Heavenly Temple and Eschatology in the Letter to the Hebrews

Apocalyptic literature envisioned a complete temple in heaven {TLevi 5:1), perhaps a development of the idea of the divine "pattern" (Exod 25:9). In Hellenistic Judaism we find the imagery of a temple-structured universe, the outer courts representing sea and earth, the inner court, heaven (Josephus); Philo also distinguished between the sense-perceptible world (the outer courts) and the intelligible world (the sanctuary). Both views are present in Hebrews: the apocalyptic in 8:1-5, 9:23, 9:11-12; the Hellenistic in 9:24, 10:19-20, and perhaps 6:19-20.
The tabernacle imagery also has an eschatological dimension (9:8-9), but again, two views, futurist and realized, are blended. The realized, Alexandrian escha- tology is seen here to be that of the author of Hebrews, and the futurist, apocalyptic eschatology that of the readers. The rationale for the presence of both lies in the literary genre of homily. The preacher supports the audience's views with his own.
The same principle governs the relationship of faith to hope in Hebrews. Hope is the specific goal of the audience (e.g., 6:18-19) in the face of persecution, and faith is introduced to strengthen it (6:11-12, 10:22-23). Heb 11:1-3 shows that faith is understood in Alexandrian terms as "insight into the heavenly world," which functions as a support for apocalyptic hope. A parallel relationship (without the same Hellenistic understanding of faith) is found in 1 Pet 1:3-25.
The distinction between homilist and audience also accounts for the apparently conflicting temple imagery in Hebrews. In his effort to strengthen the hope of his hearers, the homilist mingles his own Alexandrian imagery with their apocalyptic presuppositions.