From Priestly Torah to Christ Cultus: The Re-Vision of Covenant and Cult in Hebrews

Scholars have long recognized the association between covenant and cult in Hebrews. In this epistle the categories of covenant, priesthood and sacrifice are used to validate the continuity of the Christ event with Israelite tradition. Inevitably, however, these comparative categories are also the means by which the discontinuity of the Israelite tradition is affirmed, as the Mosaic covenant and the Levitical cult are replaced by a new covenant in Christ, as well as a new Christ cultus. This investigation focuses on the epistle’s criticism of the Jewish covenant and cult, and demonstrates that its persistent and systematic dismantling of the Levitical code is part of a larger polemic against Judaism.