTestamentum
gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their ancestors
and they possessed it and they dwelt in it.And YHWH
gave them rest
(Kax?rcrxuaev)on every side, according to all that he swore to their ancestors

YHWH

and not one of all their enemies stood before them, YHWH
gave all their
enemies into their hand. And not one word of all the good words that
came to
to the house of Israel failed;
YHWH
pass."9
spoke
everything
Such a positive summary of Israel's entry into the land under the leader

ship of Joshua is expressed again in Solomons

lengthy dedicatory speech
for the temple in Jerusalem: "Blessed is YHWH
today, who gave rest
to
to
all that he spoke; not one
(Kocx?7tou)Giv) his people Israel, according
word has failed of all his good words, which he uttered byMoses his ser

vant" (1 Kgs. 8:56).10 According to scripture, Joshua succeeded in leading

the people into all ofGods promises; inotherwords, "Mission Accomplished!"
Nonetheless, the biblical results of the leadership of Joshua find no place in
the letter to theHebrews.11 Instead, the author provides an alternative read
ocv Ttepi
ing of Joshua's life, saying ei y?p a?xo'?? Tnao?c Kocx?rcocuaev, o?k
condi
This
xa?xa
second-class
uex?
eX?Xei
ocMti?
rju?pa? (Heb. 4:8).12
to
the author, the idea that Joshua had given
tional clause demonstrates that,
What enables the author tomake amove
the people rest is contrary to fact.13
that appears to be in opposition to the biblical account of Israel's history?
The answer lies in his understanding of the significance of Psalm 95 (LXX
Psalm 94).

into the
false rest; instead, he simply asserts that Joshua did not lead the exodus generation
rest.
promised
9) Unless otherwise stated all translations are
my own.
10)Neither
as the author of
use the
nor
1
8:56
21:43-45
Josh.
language of knayyeXia,
Kgs.
contain a similar idea, as evidenced by their reference to
Hebrews
frequently does, but both
God's good words.
n) To be
the ambi
sure, even within the book of Joshua we find statements acknowledging
of
the
land
of
Israel's
13:1-6).
(cf.
Josh.
possession
guity
12)
since it could refer
130, argues that TnGO?? functions typologically
Attridge, Epistle,
see
an
with Trypho
or
to
instance
of
to
For
either
this,
JustinMartyr's Dialogue
Jesus.
Joshua
gave
113, which states that Joshua "led the rest of the people into theHoly Land_Joshua
to them for a time only, since he was not Christ our God, nor the Son of
but Jesus, after the holy resurrection, will give an inheritance to us for eternity" (cf.
in Hebrews
because Joshua
this typology, it ismissing
Justin develops
chap. 132). While
rest. As will be discussed below, in this sense he con
into God's
does not bring the people
an inheritance

God;

trasts with Christ who opens the way into this rest.
13)
Cf. BDF
360 (4). Thus, Bruce, Epistle, 76, overstates his case: "It is plain (our author
For that land of rest
is not the earthly Canaan.
the 'rest' spoken of in Ps. 95:11
that
implies)

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M.

Thiessen INovum

Testarnentum 49

(2007)

357

353-369

itwas traditionally believed that the Psalms were composed by

the
fact thathe could referto another day when restmight be obtained
David,
demonstrates that Joshua did not actually lead them into the rest thatwas
to them, yet even more so shows that, up until David's day, God
promised
Since

had not fulfilled his promise to bring his people into his rest.14The author
uses Psalm 95 to show that Israel never entered intoGod's promised rest and
that the exodus continued at least until the days of David.15 If the people
remained in thewilderness until David's days, atwhat point in Israel's history
could it be said that the exodus ended?

Further, numerous scholars have argued that Psalm 95 was written for use
in the liturgical lifeof early Israel, and the 'today' of v. 7 referred to the festi
val day on which the psalm was sung.16That is to say, the psalm was com
a
w. 7-11
always
posed in such way that the prophetic warning contained in

referred to the hic et nunc}7 It is possible that Psalm 95 was used liturgically

was

occupied by the Israelites of the second generation, who entered it under the command
of Joshua." Since the author never asserts that the people entered the land, and his artful
in Hebrews
11 represses this moment,
'rest' is not necessarily
retelling of Israel's history
distinct from the land of Canaan.
14)C.R.
Koester, Hebrews: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
(AB 36;
on the
New York: Doubleday,
2001) 271, states that the "argument of Hebrews
depends...
way

the psalmist invites people

hear God's word."

of later generations?including

those of the author's own

time?to
15)
W.L.

and Attridge,
Lane, Hebrews
47; Dallas: Word,
1:100-101,
(2 vols; WBC
1991)
assume that the author agrees with the
account that Joshua has
Epistle, 130, both
scriptural
into the Promised Land, but this goes
led people
against the letter's argument.
16) For the cultic
see H. Gunkel and J.
origins of the Psalms in general,
Begrich, Introduction
to thePsalms: The Genres
Israel
Mercer
(trans.
J.D.
ojthe Religious Lyric of
Nogalski; Macon:
trans.
The Psalms in Israels
University Press, 1998) 1-21, and S. Mowinckel,
Worship (2 vols;
New York:
D.R. Ap-Thomas;
1967) 1:1-41. For the cultic use of Ps. 95, see Hans
Abingdon,
Joachim Kraus,
apolis:

Fortress,

Psalms

60-150:

1993)

244-249,

A Continental

1999) 373-374.

17)
Koester, Hebrews,

notes:

and C.C.

