A great puzzle about the Book of Hebrews is the authorship, because the writer does not give his own name, or does he refer to any circumstances or connections that would say who he was with absolute assurance. A study of the Book of Hebrews shows that the writer was a man of high literary ability, with a style that approached more closely to that of classical Greek than that of any other writer of the New Testament. This writer was not an immediate disciple of Christ (Heb. 2:3). The writer was very well versed in the Old Testament, which he quoted from the Septuagint version. Also, he may have been a Jew, because he often used the first person plural in addressing his Jewish audience. He was a friend of Timothy and most likely was a part of the Pauline circle (13:23). His use of the Scripture from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by his faith” (10:38), agrees with Paul’s usage in Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11.

Several opinions have been suggested about the writers identity, though none has behind it the same unanimity of tradition that supports the Lukan authorship of the Third Gospel and Acts. The Eastern church from early days believed the Book of Hebrews to be written by Paul, but probably indirectly. Eusebius said that Clement of Alexandria also believed that the Apostle Paul had been the one who had written the Book of Hebrews and that Luke translated it into Greek. Origen often quoted the Epistle as Paul’s and confessed that it was generally believed as his, but when giving his own opinion said, “If, then any church considers this epistle as coming from Paul, let it be commended for this, for neither did those ancient men deliver it as such without cause. But who it was that really wrote the Epistle, God only knows.” However, the general line of argument and the style and diction of the book are not Pauline.

Many other names have been mentioned of who the author of the Book of Hebrews could be, chief among whom are Barnabas, to whom Tertullian attributed it, and Apollos, a guess from Martin Luther. However, Barnabas is favored because of the facts that he was a Jew, a Levite, along with being a friend of Paul whose teaching must have looked very much like Paul’s own writing, and one who could minister to the Jew as well as to the Gentile. Also, his long experience at teaching would fit with the character of the Book of Hebrews, which is didactic. Now, for Apollos there is no early tradition whatsoever. He, also, was a Jew, an Alexandrian, learned in the Scriptures, and exceptionally successful in his ministry with the Jews. He was a friend of Paul and was still very active in his own ministry toward the end of Paul’s life (Titus 3:13).

Furthermore, different commentators have indicated that the author of the Book of Hebrews possibly could of been either Luke, Peter, Jude, Stephen, Silvanus (Silas), Epaphras (Epaphroditus), Philip the Evangelist, Priscilla, Mary the mother of Jesus, Clement of Rome, Aristion, and many others. However, none of these beliefs or opinions has found enthusiastic general reception. The early Christians originally accepted all the New Testament books as inspired by God because they had apostolic teaching, so the author of the Book of Hebrews was most likely either an apostle or a close friend of at least one of the apostles.

Lastly, there is really nothing in the Book of Hebrews that clearly points to any one man, but it is my opinion that what little evidence there is would most likely fit Paul as the author. The following reasons is why I lean toward Paul being the writer of Hebrews: (1) The writer was a friend to Timothy (Heb. 13:23); (2) The writer was very knowledgeable in the Old Testament Scriptures; (3) The writer used the same Old Testament quotation that was used by Paul on two other occasions: “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4 quoted in Heb. 10:38; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11); (4) The writer ends Hebrews with the same token or mark that Paul says is his special token in ending his writings. Look at what Paul says in II Thess. 3:17-18 and compare Heb. 13:25 with the close of Paul’s epistles; (5) The author wrote about “many things…hard to understand” (Heb. 5:11). Peter says the very same thing about Paul’s epistle to the Jews, “Paul…hath written unto you…some things hard to be understood” (II Peter 3:15-16).

So, in conclusion to this very question being asked, is Hebrews the epistle written by the Apostle Paul? The evidence is still not completely certain, but it does in my opinion point toward Paul.

The Sabbath is the Hebrew weekly day of rest and for worship, which was observed on the seventh day of each week, which begins at sundown on Friday and ending at sundown on Saturday. Now the Hebrew Sabbath has continued to be practiced by non-Christian Jews up to this day. During the first centuries some Jewish Christians also continued the practice of keeping the seventh day of the week as well getting together for worship on the first day of the week. But their influence on Christianity, though recognizable for several centuries, particularly in the east, decreased rapidly after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. The testimony of the Ante-Nicene Fathers is that for the vast majority of Christians, the Sabbath was a Jewish custom which was not forced upon Christian believers of today.

Now the Christian Sabbath view emphasizes the divine institution of the Sabbath at the end of creation. The Lord’s blessing and sanctification of the seventh day is understood to mean that God intended one day in seven is to be observed by everyone as a sacred day of rest and worship. The fourth commandment of the Decalogue, which alludes to the primeval institution of the Sabbath, is believed to be a moral command, and is a universal, ongoing obligation. It is stated that the day of the week for when the Sabbath is to be observed was not of the essence of the Law, but rather the observance of one day in each week. However, there are two groups of people who will debate the point that the practice of the Sabbath is to be observed on one particular day of the week.

