280 bryan r. dyer
the epistolary closing of hebrews contains significant parallels with paul’s
letters and for the most part follows this sequence closely.
a peace benediction appears in all of paul’s undisputed letters (except
1 Corinthians and philemon) as well as the less-certain 2 Thessalonians.54
it normally contains a divine source (usually ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης), a wish,
and a recipient (usually ὑμῶν). while absent in hellenistic letters, the
most common closing formula in aramaic and hebrew letters included
a wish for “peace” [שלום].55 it seems likely that paul was taking over
the tradition of a peace wish from semitic letters. however, such peace
benedictions appear in other new Testament letters outside of paul. first
peter closes with, Εἰρήνη ὐμῖν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν Χριστῷ (5:14b),56 and 3 John
with, Εἰρήνη σοι (v. 15). hebrews’ peace benediction (13:20–21) begins with
the pauline phrase ὀ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης but continues with a much longer
description of the divine source than is found in any other example of a
peace benediction.57 The reference to the “god of peace,” however, does
seem to point to some influence or connection with paul’s letters. roth-
schild further highlights several features of these verses that parallel paul’s
letters (the phrase ἐκ νεκρῶν, for example, is introduced here in hebrews
and is a common element of paul’s theology).58 yet, it should not be lost
that hebrews’ peace benediction is in many ways unique and quite unlike
paul’s letters. The reference to Jesus Christ as the “great shepherd of the
sheep” (ποιμένα τῶν προβάτων τὸν μέγαν), for example, finds no parallel in
paul but is much closer to 1 peter where Jesus is referred to as the “shep-
herd and overseer of souls” (τὸν ποιμένα καὶ ἐπίσκοπον τῶν ψυχῶν; 2:25) and
the “chief shepherd” (ἀρχιποίμενος; 5:4).59
hebrews’ peace benediction leads directly into a doxology: ᾧ ἡ δόξα
εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας [τῶν αἰώνων], ἀμήν.60 paul’s letters contain similar dox-
ologies, sometimes in the epistolary closing (rom 16:25–27; phil 4:20;
1 Tim 6:16; 2 Tim 4:18) but never as an extension of the peace benediction.
54 rom 15:33, 16:20a; 2 Cor 13:11; phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; 2 Thess 3:16; gal 6:16.
55 weima, Neglected Endings, 65–66, 98–100. see also roetzel, Letters of Paul, 61; aune,
New Testament in Its Literary Environment, 174–76.
56 1 peter is possibly closer to semitic letters as it closes with the peace wish. paul usu-
ally closes with a grace benediction and uses the peace benediction at the beginning of
his epistolary closings.
57 The closest would be 1 Thess 5:23.
58 rothschild, Hebrews as Pseudepigraphon, 67–74.
59 attridge, Hebrews, 406.
60 many witnesses contain the addition τῶν αἰώνων (“and ever”) in 13:21b (א a (C*)
33 614 1739) while many omit it (46 C3 dgr ¥ 1241). see bruce m. metzger, Textual Com-
mentary on the Greek New Testament (2nd ed.; stuttgart: deutsche bibelgesellschaft, 1994),
606–7.