Oswald; Minne
(trans. H.C.
Commentary
Broyles, Psalms (NIBC;
Peabody: Hendrickson,

"The LXX

the incident's
enhances
exemplary quality by
so that instead of
the
to the
translating
transliterating
place-names,
referring
the psalm refers to the 'rebellion' and
and Meribah,
places ofMassah
'testing' that charac
terized thewhole wilderness period." It is quite possible, therefore, that the LXX translator of
264,

rather than

the Psalter was

use of Ps. 95 (LXX Ps. 94) and was

aware of the
to facilitate
liturgical
helping
out
this use. Bruce,
is
Ps.
in
that
used
95
63,
points
contemporary Judaism to inau
Epistle,
B.M.
and
The Book
Zlotowitz,
gurate the Sabbath, although M.S.
Rozenberg
of Psalms:
A New Translation and
(Northvale: Jason Aronson,
1999) 596, trace this prac
Commentary
tice back only to the sixteenth or seventeenth

centuries. M.

Nulman,

The

Encyclopedia

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of

358M. Thiessen/NovumTestarnentum
49 (2007) 353-369
in the Second Temple Period, thus
to take
enabling the author ofHebrews
advantage of the ambiguity of the referentof'today, and apply it to the days
of his readers. The author calls his readers to exhort one another while it
is called 'today so that none are hardened by sin after
hearing God's voice
on
his
(Heb. 3:12-13). Similarly, through
or|U?pov, the author
emphasis
contemporizes thewarning of Psalm 95, demonstrating to his readers that

they are in danger of hardening their hearts.18 Because it is 'today, the com
munity members are to exhort (na^aKokexxz) one another so that none fall
away from the livingGod (3:12-13).19 The fact that itcan stillbe called 'today
means that the exodus never ended and that rest can still be obtained.20
The second interpretivemove made by the author is to stress the posses
\iox>:"I swore that theywould never enter my rest" (Heb. 4:5;
LXX Ps. 94:11). Though at Sinai God promised Moses
that his presence
sive pronoun

go before the people and he would give them rest (Kaxa7iat)a?)?

Ex. 33:14), in Psalm 95, this KOcxotTCcruGi?
is no general rest but Gods rest
a
rest for the
remains
"So
there
sabbath
then,
specifically.21
people of God;
for the one who enters into his [God's] rest also rests from his own works

would

Jewish Prayer: Ashkenazic and Sephardic Rites (Northvale:

the institution of this Sabbath practice to the kabbalist

Jason Aronson,
Rabbi Moses

1993)
Cordovero

224,

tracks

of Safed

in the Talmud.
but claims it has antecedents
(1522-1570),
18) In
addition, Ellingworth, Epistle, 218; P.E. Enns, "The

Interpretation of Psalm 95 and

and J.A. Sanders (eds.), Early Christian
148; Sheffield:
Interpretation of the Scriptures of Israel: Investigations and Proposals (JSNTSup
the
LXX to 'this
'that
of
that
the
author
SAP, 1997) 352-363,
argue
changes
generation'
to his readers.
in order to
the
reapply
psalm
generation'
19)D.
inHebrews
Flusser, "'Today ifYou will Listen toHis Voice': Creative Jewish Exegesis
Christian
and
Biblical
Creative
and H.G. Reventlow
3-4," in B. Uffenheimer
(eds.),
Exegesis:
Its Interpretation

inHebrews

3.1-4.13,"

inCA.

Evans

59; Sheffield: JSOT, 1988) 55-62,

Jewish Hermeneutics
through the Centuries (JSOTSS
that the linking of'today' with community exhortation is found in halakhic Midrash

argues
in the

Sea Scrolls, although he notes that there it is never explicitly linked with Psalm 95.
Dead
20) H.
To the
14; T?bingen: Mohr,
Braun, An die Hebr?er
1984) 95, and Buchanan,
(HNT
Hebrews, 71-72, suggest that the stress on cf|U?pov also signifies the nearness of the escha
this is disputed by E. Gr?sser, An die Hebr?er
ton, although
17; Neu
(3 vols; EKKNT
n.
21.
1:187
1990-1997)
kirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener,
21)D.A.
(to
deSilva, Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Epistle
recontextu
notes that the
theHebrews'{Grand
152-153,
Eerdmans,
2000)
"repetitive
Rapids:
rest' to saturate the hearers' minds, replacing
alization of Psalm 95:11 allows 'entering God's
any contrary or competing agendas they may have brought to the hearing of this sermon."
to retrain the reader's
thinking about
Presumably, this repetition would also have functioned
that the wilderness generation did not enter
the end of exodus as well, since it demonstrates
that rest.

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M.

Thiessen INovum

Testarnentum 49

(2007)

353-369

359

a carefully delin
just as God rested from his own" (Heb. 4:9-10).22 Such
must
which
the author
be
then
further explicated,
eated rest,God's rest,
does by linking, through the Jewish exegetical technique of gezera shawa^
Ps. 95:7 with Gen. 2:2: Kai [Oe??J Koex?rcocoGevxfj f|U?pa xf\e?oour) arco

rcavxcovxcov?pycova\>xo\) cbveTtovnoev.24
Thus, the restpromised in Psalm 95
rest
that
is associated with the primordial
God himself entered into after the
creation of theworld, but where exactly is this rest?Jewish literatureprovides
rest.For instance, Sir. 36:13 says: "Have pity
two
possible locations forGod's
on the city of your sanctuary,Jerusalem, the place of your rest (Kaxa7tat)ua)."

