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A  COMMENTARY  ON  ST.  PAUL'S  FIRST 
EPISTLE  TO  THE  THESSALONIANS 


By  the  Rev. 
ALFRED  PLUMMER,  D.D. 

A  Commentary  on  St.  Paul's   Second 
Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians. 

An    Exegetical    Commentary   on   St. 
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LONDON:    ROBERT  SCOTT 


A   COMMENTARY    ON 

ST.  PAUL'S  FIRST  EPISTLE 

TO  THE 

THESSALONIANS 


By  the  Rev. 

ALFRED  PLUMMER,  M.A.,  D.D. 

Formerly  Master  of  University  College,  Durham,  and  sometime  Fellow 
and  Tutor  of  Trinity  College,  Oxford 
Author  of  "  An  Exegetical  Commentary  on  the  Gospel 
according  to  St.  Matthew,"  etc. 


L-C1-'^ 


LONDON:  ROBERT  SCOTT 

ROXBURGHE  HOUSE 
PATERNOSTER  ROW,  E.C. 

M  C  MXVI  II 
All  rights  reserved 


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INTRODUCTION 

I.  THESSALONICA 

The  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians  do  not  tell  us  a  great 
deal  about  the  city  in  which  these  most  interesting  converts 
of  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  lived  ;  but  what  they  tell  us 
harmonizes  very  well  with  what  we  learn  from  other  sources. 
The  passage  of  the  Gospel  from  Asia  to  Europe  is  a 
momentous  event  in  the  history  of  the  Apostolic  Age  ;  and 
it  took  place  when  St.  Paul,  in  obedience  to  what  he  believed 
to  be  a  Divine  command,  '  set  sail  from  Troas  '  and  came 
'  to  Philippi,  which  is  a  city  of  Macedonia,  the  first  of  the 
district,  a  Roman  colony  '  (Acts  xvi.  8-14).  To  us  this 
means  the  spread  of  Christianity  from  one  continent  to 
another.  But  that  is  not  the  way  in  which  it  is  regarded  in 
the  N.T.,  in  which  the  word  '  Europe  '  does  not  occur,  and 
in  which  '  Asia  '  never  means  the  continent  of  Asia.  The 
Apostle  of  the  Gentiles  and  his  historian,  St.  Luke,  seem 
rather  to  have  regarded  the  event  as  a  passage  from  Eastern 
to  Western  civilization,  an  advance  from  a  world  in  which 
the  best  elements  had  centred  in  Judaism  to  a  world  in 
which  the  best  elements  were  found  in  the  art  and  thought 
of  Greece,  and  in  the  political  and  military  organization  of 
Rome. 

"  Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way  "  {Bishop  Berkeley). 

It  was  neither  to  Europe  in  general,  nor  to  any  particular 
city,  that  the  Apostle  was  invited  to  come  and  render  help, 
but  to  Macedonia  ;  and  the  Macedonians,  although  they 
were  looked  down  upon  by  the  pure  Greeks,  were  morally 
more  promising  material  for  missionaries  to  work  upon  than 

v 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

their  more  brilliant  and  attractive  neighbours  in  Achaia. 
As  Mommsen  says  : 

"  While  in  Greece  proper  the  moral  and  political  energy 
of  the  people  had  decayed,  there  still  existed  in  Northern 
Greece  a  goodly  proportion  of  the  old  national  vigour  which 
had  produced  the  warriors  of  Marathon.  This  sturdy  vigour 
and  unimpaired  national  spirit  were  turned  to  peculiarly 
good  account  by  the  Macedonians,  as  the  most  powerful 
and  best  organized  of  the  states  of  northern  Greece.  The 
people  still  felt  itself  independent  and  free.  In  stedfast 
resistance  to  the  public  enemy  under  whatever  name,  in 
unshaken  fidelity  towards  their  native  country  and  their 
hereditary  government,  and  in  persevering  courage  amidst 
the  severest  trials,  no  nation  in  ancient  history  bears  so 
close  a  resemblance  to  the  Roman  people  as  the  Mace- 
donians ;  and  the  almost  miraculous  regeneration  of  the 
state  after  the  Gallic  invasion  redounds  to  the  imperishable 
honour  of  its  leaders  and  of  the  people  whom  they  led  " 
{History  of  Rome,  Bk.  III.  ch.  viii.  sub  init.\ 

It  is  possible  that  the  fact  of  the  Apostle's  beginning  his 
new  mission  at  Philippi  was  due  simply  to  his  having  chosen 
as  his  means  of  transit  to  Macedonia  a  ship  that  was  bound 
for  Neapolis,  which  was  the  seaport  of  Philippi,  from  which 
it  is  about  ten  miles  distant.  Having  landed  there,  he  saw 
the  advantages  which  Philippi  possessed  as  a  missionary 
centre.  But  it  is  more  probable  that  he  aimed  at  Philippi 
from  the  first,  and  that  he  chose  his  ship  accordingly.  Its 
advantages  for  the  Apostle's  purpose  were  threefold.  It  was 
a  Roman  colony,  and  its  inhabitants,  like  St.  Paul  himself, 
had  the  rights  and  privileges  of  Roman  citizens.  It  was  on 
the  Via  Egnatia,  the  great  high  road  between  East  and 
West,  right  across  the  North  of  the  Hellenic  peninsula, 
from  Dyrrhachium  on  the  Adriatic  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Hebrus.  And  it  had,  what  was  essential  from  the  mission- 
ary's point  of  view,  a  settlement  of  Jews,  to  whom  the 
Gospel  must  first  be  preached.  The  settlement  was  a  small 
one,  for  it  had  no  synagogue,  but  only  '  a  place  of  prayer  ' 
(■n-poaevxv),  near  the  river  Gangites  ;  but  it  sufficed.     When 


INTRODUCTION  vii 

Paul  and  Silas,  after  the  outrageous  treatment  which  they 
received  from  the  mob  and  the  praetors  of  Philippi,  decided 
to  leave  the  place,  they  went  rather  more  than  ioo  miles 
farther  West  to  a  city  which  had  similar  advantages. 

As  Professor  von  Dobschiitz  rightly  observes  :  "  Christi- 
anity, on  account  of  the  whole  of  its  previous  history  and 
its  origin,  could  not  dispense  with  the  synagogue  as  its 
starting-point "  {The  Apostolic  Age,  p.  47).  Hence  the 
comparative  failure  of  the  Apostle's  preaching  at  Athens 
(Acts  xvii.  32-34). 

Thessalonica,  like  Philippi,  was  on  the  great  «Egnatian 
Road.  It  had  a  settlement  of  Jews  large  enough  to  have  a 
synagogue,  '  the  desired  synagogue  '  (v  awaycoyrj),  as  St. 
Luke  calls  it  (Acts  xvii.  1).  Although  it  was  not  a  Roman 
colony,  it  was  a  free  city,  a  privilege  which  was  conferred 
upon  it  for  having  sided  with  Octavius  and  Antony  in  the 
second  civil  war.  Coins  exist  which  bear  the  inscription, 
'  Thessalonica  the  free.'  Moreover  it  was  a  seaport,  so  that 
it  was  a  travel  and  trade  route  between  East  and  West 
both  by  land  and  by  sea.  It  was  doubtless  because  of  its 
great  advantages  as  a  commercial  centre  that  so  many 
Jews  had  settled  there,  and  have  continued  to  settle  there 
all  through  its  history. 

It  is  nothing  more  than  a  coincidence,  but  the  coincidence 
is  worth  noting,  that  both  these  Macedonian  towns,  which 
became  cities  under  Roman  rule,  seem  to  have  owed  their 
origin,  or  at  any  rate  their  original  name,  to  their  water- 
supply.  The  original  name  of  Philippi  was  Crenides 
(KprjvlSes),  '  Wells  '  or  '  Fountains  '  :  and  the  original  name 
of  Thessalonica  was  Therma  (Qep/ia),  '  Hotspring,'  from  the 
hot  springs  of  salt  water,  which  are  still  found  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. These  primitive  names  might  seem  to  anticipate 
the  gracious  fact  that  both  towns  were  to  become  the  places 
where  '  wells  of  water,  springing  up  unto  eternal  life  ' 
(Johniv.  14),  and  '  fountains  of  waters  of  life  '  (Rev.  vii.  17), 
would,  for  the  first  time  in  the  Western  world,  be  found. 
In  later  ages  Thessalonica  was  successful  in  converting  many 
members  of  the  barbarous  and  pagan  hordes  which  came 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

down  upon  it ;  and  it  was  so  staunch  in  upholding  tradi- 
tional beliefs  that  it  was  known  as  "  the  Orthodox  City." 
It  was  about  B.C.  315  that  Cassander,  son  of  Antipater, 
turned  the  small  town  of  Therma  into  a  large  city  by  sweep- 
ing into  it  the  inhabitants  of  other  towns  and  villages  and 
enriching  it  with  fine  buildings.  He  gave  it  the  name  of 
Thessalonica  after  the  name  of  his  wife,  who  was  the  daughter 
of  Philip  of  Macedon  and  the  half-sister  of  Alexander.  At 
the  time  when  Macedonia  was  divided  into  four  parts, 
Thessalonica  was  the  capital  of  the  second.  When  these 
divisions  were  abolished,  it  became  the  metropolis  of  the 
whole.  Along  the  whole  extent  of  the  Egnatian  Road  there 
was  no  city  so  important  or  so  influential  as  Thessalonica. 
Gibbon  (ch.  xvii.  note  21)  says  that  "  before  the  foundation 
of  Constantinople  Thessalonica  is  mentioned  by  Cedrenus 
(p.  283)  as  the  intended  capital  "  (Smith's  Milman's  Gibbon, 
II.  p.  292).  Wealthy  Romans  often  resided  there.  Cicero, 
who  chose  it  as  a  home  during  the  time  of  his  exile  (Pro 
Plane.  41),  says  that  its  inhabitants  were  "  in  the  lap  of  our 
Empire."  Many  of  its  inhabitants,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
heathen,  were  engaged  in  trade  and  were  well-to-do,  as 
probably  were  most  of  the  Jews,  whose  synagogue  had 
attracted  a  considerable  number  of  proselytes.  But  no 
doubt  the  majority  earned  their  living  by  manual  labour, 
as  did  the  Apostle  and  his  colleagues  during  their  stay  (ii.  9). 
Hence  we  find  that  among  the  first  converts  were  some 
Jews,  many  '  God-fearers  ',  and  a  considerable  number  of 
women  from  the  upper  classes  (Acts  xvii.  4).  The  '  God- 
fearers  '  were  not  proselytes,  but  religious  heathen,  who 
attended  the  synagogue  and  admired  the  Jewish  Law. 
Whether  these  women  were  Macedonians  or  Jewesses,  or 
whether  they  were  the  wives  of  heathen,  or  of  proselytes, 
or  of  Jews,  it  is  impossible  to  determine.  Lightfoot  (Philift- 
pians,  pp.  55-57)  has  shown  that  women  in  Macedonia 
probably  had  a  better  social  position  than  elsewhere  in  the 
civilized  world.  "  At  Philippi,  at  Thessalonica,  at  Beroea, 
the  women  take  an  active  part  with  the  Apostle.  .  .  .  The 
active  zeal  of  the  women  in  this  country  is  a  remarkable 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

fact,  without  a  parallel  in  the  Apostle's  history  elsewhere." 
But  a  little  later  in  his  work  at  Thessalonica  the  large 
majority  of  converts  were  heathen  (i.  9),  who  worked  with 
their  hands  for  a  living  (iv.  11  ;  2  Thess.  hi.  10-12).  Among 
the  Jews  were  Aristarchus  (Acts  xx.  4  ;  Col.  iv.  10)  and  in 
all  probability  Jason  (Acts  xvii.  5,  6  ;    cf.  Rom.  xvi.  21). 

As  a  free  city,  Thessalonica  had  the  privilege  of  electing 
its  own  magistrates,  to  whom  St.  Luke  gives  the  title  of 
'  Politarchs  '  (TroXndpxaL,  Acts  xvii.  6,  8).  This  title  for 
'  the  rulers  of  the  city  '  is  found  in  no  classical  author,  and 
the  use  of  it  was  urged  by  Baur,  Zeller,  and  others  as  a 
reason  for  questioning  the  accuracy  of  Luke's  narrative. 
But  the  accuracy  has  been  abundantly  vindicated  by  the 
evidence  of  seventeen  inscriptions,  thirteen  of  which  are 
attributed  to  Macedonia,  five  being  from  Thessalonica.  The 
most  famous  of  these  five  is  now  in  the  British  Museum. 
It  was  taken  from  the  Roman  triumphal  arch,  now  destroyed, 
which  crossed  the  Via  Egnatia  near  the  Vardar  gate.  It 
contains  these  words  :  "  The  Politarchs  being  Sosipater  son 
of  Cleopatra  and  Lucius  Pontius  Secundus,  Publius  Flavius 
Sabinus,  Demetrius  son  of  Faustus,  Demetrius  of  Nicopolis, 
Zoilus  son  of  Parmenio  also  called  Meniscus,  Gains  Agilleius 
Politus."  It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  three  of  the  names 
should  be  those  of  three  of  St.  Paul's  friends,  Sopater  of 
Beroea  (Acts  xx.  4),  Secundus  of  Thessalonica  (xx.  4),  and 
Gaius  of  Macedonia  (xix.  29).  SeeConybeare  and  Howson, 
ch.  ix.  ;  Cook  (Speaker's  Commentary),  Knowling  (Expositor's 
Greek  Testament),  and  Rackham  (Oxford  Commentaries)  on 
Acts  xvii.  6  ;  Lewin,  Fasti  Sacri,  p.  294  §  1767  ;  Tozer,  High- 
lands of  Turkey,  I.  pp.  143-145,  II.  p.  358  ;  Zahn,  Introd.  to 
N.T.,  I.  p.  211  ;  E.  de  Witt  Burton,  American  Journal  of 
Theology,  July,  1898,  pp.  598-632,  where  the  whole  of  the 
seventeen  inscriptions  are  collected.  Sosipater  (Rom.  xvi. 
21)  is  the  same  name  as  Sopater. 

Like  so  many  cities  which  are  seaports,  Thessalonica 
had  an  evil  reputation  for  licentiousness,  which  was  aug- 
mented by  the  wanton  rites  connected  with  the  worship  of 
the    Cabiri     (Lightfoot,   Biblical  Essays,   p.   257).     Cities 


x  INTRODUCTION 

which  were  great  commercial  centres  had  a  strange  mixture 
of  populations  and  were  the  homes  of  many  strange  cults. 
Hence  the  necessity  for  the  special  warnings  given  by  the 
Apostle  (iv.  1-8).  His  subsequent  relations  with  the  con- 
verts at  Thessalonica  are  not  recorded.  He  almost  cer- 
tainly visited  the  city  again  after  the  uproar  at  Ephesus, 
perhaps  more  than  once  (Acts  xx.  if.).  But  of  this  we  have 
no  express  information.  Our  knowledge  of  the  first  century 
becomes  sensibly  less  after  the  passage  of  the  Gospel  into 
Europe. 

II.   AUTHENTICITY 

Fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  the  genuineness  of  i  Thessalonians 
was  seriously  doubted  by  many  scholars,  largely  owing  to 
the  influence  of  the  Tubingen  School ;  to  which,  however, 
while  in  this  matter,  as  in  many  other  points,  we  have  to 
dissent  from  its  conclusions,  we  owe  much  gratitude  for  its 
suggestiveness,  sincerity,  and  courage.  Baur's  objections 
to  i  Thessalonians  are  now  generally  admitted  to  be,  in  some 
cases  inadequate,  or  even  baseless,  in  others,  arguments  in 
favour  of  its  authenticity.  Thus,  to  say  that  it  has  •'  no 
special  aim,  and  no  intelligible  occasion  or  purpose  "  is 
contrary  to  plain  facts ;  and  "  the  insignificance  of  its 
contents,"  and  the  almost  total  "  absence  of  any  dogmatic 
idea  whatever,"  so  far  from  being  an  objection,  show  that 
there  could  be  little  inducement  to  any  one  to  compose  such 
a  letter  and  attribute  it  to  St.  Paul.  See  Zahn,  Introd.  to 
N.T.,  I.  p.  248.  Baur  notes  coincidences  with  other  Pauline 
Epistles,  but  uses  these  to  disprove  Pauline  authorship. 
He  holds  that  a  genuine  letter  must  be  Pauline,  but  not  too 
Pauline.  If  there  are  no  parallels  with  St.  Paul's  acknow- 
ledged Epistles,  St  Paul  did  not  write  it ;  if  there  are  many 
parallels  in  thought  or  language,  we  have  a  forger  imitating 
the  Apostle  !  See  Salmon,  Introd.  to  N.T.,  3rd.  ed.  p.  387. 
With  the  exception  of  Van  Manen  and  a  small  group  of 
eccentric  Dutch  critics,  who  contend  that  we  possess  no 
genuine  Epistles  of  St.  Paul,  the  Pauline  authorship  of 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

i  Thessalonians  is  now  almost  universally  admitted.  It 
may  suffice  to  mention  the  names  of  Bacon,  Bornemann, 
Clemen,  Drummond,  Frame,  Harnack,  Hilgenfeld,  Jowett, 
Jiilicher,  McGiffert,  Martineau,  Moffatt,  Renan,  Sabatier, 
Schmiedel,  Von  Dobschiitz,  Von  Soden,  Weizsacker,  Wendt, 
Westrik. 

The  brevity  of  the  Epistle  and  the  character  of  its  contents 
render  it  a  somewhat  unlikely  field  for  quotations  ;  and  it 
need  not  surprise  us  that  it  is  not  quoted  by  name  by  any 
writer  earlier  than  Irenaeus  (c.  185  a.d.).  There  are  three 
passages  in  Clement  of  Rome  (Cor.  xxxviii.  1,  4,  xlii.  3,  4), 
and  three  in  Ignatius  (Rom.  ii.  1,  4,  Eph.  x.  1,  Pol.  i.  3) 
which  may  possibly  be  reminiscences,  but  not  much  reliance 
can  be  put  upon  them.  Two  supposed  references  in  Poly- 
carp  (ii.  2,  iv.  3)  are  also  unsatisfactory  (Lightfoot  in 
Smith's  D.B.,  III.  p.  1480).  Hermas  {Vis.  III.  ix.  10) 
presents  rather  stronger  resemblance,  but  the  resemblance 
may  be  mere  coincidence.  Perhaps  the  strongest  external 
evidence  in  support  of  1  Thessalonians  is  supplied  by  2 
Thessalonians,  which  (whoever  be  the  author)  throughout 
implies  the  Pauline  authorship  of  the  First  Epistle.  We 
may  add  to  this  the  fact  that  1  Thessalonians  is  included  in 
the  Canon  of  Marcion  (c.  140  a.d.)  and  in  the  Muratorian 
Fragment  (c.  170),  as  well  as  in  the  Syriac  Vulgate  and  the 
Old  Latin  Versions.  After  Irenaeus  quotations  from  it 
abound. 

This  adequate  external  evidence  is  supported  by  very 
strong  evidence  derived  from  the  letter  itself,  the  simplicity 
and  naturalness  of  which  are  very  convincing.  The  lan- 
guage tells  of  an  affectionate  teacher,  most  anxious  about 
the  way  in  which  his  beloved  converts,  who  are  still  only 
imperfectly  instructed,  are  bearing  the  strain  of  prolonged 
and  severe  persecution.  This  anxiety  is  increased  by  the 
fact  that,  during  the  enforced  absence  of  the  Apostle,  his 
enemies  have  been  trying  to  calumniate  him  and  his  col- 
leagues, and  to  shake  the  Thessalonians'  confidence  in  their 
teachers.  It  would  require  a  very  skilful  inventor  to 
imagine  the  peculiar  circumstances,  and  then  compose  a 


xii  INTRODUCTION 

letter,  with  this  sincerity  of  tone,  to  fit  them.  Early 
Christian  forgeries,  such  as  the  correspondence  between 
Abgarus,  King  of  Edessa,  and  our  Lord,  and  the  letter  of 
the  Corinthians  to  St.  Paul  with  a  third  Epistle  from  him  to 
them,  do  not  encourage  us  to  believe  that  any  such  fineness 
of  conception  and  expression  existed  among  the  believers 
of  the  first  few  centuries,  or  even  later.  On  the  contrary, 
their  clumsiness  is  so  great  that  we  wonder  how  any  one 
could  ever  have  believed  that  they  were  genuine.  Moreover, 
it  is  impossible  to  find  in  this  letter  any  motive  for  such 
invention.  It  contains  no  polemical  or  controversial  matter, 
for  the  sake  of  introducing  which  under  the  authority  of  an 
Apostle  a  forger  might  have  been  induced  to  set  to  work. 

This  forger  is  supposed  to  have  gone  to  Acts  for  his  facts. 
This  is  difficult  to  believe,  for  in  important  particulars  the 
letter  is  rather  seriously  at  variance  with  Acts.  In  Acts 
the  converts  are  Jews  or  proselytes ;  nothing  is  said  about 
heathen.  In  the  letter  the  converts  are  heathen  ;  nothing 
is  said  about  Jews  (see  on  i.  9).  In  Acts  the  mission  seems 
to  have  lasted  only  three  weeks ;  the  letter  shows  that  it 
must  have  continued  for  several  months  (see  on  i.  9  and  ii. 
9).  Again,  it  is  difficult  to  reconcile  what  the  letter  tells 
us  about  the  movements  of  Silvanus  and  Timothy  with 
what  we  are  told  about  them  in  Acts  (see  on  hi.  1).  Evi- 
dently the  writer  of  this  letter  had  not  seen  Acts,  and  the 
writer  of  Acts  had  not  seen  this  letter.  ''  It  is  capricious 
to  pronounce  the  epistle  a  colourless  imitation,  if  it  agrees 
with  Acts,  and  unauthentic,  if  it  disagrees "  (Moffatt). 
It  is  equally  clear  that  it  is  not  a  mere  imitation  of  the 
Corinthian  letters. 

There  is  yet  another  point.  If  the  letter  is  a  forgery,  it 
cannot  have  been  published  until  St.  Paul  was  dead  ;  and 
in  that  case  the  writer  would  not  have  represented  the 
Apostle  as  classing  himself  with  those  who  would  be  alive 
at  the  time  of  the  Second  Advent  (see  on  iv.  15).  See 
Jowett,  Introduction  to  1  Thessalonians,  pp.  18-29,  ano^ 
McGiffert  in  Enc.  Bibl.,  IV.  5041. 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 


III.    PLACE  AND  DATE 


The  Place  is  certainly  Corinth.  St.  Paul  had  gone  to 
Athens  (iii.  i)  and  left  Athens  for  Corinth,  where  Silvanus 
and  Timothy  rejoined  him,  and  where  he  stayed  for  about 
eighteen  months  (Acts  xvii.  15,  xviii.  1,  5,  11).  It  was  in 
the  earlier  half  of  this  period  that  he  wrote  the  First  Epistle 
to  the  Thessalonians.  The  exact  year  cannot  be  fixed  with 
certainty,  and  the  year  which  we  select  will  depend  upon 
the  years  selected  for  a  variety  of  events  connected  with  the 
life  of  St.  Paul.  Almost  all  chronologers  allow  of  some  play. 
The  Epistle  must  be  placed  after  the  so-called  Council  of 
Jerusalem,  and  it  can  hardly  be  placed  earlier  than  a.d.  49 
or  later  than  a.d.  53.  Perhaps  a.d.  51  is  the  most  probable 
year.  Harnack  says  48-50 ;  Turner,  50-52 ;  Ramsay, 
51-53;  Lightfoot  and  Wieseler,  52-53  ;  Lewin,  52  ;  Milligan, 
50-51 ;  a  few  place  it  as  early  as  47-48,  and  a  few  as  late  as 
54-55* 

IV.     IMPORTANCE 

Unless  the  hypothesis  that  the  Epistle  to  the  Galatians 
is  earlier  is  correct, — and  at  present  the  large  majority  of 
scholars  find  difficulty  in  accepting  that  hypothesis, — 
1  Thessalonians  is  the  earliest  among  the  Pauline  Epistles, 
and  almost  certainly  the  earliest  of  the  Books  of  the  N.T. 
Some  place  the  Epistle  of  St.  James  first,  and  some  the 
Gospel  according  to  St.  Mark  ;  but  with  the  large  majority 
of  critics  the  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians  still  holds 
the  first  place.  Those  who  would  put  Galatians  in  front  of 
it  are  not  agreed  as  to  whether  that  Epistle  was  written 
before  or  after  the  Council  at  Jerusalem.  Most  place  it 
after  the  Council,  and  select  either  Antioch,  or  Athens,  or 
Corinth  as  the  place  at  which  it  was  written.  Zahn  and 
Rendall  and  others  decide  for  Corinth,  and  that  view  brings 
the  date  of  Galatians  within  a  month  or  two,  at  the  outside 
of  the  date  of  1  Thessalonians.  If  that  were  correct,  the 
difference  in  tone  between  the  two  letters  would  be  most 


xiv  INTRODUCTION 

extraordinary.  Attempts  have  been  made  to  find  a  few 
points  of  resemblance  between  the  two,  but  they  are  not 
very  successful. 

But  to  whichever  of  the  two  Epistles  we  give  the  priority, 
i  Thessalonians,  more  than  any  other  Book  in  the  N.T., 
tells  us  the  kind  of  instruction  which  St.  Paul  was  in  the 
habit  of  giving  to  the  heathen  ;  and,  as  coming  from  the 
Apostle  himself,  it  is  a  more  valuable  piece  of  information 
in  this  respect  than  the  speeches  at  Lystra  and  at  Athens, 
as  reported  by  St.  Luke.  Although,  consciously  or  uncon- 
sciously, he  sometimes  uses  the  language  of  the  LXX,  yet 
he  nowhere  quotes  the  O.T.,  which  would  have  little  interest 
for  imperfectly  instructed  Macedonian  converts.  Nor  does 
he  ever  call  Jesus  the  Son  of  Man,  which  to  them  might  seem 
a  strange  title.  There  is  also  truth  in  the  remark  that 
I  Thessalonians  is  the  least  dogmatic  among  the  Epistles  of 
St.  Paul.  Babes  in  Christ,  newly  won  over  from  idolatry, 
need  simple  and  pure  religion  rather  than  reasoned  and 
systematized  theology.  But  to  call  the  letter  "  undogmatic  " 
would  be  misleading ;  study  of  it  shows  that  the  mission- 
aries must  have  taught  a  great  deal  of  doctrine,  so  much  is 
assumed  as  known.  They  have  two  things  to  which  they 
can  appeal ;  the  excellence  of  the  message  which  they  have 
brought,  and  the  transparent  sincerity  and  disinterestedness 
with  which  it  has  been  preached.  The  Thessalonians  them- 
selves knew  what  had  been  said  and  done  by  the  three 
missionaries,  and  God  knew  what  their  motives  had  been. 
The  writers  could  appeal  with  perfect  confidence  to  both. 

In  his  manner  of  dealing  with  these  converts  from  pagan- 
ism the  Apostle  reveals  a  great  deal  of  his  own  marvellous 
personality,  with  its  deep  affection,  sympathy,  and  sensi- 
tiveness,  and    its    rapidly  changing    emotions.*     As    in 

*  The  words  in  which  a  recent  Jewish  writer  commends  the 
Epistles  of  St.  Paul  to  his  Jewish  brethren  are  worth  quoting. 
"  We  can  appreciate,  and  be  stimulated  by,  those  wonderful  passages 
in  which  the  Apostle  speaks  of  his  own  feelings  and  experiences. 
We  cannot  but  be  struck  by  his  remarkable  combination  of  humility 
and  confidence,  by  his  fortitude  and  enthusiasm,  his  indomitable 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

2  Corinthians,  thankfulness,  love,  anxiety,  and  entreaty  on 
the  one  side  ;  on  the  other,  when  the  Jewish  opponents  are 
uppermost  in  his  thoughts,  indignation  and  severity.  See 
Chase,  Credibility  of  the  Acts  (Hulsean  Lectures,  1900),  pp. 
197,  230,  244,  246. 

The  whole  Epistle  shows  that  the  good  seed  had  fallen  on 
good  soil  in  Thessalonica.  Although  the  growth  had  been 
rapid,  the  roots  had  gone  deep,  and  the  young  plants  had 
stood  the  scorching  test  of  persecution.  There  were  some 
thorns  and  briars  which  needed  to  be  eradicated,  and  the 
Apostle  points  them  out ;  with  the  hope  that  the  converts 
have  the  will  and  the  strength  to  get  rid  of  this  refuse,  which 
has  survived  their  emancipation  from  paganism. 

The  letter  was  written  to  deal  with  this  particular  crisis 
in  the  career  of  the  young  Church  of  Thessalonica,  not  to 
instruct  us  as  to  the  character  or  the  methods  of  St.  Paul. 
But  it  is  only  when  we  take  these  also  into  account  that 
we  obtain  an  adequate  idea  of  the  importance  of  what  is 
probably  the  earliest  piece  of  Christian  literature  that  has 
come  down  to  us. 

