Hebrews: Ancient Encouragement for Believers Today

Author: Edward William Fudge
Located in: Houston, Texas
Submitted: April 10, 2009

    Tell us a little about yourself.  I love to study and to teach the Bible, especially those parts that focus most intently on Jesus Christ. I am husband of 42 years to Sara Faye, we have two grown children and four wonderful grandchildren. For 45 years I have been teaching and preaching, for 20 years practicing law, and for 13 years producing and writing "gracEmail," an international internet ministry column that goes out three times weekly. During the past 30+ years, I have had the privilege of ministering in person in the US, Canada and New Zealand, to audiences and in churches across the Christian spectrum from Episcopal to Pentecostal, including Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Churches of Christ, Adventist, Christian Church, independent, charismatic and others.

    What was your motivation behind this project?  In 1974, Baker Book House published my commentary on Hebrews, "Our Man In Heaven," with foreword by F.F. Bruce. It was based on the KJV and has long been out of print. In July 2007, I was in Antigua, Guatemala on a law firm retreat. During a sunrise prayer walk through the cobblestone streets, I was asking God for an assignment. Within hours, I was impressed that I should write a new commentary on Hebrews that reflected 35 more years of teaching, preaching and studying that wonderful book. This new book is based on a new, majority English text of Hebrews created just for this commentary. Hebrews is one of the most Jesus-centered books in the Bible. I love that and am excited to share this with readers!

    What do you hope folks will gain from this project?  I hope they will see, first of all, that Hebrews is about Jesus -- that it is full of good news to us today and that nothing could be more relevant and practical. Hebrews is NOT a dusty old book about antique Jewish rituals and sacrificial and priestly details.

    How were you personally impacted by working on this project?  I was convicted of my own shortcomings, re-called to focus on Jesus myself and encouraged to hold fast to my own profession of faith.

    Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists?  I have been blessed by F.F. Bruce, Oscar Cullmann, Watchman Nee, John Stott and Roger Olson. Musically and lyrically, John Michael Talbot is probably my #1 choice.

    Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know:  The author of Hebrews wrote his book to encourage disheartened believers about ready to toss in the towel. He did that by telling them the story of Jesus, based on four Psalms (his Bible was only our Old Testament, remember!). This book, "Hebrews: Ancient Encouragement for Believers Today," has 36 great endorsements from a cross-denominational spectrum of Bible scholars and church leaders (printed on the first pages ofthe book) and a foreword by Haddon W. Robinson.

• Books, eBooks & Audio >> Academic >> Commentaries >> New Testament >> Hebrews