While the noun used for 'rest' here is similar to that used inHebrews 3-4,
a closer
can be found in Ps. 132:13-14: "YHWH has chosen Zion,
parallel
he has chosen it for his dwelling: 'This ismy resting place (KaxcxrcaDaic)
forever,here Iwill dwell for I have chosen it'."25 In Sirach and Psalms then,
God's resting place is expressly identified with Jerusalem. On the other

22)
an excursus on Kax?7tott)Gic that I believe misses the
significant
Attridge, Epistle, 126-8, has
to be entered. Thus, texts
rest in
fact that it is not rest in general but God's
specific that is
that describe a general restmight not be themost instructive in helping the reader to deter
I find his warning, Epistle, 128, apropos:
mine the author's intent. Nonetheless,
"As with

to
it is difficult, and perhaps
other highly evocative symbols used in Hebrews,
dangerous,
of 'rest'." The
the text exploits the metaphor
be overly specific about the way in which
no consensus. Cf. for instance, O. Hofius,
on this
topic has formed
secondary literature
vom endzeitlichen Ruheort im
11 ;T?bin
Die
(WUNT
Hebr?erbrief
Vorstellung
in the Letter to the Hebrews," Neot 5
Siebeck, 1970); H.A. Lombard,
"Katapausis
"'Let us Strive to Enter that Rest': The Logic of Hebrews
60-71; H.W
Attridge,

Katapausis:
gen: Mohr
(1971)

4:1-11,"HTR 73 (1980) 279-288.

23)Cf. H.L.

to Talmud and Midrash

(trans. M. Bock
Stemberger, Introduction
21. By the same
the
later
Psalms Midrash
Fortress,
1992)
Minneapolis:
technique,
links v. 11 with two verses, Deut.
12:9, where rest equals the land of Israel, and Ps. 132:13-14,
rest
where God's
equals Zion.
24)
n. 90,
out that this link does not work in the MT
since
points
Attridge, Epistle, 130
Gen. 2:2 uses rDEJI and by"), while Ps. 95:11 uses fflTfl?,which would explain why Gen. 2:2
Strack and G.

muehl;

are not linked

we do not know how
in rabbinic literature.
together
Though
in
is
it
is
the
tradition
that
the
Kabbalat
Shabbat
(The
Judaism,
early
interesting
liturgical
of
contains
the
Psalm
and
of
the
Amidah
the
Sabbath's
95
Sabbath)
Reception
evening
two texts within
service is followed by the recitation of Gen. 2:1-3, thus
later
linking the
Sabbath liturgy. Cf. R. Posner, U. Kaploun
and S. Cohen
(eds.), Jewish Liturgy: Prayer and
Synagogue Service Through theAges (Jerusalem; Keter, 1975) 130-141.
25) The Greek
ITDD is found
is also found in Ps. 95:11.
translates the Hebrew fflTDQ,which
and Ps. 95:11

again in Ps. 132:8, although the LXX renders itwith av(X7ca\)Giv. It is interesting that the
on Psalm 95, followed
on Psalms
Midrash
(see M.I. Gruber, Rashis Commentary
by Rashi
[BRLJ 18; Leiden: Brill, 2004] 595-596),
interprets God's resting place in Ps. 95:11 as being

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360M. Thiessen?NovumTestamentum
49 (2007) 353-369
hand, Isa. 66:1 places God's resting place in the heavens: "Thus says the
Lord: 'Heaven ismy throne and the earth ismy footstool; what is the house
which you would build forme, and what is the place ofmy rest (Kccxarcocuai?;
For Trito-Isaiah, Gods rest is in the heavens, and therefore
MT?TTIT?O)'?"
the temple and Jerusalem cannot be the (sole) location of God's resting
indicate which of these it envisions in describing
place. Does Hebrews
or
God's rest, does it somehow include both of these concepts?26
This emphasis on God's rest facilitates the author's attempt to show that
the promise was never possessed in Israels history.Despite what the biblical
book of Joshua might say, Joshua and the people of Israel did not obtain
God's promised rest 8i' ?maxiav (3:19).27 As will be seen, itwas not merely
this first generation that failed to enter into Gods
rest; the entire history

of Israel can also be read as a failure to enter that rest, albeit not explicitly
because of unbelief. It is true that the firstgeneration serves as awarning, but
as
as the readers themselves are also in the exodus and wander
only in much

ing period. Having set the scriptural foundation forhis argument that Israel
has never entered into the land of promise, the author will provide a retelling
of Israel's history inHebrews 11 that furtherdemonstrates this point.

III.

Israel's History Rewritten: A People Wandering

Towards

the

Promise

The argument ofHebrews 3-4, that thewilderness generation never entered

rest, is expanded Hebrews 11.While the chapter is a retelling of Israel's

God's

as it is stated in
"the land of Israel and Jerusalem, which I [God] have named
'resting place'
the Bible, 'This isMy resting-place forever' (Ps. 132:14)."
26) If
shall
"But he [theMessiah]
so, a possible parallel can be found in 4 Ezra 13:35-36:
Zion. And Zion will come and be made manifest to all people,
stand on the top ofMount
as you saw the mountain
carved out without hands." Just as for 4 Ezra,
prepared and built,
is related to the earthly location and also distinct from it, so too, for the author of
Zion
rest includes Zion but also transcends it.M.E.
Stone, Fourth Ezra: A Com
Hebrews, God's
Fortress, 1990) 286, states:
(Hermeneia; Minneapolis:
mentary on the Book ofFourth Ezra
"it should be recalled that for authors of the age of 4 Ezra, heavenly objects were no less real
'material' and 'spiritual' seem irrelevant." If
than earthly ones, so that opposed
categories
this places
Stone, Fourth Ezra, 9-10, is correct in dating the work to the time of Domitian,
it in roughly the same period thatmost scholars place Hebrews. Cf. Koester, Hebrews, 50-54;
Attridge, Epistle, 6-9.
27)
267, rightly points out that the text does not say that they did not
Koester, Hebrews,
recall
enter the land but that theywere unable to enter it (ii?wr|9rioav
eiaeA.8e?v?3:19),
to enter the land against God's
ing their attempt

instruction, as recounted

inNum.

