It was an epistle to Jews who already believed in Jesus as Messiah. The Apostle Paul signed his letters which were written to Jews and Gentiles in the churches of Greece, Asia, and Rome. It may have been written to one, more, or all of the churches largely comprised of Jews (not synagogues, they were already called churches) throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, but need not have come from Paul. Those addressed in the epistle were Jews who already believed in Jesus. Paul made many appeals to Jews in the synagogues of the Diaspora, and founded churches with those who believed. The epistle does not seem intended for that audience, nor from an evangelistic appeal to a synagogue audience. In short, the precise identity of the author and the audience are shrouded in ancient mystery. I myself have argued against Paul being the author of Hebrews on the basis of the contrasting style and absence of his otherwise uniform statement of his authorship, yet 2 Peter 3:15 seems to refer to this epistle, and thus I postulate that it may have been originally a synagogue address (to Christians meeting therein) that was penned by someone else, as with the gospels and the teachings of Christ.
But if you want to contend against the Pauline authorship of Hebrews than that is fine with me. However, then you need to thus attribute error to your own council of Trent:
the books that are received by this Synod. They are as set down here below...fourteen epistles of Paul the apostle, (one) to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, (one) to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, (one) to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews (The Council of Trent - Session 4; http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch4.htm)
I myself have argued against Paul being the author of Hebrews on the basis of the contrasting style and absence of his otherwise uniform statement of his authorship, yet 2 Peter 3:15 seems to refer to this epistle, and thus I postulate that it may have been originally a synagogue address (to Christians meeting therein) that was penned by someone else, as with the gospels and the teachings of Christ.
I doubt it; Jews who believed in Jesus were generally barred from the synagogues. The epistle was written to these:
- Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
...
- Know ye that our brother Timothy is set at liberty; with whom, if he come shortly, I will see you.
- Salute all them that have the rule over you, and all the saints. They of Italy salute you.
Hebrews, Catholic chapter three, Protestant verse one,
Hebrews, Catholic chapter thirteen, Protestant verses twenty three to twenty four,
as authorized, but not authored, by King James
But if you want to contend against the Pauline authorship of Hebrews than that is fine with me. However, then you need to thus attribute error to your own council of Trent:
It could have been the Apostle Paul. The part about a synagogue address makes no sense. Had it been to a Greek, Asian, or Roman synagogue, it would have been addressed to a church
fathered by the Apostle. It could have been to the churches of Judea and Galilee, and it could have been Pauline, or someone closely associated with the Apostle.
The Pontifical Biblical Communion, in a decree issued on April 24, 1914, reaffirmed its canonicity. It answered the question, “Has the apostle Paul to be regarded as the author of this letter in the sense that not only must one hold that he conceived it and expressed it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but that he gave it the form in which it has come down to us?” Its reply was, “No, not unless the Church decides so in the future.” This is probably why there is no direct reference to Paul as author of this letter in recent liturgical books. However, Paul can be regarded as the indirect author of Hebrews. Researchers are free to explore this matter.