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Originally Posted by aron
This is an attractive idea on several counts. The author occasionally writes of "we" and "us", which is reminiscent of the latter part of Acts, when Luke was now on the scene. It certainly seems to have come from within Paul's cohort, given the salutations at the end. But to simply say, "Paul must have written the epistle to the Hebrews" really doesn't do justice to this remarkable document. It could also have had considerable (or even primary) input from Barnabas, Apollos (whom Luke called "...a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures" [Acts 18:24]), Priscilla and Aquila, etc.
At the very least, the admission in 2:3 diminishes the notion that it was exclusively Paul. Someone else's pen, and even voice, was likely involved. And Luke would seem an obvious candidate.
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Interesting thought to suggest a collaborative work. God's sovereign arrangement was evident throughout this period of time. We never hear anything about Paul's personal life, and then suddenly in Jerusalem his sister's son hears of a plot on Paul's life. Being transferred to Felix, whose wife was Jewish, Paul was given many liberties while in custody, with the specific instruction that "
no one should prevent his own people from attending to him."
Paul was thus held in "special" custody in northern Palestine for more than two years. He could have had access to all the brothers in Antioch, his home church, including Barnabas and Mark. We know that Luke's gospel, though synoptic like Matthew's and Mark's, was heavily influenced by Paul's burden for the Gentile world. During this time, Luke would have had ready access to all the holy land to interview sources for his gospel.