14:39-45.

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M.

Thiessen /Novum

Testarnentum 49

(2007)

353-369

361

on the rciaxi?
numerous Jewish heroes, it
history, focusing
exemplified by
also serves to demonstrate the unfulfilled nature of the promise throughout
Israel's history.28As Attridge notes, Heb. 11:1 does not provide an abstract
definition of rciaxi?, but rather provides "a programmatic remark for the
that follows;"29 faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the
unseen (oi) ?Aercouevcov).30As the author's version of Israel's
proof of things
it becomes clear that the things not seen are God's prom
unfolds,
history
ised rest, that is,his unshakeable city (11:8-15).31 Simply put, Hebrews 11
recounts Israel's history in such a way that the people of God never receive
encomium

the land of God's promise. Pamela Michelle Eisenbaum's recentmonograph

on Hebrews 11 demonstrates
more similar
convincingly that the chapter is
to Jewish lists,with their interest in ancient personages and diachronic his
lists,which are more focused on recent historical
tory, than Greco-Roman

notes the repetition of tugxi?

figures and lessdiachronic.32While she
through
out the chapter, Eisenbaum argues that the
underlying theme is that these
individuals aremarginalized: "The study ofHebrews 11 in its literary envi
rons leads me

to conclude

that the heroes of Hebrews

share in common

marginalized existence which situates them outside the national destiny of

Israel."33 That is to say, although these figures belonged to historical Israel,
the author has portrayed them in such a fashion that they are now distinct and

separate from the nation itself.34Such a summary of the text, and the letter

28) The

11 has been much

genre of Hebrews
disputed: H. Thyen, Der Stil der Judisch-Hel
& Ruprecht,
lenistischen Homilie
Vandenhoeck
1955), has argued that it is a
(G?ttingen:
M.
of
Israel's
The
Rhetorical
history;
Cosby,
retelling
Composition and Function ofHebrews
11: In

(Macon: Mercer,
1988), sees it as an 'Example
Light ofExample Lists in Antiquity
and C. Spicq, LEpitre aux H?breux
Paris: J. Gabalda,
(Sources Bibliques;
1977),
a
an
it
that
is
rewritten
combination
of
and
argues
history
example list.
29)
Attridge, Epistle, 308.
30)
the
DeSilva,
Perseverance, 383-384,
suggests that rc?GTi? should be understood within

List,'

context of patronage but, while the two are not

exclusive, the context of covenant
mutually
seems more
apropriate given the fact that Israel's history is being recounted.
31) This
has a close parallel in 4 Ezra 7:26: "For behold, the time will come, when the
signs
that I have foretold to you will come to pass, that the city that now is unseen will
appear,
and the land which now is hidden will be disclosed."
32) P.
The Jewish Heroes
11 in
Eisenbaum,
of Christian History: Hebrews
Literary Context
Scholars Press, 1997) 17-87. She does
156; Atlanta:
(SBLDS
acknowledge Greco-Roman
influence on the work {Jewish Heroes, 79).
33)
Eisenbaum,
Jewish Heroes, 3.
34)
Eisenbaum,
Jewish Heroes, 220, claims that for Hebrews,
Israelites or Jews, they are Christians'
(italics original).

"Abraham

and Moses

are not

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49 (2007) 353-369
362M. Thiessen/NovumTestarnentum
in general, has one far-reaching implication for the place of Hebrews
within the literary landscape of the early Church: "Hebrews 11 represents
a
in the evolution that led from the understanding of Jewish
significant point

scripture as the ethnic history of the Jews to the theological history of

Christians."35 Is this true though? Do we have here, in nascent form, the
earlyChristian trend of dissociation from the fate of national Israel and the
re-appropriation of Jewish scriptures by Christianity?
The argument of this paper calls such a conclusion into question.36
Instead of seeing these examples as separated from national Israel,we should
see them as
of Israel,
exemplifying the author's claim that the long history

wan
up to the present day, belongs to the period of the exodus/wilderness
in the author's presentation of these
The
derings.
marginalization portrayed

Jewish heroes is not meant to sunder the relationship between them and
is
national Israel, rather it ismeant to demonstrate that marginalization
and has always been a sign that one belongs toGod's people.
Abraham, the recipient ofGod's promise of an inheritance (icA,r|povouia)
inGen. 12:1-2, is portrayed as going out from what was known towhat
was unknown. While K^npovouia is not used in the LXX account ofAbra
ham's call, it nonetheless occurs in reference to the land throughout the
biblical narrative (cf.Gen. 15:7; 22:17; 28:4).37 That Abraham is called an
alien in the land of God's promise does not mean that the author is stress
not a real Israelite; instead, the author's stress on
ing the fact that he is
Abraham's foreign status (rcapcpicnoev, ???oxpiav,
GKrrva?? Kaxoucrioa?)
sons were promised the
his
and
Abraham
the
fact
that
although
highlights
land,

35)

they

never

obtained

Eisenbaum, Jewish Heroes,

36)One
fundamental concern

it.38 For

the author's

argument

to work,

the

Ian

192.

in such a statement.
iswith the way language is functioning
ethnic
and
between
Christian,
the author or his community
Jewish
really distinguish
not exist in his thinking, such a state
do
If
these
and
categories
history
theological history?
refers to the author and his
ment will cloud the issue. Further, since Heb. 2:16 presumably
with Israel's history? In
how could he be read as unconcerned
readers as GTtepuxx??paau.,
on
such
to
backtracked
distinctions,
she has recently
all fairness
Eisenbaum,
questionable
Does

inG. Gelardini
of Christian Origins,"
cf. "Locating Hebrews within the Literary Landscape
213-237.
Leiden:
Methods?New
75;
Brill,
Hebrews:
2005)
(BIS
(ed.),
Insights
Contemporary
37)
that the author purposefully
2:349 believes
ei? Trjv yf\v in
Lane, Hebrews,
changed
12:1 to ei? x?rcov tomake the goal of his wandering more ambiguous.
Gen.
38)H.C.
the History of God's People: Survey of Interpretations of the
Kee, "Appropriating
in J.H. Charles
and theNew Testament,"
in
of
Israel
the
Pseudepigrapha, Apocrypha
History
Evans (eds.), The Pseudepigrapha and Early Biblical Interpretation (JSPSS 14;
worth and CA.

