Date: Unknown. Since some time has elapsed from the origins of the Christian movement, most set 60 C.E. as the terminus a quo. Given its use as a literary source by the First Letter of Clement, most set the year 100 C.E. as a convenient terminus ad quem. The most critical feature of the dating for interpretation is whether the letter was composed before or after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. On this point there was no consensus, though many in our conversation  leaned toward a post-70 dating.

Destination: Unknown. Internal evidence in 13:24, the dependence on Hebrews by 1 Clement, and the similarities between Hebrews and 1 Peter (written from "Babylon" - 1 Peter 5:13) strongly but inconclusively suggest Rome as its destination. (Some argue a Palestinian goal, though this was not advocated in our group.)

Addressees: Unknown. It is not clear whether the audience is a Jewish-Christian one, a Gentile (God-fearing) Christian one, or a mixed community.

Situation: There seems to be a threat to the addressed community stemming from both persecution (10:36-12:13) and a declining zeal for the faith. Participants voiced suggestions that have been made that the community had been "seized by a nostalgia for the Israelite heritage - probably because of the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple."¹ Some detected "an encouragement to the Jewish-Christians that all they have held dear in the Temple continues in Jesus."²  Both of the latter options require that Hebrews be written after 70 C.E., whereas the first option is not dependent on that dating.

Genre: The text calls itself "a word of exhortation" (13:22), and so it is best to think of it as combining doctrinal exposition and paraenesis.³  It is notably free of polemical speech.

Aim: The author exhorts the community to hold fast to the faith that they have received and confessed. They should imitate Jesus who remained faithful while enduring awful suffering (12:3). The image of Jesus as High Priest is used to stress what has already been accomplished and made possible because of Christ. (A consensus emerged in the group that the author is not engaging in polemics with any Jewish or Jewish-Christian group, although his talk of the old things passing away readily leads to supersessionist outlooks.)