Charts on the Book of Hebrews

by Herbert W. Bateman IV

The book of Hebrews presents interpretive challenges and theological comparisons unrivaled in the New Testament. Charts on the Book of Hebrews puts this demanding yet rewarding information in an accessible and useful format. The charts fall into four

272 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2012

About the author

Born in Camden, New Jersey, Herb Bateman grew up in Pennsauken, a suburb of Camden. He attended and graduated from Pennsauken High School in 1974. During those years, he played the trombone in the school’s orchestra and marching Band as well as wrestled for their athletic department.

After graduating from high school, Bateman worked as manager of Kushner’s Hardware Store in Pennsauken. He spent five years developing skills in retail business before attending college. Although skeptical about his academic abilities, he graduated from Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU) in 1982. It was there that he met his wife, Cindy Ann (nee Ohner), and was married 1 September 1979. They celebrated their first anniversary in Jerusalem where Herb was completing a one-year study program at Jerusalem University College in Israel (1980-1981).

After graduating from PBU, Herb and Cindy moved to Dallas, Texas in 1983 to attend Dallas Theological Seminary where he earned a four year masters degree and subsequent doctorate degree in New Testament Studies. After living in Dallas for twelve years, he accepted a teaching position in northern Indiana where he taught predominately at Grace Theological Seminary. In 2008, he accepted a position at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, left the Midwest, and returned to Texas where he currently resides.

Reviews

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one knows who wrote the book of Hebrews (though everybody has a theory). It is tucked into the New Testament behind Paul’s epistles but it is unclear what its relationship to Paul is. Hebrews is a complicated book full of theological insights. In its pages, the author expounds a high Christology which pictures Jesus as: above the Angels, the great high priest in the order of Melchizedek, our mediator and our sacrifice. He also issues warnings and exhorts his recipients to remain faithful. Hebrews describes in vivid detail how Jesus Christ fulfills Israel’s hopes and expectations. This is an important book; yet outside the ‘hall of faith’ chapter (Heb. 11), many find the book’s message difficult to understand and grapple with. In part, this is due to a widespread ignorance of the Old Testament (which Hebrews’ quotes through out), but there is also just a lot to grapple with in the text.

Herbert W Bateman IV has done the church and academy a service in summarizing the contents of Hebrews and the scholarly conversation on its contents. Charts on the Book of Hebrews provides a comprehensive outlook on Hebrews. One-hundred-and-four charts (or tables) provide windows for understanding the text. In four sections, Bateman maps out the scholarly debate on authorship, reception, genre and structure of Hebrews (part 1), the Old Testament and Second Temple allusions (part 2), the theology of Hebrews (i.e. God, Christology, and important themes) (part 3), and exegetical issues (part 4). These tables give an overview of the book and some of the interpretive issues various commentators have faced.

While Bateman is theologically conservative (as am I) and a dispensationalist (which I’m not), the main value of this book is descriptive. Bateman’s charts survey the literature on Hebrews and describe the various scholarly and historic opinions on its interpretation. They also parse exegetical data (i.e. repeated motifs, important words, Old Testament and Second Temple Era allusions, etc.). Regardless of your theological persuasion, you are bound to find these charts helpful in illuminating the text.

I plan to make good use of this book the next time I’m preaching and teaching on Hebrews. Most of the information in this book, I would expect to find in a good critical commentary, but the fact that Bateman collects and presents through this text (rather than exegeting and interpreting) means that the value of this book is way it aids the reader in their own exegesis and understanding of the text. Information about structure, genre, authorship, the theological content, Old Testament allusions, textual issues, etc., are labeled and organized. This makes this book a great reference for digging into the text (as opposed to being spoon-fed one commentator’s informed opinion). Certainly I will be checking commentaries too, but these charts will provide a good first step. This is a tool worth using.

I especially appreciated Bateman’s summary of historic approaches to authorship, destination and the structure of Hebrews (part 1), and the vivid way his charts illustrate the portrait of Christ that emerges in Hebrews (part 3). I have no idea if this book on Hebrews is indicative of the quality of the rest of the Kregel Charts of the Bible series. If it is, then I commend the whole series. I happily give this book 5 stars and think it will be a useful resource for understanding and exegeting Hebrews. I recommend it to anyone planning to preach and teach from the text and to those who just want a deeper understanding of this important book. ★★★★★

Thank you to Kregel Academic for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Robbie Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of Charts on the Book of Hebrews

Kregel Publications’ has just put out Charts on the Book of Hebrews, by Herbert W. Bateman IV, as part of their series of Charts of the Bible and Theology. If you have not used chart books before, they are very helpful in seeing main theological ideas and in getting an overall sense of a book of the Bible. Chart books are perfect for the visual learner and help systematize concepts in a clear and tangible way.

As a High School Bible teacher, distilling complex ideas into simple visuals is very important. Communicating overall themes, authorship theories and theological concepts, in easy to read and understandable charts, helps Bible readers to be able to better decipher the scriptures and to see the structure of a book more clearly as they study it.

Hebrews is an excellent book, which connects the Old Testament with the New Testament, and this book of scripture is a great tool to study the Pentateuch and the tabernacle. Charts on the Book of Hebrews has detailed charts, which map out the tabernacle and connects the book Hebrews’ passages with the Pentateuch. Charts on the Book of Hebrews is an excellent resource for teaching and for understanding the book of Hebrews.

Charts on the Book of Hebrews is very detailed and comprehensive and offers a scholarly, yet simple and accessible, approach to studying the book of Hebrews. As a teacher and as a student of the scriptures, I highly recommend this book.

For more information on Charts on the Book of Hebrews, or to purchase a copy of this book, please visit Kregel Publications’ website here. This book is also available on Amazon.com here.

Kregel Publications’ website also offers the following description of Charts on the Book of Hebrews:

The book of Hebrews presents interpretive challenges and theological comparisons unrivaled in the New Testament. Charts on the Book of Hebrews puts this demanding yet rewarding information in an accessible and useful format. The charts fall into four categories:

1. Introductory matters (e.g., authorship of Hebrews)
2. Influences in Hebrews (e.g. Second Temple messianic figures)
3. Theological issues (e.g. words of exhortation)
4. Exegetical concerns (e.g. figures of speech)

Students will find this an invaluable companion to classes on Hebrews. Pastors and teachers will benefit from these insightful charts to quickly clarify difficult concepts while teaching. And all visual learners will find that these charts make Hebrews more comprehensible.

In exchange for this unbiased review, I received a free copy of Charts on the Book of Hebrews, by Herbert W. Bateman IV, from Kregel Publications.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone who will teach Hebrews, this is an invaluable tool. Well done. I have already used three of the charts for another class I am teaching.