The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

introduces and summarizes the theme of the book: the superiority and finality of New Testament revelation. The Unity of the Introduction Hebrews has a literary style unique in the New Testament canon and this is no more apparent than in the first four verses which have been described as artistic prose . 5 Verses 1-2a specifically are recognized as a period, "i.e. the organization of a considerable number of clauses and phrases into a well-rounded unity . . . . " 6 In these carefully crafted introductory verses, the author provides several important clues to the substance of his argument , giving context and clarification to all which comes later. In these first verses he contrasts God's revelation to man in the past with his final revelation in the present. The literary structure of this paragraph exhibits a chiastic symmetry with verses ' one and four framing two and three. 7 9 5 " ince the peri od belong to the more elegant tyle, it i mo t frequ ntl brew , which certainly i to be regarded a arti tic pro e by rea n f th mp word and sentences (§§486f.)" F. Bia , A. Debrunner, and R . Funk, A Greek the New Testament and Other Early 'hristian Literature (BDF), ( hi ag : Th iti n f it rammar of ni r it f hicago Pre , 1961), §464 . t 1:1-2a , ' (by an ient t ndard thi 1 mpl t , t -m mb r p ri d, t pp nd d) .... " Ibid . 7 D . W. B. tru tur f H br 1· 1-4," u tralzan Journal of Bibi