The Letter to The Hebrews: The Daily Study Bible - William Barclay
Last year I read Barclay's commentary on the Letters of James and Peter, and enjoyed the insights gained so much that this year I decided to read another of his commentaries. I had been getting a bit out of the Letter to the Hebrews, so chose that as my second commentary to read cover to cover. I started on the 22nd of April, and have recently reached the end.
As with any commentary (or in fact, any theological work at all) there is no requirement that a reader needs to agree with every conclusion of the author, and I found that to be the case here. I really enjoy Barclay's insights, but particularly in the 'faith' chapter (Hebrews 11) I also found him to be a little too focused on the mythological elements of figures I read as historical from early parts of the Bible. When speaking of Cain and Abel, for example, Barclay states that: "The earliest legend [added to the story by Jewish writers] tells how every time Eve bore children she bore twins, a boy and a girl; and that the twins were given to each other as man and wife. In the case of Abel and Cain, Adam tried to change this, and he planned to give the twin sister of Cain to Abel. Cain was bitterly disappointed." (page 149). This may indeed be a legend that was added to the Cain and Abel story, but Barclay gives it a lot of weight for something that doesn't fit the account in Genesis - he doesn't state that it is a factual addition to the story, but neither does he seem to hold the Genesis account itself as much 'higher' or 'truer' than the legend mentioned. This is shown again when he discusses Enoch 'walking with God'. For this story, Barclay states that: "The writer to the Hebrews reads into the simple statement of the Old Testament passage the idea that Enoch did not die at all, but that in some mystic way God took him to Himself. But surely the idea behind it all is that in a wicked and corrupt generation Enoch walked with God, and so when the end came to him, there was no shock, no break, no interruption, and that death simply took him into God's nearer presence. Because he walked with God, he daily came nearer and nearer to God, and for him death was simply the last step that took him into the presence of that God with whom he had always walked." (page 153). Barclay may think it clear that the text implies this, but if the Genesis passage can be read both ways and if the Hebrews passage supports one interpretation, then the fact that Hebrews is itself Scripture should, to the consistent theologian, add some weight to that interpretation, rather than simply dismissing it as an 'obviously wrong' interpretation.
This is not to say that Barclay's commentary on Hebrews is an unhelpful one. As with the previous commentary, I greatly enjoyed his insights, and reading the Scriptures along with the Commentary allowed me to focus in on passages in Scripture in a more methodological manner. Even in his introduction, Barclay is able to offer perspectives on what the author may have been trying to say in writing, such as when he states: "So to the Greek the writer to the Hebrews said: "You are looking for the way from the shadows to reality; you will find it in Jesus Christ." So to the Jew the writer to the Hebrews said: "You are looking for that perfect sacrifice which will open the way to God which your sins have closed; you will find it in Jesus." To the writer to the Hebrews Jesus was the only person who gave access to reality and access to God." (page xvii). As long as we start with Scripture, reflections and perspectives such as this can be helpful ones in unpacking greater depths in the Scriptures.
Completed 13 August 2021.
Comments
Post a Comment