IV.     OCCASION 

It  was  during  what  is  commonly  called  his  Second  Mis- 
sionary Journey,  and  after  the  beating  and  imprisonment 
at  Philippi,  that  St.  Paul  came  along  the  Egnatian  Road  to 
Thessalonica,  accompanied  by  Silas,  and  probably  by 
Timothy  :  but  Timothy  may  have  joined  him  there  a  little 
later.     For  about  three  weeks  he  laboured  among  the  Jews 

perseverance,  his  high  spirits  (to  use  a  homely  expression),  undaunted 
by  difficulties,  troubles  and  pain.  There  is  always  something 
inspiring  in  the  picture  of  a  great  man,  convinced  of  his  cause,  and 
pursuing  his  straight  course  in  the  face  of  constant  opposition  and 
trial.  Paul  not  only  rises  superior  to  his  sufferings,  but  he  exults 
and  rejoices  in  them.  And  perhaps  in  this  exultation  and  rejoicing 
lies  the  most  peculiar  and  instructive  feature  of  his  career,  the  fea- 
ture in  which  he  was  in  fullest  accordance  with  the  teaching  of  his 
Master  and  Lord  "  (C.  G.  Montefiore,  Judaism  and  St.  Paul,  pp. 
200  1). 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

and  '  God-fearers  '  who  attended  the  worship  in  the  syna- 
gogue in  which  the  missionaries  preached.  Here  Luke's 
account  of  the  mission  to  Thessalonica  ends.  He  passes  at 
once  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  missionaries  from  the  city, 
owing  to  the  machinations  of  the  unconverted  Jews,  who 
stirred  up  the  rabble  to  mob  them  and  denounce  them  before 
the  Politarchs.  The  missionaries  had  preached  Jesus  as  the 
Messiah-King  who  was  coming  again  to  found  the  Messianic 
Kingdom.  It  was  therefore  easy  to  represent  them  to  the 
Politarchs  as  dangerous  ringleaders  who  were  preaching 
rebellion  against  Caesar.  Their  non-appearance  to  answer 
this  charge  of  course  told  against  them,  and  it  was  impossible 
for  the  magistrates  to  ignore  so  serious  an  accusation.  But 
they  seem  to  have  had  a  suspicion  that  it  was  dictated  by 
animus  rather  than  loyalty.  The  sentence  which  they 
pronounced  was  a  light  one.  Jason,  who  had  sheltered 
the  missionaries,  and  other  converts,  who  had  been  pro- 
minent in  support  of  them,  were  made  to  pledge  themselves 
that  there  should  be  no  further  trouble.  The  exact  meaning 
of  this  pledge  is  uncertain,  but  it  probably  means  that  Jason 
and  his  companions  had  to  deposit  a  sum  of  money,  as 
security  that  they  themselves  would  appear  in  court,  when 
called  upon  to  do  so.  In  consequence  of  this  pledge,  they 
sent  the  missionaries  away  by  night  to  the  quieter  and  more 
secluded  city  of  Beroea. 

:  It  is  clear  from  i  Thessalonians  and  Philippians  that  St. 
Luke  has  missed  out  a  great  deal,  either  because  he  did  not 
know  it,  or  thought  it  of  minor  importance,  or  had  not 
room  for  it.  The  mission  in  Thessalonica  lasted  a  good  deal 
more  than  three  or  four  weeks  ;  and  so  many  heathen  were 
converted,  in  addition  to  Jews,  '  God-fearers '  and  chief 
women,  that  Gentiles  formed  the  bulk  of  the  Thessalonian 
Church.  Their  conversion  must  have  taken  some  time. 
More  time  is  required  for  the  converts  to  sound  out  the 
word  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia  and  beyond  (i.  8).  It  is 
evident  that  at  Thessalonica  the  Apostle  acted  as  he  did  at 
Pisidian  Antioch,  where,  after  preaching  for  two  or  more 
Sabbaths  to  the  Jews,  he  turned  to  the  Gentiles  (Acts  xiii. 


INTRODUCTION  xvii 

46-49).  At  Ephesus,  after  teaching  in  the  synagogue  for 
three  months,  he  preached  for  two  years  to  mixed  multi- 
tudes (xix.  8-10).  Moreover,  it  would  scarcely  have  been 
necessary  for  the  missionaries  to  work  night  and  day  for 
their  maintenance,  or  (if  they  did  so)  to  call  attention  to  it, 
if  they  remained  in  the  place  only  three  or  four  weeks  (ii.  9). 
Still  less  would  it  have  been  necessary  for  the  Philippians, 
more  than  once,  to  send  supplies  to  them  (Phil.  iv.  15, 16). 

At  Beroea  the  missionaries  were  at  first  welcomed ;  and 
many  Jews,  with  not  a  few  Greek  women  of  honourable 
estate  and  Greek  men,  believed.  But  fanatical  Jews  of 
Thessalonica  came  and  again  caused  trouble.  The  Apostle's 
friends  took  St.  Paul  to  the  sea  coast,  and  some  of  them 
came  on  with  him,  probably  by  sea,  to  Athens  ;  Silas  and 
Timothy  being  left  behind  at  Beroea,  whither  orders  were 
sent  to  them  from  Athens  that  they  were  to  rejoin  the 
Apostle  as  soon  as  possible  (Acts  xvii.  11-15).  Timothy  did 
so.  He  rejoined  St.  Paul  at  Athens,  and  was  sent  by  him 
back  to  Thessalonica,  whither  the  Apostle  himself  had  much 
wished  to  return,  but  on  two  occasions  had  been  prevented 
from  doing  so  (ii.  17),  possibly  by  a  return  of  the  malady 
which  he  called  a  '  messenger  of  Satan  '  (2  Cor.  xii.  7). 
See  Rackham  on  Acts  xvii.  9.  During  Timothy's  absence 
St.  Paul  went  on  from  Athens  to  Corinth,  and  soon  all  three 
missionaries  were  once  more  reunited  there.  What  Silas 
had  been  doing  since  he  was  left  behind  at  Beroea  we  do 
not  know.  Possibly  he,  like  Timothy,  had  rejoined  the 
Apostle  at  Athens,  and  thence,  like  Timothy,  had  been  sent 
off  again  on  a  mission.  But  both  returned  to  St.  Paul  at 
Corinth  (Acts  xviii.  5),  where  all  three  took  part  in  sending 
1  Thessalonians  (i.  1). 

The  Epistle  is  the  result  of  the  favourable  report  brought 
by  Timothy  from  Thessalonica.  The  new  converts  had  been 
behaving  well  in  spite  of  much  persecution,  and  in  spite  of 
open  calumnies  and  subtle  insinuations  persistently  made 
against  the  missionaries  since  their  flight.  These  attacks 
would  come  partly  from  the  friends  and  relations  of  the 
Greeks  who  had  been  converted,  but  chiefly  from  the  Jews 

B 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

in  Thessalonica,  who,  like  most  of  their  brethren  every- 
where, were  utterly  opposed  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel. 
That  there  were  Judaizing  Christians  at  Thessalonica,  such 
as  caused  so  much  trouble  in  Galatia  and  at  Corinth,  is  not 
probable.  There  is  no  hint  of  any  such  influence  either  in 
i  Thessalonians  or  in  Acts. 

The  main  object  of  i  Thessalonians  is  to  answer  these 
false  charges  and  suggestions,  which  would  be  fatal  to 
mission  work  in  Macedonia,  if  they  were  believed.  The 
second  object,  also  very  important,  is  to  encourage  the 
Thessalonians  to  persevere  and  make  progress.  They  were 
still  defective  in  purity,  brotherly  love,  and  orderly  dis- 
cipline ;  and  they  needed  further  instruction  in  doctrine, 
especially  with  regard  to  the  Resurrection  and  Christ's 
Return.  But  with  regard  to  both  life  and  doctrine  the 
Apostle's  aim  is  not  so  much  to  convert  as  to  confirm.  The 
eager  preacher  has  become  the  anxious  pastor,  all  the  more 
anxious  as  having  to  tend  a  deeply  interesting  and  promis- 
ing flock,  which  was  beset  by  troubles  from  without  and  from 
within.  As  it  was  impossible  for  the  Apostle  to  come 
himself  to  repel  accusations  and  to  continue  his  teaching, 
he  sends  a  letter,  which  is  evidently  not  a  first  attempt. 
It  does  not  read  like  the  composition  of  a  beginner,  and 
2  Thess.  hi.  17  implies  that  St.  Paul  had  had  much  practice. 

There  is  no  clear  hint  in  the  Epistle  that  the  Thessalonians 
had  written  to  the  Apostle  before  Timothy  was  sent  back 
to  them,  or  that  they  had  sent  a  letter  by  him  when  he 
returned  to  make  his  report  of  the  Thessalonian  Church. 
That  no  letter  of  theirs  to  St.  Paul  is  mentioned  in  hi.  6-8 
is  rather  strong  evidence  that  no  such  letter  was  sent.  It 
has  been  thought  that  the  '  also  '  in '  we  also  '  (ii.  13)  implies 
that  the  Thessalonians  had  written.  The  '  also,'  as  is 
shown  in  the  notes,  may  be  interpreted  in  more  ways  than 
one  ;  but  none  of  the  interpretations  necessarily  requires 
the  hypothesis  of  a  letter  from  Thessalonica  to  the  Apostle. 
Of  course,  if  the  hypothesis  of  such  a  letter  is  accepted,  it  is 
not  difficult  to  construct  a  series  of  questions  to  which 
portions  of  1  Thessalonians  might  be  an  answer.     A  similar 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

letter  of  inquiry  might  be  constructed  to  fit  Philippians,  but 
it  would  go  very  little  way  towards  proving  that  any  such 
letter  had  been  written. 


V.     CONTENTS 

(a)  The  letter  is  written  in  the  fulness  of  the  Apostle's 
joy,  affection,  and  anxiety,  and  has  no  carefully  considered 
arrangement.  It  follows  the  lines  of  letter- writing  which 
were  usual  at  that  time,  and  the  topics  follow  in  a  natural, 
but  probably  not  previously  considered,  order.  There  are 
two  main  divisions,  which  are  preceded  by  a  general  address, 
and  are  followed  by  an  Apostolic  conclusion. 

I.  The  Salutation,  i.   i. 

II.  Historical  and  Personal.    A   Review  of  the  Mis- 

sionaries'  Recent   Relations   with  the   Thessalonians, 
i.  2 — hi.  13. 

1.  Thanksgiving  for  the  Fruits  of  their  Conversion,    i.  2-10. 

2.  How  the  Missionaries  acted  at  Thessalonica.     ii.  1-12. 

3.  Renewed   Thanksgiving   for   the   Conversion   of    the 

Thessalonians,  and  for  their  Patience  under  Perse- 
cution,    ii.  13-16. 

4.  The  Writers'   Anxiety    about    their  Converts,   until 

reassured  by  Timothy,     ii.  17-iii.  10. 

5.  Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians.     iii.  11-13. 

III.  Hortatory  and  Doctrinal.    A  Review  of  the  Con- 

verts' Shortcomings  and  a  Supplement  to  the  Mission- 
aries' Teaching,     iv.  i — v.  24. 

1.  Exhortations  to  Purity,  to  Love  of  the  Brethren,  and 

to  Honest  Work.     iv.  1-12. 

2.  Concerning  them  that  fall  asleep  before  the  Advent  of 

the  Lord.     iv.  13-18. 

3.  The  Uncertainty  of  the  Time  of  the  Advent  and  the 

Need  of  Watchfulness,     v.  1-11. 


xx  INTRODUCTION 

4.  Exhortations  respecting  Church  Discipline  and  Holi- 

ness of  Life.     v.  12-22. 

5.  Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians.     v.  23,  24. 

IV.    Concluding  Charges  and  Benediction,    v.  25-28. 

(b)  Reminiscences  of  the  Septuagint. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  St.  Paul  was  very  familiar  with 
the  language  of  the  LXX.  When  he  handled  religious 
topics  in  Greek,  the  language  of  the  O.T.  would  come 
naturally  to  him  as  a  means  of  expression.*  Sometimes 
he  deliberately  selected  the  wording  of  the  LXX  and  adapted 
it  to  his  purpose.  But  very  often  (we  may  suppose)  words 
and  phrases  of  the  LXX  occurred  to  him  without  effort  on 
his  part  ;  and  here  and  there,  perhaps,  what  looks  like  a 
reminiscence  may  be  a  mere  accident  of  language.  Single 
words  do  not  prove  much,  unless  either  the  word  is  an 
unusual  one  or  the  general  sense  of  the  two  passages  is 
similar.  Thus  i^vXriTal  (i-  8)  and  e^XVcrav  (Joel  hi.  14) 
need  have  no  connexion  ;  and  much  the  same  might  be  said 
of  etaohov  (i.  9)  and  daohov  (2  Kings  xix.  27).  Even 
ava/xeveiv  rbv  vlbv  avrov  ite  tcov  ovpavcov  (i.  10)  has  only 
a  superficial  resemblance  to  dve/xelva/xev  icpLo-iv  (Isa.  lix.  11): 
to  wait  hopefully  for  the  Son's  Return  is  a  different  thing 
from  waiting  in  vain  for  Divine  favour.  There  is  more  to  be 
said  for  the  similarity  between  iv  Travrl  roirw  rj  nrio-Tis 
vfjb5)v  e%e\r)\v9ev  (i.  8)  and  et9  iraaav  ttjv  777V  e^r/Xdev  6 
$#67709  avTcov  (Ps.  xix.  4),  or  between  'Irjaovv  rbv  pvo/xevov 
rjfias  iie  t^?  0^77}?  Tr}?  ip^ofiivr}^  (i.  10)  and  c^  e'  6  pvop,evo<i 
ex  iravrb<i  rca/cov  (Wisd.  xvi.  8),  for  although  in  each  pair 
only  one  word  is  the  same,  yet  in  each  there  is  general 
resemblance  between  the  two  passages.  See  also  notes  on 
i.  9. 

But  there  are  six  or  seven  cases  in  which  the  resemblances 
between  words  in  the  Epistle  and  words  in  the  LXX  are 

*  See  Swete,  Introduction  to  the  Old  Testament  in  Greek,  pp.  403, 
404. 


INTRODUCTION 


xxi 


of  a  more  decided  character,  and  in  which  it  is  fairly  safe 
to  believe  that  the  Apostle  is  consciously  using  the  language 
of  the  Greek  Version  of  the  O.T.  Scriptures. 


i  Thessalonians. 

ii.   4.    ©£w  to5  SoKi/xd^ovTt  Ttt? 
Kap8la<;  f][i(bv. 


ii.  16.  €i<i      to     avairXiqpoiaai 
avrwv  ra<i  dpapTtaf. 


ii.  19.  o~T€<pavo<;  Kav%rjo~e<0<;. 


iv.  5.   t<z   edvt]   rd  p,r)   elSora 
rbv  @eov. 


iv.  6.  €k8iko<;     Kupio?     trepl 
irdvruiv  tovtojv. 


iv.  8.  tov  Gebv  rbv  BcBovra 
to  irvevfia  avrov  rb 
ayiov  et9  vp,d<$. 


Septuagint. 

Jer.  xii.  3.  av,  Kvpie,  yivcoa- 
/ceis  pe,  SeSoKL- 
paicas  tt)v  Kap- 
hiav  p.ov.  Cf.  xi. 
20 ;  Ps.  xvi. 
(xvii.)  3  ;  Prov. 
xvii.  3. 

Gen.  XV.  16.  ovttco  <ydp  dvcnre- 
TrXrjpcovTat  al 
ap,apTiai  tcov 
^Apoppaicov  ea>5 
tov   vvv. 

Dan.  viii.  23.  ifk^povfiivcov  t&v 

dp,apri(ov  avrwv. 
Prov.  xvi.  31.   o-re<pavo<;  /cav- 

Xrfo-ea)?.  Cf. 

Ezek.    xvi.    12, 

xxiii.  42. 
Ps.   lxxviii.    (lxxix.)  6.    evdrj 

rd    fir}    iireyva)- 

Kora  (re. 
Jer.  X.  25.  edvrj  rd  pur)  elSora 

<re.      Cf.  ix.3. 
Deut.   xxxii.   35.     iv   y^pa 

i/cSiicrjcreays  dvr- 
cnroScoaa). 
Ps.  xciii.  (xciv.)  I.  0  @eo? 
eK&iKrjaewv  Kvp- 
10s,  6  @eo9  etcSt- 
KTjaecov  €7rapprj- 
cridcraTO. 
Ezek.  xxxvii.  14.    koX  6o>o-&> 

to    irvevpd     pov 

€t9  vfid'i, 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

V.   8.   ivSva-ajxevoi         Ocapaica      Isa.  lix.  17.      Kal    eveSvaaro 
7r/<7Te&>9      Kal     a^dirr}^  SiKacoauvrjv      o>9 

Kal    7T€ptKe(f)a\alav  iX-  doopaKa,  Kal  7re- 

7rtSa  <ra>T7]pi,a<;.  piedero     irepiKe- 

<pa\aiav  <tq)T7]- 
p'iOV  €7Tl  Trjs 
KecpaXrjs. 

Wisd.  V.  18.     ivSvaerai    6a>- 

paKa  SiKaioavi/rjv. 

V.  22.  airb  iravTos    eifSou?  iro-      Job    i.     I.      aTr€%6/jLevo<;    a-rro 

rrjpov  aire^eade.  iravToq    trovrjpov 

irpa<yp.aTO<i. 
Job    ii.  3.     aire^opbevo^    airb 
7ravT0?  KaKOv. 


None  of  these  are  direct  quotations  ;  and  it  is  not  certain 
that  in  all  the  eight  cases  there  is  conscious  adaptation  of 
the  language  of  the  LXX.  The  last  might  be  an  accidental 
similarity  of  wording. 

(c)  Reminiscences  of  Sayings  of  Christ. 

Possible  reminiscences  of  our  Lord's  words  are  fairly 
frequent,  especially  in  the  last  chapter ;  and  probable 
reminiscences  are  frequent  enough  to  render  it  improbable 
that  all  the  similarities  between  the  utterances  of  the 
Apostle  and  those  of  Christ  are  mere  coincidences.  Assuming 
that  in  some  cases  St.  Paul  is  consciously  reproducing 
Sayings  which  are  attributed  to  our  Lord  in  the  Gospels, 
the  question  arises,  Whence  did  the  Apostle  acquire  his 
knowledge  ?  The  most  probable  source  is  the  oral  tradi- 
tion, which  preceded  our  Gospels,  and  continued  to  be  a 
means  of  instruction  for  some  time  after  the  Gospels  were 
published.  But  it  is  not  impossible  that  for  some  of  the 
Sayings  which  St.  Paul  seems  to  have  in  his  mind  he  had  a 
written  source.  This  written  source  could  not  well  be  any 
of  'our  four  Gospels,  for  it  is  certain  that  Mt.,  Lk.,  and  Jn. 
were  not  yet  written,  and  it  is  extremely  improbable  that 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

Mk.  was  already  published,  although  a  few  scholars  are 
disposed  to  believe  that  it  was.  It  will  be  observed  that 
hardly  any  of  the  passages  in  this  Epistle  which  might  be 
echoes  of  Christ's  Sayings  are  possible  echoes  of  those  which 
are  found  only  in  Mk.*  It  is,  however,  quite  possible  that 
the  lost  document  (the  existence  of  which  is  now  generally 
assumed),  which  was  largely  used  by  both  Mt.  and  Lk.,  but 
hardly  at  all  (if  indeed  at  all)  by  Mk.,  was  known  to  St. 
Paul  and  may  have  influenced  his  language.  This  lost 
document,  commonly  called  Q,  seems  to  have  been  mainly 
a  collection  of  the  Sayings  of  Christ,  with  just  enough  narra- 
tive to  make  the  Sayings  intelligible.  The  question  is 
interesting,  but  it  is  not  of  great  importance.  There  is  not 
very  much  difference  between  an  oral  tradition,  which  has 
become  fixed  in  wording,  and  the  same  or  very  similar 
tradition,  which  has  been  committed  to  writing.  Very  few 
of  the  apparent  reminiscences  of  Christ's  words  in  this 
Epistle  resemble  those  in  the  Gospels  so  closely  as  to  render 
quotation  from  a  written  document  necessary.  All  of  them 
are  so  brief  that  they  might  easily  have  been  preserved 
orally.  The  strongest  examples  may  be  taken  first ;  and 
for  purposes  of  comparison  it  will  suffice  to  use  the  Revised 
Version. 

*  In  the  Second  Epistle  all  the  probable  reminiscences  are  of  Sayings 
recorded  in  Mt.  or  Lk.  ;  not  one  seems  to  come  from  what  is  recorded 
by  Mk.,  and  most  are  from  the  apocalyptic  utterances  in  Mt.  xxiv. 
Compare  i.  5  with  Lk.  xx.  35,  i.  7  with  Lk.  xvii.  30,  ii.  1  with  Mt. 
xxiv.  31,  ii.  2  with  Mt.  xxiv.  6,  ii.  3  with  Mt.  xxiv.  4,  12,  ii.  4  with 
Mt.  xxiv.  15,  ii.  9  with  Mt.  xxiv.  24,  ii.  n  with  Mt.  xxiv.  4.  Har- 
nack  asserts  that  "  no  one  will  be  able  to  prove  that  Mk.  made 
use  of  Q  "   {The  Sayings  of  Jesus,  p.  226). 

With  regard  to  the  probability  of  St.  Paul  having  made  use  of  it, 
Lightfoot's  words  on  v.  2  may  be  quoted  :  "  Had  such  a  written 
gospel  existed  and  been  circulated  by  St.  Paul,  he  could  scarcely 
have  referred  to  his  oral  teaching  in  preference  five  years  later  in 
1  Cor.  xi.  23  f.,  xv.  1,  when  a  reference  to  the  written  document 
would  have  been  decisive." 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


i  Thessalonians. 

ii.  14-16.  The  Jews ;  who 
both  killed  the  Lord  Jesus 
and  the  prophets,  and 
drave  us  out  (i/cSteogdv- 
tcdv)  .  .  .  to  fill  up  their 
sins  alway. 


iv.  8.  He  that  rejecteth,  re- 
jecteth  not  man,  but  God. 


v.  2.  The  day  of  the  Lord 
so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the 
night. 


v.  3.  Then  sudden  destruc- 
tion cometh  upon  them,  as 
travail  upon  a  woman  with 
child. 

v.  5.  Ye  are  all  sons  of  light. 

v.    6.  So    then  ...  let    us 

watch  (apa  ovv  .  .  .  707770- 
pw/iev). 
v,  7.  They  that  be  drunken 
are  drunken  in  the  night. 


Gospels. 

Mt.  xxiii.  31-34.  Ye  are  the 
sons  of  them  that  slew  the 
prophets.  Fill  ye  up  then 
the  measure  of  your 
fathers.  ...  I  send  unto 
you  prophets  .  .  .  some  of 
them  ye  shall  persecute 
(Stc6£eTe)  from  city  to 
city. 

Cf.  Lk.  xi.  49,  50. 

Lk.  x.  16.  He  that  rejecteth 
you  rejecteth  me  ;  and  he 
that  rejecteth  me  rejecteth 
Him  that  sent  me. 

Mt.  xxiv.  43.  If  the  master 
of  the  house  had  known  in 
what  watch  the  thief  was 
coming. 

Cf.  Lk.  xii.  39. 

Lk.  xxi.  34.  Lest  haply  .  .  . 
that  day  come  on  you  sud- 
denly as  a  snare. 

Cf.  Lk.  xvii.  26-30. 

Lk.  xvi.  8.  The  sons  of  light  1 

Cf.  Jn.  xii.  36. 

Mt.  xxiv.  42.  Watch  there- 
fore (ypyyopeiTe  ovv). 

Mt.  xxiv.  48,  49.  If  that  evil 
servant  ■.  .  .  shall  eat  and 
drink  with  the  drunken. 

Cf.  Lk.  xii.  45. 


The  cumulative  effect  of  these  seven  parallels  is  con- 
siderable ;  and  it  is  increased  by  the  existence  of  other 
cases  in  which  the  similarity  between  St.  Paul's  words  and 


INTRODUCTION 


XXV 


the  Sayings  in  the  Gospels  is  less  striking  than  in  these 
seven. 


i  Thessalonians . 

ii.  12.  God  who  calleth  you 
into  his  own  kingdom  and 
glory. 


iii.  13.  At  the  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  with  all  his 
saints  (rcov  d<yia)V  clvtov). 


iv.  16.  With  the  voice  of  the 
archangel,  and  with  the 
trump  of  God. 


iv.  17.  to  meet  the  Lord. 

v.  1.  But  of  the  times  and 
the  seasons. 


v.   13.  Be  at  peace  among 

yourselves. 
v.  15.  See  that  none  render 

unto  any  one  evil  for  evil. 


Gospels. 

Mt.  xxii.  3.  Sent  forth  his 
servants  to  call  them  that 
were  bidden  to  the  mar- 
riage. 

Cf.  Lk.  xiv.  17. 

Mt.  xvi.  27.  The  Son  of  man 
shall  come  in  the  glory  of 
his  Father  with  his  angels 

Mk.    viii.    38.     twv   dyyiXwv 

roov  d<yi(ov. 
Lk.  ix.   26.     tq)v   dy[(ov    dy- 

yeXcov. 
Mt.  xxiv.  31.  He  shall  send 

forth   his    angels   with    a 

great  sound  of  a  trumpet. 
Cf.  Mk.  xiii.  26,  27  ;  Lk.  xxi. 

27- 
Mt.  xxv.  6.  Come  ye  forth  to 

meet  him. 
Mk.  xiii.  32.  But  of  that  day 

or  that  hour. 
Mt.   xxiv.   36.  But  of  that 

day  and  hour. 
Mk.  ix.  50.  Be  at  peace  one 

with  another. 
Mt.   v.   39.  Resist  not  him 

that  is  evil. 
Cf.  Lk.  vi.  27-29. 


From  these  fourteen  instances,  which  do  not  exhaust  all 
the  possibilities,  we  may  safely  infer  that  either  through 
the  oral  tradition,  which  he  would  derive  direct  from  some 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

of  the  Twelve,  or  from  some  written  document,  St.  Paul  was 
familiar  with  many  of  the  utterances  of  our  Lord. 

The  Christology  of  the  Epistle  appears  only  incidentally, 
and  for  that  reason  is  all  the  more  decisive.  In  four 
places  (i.  3,  v.  9,  23,  28)  we  have  the  full  expression, 
'  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  The  frequent  title,  '  the  Lord,' 
implies  a  great  deal.  Side  by  side  with  the  Father,  '  our 
Lord  Jesus  '  is  addressed  in  prayer  (hi.  11).  He  'died 
for  us  '  (v.  10  ;  cf.  ii.  15),  and  was  '  raised  from  the  dead  ' 
(i.  10,  iv.  14).  He  is  in  Heaven,  whence  He  will  come 
again  to  gather  to  Himself  both  quick  and  dead  (iv.  16-18, 
v.  10). 


VI.     COMMENTARIES 

Only  a  selection  is  given  here.  A  very  full  list  will  be 
found  in  the  excellent  commentary  by  Professor  J.  E. 
Frame,  who  has  had  the  advantage  of  coming  last  in  a  very 
distinguished  list,  In  the  following  summary  foreign  works 
which  have  been  translated  into  English  are  inserted  in  the 
English  list. 

On  the  Greek  Text. 
Patristic. 

Greek.     Chrysostom,  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  Theodoret, 
Oecumenius.* 

Latin.     Ambrosiaster,  Pelagius. 

Reformers. 
Latin.     Calvin,     wingli,  Musculus. 

*  For  information  see  H.  B.  Swete,  Patristic  Study,  and  C.  H. 
Turner,  "Patristic  Commentaries,"  in  Hastings'  DB.  V.  pp.  484  f. 
Chrysostom 's  eleven  Homilies  on  1  Thessalonians  are  not  reckoned 
among  his  best ;  but  they  are  fairly  often  quoted,  and  most  of  the 
passages  thus  distinguished  are  given  in  these  notes. 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

Modern. 

Bengel,  Gnomon  N.T.,  1742  ;   tr.  1857,  i860. 

Webster  and  Wilkinson,  1855-1861. 

Lillie,  1856  (American). 

Alford,  1857,  5th  ed.  1871. 

Olshausen,  1830  ;    tr.  1858. 

Jowett,  1859. 

C.  Wordsworth,  1859. 

Eadie,  1877. 

Liineman,  1850  (in  Meyer)  ;   tr.  1880. 

Ellicott,  1880. 

Lightfoot,  1895  (Posthumous,  in  Notes  on  the  Epistles  of 

St.  Paul). 
Findlay,  1904  (Cambridge  Greek  Testament). 
B.  Weiss,  1902  ;   tr.  1906. 
Milligan,  1908. 

Moffatt,  1910  (Expositor's  Greek  Testament). 
Frame,  1912  (International  Critical  Commentary). 

On  The  English  Versions. 

Mason  (Ellicott' s  Com.  for  English  Readers). 
Alexander,  1881  (Speaker's  Commentary). 
Marcus  Dods,  1882  (Schaff's  Popular  Com.). 
Gloag,  1887  (Pulpit  Commentary). 
Findlay  (1891)  (Cambridge  Bible). 
Denney,  1892  (Expositor' s  Bible). 
Bartlet,  1902  (Temple  Bible). 
Adeney  (New  Century  Bible). 

New  Translations  into  English. 

The  Twentieth  Century  New  Testament,  1900. 
Weymouth,  The  N.T.  in  Modern  Speech,  1905. 
Way,  The  Letters  of  St.  Paul,  2nd.  ed.  1906. 
Rutherford  (Posthumous),  Thessalonians  and  Corinthians, 

1908. 
Moffatt,  The  N.T.,  a  New  Translation,  1913. 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

Cunnington,  The  New  Covenant,  1914. 

There  are  valuable  articles  on  the  Epistle  in  Smith's 
DB.     by    Lightfoot,     1863  ;     Hastings'    DB.    by    Lock, 

1902  ;    Cheyne's  Enc.  Bibl.  by  McGiffert,  1903  ;    Murray's 
Illustrated  Bible  Dictionary  by  Sinker. 

See  also  the  article  on  "  Paul  "  in  Hastings'  DCG.  II. 
by  Sanday,  1908. 

Of  German  commentaries  those  by  Schmiedel,  1892  (in 
Holtzmann),   Bornemann,    1894    (in   Meyer),   Wohlenberg, 

1903  (in  Zahn),  Dobschutz,  1909  (in  Meyer),  will  be  found 
most  useful. 


N.B. — In  the  quotations  from  the  A.V.,  italics  signify  that  the 
word  is  not  expressed  in  the  Greek.  In  the  paraphrase,  italics 
signify  that  the  word  is  emphatic.  Paraphrase  is  necessary,  be- 
cause no  mere  translation,  however  accurate,  can  convey  the 
fulness  of  the  Apostle's  meaning  to  the  English  reader. 


