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Introduction:

• The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians within the NT Canon
• The Epistolary Structure of 1 and 2 Thessalonians
• A Literary and Historical Overview of 1 Thessalonians
• A Literary and Historical Overview of 2 Thessalonians
• NAB Introduction and Full Text of 1 Thessalonians (from USCCB)
• NAB Introduction and Full Text of 2 Thessalonians (from USCCB)

Outlines of the First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians:

Historical Context of 1 Thess:

• Date: about AD 51 (written from Corinth);
  • 1 Thess is probably Paul’s oldest preserved letter
  • Why do we have no letters from Phase 1 of Paul’s Christian life? (AD 35-49)
  • Did he write some letters that were not preserved (not famous enough yet)?
  • Or, more likely, did he not yet write any letters? Why not?
• Authors:
  • “Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy” (1 Thess 1:1a; compare Acts 17:1-15)
• Recipients:
  • “to the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thess 1:1b); but no individuals named here
  • Acts 17 mentions Jewish and Greek converts in Thessalonica, including some “leading women” and a certain “Jason”
  • These early Christians became believers as converts of Paul and his associates:
    • Paul refers to himself as father/mother, and to them as his “sons/children” (but he also calls them “brothers”)
  • Paul frequently praises them (two thanksgivings, 1:2-10; 2:13-16, etc.)
  • Paul exhorts and encourages them, using both maternal and paternal images:
    • “…like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children” (2:7)
    • “…like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God” (2:11-12)
• Thessalonica:
  • Large port city of Macedonia (Northern Greece), capital of 1st cent. Roman province
  • One of the first churches founded by Paul and his associates (after Philippi, before Corinth), in Phase 2 of his Christian life
• Stages of Paul’s Interactions (combining evidence from Acts 17 and 1 Thess 1–5):
  1. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy come to Thessalonica and preach publicly.
  2. Some Jews & Greeks believe, and form a small “church” community.
  3. Opposition arises, forcing Paul and his companions to flee the city.
  4. Paul worries that the new believers will be persecuted, abandon their faith.
  5. Paul wants to visit them again, but can’t. (Why not?)
  6. Paul sends Timothy to visit them and encourage them to persevere.
  7. Timothy returns with a very positive report about the believers.
  8. Paul writes to praise and encourage them, and to address their concerns.

Historical Context of 2 Thess:

• Author and Authenticity?
  • Purportedly by the same three authors (Paul, Silvanus, Timothy) who also address the same recipients as in 1 Thess.
  • But many scholars argue that 2 Thess is a later pseudepigraphic letter.
• Date & Place of Writing?
• If by Paul, then must be written shortly after 1 Thess (ca. AD 51-52), also written from Corinth
• If not by Paul, then probably written late in the first century; unknown where, but probably Asia Minor (Ephesus)

Literary Features of 1 Thess:

• 1 Thess has a very brief letter opening and conclusion:
  • Contrast this to the expanded intros & longer concluding greetings in Paul's later letters
• 1 Thess has two or three “Thanksgiving” sections (1:2-10 and 2:13-16, also 3:9-13?)
  • Paul was very happy with them; they were one of his first and favorite communities
• 1 Thess contains several prayers (3:11-13; 5:23-24), in addition to the concluding blessing (5:28)
• The body of 1 Thess has mix of personal examples, theological explanations, and practical exhortations.
• In 1 Thess, Paul responds to concrete situation, concerns, and questions of the community.

Literary Features of 2 Thess:

• 2 Thess is shorter, but the literary structure of both letters is very similar (suspiciously so!)
  • The two openings are almost identically worded.
  • Both letters have two thanksgiving sections (only one thanksgiving in each of the other authentic letters of Paul).
  • The postscript (“I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” 2 Thess 3:17) sounds suspiciously “late”
    • This author knows MANY letters of Paul?
• On the other hand, the eschatology of 2 Thess seems very different from that of 1 Thess (more on this below)
  • Much more violent imagery?
  • Is it compatible?  2 Thess corrects a misunderstanding of 1 Thess?
  • Or incompatible? 2 Thess has teachings very different from Paul’s?
• Other differences:
  • 2 Thess has less (auto)biographical material than 1 Thess.
  • 2 Thess has more theological explanations than 1 Thess.

Theological Issues and Themes: 

Ethics in 1 Thess: “Leading a Life Worthy of God”

• Imitate the apostles, follow their good example, and become good examples for others to imitate as well! (1:6-7; 1:9-10; 2:14)
• Live in holiness; avoid sexual immorality (4:1-8)
• Love one another; work diligently (4:9-12)
• Live in hope, not overly grieving, and encourage one another (4:13, 18; 5:11)
• Many imperative commands: respect, esteem, live in peace, admonish, encourage, help, be patient, rejoice, pray, give thanks, do good, abstain from evil, etc. (5:12-22)

