Who wrote Romans?

[BartholomewB]

Your earlier posts gave me the impression that Brant Pitre had convincingly refuted the generally held view that the Epistle to the Hebrews was written by somebody else, not Paul. Perhaps I misunderstood you. Can you please clear up this doubt?

 

[BartholomewB]

I’m not suggesting he didn’t know Hebrew or Aramaic at all, just that we don’t know. Whereas his Greek was excellent.

The Epistle to the Hebrews has always been regarded as the work of an author whose command of literary Greek was much greater than St. Paul’s. This is what it says in the old online Catholic Encyclopedia, under the heading “Language and style”:

Even in the first centuries commentators noticed the striking purity of language and elegance of Greek style that characterized the Epistle to the Hebrews. … The author of the Epistle shows great familiarity with the rules of the Greek literary language of his age. Of all the New Testament authors he has the best style. … As regards language, the letter is a treasure-house of expressions characteristic of the individuality of the writer. As many as 168 terms have been counted which appear in no other part of the New Testament, among them ten words found neither in Biblical or classical Greek, and forty words also which are not found in the Septuagint. …

http://newadvent.com/cathen/07181a.htm

 

[Pattylt]

I didn’t know that! Thank you.

 

[Tolle_Lege]

I didn’t really mean to give that impression. From what I remember Dr. Pitre offers the generally held possibilities for the author of Hebrews but doesn’t really make any definitive statement.

 

[faithofourfathers]

Great points! Thanks.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I don’t think we know how well Paul knew either Hebrew or Aramaic? But, we certainly know he was well versed in Greek.

Paul tells us he studied under Gamaliel, he couldn’t have done that had he not been proficient in Hebrew.

 

[Pattylt]

Good point…I forgot that!