NUMERICAL SIGNIFICANCE 

The "numerics" are very telling in our case against Paul. If one would care to count the Books of the Bible, including Paul's Epistles, we have a total of 66 Books. This number indicates extreme evil, however if we take out Paul's 13 Epistles the 53 Books remaining are much more acceptable. Please note - Paul has 13 Epistles, the number of "rebellion".

DEFENCE 

Once again the Prosecution have not done their homework before making such a bland statement. We do have 66 Books in our Bible but perhaps not in God's Bible. Here is a note from F.W. Grant's 'Numeric Bible' ...

"The Bible as a whole has 63 Books, Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles being really only one each: our present division of them having been adopted from the Septuagint" (a translation of the Old Testament from the Hebrew into the Greek.) "And (this number) 63 equals 7 x 3 x 3. Here we have, then, the symbol of perfection, and that of Divine manifestation intensified, -'God glorified in His perfectly accomplished work'. It is, as God's testimony to man, divided into two parts, perfectly distinct - the Old Testament and the New. (Testament and Covenant are the same word in the original).

E. W. Bullinger D.D. has a different view as is noted in his book entitled 'Number in Scripture'. On page 25 he says...

"In the Hebrew MSS. Ezra and Nehemiah are always reckoned as one Book, with the one name, Ezra. Each of the double Books is reckoned as one Book (e.g. I & II Samuel, I & II Kings, and I & II Chronicles), and all the Minor Prophets are also reckoned as one Book. This makes 24 Books in all. This is 8 x 3 both factors stamping the number with the seal of Divine perfection."

"The New Testament contains 27 separate Books (3 x 3 x 3). Of these 27 books, 21 (3 x 7) are Epistles."

However, Ivan Panin in his article 'The Books of the Bible' puts forward perhaps the most convincing argument, even though it differs from both the other scholars.

 "Now the first fact in Bible numerics to be noticed here is that the number of Books in the Bible is 66, or 6 ELEVENS (Feature 1); of these the anonymous Books are 22 in number, or 2 ELEVENS; and the non-anonymous Books are 44 in number, or 4 ELEVENS (Feature 2). And of these 44 non-anonymous Books 22, or 2 ELEVENS, belong to writers of more than one Book (Feature3). The Books without Epistles are 33 in number, or 3 ELEVENS; the Epistles and Epistolary Books are also 33 (Feature 4).

Should lvan Panin be correct in his conclusions, then the Prosecution would also be correct in claiming the present 66 Books of the Bible to be confirmed. If, in their view, this number of Books is intolerable, then why should Paul's contribution be penalised alone? After all, whatever calculation differences divide these scholars, the disagreements lie only in the Books of the Old Testament. In fact all three agree on the conclusion of 27 Books in the New Testament, and more important still, the necessity for the Epistle to the Hebrews to have also been written by Paul. This would make Paul responsible for 14 Epistles - a fact not credited to him by the Prosecution.

Paul's 14 (7 x 2) Epistles are vouched for by lvan Panin using numerical proofs in his article "The Books of the Bible" section 12 & 13. Panin also gives further convincing evidence in his 'Numeric New Testament', (see 'Notes' section).

Dr. Bullinger states in his 'Number in Scripture' book, under the title 'Evidence as to Authorship'

Dr. Bullinger then continues to give over 3 pages of the 'numerics' of words that do not harmonise unless the Hebrews Epistle is attributed to Paul. He also states in his 'Companion Bible', concerning 'Hebrews'

'Dake's Annotated Bible' makes several observations supporting Paul's authorship. Here are just a few ...

"The thoughts and reasonings are Paul's. Any difference in style is due to his writing to Jews as a Jew and not to gentile churches as in other Epistles (but as one who studied at the feet of Gamaliel). Furthermore, the translation of the Book (from Syro-Chaldaic 'Hebrew' as Paul wrote it) into the Greek was carried out by Luke which may account for some change in style.

The Book of 'Hebrews' is ascribed to Paul by over 100 ancient writers in both Greek and Latin, from 70 to 730 A.D. Paul was the only New Testament writer who wrote from prison and expected release-Hebrews 13:19, 23 with Philemon 1:7-8, 13, 26, 2:23, 24. No other writer of Epistles mentions Timothy. Paul refers to him 20 times and calls him 'brother' - II Corinthians 1:1, Colossians 1: 1, I Thessalonians 3:2 and Hebrews 13:23."

The oldest papyri manuscript ever found was discovered in 1931. It is known as the 'Chester Beatty Papyri' and regards Paul as being the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

However the most conclusive evidence comes directly from Scripture itself, where Peter declares the proof that 'Paul wrote Hebrews'. He makes this statement in II Peter 3:15

But who is the 'you' to whom Peter is referring? Peter was the Apostle to the circumcision, therefore his Epistles are all addressed to Jews, dispersed in neighbouring lands. So in Peter's Epistle to the circumcised, he says that Paul, (the Apostle to the uncircumcised) has written to the circumcised! As Paul says in I Corinthians 9:20 ...

The only Epistle, which Paul could have written to include the Jews, was 'Hebrews'. No other could be considered.