2 Thessalonians

Composition

2 Thessalonians is a book in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is one of the numerous letters, or epistles, in the New Testament. Scholars traditionally assigned authorship of the letter to Saint Paul the Apostle, whose name is signed on thirteen New Testament epistles. Nevertheless, modern scholars disagree about whether Paul wrote the letter. Some believe that the true author is one of Paul’s followers.

Scholars often categorize the Pauline letters, or the letters attributed to Paul in the New Testament, into three groups. The first group includes “undisputed” letters, which are the seven letters that most scholars agree Paul wrote. The next group includes letters in which the author is disputed. While some scholars believe that Paul wrote them, others contend that they were written by Paul’s followers. The third group of letters includes works that Paul most likely did not write. These letters were most likely written after Paul’s death by individuals who studied his works. Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians is a disputed letter, one that scholars disagree about its authorship.

While the letter’s origins are disputed, the letter itself says that Paul wrote it while imprisoned. Many scholars who believe in Paul’s authorship think that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians as a follow-up to 1 Thessalonians, one of the undisputed Pauline letters. The letter might have been written while Paul was in prison in Rome or Ephesus between 50 and 63 CE. Paul was imprisoned numerous times during his ministry, so his imprisonment does not definitively indicate when he wrote it.

Scholars who contend that one of Paul’s followers wrote the letter believe that it was written between 80 and 110 CE. These scholars support their belief that Paul was not the author by pointing out that the language and content of 1 Thessalonians and the language and content of 2 Thessalonians can be so similar in places that 2 Thessalonians might have been an imitation of 1 Thessalonians. Other scholars doubt the authorship because some of the predictions or ideas in 2 Thessalonians differ from Paul’s predictions and ideas in 1 Thessalonians and other letters. Scholars who doubt Paul’s authorship also point out that the tone of 2 Thessalonians seems more formal than that of 1 Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians addresses the church in Thessalonica, to which Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul addresses problems that the Thessalonians face, such as persecution from people outside the church. Paul understood this persecution well, as he also faced resistance from the people of Thessalonica when he ministered there. Paul first started preaching the gospel and teaching about Jesus Christ in Thessalonica around roughly 49 CE. The Thessalonians were very nationalistic and devoted to Rome and its leader. They were suspicious of Christianity because Christians believed that Jesus was a king. The Thessalonians did not want a leader other than the Roman leader. Nevertheless, Paul converted numerous Thessalonians and began a church there. He wrote 1 Thessalonians to address problems the church had after he left to continue his ministry in other places. The traditional view is that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians soon after the first letter because he learned that the problems in Thessalonica had continued.

Summary

As all the Pauline epistles begin, Paul, or another author, begins 2 Thessalonians with a greeting. Paul introduces himself, Silvanus, and Timothy in the greeting and addresses the audience as “the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (New American Bible, 2 Thes. 1.1). He then continues with a prayer of thanksgiving for the Thessalonians and their faith in God, another common trait of Pauline epistles. In his prayer, Paul tells the congregation that he speaks highly of them to other groups of Christians. He also tells the audience that God will punish the people who do not believe and persecute the Christians of Thessalonica. He also prays that God will do good work through the Thessalonians.

Paul begins Chapter 2 by acknowledging that the Thessalonians have been shaken by a message that they received. The message was supposedly from Paul himself and told the Thessalonians that Jesus’s return has already happened. Paul assures the audience that he did not send such a message and tells them that Jesus has not yet come again. He warns them not to believe people who are telling them otherwise.

Paul continues this part of the letter by explaining that Jesus’s second coming will not occur until certain events and signs take place. Paul indicates that Jesus will come again only after “the lawless one” is revealed. He indicates that the lawless one will claim to be a god but will actually be working on behalf of Satan. Some scholars believe that Paul’s “lawless one” refers to Judas, who betrayed Jesus, and other scholars believe that the “lawless one” refers to the antichrist.

Paul then admonishes the Thessalonians, indicating that they should not have been fooled by another message because Paul had already told them that Jesus would come again only after the signs were fulfilled. He also tells them that Jesus will eventually come again, and the lawless one will eventually be revealed so that Jesus can come again.

Paul encourages the Thessalonians to keep their faith strong. He asks them to continue to act out their faith and to pray. He assures them that God will help them, saying, “[b]ut the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thes. 3.3). He also admonishes members of the congregation who have become idle because they have anticipated the second coming of Jesus. Paul reminds his audience that they are expected to continue to contribute. He also tells other members of the congregation that they should correct anyone who does not follow Paul’s orders to work and contribute.

At the end of Chapter 3, Paul tells them that they can use his handwriting to ensure the authenticity of future letters. He also gives a final greeting by offering the audience of peace of “our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thes. 3.18).

Themes

One of the themes throughout the book is having faith despite challenges or fear. This theme is also expressed throughout 1 Thessalonians. Paul acknowledges the community’s challenges early in Chapter 1 and tells them not to be “shaken out of your minds suddenly” (2 Thes. 2.2) because of their fear. Throughout the letter, Paul addresses a church that is on edge and worried. The hostility that the Thessalonians faced at the time made them nervous and fearful of outsiders. The Thessalonians also feared that Jesus had already returned, and the end of the world was imminent. Paul encourages the people of Thessalonica to have faith and act as they always have. In Chapter 3, Paul asks the Thessalonians to pray for him. He also wishes for their continued faith, saying, “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ” (2 Thes. 3.5).

Another theme of 2 Thessalonians is the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is also an important theme in 1 Thessalonians, though scholars have pointed out that Paul seems to indicate in 1 Thessalonians that Jesus’s second coming is imminent. However, in 2 Thessalonians, Paul assures the congregation that the world will experience certain signs before Jesus’s second coming. He also warns them that they should live their lives with purpose and not be idle simply because they believe Jesus will return. Some scholars have used the differing ideas about the second coming in the two books to support the idea that the two letters had different authors. Nevertheless, other scholars state that the change could show a change in Paul’s ideas and does not support differing authorship. Scholars who believe that the difference is significant argue that other undisputed letters share explanations like 1 Thessalonians.

Bibliography

“2 Thessalonians.” USCCB, 2022, bible.usccb.org/bible/2thessalonians/2. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

The Bible. New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE). Oxford University Press, 2011.

Farrow, Douglas. 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Baker Publishing Group, 2020.

Jeremiah, David. 1 and 2 Thessalonians: Standing Strong through Trials. HarperChristian Resources, 2020.

Johnson, Andy. 1 and 2 Thessalonians. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2016.

“Second Thessalonian.” Insight for Living Ministries, insight.org/resources/bible/the-pauline-epistles/second-thessalonians. Accessed 25 Apr. 2022.

Stott, John. 1 & 2 Thessalonians: Living in the End Times. InterVarsity Press, 2020.

Stott, John. The Message of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. InterVarsity Press, 2021.

Thiselton, Anthony C. 1 and 2 Thessalonians through the Centuries. Wiley, 2020.