A  COMMENTARY   ON    ST.    PAUL'S 

FIRST  EPISTLE    TO    THE 

THESSALONIANS 

i.  i.  THE  SALUTATION 

i  Paul,  and  Silvanus,  and  Timotheus,  unto  the  Church  of  the 
Thessalonians  which  is  in  God  the  Father  and  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  :  Grace  be  unto  you,  and  peace,  from  God  our  Father,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Salutation  in  I  Thessalonians  is  the  shortest  of  all 
the  Pauline  Salutations,*  but  it  contains  all  that  is  essential, 
and  it  implies  a  great  deal  that  is  not  expressed,  as  the 
following  paraphrase  shows. 

'  Paul  and  Silvanus  and  Timothy,  well  known  to  you  as  friends 
and  instructors,  to  the  Assembly  of  Thessalonians  who  have  God  as 
Father  and  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord,  and  are  thereby  united  as  children 
in  one  family  and  members  in  one  body.  We  send  you  the  Christian 
and  the  Jewish  greeting  combined — grace,  the  source  of  all  spiritual 
blessings,  and  peace,  the  end  and  issue  of  them  all.' 

i.  Neither  here  nor  in  2  Thess.  i.  i  does  St.  Paul  give 
himself  or  his  colleagues  any  title,  either  '  Apostle  '  or 
'  bondservant  of  Jesus  Christ.'  The  omission  of  '  Apostle  ' 
after  '  Paul,'  as  in  Phil.  i.  i,  is  in  harmony  with  the  tone  of 
the  letter,  which  is  one  of  affection  rather  than  of  authority. 
All  three  workers  were  on  equally  friendly  terms  with  the 
Macedonian  Churches.     No  titles  are  required,  because  all 

*  The  concluding  Benediction  is  also  short.  The  brevity  of  both 
is  in  harmony  with  the  simplicity  of  style  which  characterizes  these 
early  Epistles,  as  compared  with  the  later  groups. 


2       COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS         [i.  i 

three  were  personally  known.  From  ii.  6,  where  all  three 
are  called  '  apostles  '  in  the  general  sense  of  '  missionaries,' 
it  is  plain  that  while  St.  Paul  was  working  at  Thessalonica 
the  claims  of  an  Apostle  had  not  been  pressed,  and  in  none 
of  the  Macedonian  Churches  had  his  authority  as  an  Apostle 
been  questioned.  The  omission  of  the  title  here  is  a  mark 
of  genuineness  ;   a  forger  would  probably  have  inserted  it. 

Silvanus  in  the  Epistles  (2  Thess.  i.  1  ;  2  Cor.  i.  19  ; 
1  Pet.  v.  12)  is  the  same  person  as  Silas,  who  in  Acts  (xv. 
22-xviii.  5)  is  mentioned  thirteen  times.  Silas  is  possibly 
an  abbreviation  of  Silvanus  ;  but  it  is  probably  the  Jewish 
name  of  which  Silvanus  is  the  Latin  equivalent  indi- 
cating Roman  citizenship.  The  short  for  Silvanus  would 
be  Silvas.  Zahn,  Intr.  to  the  N.T.,  I.  p.  31.  Silvanus  is 
placed  before  Timothy  as  being  an  older  man  and  a  labourer 
of  longer  service  and  greater  distinction  (Acts  xv.  22, 
xvii.  14,  15,  xviii.  5).  At  Thessalonica  he  would  probably 
take  a  more  prominent  part  than  Timothy.  He  entirely 
sympathized  with  St.  Paul's  endeavours  to  convert  the 
Gentiles ;  but  there  is  probably  more  picturesqueness 
than  truth  in  Origen's  remark  (quoted  by  Farrar)  that 
the  concurrence  of  Paul  and  Silas  flashed  out  the  lightning 
of  these  Epistles.  Had  Silvanus  not  rejoined  the  Apostle 
at  Corinth,  the  Epistles  would  have  flashed  out  in  much 
the  same  manner. 

Timothy  is  conspicuous  in  all  the  Pauline  Epistles, 
excepting  Galatians,  Ephesians,  and  Titus.  Cf .  Acts  xvi.  1 ; 
1  Cor.  xvi.  10  ;  Phil.  ii.  20,  22.  It  is  probable  that  St. 
Paul  himself  converted  him  during  his  first  journey  in  Asia 
Minor. 

It  is  not  likely  that  Silvanus  and  Timothy  had  much 
share  in  the  actual  composition  of  the  letter  ;  but  their 
agreement  with  its  contents  is  recognized  throughout  by 
the  use  of  the  1st  person  plural  down  to  v.  25.  See  on  v. 
2,  ii.  4,  8,  18.  We  may  conjecture  that  Timothy  was  the 
scribe  to  whom  both  1  and  2  Thessalonians  were  dictated. 

The  combination  of  Silvanus  and  Timothy  with  the 
Apostle  helps  us  to  determine  the  date  of  the  letter.     The 


i  i]  THE  SALUTATION  3 

Second  Missionary  Journey  ended  at  Corinth,  for  after  his 
long  visit  to  that  city  St.  Paul  returned  to  Jerusalem  ;  and 
after  this  visit  Silvanus  appears  no  more  as  a  companion 
of  St.  Paul  (Acts  xviii.  5  ;    2  Cor.  i.  19). 

to  the  assembly  of  Thessalonians]  '  Assembly  '  rather 
than  '  Church,'  because  ecclesia  had  as  yet  hardly  acquired 
its  specially  Christian  meaning.*  Both  Jews  and  Greeks 
used  ecclesia  to  denote  their  assemblies,  and  the  Thessa- 
lonian  converts  would  be  familiar  with  the  word.  But  the 
Christian  use  of  the  term  was  no  doubt  more  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Jewish  than  the  Greek  usage.  See  Trench, 
Syn.  of  N.T.  §  1,  Hort,  The  Christian  Ecclesia,  and  Swete, 
The  Holy  Catholic  Church.  In  Romans,  Ephesians,  Colos- 
sians,  Philippians,  St.  Paul  addresses  '  the  saints,'  not 
'  the  assembly '  or  '  the  Church.'  And  here  he  names  the 
people  rather  than  the  city,  Thessalonians  rather  than 
Thessalonica,  while  in  Galatians  we  have  the  country, 
'  Churches  of  Galatia.'  There  is  perhaps  no  reason  for 
these  variations. 

We  have  no  means  of  estimating  the  number  of  Chris- 
tians in  Thessalonica.  From  Acts  xvii.  4  we  infer  that 
they  were  fairly  numerous  among  the  proselytes,  but  no 
account  is  taken  there  of  the  conversion  of  heathen  after 
the  mission  to  the  synagogues  had  closed. 

who  have  God  as  Father  and  Jesus  Christ  as  Lord] 
Lit.  '  in  God  the  Father  and  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'  This 
momentous  addition  distinguishes  the  assembly  which  is 
addressed  from  the  assemblies  of  Gentiles  and  of  Jews  with 
which  the  Thessalonians  were  familiar.  Thus  we  at  once 
have  what  is  the  most  striking  feature  in  these  two  early 
Epistles,  viz.  the  equal  emphasis  on  God  the  Father  and  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Here,  as  in  2  Thess.  i.  1,  the  two 
are  combined  as  the  sphere  in  which  the  Church  of  the 
Thessalonians  has  its  being  ;  cf.  iii.  n  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  16. 
Chrysostom  calls  attention  to  the  preposition  (eV)  as  being 

*  Coverdale  has  '  congregacion  ' :  so  also  Tyndale  and  Cranmer. 
Cf.  Judith  vi.  16 ;  Ecclus.  xxiv.  2,  1.  13 ;  1  Mace.  ii.  56. 


4         COMMENTARY  ON  1  THESSALONIANS        [i.  i 

common  to  both  Father  and  Son  :  it  is  not  repeated  with 
the  latter.  This  clause  has  been  pointed  out  as  "  the  first 
decisive  step "  towards  Trinitarian  doctrine.  We  may 
surmise  that  the  use  of  '  Father  '  of  God  was  already  cur- 
rent ;  iii.  ii,  13  ;  2  Thess.  i.  1,  ii.  16.  The  combination 
'  Lord  Jesus  Christ '  is  specially  frequent  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Pauline  Epistles.  The  expression  had  probably 
become  current  before  St.  Paul  used  it.  The  ineffable 
'  Jehovah  '  in  its  Greek  form  has  become  the  common 
appellation  of  Christ.  In  this  short  Epistle  Christ  is  called 
'  the  Lord '  more  than  twenty  times.  See  Sanday  in 
Hastings'  DB.  II.  p.  648. 

It  is  possible  that  St.  Paul  was  the  first  to  use  the  com- 
bination '  grace  and  peace.'  It  is  adopted  in  1  and  2  Peter, 
2  John,  and  the  Apocalypse  ;  and  the  fact  that  it  is  found 
in  these  very  different  writers  is  some  evidence  that  it  had 
become  an  ordinary  Christian  password.  It  is  sometimes 
regarded  as  a  combination  of  the  Greek  ya'ipeiv  with  the 
Hebrew  Shalom,  but  both  have  their  meaning  deepened  to 
an  extent  which  makes  the  combination  an  original  Christian 
creation.  '  Peace '  must  not  be  limited  to  a  wish  for 
deliverance  from  persecution.  St.  Paul  has  it  in  saluta- 
tions to  those  who  are  not  being  persecuted.  The  favour 
of  God  naturally  produces  peace  of  mind.  Enmity  to  God 
has  ceased,  and  reconciliation  has  followed.  The  torturing 
anxiety  about  hostile  deities  has  been  for  ever  banished. 
'  Grace '  (%«/>*>)  occurs  far  more  often  in  the  Pauline 
Epistles  than  in  the  rest  of  the  N.T.  In  the  O.T.  it  is  rare 
in  the  Psalms  and  Prophets,  but  is  frequent  in  the  Sapiential 
Books.  It  has  various  shades  of  meaning  :  see  Findlay  on 
2  Thess.  i.  12  ;  J.  A.  Robinson,  Ephesians,  pp.  221  f .  ; 
Sanday  and  Headlam,  Romans,  p.  10. 

'  From  God  our  Father,  etc'  must  be  omitted  as  an 
interpolation.  In  the  later  Epistles  the  words  became  a 
usual  formula,  and  hence  some  scribes  inserted  them  here. 
Cf.  the  insertion  at  the  end  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  in  Mt. 
vi.  13. 


i.  2]  HISTORICAL  AND   PERSONAL 


i.  2-iii.  13.     HISTORICAL   AND   PERSONAL 

The  first  main  portion  of  the  letter  begins  here.  It  con- 
sists of  five  sections  ;  i.  2-10,  The  Thanksgiving  ;  ii.  1-12, 
How  the  Three  Missionaries  acted  at  Thessalonica  ;  ii.  13-16, 
Renewed  Thanksgiving  for  the  Conversion  of  the  Thessa- 
lonians  and  their  Patience  under  Persecution  ;  ii.  17-iii.  10, 
The  Writer's  Anxiety  until  reassured  by  Timothy ;  iii. 
11-13,  Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians. 

i.  2-10.    Thanksgiving  for  the  Fruits  of  their 
Conversion 

2  We  give  thanks  to  God  always  for  you  all,  making  mention  of 
you  in  our  prayers  ;  3  Remembering  without  ceasing  your  work 
of  faith,  and  labour  of  love,  and  patience  of  hope  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  our  Father  ;  4  Knowing,  brethren 
beloved,  your  election  of  God.  5  For  our  Gospel  came  not  unto  you 
in  word  only,  but  also  in  power,  and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  in  much 
assurance  ;  as  ye  know  what  manner  of  men  we  were  among  you 
for  your  sake.  6  And  ye  became  followers  of  us,  and  of  the  Lord, 
having  received  the  word  in  much  affliction,  with  joy  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  :  7  So  that  ye  were  ensamples  to  all  that  believe  in  Macedonia 
and  Achaia.  8  For  from  you  sounded  out  the  Word  of  the  Lord  not 
only  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  also  in  every  place  your  faith  to 
God-ward  is  spread  abroad  ;  so  that  we  need  not  to  speak  any  thing. 
9  For  they  themselves  show  of  us  what  manner  of  entering  in  we 
had  unto  you,  and  how  ye  turned  to  God  from  idols  to  serve  the 
living  and  true  God  ;  10  And  to  wait  for  his  Son  from  heaven,  whom 
he  raised  from  the  dead,  even  Jesus,  which  delivered  us  from  the 
wrath  to  come. 

This  kind  of  opening  is  a  usual  feature  in  the  Pauline 
Epistles,  found  in  all  of  them,  excepting  Galatians  and 
1  Timothy  and  Titus.  Pious  expressions  of  gratitude  were 
common  in  the  secular  letters  of  that  age,  but  in  the  Apostle's 
letters  they  are  no  mere  conventional  openings.  They 
strike  a  solemn  note  at  the  outset,  in  order  at  once  to 
put  the  hearers  of  the  letter  into  a  receptive  state  of  mind. 
He  had  strong  views  as  to  the  duty  of  thanksgiving. 
'  Thanksgiving  '  (evxapia-r[a)  and  '  to  thank  '  (evxapiaTeiv) 

c 


6  COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS     [i.  2 

are  far  more  frequent  in  his  writings  than  in  the  rest  of  the 
N.T.  Cf.  ii.  13,  v.  18  ;  2  Cor.  i.  11,  iv.  15,  ix.  11,  12  ; 
Eph.  v.  4,  20  ;  Phil.  iv.  6  ;  Col.  ii.  7,  iii.  17,  iv.  2  ;  1  Tim. 
ii.  i,  iv.  3,  4.  This  Thanksgiving  and  that  in  Philippians 
are  exceptionally  full ;  they  are  addressed  to  Churches  for 
which  the  Apostle  had  a  very  deep  affection.  Those  in  the 
supplementary  2  Thessalonians  and  in  Romans  are  excep- 
tionally brief.  See  Jowett,  I.  p.  45  on  these  verses  as 
specially  characteristic  of  St.  Paul's  style,  the  propositions 
overlaying  one  another,  sometimes  without  clear  relation 
to  one  another.  The  probable  connexion  is  suggested  in  the 
following  paraphrase. 

1  2  We  thank  the  one  and  only  God  on  all  occasions  for  all  of  you, 
making  a  mention  of  you  at  our  times  of  prayer  unceasingly,  and  this 
because  of  what  we  remember  and  what  we  know.  3  We  remember 
how  your  faith  has  shown  itself,  not  in  word  only,  but  in  work,  your 
love  in  ceaseless  toil  for  others,  and  your  hope  in  patient  endurance  of 
suffering,  a  hope  inspired  by  the  thought  of  the  Coming  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  presence  of  our  God  and  Father.  4  We  thank  God 
also,  Brethren  so  dearly  beloved  by  Him,  because  we  know  so  Well  the 
reality  of  His  favour  in  singling  you  out  and  making  you  His  own,  5  a 
favour  shown  by  the  fact  that  our  preaching  of  the  Gospel  did  not  come 
to  you  as  a  mere  triumph  of  oratory,  but  was  effective  in  power,  in- 
spired by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  by  our  full  conviction  of  its  truth.  In 
like  manner  ye  know  equally  Well  what  kind  of  people  We  proved 
ourselves  to  be  among  you  for  your  sakes.  6  And  you  on  your  part 
showed  the  reality  of  His  favour  by  proving  yourselves  imitators  of  us 
who  are  imitators  of  the  Lord  ;  for  you  welcomed  the  word  when  to 
do  so  involved  great  affliction,  and  you  did  so  with  a  joy  which  was 
a  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  7  So  fully  was  this  the  case  that  you  became 
a  pattern  to  all  the  Christians  in  Macedonia  and  in  Achaia.  8  Yes, 
a  pattern,  for  it  is  from  you  as  a  centre  that  the  word  of  God  has 
sounded  out  and  still  sounds  in  Macedonia  and  Achaia ;  and  not  only  so, 
but  in  every  place  the  report  of  your  faith  towards  God  has  gone  forth 
to  the  World  so  fully  that  there  is  no  need  for  us  to  talk  at  all  about  it. 
9  For  the  inhabitants  themselves  of  their  own  accord  report  respecting 
us  what  a  prosperous  admission  we  had  into  your  midst,  and  with 
what  readiness  ye  turned  to  the  true  God,  leaving  your  dead  idols  in 
order  to  become  bondservants  of  a  God  who  is  living  and  real,  10  and 
to  await  the  Return  of  His  Son  out  of  heaven,  the  Son  whom  He 
raised  from  the  dead,  Jesus  who  is  our  Deliverer  from  the  Wrath  of 
God  which  is  now  coming  near  to  us.' 


i.  2]  HISTORICAL  AND   PERSONAL  7 

2.  We  thank]  In  1  and  2  Thess.,  as  in  2  Cor.  i-ix.,  the 
1st  person  plural  prevails  ;  St.  Paul  includes  Silvanus  and 
Timothy  with  himself  throughout.  See  on  ii.  4,  8,  and  also 
Zahn,  In  trod,  to  N.T.,  I.  p.  210.  Even  in  hi.  1,2,  Silvanus 
is  included,  and  perhaps  Timothy  also  as  consenting  to  the 
arrangement.  St.  Paul  does  this  in  these  two  letters  much 
more  fully  than  he  does  in  2  Corinthians,  Philippians, 
Colossians,  and  Philemon,  in  which  Timothy  is  joined  with 
the  Apostle,  or  in  1  Corinthians,  in  which  Sosthenes  seems 
to  be  almost  entirely  forgotten  after  the  opening  words. 
In  1  Corinthians,  Philippians,  and  Philemon  he  at  once 
begins  with  the  1st  person  singular, '  /  thank.'  '  Thank  on 
all  occasions  '  (ev-^ap.  irdvTore)  occurs  2  Thess.  i.  3  ;  1  Cor.  i. 
4  ;  Phil.  i.  3,  4  ;  and  in  Eph.  v.  20  we  have  the  full  phrase 
(ei>xap-  iravrore  irepl  ttcivtcov),  as  here.  St.  Paul  is  fond  of 
alliteration,  especially  with  the  letter  it  ;  See  on  iv.  17  and 
on  2  Cor.  ix.  8. 

the  one  and  only  God] '  The  God  '  (tco  ©<?&>),  in  contrast  to 
the  many  false  Gods  which  the  heathen  Thessalonians  had 
previously  worshipped. 

for  all  of  you]  The  '  all  '  is  emphatic  ;  even  for  those  who 
are  most  faulty ;  cf.  v.  5,  27  ;  2  Thess.  i.  3,  hi.  16,  18  ; 
Eph.  vi.  18. 

making  mention  of]  The  expression  occurs  Rom.  i.  9 ; 
Eph.  i.  16  ;  Philem.  4  ;  always  in  connexion  with  prayer. 
The  same  use  is  found  in  papyri.  We  gather  from  this  that 
the  three  missionaries  were  accustomed  to  unite  together  in 
prayer  and  intercession, — doubtless  one  of  the  causes  of 
the  success  of  their  labours. 

at  our  times  of  prayer]  Rather  than  '  in  our  prayers.' 
Not  eV,  as  in  Col.  iv.  12,  but  em,  as  in  Rom.  i.  9  ;  Eph.  i.  16  ; 
Philem.  4  ;  and  not  the  singular,  of  the  public  prayer  of 
the  Church  to  which  he  is  writing,  as  in  Rom.  xii.  12  ;  1  Cor. 
vii.  5  ;  Phil.  iv.  6  ;  Col.  iv.  2,  but  the  plural,  of  private 
intercession,  as  in  Rom.  i.  9  ;  etc.  See  E.  A.  Abbott,  The 
Founding  of  the  New  Kingdom,  p.  58. 

unceasingly]  Cf.  ii.  13,  v.  17  ;  Rom.  i.  9  ;  1  Mace.  xii.  11  ; 
2  Mace,  iii  26.     Both  the  adv.   {a&ubkebrrm)  and  the  adj. 


8        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS       [i.  3 

are  peculiar  to  St.  Paul  in  the  N.T.,  and  always  in  connexion 
with  prayer  or  thanksgiving.  Here  the  adv.  may  be  taken 
with  either  '  making  mention  '  or  '  remember. ' 

3.  Note  the  triplet,  '  how  your  faith  works,  and  your  love 
toils,  and  your  hope  endures.'  This  is  the  earliest  occurrence 
of  the  triplet.  We  have  it  again,  in  the  same  order,  v.  8  and 
Col.  i.  4  ;  and,  in  a  different  order,  1  Cor.  xiii.  13.  Hope  is 
more  emphasized  in  1  and  2  Thessalonians,  Love  in  1  Cor- 
inthians. The  combination  of  works,  toil,  and  endurance 
occurs  Rev.  ii.  2  ;  and  the  words  in  this  order  form  a  climax. 
Endurance  (vwofiovt]) ,  as  Chrysostom  says,  is  the  '  Queen  of 
Virtues.'  It  means  manly  endurance  without  cowardly 
shrinking.  See  Trench,  Syn.  §  liii.,  Ropes  on  Jas.  i.  3, 
and  Plummer  on  2  Cor.  i.  6.  The  '  toil '  (*o7ro?)  is  not 
to  be  restricted  to  manual  labour  ;  it  includes  charitable 
toil  of  all  kinds,  and  it  implies  more  energy,  persistence, 
and  fatigue  than  mere  '  work  '  (epyov).  St.  Paul  toiled 
with  hands,  heart,  and  brain.     See  on  v.  12. 

Note  also  the  accumulation  of  genitives,  which  is  rather 
common  in  the  Pauline  Epistles  ;  Rom.  viii.  21 ;  2  Cor.  iv. 
4  ;  Eph.  i.  6,  iv.  13  ;  Col.  i.  13.  A  T.  Robertson,  Gr.  of 
Grk.  N.T.,  p.  503. 

your  hope  in  patient  endurance  of  suffering]  Endurance 
under  persecution  is  strengthened  by  hope.  Christian  love 
'  hopeth  all  things,  endureth  all  things  '  (1  Cor.  xiii.  7). 
St.  Paul  in  his  earlier  letters  is  already  impressed  with  the 
necessary  connexion,  in  such  a  world,  between  Christian  life 
and  persecution  ;  iii.  3,  7 ;  2  Thess.  i.  4,  6  ;  2  Cor.  i.  4, 
iv.  17,  vii.  4,  viii.  2  ;  Rom.  v.  3,  viii.  35,  xii.  12. 

hope  ...  of  the  Coming]  This  was  strong  throughout 
Christendom  in  the  Apostolic  age,  and  it  was  specially 
strong  at  Thessalonica.     Christians  anxiously  expected  it. 

in  the  presence  of  our  God  and  Father]  This  is  a  guarantee 
that  their  estimate  of  the  Thessalonians  is  not  the  result  of 
prejudice  and  partiality  ;  cf.  ii.  19,  iii.  9,  13.  We  may 
connect  the  words  with  either  '  remember,'  or  '  work,  toil, 
and  endurance,'  or  with  '  endurance  '  alone.  '  Our  God  and 
Father  '  occurs  Gal.  i.  4  and  Phil.  iv.  20.     In  all  three  places 


i.  4, 5]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  9 

the  '  our  '  almost  certainly  belongs  to  both  '  God  '  and 
'  Father.'  See  on  2  Cor.  i.  3,  where  we  have  a  similar 
construction. 

4.  Brethren  so  dearly  beloved  by  Him]  The  affectionate 
address,  '  Brethren,'  is  remarkably  frequent  in  this  letter 
(ii.  1,  9,  14,  17,  hi.  7,  etc.),  but  the  addition  '  beloved  by 
God  '  is  unique  in  the  N.T.  Cf.  Ecclus.  xlv.  1.  In  2  Thess. 
ii.  13  we  have  '  Brethren  beloved  by  the  Lord,'  i.e.  by  Jesus 
Christ.  The  two  expressions  seem  to  be  treated  as  equival- 
ent. '  By  God  '  certainly  belongs  to  '  beloved  '  (R.V.), 
not  to  'election'  (A.V.).  Election  is  always  the  result 
of  His  love. 

because  we  know]  This  looks  back  to  '  we  thank  '  in  v.  2. 
It  is  surprising  that  Theodoret,  Erasmus,  and  others  should 
make  the  participle  (eiSores)  refer  to  the  Thessalonians, 
'  for  ye  know.' 

favour  in  singling  you  out]  This  is  the  full  meaning  of 
'  election  '  (iicKoyq)  ;  God  had  appropriated  them  out  of 
many.  Cf.  '  the  Chosen  People.'  The  word  does  not  occur 
in  the  LXX.  In  the  N.T.  it  is  always  used  of  choice  made 
by  God  ;  Acts  ix.  15  ;  Rom.  ix.  11,  xi.  5,  7,  28  ;  2  Pet.  i. 
10.  Cf.  1  Cor.  i.  26,  27.  The  Thessalonians  had  evidently 
been  taught  that  before  they  were  born  the  advantages  of 
the  Gospel  were  in  store  for  them  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  13.  But 
here  there  is  no  rigid  scheme  of  Predestination.  See  Light- 
foot  on  Col.  hi.  12.  "It  does  not  seem  possible  to  determine 
on  N.T.  evidence  whether  the  individuals  are  regarded  as 
owing  their  membership  in  the  Church  to  their  election,  or 
as  becoming  elect  by  virtue  of  their  membership"  (Hastings' 
DB.  art.  '  Election,'  p.  679b).  How  the  reality  of  this 
favour  is  known  St.  Paul  goes  on  to  state. 

5.  shown  by  the  fact  that]  The  three  missionaries  felt  that 
in  preaching  to  the  Thessalonians  they  had  had  Divine 
assistance.  Men's  words  unaided  would  never  have  had 
such  effect.  This  is  the  experience  of  many  a  successful 
worker.  The  on  =  '  for  '  (A.V.)  rather  than  '  how  that' 
(R.V.)  ;  it  explains  how  the  missionaries  know  the  election 
of  the  Thessalonians.  They  have  two  pieces  of  evidence,  first 


io       COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [i.  5, 6 

the  power  of  their  own  preaching,  and  secondly  the  change 
in  the  Thessalonians'  manner  of  life. 

the  Gospel]  Or  '  Glad-tidings/  or  '  Good-news,'  entrusted 
by  God  to  the  Apostles  to  proclaim  to  the  world.  A  written 
Gospel  is  not  meant,  even  if  one  existed.  It  is  possible  that 
St.  Paul  had  seen  '  Q,'  the  lost  document  used  by  Mt.  and 
Lk.  Almost  certainly  Mk.  was  not  yet  written.  See 
Introduction  V.  In  any  case  it  is  not  a  written  document 
which  is  spoken  of  here,  but  the  Gospel  message. 

in  power]  Cf.  1  Cor.  ii.  4,  where  a  similar  claim  is  made. 
The  expression (Sum/xet)  does  not  imply  miracles,  but  power  to 
influence  men's  hearts  ;  and  words  alone,  however  eloquent, 
cannot  do  this.  We  have  the  same  preposition  (e^)  in  all 
four  places,  but  the  meaning  of  it  varies  ;  hence  the  different 
renderings.  In  Acts  iv.  29  '  the  word  '  is  contrasted  with 
miracles. 

our  full  conviction]  Cf.  Rom.  iv.  21,  xiv.  5  ;  Col.  ii.  2  ; 
Heb.  vi.  n,  x.  22.  This  conviction  or  assurance  {irX^po^opia) 
means  the  confidence  of  the  three  missionaries  in  the  truth 
and  efficacy  of  their  message.  They  had  no  paralysing 
doubts.  But  the  knowledge  is  not  all  on  their  side.  As 
they  know  the  effect  of  the  Gospel  on  the  Thessalonians,  so 
the  Thessalonians  know  what  kind  of  preachers  the  men  who 
thus  affected  them  proved  to  be.  We  might  render  '  we 
were  enabled  (by  God)  to  be,'  giving  iyevr/drj^ev  a  passive 
sense.     The  sincerity  of  these  teachers  was  transparent. 

The  Thessalonians'  knowledge  exactly  corresponds  with 
the  facts  of  the  case  («a^cb?  oiBare).  More  often  than  in 
any  other  letter  the  Apostle  appeals  to  what  his  converts 
know  ;  ii.  1,  2,  5,  11,  hi.  3,  4,  iv.  2,  v.  2.  It  is  evident  that 
some  of  the  hostile  Jews  had  been  defaming  him  ;  his  answer 
is,  '  You  know  us  and  our  conduct.'  The  whole  of  this 
half  of  the  letter  (i.  2— iii.  13),  while  aiming  at  consol- 
ing and  strengthening  the  converts,  is  largely,  if  not 
mainly,  a  defence  of  the  conduct  of  those  who  converted 
them. 

6.  And  you  on  your  part]  The  pronoun  is  emphatic,  in  con- 
trast to  '  our  '  in  the  previous  verse  ;  there  is  something  more 


i.  6]  HISTORICAL  AND   PERSONAL  n 

personal  to  be  said  of  the  converts.  They  '  proved  to  be  ' 
(eyevijOrjTe)  copiers  of  their  teachers  and  therefore  of  Christ 
who  is  their  teachers'  model  ;  i  Cor.  iv.  16,  xi.  i  ;  Phil.  hi. 
17.  This  is  the  second  part  of  the  proof  that  they  have  been 
specially  chosen  by  God.  The  first  was  the  inspired  nature 
of  the  Gospel ;  the  second  is  the  hearty  nature  of  their 
reception  of  it.     Cf.  Jas.  i.  21. 

