The authorship of the Book of Hebrews has been a topic of debate among Christian scholars for centuries. Unlike other New Testament books, Hebrews does not explicitly state who its author is, leading to various theories. Below are the most prominent theories and the reasoning behind them according to some of the best Christian scholars:

1. Pauline Authorship

• Proponents: Early Church Fathers like Clement of Alexandria and Origen suggested Paul as the author.
• Reasoning:
  
  • Similar theological themes: There are theological similarities between Hebrews and Paul’s epistles, such as the emphasis on faith, the priesthood of Christ, and the New Covenant.
  • Association with Timothy: Hebrews 13:23 mentions Timothy, a close associate of Paul, suggesting a link.
  • Romans, Galatians and Hebrews combine to make a trilogy relating to the book of Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans explains why, Galatians explains what it means to live by it and Hebrews explains what faith is and means.
• Counterarguments:
  
  • The writing style and vocabulary differ significantly from Paul’s other letters.
  • Hebrews does not include Paul’s typical greeting or self-identification.

2. Barnabas

• Proponents: Tertullian, an early Church Father, argued for Barnabas.
• Reasoning:
  
  • Barnabas was a Levite, and Hebrews has a strong focus on the Levitical priesthood and Jewish rituals, suggesting someone with an intimate knowledge of Jewish practices.
  • Barnabas was a close companion of Paul, which could explain some of the theological overlap.

3. Apollos

• Proponents: Martin Luther was one of the first to suggest Apollos as the author.
• Reasoning:
  
  • Apollos was known to be eloquent and knowledgeable about the Scriptures (Acts 18:24), matching the sophisticated Greek and deep Old Testament knowledge found in Hebrews.
  • He was associated with Alexandria, where allegorical interpretation was popular, similar to the style seen in Hebrews.

4. Priscilla (and Aquila)

• Proponents: This theory was suggested by Adolf von Harnack.
• Reasoning:
  
  • Priscilla was a prominent teacher in the early church (Acts 18:26), and her authorship could explain why the book’s author remains anonymous—perhaps due to her being a woman in a male-dominated culture. 
  • The collaborative nature of the ministry of Priscilla and Aquila could explain the plural references and personal nature.

LearningGod.Org Conclusion

Based on a number of clues contained in the writings of the New Testament, the conclusion we have come to is that Hebrews was written by Paul.  Although Paul did not identify himself, as he did in all of his other letters, he had a very good reason not to.  He wrote Hebrews to stand on its its own based on the Old Testament scriptures so that his authorship could not be called into question. It doesn’t matter who wrote it from this perspective. What matters is what it says.