T HE CONCLUSION WHICH HAS BEEN REACHED IS NOT BEYOND DOUBT , BUT IT SATISFIES THE CONDITIONS OF THE PROBLEM MOST SIMPLY . I T IS INDEED POSSIBLE THAT EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES , WHICH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US NOW TO DETERMINE , MAY HAVE GIVEN OCCASION TO THE LETTER . I T IS , FOR EXAMPLE , QUITE CONCEIVABLE , AS HAS BEEN ALREADY ADMITTED , THAT A SOCIETY OF H EBREWS AT R OME MAY HAVE BEEN LED TO DEVELOP THE SACRIFICIAL THEORY OF J UDAISM AND TO INSIST UPON IT AND SO TO CALL OUT THE WORD OF EXHORTATION . S UCH CONJECTURES , HOWEVER , NEED NOT DETAIN US . I T IS WELL TO RECOGNISE HOW LITTLE WE CAN DETERMINE BY THE HELP OF THE DATA AT PRESENT AVAILABLE . T HAT WHICH IS BEYOND DOUBT , THAT WHICH INDEED ALONE CONCERNS US , IS THE SPIRITUAL CHARACTER OF THE READERS OF THE E PISTLE . T HIS WE CAN DEFINITELY GRASP WHEREVER IT MAY HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED . A ND IT IS UNQUESTIONABLE THAT IT WOULD BE LIKELY MOST LIKELY TO BE DEVELOPED IN P ALESTINE .
W. G
RIMM HAS DISCUSSED IN CONSIDERABLE DETAIL
(
Z
EITSCHRIFT F
.
WISSENSCH
. T
HEOL
.
1870, 19
FF
.)
THE CLAIMS OF
R
OME
, J
ERUSALEM
,
AND
A
LEXANDRIA TO BE CONSIDERED AS THE PLACE TO WHICH THE
E
PISTLE WAS DIRECTED
. H
E DECIDES AGAINST ALL
,
AND SUGGESTS
J
AMNIA
. I
T IS BETTER HOWEVER TO ACQUIESCE IN SIMPLY RECOGNISING THE CONDITIONS WHICH THE PLACE MUST SATISFY
.
VI. DATE
T HE DATE OF THE E PISTLE IS FIXED WITHIN NARROW LIMITS BY ITS CONTENTS . A GENERATION OF C HRISTIANS HAD ALREADY PASSED AWAY (H EB . 13:7; 2:3). T HERE HAD BEEN SPACE FOR GREAT CHANGES IN RELIGIOUS FEELING (10:32), AND FOR RELIGIOUS GROWTH (5:11 F .).
O N THE OTHER HAND THE L EVITICAL SERVICE IS SPOKEN OF AS STILL CONTINUED (8:4 F .; 9:6, 9; 10:1 FF .; 13:10 FF .); AND , EVEN IF THE REFERENCES TO ITS PRESENT CONTINUANCE COULD BE EXPLAINED AWAY ( COMP . J UST . D ECL . 117; O RIG . C . C ELS . V .25), IT IS INCONCEIVABLE THAT SUCH A NATIONAL CALAMITY AS THE J EWISH WAR SHOULD BE UNNOTICED IF IT HAD ALREADY BROKEN OUT , AND STILL MORE , IF IT HAD BEEN DECIDED . I NDEED THE PROSPECT OF EXCLUSION FROM THE PRIVILEGES OF THE OLD SERVICE IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF THE TRIAL OF THE H EBREWS ; AND THE SEVERITY OF THE TRIAL IS IN ITSELF A DECISIVE PROOF OF THE INFLUENCE WHICH THE T EMPLE RITUAL EXERCISED AT THE TIME .
T HE LETTER MAY THEN BE PLACED IN THE CRITICAL INTERVAL BETWEEN A.D. 64, the government of Gessius Florus, and 67, the commencement of the Jewish War, and most probably just before the breaking of the storm in the latter year, as the writer speaks of the visible signs of the approach of the day (10:25; comp. 8:13 ejggu;" ajfanismou' ); and indicates the likelihood of severer trials for the Church (12:4 ou[pw , 13:13 f.).
In order to place the Epistle in its historical setting it may be added that Nero was in Greece at the time, endeavouring to enter into the old spirit of Greek art; Apollonius of Tyana was teaching at Rome. The fire at Rome, which first brought the Christians into popular notice, took place in A. D. 64, and St Paul was martyred in the next year.