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Authored by @greywarden100
Published on Hive
Dear Christian friends on Hive,
As a Jew who believes in Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah, I’ve spent years studying the Torah and New Testament through a Hebraic lens, engaging with believers across communities to share the Jewish roots of our faith. The Book of Hebrews, written to Jewish believers in Yeshua, is often misinterpreted by Christians who apply a Gentile perspective, leading to errors like replacement theology, which wrongly suggests Christians have replaced Israel in God’s plan. I’m here to clarify that Hebrews 8:13 speaks of the Second Temple’s (Beit HaMikdash) destruction in AD 70, not the abolition of God’s eternal covenant with Israel. Hebrews 9’s explicit focus on the Temple’s ordinances reinforces this view. Drawing on Messianic Jewish scholars like Tim Hegg, I invite the Hive Christian community to embrace the Jewish context of Hebrews, recognizing Yeshua’s Jewishness and the covenant’s renewal through Him.
The Hebraic Mindset of Hebrews
Hebrews was written to Jewish believers in Yeshua, likely before the Second Temple’s destruction in AD 70, as its sacrificial system is described as active (Hebrews 9:6-9). Its audience was deeply familiar with the Torah, Temple worship, and Jewish covenantal theology. The author uses Jewish methods—midrash, typology (e.g., Melchizedek as a type of Yeshua in Hebrews 7), and Tanakh quotations (e.g., Jeremiah 31:31-34 in Hebrews 8:8-12)—to show that Yeshua, a Jewish Messiah, fulfills the Torah and Temple ordinances without abolishing them. This Hebraic mindset assumes:
- Eternal Covenant with Israel: God’s promises to Israel are unending (Jeremiah 31:35-37), with Yeshua renewing the covenant as the Jewish Messiah.
- Temple as a Shadow: The Temple’s sacrifices point to Yeshua’s ultimate atonement (Hebrews 10:4), remaining valid as teaching tools.
- Messianic Hope: Jewish expectations of a restored Temple (Ezekiel 37:26-28, 40-48) shape Hebrews’ vision of Yeshua’s heavenly priesthood.
Many Christian interpretations misread Hebrews through a Gentile lens, claiming the “old covenant” is obsolete and the Torah irrelevant. This supersessionist view, which I’ve refuted using Romans 11 and Jeremiah 31, contradicts the Jewish context of Hebrews and Yeshua’s own words as a Jew: “I did not come to destroy [the Torah] but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Hebrews 8:13: The Temple’s Destruction in AD 70
Hebrews 8:13 states (NKJV):
“In that He says, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.”
Christians often assume “the first” (τὴν πρώτην, tēn prōtēn in Greek) refers to the entire covenant, including the Torah. However, the Greek omits “covenant” (διαθήκη, diathēkē), which appears in Hebrews 8:6-9. In its Hebraic context, “the first” points to the Beit HaMikdash, specifically its sacrificial system, which became obsolete with the Temple’s destruction in AD 70. Here’s why:
Context of Hebrews 8: Hebrews 8 quotes Jeremiah 31:31-34, promising a “new covenant” (Brit Chadasha) with Israel and Judah, emphasizing internalized Torah and forgiveness, not the covenant’s end. The fault was with the people’s disobedience (8:8), not the covenant. The absence of “covenant” in 8:13 suggests “the first” refers to the Temple, which was “ready to vanish away” (ἐγγὺς ἀφανισμοῦ) due to its imminent destruction in AD 70.
Historical Reality: Written when the Second Temple was still standing but under Roman threat, Hebrews reflects a time of transition. The phrase “ready to vanish away” prophetically alludes to the Temple’s destruction, which halted the sacrificial system. The Jewish audience would have understood this as a shift to Yeshua’s heavenly priesthood, not a rejection of the covenant.
Messianic Jewish Perspective: Tim Hegg, a respected Messianic Jewish scholar, teaches that Hebrews 8:13 addresses the Temple’s sacrificial system, not the covenant’s abolition. The Temple’s ordinances were shadows fulfilled by Yeshua’s sacrifice (Hebrews 9:12), but the covenant remains eternal, renewed through the Jewish Messiah (Hegg, Why We Keep Torah).