The  nicety  and  tact  fulness  with  which  St.  Paul  dispenses 
praise  where  he  sees  it  to  be  due  is  remarkable.  "  He  knows 
that  there  are  no  more  powerful  levers  in  education  than 
praise  administered  rarely  but  with  discrimination  and 
entire  trust  "  (Weinel,  St.  Paul,  the  Man  and  his  Work, 
p.  365).      Cf.  ii.  13,  19,  20,  hi.  6,  iv.  1,  9,  10. 

imitators  of  us]  Cf.  ii.  14.  The  Apostle  was  conscious  of 
his  intense  union  with  Christ,  especially  as  regards  joy  in 
suffering.  He  had  been  crucified  with  Christ  ;  Gal.  ii.  20. 
Therefore  he  could  venture  to  call  on  his  converts  to  imitate 
him  ;    for  in  so  doing  they  imitated  Christ. 

imitators  of  the  Lord]  '  The  Lord  '  is  used  constantly  by 
St.  Paul  as  a  proper  name  for  Jesus  Christ,  and  it  sums  up 
His  Divine  attributes  ;  v.  8,  hi.  8,  12,  iv.  6,  15,  16,  17,  v.  2, 
12,  etc.  To  Him  faith,  obedience,  and  worship  are  due. 
The  use  is  not  of  St.  Paul's  making.  It  springs  naturally 
from  Christ's  own  Saying,  Mk.  xii.  35  and  parallels. 

for  you  welcomed  the  word]  Although  becoming  a  Christian 
involved  bitter  persecution  (ii.  14,  iii.  2-4  ;  Acts  xvii.  1-13), 
they  had  not  merely  listened  to  the  Gospel,  but  had  embraced 
it  with  a  joy  which  could  have  only  one  source,  viz.,  the 
Holy  Spirit  ;  Rom.  xiv.  17.  Cf.  ii.  13  ;  2  Thess.  i.  4-7. 
From  the  very  first,  joy  accompanied  the  proclamation  of 
the  Glad-tidings  ;  Lk.  ii.  10  ;  Acts  viii.  8,  39,  xiii.  48  ; 
Phil.  i.  25  ;  Col.  i.  11.  The  mingling  of  joy  with  affliction 
is  also  common,  especially  with  the  affliction  of  persecution ; 
Mt.  v.  n,  12  ;  Lk.  vi.  22  ;  Acts  v.  41 ;  xiii.  52  ;  Rom.  v.  3  ; 
2  Cor.  vi.  10,  vii.  4,  viii.  2  ;  etc.  And  joy  is  elsewhere 
spoken  of  as  a  gift  of  the  Spirit ;  Rom.  xiv.  17,  xv.  13  ; 
Gal.  v.  22.  The  cheeriness  of  our  troops  and  of  those  of  our 
Allies,  in  the  midst  of  prolonged  privations  and  ceaseless 


12     COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS     [i.  7,8 

danger  of  mutilation  and  death,  is  a  fine  illustration  of 
affliction  mingled  with  joy. 

7.  You  became  a  pattern]  This  was  true  of  the  Thessa- 
lonian  Church  as  a  whole,  although  the  members  of  it  were 
still  far  from  perfection  and  some  were  very  unsatisfactory  ; 
iv.  1-12,  v.  12—15.  These  verses  seem  somewhat  extra- 
vagant when  one  remembers  how  few  Churches  had  been 
founded  in  Europe,  and  how  small  each  of  them  was. 
But  the  Apostle  thinks  of  the  scope  of  his  calling. 

The  reading  '  patterns  '  (tvttov?  for  tvttov)  is  an  obvious 
correction  to  agree  with  the  plural  '  you  '  (£/*£?). 

in  Macedonia  and  in  Achaia]  The  Thessalonians  were  in 
Macedonia,  the  writers  in  Achaia.  The  repetition  of  the 
preposition  marks  the  two  Roman  provinces  as  distinct  ; 
in  v.  8  they  are  treated  as  a  whole,  meaning  Greece,  which 
was  thus  divided  B.C.  142.*  The  statement  in  vv.  7  and  8 
implies  that  St.  Paul  had  worked  in  Achaia  for  a  few  months  ; 
otherwise  there  could  not  be  many  converts  there  to 
imitate  the  Thessalonians.  A  still  longer  period  must  be 
allowed  between  the  missionaries'  departure  from  Thessa- 
lonica  and  the  writing  of  this  letter  from  Corinth,  for  they 
remained  some  time  in  Macedonia  after  leaving  Thessalonica. 

8.  from  you]  First  with  emphasis  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  xiv.  36. 
It  was  not  through  the  missionaries'  efforts  that  these  excel- 
lent results  followed. 

has  sounded  out  and  still  sounds]  The  full  force  of  the  Greek 
perfect  {^vxvTai)-  '  Has  been  sounded  out '  might  be 
more  accurate.  The  verb  occurs  Joel  iii.  14  and  3  Mace.  iii.  2, 
but  nowhere  else  in  N.T.  ;  and  it  is  immaterial  whether  St. 
Paul  is  thinking  of  thunder  (Ecclus.  xl.  13)  or  a  trumpet 
(Rev.  i.  10).  Here  and  in  similar  passages  (iv.  15  ;  2  Thess. 
iii.  1  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  36  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  17,  iv.  2  ;  Col.  i.  25,  iii.  16  ; 
Tit.  ii.  9)  '  the  word  of  the  Lord,'  or  '  of  Christ,'  or  '  of  God, ' 
means  the  word  which  proceeds  from  Him,  as  in  the  Prophets; 
Jer.  i.  2,  4,  ii.  1,  xiv.  1  ;  Ezek.  i.  3,  iii.  16  ;  etc. 

*  Cf.  Jn.  xi.  19  7rpos  TTjv  MdpOav  kcu  Mapid/x,  where  Martha  and 
Mary  are  regarded  as  one  household.  Abbott,  Johannine  Grammar, 
p.  68. 


i.  8, 9]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  13 

in  every  place]  Conventional  hyperbole  ;  cf.  Rom.  i.  8, 
xvi.  19  ;  1  Cor.  i.  2  ;  2  Cor.  ii.  14  ;  1  Tim.  ii.  8.  The  Apostle 
writes  out  of  the  fulness  of  a  grateful  heart,  and  he  is  generous 
in  his  praise.  Thessalonica  was  a  commercial  centre  on  the 
Via  Egnatia  with  a  sea-port,  and  news  would  spread  quickly 
from  it.  Travellers  may  have  brought  news  to  Corinth. 
But  we  must  allow  time  for  this  ;  see  on  ii.  18. 

has  gone  forth  to  the  world]  "  Note,"  says  Chrysostom, 
' '  how  he  speaks  of  it  as  a  living  thing. ' '  The  compound  verb 
(i^eXTjXvdev)  is  used  in  the  same  sense  Rom.  x.  18  and 
1  Cor.  xiv.  36.  The  perfect  tense  again  includes  present 
results. 

there  is  no  need]  Cf.  iv.  9,  v.  1  ;  Mt.  hi.  14,  xiv.  16  ; 
Heb.  v.  12. 

9.  the  inhabitants  themselves]  Those  in  Macedonia  and 
Achaia.  There  was  no  need  to  ask  for  information.  See 
the  first  note  on  iv.  16. 

report]  Pres.  tense  ;    reports  continually  reach  Corinth. 

how]  '  How  thoroughly  and  enthusiastically.' 

ye  turned  to  the  true  God]  We  again  have  tov  Qeov,  as  in 
V.  2.  '  To  turn  to  Jehovah  '  (i7na-Tpi(p(iv  777309  Kvpiov)  and 
'  to  be  bondservants  of  Jehovah  '  (8ov\eveiv  Kvplw)  are 
frequent  in  the  LXX.  For  heathen  this  was  an  entire 
break  with  their  past  life,  and  it  is  difficult  for  those  who  have 
had  no  experience  of  it  to  estimate  the  magnitude  of  the 
change.  Harnack  says  of  these  two  verses  (9,  10),  "  Here 
we  have  the  mission-preaching  to  pagans  in  a  nutshell  " 
(Mission  and  Expansion  of  Christianity,  I.  p.  89).  Cf.  1  Cor. 
xii.  2.  Jacquier  conjectures  that  the  Jewish  converts  "  may 
have  renounced  communion  when  the  troubles  caused  by 
their  fellow  countrymen  arose  "  (Hist,  of  the  Books  of  the 
N.T.,  p.  68).  The  statement  implies  that  the  majority  of 
the  converts  were  originally  heathen,  which  might  also  be 
inferred  from  ii.  14  ;  and  we  have  here  some  evidence  that 
St.  Paul  must  have  spent  some  months  at  Thessalonica. 
Three  weeks  were  spent  in  preaching  to  the  Jews  ;  Acts 
xvii.  2.  After  that  the  work  would  be  chiefly  among 
Gentiles  who  did  not  frequent  the  synagogues,  and  this 


14     COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [i.  9, 10 

would  take  time.     See  on  ii.  9.     For  '  turn  '  in  this  sense 
cf.  2  Cor.  iii.  16. 

to  become  bondservants]  Cf.  Rom.  xiv.  18,  xvi.  18  ;  Col. 
iii.  24.  St.  Paul  is  a  '  bondservant  of  Christ  '  ;  Rom  i.  1  ; 
Gal.  i.  10  ;  Phil.  i.  10  ;  and  of  God  ;  Tit.  i.  1. 
-  a  God  who  is  living  and  real]  Who  can  act,  and  who  corre- 
sponds to  the  idea  of  God  (Z&vti  kclI  aXr)6tvu>),  whereas 
idols  can  do  nothing  and  are  nonentities  ;  1  Cor.  viii.  4, 
x.  19  ;  Acts  xiv.  15  ;  Lev.  xix.  4  ;  Jer.  xiv.  14.  See  Enc. 
Bibl.  II.  2148.  The  '  living  God  '  is  one  who  '  has  life  in 
Himself  '  and  '  gave  to  the  Son  also  to  have  life  in  Him- 
self '  ;  Jn.  v.  26  ;  Rom.  iv.  17,  24  ;  Josh.  iii.  10  ;  Dan. 
vi.  26  ;  Is.  lxv.  16,  which  St.  Paul  may  have  in  his  mind. 
The  '  true  God  '  does  not  mean  '  who  cannot  lie  '  ;  Tit.  i.  2  ; 
2  Tim.  ii.  13  ;  Heb.  vi.  18.  It  means  One  who  is  '  very  God,' 
and  can  forgive  sin  and  free  men  from  it.     Trench,  Syn. 

10.  to  await  the  Return  of  His  Son]  This  is  the  great  '  hope  ' 
which  dominates  these  two  Epistles.  At  the  time  when  they 
were  written,  the  three  writers  and  those  to  whom  they 
wrote  expected  that  the  Lord  would  come  soon  :  therefore 
all  Christians  must  make  themselves  fit  to  meet  Him.  Every 
chapter  in  this  Epistle  closes  with  this  subject  ;  ii.  19,  20, 
iii.  13,  iv.  17,  18,  v.  23,  24.  In  1  Cor.  it  is  still  conspicuous  ; 
in  the  later  Epistles  it  is  less  so  :  but  we  find  it  in  Phil.  iv.  5. 
St.  Luke  gives  us  no  hint  in  Acts  that  the  subject  of  the 
Return  occupied  so  prominent  a  place  in  the  early  preaching 
of  St.  Paul.*  But  it  was  certainly  prominent  in  the  later 
teaching  of  Christ,  and  His  Apostle  found  it  useful  at 
Thessalonica.  See  A.  T.  Robertson,  Epochs  in  the  Life  of 
St.  Paul,  p.  168.  '  Await  '  is  a  compound  verb  {avaixivevv), 
implying  constant  and  patient  waiting. 


*  We  do,  however,  find  it  in  St.  Paul's  speech  on  the  Areopagus 
(Acts  xvii.  31),  which  was  delivered  shortly  before  this  Epistle  was 
written  at  Corinth  ;  and  it  is  the  only  Christian  doctrine  which 
appears  in  the  speech.  See  Lightfoot,  art.  on  '  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ' 
in  ed.  2  of  Smith's  DB.,  p.  35. 


i.  10]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  15 

Only  here  in  these  two  letters  is  Christ  spoken  of  as  the 
Son  of  God  ;  but  the  expression  is  frequent  in  the  four 
great  Epistles.  The  '  devout  '  (crefio/nevoi)  heathen,  who 
formed  the  large  majority  of  the  first  converts  at  Thes- 
salonica  (Acts  xvii.  4),  had  turned  to  the  living  and  true  God 
before  they  heard  the  Gospel.  It  was  the  Gospel  that  told 
them  of  the  Son  of  God. 

out  of  heaven]  Lit.  '  out  of  the  heavens,'  as  in  '  the  King- 
dom of  heaven  '  in  Mt.  St.  Paul  often  has  the  plural  ;  but 
it  is  by  no  means  certain  that,  as  in  2  Cor.  xii.  2,  he  is  thinking 
of  a  series  of  heavens,  one  above  the  other.  In  iv.  16  ; 
2  Thess,  i.  7  ;  Rom.  i.  18,  x.  6  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  47  ;  2  Cor.  v.  2 
he  has  the  singular.  The  Hebrew  equivalent  has  no  singular, 
a  fact  which  may  be  due  to  the  belief  in  a  series  of  heavens 
which  was  common  among  the  Jews.  In  2  Cor.  v.  1,  2  we 
have  the  plural  and  the  singular  in  consecutive  verses, 
without  difference  of  meaning. 

whom  He  raised  from  the  dead]  The  point  of  this  addition 
is  that  therefore  we  shall  be  raised  from  the  dead  to  be 
judged  by  Him.  The  parallel  between  these  two  verses 
(9,  10)  and  the  conclusion  of  the  Apostle's  address  at  Athens 
(Acts  xvii.  31)  is  remarkable.  This  was  a  leading  topic  in 
teaching  heathen.     Cf.  ii.  19,  iii.  13. 

Jesus  who  is  our  Deliverer]  It  is  clear  from  this  verse  that, 
for  St.  Paul,  the  Jesus  who  died  and  was  raised  is  one  and 
the  same  with  the  glorified  Christ  who  is  coming  to  judge  and 
to  rescue.  '  Deliverer  '  perhaps  refers  to  the  name  Jesus, 
'  the  Saviour.'  See  Sanday  and  Headlam  on  Rom.  xi.  26. 
The  participle  (top  pvSfievov  is  timeless  ;  '  which  delivereth  ' 
(R.V.)  is  not  quite  right,  still  less,  '  which  delivered  '  (A.V.). 
It  is  the  character  of  the  Saviour  that  is  expressed  by  it  ; 
He  is  our  Redeemer.     Cf.  Wisd.  xvi.  8. 

from  the  wrath]  Lit.  '  out  of  the  wrath,'  out  of  the  reach 
of  it,  so  that  the  deliverance  is  complete.  We  have  e/e,  not, 
as  in  2  Thess.  iii.  2  and  in  the  Lord's  Prayer,  diro.  This 
shows,  as  Sabatier  remarks,  that  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
like  the  other  Apostles,  began  by  preaching  the  imminence 
of  the  Divine  Judgment,  and,  like  the  Baptist,  spoke  of  '  the 


16         COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [i.  10 

wrath  to  come.'  See  Knowling,  The  Witness  of  the  Epistles, 
p.  405,  and  cf.  Eccles.  vii.  16,  xxiii.  16. 

'  The  wrath  '  means  God's  anger,  as  in  ii.  16  ;  Rom.  iii. 
5,  v.  9,  ix.  22,  xiii.  5  ;  Is.  xiii.  9  ;  Ecclus.  v.  7.  Not  that 
He  is  an  angry  God  rather  than  a  merciful  one  ;  still  less 
that  He  exhibits  arbitrary  outbursts  of  rage,  as  men  do. 
But,  seeing  that  sin  exists,  there  must  be  Divine  repulsion 
and  displeasure.  The  N.T.  supplies  no  definition  of  this 
wrath,  but  the  effect  of  it  is  spoken  of  as  '  death,'  '  destruc- 
tion,' '  perdition  '  (Oavaros,  6'A.e#po?,  airoaXeia).  See  Hast- 
ings' DAC.  art.  'Anger.' 

which  is  now  coming  near  to  us]  It  is  on  its  way,  it  is 
always  impending.  '  To  come  '  (A.V.,  R.V.)  rather  implies 
that  it  is  remote  in  the  distant  future,  which  is  not  the 
Apostle's  meaning.  Cf.  Eph.  v.  6  ;  Col.  iii.  6.*  In  Mt.  iii.  7 
=Lk.  iii.  7  we  have  arrb  tt}?  /ieXXovo-jj?. 

This  Thanksgiving  tells  us  of  two  leading  ideas  in  the 
preaching  of  the  missionaries.  There  is  only  one  God,  who 
has  love  for  the  righteous  and  wrath  for  the  ungodly  ;  and  a 
Judgment  is  coming,  in  which  the  love  and  the  wrath  will 
find  expression,  and  in  which  God's  Son  can  save  us  from 
the  wrath.  In  iv.  16-18  there  is  no  mention  of  the  Judg- 
ment ;  and  here,  as  in  v.  9,  it  is  implied  rather  than  stated. 
The  Thanksgiving  is  resumed  ii.  13,  and  there,  as  here,  it 
ends  with  a  mention  of  the  wrath  of  God. 

ii.  1-12.    How  the  Three  Missionaries  acted 

AT  THESSALONICA 

ii.  x  For  yourselves,  brethren,  know  our  entrance  in  unto  you, 
that  it  was  not  in  vain  :    2  But  even  after  that  we  had  suffered 

*  The  thought  that  the  great  catastrophe  is  near  is  frequent  in 
eschatological  writings  ;  '  It  will  surely  come,  it  will  not  tarry  ' 
(Hab.  ii.  3)  ;  '  Things  which  must  shortly  come  to  pass  '  (Rev.  i.  1, 
xxii.  6,  20)  ;  '  The  Judge  will  come  and  will  not  tarry  '  (Apocalypse 
of  Baruch,  xlviii.  39,  cf.  xx.  6).  To  the  idea  of  the  sure  fulfilment 
of  the  Divine  purpose  "  the  keen  hope  of  primitive  Christianity 
adds  iv  to^ci  "  (Swete  on  Rev.  i.  1).  The  Apostle's  attitude,  as 
that  of  Christ  Himself  during  His  ministry  on  earth,  is  that  '  God 


ii.  i]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  17 

before,  and  were  shamefully  entreated,  as  ye  know,  at  Philippi, 
we  were  bold  in  our  God  to  speak  unto  you  the  Gospel  of  God  with 
much  contention.  3  For  our  exhortation  was  not  of  deceit,  nor  of 
uncleanness,  nor  in  guile  :  4  But  as  we  were  allowed  of  God  to  be 
put  in  trust  with  the  Gospel,  even  so  we  speak  ;  not  as  pleasing  men, 
but  God,  which  trieth  our  hearts.  5  For  neither  at  any  time  used 
we  flattering  words,  as  ye  know,  nor  a  cloke  of  covetousness  ;  God 
is  witness  :  6  Nor  of  men  sought  we  glory,  neither  of  you,  nor  yet 
of  others,  when  we  might  have  been  burdensome,  as  the  apostles  of 
Christ.  7  But  we  were  gentle  among  you,  even  as  a  nurse  cherish- 
eth  her  children.  8  So  being  affectionately  desirous  of  you,  we  were 
willing  to  have  imparted  unto  you,  not  the  Gospel  of  God  only,  but 
also  our  own  souls,  because  ye  were  dear  unto  us.  9  For  ye  remem- 
ber, brethren,  our  labour  and  travail  :  for  labouring  night  and  day, 
because  we  would  not  be  chargeable  unto  any  of  you,  we  preached 
unto  you  the  Gospel  of  God.  10  Ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also, 
how  holily  and  justly  and  unblameably  we  behaved  ourselves  among 
you  that  believe.  n  As  you  know  how  we  exhorted  and  comforted 
and  charged  every  one  of  you,  (as  a  father  doth  his  children,)  12  That 
ye  would  walk  worthy  of  God,  who  hath  called  you  unto  his  king- 
dom and  glory. 

St.  Paul  enlarges  on  the  subject  just  touched  upon  in  i.  5, 
viz.  the  conduct  of  himself  and  his  fellow-workers  in  con- 
verting the  Thessalonians  ;  and  the  result  is  a  personal 
narrative  similar  to  that  in  Gal.  i.  11-iii.  14  and  to  a  great 
deal  of  2  Corinthians.  The  section  gives  us  a  vivid  idea  of 
the  frame  of  mind  in  which  this  letter  was  dictated.  The 
intensity  of  feeling  and  of  effort  with  which  the  missionaries 
laboured  among  the  Thessalonians  during  those  eventful 
months  is  fresh  in  the  Apostle's  memory.  He  reminds  them 
of  the  preachers'  courage  in  the  face  of  persecution  (1,  2), 
of  their  freedom  from  self-interest  (3-6),  and  of  their  parental 
tenderness  in  instructing  them.  We  may  safely  conjecture 
that  there  had  been  criticism  of  the  missionaries'  behaviour, 
and  that  this  is  a  reply  to  it.  Jews  had  probably  been 
saying  that  Paul  was  a  fanatical  renegade,  who  wrapped  up 
his  novel  doctrines  in  specious  language,  in  order  to  conceal 

alone  knows  the  consummation  of  the  times  before  they  come  ' 
(Apoc.  of  Bar.  xxi.  8).  See  Hastings'  DB.  art.  '  Eschatology,'  pp. 
755  i- 


1 8        COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS     [ii.  i 

his  vanity  and  greed,  like  the  itinerant  impostors  who 
preached  new  cults.  Just  as  we  owe  Newman's  inimitable 
Apologia  to  Kingsley's  attack  on  him,  so  we  owe  the  precious 
descriptions  of  the  Apostle's  work  as  a  missionary  and 
educator  to  the  attacks  which  were  made  upon  him  at 
Thessalonica  and  Corinth.  But  we  may  allow  for  the 
possibility  that  the  Apostle,  in  his  abnormal  sensitiveness, 
had  somewhat  exaggerated  estimates  of  the  malignity  of 
his  opponents.  What  is  certain  is  that  the  Jews  had  stirred 
up  the  heathen  to  expel  the  missionaries  and  persecute  their 
converts. 

'  x  You  at  any  rate  do  not  need  to  be  told  of  what  other  people 
have  reported  about  our  Work  and  its  results,  for  you  yourselves 
know,  Brethren,  With  regard  to  our  admission  into  your  midst,  that 
it  has  proved  to  be  by  no  means  ineffective.  2  On  the  contrary, 
although  we  had  had  a  foretaste  of  what  we  might  expect  at  Thessa- 
lonica in  the  sufferings  and  brutal  outrages  to  which,  as  you  fully 
know,  We  were  subjected  at  Philippi,  we  took  courage — a  courage 
which  was  not  our  own  but  our  God's — to  declare  unto  you  the  Gospel 
of  God  in  the  face  of  much  violent  opposition.  3  I  say  that  our  courage 
was  God's,  and  that  the  Gospel  which  we  preached  to  you  was  God's  ; 
and  this  is  no  exaggeration.  For  the  appeal  which  we  make  to  you 
is  not  the  result  of  our  being  delivered,  nor  yet  of  our  having  sensual 
motives,  nor  again  is  it  made  with  a  schemer's  guile.  4  On  the  con- 
trary, exactly  to  the  degree  that  we  have  been  judged  by  God  to  be  fit 
to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  Gospel,  so  in  accordance  with  this  approval 
we  declare  it,  not  as  though  we  aimed  at  pleasing  men,  but  pleasing 
God,  who  judges  our  hearts  and  motives.  5  And  this  also  is  no 
exaggeration.  For  neither  did  we  at  any  time  engage  in  language 
such  as  flatterers  use,  as  you  fully  know,  nor  any  false  professions 
such  as  greedy  schemers  use, — God  is  our  witness  ;  6  nor  did  we  seek 
to  get  glory  out  of  men,  either  from  you  or  from  others,  although  we 
might  have  been  overbearing  in  our  character  of  apostles,  and  apostles 
of  Christ.  7  On  the  contrary,  we  showed  ourselves  simple  as  children, 
mixing  with  you  as  one  of  yourselves,  much  as  a  nursing  mother  does 
when  she  fondles  her  own  children  :  8  yes,  with  all  a  mother's  yearn- 
ing over  you  we  were  delighted  to  impart  to  you,  not  only  the  Gospel 
of  God,  but  even  our  own  lives,  because  ye  had  become  as  beloved 
children  in  our  eyes.  9  Again  there  is  no  exaggeration.  For  you 
can  call  to  mind,  Brethren,  how  we  worked  for  our  living- and  struggled 
hard.  Labouring  night  and  day  to  avoid  being  burdensome  to  any  of 
you  we  preached  to  you  the  Gospel  of  God.     10  As  was  said  before, 


ii.  i,  2]  HISTORICAL   AND   PERSONAL  19 

ye  are  witnesses,  and  God  also,  how  religiously  and  righteously,  and 
in  a  manner  that  was  free  from  all  reproach,  we  behaved  ourselves 
towards  you  who  believe.  u  Indeed,  as  you  very  well  know,  to  each 
one  of  you  We  acted  as  a  father  to  his  own  children, 12  exhorting  you 
and  encouraging  you  and  protesting  to  you  solemnly,  that  in  your 
daily  life  you  should  walk  worthily  of  the  God  who  is  the  Inviter  that 
called  you  into  His  own  Kingdom  and  glory.' 

1.  for  you  yourselves  know]  The  pronoun  is  very  empha- 
tic ;  see  on  iv.  16.  '  I  can  speak  quite  positively,  and  I 
need  not  say  much,  for  I  can  appeal  to  your  own  experience. ' 
See  on  i.  5.*  The  frequent  '  ye  know  '  (o'tSare)  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  Thessalonians  had  written  to  St.  Paul.  If 
they  had,  they  would  not  have  told  him  of  his  sufferings  at 
Philippi. 

Brethren]  See  on  i.  4  ;  also  the  full  note  of  Ropes  on  Jas.  i. 
2.  Seeing  that  the  Jews  used  '  brother  '  in  the  sense  of 
'  fellow-countrymen  '  (Exod.  ii.  11  ;  Deut.  xv.  3,  xvii.  15, 
xix.  18,  19,  etc.)  it  came  to  be  used  of  fellow-members  of 
the  new  Israel.  Among  Gentile  Christians  this  usage  was 
facilitated  by  the  fact  that  among  the  heathen  '  brother  ' 
sometimes  meant  a  fellow-member  of  some  religious  society. 
Deissmann,  Bible  Studies,  p.  87. 

our  admission]  This  refers  to  i.  9,  where  the  same  word 
(eio-oSo?)  is  used. 

it  has  proved  to  be]  Its  character  is  established  and  remains 
(yeyovev).     The  '  was  '  of  the  A.V.  is  inadequate. 

ineffective]  Hollow  and  empty,  devoid  of  power  (*ev??)  ; 
xv.  10,  14,  58.  As  Chrysostom  says,  ova  avOpooirivT},  ovBe 
7)  rvxovaa  :  it  was  not  an  ordinary  one,  but  had  very  special 
features.     '  Empty-handed  '  is  not  the  meaning. 

2.  sufferings  and  brutal  outrages]  At  Philippi  they  had 
been  treated  with  wanton  indignity  ;  cf.  Mt.  xxii.  6  ;  Lk. 
xviii.  32.  Trench,  Syn.  §  xxix.  It  was  outrageous  to 
strip,  beat,  and  imprison  Roman  citizens  without  a  hearing  ; 

*  '  For  '  (yap)  is  exceedingly  frequent  as  a  connecting  particle 
between  St.  Paul's  sentences,  and  it  is  important  to  see  in  each  case 
what  it  implies.  In  the  paraphrase  it  is  almost  always  expanded  : 
i.  8,  9,  ii.  3,  5,  9,  14,  19,  etc. 


20     COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [ii.  2, 3 

Acts  xvi.  22,  37.  At  Thessalonica  they  might  have  been 
treated  in  a  similar  way  ;  but  that  did  not  deter  them  from 
delivering  their  message  persistently  and  with  courage. 
Cf.  Acts  ix.  27  ;  Eph.  vi.  20. 

as  ye  fully  know]  The  Thessalonians  had  seen  Paul  and 
Silas  soon  after  the  beating  at  Philippi.     See  on  i.  5. 

a  courage  not  our  own  but  our  God's]  They  are  not  boast- 
ing of  their  own  bravery  ;  it  is  rooted  in  their  God,  who  is 
now  the  Thessalonians'  God.  There  may  here  be  a  contrast 
with  the  impotent  idols.  '  Our  God  '  occurs  again  hi.  9  ; 
2  Thess.  i.  11, 12  ;  1  Cor.  vi.  11  ;  and  it  is  frequent  in  Revela- 
tion. '  My  God  '  is  more  common  in  the  Pauline  Epistles  ; 
but  usually  there  is  no  possessive  pronoun. 

the  Gospel  of  God]  The  Good-tidings  which  He  sends. 

violent  opposition]  Such  as  is  seen  in  the  arena  (ayuvi). 
The  metaphor  is  an  obvious  one  in  describing  the  life  of  a 
Christian,  especially  in  the  midst  of  heathen  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  25  ; 
xv.  32  ;  Eph.  vi.  12  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  5,  iv.  7  ;  Heb.  x.  32  ;  Jude 
3.  '  Anxiety  '  is  a  less  probable  meaning  ;  but  the  word 
may  be  used  of  internal  as  well  as  of  external  conflict  ; 
Phil.  i.  30  ;  Col.  ii.  1. 

3.  the  appeal]  This  means  an  appeal  to  the  feelings  (irapd- 
kXtjo-is),  in  the  form  either  of  '  consolation  '  for  the  past  or 
present,  as  often  in  2  Cor.,  or  of  '  exhortation  '  for  the 
present  or  future.  '  Instruction  '  (SiBaxv,  SiSatr«a\la)  is 
an  appeal  to  the  intellect.  See  Hastings'  DAC.  art.  '  Ex- 
hortation.' 

