Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul, because it begins, "Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ;" (2 Thess. 1:1) and ends, "The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write" (2 Thess. 3:17).
Contents |
[edit] Authorship
The authenticity of this epistle is still in widespread dispute.
[edit] In favour of authenticity
While Paul's authorship of Second Thessalonians has been questioned more often than his authorship of First Thessalonians, there is more evidence from early Christian writers for his authorship of Second Thessalonians than that of First Thessalonians [1]. The epistle was included in the Marcion canon and the Muratorian fragment; it was mentioned by name by Irenaeus, and quoted by Ignatius, Justin, and Polycarp[2].
G. Milligan observed that a church which possessed an authentic letter of Paul would be unlikely to accept a fake addressed to them[3]. So also Colin Nicholl [4] who has put forward a substantial[5] argument for the authenticity of Second Thessalonians. He points out that 'the pseudonymous view is ... more vulnerable than most of its advocates conceded. ... The lack of consensus regarding a date and destination ... reflects a dilemma for this position: on the one hand, the date needs to be early enough for the letter to be have been accepted as Pauline ... [on] the other hand, the date and destination need to be such that the author could be confident that no contemporary of 1 Thessalonians ... could have exposed 2 Thessalonians as a ... forgery.'[4].
Those who believe Paul was the author of 2 Thessalonians also note how Paul drew attention to the authenticity of the letter by signing it himself: "I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, which is how I write in every letter."[6]. Bruce Metzger writes, "Paul calls attention to his signature, which was added by his own hand as a token of genuineness to every letter of his (3:17)." [7]
Other scholars who hold to authenticity include Beale [8], Green[9], Jones[10], Morris[11], and Witherington [12].
[edit] In favour of pseudonimity
At the turn of the 20th century scholars such as William Wrede in 1903[13] and Alfred Loisy in 1933 [14] challenged the traditional view of the authorship. Many today believe that it was not written by Paul but by an associate or disciple after his death, representing what they believed was his message, so Ehrman[15], Gaventa[16], Smiles[17], Schnelle[18], Boring[19], and Kelly[20]. Norman Perrin observes, "The best understanding of 2 Thessalonians … is to see it as a deliberate imitation of 1 Thessalonians, updating the apostle's thought."[21]. Perrin bases this claim off of his hypothesis that prayer at the time usually treated God the Father as ultimate judge, rather than Jesus. However, some form critics have disagreed, instead holding that only Palestinian Jews would have had any problem worshipping Jesus as God.[1]
[edit] Content
The traditional view is that the second epistle to the Thessalonians was probably written from Corinth not many months after the first. Apparently the first letter was misunderstood, especially regarding the second advent of Christ. The Thessalonians had embraced the idea that Paul had taught that "the day of Christ was at hand", that Christ's coming was about to occur. This error is corrected (2:1-12), and the apostle announces what first must take place before the end times. The "Great Apostasy" is first mentioned here.
A passage from this book reading "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat", (2 Thess. 3:10), was later adapted by Vladimir Lenin as an adage of the Soviet Union, He who does not work, neither shall he eat.
[edit] See also
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Leon Morris. Concordia NIV Study Bible. ed. Hoerber, Robert G. St. Lous: Concordia Publishing House, p.1840.
- ^ Guthrie, Donald (1990). New Testament Introduction. Hazell Books. p593
- ^ G. Milligan, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Thessalonians (1908) vi, ix, p448.
- ^ a b Nicholl, CR, (2004), From Hope to Despair in Thessalonica, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0521831420
- ^ "All Thessalonians scholars will need to engage with the arguments of this contribution to the study of the letters." Oakes, P, Review of Nicholl in Journal for the Study of the New Testament 2005; 27; p113-4
- ^ 2 Thess.3:17, See similar indications in 1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; and Col 4:18. NETBible
- ^ Metzger, Bruce M. (2003). The New Testament: Its Background, Growth, & Content. 3rd ed. Nashville: Abingdon, p.255.
- ^ Beale,GK, 1–2 Thessalonians, IVP New Testament Series, Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 2003, ISBN 0851116868
- ^ Green,Gene L, The Letters to the Thessalonians: The Pillar New Testament Commentary, Eerdmans/Apollos, 2002, (Eerdmans) ISBN 0-8028-3738-7 /(Apollos) ISBN 0-85111-781-3
- ^ Jones, Ivor H, The Epistles to the Thessalonians, Peterborough: Epworth Press, 2005, ISBN 0716205955
- ^ Morris, Leon, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, rev.edn, 1991, ISBN 0-8028-2168-5
- ^ Witherington III, B, (2006), 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary, Grand Rapids,MI: Eerdmans, ISBN 0802828361
- ^ William Wreded, Die Echtheit des zweiten Thessalonicherbriefes untersucht (The Authenticity of the Second Letter to the Thessalonians investigated), Leipzig 1903
- ^ Alfred Loisy, The Birth of the Christian Religion, University Books, New York 1962, pp. 20-21 (Originally published as La Naissance du Christianisme, 1933)
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D. (2004). The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford, p.385
- ^ Beverly Roberts Gaventa, First and Second Thessalonians, Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, p.93
- ^ Vincent M. Smiles, First Thessalonians, Philippians, Second Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, Liturgical Press, 2005, p.53
- ^ Udo Schnelle, translated by M. Eugene Boring, The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998), pp. 315-325
- ^ M. Eugene Boring, Fred B. Craddock, The People's New Testament Commentary, Westminster John Knox Press, 2004 p652
- ^ Joseph Francis Kelly, An Introduction to the New Testament for Catholics, Liturgical Press, 2006 p.32
- ^ Norman Perrin, The New Testament: An Introduction: Proclamation and Parenesis, Myth and History, (Harcourt College Publishers, 1974)
[edit] External links
Online translations of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians:
Exegetical Papers on Second Thessalonians:
- Exegesises of II Thessalonians by various authors; maintained by the Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary Library.
| Preceded by 1 Thessalonians |
Books of the Bible | Succeeded by 1 Timothy |