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M. ThiessenINovum Testamentum
49 (2007) 353-369 363
guage within the biblical accounts that speak ofAbraham's time in the land
as a time of sojourning needs to be stressed to demonstrate that he never
was merely a
actually possessed the land but
foreigner there.39Despite his
alien status, Abraham's eyes were on a city with foundations (by way of
contrast to the tents he dwelt in) thatwas built by God (v. 10).40 Then, in
verse 13, the author argues that all these died without having received the

(?rc?Gavov o?xoi rcavxec, uf]tax?ovxec xcc? ?7cocyy??ua?),acknowl

koci
that
theywere but "strangers and exiles in the land" (c^?voi
edging
7tape7t?or||xo?e?aiv hC\ xf??yn?).41 This acknowledgment demonstrates that
theywere still in search of their homeland.

promise

The author's description of Joseph also fits this pattern (11:22). Why, of
all the deeds Joseph iswell known for,does the author focus on his request
that his bones be brought out of Egypt? If the author were concerned with
was an
someone alienated from the
example of
demonstrating that Joseph
Isaac, and Jacob resided in the
1993) 44-64, esp. 62, states that Abraham,
land but that their "confidence was not inwhat they possessed." This goes further than the
author of Hebrews who clearly states that they did not possess itbut merely lived as foreigners
in the land.
39)
is only expanding on Gen.
17:8: xf|v yfjv r\vrcapoiice??.
Indeed, the author of Hebrews
of this stress in com
156-7', is correct to note the uniqueness
Eisenbaum,
Jewish Heroes,
Sheffield: SAP,

to conclude
that by it the author wants to discon
parison with Jewish tradition, yet wrong
nect Abraham
states: "The
from Israel. As Lane, Hebrews, 2:350,
description of pilgrimage
in v 9a summarizes
tenor of the biblical narrative."
succinctly and graphically the
40) The
of this unnamed
of Jerusalem. Cf.
city parallels biblical descriptions
description

Ps. 48:8 (LXXPs. 47:9); 87:1-3, 5 (LXXPs. 86:1-3, 5); 121:3 (LXXPs. 122:3); Isa. 14:32;
If the readers have any doubts about the identity of this city, the author will
clearly
the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22). As noted above, it is
Zion,
identify itwith Mount
was
to inHeb.
11:1, where the author defines rcioxi?
already alluded
possible that this city
33:20.

as the evidence

to 4 Ezra 7:26-30,
of things unseen (oi) ?Xe7touevcov). According
there is an
a
city and unseen land that will be revealed in the days of theMessiah,
city which,
to Hebrews, Abraham
sees from afar.
only
according
41)
RSV, Koester, Hebrews,
484, Attridge, Epistle, 330, all translate eni xfj? yf?? as on the

unseen

it to Greek
earth.' Attridge, Epistle, 330, compares
traditions of the soul in exile in the
world. Neither Koester nor Attridge discuss the possibility that the alternative
for
meaning
is
To theHebrews,
2:346, and Buchanan,
yfj ('land')
being employed here. Lane, Hebrews,
'land' and refers to the land of Canaan.
The latter possibility
178, argue that it does mean
is to be
it accords with the previous use of yfj in v. 9 where itmeans
preferred here because
the land of Canaan.
to the Canaanites
that Abraham's words
in
Further, it is possible
Gen.

23:4

(jcapoiKo?

demonstrating
strate that even
not obtain

Kai

that Canaan

though
the promise

to, thus
rcapeTt?Oriuoc eyco dur ue?' ?)u??W) are being alluded
is the referent of yfj. The purpose of the
is to demon
passage

at various
that God

times, Israelites were

had given

in the land of Canaan,

they still did

them.

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364M. Thiessen?NovumTestamentum
49 (2007) 353-369
nation of Israel, itwould make more sense tomention his faith in response
to
being sold by and separated from the rest of Israel. Instead, the hope of
the exodus points to the hope Joseph had regarding God's promise that his

people would enter the land of promise.42 Josephs request that his
be brought from Egypt to the land of Canaan demonstrates that his
nent death did not cause him to
give up hope inGod's promise.43
a
time explaining how Moses'
Eisenbaum
has
difficult
Further,
ation from his Egyptian family provides an example of his alienation

bones
immi
alien

from

his people.44 In direct contrast to her understanding, the author ofHebrews

stresses how Moses
so that he can identify
gives up the comforts of Egypt
himself with the people ofGod. Unity with, not marginalization and sepa
ration from, the nation of Israel is the stress of the passage.45 Then in his
leadership of Israel, his action of instituting Passover iswhat preserves the
people from theDestroyer (11:28), and becomes the critical event inGod's
on
redemption of his people from slavery in Egypt.46 Instead of focusing

across the Red Sea, the author expands his dis

leading the people
cussion of history to the entire nation (note the third person plural, rather
than singular, rciaxEi Sie?naav),47 again, demonstrating his concern for the

Moses

nation of Israel, not merely faithful individuals removed from their roles
within corporate Israel's history.
11 as a retelling of Israel's history as a
This interpretation of Hebrews
a better
understanding of the ending of
continuing exodus also provides
the list.Why does the author shorten his treatment of the heroes right at

