6 - The Heavenly Tabernacle in Hebrews

Summary

Introduction

The previous chapter discussed several aspects of Hebrews' cosmology, particularly in relation to the way the created realm functions as a ‘setting’ for the story of salvation history. One of the most striking observations in that chapter was that Hebrews gives no sense that the created heavens and earth will be replaced after their ‘removal’, after their ‘shaking’. If we go only on that which Hebrews explicitly tells us, we will conclude that the earth is removed in the judgement, and only the true heaven beyond the created skies will remain. In addition, the spirit of one who has been perfected is associated with the heavenly realm, while the body seems intrinsically associated with the earthly realm. These factors give a somewhat Hellenistic feel to the epistle and reflect a significant divergence both from the rest of the New Testament and much Jewish literature of the period. We have also noted possible overtones of some sort of logos theology on the part of the author, although we have also noted differences between the author and Philo.

In this chapter I complete my picture of Hebrews' cosmology with a discussion of heaven and all that is associated with it. Of principal importance is the heavenly tabernacle in Hebrews. The nature of the heavenly tabernacle has long been a matter of debate, and we cannot at present speak of any consensus on its precise character or background.