The Concept of Canon in the Reception of the Epistle to the Hebrews

David Young traces the reception of the Epistle to the Hebrews in early Christianity through its reproduction in collections of Paul's letters, quotations of the epistle by Christian theologians, and its treatment in early catalogues of scriptures. Young argues that Hebrews' reception in early Christianity was influenced by a number of factors which had little to do with debates about an authoritative canon of Christian writings, which were primarily the concern of a relatively small group of highly educated scholars.

Through careful study of the quotations and reproductions of Hebrews in their own rhetorical and material context, Young stresses that the concept of canon had little bearing on its early reception. By exploring the transformation of authorship into authority, the patristic citations of Hebrews, the Epistle's position in edited collections of the Pauline corpus and the consequences of translation, this complex reception history illustrates the myriad ways in which early Christians thought of and interacted with their scriptures.