Abstract
The book of Hebrews in the New Testament provides some outstanding passages of the Scripture that deal with perseverance, salvation, divine discipline, the Word of God and a variety of other important topics. Through the centuries, it could be said that its text has had a remarkable impact on many nations and all peoples. Jon C. Laansma’s commentary of the Letter to the Hebrews is a classic study that assists readers, preachers and teachers of the letter to the Hebrews to acquire greater clarity from this helpful book. Laansma writes with in a straightforward manner, using illustrations and explanation of of all terms. He notes in the introduction that the genre of Hebrews is best described as a sermon with an epistolary ending.
In the commentary, Laansma briefly outlines the argument of Hebrews and presents an outline which follows the standard paragraph divisions. He divides the commentary into 37 units for the purposes of exposition. Each unit is divided into five parts: namely; context, background, comments on wording, comments on theological terms, and teaching Hebrews. Laansma reflects on the reception and canonicity of Hebrews. He states that ‘Hebrews declared its own authority and its place in the Christian canon, possessing the irrepressible voice of apostolicity’ (p. 12). Ultimately, Hebrews has passed the test of time and must be read as ‘inspired, canonical divine speech’ (p. 12). He further examines the Christology of Hebrews and discusses the immense soteriological terminology of Hebrews. He infuses his soteriological discussion through John Barclay’s model of ‘the gift’.
The commentary is distinguished from other commentaries which seem to be more intricate in their discussions of the Greek text. This treatment does not aim to be a highly technical commentary and does not focus on text-critical issues. Laansma asserts, ‘the intended reader of this commentary is a motivated, curious, experienced reader of the Scriptures […] who wants a specialist to get straight to the bottom line with each passage” (p. xiii). Thus Laansma’s intention is to provide a more accessible commentary by avoiding bogging readers down with contested academic debates. Notwithstanding this, on few occasions he acknowledged the difficulty of certain passages, but only when this is nessary for following the overall flow of the argument in Hebrews.
Laansmas work is of great significance for its intellectual insight. Although written with admirable clarity, he adopts an accessible form of writing. This is to make the book accessible and unique to pastors, teachers and non-academics. It is a book for all, especially, those with keen interest on the letter to the Hebrews.