In  what  follows  we  may  regard  it  as  certain  that  the  writers 
are  replying  to  charges  and  insinuations  which  their  Jewish 
opponents  had  made  against  them.*  The  motives  of  the 
Jews  were  commonly  jealousy  of  the  Apostles'  miraculous 
power  and  success,  and  disgust  that  Jewish  privileges  were 
being  thrown  open  to  the  Gentiles  (Acts  v.  17,  xvii.  5, 
xxii.  21,  22)  ;  and  their  usual  weapons  were  insinuation 
and  slander.     But  they  often  resorted  to  violence. 

the  result  of  our  being  deluded]  The  expression  (e/e  ir\avr}<i) 
implies    serious    aberration,    being    led    utterly    astray  ; 

*  See  Chase,  Credibility  of  the  Acts  (Hulsean  Lectures,  1900),  p.  246. 


ii.  3)  4]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  21 

2  Thess.  ii.  11.  See  J.  A.  Robinson  on  Eph.  iv.  14.  The 
three  missionaries  were  not  victims  of  a  vast  deception. 

of  our  having  sensual  motives]  It  seems  to  us  strange  that 
the  Apostle  should  think  it  necessary  to  disclaim  sensuality 
[axa6 apcria).  But  heathen  worship  was  so  often  combined 
with  wild  emotionalism  akin  to  impurity  (as  in  that  of  the 
Cabiri  at  Thessalonica)  that  it  might  seem  to  be  expedient 
to  point  out  that  the  Gospel  was  not  made  attractive  by 
any  such  methods.  Moreover  the  Jews  accused  the  Apostle 
of  undermining  the  moral  law  by  his  teaching.  We  must 
abide  by  the  true  meaning  of  aKadapaia.  The  word  cannot 
mean  '  covetousness.'  i 

with  a  schemer's  guile]  This  charge  against  the  Apostle 
was  afterwards  made  at  Corinth  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  16.  With 
the  change  of  prepositions  here  (e*  to  iv)  compare  that  in 
iv.  7  (eVi  to  iv). 

4.  exactly  to  the  degree]  Cf.  2  Cor.  x.  7,  where,  as  here,  we 
have  KaOco'i  .  .  .  ovrws.     See  on  v.  2. 

judged  by  God  to  be  fit]  Just  as  Athenians  were  tested  as  to 
antecedents  and  character  before  they  were  allowed  to 
assume  office,  so  God  had  tested  them  (8e8oKi/u,d<rfxe0a) 
before  giving  them  a  commission  to  preach.  The  result 
of  the  testing  remains.     See  on  i.  8. 

to  be  put  in  trust  with  the  Gospel]  With  irtcrTevdfjvai  to 
euayyeXiov  cf.  ol/covo/niav  ireiricnevfiaL  (i  Ccr.  ix.  17)  ', 
also  Gal.  ii.  7  ;  1  Tim.  i.  11. 

who  judges  our  hearts]  From  Jer.  xi.  20,  xii.  3.  The 
expression  is  frequent  in  the  Psalms.  Although  there  are 
no  direct  quotations  from  the  O.T.,  most  of  the  converts 
being  ignorant  of  it,  there  are  several  places  in  which  the 
Apostle,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  reproduces  its  lan- 
guage ;  ii.  16,  iv.  5,  6,  8,  v.  8,  22.  For  the  plural  '  hearts  ' 
see  on  v.  8  and  on  i.  2.  The  '  our  '  refers  to  the  three  writers 
of  the  Epistle,  as  in  'our'  appeal  [v.  3).  In  Scripture 
'  the  heart  '  covers  the  whole  moral  and  spiritual  character, 
the  will  and  the  intellect  as  well  as  the  emotions  ;  Rom. 
viii.  27  ;  Rev.  ii.  23.  In  sense,  though  not  in  wording,  this 
is  very  similar  to  1  Cor.  iv.  3,  4  ;  cf.  also  Gal.  i.  10. 

D 


22  COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [ii.5,6 

5.  engage  in  any  language  such  as  flatterers  use]  They  never 
resorted  to  cajoling  [icokaiteta)  in  order  to  get  their  way  with 
the  Thessalonians.  The  word  is  found  nowhere  else  in  the 
N.T. 

false  professions  such  as  greedy  schemers  use]  The  '  greed  ' 
or  self-seeking  '  {ifKeove^Ca)  means  getting  more  than  one's 
fair  share,  being  covetous  and  grasping  (Trench,  Syn.  §  24)  ; 
and  the  '  false  profession  '  or  '  pretext '  (7rpo$acn?)  is  a 
pretended  disinterestedness,  a  hypocritical  air  of  unselfish- 
ness.    Cf.  Phil.  i.  18  ;   Acts  xxvii.  30. 

In  vv.  5  and  6  there  are  three  denials,  as  in  v.  3  ;  but 
the  two  triplets  are  similar  in  only  one  of  the  three  points  ; 
'  false  professions  '  may  correspond  to  '  in  guile.' 

God  is  witness]  What  kind  of  language  they  had  used  the 
Thessalonians  themselves  knew  :  what  their  motives  had 
been  God  alone  knew.     Cf.  Rom.  i.  9  ;   Phil.  i.  8  ;  2  Cor.  i. 

23  ;  Gen.  xxxi.  44  ;  etc.  "  In  that  which  was  open  to 
men's  observation  he  appealed  to  their  own  testimony  ; 
but  in  regard  to  what  was  hidden,  to  whom  could  he  appeal 
but  to  God  ?  "  (Aug.  Eft.  cxxvi.  10). 

6.  glory  out  of  men]  They  were  greedy  neither  of  gain 
nor  of  praise.  In  their  preaching  they  were  not  influenced 
by  the  desire  of  either  of  the  two  baits  by  which  most  men 
are  caught. 

overbearing]  This  refers  mainly  to  the  desire  for  glory. 
They  might  have  stood  upon  their  dignity  and  given  them- 
selves airs  as  '  men  of  weight.'  But  the  expression  (eV  fidpei 
elvai)  will  cover  the  idea  of  greed  also.  Coverdale  has 
'  chargeable  '  ;  they  might  have  claimed  maintenance  and 
pay  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  14,  15  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  7-9.  But  this  cannot  be 
counted  as  a  reminiscence  of  our  Lord's  instructions  to  the 
Seventy,  Lk.  x.  7.  Rather,  it  marks  imitation  of  the  Lord 
Himself  ;  He  was  a  carpenter,  and  His  great  Apostle  was  a 
tent-maker. 

apostles  of  Christ]  '  Apostles  '  here  is  not  used  in  its  full 
official  sense,  but  rather  in  its  etymological  meaning  of  those 
who  are  sent  on  an  expedition  or  with  a  commission, — 
'  missionaries  '  ;  Rom.  xvi.  7  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  13  ;  Acts  xiv.  4, 


ii.  7,8]         HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  23 

14.  Jews  had  '  apostles  '  who  were  sent  from  Jerusalem 
to  scattered  synagogues.  See  DAC.  art.  '  Apostle  '  ;  Zahn, 
Introd.  to  the  N.T.  I.  p.  103.  '  Of  Christ '  is  emphatic  by 
position  ;   hence  the  repetition  in  the  paraphrase. 

7.  The  three  positive  statements  refer  here  to  the  three 
denials  in  vv.  5  and  6.  The  unselfish  character  of  the  work 
would  appeal  to  those  who  were  so  accustomed  to  the  selfish 
greed  of  a  trading  centre. 

simple  as  children  .  .  .  much  as  a  nursing  mother] 
'  Children,  like  a  mother  '  looks  incongruous,  but  is  beauti- 
fully correct.  A  mother  fondling  her  children  comes  down 
to  their  level,  uses  their  language,  and  plays  then  games. 
The  Apostle  compares  himself  to  a  mother ;    Gal.  iv.  19. 

fondles.]  Cf.  Eph.  v.  29,  where  the  same  verb  (ddXiretv) 
is  used.  In  Deut.  xxii.  6  it  is  used  of  the  hen  bird  sitting 
over  its  young  in  the  nest.  Hence  Bengel  says  here  on  eV 
fieaw  vfjioov,  sicut  gallina  ftullis  circumdata.     Cf.  Lk.  xxii.  27. 

There  seems  to  be  no  sufficient  reason  for  adopting  the 
less  strongly  attested  reading  '  tender-hearted  '  for  '  simple 
as  children  '  (rjTrioi  for  vrjinoL  as  in  Eph.  iv.  15).  W.H.,  II. 
p.    128. 

8.  with  all  a  mother's  yearning]  The  word  (o/xeipofievoi) 
is  extremely  rare  in  Greek  literature,  and  its  origin  is  obscure. 
Vulg.  has  desiderantes  here  and  hi.  6,  where  the  much  more 
common  iin7ro6ovvTe<;  occurs. 

we  were  delighted] '  well  pleased  '  is  hardly  strong  enough. 
Cf.  hi.  1  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  12  ;  2  Cor.  v.  8,  xii.  10,  where  the  same 
verb  (evSofcelv)  occurs.  Vulg.  renders  it  in  ten  different 
ways  ;  here  cupide  volebamus.  It  implies  hearty  good-will, 
absolute  contentment.  It  was  their  duty  to  impart  the 
Gospel ;  their  own  lives  were  an  addition,  and  it  was  made 
with  the  utmost  willingness. 

even  our  own  lives]  '  Our  own  lives  for  our  own  children.' 
Cf.  Acts  xv.  26  ;  Rom.  xvi.  4.  The  plural  here  ('  lives  * 
not  '  life,'  as  in  v.  4  '  hearts  '  not  '  heart ')  shows  that  the 
plural  verbs  throughout  the  letter  refer  to  the  three  mis- 
sionaries, not  to  the  Apostle  alone.     See  on  i.  2  and  ii.  18. 

as   beloved   children]   Or,    '  so   very   dear '    (a<yarr7]Toi). 


24      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS       [ii.  9 

This  letter  is  exceptionally  affectionate  in  tone.  Consider- 
ing its  brevity,  it  has  the  address  '  Brethren  '  (dBe\4>ol) 
more  frequently  than  any  other  Epistle  of  St.  Paul  ;  see  on 
i.  4.  he  mobile  de  son  zele  etait  un  amour  des  dmes  en  quelque 
sorte  infini  (Renan,  Saint  Paul,  p.  237).  Cf.  1  Cor.  iv.  14  ; 
Eph.  v.  1. 

9.  you  can  call  to  mind]  Again  they  appeal  to  what  the 
Thessalonians  know  from  their  own  experience.     See  on  i.  5. 

how  we  worked  and  struggled]  The  same  combination 
(«o7ro?  and  fioxdos)  occurs  2  Thess.  hi.  8  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  27. 
It  is  unnecessary  refinement  to  distinguish  between  the  two 
words.  The  combination  is  a  set  phrase,  like  '  toil  and 
travail,'  '  toil  and  trouble,'  in  English.  In  the  LXX  the 
usual  combination  is  kottos  kcu  ttovo^,  singular  or  plural ; 
Ps.  xc.  10  ;  Hab.  i.  3  ;  Jer.  xx.  18,  where  some  texts  have 
kottovs  Kal  fioxdovs.  So  far  from  making  claims  on  the 
Thessalonians,  the  missionaries  toiled  and  moiled  to  support 
themselves.  The  precise  nature  of  St.  Paul's  handicraft 
is  a  little  uncertain  ;  whether  he  wove  material  for  tent- 
making,  or  only  cut  it  out  and  sewed  it  together  ;  also 
whether  the  material  was  cloth  {cilicium)  or  leather.  Cf. 
Acts  xviii.  3,  xx.  34  ;  2  Thess.  hi.  8  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  12,  ix.  15. 
We  do  not  know  how  Silvanus  and  Timothy  earned  their 
living.  The  Church  at  Thessalonica  probably  consisted 
chiefly  of  poor  people  who  had  to  work  for  their  daily  bread. 

The  impression  which  these  verses  make  on  us  is  that  the 
missionaries'  stay  in  Thessalonica  was  of  considerable  length. 
Otherwise  there  would  hardly  be  much  necessity  for  this 
incessant  work  in  addition  to  preaching  ;  still  less  for 
supplies  being  sent  more  than  once  from  Philippi  (see  below). 
In  Acts  xvii.  St.  Luke  tells  only  of  the  work  in  the  syna- 
gogues among  Jews  and  devout  heathen  who  attended  the 
synagogue-worship,  who  evidently  formed  only  a  minority 
of  the  total  number  of  converts.  There  is  no  trace  of  them 
in  these  two  Epistles. 

night  and  day]  This  is  St.  Paul's  usual  order  ;  hi.  10  ; 
2  Thess.  hi.  8  ;  etc.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  Jewish 
methods  of  reckoning  time  from  evening  to  evening.     '  Day 


ii.  9, 10]        HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  25 

and  night  '  is  frequent  in  both  O.T.  and  N.T.  As  in  English, 
one  order  is  as  natural  as  the  other.  Of  course  he  does  not 
mean  that  he  worked  all  through  the  24  hours.  He  worked 
hard,  and  he  often  worked  at  night. 

to  avoid  being  burdensome]  The  verb  (imftapetv)  occurs 
again  in  the  same  connexion  2  Thess.  hi.  8.  Cf.  2  Cor.  ii.  5. 
This  proved  that  there  was  no  greed.  They  did  not  preach  for 
what  they  could  get.  In  case  of  necessity  the  Apostle  was 
willing  to  receive  alms  from  one  Church  when  he  was  preach- 
ing in  another,  but  never  from  the  Church  in  which  he  was 
working.  At  Thessalonica  he  more  than  once  received  help 
from  Philippi,  as  he  tells  us  Phil.  iv.  16.  But  he  took  care 
that  it  should  never  be  possible  to  say  that  he  shaped  his 
preaching  to  please  his  hearers  and  get  maintenance  from 
them  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  7,  xii.  13.  Chrysostom  infers  from  this 
that  most  of  the  Thessalonian  converts  were  poor.  This  is 
probable  ;  but  the  '  chief  women  '  at  Thessalonica  would 
doubtless  have  entertained  the  missionaries,  had  they  been 
willing  to  accept  hospitality. 

we  preached  to  you]  The  meaning  may  be  '  into  you,'  so 
that  the  message  would  abide  in  their  hearts  (et?  v/xa?). 
See  on  iv.  8  and  cf.  Mk.  xiii.  10  ;  Lk.  xxiv.  47  ;  1  Pet.  i.  25. 

10.  ye  are  witnesses  and  God  also]  Cf.  vv.  1,  5.  The 
Thessalonians  knew  the  whole  of  their  conduct  ;  God  knew 
this  and  also  their  hearts.     Cf.  2  Cor.  v.  11  ;  1  Sam.  xii.  3.* 

religiously  and  righteously]  These  two  adverbs  can  here 
hardly  be  separated,  as  if  '  religiously  '  (ocricos)  were  con- 
fined to  the  duty  to  God  and  '  righteously  '  (St/catw?)  to 
the  duty  to  man.  Both  refer  to  both  duties,  as  also  does 
'  free  from  all  reproach  '  (afxefxirrco^),  which  recurs  iii.  13, 
v.  23.  Cf.  a/ie/iTTTo?  Phil.  ii.  15,  iii.  6  ;  Lk.  i.  6  ;  often  in 
Job.  We  have  adverbs  rather  than  adjectives,  because 
action  rather  than  personal  character  is  described. 

*  Weinel  finds  fault  with  the  Apostle's  occasional  appeals  to  God 
as  a  witness  (Rom.  i.  9 ;  2  Cor.  i.  23  ;  Phil.  i.  8),  which  he  thinks 
may  have  been  "  merely  an  old  Jewish  habit  "  {St.  Paul,  the  Man 
and  his  Work,  p.  358). 


26     COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [ii.  10-12 

we  behaved  ourselves  towards  you]  The  Greek  (v/uv  iyerf- 
6t]fM€v)  may  mean  '  we  made  ourselves  yours,'  treating  the 
dative  as  possessive,  as  in  Rom.  vii.  3.  Or  it  might  mean 
'  we  behaved  ourselves  in  the  opinion  of  you  '  ;  but  the 
context  is  against  this. 

who  believe]  Emphatic.  Believers  had  a  special  claim  on 
them  ;  Gal.  vi.  10.  There  is  no  suggestion  that  unbelievers 
were  unrighteously  treated  ;  but  the  believers  who  are 
addressed  had  special  knowledge  of  the  blameless  conduct 
of  the  preachers. 

11.  as  you  very  well  know]  See  on  i.  5. 

to  each  one  of  you]  Emphatic.  Every  individual  was  an 
object  of  paternal  care  ;  not  one  was  overlooked  or  neg- 
lected. This  would  not  be  difficult.  The  number  of 
converts  was  probably  only  a  few  hundreds.  Chrysostom 
assumes  a  large  number,  and  expresses  astonishment  at 
this  minute  carefulness.  Cf.  2  Thess.  i.  3  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  18  ; 
Eph.  iv.  7,  16  ;   Col.  iv.  6  ;   etc. 

as  a  father]  They  received  both  a  mother's  affection  and 
tenderness  (v.  7)  and  a  father's  thought  and  counsel  ;  in 
both  respects  as  '  their  own  children.'  Cf.  1  Cor.  iv.  14  ; 
2  Cor.  vi.  13  ;  Gal.  iv.  19  ;  1  Tim.  i.  2,  18  ;  2  Tim.  i.  2,  ii.  1  ; 
Tit.  i.  4. 

exhorting]  The  verb  (irapaicaXelv)  is  cognate  with 
'  appeal '  (Trapd/c\r)cn<;)  in  v.  3.     See  on  hi.  7. 

encouraging]  Getting  them  to  persevere  in  the  good 
course  which  they  have  begun  ;    cf.  v.  14. 

protesting]  Lit.  '  calling  to  witness  '  (paprvpofievoi),  and 
hence  testifying,  '  asseverating ' ;  cf .  Gal.  v.  3  ;  Eph.  iv.  17  ; 
Acts  xx.  26,  where  it  is  one  of  the  many  Pauline  expressions 
which  occur  in  the  speech  at  Miletus.  Cf.  Sie/xapTvpd/xe6a) 
iv.  6  ;  vov6eTovvra<;}  v.  12,  KoirLwvTac;,  V.  12.  IIapdK\r)cn<; 
movet,  ut  facias  aliquid  libenter  ;  •napap.vQiov,  ut  cum  gaudio ; 
rb  fiaprvpeicrdai,  ut  cum  timore  (Bengel). 

12.  walk]  A  frequent  metaphor  in  Scripture  (and  especi- 
ally in  the  Pauline  Epistles)  for  general  behaviour  ;  iv.  i. 
12  ;   2  Thess.  iii.  6,  ii  ;  etc. 


ii.  12]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  27 

worthily  of  the  God]  The  one  and  true  God,  as  in  i.  2. 
Cf.  Col.  i.  10  ;   3  Jn.  6.* 

who  is  the  Inviter]  Cf.  v.  24  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  14  ;  1  Cor.  i.  9  ; 
Gal.  v.  8  ;  Col.  iii.  15  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  12.  With  '  the  Inviter  ' 
compare  '  the  Deliverer  '  in  i.  10.  In  both  cases  we  have  the 
present  participle  with  the  article.  The  verb  here  (xaXelv) 
is  often  used  of  invitations  ;  Mt.  xxii.  3,  9  ;  Lk.  vii.  39, 
xiv.  7-9.  The  meaning  is  that  God  is  the  Inviter  to  whom 
they  owe  their  admission  into  the  Kingdom,  and  that  they 
must  habitually  live  in  amanner  which  befits  such  a  privilege. 
It  does  not  mean  that  He  is  now  inviting  them  into  a 
Kingdom  which  they  have  not  yet  entered.  Throughout  the 
N.T.  the  Kingdom  of  God  is  both  a  privilege  possessed  and 
a  prize  to  be  won.  The  Parable  of  the  Supper  may  have 
been  known  to  St.  Paul  (Lk.  xiv.  16  f  ;  Mt.  xxii.  if.),  and 
may  have  influenced  his  language.  See  Dalman,  The  Words 
of  Jesus,  p.  118. 

It  was  the  Apostle's  persistent  preaching  of  the  coming  of 
the  Kingdom  of  God  and  of  Christ  as  King  which  laid  him 
open  to  the  charge  of  treason.  This  had  been  the  case  at 
Thessalonica  ;  '  saying  that  there  is  another  king,  one 
Jesus,'  Acts  xvii.  7. 

St.  Paul  does  not  explain  what  he  means  by  the  Kingdom. 
The  idea  and  expression  had  long  been  current,  and  had 
been  emphasized  and  illuminated  by  the  teaching  of  Christ. 
It  is  therefore  assumed  that  all  Christians,  even  those  who 
are  as  yet  babes  in  Christ,  are  familiar  with  it.  Throughout 
the  N.T.  it  is  spoken  of,  sometimes  as  present,  but  more 
often  as  future.  In  the  same  Epistle  we  find  both  views. 
In  1  Cor.  iv.  20  the  Kingdom  is  regarded  as  present  ;  in 
vi.  9  and  xv.  50  it  is  regarded  as  future.  The  former  view 
is  found  also  in  Rom.  xiv.  17  ;   Col.  i.  13,  14,  and  perhaps 

*  Nemo  alius  est  Deo  digitus,  quam  qui  opes  contemsit.  Quarum 
possessionem  tibi  non  interdico  :  sed  efficere  volo,  ut  Mas  intrepide 
possideas  (Seneca,  Ep.  xviii.  10).  In  regno  nati  sumus  :  Deo  parere 
libertas  est  (Ibid.,  De  Vita  Beata,  xv.  6).  A  heathen  could  see  that 
the  possession  of  riches,  though  lawful,  is  morally  perilous  ;  and 
that  true  freedom  is  found  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  Law. 


28    COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [ii.  12, 13 

iv.  11.  The  latter  view  is  found  Gal.  v.  21  ;  Eph.  v.  5. 
In  the  main  the  two  views  correspond  to  the  two  Advents 
of  Christ.  The  passage  before  us  might  be  interpreted  as 
being  in  harmony  with  either  view  ;  but  what  is  specially 
meant  is  the  existing  spiritual  Kingdom  which  the  Thessa- 
lonians  had  already  entered.  Nowhere  in  his  Epistles  does 
St.  Paul  show  any  sympathy  with  "  the  realistic  eschatology 
of  a  visible  reign  of  the  Messiah  upon  earth."  A.  Robertson, 
Regnum  Dei  (the  Bampton  Lectures  for  1901),  pp.  49  f.  ; 
also  Robertson  and  Plummer  on  1  Cor.  iv.  20  and  vi.  9,  and 
Hastings'  DCG.  art.  '  Paul,'  II.  p.  891. 

ii.  13-16.     Renewed  Thanksgiving  for  their  Con- 
version AND  FOR  THEIR  PATIENCE  UNDER 

Persecution 

13  For  this  cause  also  thank  we  God  without  ceasing,  because, 
when  ye  received  the  word  of  God  which  ye  heard  of  us,  ye  received 
it  not  as  the  word  of  men  but  (as  it  is  in  truth)  the  word  of  God, 
which  effectually  worketh  also  in  you  that  believe.  14  For  ye, 
brethren,  became  followers  of  the  Churches  of  God  which  in  Judaea 
are  in  Christ  Jesus  :  for  ye  also  have  suffered  like  things  of  your 
own  countrymen,  even  as  they  have  of  the  Jews  :  15  Who  both 
killed  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  their  own  prophets,  and  have  persecuted 
us  ;  and  they  please  not  God,  and  are  contrary  to  all  men  :  16  For- 
bidding us  to  speak  to  the  Gentiles  that  they  might  be  saved,  to 
fill  up  their  sins  alway  :  for  the  wrath  is  come  upon  them  to  the 
uttermost. 

Having  appealed  to  their  readers'  experience  of  the 
integrity,  industry,  and  affection  with  which  the  Gospel 
had  been  preached  to  them,  the  writers  again  burst  out  into 
thanksgiving  to  God  for  the  results  of  their  labours. 

13  '  Seeing  that  you  are  well  aware  of  all  that  we  have  done  for  you 
and  felt  for  you,  We  also  on  our  part  render  thanks  to  our  God  unceas- 
ingly, because  when  you  received  with  your  ears  the  Word  from  us, 
which  was  really  from  our  God,  you  welcomed  it  not  as  a  Word  from 
men,  but  with  all  the  reverence  due  to  what  in  fact  it  is,  a  word  from 
God,  a  word  which  was  not  only  welcomed  by  you  but  is  also  working 
effectually  in  you  in  virtue  of  your  faith.  14  We  know  that  this  is 
so,  for  in  Christian  endurance  you  became  imitators,  Brethren,  of 
the  very  earliest  Assemblies  of  God,  viz.  those  which  are  in  Judaea, 


ii.  13]  HISTORICAL   AND   PERSONAL  29 

having  Christ  Jesus  as  Lord.  You  imitated  them  in  that  you  also 
suffered  the  very  same  kind  of  treatment  at  the  hands  of  your  own 
fellow-countrymen  that  they  themselves  also  did  at  the  hands  of  the 
Jews.  15  The  Jews  slew  both  the  Lord  in  slaying  Jesus,  and  also 
their  Prophets,  and  they  violently  drove  us  out  from  among  them. 
To  God  they  are  displeasing,  and  to  the  whole  human  race  they  are 
enemies,  16  seeing  that  they  would  fain  forbid  us  to  speak  to  the  Gen- 
tiles to  the  end  that  they  may  be  saved.  This  is  only  what  one  might 
expect  ;  for  they  must  fill  to  the  full  the  measure  of  their  own  sins  at 
all  times,  past  and  present.  But  (although  they  are  not  aware  of  it) 
the  wrath  of  God  is  already  upon  them  to  make  an  end  of  them.' 

13.  We  also  on  our  part]  This  answers  to  '  you  yourselves 
know  '  in  v.  1.  Having  appealed  to  the  Thessalonians' 
experience  of  them  as  missionaries,  they  now  thank  God  for 
their  own  experience  of  the  Thessalonians  as  converts. 
Lightfoot  (on  Col.  i.  9)  thinks  that  here,  as  there,  "  the  icaC 
denotes  the  response  of  the  Apostle's  personal  feeling  to  the 
favourable  character  of  the  news."  In  both  places  we  have 
hia  tovto  ical  rjfieh.  Others  take  icai  as  meaning  '  we  as 
well  as  every  true  Christian  who  hears  of  the  conduct  of 
you  Thessalonians.'  Others  interpret,  '  we  give  thanks  as 
you  say  that  you  do ' ;  and  this  interpretation  is  assumed 
to  imply  a  letter  from  the  Thessalonians  to  the  Apostle 
which  Timothy  had  brought  when  he  returned  from  his 
mission.  Even  if  the  interpretation  were  correct,  the 
assumption  would  be  doubtful.  Timothy  might  report 
that  the  Thessalonians  were  thankful. 

unceasingly]  See  on  i.  2. 

received  with  your  ears  the  word  from  us]  Lit.  '  received 
a  word  of  hearing  from  us,'  i.e.  a  message  delivered  by  word 
of  mouth  by  us.  Cf.  '  received  '  (7rapaKafx/3dyco,  as  here) 
iv.  1  and  Col.  ii.  6. 

really  from  our  God]  This  corrects  the  impression  that 
'  from  us  '  means  that  the  missionaries  originated  it.  It 
perhaps  also  corrects  a  Jewish  insinuation  that  the  Gospel 
was  not  from  God,  but  was  a  mere  human  invention. 

welcomed  it]  Not  merely  heard  it  with  their  ears,  but 
embraced  it  and  appropriated  it  in  their  hearts.  Cf.  i.  6, 
where  the  same  expression  is  used. 


30      COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [ii.  13,14 

In  the  Greek  we  have  two  verbs  {irapakd^ovre^  .  .  . 
eSe£acr0e),  not  the  same  verb  repeated,  as  the  Vulgate  and 
the  A.V.  imply. 

is  also  working  effectually]  The  verb  (ivepyelrai)  is  one 
of  which  St.  Paul  is  very  fond  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  7  ;  Rom.  vii.  5  ; 
2  Cor.  i.  6,  iv.  12  ;  Gal.  v.  6  ;  etc.  When  he  uses  the  middle, 
it  is  always  of  things,  not  persons  ;  see  J.  A.  Robinson, 
Ephesians,  pp.  241  ff.  ;    Mayor  and  Ropes  on  Jas.  v.  16. 

in  virtue  of  your  faith]  '  In  you  that  believe  '  (R.V.)  is 
exact,  as  in  v.  10,  but  does  not  sufficiently  bring  out  the 
point  that  even  God's  word  cannot  have  its  proper  effect 
unless  it  is  met  by  faith  on  the  part  of  the  hearer. 

14.  you  became  imitators]  It  was  stated  in  i.  6  that  the 
Thessalonians  imitated  their  teachers  in  their  manner  of 
life.  Here  it  is  stated  that  they  imitated  them  and  other 
first  Christians  in  being  persecuted  by  their  own  countrymen. 
Of  course  in  the  latter  case  the  imitation  was  involuntary  ; 
indeed,  not  in  intention.  It  was  their  steadfastness  under 
persecution  that  was  voluntary. 

Brethren]  See  on  i.  4. 

Assemblies  of  God]  Cf.  2  Thess.  i.  4  ;  1  Cor.  xi.  16.  The 
addition  '  of  God  '  (tov  Geov)  after  '  Assembly  '  or  '  Church  ' 
(e/cKkrjo-ia)  is  frequent  in  the  Pauline  Epistles,  and  is  peculiar 
to  them  ;  1  Cor.  i.  2,  x.  32,  xi.  22,  xv.  9  ;  2  Cor.  i.  1  ;  Gal. 
i.  13.  The  addition  distinguishes  Christian  '  Assemblies  ' 
from  those  of  the  heathen,  who  used  the  same  word.  In 
Acts  we  read  of  '  Churches  '  on  the  sea-board,  in  Galilee, 
and  in  Samaria. 

having  Christ  Jesus  as  Lord]  See  on  i.  1.  This  addition 
(lit.  '  in  Christ  Jesus  ')  distinguishes  Christian  '  Assemblies  ' 
from  those  of  the  Jews,  who  also  used  the  same  word.  Cf. 
Gal.  i.  22.  The  order  '  Christ  Jesus  '  occurs  again,  v.  18, 
and  is  almost,  if  not  wholly,  confined  to  the  Epistles  of  St. 
Paul,  Acts  xvii.  3,  xviii.  5  being  doubtful.  In  this  order 
the  two  words  have  become  a  proper  name.  In  the  more 
familiar  order,  '  Jesus  Christ,'  it  is  probable  that  at  first 
'  Christ '  was  to  some  extent  a  title  ;  but  soon  both  '  Jesus 


ii.  14]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  31 

Christ '    and    '  Christ  '   became    merely    a    proper    name. 
Sanday,  Bampton  Lectures,  pp.  289  f. 

