An Imprint of Penn State University Press | Offprint © 2019 The Pennsylvania State University. All rights reserved. 171 1. INTRODUCTION Brotherhood or, in more inclusive terms, siblingship was a highly distinctive mark of the Jesus movement at its early stages. 1 Tis is evidenced by the pervasiveness of ἀδελφοί as a form of address and self-reference in most of the New Testament writings, as well as later patristic testimony, such as Tertullian, who states that non-Christians are “angry with us for no other reason, I think, than that we call ourselves brothers” (Apol. 39.8). 2 A similar sentiment is expressed by an early Latin apologist, Minucius Felix: “We love one another, which you regret, with a mutual love, because we do not know how to hate. Tus we call one another, which you envy, brothers (fatres): as the people of one God and parent, and com- panions in faith, and as joint heirs in hope” (Oct. 31). Te outsider’s perspective on the early Christian sense of siblingship is provided by Lucian of Samosata, who comments on the Christians’ fnancial help for their supposed coreligion- ist: “Moreover, the frst law-giver persuaded them that they are all brothers to one another” (Peregr. 13). In the context of Lucian’s work, the siblingship of early Christian believers is connected to their gullibility. 1. Te problem of gender in ancient siblingship looms large behind my study, as my sources—Christian, Jewish, and pagan—almost unanimously collapse siblingship into brotherhood and are exclusively con- cerned with men. Very litle can be known about the relationships among sisters and between brothers and sisters in antiquity, which has resulted in litle scholarly atention to these questions. Nonetheless, Reidar Aasgaard, who made an atempt at investigating the female aspects of siblingship, showed that the gendered nature of the sources does not preclude the possibility of studying the phenomenon in general (“My Beloved Brothers and Sisters!”: Christian Siblingship in Paul, JSNTSup 265 [London: T&T Clark, 2004], 62–66). I do not see any reason to believe that the scope of siblingship in Hebrews is limited to men only, although it is expressed in masculine terms. I will use the terms “brotherhood” and “siblingship” interchangeably in keeping with the sources. 2. All translations are mine, unless otherwise stated. “To Become like His Brothers”: Divine Sonship and Siblingship in Hebrews Mateusz Kusio Chapter 11