Chapter 290 of 379

2 Thessalonians

Authorship

The majority of commentators on the Thessalonian correspondence accept both letters as genuinely from Paul. Some scholars have questioned the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians because it sometimes features different aspects of the end-time scenario than those found in 1 Thessalonians. These differences, however, are no wider than those found in apocalyptic works that often drew on multiple motifs. In both letters, Paul draws on Jesus’ teachings about the end (see “

”). Moreover, most pseudepigraphic letters were written long after the death of the author they name, but it seems very difficult to date 2 Thessalonians so late. Paul died sometime around AD 64; Jerusalem’s temple was destroyed in AD 70, and the entire empire knew of it. It strains credibility to suggest that a forger after that date would be so inept as to pen , showing no knowledge of the temple’s destruction.

Although the matter is debated, 2 Thessalonians was probably written after 1 Thessalonians. Apparently some Thessalonians appreciated Paul’s comfort about the coming time of God’s kingdom but have reinterpreted it in light of their Greek understanding. Greeks did not expect a future end to the age or a dramatic transformation at some point in the future; consequently some may have understood only the present aspect of the kingdom (). Although Paul sometimes addressed multiple issues in a letter, some scholars also associate the failure of some to work () with such confusion about the end (but cf. ). ◆

Quick Glance

The apostle Paul

Audience:

The church at Thessalonica

Date:

About AD 51 or 52

Theme:

Paul writes to correct a misunderstanding concerning the Lord’s return and to exhort the Thessalonian believers to be steadfast and to work for a living.

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