42)

about the exodus,

493, argues that the author's use of ?jivnu?ve'uoev
has yet to occur, points to the fact that Joseph remembered God's promise to provide
his people with a land of rest.
43)
366. Further, Koester, Hebrews, 494, suggests that "Joseph's bones help
Lane, Hebrews,
to foreshadow the final rest of the faithful."
44)
168.
Eisenbaum,
Jewish Heroes,
45)
notes
that while
(xco Axxcoxo\) Beo?j) is used here
'people of God'
Attridge, Epistle, 340,
the letter Xa?q refers to the people of God under the old
instead of 'Israel,' throughout
covenant, that is, Israel (cf. 2:17; 5:3; 7:5, 11, 27; 9:7, 19).
46) I do not understand
on
how Eisenbaum,
170, can assert, "[E]mphasis
Jewish Heroes,
true
a
as
It
is
savior
of
Israel."
of
the
role
Moses'
deflates
Moses'
people
personality, however,
ismade of his leading them out of Egypt, but that he redeemed them from
that no mention
the Destroyer demonstrates his role as saviour of the nation.
47)Mekhilta
de-Rabbi Ishmael, Beshallah
4, also stresses the people's faith in crossing the
states:
in crossing the sea
"The action of the people
Red Sea. As Lane, Hebrews,
2:377,
indicates that they shared the faith ofMoses."
Koester, Hebrews,

which

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M.

Thiessen ?Novum

Testamentum

49

(2007)

353-369

365

the land is traditionally believed to be possessed? Accord

"The disorganized chronology combined with the list
ing
names is an allusion towhat our author sees as the
several
mediocre
of
ing
dissolution of biblical history."48 But, given our understanding, the ques
themoment when
to Eisenbaum:

tionable inclusion (and exclusion) of historical figures and loss of chronol

ogy at the exact moment when, according to Scripture, Israel entered into
the Promised Land, point in quite another direction. In light of the author's

argument inHebrews 3-4 that Joshua did not provide the promised rest
for the people, and that Israel still exists in the exodus period, it is under
standable why the author seems to lose interest in history after thewalls of

Jericho fall.49Rahab, on the other hand, receives explicit mention because

of her hospitality shown to the Israelite spies.50
Were the author to attempt

to describe the faith of laterheroes, he would have had to contend with the
difficulty that the stories assume the possession (or past possession) of the
Promised Land. The theme of the continuing exodus of Israel inHebrews
also explains the puzzling absence of Joshua from the list of heroes.51 Since

the author has already stated that Joshua did not lead the people into the
as an
promised rest, how could he then use him
example of faith? Further,
ceases to be amatter of concern because time has, in effect,been
chronology
frozen so that no matter what a hero does, Israel's story is still stuck in the
time of the exodus/wilderness wanderings. Despite the fact that these heroes,
by faith, conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped
themouths of lions, extinguished the power of fire, escaped the edges of
the sword,were made strong out ofweakness, became mighty inwar, routed
foreign camps, and received their dead by resurrection (w. 33-35a), the one

48)
49)

Eisenbaum,
Johnsson,

in 3:6b-4:11

175.
Jewish Heroes,
"The Pilgrimage Motif,"
reach explicit expression

rest is here
the people
explicated,
God's promised rest.
50)
2:379, helpfully
Lane, Hebrews,
believed

that God's

promise

states that "ideas

rightly
implied and inchoate
statement that Joshua does not
11."
The
chap.
give
the people of Israel are still in search of
demonstrating
241,

in

suggests that Rahab

of the land would
obtain

ismentioned

because

at the moment

when

she clearly
Israel itself

doubted and disobeyedGod (Josh.2:9-11).

51)

172, states: "The absence of Joshua in chap. 11 is especially

Jewish Heroes,
isdue to him
but
that
this
believes
glaring"
being "a national hero." Interestingly, L.H. Feldman,
"Philo's Interpretation of Joshua," JSP 12 (2001)
165-178, argues that Philo also vitiates
the personality and role of Joshua inDe Vita Mosis,
albeit with the intention of stressing the
in Israel's
role thatMoses
played
history.
Eisenbaum,

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366M. Thiessen?NovumTestamentum
49 (2007) 353-369
was still in the exodus.52 The author concludes his
abiding fact is that Israel
listby summarizing: "All these, though attested
through faith,did not receive
the promise" (v. 39). In keeping with the implication that he draws from
Psalm 95, the author retells Israel's history as a people, who by faith live in a
way that demonstrates that the yet-to-be-realized rest can stillbe obtained.53

Joshua's absence from the recounting of Israel's history inHebrews 11 is

remedied in the first verses of Hebrews
12. Here another Joshua, also an

?p%r|yo?,, isportrayed as an exemplar of faith,who, through suffering,wins

the promise of God (4:14).54 Unlike the Jesus of Jewish scriptures, this
Jesus isnot only an ?p^nyo?, but is also a X?A,euoxr|?,of the faith exemplified
11. The meaning of the uncommon christo
by Israel's heroes inHebrews
Acts
3:15; 5:31; Heb. 2:10), has undergone con
logical title, ?p%rry?c (cf.
siderable scrutiny,55 though whatever meanings were readily available to

readers of the text, it seems that theword refersmost naturally, given the
narrative context of the exodus, to the leaders of Israel in thewilderness. In
Num.
13:2-3 Moses sends out twelve ?p%?|yoi who come back with an ill
report about the land and convince the people to fall back from entering
intoGod's promised land of rest. In response, the people actually cry out for
a new ?p%r|yo?, one who will lead them back to
Egypt. Then, during the