You  also  suffered]  Note  the  double  '  also  '  and  '  the  very 
same  '  (ra  avra  .  .  .  Kal  vjxeis  .  .  .  /cadco?  /ecu  avjoi)  emphasiz- 
ing the  exact  similarity  between  the  cases.     Cf .  2  Cor.  i.  6. 

at  the  hands  of  your  own  fellow-countrymen]  It  was  in  this 
that  the  remarkable  imitation  consisted,  '  Fellow-country- 
men,' lit.  '  fellow- tribesmen  '  (a-vfi^vkirai),  occurs  nowhere 
else  in  the  N.T.  Cf.  '  fellow-citizens '  (cru/47ro\tTat)  Eph.  ii. 
19.  It  was '  certain  vile  fellows  of  the  rabble  '  (and  therefore 
heathen)  in  Thessalonica  who  were  instigated  by  the  Jews 
to  persecute  ;  Acts  xvii.  5-8.  The  heathen  relations  of 
the  converts  would  be  very  bitter,  and  especially  those  of 
/  the  chief  women.' 

they  themselves  also]  The  members  of  the  Churches  in 
Judaea.  This  Christ  foretold  ;  Mt.  x.  17  f .  Contrast  Acts 
ix.  31. 

at  the  hands  of  the  Jews]  Nowhere  else  does  St.  Paul 
speak  of  '  the  Jews  '  in  this  way  as  denoting  the  enemies  of 
Christ  and  His  followers,  a  use  so  common  in  the  Fourth 
Gospel;  but  2  Cor.  xi.  4  f.  is  somewhat  similar.  He  elsewhere 
speaks  very  differently  of  his  fellow-countrymen  ;  Rom. 
iii.  1,  2,  ix.  1-5,  x.  1,  2.  But  at  the  time  when  this  letter 
was  written  he  had  been  suffering  greatly  from  the  bitter 
hostility  of  the  Jews,  who  by  violence,  calumny  and  base 
insinuations  were  ceaselessly  impeding  his  missionary  work 
among  the  Gentiles  in  Europe,  at  Thessalonica,  at  Beroea, 
and  at  Corinth.  He  had  come  to  regard  them  as  agents  of 
Antichrist.  Consequently  at  the  mention  of  the  Jews  he 
goes  off  in  a  burst  of  indignation,  as  he  thinks  how  his  own 
work  has  been  hindered  and  how  much  his  beloved  converts 
have  had  to  endure.  The  outburst  is  so  natural  that  there 
is  little  reason  for  suspecting  that  either  the  whole  passage, 
or  at  any  rate  the  last  severe  sentence  of  it,  may  be  an 
interpolation.*     Cf.  2  Thess.  i.  8,  iii.  2. 

*  "  The  first  two  clauses  of  v.  16  bear  in  the  highest  degree  the 
Pauline  stamp.  In  form,  the  same  is  true  of  the  abrupt  conclusion, 
for  which  a  quotation  from  some  Jewish  Apocryphon  or  a  gloss 


32      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [ii.  15 

15.  slew  both  the  Lord  in  slaying  Jesus]  In  the  Greek 
'  the  Lord  '  is  separated  from  '  Jesus,'  and  this  brings  both 
terms  into  prominence.  This  effect  is  lost  when  they  are 
put  together  in  the  common  expression,  '  the  Lord  Jesus,' 
as  in  A.V.  and  R.  V.  '  Who  slew  Jesus  the  Lord  '  would  be 
better.  This  was  a  crime  atrocious  in  its  enormity  and 
folly.  In  His  Divine  character  they  owed  Him  worship  ; 
in  His  human  character  they  owed  Him  gratitude  and  love  ; 
and  yet  they  killed  Him.  Cf.  Acts  ii.  36.  There  may  be 
an  allusion  to  the  meaning  of  '  Jesus  '  ;  they  slew  their 
Lord,  for  they  slew  their  Saviour.  The  '  both '  (/eat) 
anticipates  the  '  and  also  '  [tcaC)  which  follows. 

and  also  slew  their  Prophets]  Their  supreme  crime  in 
slaying  the  Lord  was  in  complete  harmony  with  their 
previous  conduct,  as  Christ  had  shown  them  in  His  denun- 
ciations and  in  the  Parable  of  the  Unrighteous  Husbandmen. 
It  is  possible  that  this  mention  of  slaying  the  Prophets 
intimates  that  some  Christians  had  been  slain  in  the  per- 
secutions at  Thessalonica.  See  on  iv.  13.  The  concluding 
words  of  St.  Stephen's  speech  (Acts  vii.  51,  52),  which  the 
'  young  man  named  Saul '  probably  heard,  are  a  striking 
parallel  to  this  indictment. 

violently  drove  us  out]  The  compound  verb  (itcSuo/ceiv), 
which  occurs  here  only  in  the  N.T.,  implies  violent  expulsion  ; 
cf.  Deut.  vi.  19  ;  Joel  ii.  20.  '  Persecute  '  (Skokciv)  does 
not  necessarily  imply  expulsion.  The  brethren  had  been 
obliged  to  send  Paul  and  Silvanus  out  of  Thessalonica ; 
Acts  xvii.  5-10  ;    cf.  xiv.  5,  6,  19,  xvii.  13,  14. 

A  different  arrangement  of  the  clauses  is  grammatically 
possible  ;  '  who  both  slew  the  Lord  in  slaying  Jesus,  and 
violently   drove   out   the   Prophets   and   ourselves.'     This 

has  been — quite  superfluously — suggested.  Indeed,  both  verses 
read  like  echoes  from  an  angry  indictment  lately  flung  in  the  face 
of  his  persecutors  by  St.  Paul.  I  can  thus  see  no  sufficient  ground 
for  removing  verses  ii.  15  and  16,  or  even  only  the  last  part  of  16 
as  interpolations,  from  the  genuine  Epistle  of  St.  Paul"  (Julicher, 
Intr.  to  N.T.,  p.  60).  See  also  Hort,  Judaistic  Christianity,  p.  90. 
De  Wette  says  that  such  objections  arise  from  subjective  views 
capable  of  being  met  by  similar  views  of  equal  value. 


ii.  15, 16]       HISTORICAL  AND   PERSONAL  33 

makes  good  sense,  but  it  is  less  probable  than  the  other 
rendering.  Cf.  Rom.  xi.  3  ;  Mt.  xxiii.  31,  37  ;  1  Kings  xix. 
14.  In  either  case  we  have  the  worst  crime  placed  first, 
as  is  natural,  with  an  inverted  climax  ;  '  slew  their  Lord, 
slew  their  Prophets,  expelled  us,'  or, '  slew  their  Lord, 
expelled  their  Prophets,  expelled  us.' 

To  God  they  are  displeasing]  Lit.  '  are  not  pleasing.'  A 
mournful  description,  which  is  all  the  more  telling  by  being 
a  manifest  understatement.  Their  conduct  was  an  abomina- 
tion to  God.  The  rendering,  '  who  defy  God,'  spoils  the 
effect  by  making  the  statement  so  strong  ;  and  the  idea  of 
defiance  is  not  implied  by  the  wording.  '  To  please  God  ' 
is  a  common  Biblical  expression  for  living  a  godly  life  ; 
iv.  1  ;   Rom.  viii.  8  ;   1  Cor.  vii.  32. 

to  the  whole  human  race  they  are  enemies]  Juvenal 
(xiv.  103  f.),  Tacitus  (Hist.  v.  5),  and  other  writers  show  that 
the  heathen  regarded  the  Jews  as  an  unsociable  and  un- 
friendly race.  They  had  strange  customs  and  rites,  which 
cut  them  off  from  intimacy  with  other  men  and  often  made 
them  actively  hostile.  St.  Paul,  however,  condemns  them 
on  other  grounds. 

16.  seeing  that  they  would  fain  forbid  us  to  speak  to  the 
Gentiles]  This  verse  is  strikingly  similar  in  tone  to  Christ's 
words  in  Mt.  xxiii.  29  f .  ;  Lk.  xi.  48  f.  For  other  possible 
echoes  of  Christ's  Sayings  see  on  i.  10,  ii.  12,  hi.  3,  13,  iv.  8, 
v.  2,  3,  5,  6,  13,  15.  Of  all  the  elements  in  the  Gospel  which 
made  it  repugnant  to  the  Jews  hardly  anything  was  more 
unwelcome  than  the  proclamation  that  they  had  no  mono- 
poly of  the  Messianic  Kingdom,  but  that  salvation  was 
open  to  Jew  and  Gentile  alike.  Cf.  Acts  v.  17,  xiii.  45-50, 
xvii.  5,  xviii.  5,  6,  xxii.  21,  22,  xxvi.  20,  21.  Some  Jews 
thought  that  one  of  the  joys  of  heaven  would  be  seeing  the 
Gentiles  in  misery  outside  the  Kingdom.  The  spirit  which 
would  exclude  others  from  the  benefits  which  are  enjoyed 
by  oneself  is  utterly  opposed  to  the  workings  of  Divine 
Love  ;  and  this  spirit  is  at  its  worst  when  it  persistently 
endeavours  to  prevent  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel  from 
being  extended  beyond  one's  own  circle.     No  wonder  that 


34        COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [ii.  16 

the  experience  of  such  behaviour  kindles  the  Apostle's 
wrath  ! 

to  the  end  that  they  may  be  saved]  This  was  the  purpose 
of  the  missionaries'  speaking.  Rom.  xi.  14  ;  1  Cor.  ix. 
22,  x.  33  ;   1  Tim.  iv.  16. 

for  they  must  fill  to  the  full]  The  expression  (et?  to  dva- 
7r\r]pco<Tcu)  seems  to  combine  the  notions  of  consequence 
and  intention.  This  was  the  result  of  their  previous  mis- 
conduct, and  it  was  God's  will  that  it  should  be  so.  Cf. 
Gen.  xv.  16,  '  The  iniquity  of  the  Amorites  is  not  yet  full,' 
which  may  be  in  the  Apostle's  mind  ;  also  Dan.  viii.  23, 
'  When  the  transgressors  are  come  to  the  full '  ;  and  2  Mace, 
vi.  14,  '  In  the  case  of  the  other  nations  the  Sovereign 
Lord  doth  with  long-suffering  forbear,  until  that  He  punish 
them  when  they  have  attained  to  the  full  measure  of  their 
sins,'  and  especially  Mt.  xxiii.  32,  '  Fill  ye  up  then  the 
measure  of  your  fathers.' 

of  their  own  sins]  The  pronoun  (avrwv)  is  emphatic. 

at  all  times]  At  every  moment  in  their  history  (TrdvroTe) 
they  were  continually  doing  this  :  each  generation  filled  up 
its  own  amount  of  sin  in  full  measure.  Cf .  '  Ye  do  always 
(del)  resist  the  Holy  Spirit  '  ;  Acts  vii.  51.  See  on  iv.  17  for 
irdvTore. 

the  wrath  of  God  is  already  upon  them]  In  i.  10  the  Divine 
wrath  is  spoken  of  as  approaching.  Here  it  is  regarded  as 
having  come,  and  there  is  a  suggestion  that  those  on  whom 
it  has  come  are  not  aware  of  its  arrival  (efydaaev  eiri,  as  in 
Mt.  xii.  28  and  Lk.  xi.  20).  It  has  overtaken  them  more 
speedily  than  was  anticipated  ;  v.  2  ;  Mt.  xxiv.  50  ;  Lk. 
xxi.  34.     See  Hastings'  DAC.  art.  '  Anger,'  p.  65. 

to  make  an  end  of  them]  Um  Ihnen  den  Garaus  zu  machen 
(De  Wette).  Bis  zum  Aiissersten  (Wohlenberg).  The 
words  (et'9  Te'Xo?)  may  mean  either  '  to  an  end,'  '  finally,' 
or  '  to  the  uttermost,'  '  completely  '  ;  Mt.  x.  22  ;  Lk.  xviii. 
5  ;  Jn.  xiii.  1  ;  Josh.  viii.  24  ;  Job  xx.  7  ;  Psalms  of  Sol.  i. 
1,  ii.  5.  Either  meaning  would  give  the  same  result.  The 
Divine  wrath,  long  threatened,  and  at  intervals  partially 
exhibited,  has  now  reached  its  final  and  complete  stage, 


ii.  16]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  35 

that  of  utter  destruction.  They  tried  to  prevent  the 
heathen  from  being  saved  from  perdition,  and  thereby  have 
brought  perdition  on  themselves.  The  form  of  the  state- 
ment may  be  of  Jewish  origin.  It  occurs  in  the  Testaments 
of  the  XII  Patriarchs,  Levi  vi.  11  (see  below)  ;  cf.  The 
Secrets  of  Enoch  xliv.  2  ;   Jubilees  xliv.  2. 

About  20  years  later  than  this  Letter  Jerusalem  with  its 
Temple  was  destroyed,  and  it  is  possible  that  St.  Paul  has 
here  some  thought  of  our  Lord's  predictions  of  that  event, 
reports  of  which  had  doubtless  reached  him.  In  2  Thess. 
ii.  i-n  (which  is  doubtless  his  work)  he  shows  knowledge 
of  the  discourse  which  is  reported  in  Mt.  xxiv.  respecting 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  In  that  case  the  past  tense 
(ecpdaa-ev)  is  used  of  that  which  is  so  certain  to  happen  that 
it  is  spoken  of  as  having  happened,  as  is  often  the  case  in 
predictions.  But  the  Apostle's  main  thought  seems  to  be 
that  of  a  threatened  judgment  which  has  come  at  last 
and  is  already  operative.  In  that  case  the  past  tense  is  to 
be  understood  literally,  viz.  of  the  judicial  blindness  which 
has  come  upon  the  Jews.  It  caused  them  to  confound 
ritual  with  religion,  to  strain  out  gnats  while  they  swallowed 
camels,  and  to  think  that  they  offered  God  service  in  defam- 
ing His  Gospel  and  persecuting  His  messengers.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  an  end  which  could  no  longer  be  averted, 
and  the  Apostle  and  his  contemporaries  believed  that  it 
was  very  near  ;  6771)5  i^iarrjKev  (Chrys.).     Cf.  Rom.  i.  28. 

We  may  regard  it  as  fairly  certain  that  the  similar  words 
in  the  Testaments,  Levi  viii.,  are  a  Christian  interpolation, 
or  have  been  modified  by  a  translator  or  editor  who  was 
familiar  with  1  Thessalonians.  Burkitt  in  JTS.,  1908, 
p.  138  ;  Plummer,  St.  Matthew,  1909,  p.  xlvi.  The  first 
Armenian  recension  of  the  Testaments  omits  Levi  vi.  11. 
Some  critics  think  that  the  sentence  here  is  a  marginal 
gloss,  added  after  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  which  is  an 
unnecessary  conjecture.  Frame  gives  a  summary  of  the 
various  arguments.* 

*  A  cheap  edition  of  the  Testaments  of  the  Twelve  Patriarchs 
edited  by  Oesterley,  is  published  by  the  S.P.C.K. 


36      COMMENTARY  ON    1   THESSALONIANS      [ii.  17 

ii.  17-iii.  10.    The  Writers'  Anxiety  about  their 
Converts,  until  reassured  by  Timothy 

17  But  we,  brethren,  being  taken  from  you  for  a  short  time,  in 
presence,  not  in  heart,  endeavoured  the  more  abundantly  to  see 
your  face  with  great  desire.  18  Wherefore  we  would  have  come 
unto  you  (even  I  Paul)  once  and  again  ;   but  Satan  hindered  us. 

19  For  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing  ?  Are  not 
even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his  coming  ? 

20  For  ye  are  our  glory  and  joy.  hi.  1  Wherefore  when  we  could 
no  longer  forbear,  we  thought  it  good  to  be  left  at  Athens  alone  ; 
2  And  sent  Timotheus,  our  brother,  and  minister  of  God,  and  our 
fellow-labourer  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  to  establish  you,  and  to  com- 
fort you  concerning  your  faith  :  3  That  no  man  should  be  moved  by 
these  afflictions  :  for  yourselves  know  that  we  are  appointed  there- 
unto. 4  For  verily,  when  we  were  with  you,  we  told  you  before 
that  we  should  suffer  tribulation,  even  as  it  came  to  pass  and  ye 
know.  6  For  this  cause,  when  I  could  no  longer  forbear,  I  sent  to 
know  ycur  faith,  lest  by  some  means  the  tempter  have  tempted 
you,  and  our  labour  be  in  vain.  6  But  now  when  Timotheus  came 
from  you  unto  us,  and  brought  us  good  tidings  of  your  faith  and 
charity,  and  that  ye  have  good  remembrance  of  us  always,  desir- 
ing greatly  to  see  us,  as  we  also  to  see  you  :  7  Therefore,  brethren, 
we  were  comforted  over  you  in  all  our  affliction  and  distress,  by  your 
faith  :  8  For  now  we  live,  if  ye  stand  fast  in  the  Lord.  9  For  what 
thanks  can  we  render  to  God  again  for  you,  for  all  the  joy  wherewith 
we  joy  for  your  sakes  before  our  God,  10  Night  and  day  praying 
exceedingly  that  we  might  see  your  face,  and  might  perfect  that 
which  is  lacking  in  your  faith  ? 

From  the  strong  condemnation  of  the  blind  and  bitter 
hostility  of  the  Jews  the  writers  return  to  the  subject  of  their 
own  affectionate  intercourse  with  the  Thessalonians,  in 
which  the  enemy  had  made  a  temporary  breach.  They 
had  been  compelled  to  go  away  and  to  remain  away.  Their 
intense  affection  for  their  converts  had  made  this  enforced 
absence  from  them  a  time  of  torturing  anxiety  as  to  their 
condition  under  the  continued  persecution.  Since  it  was 
impossible  for  all  three  of  them  to  return  to  Thessalonica, 
Timothy  went  thither  for  a  while,  and  the  report  which  he 
brought  back  to  Paul  and  Silvanus  greatly  cheered  them. 

It  is  illuminating  to  remember  that  eight  or  nine  months 
before  these  deeply  affectionate  words  (which  are  of  trans- 


ii.  17]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  37 

parent  sincerity)  were  written,  not  one  of  the  three  mis- 
sionaries, so  far  as  we  know,  had  any  acquaintance  with 
any  one  in  Thessalonica.  These  strong  bonds  of  love  had 
been  forged  and  fixed  by  the  Gospel ;  and  St.  Paul  finds 
relief  in  letting  his  converts  know  the  strength  of  them.  He 
is  not  ashamed  to  confess  the  full  force  of  these  longings. 
Owing  to  the  strong  emotion  of  the  Apostle  in  dictating, 
the  opening  sentence  is  long  and  condensed,  and  requires  to 
be  broken  up  in  English. 

17  But  as  for  ourselves,  Brethren,  we  had  to  be  separated  from  you, 
and  the  separation  was  to  us  a  veritable  bereavement,  like  that  be- 
tween child  and  parent.  It  is  true  that  the  separation  had  been  but 
for  a  short  interval,  and  was  a  separation  of  face  only,  while  you  were 
never  out  of  our  thoughts.  Yet  this  made  our  endeavours  to  see  your 
face  again  not  less  but  greater  ;  indeed,  it  Was  an  intense  desire  that 
had  possession  of  us.  18  Because  it  Was  so  intense  we  had  resolved 
to  come  to  you — indeed  I  Paul  had  done  so  more  than  once — and  each 
time  the  way  Was  blocked  by  Satan.  19  I  say  that  We  passionately 
desired  to  revisit  you.  For  what  ground  of  hope,  or  source  of  joy,  or 
crown  of  exultation  have  we  got  ?  Why,  none,  if  you  are  not  such — ■ 
you  who  are  the  crown  to  be  worn  by  us  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  at  His  coming.  20  Yes,  truly,  it  is  you  who  are  our  title  to  glory 
and  our  source  of  joy. 

iii.  x  Accordingly,  being  unable  any  longer  to  bear  up  against  this 
separation  of  all  of  us  from  you,  We  were  delighted  to  hit  upon  this 
plan  ; — Paul  and  Silvanus  to  be  left  behind  at  Athens  in  our  loneliness, 
2  while  Timothy  was  sent  to  you,  Timothy  our  brother  and  God's 
fellow-helper  in  spreading  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  We  sent  him  in  order 
that  he  might  inspire  you  with  confidence  and  encouragement  for  the 
furtherance  and  vindication  of  your  faith,3  so  that  none  of  you  should 
be  allured  into  betraying  it,  in  the  pressure  of  the  persecutions  which 
are  now  afflicting  you  and  us  alike.  We  need  not  insist  on  this,  for 
you  yourselves  know  that  affliction  is  our  appointed  lot.  4  You 
know  it,  for  (besides  other  facts)  when  we  were  with  you  We  repeatedly 
gave  you  this  warning,  that  all  We  Christians  have  to  endure  afflictions  ; 
that  is  what  we  have  to  expect.  And  this  is  exactly  what  has  actually 
happened,  and  what  you  know  must  happen.  5  Because  these 
afflictions  have  befallen  you,  and  because  I  on  my  part  could  no  longer 
bear  up,  I  sent  Timothy,  so  that  I  might  have  knowledge  of  your  faith, 
for  fear  that,  as  the  Tempter  had  tempted  you,  our  labour  among  you 
should  prove  to  have  been  to  no  purpose.  6  But,  so  far  from  this  being 
the  case,  Timothy  has  just  now  returned  to  us  from  you  and  has 
brought  us  the  Good-tidings  of  the  steadfastness  of  your  faith  and  the 

£ 


38        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [ii.  17 

glow  of  your  love  ;  telling  us  that  you  retain  an  affectionate  remem- 
brance of  us  at  all  times,  for  you  are  always  yearning  to  see  us  again, 
just  as  we  also  are  to  see  you.  7  Such  excellent  news  encouraged  us, 
Brethren,  thanks  to  you  ;  We  Were  in  great  necessity  and  affliction, 
and  it  was  your  faith  which  restored  us.  8  For  now  that  we  are  thus 
reassured  about  you,  we  feel  alive  again,  if  only  you  are  standing 
fast  in  the  Lord.  9  I  say  '  feel  alive  again, '  for  how  can  we  express  an 
adequate  thanksgiving  to  God  for  what  you  are  to  us, — for  all  the 
intense  joy  which  we  feel  for  your  sakes  before  the  presence  of  our 
God,  10  while  night  and  day  we  make  fervent  supplication  to  Him,  to 
the  end  that  we  may  see  your  face  and  make  good  whatever  short- 
comings there  may  be  in  your  faith. 

17.  But  as  for  ourselves,  Brethren]  The  '  But '  (Se)  resumes 
the  main  subject  after  the  outburst  against  the  Jews  and 
compares  the  preachers'  condition  with  that  of  their  con- 
verts. The  Jews  had  hinted  that  the  preachers  had  for- 
gotten their  converts  and  were  afraid  to  return.  The 
affectionate  address  is  an  assurance  of  continued  remem- 
brance and  solicitude.  The  whole  passage  gives  a  vivid 
impression  of  the  depth  and  constancy  of  the  Apostle's 
love  for  his  spiritual  children. 

the  separation  was  to  us  a  veritable  bereavement]  The 
striking  expression  (aTrop$avi<jdevT€<;  a$  v/xcov)  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  N.T.  It  implies  that  the  three  teachers  felt 
like  orphans  ;  and  '  orphan  '  in  Greek  may  apply  to  loss  of 
friends  and  of  children  as  well  as  to  loss  of  parents.  The 
parental  relationship  is  probably  in  the  writers'  mind  ;  vv.  7, 
11.  As  Chrysostom  remarks,  they  do  not  say  '  separated 
from,'  of  severed  from  '  or  the  like,  but  '  orphaned  from  '  ; 
and  they  do  not  say  '  you  were  orphaned,'  but  '  we  were.' 
Cf.  Acts  xxi.  1. 

for  a  short  interval]  This  was  the  case  at  the  time  men- 
tioned ;  it  was  soon  after  their  expulsion  from  Thessalonica 
that  they  had  these  feelings.  The  course  of  events,  however, 
made  the  separation  a  long  one.  The  exact  phrase  (777309 
Kaipbv  upas),  '  for  the  season  of  an  hour,'  occurs  nowhere 
else.  It  combines  '  for  a  season  '  (7rpo?  naipbv,  Lk.  viii.  13  ; 
1  Cor.  vii.  5)  with  '  for  an  hour  '  (71750?  &pav,  Jn.  v.  35  ;  2  Cor. 
vii.  8)  ;   and  it  is  perhaps  stronger  than  either.     The  Jews 


ii.  17,18]        HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  39 

had  perhaps  suggested  that  Paul  did  not  care  for  his  con- 
verts, and  never  intended  to  return  to  them. 

face  only  .  .  .  thoughts]  Out  of  sight,  but  not  out  of 
mind.  This  was  a  second  alleviation  of  the  bereavement  ; 
there  was  no  alienation  of  heart.  The  same  verbal  anti- 
thesis {TrpoacoTTw  .  .  .  Kaphia)  occurs  2  Cor.  v.  12  ;   cf.  1  Cor 

v.  3- 

to  see  your  face]  Cf.  hi.  10  ;  Col.  ii.  1  ;  also  2  Jn.  12  ; 
3  Jn.  14.     Close  personal  intercourse  is  implied. 

not  less  but  greater]  This  may  mean,  either  that  the  short 
time  since  the  separation  increased  rather  than  weakened 
the  desire  to  see  them  again,  or  that  the  fact  of  there  being 
no  alienation  of  heart  did  this. 

had  possession  of  us]  They  were  in  the  grip  of  an  intense 
desire  (eV  TroXkfj  eiridvfiia),  like  persons  obsessed  (ev  irvevixari 
aKaddpTtp,  Mk.  i.  23,  v.  2).  For  similar  desire  and  delay  cf. 
Rom.  i.  13,  xv.  22,  23  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  5-7  ;  2  Cor.  i.  16,  xiii.  1  ; 
Phil.  i.  8  ;  Philem.  22  ;  and  for  hnQv^la  in  a  good  sense 
cf.  Lk.  xxii.  15  ;   Phil.  i.  23. 

18.  I  Paul]  The.  Apostle  here  distinguishes  himself  from 
Silvanus  and  Timothy.  This  again  shows  that  the  1st  pers. 
plur.  throughout  the  Epistle  includes  Silvanus  and  Timothy. 
If  it  referred  to  Paul  alone,  there  would  be  no  need  to  make 
a  distinction  here.  See  on  i.  2,  ii.  4,  8,  and  Plummer  on 
2  Cor.  i.  4.  All  three  had  the  desire  to  come  ;  St.  Paul 
had  it  at  least  twice.  This  is  not  very  clear  ;  but  appar- 
ently it  means  that  all  continually  wished  to  come,  and  that 
St.  Paul  more  than  once  attempted  to  come  (Chrysostom). 
In  iii.  5  and  v.  27  he  again  speaks  in  the  1st  pers.  sing.  Cf. 
2  Cor.  x.  1  ;  Eph.  iii.  1.  Nowhere  in  his  extant  letters  does 
he  call  himself  '  Saul.'  Deissmann,  Bible  Studies,  pp.  316  f.  ; 
Ramsay,  St.  Paul,  pp.  81  f. 

The  A.V.  here  is  misleading  ;  '  once  and  again  '  belongs 
to  '  I  Paul,'  not  to  '  we.'  For  \xkv  without  Se  cf.  Rom.  x.  1, 
xi.  13  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  12,  and  see  A.  T.  Robertson,  Gr.  of  Greek 
N.T.  pp.  1151! 

more  than  once]  Or,  '  once  and  again.'  Lit.  '  both  once 
and  twice  '  ;  cf.  Phil.  iv.  16  ;  Neh.  xiii.  20.     It  probably 


40    COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [ii.  18, 19 

means  exactly  twice  ;  and  this  is  some  indication  that  at 
least  six  months  had  elapsed  between  the  flight  from  Thessa- 
lonica  and  the  writing  of  this  letter.  "  Timothy's  journey 
there  and  back  would  have  occupied  some  time,  and  Paul's 
repeated  plans  of  travelling  thither  cannot  be  fitted  into  a 
few  weeks  "  (Jiilicher,  Intr.  to  N.T.  p.  56). 

and  each  time]  '  And  '  (R.V.),  not  '  But  '  (A.V.).  The 
Vulgate  has  sed.     Cf.  Rom.  i.  13. 

blocked  the  way]  Lit.  '  cut  into  '  ;  broke  up  the  way  and 
rendered  motion  impossible.  The  verb  (ivKoirreiv)  occurs 
Gal.  v.  7,  and  in  the  passive  Rom.  xv.  22.  How  the  great 
Adversary  of  all  good  did  this  we  are  not  told  ;  egit  per 
homines  malos,  says  Bengel.  The  conjecture  that  Acts  xvii. 
9  may  mean  that  Paul's  friends  had  given  a  pledge  that  he 
would  not  return,  and  that  this  was  the  obstacle,  is  unten- 
able. If  his  friends  did  do  this,  he  would  not  call  it  an  act 
of  Satan  ;  and  if  he  had  felt  bound  by  this  supposed  pledge, 
he  would  never  have  thought  of  returning.*  More  probably, 
the  malady  which  he  regarded  as  a  '  messenger  of  Satan  ' 
was  the  obstacle.     See  Plummer  on  2  Cor.  xii.  7. 

19.  crown  of  exultation]  Or,  '  chaplet  to  be  proud  of  ' 
(a-T€(f)avo<i  icavxi]<T€co<;)  ;  Prov.  xvi.  31  ;  Ezek.  xvi.  12,  xxiii. 
42.  It  does  not  mean  a  royal  crown  (BtdSr)fid),  but  such  as 
is  worn  as  a  mark  of  prowess,  or  desert,  or  joy  ;  crrefyavov 
So^j/s  (Jer.  xiii.  18  ;  cf.  xiii.  11)  ;  ark$avov  evK\eta<;  jxeyav 
(Soph.  Aj.  465).  The  Thessalonians  will  be  such  a  crown 
for  those  who  converted  them,  when  all  appear  before  the 
Divine  Judge,  a  crown  of  which  they  can  glory.  See 
Lightfoot  on  Phil.  iv.  1  ;  Ropes  on  Jas.  i.  12  ;  Hastings' 
DB.  art.  '  Crown,'  DAC.  art.  '  Boasting.' 

