1:1. The majestic opening words of this epistle set the tone for the entire book. They subtly contrast the former ancient revelation, the Mosaic covenant, with the final, present revelation in Jesus Christ, the new covenant. Under the old covenant God spoke to the Hebrew fathers by the prophets. This self-disclosure was periodic and partial in nature. It was spread out over at least 10 centuries and given by various means. Sometimes God directly intervened