40-year period, the ?pxnyoi again appear, this time in the company ofKorah
(Num. 16:1-3), only to rebel against God and Moses. Finally, the ?pxT|Y0i
are blamed for the fact that the
are
women and
marrying Moabite
people
on a
are to be
it
The
for
these lead
of
(Num. 25:1-5).
hung
example
gibbet
was less than ideal. True,
ers to the nation
time
the
of
the
exodus
during
two ap%r|yoi, Joshua and Caleb, were faithful and as a resultGod promised
to give them entrance into the land, but the author of Hebrews
these biblical accounts in his retelling of Israel's history.
52)

silences

517 n. 421, wrongly states: "The rapid listing of examples of conflict,

was no rest after entry into the land"; rather, this
and
heroism,
suffering shows that there
never
the land.
that
demonstrates
God's
possessed
rapid listing
people
53)
11 as "the 'cloud of witnesses'
23, evocatively depicts Hebrews
K?semann, Wandering,
toward the city of God."
whose activity is decisively and continually described as a wandering
34)As
in
in
12:1-13
523, and N.C.
Koester, Hebrews,
Croy, Endurance
Suffering: Hebrews
Koester, Hebrews,

ItsRhetorical,
Religious,and PhilosophicalContext(SNTSMS 98; Cambridge:CUP, 1998)
175-176, note, it is precisely in this sense that Jesus, as a model of faith, differs from those
11.
heroes of Hebrews
55) See the
Der religionsgeschichtliche und
by P.-G. M?ller, XPIITOIAPXHTOE:
monograph
einer neutestamentlichen Christuspr?dikation (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1973),
theologische
Hintergrund
as
as well as the articles
and
27 (1981) 381-385,
by G. Johnston, "Christ
Archegos," NTS
J.J. Scott, Jr., "Archegos in the Salvation History of the Episde to theHebrews," JETS 29 (1986)

47-54.

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M.

Thiessen /Novum

Testarnentum 49

(2007)

353-369

367

The first ?p^nyo?, Joshua, has already been described as failing to lead
God's people into the land of rest; it is thus up to the second ?p^ny?c, Jesus,
rest.
to
to lead the
people out of theirwanderings and intoGod's
According
the author ofHebrews, Jesus does this through his death on the cross, resur
rection, and subsequent cleansing of both the heavenly sanctuary and the
own blood (Heb. 9:12-14).56
Having dealt, by his
people's consciences by his

blood, with the transgressions of the firstcovenant that hindered God's peo
a
a new cov
ple from receiving their inheritance, Jesus becomes mediator of
enant, opening up theway forGod's people to enter intoGod's rest (9:15).
As a result of the priestlywork ofChrist, which the author discusses at length
inHeb. 6:19-10:18, Christ is enthroned as king, and now awaits the com
plete subjugation of his enemies (Heb. 1:3-13; 2:5-10; 10:12; 12:2).57 Yet, if
Christ has been crowned king and has restarted Israel's stalled history,why
have the author's readers not experienced this new reality?58

IV. The Heavenly

Jerusalem

12 ends with imagery that again situates the readers in thewilder

ness, placing them beyond Sinai (w. 18-21) and at the border of the land of
promise (w. 22-24).59 It is not surprising that the rhetorical climax of the

Hebrews

56)While

this paper has not examined Hebrews'

discussion of the high priesthood of Jesus,

that
the
of
sacrifice
with those of the levitical system
Jesus'
comparison
significant
centers around the cult of the tabernacle, not on the
in Jerusalem. This further
Temple
substantiates the claim of this paper that the author suppresses the biblical account of entry
it is

into the land in his attempt to argue for Israel's

continuing exodus. How
towhat
if
he
exodus
has
continuing
compared Christ's sacrifice

talk about

Jerusalem Temple?
57)Cf. K.L.
Schenck,

"The Celebration

of the Enthroned

Son: The Catena

could

the author

took place

in the

of Hebrews

1:5

\4,"JBL 120 (2001) 469-485.

58)This

and disillusionment
of the readers must be taken seriously. If an
disappointment
it leans heavily on the side of not-yet, contrary
already/not-yet tension exists in Hebrews,
to K.-K. Yeo, "The
and Usage of the Theology
of'Rest'
Meaning
{katapausis and sabbatis
3:7-4:13," AJT 5 (1991) 2-33, who argues that the readers can already
mos) in Hebrews
enter into the
promised
59)As
Koester, Hebrews,

rest.

the Greek word 7tpooT?,T|Xi)0aT? here

signifies that they
'drawn near' not that they have entered into Zion, as D. Peterson, Hebrews and
Perfec
tion: An Examination
47;
(SNTSMS
of the Concept ofPerfection in theEpistle to theHebrews
nor that
new
the
of
the
CUP,
160,
1982)
suggests,
Cambridge:
they "enjoy
objective blessings
covenant
as
this interpreta
already in this life,"
suggested by Lane, Hebrews, 2:471. Against
544, notes,

have

tion, if they had entered into the rest, therewould be no reason for the author to be concerned
that theymight fall back in unbelief. In addition, inHeb.
13:14 the author says that he and
his readers are awaiting the city that is to come,
that
stressing
they have not entered this rest.

