Unbound Book Review: Prof Kevin McCruden "A New and Living Way: Christ in the Letter to the Hebrews"

Описание: In this episode of the Catholic Biblical Association’s Unbound Book Review, Prof. Kevin McCruden joins reviewers - Drs. Matthew Easter, Stephen Wunrow, and Bryan Dyer - for a collegial conversation on McCruden’s recent publication, “A New and Living Way: Christ in the Letter to the Hebrews” (BSCBA - Paulist Press, 2025).

Together, they explore the book via three discussion questions:
In A New and Living Way, McCruden presents a Christology that reconfigures access to God through the self-offering of Christ as high priest. To what extent does McCruden’s reading illuminate the letter’s negotiation of covenantal continuity and transformation within early Christian theology? How does this portrayal advance or challenge prevailing scholarly understandings of Hebrews’ depiction of Jesus’ priestly identity?
In what ways does A New and Living Way integrate moral exhortation with the text’s christological claims?
How does McCruden's reading of sacred access challenge conventional understandings of Hebrews’ temple imagery and priestly mediation?

The reviewers respond to these questions in turn. During the conversation, they draw particular attention to the Hebrews’ “either/or” language about cultic efficacy (especially in Hebrews 9), while asking how Hebrews can affirm Christ’s decisive work and still articulate continuity with Israel’s covenantal story. Jeremiah 31’s vision of the law “written on the heart,” along with the theme of conscience and inward renewal, becomes a key touchpoint for thinking about covenant continuity and transformation.

Another central thread concerns how to approach Hebrews’ claims about the priesthood responsibly. Rather than treating Jesus as simply “replacing” an earthly Levitical priesthood, the conversation frames Hebrews as contrasting two categories—an earthly and a heavenly priesthood—while acknowledging that some passages can be heard as replacement theology today. The panel also reflects on why Melchizedek plays such a powerful role in Hebrews’ argument and what that suggests about Jewish interpretive contexts and Hellenistic-era readings.

The conversation explicitly turns to covenant theology: the speakers resist “two-covenant” frameworks and emphasize a single covenant marked by continuity, suggesting that “renewed covenant” language may better capture Hebrews’ logic than a simplistic “new replaces old” model.

Whether you’re working in New Testament studies, Second Temple Judaism, biblical theology, or Christian–Jewish relations—or simply want to listen in on a generous academic exchange—this event offered a rich, text-centered discussion of some of Hebrews’ most important and debated claims.

McCruden’s book is available for purchase here: https://a.co/d/7IhVTnS

Additional event info and info on future events are available here: https://www.catholicbiblical.org/

#Hebrews #NewTestament #SecondTempleJudaism #BiblicalTheology #EarlyChristianity #Melchizedek #Jeremiah31 #Atonement #Priesthood #BibleScholarship #CBA #CatholicBiblicalAssociation