You Are My Son: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews

239 Pages·2014·1.473 MB·English

by  Amy L. B. Peeler

LIBRARY OF NEW TESTAMENT STUDIES

486

Formerly Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series

Editor
Mark Goodacre

Editorial Board
John M. G. Barclay, Craig Blomberg,
R. Alan Culpepper, James D. G. Dunn, Craig A. Evans, Stephen Fowl,
Robert Fowler, Simon J. Gathercole, John S. Kloppenborg, Michael Labahn,
Love L. Sechrest, Robert Wall, Steve Walton, Robert L. Webb,
Catrin H. Williams
ii
YOU ARE MY SON

The Family of God
in the Epistle to the Hebrews

Amy L. B. Peeler

LONDON • NEW DELHI • NEW YORK • SYDNEY
Bloomsbury T&T Clark
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First published 2014

© Amy L. B. Peeler, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any
information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the
publishers.

Amy L. B. Peeler has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988, to be identi(cid:191)ed as Author of this work.

No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organization acting on or refraining
from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by Bloomsbury
Academic or the author.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: HB: 978-0-56765-418-2
ePDF: 978-0-56764-390-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Peeler, Amy L.B.
You Are My Son / Amy L.B. Peeler p.cm
Includes bibliographic references and index.
ISBN 978-0-5676-5418-2 (hardcover)

Typeset by Forthcoming Publications Ltd (www.forthpub.com)
CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi

Introduction 1
I. The Family of God 1
II. Outline of the Project 8

Chapter 1
‘MY SON’: THE APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS 10
I. The Description of God’s Son: Hebrews 1.1-4 11
A. God Spoke Through a Son 11
B. The Narrative of God’s Son 13
II. The Son as God’s Wisdom and Word: Hebrews 1.1-4 21
III. The Relationship Announced: Hebrews 1.5 29
A. The Introduction to the Citations (Heb. 1.5a):
Spoken By God 30
B. Quasi-Prosopopographic Exegesis 31
C. The Selection of These Citations 37
D. The Content of the Citations 40
E. Hebrews 1.5 as the Interpretive Lens for Hebrews 1.1-4 41
F. The Temporal Setting of the Citation 42
G. The Character of the Son and of the Father 46
IV. The Name and Its Inheritance: Hebrews 1.6-13 51
A. The Angels Worship the Firstborn: Deuteronomy 32.43 LXX 52
B. The Angels as Spirits and Flames: Psalm 103.4 LXX 55
C. The Worthy King: Psalm 44.7-8 55
D. The Unchanging Creator: Psalm 101.26-28 LXX 56
E. The Invitation: Psalm 109.1 LXX 58
F. The Inherited Name 59
V. Conclusion 61

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Chapter 2
‘A SON’: THE SUFFERING HEIR OF GOD’S CHILDREN 64
I. The Son of Man Inherits All Things 66
Through the Suffering of Death: Hebrews 2.6-9
A. The Inheritance of Jesus: Psalm 8.7 66
B. The Inheritance of the (cid:23)(cid:270)(cid:288)(cid:203) (cid:30)(cid:197)(cid:191)(cid:201)(cid:316)(cid:200)(cid:199)(cid:205) 71
C. Because of the Suffering of Death 74
II. It Was Fitting: Hebrews 2.10 77
A. The Action of God 77
B. Perfected as the Heir 78
C. God Leads Many (cid:23)(cid:270)(cid:199)(cid:277) to Salvation 80
D. The Character of a Father 83
III. Behold the Children Whom God Has Given to Me!
Hebrews 2.11-13 84
A. Jesus is Brother to Humanity: Psalm 21.23 LXX 85
B. The Trust of Jesus: Isaiah 8.17 LXX 89
C. Jesus’ Possession of God’s Children: Isaiah 8.18 LXX 91
IV. Inheritance in the Scriptures 94
A. The House of David: 2 Samuel 7 94
B. The Enemies of God and the People of God 96
V. Rescue from Death Through Death: Hebrews 2.14-16 98
VI. Conclusion 102