Why,  none,  if  you  are  not  such]  The  punctuation  and 
rendering  are  uncertain.  The  words  are  a  parenthesis,  and 
probably  a  question,  in  the  middle  of  the  verse  ;  '  For  what 
is  our  hope  or  joy  or  glorying's  crown  (Or  is  it  not  you 

*  The  'pledge'  or  'security'  (to  Ikclvov),  as  a  papyrus  letter 
has  shown,  was  probably  bail  for  the  appearance  of  Jason  and  his 
companions,  when  called  up  for  trial.     Rackham  on  Acts  xvii.  9. 


ii.  19]         HISTORICAL   AND   PERSONAL  41 

indeed?)  before  our  Lord  Jesus  at  His  Coming?  '*  But 
this  is  intolerably  clumsy  in  English.  Emotion  has  caused 
the  Apostle  to  dictate  a  broken  sentence,  the  form  of  which 
has  to  be  modified  in  order  to  make  the  paraphrase  intellig- 
ible. Probably  the  thought  that  he  had  ceased  to  care  for 
the  Thessalonians  produced  the  interjected  question.  The 
general  meaning  is  ;  '  We  have  no  hope  or  joy  or  crown,  if 
you  are  not  all  these  to  us  ;  and  it  is  you  who  will  adorn 
us  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ.  If  we  can  glory  of 
any  converts  before  Him,  it  is  certainly  of  you.'  Cf.  '  Ye 
are  our  Epistle,'  2  Cor.  hi.  2.  The  '  crown  of  righteousness  ' 
in  2  Tim.  iv.  8  is  different.  Here  the  main  thought  is,  not 
that  his  labours  will  win  salvation  for  himself,  but  that  the 
salvation  of  his  converts  will  be  to  him  a  great  glory.  Chry- 
sostom  thinks  that  this  passes  the  love  of  parents. 

in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus]  In  whose  sight  every- 
thing will  have  its  true  value  and  false  claims  will  be  of  no 
avail  ;  cf.  2  Cor.  v.  10.  This  appeal  to  Divine  witness  is 
frequent  in  1  Thessalonians  ;  cf.  i.  3,  hi.  9,  13  :  and  the 
thought  of  souls  saved  being  an  honour  to  their  minister  at 
the  Judgment  is  a  favourite  one  with  the  Apostle  ;  Phil.  ii. 
16  ;    2  Cor.  i.  14. 

at  His  Coming]  At  the  Second  Advent.  The  Gospel  which 
is  preached  in  these  two  Epistles  "  might  be  described,  not 
as  the  Gospel  of  the  Cross  of  Christ,  but  of  the  Coming  of 
Christ  "  (Jowett,  p.  7).  Hope,  rather  than  Faith,  is  the 
prevailing  thought.  It  reflects  the  intensity  of  the  expecta- 
tion that  the  Lord  would  almost  immediately  return.  This 
expectation  has  been  compared  to  the  British  expectation 
of  the  return  of  our  own  King  Arthur.  The  similarity  is 
only  superficial.  On  the  one  hand,  it  was  believed  that 
Arthur  had  never  died  ;  whereas  it  was  of  the  essence  of 
the  Christian  belief  that  Christ  had  died  and  risen  again. 
And  hence  a  much  stronger  point  of  difference.  The  expecta- 
tion that  Arthur  would  come  again  had  little  influence  on 
men's  lives  even  while  the  expectation  was  strong  ;  whereas 

*  The  KO.L  is  intensive,  '  you  indeed,  you  certainly  '  ;  not  '  you 
also,  you  as  well  as  others.' 


42    COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [ii.  19, 20 

the  Christian  expectation  has  had  enormous  influence  all 
through  the  ages.  Note  the  avrov  between  the  article  and 
the  noun  ;  it  is  therefore  emphatic  :  cf.  rfj  avrov  yapin, 
rfj  avrov  ai/xart  (Rom.  iii.  24,  25)  ;  also  Tit.  hi.  5  ;  Heb.  ii. 

4- 

This  is  the  first  use  in  the  N.T.  of  a  very  important  term 
[irapovo-ia)  which  is  specially  frequent  in  these  two  Epistles  ; 
iii.  13,  iv.  15,  v.  23  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  1,  8,  9  ;  see  also  1  Cor.  xv. 
23  ;  Jas.  v.  7,  8  ;  2  Pet.  i.  16,  iii.  4,  12  ;  1  Jn.  ii.  28.  It 
means  literally  '  presence/  and  it  was  a  technical  term  for 
the  '  coming  in  state  '  of  a  potentate  or  his  representative 
(Neh.  ii.  6),  and  it  is  used  (as  the  above  references  show) 
by  Jewish  writers  in  the  N.T.  to  express  the  Messiah's 
coming  in  glory.  It  does  not  occur  in  Mk.,  Lk.,  or  Acts. 
We  may  perhaps  infer  that  this  use  of  the  term  is  of  Jewish 
origin.  It  is  found  in  the  Testaments,  Judah  xxii.  3,  where, 
however,  it  may  be  an  interpolation,  for  the  Armenian 
omits.  See  Deissmann,  Light  from  the  Ancient  East,  p.  372  ; 
Brooke  on  1  Jn.  ii.  28  ;  Hastings'  DB.,  I.  pp.  755  f.  It  is 
possibly  because  only  the  good  are  under  consideration, 
viz.  the  missionaries  and  their  faithful  converts,  that  St. 
Paul  uses  this  term  Parousia  rather  than  '  Judgment '  or 
'  Day  of  Judgment.'     The  wicked  are  out  of  sight. 

20.  Yes,  truly  it  is  you]  The  connecting  particle  (yap) 
shows  that  this  sentence  is  a  confirmation  of  the  question  so 
awkwardly  interjected  into  the  previous  verse.  The  '  you  ' 
is  emphatic.     Cf.  1  Cor.  ix.  10  for  this  use  of  yap. 

our  title  to  glory]  '  There  is  no  need  for  us  to  seek  glory 
from  men  (v.  6)  ;   you  are  our  glory  before  Christ.' 

iii.  1-10.    The  Mission  of  Timothy  and  its  Happy 
Results 

The  division  of  chapters  is  unintelligently  made,  as  is 
rather  often  the  case  in  the  N.T.  A  new  chapter  might  have 
begun  at  ii.  17  ;  but  the  connexion  between  ii.  17-20  and 
what  now  follows  is  too  close  for  interruption. 

This  passage  shows  that  the  Epistle  was  written  in 
Achaia  during  the  Apostle's  second  missionary  journey. 


iii.  i]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  43 

It  implies  that  it  was  not  written  at  Athens,  as  is  erron- 
eously stated  in  the  late  addition  to  the  subscription  ;  and 
it  tends  to  show  that  St.  Paul  had  not  previously  written  to 
the  Thessalonians,  or  they  to  him.  Had  either  letter  been 
written,  it  would  probably  have  been  mentioned  in  this 
passage. 

1.  bear  up  against]  As  an  air-tight  or  water-tight  vessel 
resists  pressure  from  air  or  water  (oreyetv).  Here  and  in 
v.  5  both  A.V.  and  R.V.  have  '  forbear,'  which  does  not  seem 
to  be  the  exact  meaning. 

we  were  delighted]  See  on  ii.  8  ;  the  idea  was  adopted  with 
alacrity  and  joy.  '  We  '  includes  Silvanus  as  joining  in  the 
sending,  and  Timothy  as  consenting  to  the  arrangement. 

to  be  left  behind]  The  compound  (KaTaXei(j)6f]vai,)  indi- 
cates that  Timothy  and  Silvanus  had  followed  the  Apostle 
to  Athens  from  Beroea.     See  Lightfoot. 

in  our  loneliness]  They  would  feel  their  banishment  from 
their  beloved  and  suffering  Thessalonians  all  the  more 
acutely  through  sending  Timothy  away  ;  they  would  miss 
both  them  and  him.  Their  willingness  to  part  with  so 
beloved  and  so  useful  a  colleague  as  Timothy  was  proof  of 
their  affectionate  solicitude  for  their  converts.  Moreover, 
Athens  was  a  place  in  which  a  Christian  missionary  might 
feel  depressingly  lonely.  It  was  so  full  of  evidence  of  the 
wrong  kind  of  religious  reverence,  and  so  sadly  wanting  in 
the  right  kind  ;   Acts  xvii.  16,  22,  32. 

It  is  a  little  difficult  to  make  what  is  said  here  agree  with 
Acts  xvii.  14,  xviii.  5.  There  we  are  told  that  Silas  and 
Timothy  were  left  behind  at  Beroea  and  did  not  rejoin 
St.  Paul  until  he  reached  Corinth.  Here  we  find  that  all 
three  were  at  Athens  when  Timothy  was  sent  back  to 
Thessalonica.  We  infer  that  both  Silas  and  Timothy 
joined  Paul  at  Athens,  and  were  both  sent  away  again  on 
different  missions,  Timothy  to  Thessalonica,  and  Silas  to 
Philippi  or  Beroea.  Then  both  rejoined  the  Apostle  at 
Corinth.  In  any  case,  the  divergence  in  the  accounts  is 
evidence  that  this  Epistle  is  not  a  forgery  constructed  out 
of  Acts,  as  Baur  and  others  have  supposed. 


44        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [iii.  2 

2.  our  brother]  Being  young  he  had  perhaps  not  taken  a 
prominent  part  in  the  conversion  of  the  Thessalonians  and 
may  have  been  hardly  known  to  some  of  them.*  Hence 
this  description  of  him  ;  he  is  the  fellow-Christian  of  Paul 
and  Silvanus  (2  Cor.  i.  1  ;  Col.  i.  1).  But  he  is  more  than 
that,  as  what  follows  shows. 

God's  fellow-helper]  He  is  not  only  '  a  brother  with  us,' 
he  is  also  '  a  fellow- worker  with  God.'  Such  a  description 
would  strengthen  his  position  with  the  Thessalonians,  who 
might  possibly  wonder,  and  perhaps  even  resent,  that  so 
young  a  teacher  had  been  sent  to  them.  St.  Paul  is  not 
here  impressing  upon  them  the  great  sacrifice  which  he 
made  in  parting  with  such  a  colleague  when  he  was  so  much 
in  need  of  comfort  himself  ;  he  is  showing  them  what  a 
competent  worker  they  had  received,  and  how  rightly  they 
had  behaved  in  welcoming  and  trusting  him.  As  Chrysos- 
tom  puts  it,  the  intention  is  to  do  honour  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians rather  than  to  Timothy.  The  expression  is  so 
startling  that  early  copyists  altered  it  ;  some  by  changing 
'  fellow-worker '  to  '  servant  '  (o-wepyov  to  hiaicovov)  ; 
and  others  by  omitting  '  God's,'  so  that  the  whole  phrase 
runs  '  our  brother  and  f ellow- worker. '  But  the  startling 
expression  occurs  1  Cor.  iii.  9,  and  it  is  doubtless  genuine 
here.  Cf.  3  Jn.  8.  In  2  Mace.  viii.  7,  xiv.  5  '  fellow-worker  ' 
occurs  of  rendering  assistance  to  men. 

It  has  been  conjectured  that  Timothy  took  with  him  a 
letter  from  the  Apostle  to  the  Thessalonians.  In  that  case 
the  letter  would  probably  have  been  mentioned  here,  and 
what  is  stated  ii.  17  and  iii.  1-5  would  either  have  been 
omitted  or  expressed  differently.     See  below  on  v.  6. 

*  Bleek  infers  from  this  verse  that  Timothy  was  wholly  unknown 
to  the  Thessalonians  until  he  was  sent  on  this  mission  ;  that  he  had 
probably  been  left  behind  at  Philippi,  and  did  not  rejoin  Paul  and 
Silvanus  till  they  had  reached  Beroea.  All  that  can  safely  be  inferred 
from  the  verse  is  that  some  Thessalonians  were  not  sufficiently 
aware  of  the  value  of  Timothy  as  a  teacher.  On  the  Scriptural 
meanings  of  dSeA<j!>os  see  H.  H.  A.  Kennedy,  Sources  of  N.T,  Greek, 
PP-  95  f-,  and  Ropes  on  Jas.  i.  2. 


iii.  2,  3]         HISTORICAL   AND   PERSONAL  45 

the  Gospel  of  Christ]  This  probably  means  the  Gospel 
which  tells  of  Christ,  the  Good-tidings  about  Him.  '  The 
Gospel  of  God  '  more  probably  means  the  Gospel  which 
God  sends  ;   ii.  2,  8,  9. 

inspire  you  with  confidence  and  encouragement]  In 
2  Thess.  ii.  17  this  is  given  as  the  work  of  Christ  and  God. 
'  Comfort  '  (A. V.,  R.V.)  is  not  here  the  exact  meaning  of 
the  verb  (TrapatcaXio-ai)  ;  see  on  v.  7.  The  reference  is  to 
the  persecution. 

for  the  furtherance  and  vindication  of]  We  need  all  this 
to  bring  out  the  full  force  of  the  preposition  (inrip)  ;  '  con- 
cerning '  is  inadequate. 

3.  allured  into  betraying  it]  Wheedled  away  from  it, 
coaxed  into  deserting  it.  The  exact  meaning  of  the  verb 
(aaiveaOat)  is  uncertain  ;  possibly  '  moved  '  (A.V.,  R.V.) 
or  '  disturbed.'  This  is  Chrysostom's  interpretation 
(dopvfieladai).  But  more  probably,  from  its  use  of  a  dog's 
wagging  its  tail,  it  means  '  be  fawned  upon  '  or  '  cajoled.' 
It  occurs  nowhere  else  in  Biblical  Greek,  but  in  classical 
Greek  it  is  repeatedly  used  in  this  sense.  See  Zahn,  Intr. 
to  N.T.,  I.  p.  222. 

the  persecutions]  Evidently  the  Thessalonians  were  still 
suffering  affliction,  and  it  is  possible  that  the  Apostle  himself 
was  already  enduring  persecution  at  Corinth.  He  had 
certainly  suffered  at  Thessalonica. 

you  yourselves  know]  See  on  i.  5  and  ii.  1. 

is  our  appointed  lot]  We  are  set  or  destined  for  it  ;  Acts 
ix.  16,  xiv.  22,  xx.  23  ;  Rom.  viii.  17,  18  ;  Phil.  i.  29  ; 
2  Tim.  iii.  12  ;  etc.  '  Our  '  includes  all  Christians  ;  Jn.  xv. 
20,  xvi.  33  ;  2  Tim.  ii.  12.  The  relation  in  which  Christians 
stand  to  the  world  of  necessity  involves  suffering.  Christ 
had  warned  the  disciples  of  this,  and  one  or  more  of  His 
Sayings  may  be  in  the  Apostle's  mind  (Mk.  x.  30  ;  Mt.  v.  11, 
44,  x.  23,  xxiii.  34  ;  Lk.  xi.  49,  xxi.  12  ;  Jn.  xv.  20,  xvi.  2, 
33).  The  history  of  Thessalonica  has  been  marked  by  great 
affliction  ;  the  massacre  of  its  citizens  by  Theodosius  in 
370,  and  the  capture  of  the  city  by  the  Saracens  in  904,  by 
the  Normans  in  1185,  and  by  the  Turks  in  1430. 


46        COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [iii.  4 

4.  besides  other  facts]  This  is  an  additional  reason,  '  what 
is  more  '  {xaX  yap).     See  on  iv.  10. 

when  we  were  with  you]  Cf.  2  Thess.  ii.  5,  iii.  10  (717)69 
vfia<>)  ;  also  1  Cor.  xvi.  6  ;   Gal.  i.  18. 

gave  you  this  warning]  '  Told  of  it  beforehand  '  ;  iv.  6  ; 
2  Cor.  xiii.  2  ;  Gal.  v.  21.  The  Jews,  to  whom  prosperity 
was  a  proof  of  God's  favour,  and  affliction  a  proof  of  His 
wrath,  had  for  centuries  tormented  themselves  with  the 
question,  Why  do  the  godly  suffer  ?  The  Book  of  Job  is 
an  attempt  to  find  an  answer.  Christ  had  said  '  Blessed  are 
those  who  mourn  and  are  hated  and  persecuted,'  and 
Scripture  says  that  '  those  whom  God  loves  He  chastens.' 
The  solution  is  still  imperfect  ;  for  affliction,  like  all  God's 
gifts  to  us,  may  be  abused,  and  may  harden  instead  of  heal. 
We  are  told  to  count  it  a  joy  when  trials  and  temptations 
come  upon  us  ;  and  we  are  also  told  to  pray  that  we  may 
not  be  brought  into  such  afflictions.* 

have  to]  It  is  sure  to  come  (fiiXko/j-ev)  ;  cf.  Rom.  viii.  13  ; 
Acts  xvii.  31. 

what  ye  know  must  happen]  '  Must  happen  '  is  not  ex- 
pressed in  the  Greek,  and  '  what  ye  know  from  experience  ' 
may  be  right  :  but  the  other  is  more  in  harmony  with  the 
context. 

One  conjectures  that  Jews  had  been  telling  the  converts 
that  their  afflictions  showed  that  they  had  been  befooled. 
They  had  been  promised  great  happiness,  and  they  had 
experienced  great  suffering  ;  and  no  doubt  the  suffering 
was  a  judgment  on  them  for  listening  to  impostors.     St. 

*  Calamitas  virtutis  occasio  est.  .  .  .  Hos  itaque  Dens,  quos 
probat,  quos  amat,  indurat,  recognoscit,  exercet.  .  .  .  Digni  visi 
sumus  Deo,  in  quibus  experiretur,  quantum  human  a  naiura  posset 
pati.  .  .  .  Quid  minim,  generosos  spiritus  Deus  tentat  ?  .  .  .  Ad 
contemnandam  malorum  poientiam  animus  patientia  pervenit  (Seneca, 
De  Providentia,  iv.  6,  7,  8,  11,  12).  Pairium  habet  Deus  adversus 
bonos  vivos  animum,  et  illos  fortiter  amat :  et,  Operibus,  inquit,  dolori- 
bus,  ac  damnis  exagitentur,  ut  verum  colligant  robur  (Ibid.  ii.  4).  All 
this  is  very  close  to  Christian  doctrine  as  set  forth  in  such  passages  as 
Heb.  v.  7,  8,  xii.  3-1 1  ;  Jas.  i.  2-4,  12  ;  Rev.  iii.  19  ;  Rom.  v.  3-5, 
etc. 


iii  5]  HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  47 

Paul's  words  seem  to  be  an  answer  to  this.  He  says,  '  we 
warned  you  that  there  would  be  much  affliction  ;  but  it  is 
of  little  account,  in  comparison  with  the  joy  which  is  being 
secured.' 

5.  I  on  my  part]  Cf.  ii.  13.  The  Apostle  took  the  lead  in 
sending  Timothy.  But  Silvanus  agreed  to  this  ;  it  is  '  we  ' 
in  v.  1.  Cf.  ii.  18  and  v.  27.  Some  infer  that,  as  Timothy 
is  not  named  again  here,  a  second  person,  some  '  quite 
subordinate  person,'  was  sent.  The  inference  is  very 
precarious. 

could  no  longer  bear  up]  Here,  as  in  v.  1, '  bear  up,'  rather 
than  '  forbear,'  is  the  meaning. 

as  the  Tempter  had  tempted  you]  The  difference  of  mood 
(iireipaaev  .  .  .  yevrjTac)  shows  that  the  fear  does  not 
include  the  tempting,  which  was  already  a  fact  ;  persecu- 
tion had  already  taken  place.  He  was  afraid  as  to  the 
possible  effect  ;  persecution  might  cause  apostasy.  '  The 
Tempter  '  (0  ireipd^wv)  occurs  elsewhere  only  Mt.  iv.  3  ;  it 
is  not  found  in  the  LXX,  and  none  of  the  Apostolic  Fathers 
uses  the  term.  Cf.  Mt.  vi.  13  ;  Mk.  i.  13  ;  1  Cor.  vii.  5  ; 
and  see  Trench,  Syn.  §  lxxiv. 

to  no  purpose]  Lit.  '  to  an  empty  result '  (ek  /cevov), 
a  frequent  expression  with  St.  Paul ;  2  Cor.  vi.  1  ;  Gal. 
ii.  2  ;  Phil.  ii.  16  (twice).  It  is  frequent  also  in  the  LXX, 
especially  in  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah.     Cf.  ii.  1. 

It  is  possible  to  take  the  whole  as  an  indirect  question 
instead  of  a  fear  ;  '  enquiring  whether  the  Tempter  had 
anyhow  tempted  you,  and  whether  our  labour  among  you 
would  prove  to  have  been  to  no  purpose.'  But  the  other 
is   simpler. 

The  fact  that  the  Apostle  and  his  colleagues  had  been  sent 
away  from  Thessalonica  before  the  matter  came  before  the 
Politarchs  was  disastrous,  however  necessary  for  their 
safety.  When  their  case  was  tried,  and  they  failed  to 
appear,  the  Politarchs  decided  against  them.  Their  teach- 
ing about  a  Kingdom  and  a  King  was  condemned  as '  con- 
trary to  the  decrees  of  Caesar  '  ;  it  was  treason.  This  at 
once  opened  the  door  for  the  persecution  of  their  adherents, 


48        COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS    [iii.  6 

and  the  Jews  availed  themselves  of  the  welcome  oppor- 
tunity.    See  Zahn,  Intr.  to  N.T.,  I.  p.  218. 

6.  has  just  now  returned]  '  Just  now  '  [apn)  is  emphatic. 
He  had  come  at  the  very  moment  when  he  was  specially 
wanted,  when  St.  Paul  was  so  anxious.  The  '  now  '  (vvv) 
in  v.  8  corresponds  to  '  just  now  '  here.  Timothy  had 
rejoined  him,  not  at  Athens,  but  at  Corinth  ;  Acts  xvii.  5. 
Some  connect  '  just  now  '  with  v.  7  ;  '  But  just  now  .  .  . 
such  excellent  news  encouraged  us. '  This  is  awkward,  with 
five  clauses  between  adverb  and  verb.  In  any  case,  St. 
Paul  writes  at  once. 

brought  us  the  Good-tidings]  The  expression  (evayye- 
Xiaafiivov  rjfiiv)  is  remarkable.  Very  rarely  in  the  N.T.,  and 
nowhere  else  by  St.  Paul,  is  this  verb  used  in  any  other  sense 
than  that  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  Here  (as  Chrysostom 
points  out)  he  might  have  said  '  reported  '  (airayydXavros), 
as  in  i.  9  and  1  Cor.  xiv.  25.  But  he  uses  a  word  which 
implies  that  the  news  was  like  a  Gospel  to  them,  it  was  so 
good.  We  may  compare  the  use  of  '  bereavement  '  in  ii.  17. 
These  warm  expressions  are  the  result  of  his  writing  directly 
the  welcome  report  reached  him,  while  his  heart  was  full 
of  the  intensity  of  his  anxiety  and  of  his  relief.  If  the 
Thessalonians  had  written  to  the  Apostle,  the  letter  would 
surely  have  been  mentioned  here. 

faith  .  .  .  love]  Their  faith  had  manifested  itself  in  acts 
of  love  ;  i.  3  ;  2  Thess.  i.  3  ;  Jas.  ii.  14,  26.  See  below  on 
v.  7. 

affectionate  remembrance]  Here,  as  in  v.  15,  '  good ' 
(ayado?)  has  the  definite  meaning  of  '  kind.'  This  was  a 
special  personal  joy  to  St.  Paul.  He  had  evidently  taken  the 
hearts  of  the  Thessalonian  converts  by  storm. 

at  all  times]  Contrast  the  '  at  all  times  '  in  ii.  16.  The 
adverb  (TrdvTore),  although  more  closely  connected  with 
'  retain  affectionate  remembrance,'  nevertheless  influences 
'  yearning  '  also  ;  the  yearning  and  the  remembrance  were 
identical.  On  peut  dire  que  le  christianisme  frimitif  jut 
une  sorte  de  romantisme  moral,  une  energique  revulsion  de  la 
faculte   d' aimer.     Le    christianisme   ne   diminua   pas   cette 


iii.  6-8]         HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  49 

faculte  ;  il  la  nourrit  d'air  et  de  jour  (Renan,  Saint  Paul, 
p.  243). 

yearning]  This  yearning  was  signum  bonae  conscientiae 
(Bengel).  The  compound  verb  (eVt7ro^oi)vTe?)  marks  the 
emotional  direction  of  the  longing.  St.  Paul  has  it  seven 
times  ;   elsewhere  only  Jas.  iv.  5  and  1  Pet.  ii.  2. 

just  as  we  also]  With  Kaddirep  icai  (here  and  v.  12)  cf. 
tca0co<;  ical  (Rom.  xv.  7)  and  ooaavrw^  icaL  (1  Cor.  xi.  25). 

7.  encouraged  us]  The  verb  (irapaicaktZv)  is  frequent  in 
this  letter,  meaning  sometimes  '  encourage,'  sometimes 
'  comfort,'  and  sometimes  '  exhort  '  (ii.  11,  iii.  2,  iv.  1,  10, 
18,  v.  11,  14). 

necessity  and  affliction]  The  two  terms  (t{)  avdyfcy  real 
6\1^6l)  are  combined  2  Cor.  vi.  4,  and  both  imply  pressure 
and  constraint.  '  Affliction  '  (OXfyts)  is  very  frequent  in 
the  LXX.  It  is  perhaps  rather  fanciful  to  make  '  necessity  ' 
refer  to  '  privations,'  and  '  affliction  '  to  persecutions.  The 
two  substantives  have  only  one  article,  as  if  not  much 
difference  of  meaning  were  intended.  There  may  be  an 
allusion  to  persecution  at  Corinth.  Cf.  ii.  16,  and  see 
Plummer  on  2  Cor.  i.  4. 

The  parallel  in  2  Cor.  i.  8-10  should  be  compared,  and 
also  the  revulsion  of  feeling  caused  by  the  report  of  Corinth 
brought  by  Titus  to  St.  Paul  in  Macedonia,  2  Cor.  ii.  12, 
vii.  5. 

it  was  your  faith  which  restored  us]  In  two  consecutive 
sentences  their  faith  is  mentioned.  It  is  a  very  compre- 
hensive term,  and  it  denotes  the  basis  of  their  Christian 
behaviour.  It  was  their  belief  in  the  true  God  and  in  His 
Son,  in  His  Resurrection  and  His  Return,  and  in  the  cer- 
tainty of  the  coming  of  the  Kingdom,  which  characterized 
the  Thessalonian  converts,  and  which  so  delighted  Timothy, 
and  through  him  Paul  and  Silvanus,  and  filled  their  hearts 
with   thankfulness. 

8.  we  feel  alive  again]  Partly  through  his  afflictions,  and 
partly  through  the  perils  in  which  he  often  lived,  the  Apostle 
could  say,  '  I  die  daily.'  But  under  the  influence  of  the 
Glad- tidings  brought  from  Thessalonica  he  indeed  has  life. 


50    COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [iii.  8-1  o 

News  that  the  converts  had  apostatized  would  have  been 
like  a  sentence  of  death  to  himself  and  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
in  Macedonia  and  Achaia.  Cf.  Rom.  viii.  36  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  9, 
xv.  30,  31  ;  2  Cor.  i.  9,  iv.  10,  11,  vi.  9,  xi.  23  ;  Acts  xxi.  13. 

if  only  you]  The  '  you  '  is  emphatic. 

are  standing  fast]  A  late  and  strong  form  of  the  verb  '  to 
stand  '  (arqicew)  is  used,*  and  the  construction  (idv  with 
the  indicative)  implies  a  slight  doubt  followed  by  reassur- 
ance, '  if — but  of  course  you  are  standing  fast.'  Cf.  1  Jn.  v. 
15,    'if  we  know,  as  of  course  we  do  know  '   (eav  o'lSa/jbev). 

Jowett,  pp.  70-73,  compares  the  treatment  of  the  first 
Christians  by  the  Roman  Government  and  by  the  populace 
with  the  treatment  of  the  first  Methodists  by  the  English 
authorities  in  Church  and  State  and  by  the  populace. 

9.  express  an  adequate  thanksgiving]  '  Adequate  '  comes 
from  the  first  preposition  in  the  compound  verb  (dvTcnroSovvai,, 
here  and  2  Thess.  i.  6  ;  Col.  iii.  24).  The  second  preposi- 
tion (airo)  shows  that  thanksgiving  is  not  really  giving  but 
paying  ;  it  is  rendering  what  is  due.  "  Gratitude,"  as  Dr. 
Johnson  said,  "  is  a  kind  of  justice."  Cf.  v.  15  ;  Mk.  xii.  14, 
16  ;  Rom.  xiii.  7.  The  question  implies  that  an  adequate 
thanksgiving  is  impossible  ;  but  the  Apostle  at  once  expresses 
his  deep  gratitude,  although  words  are  but  a  poor  expres- 
sion of  it.     Cf.  Lk.  xviii.  14  ;   Ps.  cxvi.  12. 

for  what  you  are  to  us  .  .  .  for  your  sakes]  The  repetition 
gives  emphasis  (-n-epl  vfioiv  .  .  .  Si  v/ia?).  The  Thessa- 
lonians  are  to  understand  what  intense  anxiety  there  has 
been  on  their  account,  and  what  intense  joy  and  thankful- 
ness their  steadfastness  has  caused.  The  affectionate  '  you  ' 
or  '  your  '  (vfieU,  v/*as,  vpiv,  v/xcov)  occurs  ten  times  in  six 
verses,  6-10. 

before  the  presence  of  our  God]  This  appeal  proves  the 
sincerity  and  purity  of  the  joy  :  it  can  bear  the  inspection 
of  God.     See  on  ii.  19.     The  words  are  not  part  of  v.  10. 

10.  night  and  day]  See  on  ii.  9. 