The seventh-day Sabbath view is believed by the Seventh-day Baptists who began in England in the 17th century, along with the Seventh-day Adventists, who had their start in America in the 19th century. These groups insist that Christians are obligated to keep the seventh day of the week as the Sabbath. To back their position, they look largely to the Old Testament, particularly to the fourth commandment, which they say that the seventh day is the Sabbath, appointed by God to remember His work of creation.

Also, those who believe the seventh-day Sabbath view find evidence to base their observance of the seventh day in the New Testament. They look to the practice of Jesus and the apostles of attending the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14, 42; 16:13; 17:1-2; 18:4). They appeal to Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and His exhortation that His disciples pray that their flight should not be on the Sabbath (Matt. 24:20). They even say that the Scripture in Revelation 1:10 to “the Lord’s day” refers to the seventh-day Sabbath.

It is largely believed that it is useless to search for the change from seventh day observance to the first day observance in the New Testament, because it is believed that during the early centuries of the Church, there was a great apostasy that had set in, which the pagan festival of Sunday was eventually substituted for the ancient Sabbath by “unconsecrated leaders of the Church” and by the half-pagan emperor Constantine. The insistence of the seventh-day Sabbath view on the wholly moral character of the fourth commandment and on its perpetual and universal obligation is based upon statements which find no support in the Bible. This view totally ignores the clear statements that the fourth commandment was addressed to the Israelites whom God had delivered from the land of Egypt. Also, the difference which is always made between “the Law of God” and “the Law of Moses’ is not backed by the Word of God. Likewise, when it comes to the interpretation of what Jesus said along with the apostle Paul that are quoted in defense of the continuation of the Sabbath command, if pressed to its logical conclusion, proves too much. The word “law” as used by Jesus and the apostle Paul means more than just the Ten Commandments. Believers in the seventh-day Sabbath don’t say that all the laws of the Mosaic Law are meant to be practiced by Christians of today. But, they fail to see that Paul included the Sabbath command among those ordinances which ended in Christ. To those who want to claim that Constantine had something to do with the change of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day of the week is without any sound foundation.

So, in regards to the Sabbath, according to the Law in the Old Testament, God’s people were to keep the Sabbath-the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments-which was Saturday, and this day became a time for rest, also to getting together to worship God. Since it was the Law, death was the penalty for desecration (Ex. 35:1-3).

Furthermore, the Jews were required to refrain from any kind of secular work whatsoever on the Sabbath (Lev. 23:3), and even their own servants and farm animals were to also observe the Sabbath (Deut. 5:14). Other examples of what the Israelites did in order to keep the Sabbath was they could not gather manna (Ex. 16:22-26), or even kindle a fire for cooking (Ex. 35:3). Any violations of these provisions resulted in one being cut off from among his people!

Then we have the New Testament in regards to the day set aside for rest and to worship God. After Jesus’ ascension, His disciples began the practice of coming together for worship on the first day of the week (Sunday), which became to be known as “the Lord’s Day” (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). For a while, the Jewish Christians still kept both the seventh day and the first day of the week, but eventually, when the Gentiles became the majority of the church, the observance of the seventh day was forgotten. To the early Church the Lord’s Day was a time of rejoicing and praising, because they were remembering the day that Jesus Christ arose from the grave, and that in Him they also are raised to new life.

Lastly, whichever day (Saturday or Sunday) one keeps as their Sabbath is between them and God. However, we are not under the Law forcing us to observe a one particular day as our Sabbath or fear the consequences for not doing so. As for myself personally, I do have a day of rest from my daily activities in my world, and this day is my time that I spend in Church-on The Lord’s Day-to worship my Lord, Who has risen from the dead, no longer in the grave! And this day that I observe just happens to be my-Sunday.

One often hears the lazy argument that “Religion” is responsible for Man’s wars, the implication being that if we got rid of religion, all would be peace and harmony. Presumably then, if all men abandoned the notion that they are spirits inhabiting a material body and conceived of themselves as mere animals fashioned by chance from mud our troubles would be over and we’d all be a lot happier. This is of course untrue and does not correspond with an observation of history, nor of present reality.

It also displays a degree of fogginess about what one means by the word “religion” Religions vary considerably. There are pantheisms (the belief in many gods) monotheisms (the belief in one God who created all) and religions that worship no gods at all, such as Buddhism or modern Scientology.

At the far end of the spectrum there are even religions that do not conceive man to be an immortal soul even while life is considered to be nevertheless spiritual in essence.

Some religions such as Christianity stress faith, while faith has no place at all in others ?Scientology and Buddhism being cases in point.

One should note too, while one is discussing paradigms based on Faith, that

Worlds Far Out:

The ongoing desire to discover an alternate fantastic reality, which is perfect and free of the limitations of time-space, begins is many people’s childhood. As children, we were often curious about who we are, and what this life is all about. In many cases, the death of a person we knew, have raised many questions about the after-life. The gnosis about existence of realms beyond is imprinted in the human collective experience. There is a vague memory in every individual’s mind regarding other dimensions of existence.