Chapter 3
‘MY SON, YOU ARE PRIEST’:
THE FILIAL CONTEXT OF THE CULTIC MOTIF IN HEBREWS 105
I. A Son Over His House: Hebrews 3.1-6 109
A. The Son’s Humanity and Death 109
B. The Son Over the Children 113
C. The Character of the Father and the Son 114
II. The Call of the Father 115
A. Honor and Glory 115
B. The Royal Appointment: Psalm 109.4 LXX 116
C. The Reiteration of the Familial Relationship: Psalm 2.7 LXX 117
III. The Word of the Oath Appoints a Son: Hebrews 7.1-10, 28 118
A. The Oath 118
B. Melchizedek 120
C. The Oath Appoints a Son 123
IV. The Experience of the Son 124
A. Suffering 124
B. Exaltation 128

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Contents vii
V. The Inheritance Secured by the Priest 130
A. The Eternal Inheritance 130
B. Intercession 133
VI. The Will of God: Hebrews 10.1-23 135
VII. Conclusion 137

Chapter 4
‘MY SON’: THE ASSEMBLY OF THE FIRSTBORN 140
I. The New Covenant 142
II. ‘My Son’: The Audience of Hebrews as (cid:970)(cid:23)(cid:192)(cid:199)(cid:192) of God 144
A. The Proverb 144
B. The Similarities Shared by the (cid:23)(cid:270)(cid:199)(cid:277) of God:
The (cid:19)(cid:184)(cid:192)(cid:187)(cid:188)(cid:277)(cid:184) of the Lord 151
III. Exhortations to the Children: Hebrews 12.12-17 163
A. Positive Instructions 163
B. Negative Examples 164
IV. The Assurance: The Inheritance of the Firstborn 168
A. Two Mountains 168
B. Do Not Resist the One Speaking 171
C. Benediction 174
V. Conclusion 176

Conclusion 179
I. Contributions to Scholarship on Hebrews 181
II. Conclusion 193

Bibliography 194
Index of References 205
Index of Authors 222
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A monograph may be the product of one individual, but its completion
provides evidence of a community’s support. I am very grateful to Mark
Goodacre and the entire staff of the Library of New Testament Studies
Series for providing a place to share my work. I am also grateful to
Princeton Theological Seminary, and my teachers and colleagues,
including Carla Works, Judy Stack Nelson, Kara Lyons Pardue, Brittany
Wilson, Matthew Novenson, and especially Laura Sweat, for shaping me
as a New Testament scholar. I am deeply thankful for the assistance of
my advisor, J. Ross Wagner. From the beginning, he helped me (cid:191)nd the
valuable among my many ideas and then prompted me to articulate them
with a clear voice. A special thanks is also due to the mentors who began
me on the journey of Biblical Studies in college: C. Mack Roark, Bobby
Kelly, Kevin Hall, and Todd Ream, and to my colleagues at Indiana
Wesleyan University, David Riggs, Sara Scheunemann, Lisa Toland,
Rusty Hawkins, Todd Ream, and Charles Bressler (for his editing skills!)
and Wheaton College, for encouragement along the way. Ellen Richard,
and especially Mike Kibbe for his painstaking editing, deserve special
thanks for their tireless work as my teaching assistants.
I have treasured my opportunity to dialogue with other Hebrews
scholars along the way, among them Gabriella Gelardini, Eric Mason,
Ken Schenck, David Mof(cid:191)tt, Kevin McCruden and all the members of
the Hebrews group at SBL. I hope my work contributes to our vital con-
versations.
Finally, I hope this volume, interested as it is in the family of God,
shows my thankfulness to the family and friends who have supported my
work along the way, including my parents, Perry and Pam Beverage, in-
laws, Claude and Linda Peeler, pastors, Doug Hoglund, Jim Warnock,
Claudia Nalven, Mark Tuscan; and best friends, Courtney and Blake
Connelly, John and Amanda Drury, Dawn and Kevin Orr, and Emily
Norman.
I sketched the proposal for this dissertation in the (cid:191)nal weeks before
the birth of my daughter, Kate, defended it a few days before the birth of
my son, Maxson, and prepared it for publication while expecting my son,