The Identity of God’s People and the Paradox of Hebrews

by Ole Jakob Filtvedt

Book cover: The Identity of God’s People and the Paradox of Hebrews

Extent: 312 pages

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Subjects: Biblical Studies

Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe

Series volume number: 400

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(August 2015)

ISBN: 9783161540134

6.06 x 9.06 inches

Price: $143.00

In stock

Does the letter to the Hebrews confirm traditional notions of Jewish identity, does it articulate a fresh notion of Christian identity, or is neither of these alternatives adequate? Taking the motif of the “people of God” in Hebrews as his starting point, Ole Jakob Filtvedt explores these questions, and argues that the answer must be related to a paradoxical tension between newness and continuity in Hebrews. Prior attempts to read Hebrews within a supersessionist paradigm are critiqued, but so are more recent interpretations that see Hebrews as confirming a “radical new perspective” on Christian origins.


Does the letter to the Hebrews confirm traditional notions of Jewish identity, does it articulate a fresh notion of Christian identity, or is neither of these alternatives adequate? Taking the motif of the “people of God” in Hebrews as his starting point, Ole Jakob Filtvedt explores these questions, and argues that the answer must be related to a paradoxical tension between newness and continuity in Hebrews. Prior attempts to read Hebrews within a supersessionist paradigm are critiqued, but so are more recent interpretations that see Hebrews as confirming a “radical new perspective” on Christian origins.

  • By (author) Ole Jakob Filtvedt

"Future work on Hebrews, especially but not only in the area of identity, will do well to engage with this study." --Nicholas J. Moore, Review of Biblical Literature 1.20.2017
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