Thank you for the question on the authorship of Hebrews, “Would it be logical to consider Nicodemus as a possible author of the letter to the Hebrews?”
Most Bible scholars would attribute the authorship of Hebrews to Barnabas or Apollo. They are the most likely candidate. The primary reason is their close association with the Apostle Paul as a teacher and leader of the Christian community.
Personally, I have never thought about Nicodemus being the author of Hebrews. Is it possible? There are many varying factors:
A. The possible reasons for him to be the author of Hebrews.
- He is a teacher of the Law (John 3:10). He is probably one of the most respected teachers of the Law. His knowledge of the Law and the Temple would be the strongest reasons for his consideration.
- He is one of the “secret” disciples of Jesus (John 19:38–42). For Nicodemus and Joseph to risk associating with Jesus could have cause them to lose their position within Sanhedrin. As far as we know Nicodemus met Jesus once and probably continue to listen to him from a distant. Nicodemus even sought to defend Jesus but was sharply rebuked.
- He is able to read and write Hebrew and Greek. As a scholar, he read the Hebrew text and the translated text into Greek. He had the ability to write a letter as Hebrews.
- He is well respected by the Jewish people and possibly by many Jewish Christians.
B. The possible reasons he may not the be author of Hebrews.
- There is no record of Nicodemus associating with the 12 Apostles, being in the Upper Room or part of the Jerusalem Council. This is an argument of silence against his authorship. One of the accepted principle for accepting or assigning an authorship to a New Testament letter is one’s associating with the apostles or being an apostle himself. He seems to lack that credential.
- The age of Nicodemus might question his authorship. Most scholars would agree that Hebrews was written before the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Thus the time from the approximate death of Jesus to the Fall of Jerusalem would be 27 years. If one was to add his age as being an elderly teacher of Israel, it is unlikely that he would have lived that long. That too is an argument from silence and doesn’t preclude that he could have lived far beyond the normal age of senior.
- The position of Nicodemus would be difficult to renounce or resign from being a member of the Sanhedrin. With Saul of Tarsus persecuting the Christians, most Christians went into hiding or were scattered. The text is silent as to what Nicodemus or Joseph did in that situation. To have climb to near the apex of one’s career and to suddenly surrender it all would be challenging for anyone. Again this is a conjecture as the Scriptures is silent on this point. He may have been willing to renounce it all for Jesus.
If one were to weight the pros and cons and there may be other reasons, it appears to me that it less likely that Nicodemus was the writer of Hebrews. The prime reason for me would be his association with an apostle and his age that would mitigate against him being the author of Hebrews.
Thanks for the question.
For more perspectives: