WE DON’T KNOW WHO WROTE HEBREWS—EXCEPT WE DO (PAUL DID)

Every preacher has said it. Every commentary has repeated it. Every Bible student has heard it. “We don’t know who wrote the Book of Hebrews.”

Well, I suppose that’s true—except we do. Now, I’m smiling as I write that, because I know what the scholars say. They say, “It’s anonymous.” They say, “It doesn’t start like Paul.” They say, “It’s not his vocabulary.” They say, “The Greek is different.” They say, “We can’t be sure.” And then I imagine Paul in heaven saying, “Well, I suppose that’s fine. They’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

The Book of Hebrews bears his fingerprints all over it. It has his heart, his theology, his rhythm, his Christ-centered pulse. It preaches like Paul, prays like Paul, and exalts Jesus Christ like only Paul could. So let’s look at a few reasons why I believe—tongue in cheek, but heart in conviction—that Paul wrote the Book of Hebrews.

The Theology Is Unmistakably Pauline

Hebrews reads like Romans dressed in priestly robes. The author moves from law to grace, from shadow to substance, from Moses to Christ, from earthly sanctuary to heavenly throne. That’s Paul all over. He does in Hebrews what he did in Galatians—showing that the old covenant was a tutor pointing to Christ.

In Hebrews 10:1, the writer says, “The law, having a shadow of the good things to come.” Paul said the same thing in Colossians 2:17—“Which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is Christ.” Sounds like the same preacher to me.

Only someone who had been blinded by the glory of the old covenant on the road to Damascus, and then opened to the new, could write like that. When Paul saw Christ, he saw that every lamb, every altar, every priest was pointing to the One who now sat at the right hand of God. When you see Christ clearly, you’ll start to realize that every detail of your past—every sorrow, every unanswered question—was leading you to Him.

The Writing Fits Paul’s Circumstances

Hebrews 13:23 says, “Know that our brother Timothy has been set free; with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly.” Now who else talked like that but Paul? Timothy was his son in the faith. You can hear the tenderness in it. The same heart that wrote, “Only Luke is with me,” wrote, “I hope to see you soon with Timothy.”

And don’t miss Hebrews 13:24: “Those from Italy greet you.” That means the writer was in Italy—almost certainly in Rome. Paul was imprisoned in Rome more than once. The puzzle pieces fit perfectly.

Even in chains, Paul thought about the saints. When his body was bound, his heart was free. Real love for Christ never stops thinking of others. That’s what faith does—it keeps you warm in cold cells, and hopeful in dark nights.

The Style and Structure Are Different—But the Audience Was Too

Now, this is where the scholars raise their eyebrows. “But the Greek is smoother, more refined. The introduction isn’t Pauline. He always says, ‘Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.’ He doesn’t here.”

True. But consider this: the Book of Hebrews wasn’t written to Gentiles—it was written to Jews. The writer may have intentionally omitted his name because of how controversial he was among Jewish Christians.

Imagine Paul, knowing how some viewed him as a traitor to Moses, thinking, “If I put my name on this, they’ll stop reading by paragraph two.” So he leaves the name off, but he doesn’t leave off the truth.

Sometimes God hides the name so the message can shine brighter. Paul didn’t need the glory—Christ did. Sometimes your greatest work for God will be done quietly, without your name in lights, but your fingerprints will still be there. The reward will come later, when the Lord writes your name where it truly counts—in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

The Vocabulary Variance Is Easily Explained

Yes, the Greek is different—but Paul wrote in several styles, depending on his audience and amanuensis (the person doing the actual writing). Hebrews may have been written in Greek by someone like Luke, translating Paul’s Hebrew or Aramaic thoughts. The same thing could explain why Luke and Hebrews share certain stylistic similarities. In other words, Paul could have been the mind, Luke the pen.

When the Spirit of God breathes through a man, the instrument may vary, but the melody is the same. The hand may change, but the heart remains faithful. God’s message is not limited by grammar or accent. It is born of revelation, and its beauty lies not in the polish of words, but in the power of truth.

The Central Theme Is the Same as Paul’s Everywhere: Christ Supreme

Every letter Paul wrote is about Jesus. Philippians says, “To live is Christ.” Galatians says, “Christ lives in me.” Ephesians says, “In Christ we have redemption.” Romans says, “Christ is the end of the law.” And Hebrews says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” It’s the same heartbeat. The same thunder. The same vision.

Who else could write thirteen chapters that begin with, “God has spoken by His Son,” and end with, “Grace be with you all”—without once contradicting anything Paul ever taught?

The mark of Paul’s pen was always the exaltation of Jesus. Every verse of Hebrews breathes that same air. And when your own life begins to breathe the same—when Jesus becomes your everything—you won’t mind who gets the credit.

Answering the Scholars’ Objections

They say, “But the church fathers weren’t sure.” True. Some in the East said Paul wrote it; some in the West were cautious. But the Eastern church—the one that preserved the language and context—always held to Pauline authorship.

They say, “It’s not signed.” Neither is Ruth. Neither is Job. But the Spirit’s signature is on every line.

They say, “The Greek is too good.” I say, maybe heaven helped.

They say, “It doesn’t sound like Paul.” I say, maybe Paul didn’t sound like Paul when he talked about Christ as High Priest in the heavens. Sometimes when a man gets that close to glory, his voice changes.

At the end of the day, whether you believe Paul wrote Hebrews or someone else did, the glory belongs to God. The letter’s power is not in its author’s name but in its Author’s inspiration. Yet I like to think it was Paul. I like to think the man who said, “I have fought a good fight,” was also the man who said, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

It fits. It feels right. The same man who wrote, “Rejoice in the Lord always,” might also have written, “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise.”

And maybe that’s what the Spirit wants us to see—not the penman, but the pattern. The pattern of a soul so consumed with Christ that it no longer matters who holds the pen.

Lord Jesus, Thank You for the mystery and majesty of Your Word. Whether by Paul or another, every line of Hebrews points us to You. Help us to love the truth more than theories, and to see Your hand in every page. Teach us, like Paul, to count all things loss for the excellence of knowing You.

Write Your Word upon our hearts until it shapes our thoughts, our speech, our praise, and our lives. May we, too, be so hidden in You that the name doesn’t matter—only the message does.

In Your holy name, Amen.

Bryan Dewayne Dunaway