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(1)
Paul was The Apostle of the Gentiles (Rom. 11: 13; Gal. 2: 8; I Tim. 2: 7;
II Tim. 1: 11).
(2)
He was about to write to the Hebrews concerning their calling and confession, and
to urge them to consider the Lord Jesus Christ as "The Apostle and High Priest" of
this calling and confession (Heb. 3: 1).
While keeping within the bounds of his commission to the Gentiles, Paul spoke with
the full authority that apostleship brings, but when he addressed Hebrews he asked them
to "suffer the word of exhortation" (Heb. 13: 22), and omitted both his name and the
credentials of his authority.
Peter was the Apostle of the Circumcision, and includes the title in the salutation of
his two epistles. Towards the close of the second epistle he alludes to something that
Paul had written, which must refer either to some writings now lost, and never heard of
throughout the history of the church, or to this epistle to the Hebrews. Peter had
addressed his first epistle "to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia" (I Pet. 1: 1), and his second to the same scattered
companies (II Pet. 3: 1). There are evidences that favour the idea that the epistle to the
Galatians was a covering letter to the Hebrews, but this must await the completion of our
studies in the comparison of Hebrews and Ephesians. For the present purpose attention
must now be concentrated on the following facts:
(1)
Paul's name, together with his apostolic office, appears in the salutation of
Ephesians.
Paul's name and office are omitted from the opening of the epistle to the Hebrews.
(2)
Paul's name is repeated, together with the new title, "The prisoner of Jesus
Christ", in the body of the epistle to the Ephesians (Eph. 3: 1).
Paul's name does not occur once in the whole of the epistle to the Hebrews.
It is therefore evident that Paul's authority as an apostle did not cover this epistle
to the Hebrews, and this evidence of the withholding of his authority goes to show
that the calling and sphere of the Hebrews was outside of the dispensation entrusted
to him.
(3)
Paul uses the personal pronoun, ego, three times in Ephesians: "I Paul,
the prisoner", "I therefore, the prisoner", "I speak concerning the church"
(Eph. 3: 1; 4: 1; 5: 32).
Paul never uses ego of himself in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Paul uses eme once in Eph. 6: 21, "My affairs" (lit. the things as to me).
Paul never uses eme in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Paul uses emoi once in Eph. 3: 8, "Unto me, less than the least", with special
reference to his peculiar ministry.
Paul uses emoi once of himself in Hebrews, where he says "The Lord is my
helper" (Heb. 13: 6), which obviously has no special bearing upon the calling and
sphere of the apostle.
Paul uses emou in Eph. 6: 19 where he asks prayer on his behalf in relation to
his stewardship of the mystery.
Paul never uses emou of himself in the epistle to the Hebrews.
Paul uses me once in Ephesians, namely in 6: 20, where he says, "as I ought to
speak".