Hebrews 9: Explicitly About the Temple
Hebrews 9 confirms that 8:13 refers to the Temple, not the covenant. Hebrews 9:1-10 explicitly describes the “first covenant” as having “ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary” (9:1), detailing the Tabernacle/Temple’s structure (e.g., Holy of Holies) and rituals (e.g., Day of Atonement). These could not “make the worshiper perfect” (9:9), showing their temporary role. Hebrews 9:11-14 contrasts this with Yeshua’s priesthood in the heavenly sanctuary, securing “eternal redemption” through His blood.
This Temple-centric focus in Hebrews 9 reinforces that “the first” in 8:13 is the Beit HaMikdash, which became obsolete after its destruction in AD 70. The covenant, however, is not abolished but renewed, as the Torah’s principles endure (Matthew 5:17-18). Christian readings that apply 8:13 to the entire covenant miss this clear Temple context, imposing a non-Jewish framework.
The Renewed Covenant (Brit Chadasha)
The Hebrew term חדשה (chadasha) in Jeremiah 31:31, translated as “new covenant” in Hebrews 8:8, means “renewed” or “restored,” not a replacement of the Torah. Tim Hegg explains that חדש (chadash) implies renewal, as in Rosh Chodesh (the renewed lunar cycle). The Brit Chadasha fulfills the Sinai covenant by internalizing the Torah and providing atonement through Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah (Hebrews 8:10-12), without negating God’s eternal promises to Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
Christian interpretations often misread “new covenant” as abolishing the Torah, ignoring its Hebraic meaning and Yeshua’s Jewish identity. As a Jew, I affirm that Yeshua upholds the Torah, fulfilling its promises for Israel and those grafted in (Romans 11:17-18).
Animal Sacrifices: Paused, Not Abolished
Some Christians cite Hebrews 10:4 to claim animal sacrifices are abolished, but this misunderstands the Jewish context. Tim Hegg teaches that Levitical sacrifices were shadows pointing to Yeshua’s ultimate atonement, not meant for eternal redemption (Hegg, “Animal Sacrifices”). The Torah requires sacrifices at the designated place (Deuteronomy 12:13-14), so they cannot be practiced today without a Beit HaMikdash.
Hegg and other Messianic Jews anticipate a future Third Temple (Ezekiel 40-48) where sacrifices may resume as memorials, not for atonement, reflecting Jewish eschatological hopes. This aligns with the Hebraic mindset of Hebrews’ audience, who saw the Temple’s ordinances as valid but fulfilled in Yeshua.
A Jewish Appeal to the Hive Christian Community
As a Jew who believes in Yeshua, I urge the Hive Christian community to embrace the Jewish roots of our faith. Hebrews 8:13, read in its Hebraic context, speaks of the Second Temple’s destruction in AD 70, not the covenant’s end, as confirmed by Hebrews 9’s Temple focus. Yeshua, the Jewish Messiah, renews God’s eternal covenant with Israel, inviting Gentiles to be grafted in (Romans 11:17-29). By rejecting supersessionist interpretations, you can:
- Honor God’s unbreakable covenant with Israel (Jeremiah 31:35-37).
- Recognize the Temple’s role as a shadow fulfilled by Yeshua’s priesthood.
- Anticipate a future Temple where sacrifices may resume as memorials (Ezekiel 37:26-28).
Let’s discuss this in the comments and grow together in understanding Scripture’s Jewish context. How does recognizing Yeshua’s Jewishness shape your reading of Hebrews? Share below!
Sources and References
- Hegg, Tim. Why We Keep Torah: 10 Persistent Questions. TorahResource, 2011.
- Hegg, Tim. “If We’re to Keep the Torah, What About Animal Sacrifices?” TorahResource, undated.
- Wilber, David. Messianic Jewish Theology: A Concise Introduction. First Fruits of Zion, 2020.
- Kesher Journal. “New Covenantalism in the Epistle to the Hebrews.”
- Chabad.org. “The Third Temple: A Vision of Redemption.”
- The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, 1982. (Key passages: Hebrews 8-9, Jeremiah 31:31-37, Romans 11:17-29, Matthew 5:17-18, Deuteronomy 12:13-14, Ezekiel 37:26-28, 40-48).
- Nestle-Aland Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th Edition. Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012. (For Greek text of Hebrews 8:13).