From the Homilies on the Epistle to the Hebrews · §3 · Origen of Alexandria

The church that holds Hebrews as Paul's may be approved, but only God knows the writer

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

Origen has just given his own opinion that the thoughts are Paul's but the wording and composition are by a recorder of the apostle's teaching; now he turns to the church's reception of the epistle and the hidden identity of its actual writer.

Origen continues: So if any church holds this Epistle as Paul's, let it be approved even in this, for the ancients did not hand it down as Paul's without reason. But who wrote the Epistle, the truth God knows.

Greek

Εἴ τις οὖν Ἐκκλησία ἔχει

ταύτην τὴν Ἐπιστολὴν ὡς Παύλου, αὕτη εὐδοκιμείτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ, οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ οἱ

ἀρχαῖοι ἄνδρες ὡς Παύλου αὐτὴν παραδεδώκασι. Τίς δὲ ὁ γράψας τὴν Ἐπιστολὴν, τὸ

μὲν ἀληθὲς Θεὸς οἶδεν.

Report a mistake in this passage

About this text

Origen judges that Hebrews holds Paul's thoughts in another's polished wording, notes claims for Clement and Luke, and says only God knows who wrote it.

Origen of Alexandria (c. 185–c. 254) wrote this homily as part of a series commenting on the Epistle to the Hebrews. He addresses the question of the epistle's authorship, since it was traditionally attributed to Paul but differs from his usual manner of writing.

Origen observes that the Greek style of the Epistle to the Hebrews is more polished than Paul's admitted plainness of speech, though its thoughts are worthy of an apostle. He therefore suggests that the ideas are Paul's, but the wording and composition belong to someone who recorded the apostle's teaching and as it were made notes on what was said by the teacher.

Origen reports that some tradition says Clement of Rome wrote it, while others say Luke, the author of the Gospel and Acts. The epistle is referred to as Hebrews, and the Gospel and Acts are those of Luke.

Printed text used

Translated from PG 14 (Greek)

This work has passed our source check. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Greek on any section to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

Report a mistake