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and Rom. 15: 19 as though the writer of Hebrews was making a covert allusion to the
"signs and wonders, and diverse miracles" which were "the signs of an apostle". The
hand and mind of Paul are not only revealed in all these and many other close parallels,
but in such features as a tendency to use paronomasia or a "play on words" and not only
so, but to use the same play on words in Hebrews as is found in his other epistles. For
example in Rom. 1: 20 he speaks of the "invisible" things of God being clearly "seen"
and uses aoratos, a rare word for "invisible". The same peculiar figure being found again
"as seeing Him Who is invisible" (Heb. 11: 27). Here once more aoratos is employed,
and is found nowhere else in the New Testament outside Paul's epistles.
Again, to give another illustration, from Philippians and Hebrews there is a
paronomasia on the word meno "to abide".
"I know that I shall abide (meno), and continue (suparameno), with you all" (Phil. 1: 25).
"Not suffered to continue (paramenein) by reason of death, but this man because He
continueth (menein)" (Heb. 7: 23, 24).
"The same play, on the same words, is to be found in no third instance throughout the
Bible" (Forster).
We cannot multiply evidences further. For those who desire an exhaustive treatment
of the subject, we recommend a reading of the argument in the Commentary on Hebrews
by the Rev. Moses Stuart, M.A., and the exhaustive treatise by the Rev. Charles Forster,
B.D. We must conclude our examination of the evidences for the Pauline authorship of
Hebrews, by referring to one that Paul himself assures us will always be found. If we can
show this, then the matter can be considered settled.
Early in Paul's ministry he was compelled to protect the churches against fraud.
Writing to the Thessalonians he bids them not to be shaken in mind as though they had
received a letter from himself (II Thess. 2: 1, 2), for there had been reserved for his own
peculiar use one expression, which he would always write with "his own hand" and
which would be "the token in every epistle". That "token" was the use of the words
"grave be with you" (II Thess. 3: 17, 18). This benediction in one form or another is
found at the close of every one of Paul's epistles, including Hebrews, but is absent from
the epistles of Peter, James, John and Jude. Here then is "proof", proof made doubly sure
by the comparisons suggested already in this article. We therefore conclude that Paul
wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, and shall deal with it as such in all our studies without
further question or remark.