Date of writing

- Quoted by Clement of Rome in I Clement, meaning it was not later than 95 AD
- No reference to the destruction of the Jewish temple indicates it was probably even before 70 AD. If it had been written after 70 AD, this would have been a good fact to mention when indicating the superiority of Christ over the sacrificial system
- Timothy is mentioned, meaning it was written at least during his lifetime
- BKC conclusion: 68 or 69 AD is reasonable
 
Authorship

- Possibly Paul, but some have noted style differences despite obvious doctrinal alignment. Some believe the style differences have their source in the possibility that Paul wrote the book in Hebrew and Luke translated it into Greek.
- Could be Barnabas
    
    - Tertullian quoted Hebrews in a message and matter-of-factly mentioned it being an epistle of Barnabas
    - Barnabas was a Levite (Acts 4:36) which would explain his in-depth knowledge of the sacrificial system
- Others have been put forward as authors as well, but there is not real possibility of confirming the authorship.
 
Setting

- Audience is most likely Jewish, given the ancient title ("To the Hebrews") and the content of the book focusing so specifically on Jewish old testament and sacrificial system.
- Where the audience was located is not really known as a Jewish audience could have meant just about anywhere in the world.
- It seems possible that it was written to a Christian church in a city like Cyrene (in North Africa), made up of Jewish believers (but not necessarily exclusively) who were being tempted to return to some Jewish roots or some kind of sectarian reclusion like the Qumran communities.
 
Authority of the book

- Clement and Rome and Justin Martyr both quoted and referred to this book as of divine authorship