And yet, it's very different at the same time. So, typically epistles start with the person who's writing them and then an address to whoever is receiving the epistle. The book of Hebrews doesn't start that way, and it seems, therefore, that it's probably less an epistle and more a homily, an extended sermon that's been put into a form that's going to reach this local congregation.
Dr. Stephen Witmer is Adjunct Professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Witmer is the lead pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts, and is ordained with the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC). He previously taught New Testament studies at the University of Cambridge.