The World Spoken Through the Son: Divine Speech and Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews

The “Word of God” plays an important role in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews uses spoken quotations to recontextualize Scripture for the contemporary age (e.g., Heb. 2.12–13) and appeals to divine speech acts that alter the course of history (e.g., Heb. 6.14; 8.5). One such speech act is his creation...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Pierce, Madison N. 1988- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2023
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Year: 2023, Volume: 46, Issue: 1, Pages: 37-58
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Hebrews
B Word of God
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
NBD Doctrine of Creation
NBF Christology
Further subjects:B Hebrews
B Wisdom
B Creation
B Bibel. Hebräerbrief, 11,3
B Word of God
B Speech
B Logos
B Philo
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The “Word of God” plays an important role in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews uses spoken quotations to recontextualize Scripture for the contemporary age (e.g., Heb. 2.12–13) and appeals to divine speech acts that alter the course of history (e.g., Heb. 6.14; 8.5). One such speech act is his creation of the world by the word of God, which the author claims we understand “by faith” (Heb. 11.3). But what claim is the author making with respect to creation? This article will argue that the identification of the “Word of God” in Hebrews as the Son in Hebrews 11.3 is a viable reading and then show that this reading affects other passages in Hebrews. To accomplish this, I will (1) provide an overview of some relevant interpretive issues with Hebrews 11.3; (2) discuss how intermediaries (e.g., Word; Wisdom) related to creation in early Jewish literature; (3) demonstrate how the presentation of creation in Hebrews relates to those concepts in early Jewish literature; (4) provide a reading of Heb. 11.3 in light of that synthesis; and (5) offer some suggestions regarding how other passages in Hebrews might be read to highlight Christ as the Word.
ISSN:1745-5294
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X231190083