Abstract
The letter to the Hebrews is often overlooked in missiological discussions. Many scholars even claim Hebrews offers “little material that bears directly on the issue of mission” (117). Reading Hebrews Missiologically directly challenges this. As Romans and Galatians often enjoy a certain primacy of place in conversations surrounding Justification, so our authors argue that Hebrews deserves this honor in the Bible’s consideration of the Missio Dei: “Arguably, [Hebrews 1:3] is the thesis for not just the book of Hebrews, but the entire grand narrative of God’s missional activity to redeem his creation” (24–25).
Taken together, the contributors argue that more than any other book of the New Testament, Hebrews more thoroughly sketches the Missio Dei. It traces God’s Mission from before creation, through the fall, the protoevangelium of Genesis 3, the call of Abraham, the promises to David, and thoroughly explains how Christ fulfilled the Levitical laws and customs in providing both purification and atonement for sins. Jesus is the rightful fulfillment of all these themes, the telos of the Old Covenant. He is not only sacrifice, and not only High Priest. He is both. Jesus is the offerer and the offering.
Eleven contributors from a diversity of backgrounds, institutions, and cross-cultural experience each present essays too distinct to faithfully describe here, but they cover broad territory across three major sections: “The missionary motive of Hebrews,” “The missionary message of Hebrews,” and “The missionary methods of Hebrews.” Essays span the biblical-theological, missiological, and historical. They treat themes of evangelism, hospitality, and much more. Of particular interest was Jessica N. Janvier’s essay on the African American missiological use of Hebrews from the Antebellum period into the 20th century (chapter 10).
Reading Hebrews Missiologically is a significant contribution both to missiology and biblical theology. This collection is appropriate for academics as well as graduate students in Missiology, New Testament, Theology, and Biblical Studies. I would assign it to my more driven upper-level undergraduate students as well.
A future edition might be more careful to define terms like mission, as the book’s self-review notes (190). In its effort to move away from interpretations that minimize Hebrews’ missiological content, it seems itself to minimize the primary reason Hebrews was likely written, which was to encourage a beleaguered group of Christ followers who were losing their resolve and tempted to fall back on a pre-Christian Judaism. That said, this book has left an indelible imprint on my teaching and scholarship.