| Abstract
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For some nineteen hundred years, people have pondered and debated the identity of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (or Hebrews for short). Tradition and popular belief hold that the apostle Paul was the writer. Throughout history, however, many scholars have been skeptical that he authored the work. In this dissertation, I reexamine the matter. Part one is the introduction to my topic. Therein, I state why the anonymity of Hebrews is a challenging problem, why it is important, and why it needs more research than what has been done to date. Then I present some general authorship hypotheses and talk about literary attribution. Part two is a survey of previous research on the authorship of Hebrews . I trace the issue from biblical times to the modern era, identify the putative author throughout Church history, and discuss the current consensus of scholars. Lastly, I highlight some modern studies on the authorship of Hebrews . Part three is a new investigation regarding the authorship of Hebrews . I look at the various kinds of evidence that are used in literary attribution. Then I date the epistle, construct an authorial profile, and compile a shortlist of twenty-four suggested authors including Apollos, Aquila, Aristion, Barnabas, a Christian monk, Clement of Rome, Cleopas, Epaphras, John, Jude, Luke, Mark, Mary, Paul, Peter, Philip, Priscilla, a pseudo-Paul, Silas, Stephen, Timothy, Titus, Zenas, and an unknown person. I carefully examine each one of these candidates. After that, I evaluate five different, multiple-author hypotheses. I conclude that the apostle Paul was the author of Hebrews , and that he possibly dictated the epistle to an amanuensis. Finally, I discuss the significance of my research.
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