Where did we come from and what is the purpose of this life? This question is often asked by humans of all ages. Did we come to this world from another realm? Can life exist in other forms besides the one we live in? Can we access such realms? Can anyone see them?

In the second half of the 20th century, modern science has developed new tools to explain the existence of life in more than one dimension. According to the “String Theory”, the universe is spread in ten different dimensions consisting of different energy vibrations, and the universal energy field is composed of “membranes” and other esoteric shapes.

The Realm of Matter:

All that exists, seen or unseen, is an infinite field of being, composed of one dimensional strings that vibrate in an infinite spectrum of frequencies. The infinite energy field contains all that there is, it is the source where all forms of life exist. At the lowest range of this wide ray of frequencies, there is a “thickening” of energy fields.

Kal-Sarpa Yoga/ Dosha
Kal-sarpa Yoga or Kal-sarpa Dosha is formed when all the planets are between Rahu and Ketu axis in a chart. This is among the most fearsome dosha in astrology similar to Sade-sati and people are scared just by hearing the name of this yoga. ‘Kaal’ means death and Sarpa means snake and the name itself is good enough to scare people. It is said that the person born under Kaal Sarp Yog passes through death like agonies throughout the life.

I also share the astrologer K.N.Rao’s view that the Kal-Sarpa Dosha is one of the biggest frauds in astrology. First of all nobody knows from where this kal-sarpa yoga has originated. No reference can be found in any of the classical texts like Brihat Parashar Hora Shastra, Brihat Jatak, Saravali etc. Secondly and most importantly, I always mentioned that the birth chart should be analysed in totality. Every horoscope has hundreds of good and bad yogas and all these yogas should be synthesized before drawing any conclusion. A single Rajyoga can not make anybody king, similarly a kal-sarpa yoga alone can not create death like situation.

Here is what Dr. B.V. Raman, the most respected Vedic astrologer of the last century, has to say about Kala-sarpa yoga:

“Kala-sarpa Yoga has its bright shades. It [is said to] makes one industrious, hardworking, aware of one’s own ability- despite mental restlessness. It raises the natives to top positions in their respective fields provided of course other Raja Yogas are present. Rahu-Ketu axis favors rise in mundane life while Ketu-Rahu axis indicates elevation in spiritual matters. It is also found that Kala-sarpa Yoga natives get betrayed by trusted friends and even relatives. Suffering due to developments in life strengthens the mind and mellows one’s outlook. This is a blessing of Kala-sarpa Yoga.”

“It occurs to me that undue importance need not be given to Kala-sarpa Yoga. The view held by some astrologers that Kala-sarpa Yoga affects longevity and adversely affects the operation of other yogas favoring a rise in life, achievement, and accomplishment is not tenable. The overall assessment of the horoscope is important. No single yoga, including Kala-sarpa Yoga, is capable of marring or making a horoscope. In our view, Kala-sarpa Yoga plays an important role in mundane astrology [assessment of world events] and is not of much importance in individual charts.”

It is what eminent astrologer K.N. Rao has to say about Kal Sarpa Yoga -

Here the astrologer, ever ready with a remedy, is in demand. This astrologer must first create fright in the minds of his clients and it is done most easily by pointing out Kala-sarpa Yoga or even half Kala-sarpa Yoga. Here he promises to perform a yagna at a cost of some thousands of rupees for shantis. This is the prerogative of the Brahmins.

So Kala-sarpa Yoga is a big and newly discovered source of income of Brahmins which is pitiable. Brahmins were meant to be the beacon lights of dharma and spirituality if they themselves reached higher stage of sadhana. But so many of them have become KAAL SARPA YOGIS .

I am sure that all astrology scholoers will agree to Shri K.N.Rao. Just to conclude, I would say that there is dispute about the existence of Kal-sarpa yoga. For the sake of argument if we accpet that there is somethign called “Kal-sarpa Dosha” exists, still there is no need to fear about it as all good and bad yogas should be combined to give any predictions.

Remedies for Kal-sarpa Yoga:

As you can clearly make out from the above that there is no remedy required for Kal-sarpa yoga. The birth chart should be analyzed with all good and bad yoga, balas, aspects, placements etc. and then only any remedy should be prescibed. If an astrologer finds any planet malefic, appropriate remedy for that planet(s) should be performed. There is no need to go to Traymbkeshwar, Nasik or Ujjain to perform the remedy and spend thousands of rupees. Astrologers use Traymbkeshwar, Nasik or Ujjain just to make you spend the maximum amount of money possible and also to justify the fear factor of Kal-sarpa Yoga.

About Author
mrs. sneha gehlot has specialized in metaphysical and spiritual arts for 3 years. She is a numerologist, author, healer, tarot reader, feng sui reader.http://www.astrolotus.com