• Definitions and introductions to the topics of Eschatology and Apocalypticism (click the links for pages with more info):
  • Eschatology = "teachings about the end"
  • Apocalyptic = "uncoverings/revelations" (of divine truths)
• Overall, Paul's Eschatology in 1 Thess (mid-1st cent.) seems more “primitive” than later Christian ideas about "the end" and the "parousia"
  • Not much violent imagery (good people are persecuted; but there is little mention of vengeance for the wicked)
    • 1:10b – “Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.”
    • 2:16 – “but God’s wrath has overtaken them at last”
    • 5:9 – “For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
  • Main concern is about those who had died (4:13-18)
• What did Paul & his associates initially teach when they arrived in a new city?
  • Not much about the earthly life of Jesus: his miracles, sayings, or teachings
  • Mostly: Jesus died, rose again, and will come again!
• Meanwhile, after Paul left Thessalonica, some believers in this new Christian community must have died:
  • How? Persecution? Accident? Old age? – we don’t know
• Paul’s response: don’t lose hope or mourn too much; those who have died and we who are still alive will be together again with Jesus (4:14-18).
  • These words show us that Paul, in the early 50’s, still expected to be alive when Jesus returns!
• Modern idea of “Rapture” is based on an overly literal reading of 4:17
  • “caught up” = raptus in Latin translations of the Bible
  • See Daniel 7:13-14 (Son of man coming with the clouds)
  • Biblical imagery also quoted by Jesus at his trial (Mark 14:62), and by Stephen just before he is stoned to death (Acts 7:56)
• Paul’s teaching about the “Day of Lord” (5:1-11; cf. Mark 13)
  • It will come suddenly, unexpectedly (5:1-3)
  • So be ready; live in faith, hope, love (5:4-8)
  • God has destined us not for wrath, but for salvation through Jesus! (5:9-11)

Eschatology in 2 Thess:

• Overall, 2 Thess (probably from the later 1st cent., post-70 AD), sounds more “apocalyptic” than 1 Thess
• The Day of the Lord will not be too soon, so don’t just sit around and wait.
• It will be preceded by other signs & events, esp. the coming of the “Lawless one” (2:3, 7, 8, 9)
• 2 Thess contains more violent imagery than 1 Thess:
  • 1:6-9a – “For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, /  and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels / in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. / These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction”
  • 2:8 – “then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will destroy with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming.”
  • God wants or even causes the wicked who will be destroyed?
  • 2:11-12 – “For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion, leading them to believe what is false, so that all who have not believed the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness will be condemned.”
  • Cf. God “hardens the hearts of the wicked” – cf. OT, Gospels, Rom 9:18
• Main concern of 2 Thess: problems with some community members who had quit working; were just waiting!
  • 2 Thess 3:6-13 – “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat.” (v. 10)
  • This does not refer to those who CAN’T work (community cares for them), but to those who are “idle” – lazy, for any reason, not just their apocalyptic hopes

Comparing the Eschatology of 1 Thess & 2 Thess:

Questions for Comparing 1 Thess and 2 Thess:

• What will happen at "the end"? Who is involved? How is Jesus involved?
• When will it happen? Will the timing be unexpected or predictable?
• How will it all happen? Will anything come before the end?
• Are there contradictions between 1 Thess and 2 Thess on these points, or just differences in emphasis?
• Could both 1 Thess and 2 Thess be written by Paul himself, or must 2 Thess be considered pseudepigraphic?

Questions for Review and Discussion:

1 Thessalonians:

• Which verses or passages most surprised you, disturbed you, or inspired you as you read this letter? Why?
• Who are the “Thessalonians”? What do we know about the early Christian community in Thessalonica (and individuals in the church) to whom Paul is writing this letter? What was their relationship with Paul? What are some of the reasons Paul is so happy with this early Christian community?
• What evidence in this letter (and in Acts 17) shows that the Christians in Thessalonica were being persecuted by others in their city, and what does Paul say to them in response?
• What other issues, problems, and/or questions are addressed in this letter?
• In what ways does Paul expect his converts to behave differently than they might have before they became Christians?
• What does Paul say in this letter to allay the Thessalonians’ concerns “about those who have died”?
• How are Paul’s admonitions and instructions in this letter still applicable for us today?

2 Thessalonians:

• Which verses or passages most surprised you, disturbed you, or inspired you as you read this letter? Why?
• What main issues, problems, and/or questions are addressed in this letter?
• How are the theological explanations, ethical admonitions, and/or practical instructions of this letter still applicable for us today?
• Consider the similarities and differences between the two letters:
  Why do some scholars hold that 2 Thessalonians was actually written by Paul (shortly after writing 1 Thess),
  and why do other scholars suggest is was not written by Paul, but by someone else (writing long after Paul’s death)?

For Further Reading and Study:  

• Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. New York: Doubleday, 1997. - "First Letter to the Thessalonians" (pp. 456-466); "Second Letter to the Thessalonians" (590-598).
   
• Malherbe, Abraham J. The Letters to the Thessalonians. Anchor Bible, 32B. New York: Doubleday, 2002.
• Richard, Earl J. First and Second Thessalonians. Sacra Pagina, 11. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1995.
• Marshall, I. Howard. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. New Century Bible Commentary. Wilmington: Michael Glazier, 1979.
• Best, Ernest. A Commentary on the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians. Harper New Testament Commentary. New York: Haper and Row, 1972.