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368M. ThiessenINovum Testarnentum

49 (2007) 353-369
letterdiscusses the climax of Israel's history: entrance intoZion.60 While the
author does not here employ the
language of entering God's Kaxa7tai)ai?,
titles such as "Zion," "the city of God," and "the heavenly Jerusalem," con
note the same idea, as evidenced
by biblical and non-biblical passages that
Zion
with the location of God's rest (cf. Ps. 132:13-14; Sir. 36:13; 4
equate

Ezra 8:52).61 The importance of this citymotif is illuminated

by Josephus'
discussion of thewilderness generation, who were not able to enter into the
land as a result of ?tKpaa?a (Ant. 3.314), and would therefore be homeless
(?veaxioi)?) and citiless (?noXi&aq)62 for fortyyears in thewilderness (3.314).
In response to this, the people cry out thatGod will "free them fromwander
ing in thewilderness, and provide cities (n?Xeiq) for them" (3.315).63 Thus,
a
Josephus' wilderness generation is people in search of a city.This is exactly

what the author ofHebrews

has said Abraham

and his descendents were in

12:22 the readers are portrayed as

search of (11:10, 13, 16), and inHeb.
those who are about to obtain it.The reference to the 'heavenly Jerusalem'
indicates that this is not merely the physical Jerusalem of Jewish scriptures,

but something more.64 It is a city thatwill withstand the eschatological shak

ing thatGod has in store for both heaven and earth (12:27-28).65

60) B.

"The Rhetorical

Structure of Hebrews," NTS

35 (1989) 382-406.
is correct to note that these titles evoke
of the heavenly
2:466,
thought
a heavenly
since the word never occurs in
sanctuary (although incorrect tomention
Temple
the letter!), as is supported by the fact that the author also says that his readers have drawn
61)

Lindars,

Lane, Hebrews,

near

to the
sprinkled

blood

of Jesus (12:24),

which

the author has already placed

in the

heavenly sanctuary (9:11-12).

62) The
out for cities in Ant. 3.315;
thus L.H.
Feldman's
translation, Judean
people cry
1-4:
Translation
and Commentary
of obtoA-i? as
(FJTC 3; Leiden: Brill, 2000),
Antiquities
'without country' seems to obscure the connection.
63)Translation
of Veldmzn, Judean Antiquities, 327'.
64)As mentioned
Zion and
above, 4 Ezra 13:35-36
clearly indicates that the eschatological
shall stand on the top
the 'historical' Zion are not mutually exclusive: "But he [theMessiah]
ofMount

Zion. And Zion will come and be made manifest

as you saw the mountain

63-65,
Loader

carved out without

hands." Thus

to all
people, prepared and built,
Buchanan's claim, To theHebrews,

asW.R.G.
is not "ganz
the land of Canaan,
that the promised restmeans
abwegig"
claims in his Sohn und Hoherpriester: Eine traditionsgeschichtliche Untersuchung zur

desHebr?erbriefes(WMANT 53;Neukirchen:Neukirchener,1981) 52.

Christologie
65)

in
Cannot
"'That Which
be Shaken: Some Metaphysical
Assumptions
to note that the author has taken up eschato
is
12:27," JBL 94 (1975) 580-587,
right
to argue that the author is distin
were based on
logical raditions that
Hag. 2:6 but wrong
the author contrasts the firstwilderness
Israel and the Church.
between
Instead,
guishing
to be the lastwilderness
generation.
generation with what he likely takes
J.W. Thompson,

Heb

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M.

Thiessen INovum

Testarnentum 49

(2007)

353-369

369

The author, having narrated his readers into the point of the storywhere
Israel is about to enter intoGod's promised rest,begins the peroration66with
one final warning: "Let us worship God properly with reverence and fear,
for our God

is 'a consuming fire (nvp Kaxava?icncov)'

(cf.Deut. 4:24; 9:3)."
is balanced bywhat appears to be an
This finalwarning fromDeuteronomy

who goes before

allusion to the promise of Deut. 31:6, 8 ("It isYHWH
or
not
will
be
with
he
will
he
fail
forsake
you,
you
you; do not fear or
you;

be dismayed") contained inHeb.

13:5.67 If so, the letter ends with both
the point in Isra
warning and encouragement drawn fromDeuteronomy,
el's history where it is about to enterGod's rest.68

V. Conclusion
This paper has attempted to trace the theme of continuing exodus through
the letter to theHebrews. According to the author, Joshua was unable to
lead the people into God's promised rest because of their unbelief. David,

none have entered

writing hundreds of years later, attests to the fact that
into God's rest and that the promise still remains (Ps. 95:11). The author
re-reads Israel's history in light of this assertion to show that, from the
inception of the nation in the calling ofAbraham up until the present day,
the exodus period has persisted. Nonetheless,
the community is to be
an
not
at
it
is
the
fact
that
initial
stage in the exodus such as
encouraged by
near
to
Sinai (12:18-21) but has drawn
the promised city of Zion, the city
of God's

rest. The letter to theHebrews

thus envisions its audience

at the

envisions the people of Israel?at

very spot that the book ofDeuteronomy
the doorstep of God's promised land of rest. By means of this rewriting and
reconfiguration of Israel's history, the author of the letter to theHebrews
demonstrates to his readers that their experience is in continuity with the

entire history of Israel, and should be deemed as evidence for the fact that
they are God's children, towhom the long-awaited rest is still open.
66) I follow the
rhetorical division as suggested by Koester, Hebrews,
554-555.
67) So
too, Ellingworth, Epistle, 699-700, Koester, Hebrews,
559. Both point out that Philo,

De

exact
confusione linguarum 166, contains this
phrase, which appears to be a conflation
of Deut.
31:6, 8 and Gen. 28:15. The lack of textual evidence militates against W. Wrede,
Das
literarische R?tsel des
&
1906), and
(G?ttingen: Vandenhoeck
Hebr?erbriefs
Ruprecht,
To theHebrews, 267-8, who argue that Hebrews
13 is not original.
Buchanan,
68)
This is pointed out by J.M. Casey,
inHeb
12:14-29: An Exegetical Study
Eschatology
(Ph.D. diss.; Catholic University of Leuven,
1977) 570-571.

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