Starting sacrifice in the beyond Flavian innovations in the concept of priesthood and their repercussions in the treatise "to the Hebrews"

Abstract

The paper accepts the thesis of a Roman origin of "Hebrews" around the end of the first century AD. This implies an educated audience raised in late Neronian or Flavian times and informed by Roman culture as expressed in public buildings, images and even-if we think about a Jewish family background-rituals. The text is thus analyzed in terms of contemporary urban culture and religion. Special attention is given to the priestly roles discussed. These are compared to the prominent role of pontifex maximus of the Roman emperors and to the developments of major public priesthoods during the second half of the first century AD.