*  Cf.  Judg.  xvi.  26  of  a  building  resting  firmly  on  pillars  ;  also 
1  Kings  viii.  11  of  the  priests  being  unable  to  keep  their  position  and 
minister. 


iii.  io,  ii]     HISTORICAL  AND  PERSONAL  51 

fervent]  The  adverb  (inrepeicirepuraov)  occurs  again  v.  13 
and  Eph.  iii.  20  ;  'in  exceeding  abundant  measure  '  is  the 
meaning.*  St.  Paul  is  fond  of  strong  compounds  with  v-n-ip  : 
cf.  2  Thess.  i.  3  ;  2  Cor.  xi.  5. 

make  supplication]  This  also  is  a  strong  word  (Seo/xevoi), 
which  in  the  Epistles  is  peculiar  to  St.  Paul.  It  is  stronger 
than  '  pray  '   [Trpoaev^eoda] 

The  construction  suggests  that  the  fervency  of  the  sup- 
plication is  in  proportion  to  the  thankfulness  for  the  joy 
produced  by  Timothy's  report.  Thankfulness  for  spiritual 
gifts  naturally  leads  to  asking  ith  increased  confidence 
for  an  increase  in  the  gifts. 

we  may  see  your  face]  Not  till  some  years  later  was  this 
prayer  granted  (Acts  xx.  1,  2).  The  unemphatic  position 
of  vfioiv  throws  the  emphasis  on  to  irpbawTrov.  It  is  a 
face  to  face  meeting  that  is  desired.  Similarly,  in  v.  13  the 
emphasis  is  on  tcis  /cap 8 la?.  It  is  no  mere  physical  strength- 
ening that  is  desired.     Abbott,  Johannine  Grammar,  p.  416. 

make  good]  From  the  idea  of  '  fitting  together  '  (/carap- 
TL<xai)  the  verb  comes  to  mean  '  to  mend,  correct,  restore, 
make  perfect '  what  is  amiss  or  defective. 

shortcomings]  The  word  (vcrreprifia)  is  almost  peculiar 
to  St.  Paul  in  the  N.T.  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  17  ;  2  Cor.  viii.  13,  14, 
ix.  12,  xi.  9  ;  etc.  Enthusiastical  joy  about  the  converts' 
affection  and  steadfastness  does  not  blind  the  Apostle's  eyes 
to  their  defects,  or  prevent  him  from  pointing  them  out. 
In  the  prayer  that  follows,  it  is  the  amending  these  that  is 
emphasized.  Cf.  Rom.  i.  11.  The  Thessalonians  were  still 
only  babes  in  Christ  and  had  much  to  learn  both  in  doctrine 
and  practice.  '  Faith  '  covers  both  ;  it  is  '  faith  working 
by  love.'    Cf.  i.  3,  iii.  9. 

iii.  11-13.    Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians 

11  Now  God  himself  and  our  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
direct  our  way  unto  you.  12And  the  Lord  make  you  to  increase 
and  abound  in  love  one  toward  another,  and  toward  all  men,  even 

*  It  is  a  mistake  to  quote  Dan.  iii.  22  (Theodot.)  in  illustration. 
There  the  true  reading  is  ex  Trepiacrov. 


52      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [iii.  n 

as  we  do  toward  you  :  13  To  the  end  he  may  stablish  your  hearts 
unblameable  in  holiness  before  God,  even  our  Father,  at  the  coming 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  his  saints. 

These  verses  show  the  kind  of  supplication  which  is  being 
so  earnestly  made  with  regard  to  the  two  things  just  named, 
— the  return  of  the  missionaries  to  Thessalonica,  and  the 
building  up  of  their  converts'  spiritual  life.  Success  in 
either  of  these  points  is  impossible  without  the  assistance 
of   God.     Cf.    v.    23,    24. 

'  u  Now  may  our  God  and  Father  Himself  and  our  Lord  Jesus  re- 
move all  hindrances  to  our  coming  to  you  :  12  but,  whether  we  come 
or  not,  may  the  Lord  make  you  to  increase  and  to  abound  in  your 
love  to  one  another  and  to  all  mankind  in  exactly  the  same  measure 
that  we  increase  and  abound  in  our  love  to  you  :  13  and  may  He  do  this 
so  as  to  establish  your  hearts  and  make  them  free  from  reproach  in  the 
matter  of  holiness,  when  you  stand  in  the  presence  of  our  God  and 
Father  at  the  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  attended  by  all  His  holy  ones  ! ' 

11.  Now]  The  fact  of  the  fervent  supplication  having  been 
mentioned,  the  Apostle  passes  on  (Se)   to  express  it. 

our  God  and  Father  Himself]  '  Himself '  is  emphatic 
and  is  in  contrast  to  the  writers,  who  have  been  foiled  more 
than  once  in  this  matter.  Nothing  less  than  God's  help 
will  prove  sufficient  in  a  case  of  so  much  difficulty.  As  God 
He  can  do  it,  and  as  Father  He  will  be  willing  to  do  it.  Cf. 
Phil.  iv.  2  and  see  Lightfoot  on  Gal.  i.  5.  Chrysostom 
points  to  '  the  unrestrained  frenzy  of  affection  '  which  this 
language  reveals.  See  on  iv.  16  ;  also  on  v.  23,  where  the 
opening  words  are  the  same. 

Note  the  combination  of  '  our  God  and  Father  '  with  '  our 
Lord  Jesus,'  followed  by  a  verb  in  the  singular,  as  in  2 
Thess.  ii.  16,  where  '  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ '  is  placed  first* 

*  Athanasius  calls  attention  to  the  significance  of  the  singular. 
St.  Paul  does  not  say  kotzvOvvouv,  as  of  two  distinct  granters  of 
the  favour,  but  KarevOvvai,  which  secures  the  unity  of  the  Father 
and  the  Son  (Or at.  C.  Arianos  iii.  11).  Lightfoot  notes  that  "this 
ascription  to  our  Lord  of  a  divine  power  in  ordering  the  doings  of 
men  occurs  in  the  earliest  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles,  and  indeed  probably 
the  earliest  of  the  N.T.  writings." 


iii.  II,  12]      HISTORICAL    AND   PERSONAL  53 

In  both  passages  '  Himself  '  may  belong  to  both,  '  God  ' 
and  '  Lord  Jesus/  See  on  i.  1.  This  use  of  '  Himself  ' 
is  characteristic  ;  Rom.  viii.  16,  26  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  28  ;  2  Cor. 
xi.  14. 

remove  all  hindrances]  Make  clear  the  way  which  has  been 
broken  up  and  blocked  by  Satan,  ii.  18.  Cf.  2  Thess.  iii.  5 
and  Lk.  i.  79,  the  only  other  passages  in  the  N.T.  in  which 
the  verb  (KarevOvveiv)  occurs.  In  all  three  passages  it  has 
its  common  meaning  of  Divine  Providence  controlling  man's 
conduct.  In  the  LXX  it  is  frequent.  Here  we  have  the 
aorist  optative,  as  in  2  Thess.  ii.  17,  iii.  5. 

12.  but  .  .  .  the  Lord  make  you  to  increase]  The  '  you  ' 
is  very  emphatic.  '  Whatever  may  be  allowed  to  us  with 
regard  to  returning  to  you,  may  the  Lord  make  your  life  as 
Christians  more  fruitful.'  The  Apostle's  stay  in  Thessa- 
lonica  had  been  brief,  probably  less  than  six  months,  and 
much  supplementary  work  was  still  needed.  The  remainder 
of  this  letter  is  an  attempt  to  supply  something. 

'  The  Lord  '  probably  means  Jesus,  who  has  just  been 
so  called  in  the  preceding  clause.  St.  Paul  commonly  speaks 
of  Him  as  '  the  Lord  '  ;  i.  6,  iv.  15-17,  and  probably  iii.  8, 
v.  27.  In  2  Thess.  iii.  5,  16  '  the  Lord  '  is  addressed  in  prayer  ; 
cf.  2  Cor.  xii.  8  ;  2  Tim.  i.  16,  18  ;  Acts  vii.  59,  60.  Thus 
in  these  very  early  Christian  writings  we  have  abundant 
evidence  that  already  Jesus  Christ  was  regarded  as  having 
essential  equality  with  '  our  God  and  Father,'  and  with  Him 
ruling  the  world. 

love  to  one  another]  There  were  Jews  among  the  converts, 
and  it  is  probable  that  there  was  some  friction  between  them 
and  the  Gentile  converts.     See  on  v.  15. 

and  to  all  mankind]  Their  love  is  not  to  be  limited  to 
Christians  ;  it  must  include  their  Jewish  and  heathen 
persecutors.  Cf.  Rom.  xii.  14,  17,  19  ;  Gal.  vi.  10  ;  1  Tim. 
ii.  1  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  17.  II  etait  commands  de  faire  du  bien  a 
tous  ;  cependant,  les  coreligionaires  etaient  reconnus  digne 
d'une  preference  (Renan,  p.  246). 

in  exactly  the  same  measure]  The  preachers'  love  for  their 
converts  grew  just  as  their  converts  grew  in  grace.     The 

F 


54        COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [iii.  13 

news  brought  by  Timothy  would  cause  a  large  increase  of 
affection.     Cf.  v.  6. 

13.  to  establish  your  hearts]  The  substantive  is  here 
emphatic,  as  in  v/jl&v  to  irpouoairov  (v.  10).  See  E.  A.  Abbott, 
Johannine  Grammar,  p.  416.  There  does  not  seem  to  be 
much  point  in  Chrysostom's  remark,  that  he  does  not  say 
'  you  '  but  '  your  hearts,'  for  out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil 
thoughts.  The  point  is  that  outward  conformity  is  not 
enough.     We  have  the  same  phrase  Jas.  v.  8. 

holiness]  The  word  {ayLcoavvq)  anticipates  '  His  holy  ones  ' 
(rojv  aylwv  avTou)  below,  and  the  two  translations  should 
correspond. 

in  the  presence  of  our  God  and  Father]  Our  God  cannot 
be  deceived  as  to  the  reality  of  the  holiness,  and  our  Father 
requires  us  to  love  all  His  children.     See  on  v.  9. 

Coming]  See  on  ii.  19  and  cf.  1  Cor.  i.  8. 

all  His  holy  ones]  The  angels  are  included,  and  therefore 
'  holy  ones  '  rather  than  '  saints.'  In  the  N.T.  '  the  saints  ' 
(ol  aytoi)  generally  means  '  holy  men,'  those  who  have  been 
consecrated  to  God  and  are  bound  to  lead  holy  lives  ;  but 
in  the  LXX  and  later  Jewish  literature  the  angels  are  often 
so  called,  as  in  Zech.  xiv.  5,  which  St.  Paul  seems  to  have  in 
his  mind.  Cf.  Dan.  iv.  13,  viii.  13  ;  also  2  Esdr.  vi.  26  and 
vii.  28,  where  those  who  are  in  Paradise  seem  to  be  meant. 
We  may  regard  it  as  certain  that  '  those  who  are  fallen 
asleep  through  Jesus  '  (iv.  14-16)  are  in  St.  Paul's  mind 
here  ;  and  it  is  hardly  less  certain  that  the  angels  are 
included  also.  Note  the  '  all,'  and  cf.  2  Thess.  i.  7  ;  Mk. 
viii.  38  ;  Mt.  xvi.  27  ;  Lk.  ix.  26  ;  Jude  14.  The  Apostle 
may  have  Christ's  Saying  in  his  mind.    See  p.  xxv. 

We  must  leave  it  in  doubt  whether  he  has  here  any 
thought  of  saints  as  assessors  in  the  final  judgment  (1  Cor. 
vi.  3  ;  Wisd.  iii.  8  ;  Dan.  vii.  22),  for  the  judgment  itself  is 
not  mentioned. 

Some  important  witnesses  add  '  Amen  '  at  the  end  of  this 
prayer.  A  liturgical  lection  may  have  ended  here  and  in 
any  case  copyists  may  have  inserted  the  word  in  accordance 
with  liturgical  usage.     On  the  other  hand  copyists  might 


iv.  i]  HORTATORY   AND   DOCTRINAL  55 

have  omitted  it  as  seeming  to  be  unsuitable  in  the  middle 
of  a  letter.  But  insertion,  whether  deliberate  or  mechanical, 
is  more  probable  than  omission. 

Here  the  historical  and  personal  portion  of  the  Epistle 
comes  to  an  end,  and  the  division  between  the  chapters  is 
intelligently  made.  The  letter  would  have  a  suitable  con- 
clusion if  it  ended  here  ;  but  the  writers  know  that  more 
remains  to  be  said. 


iv.   i-v.  24.     HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL 

Admonition  has  now  to  be  added  to  the  vivid  description 
of  the  relations  which  have  existed  and  continue  to  exist 
between  the  writers  and  their  converts.  It  has  been 
incidentally  mentioned  in  hi.  10  that  '  shortcomings  '  are 
still  found  among  the  Thessalonians  ;  and  in  what  follows 
they  are  exhorted  to  remedy  these. 

This  second  main  portion  of  the  letter,  like  the  first, 
consists  of  five  sections  ;  iv.  1-12,  Exhortations  to  Purity, 
to  Love  of  the  Brethren,  and  to  Honest  Work  ;  iv.  13-18, 
Concerning  them  that  fall  asleep  before  the  Advent  of  the 
Lord  ;  v.  1-11,  The  Uncertainty  of  the  Time  of  the  Advent 
and  the  Need  of  Watchfulness  ;  v.  12-22,  Exhortations 
respecting  Church  Discipline  and  Holiness  of  Life  ;  v.  23,  24, 
Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians.  All  five  of  these  sections  are 
eminently  practical,  and  in  this  respect  they  have  much  in 
common  with  the  Epistle  of  St.  James.  The  first  of  them 
contains  admonitions  respecting  elements  of  the  Christian 
life  in  which  the  Thessalonians  had  seemed  to  be  defective  ; 
and  the  opening  verses  are  a  kind  of  general  introduction 
to  this  second  main  portion  of  the  letter. 

iv.  1-12.    Exhortations  to  Purity,  to  Love  of 
the  Brethren,  and  to  Honest  Work. 

iv.  x  Furthermore  then  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  and  exhort 
you  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  as  ye  have  received  of  us  how  ye  ought 
to  walk  and  to  please  God,  50  ye  would  abound  more  and  more. 


56        COMMENTARY   ON   i   THESSALONIANS    [iv.  i 

2  For  ye  know  what  commandments  we  gave  you  by  the  Lord  Jesus. 

3  For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your  sanctification,  that  ye  should 
abstain  from  fornication  :  4  That  every  one  of  you  should  know 
how  to  possess  his  vessel  in  sanctification  and  honour  ;  5  Not  in 
the  lust  of  concupiscence,  even  as  the  Gentiles  which  know  not  God  : 
6  That  no  man  go  beyond  and  defraud  his  brother  in  any  matter : 
because  that  the  Lord  is  the  avenger  of  all  such;  as  we  also  have 
forewarned  you  and  testified.  7  For  God  hath  not  called  us  unto 
uncleanness,  but  unto  holiness.  8  He  therefore  that  despiseth, 
despiseth  not  man,  but  God,  who  hath  also  given  unto  us  his  holy 
Spirit.  9  But  as  touching  brotherly  love,  ye  need  not  that  I  write 
unto  you  :  for  ye  yourselves  are  taught  of  God  to  love  one  another. 
10  And  indeed  ye  do  it  toward  all  the  brethren  which  are  in  all  Mace- 
donia :  but  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  that  ye  increase  more  and 
more  ;  u  And  that  ye  study  to  be  quiet,  and  to  do  your  own  busi- 
ness, and  to  work  with  your  own  hands  (as  we  commanded  you ;) 
12  That  ye  may  walk  honestly  toward  them  that  are  without,  and 
that  ye  may  have  lack  of  nothing. 

1  1  Seeing  then,  Brethren,  that  such  has  been  our  past  condition  (that 
we  have  laboured  so  much,  and  you  have  suffered  so  much,  for  the 
Gospel's  sake,  and  that  God  has  been  so  good  to  us  both),  We  ask  you 
as  friends,  and  We  exhort  you  as  having  authority  in  the  Lord  Jesus, 
to  consider  a  further  appeal.  You  received  from  our  lips  the  lesson 
as  to  the  manner  in  which  you  are  bound  to  walk  if  you  are  to  please 
God,  as  indeed  you  really  are  walking  ;  and  We  desire  you  now  to  do 
this  still  more  fully  than  you  have  hitherto  done.  2  I  say  that  you 
received  this  lesson,  for  you  know  what  careful  precepts  we  gave  you, 
not  in  our  own  name,  but  in  that  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  3  For  we  told 
you  that  God's  will,  or  (one  may  say)  your  training  in  holiness,  lies 
in  this, — to  abstain  from  carnal  impurity  ;  4that  each  one  of  you 
should  know  how  to  gain  complete  mastery  of  his  own  body,  training 
it  in  holiness  and  treating  it  with  reverence,  5  not  allowing  it  to  be  in 
a  state  of  lustful  passion,  which  is  just  the  state  of  the  heathen  also, 
who  have  no  knowledge  of  God.  6  In  this  way  a  man  avoids  the 
temptation  to  transgress  and  to  defraud  his  brother,  in  order  to 
gratify  his  own  desire.  We  give  you  this  charge,  because  the  Lord  is 
an  avenger  of  all  sins  of  this  kind,  as  indeed  we  told  you  beforehand 
and  earnestly  protested.  7  Of  course  He  is  such,  for  God  did  not  call 
us  to  indulge  in  an  unclean  life,  but  to  be  ever  engaged  in  perfecting 
holiness.  8  It  follows  from  this  that  he  who  deliberately  ignores  what 
We  have  been  saying  is  ignoring  the  authority,  not  of  a  man,  but  of  the 
one  God,  who  is  ever  giving  His  Spirit,  the  Spirit  whose  special 
characteristic  is  holiness,  to  dwell  within  you. 

9  There  is  another  subject,  that  of  love  of  the  brethren,  about  which 
you  have  no  need  that  we  should  write  to  you.     For  of  your  own 


iv.  i]  HORTATORY   AND   DOCTRINAL  57 

accord  you  have  accepted  God's  teaching  to  the  effect  that  you  must 
love  one  another.  10  We  say  this  the  more  confidently,  for  you  are 
actively  following  this  teaching  in  your  conduct  towards  all  the 
brethren  in  the  whole  of  Macedonia.  But  We  do  exhort  you,  Brethren, 
to  do  this  still  more  fully  than  you  have  hitherto  done,  n  and  to  make 
a  vigorous  endeavour  to  keep  quiet,  and  to  attend  each  to  his  own 
affairs  and  to  Work  at  some  handicraft,  in  exact  accordance  with  the 
precepts  which  we  gave  you.  12  Our  object  in  this  is  that  you  should 
live  so  as  to  be  in  good  repute  in  your  relations  with  your  unbelieving 
neighbours,  and  should  maintain  an  honourable  independence.' 

I.  This  new  division  opens  with  an  expression  (\olttov) 
which  implies  that  a  good  deal  has  been  said,  but  that  the 
end  has  not  been  quite  reached  ;  and  it  seems  to  show  that 
what  follows  was  not  the  main  purpose  of  the  letter.  The 
main  purpose  was  to  defend  the  conduct  and  character  of 
the  writers,  and  to  comfort  and  encourage  the  recipients. 
The  rendering  '  Finally  '  is  not  altogether  satisfactory,  for 
what  follows  this  expression  may  be  of  considerable  length, 
as  here  ;  and  therefore  '  Finally  '  seems  to  come  too  soon, — 
too  far  removed  from  the  actual  end  of  the  letter.  Cf.  2 
Thess.  hi.  1  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  11  ;  Phil.  iii.  1,  iv.  8  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  8. 
Except  in  the  last  case,  where  it  has  in  reliquo,  the  Vulgate 
rendering  for  \oltt6v  and  to  \olttov  is  de  caetero.  In  the 
above  paraphrase  it  is  expanded. 

Brethren]  The  admonition  begins  affectionately,  and  the 
connecting  particle  (ovv),  if  it  be  genuine,  looks  back  to 
iii.  13.     See  on  i.  4  and  ii.  1. 

we  ask  you  as  friends]  The  verb  (eparw^iev)  rather  implies 
that  the  two  parties  are  equals,  whereas  'exhort '  (nrapaica- 
Xov/j-ev)  assumes  some  kind  of  superiority  over  those  who 
are  exhorted.  St.  Paul  uses  the  more  friendly  word  only 
in  his  letters  to  the  beloved  Macedonian  Churches  ;  v  12  ; 
2  Thess.  ii.  1  ;  Phil.  iv.  3.  See  Trench,  Syn.  §  40.  The 
two  verbs  are  found  in  combination  in  pre-Christian  corre- 
spondence. 

in  the  Lord  Jesus]  This  is  added  to  show  that  no  personal 
superiority  is  claimed.  It  is  '  in  Christ  '  that  they  have  the 
right  to  exhort  ;  and  it  is  '  the  Lord  Jesus  '  to  whom  the 
Divine   prerogative   of  bestowing   this  right   is   assigned, 


58     COMMENTARY  ON   i   THESSALONIANS    [iv.  1-3 

Cf.  2  Thess.  iii.  6,  12.  The  Greek  sentence  is  irregular  in 
structure,  and  it  requires  to  be  broken  up  in  order  to  give 
the  sense  in  smooth  English. 

to  please  God]  See  on  ii.  15.  The  prayer  in  iii.  13  is  in 
his  mind. 

as  indeed  you  really  are  walking]  Some  texts  omit  this 
clause,  but  it  may  safely  be  retained. 

to  do  this  still  more  fully]  This  implies  that  they  are 
already  doing  it  to  a  laudable  extent.  With  characteristic 
tact,  the  Apostle  does  justice  to  the  goodness  which  already 
exists  ;  cf .  v.  10,  v.  11  ;  2  Thess.  iii.  4  ;  2  Cor.  ix.  1  ;  Phil.  i. 
9.  What  is  needed  is  further  progress.  They  must  make 
themselves  more  ready  for  the  Advent.  This  use  of  '  still 
more  '  (fiaWov)  is  characteristic  ;  iv.  10  ;  2  Cor.  vii.  13  ; 
Phil.  i.  23. 

2.  for  you  know]  See  on  i.  5,  ii.  1,  5,  11,  iii.  3,  4.  The 
point  here  is  that  no  new  demands  are  being  made  ;  they 
are  merely  being  reminded  of  previous  instructions. 

careful  precepts]  Rules  of  life,  charges  as  to  the  essentials 
of  Christian  conduct.  The  word  (TrapayyeXlat,)  originally 
meant  '  words  of  command  '  which  a  subordinate  officer 
received  and  passed  on  ;  and  hence  it  was  used  of  instruc- 
tions generally  ;  1  Tim.  i.  5,  18  ;  Acts  v.  28,  xvi.  24.  Cf. 
the  Saying  in  Lk.  x.  16  ;  also  (for  Bid)  Rom.  xv.  18  ; 
1  Cor.  ii.  10  ;  Phil.  i.  11. 

3.  God's  will  .  .  .  training  in  holiness]  These  terms  are 
in  apposition  ;  both  point  in  the  same  direction,  viz.  utter 
abstention  from  impurity.  Moreover,  while  training  our- 
selves in  holiness  we  may  be  quite  sure  of  Divine  help, 
because  we  are  working  in  absolute  harmony  with  the 
Divine  will.  God  wills  our  consecration.  Among  the 
heathen  sensual  indulgence  was  regarded  very  lightly  and 
was  treated  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  like  eating  and 
drinking.  Cicero  (Pro  Coelio,  48)  excuses  it  ;  quando 
reprehensum  ?  quando  non  permissum  ?  Thessalonica  was 
a  large  sea-port,  with  many  wealthy  and  luxurious  inhabit- 
ants.    Such  conditions  favour  immorality. 

See  Jowett's  Essay  in  St.  Paul's  Epistles,  II.  pp.  74  f.  ; 


iv.  3,4]       HORTATORY  AND   DOCTRINAL  59 

Hastings'  DAC.  art.  '  Abstinence.'  Hence  the  necessity  of 
giving  stringent  charges  against  it  to  Gentile  converts  ; 
Acts  xv.  20,  xxi.  25  ;  1  Cor.  v.  1,  9  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  21  ;  1  Pet. 
iv.  1-4.  '  God's  will  '  (6e\7]/ma  tov  Qeov),  i.e.  one  of  the 
things  willed  by  Him,  is  a  frequent  expression  with  St. 
Paul  ;  v.  18  ;  Rom.  i.  I9,"xii.  2,  xv.  32  ;  1  Cor.  i.  1  ;  etc. 

training  in  holiness]  The  term  (a<yia<Tp.6s)  implies  a 
process,  a  process  of  self -consecration,  and  in  it  abstention 
from  impurity  plays  an  important  part.  In  the  N.T.  the 
word  is  mainly  Pauline  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  13  ;  Rom.  vi.  19,  22  ; 
1  Cor.  i.  30  ;   1  Tim.  ii.  15. 

This  is  one  of  several  passages  in  these  two  chapters  in 
which  there  is  similarity  with  the  Didache.  Here  compare 
Did.  hi.  3,  where  there  is  warning  against  iropvela  and 
/Aoixela.     See  on  v.  13,  22. 

to  abstain  from  carnal  impurity]  The  very  words  of  the 
Apostolic  decree  (airexeaOai  iropvetas),  which  had  been 
promulgated  a  year  or  two  before  the  writing  of  this  letter, 
and  which  St.  Paul  had  helped  to  make  known  in  the 
Churches  of  Asia  Minor  ;  Acts  xvi.  4.  Cf.  v.  22  ;  1  Pet.  ii. 
11.  The  Greek  word  covers  not  only  fornication  but  other 
kinds  of  impurity  also  ;  1  Cor.  v.  1  ;  Mt.  v.  32.  Chacune 
de  ces  Eglises  etait  pour  lui  comme  une  fiancee  qu'il  avait 
promise  au  Christ  et  qu'il  voulait  garder  pure  (Renan,  Saint 
Paul,  p.  227). 

4.  know  how]  Cf.  the  use  of '  know  '  in  Mt,  vii.  11.  Purity, 
says  Chrysostom,  is  "a  thing  that  has  to  be  learned  " 
(uaOtjaew  7rpdj/xa),  a  habit  to  be  acquired. 

to  gain  complete  mastery  of  his  own  body]  It  is  impossible 
to  be  certain  of  the  meaning  of  the  Greek  (to  kaviov  cncevo<; 
KTaadai),  which  may  mean  '  to  take  to  himself  a  wife  of  his 
own.'  This  interpretation  of  the  words  makes  good  sense 
in  harmony  with  v.  6  and  1  Cor.  vii.  2.  The  ambiguous 
word  (oveeOo?)  means  '  vessel,'  and  '  vessel  '  often  means 
'  body,'  as  that  which  contains  the  soul  or  spirit  ;  2  Cor.  iv.  7. 
Instances  are  also  found  in  which  '  vessel '  means  '  wife.' 
But  1  Pet.  hi.  7  is  not  in  point,  for  there  the  wife  is  a '  weaker 
vessel '  in  reference  to  the  Holy  Spirit,  not  in  reference  to 


60        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [iv.  4 

her  husband.*  The  verb  (/crao-Oab)  does  not  mean  '  possess  ' 
or  '  keep  '  (which  would  be  KeKTrjaOai),  but  '  acquire  '  or 
'  gain,'  and  in  the  LXX  it  is  used  of  winning  a  wife  ;  Ruth 
iv.  10  ;  Ecclus.  xxxvi.  24.  Theodore  of  Mopsuestia  and 
Augustine  adopt  this  explanation  :  Chrysostom  and  Theo- 
doret  prefer  the  other  ;  their  argument  is  that  when  we 
purify  our  body  from  sin  we  make  it  our  own  (tcTw/AeOa)  ; 
to  which  we  may  add  that  this  charge  is  addressed  to  women 
as  well  as  to  men.  Both  views  have  found  many  supporters. 
In  favour  of  Chrysostom's  interpretation,  which  is  adopted 
in  the  paraphrase,  it  has  been  shown  from  papyri  that  in  the 
popular  language  the  meaning  of  '  possess  '  was  not  confined 
to  the  perf.  Ki/cTrjadai  (see  Milligan  ad  loc).  '  Gradually 
acquire  full  control '  seems  to  be  the  most  probable  meaning. 
But  we  must  leave  the  explanation  of  the  phrase  open. 

A  third  explanation  must  be  mentioned,  not  as  being 
probable,  but  as  being  perhaps  grammatically  possible  ; 
and  it  has  been  adopted  by  a  few  scholars.  They 
propose  to  separate  '  know  '  (elBevai)  from  '  gain  '  (/crao-dai) 
and  explain  it  as  '  know  '  has  to  be  understood  in  v.  12,  viz. 
'  know  the  value  of,'  '  treat  with  respect.'  The  whole  will 
then  run  thus  ;  '  that  each  of  you  should  respect  his  own 
wife,  get  her  in  the  spirit  of  holiness  and  reverence,  not  in 
a  state  of  lustful  passion,  etc'  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that, 
if  this  had  been  meant,  it  would  have  been  expressed  in  this 
harsh  and  ambiguous  way. 

treating  it  with  reverence]  Honour  for  the  human  body  as 
something  sacred  is  to  a  large  extent  a  Christian  idea. 
Heathen  philosophers  often  regarded  it  with  contempt. 
One  of  them  said  that  he  blushed  at  the  thought  of  possessing 
a  body  ;  only  the  mind  or  soul  was  of  value,  and  the  body 
was  a  vile  impediment. f 

*  '  Weaker  vessel  '  implies  that  both  husband  and  wife  are  ves- 
sels or  chattels  :  they  are  both  of  them  pieces  of  furniture  in  God's 
house,  the  husband  stronger,  the  wife  weaker.  But  "  we  can 
hardly  suppose  St.  Peter  to  be  thinking  only  of  the  bodily  weakness 
of  the  wife  "  (Bigg,  ad  loc).     See  also  Lightfoot  on  this  passage. 

f  Contempt  of  human  personality  can  hardly  go  deeper  than 
in  this  attitude  of  Plotinus.     And  what  does  Neo-Platonism  offer 


iv.  5,  6]      HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  61 

5.  a  state  of  lustful  passion]  The  expression  (rrddei  eVt- 
dvnias)  implies  that  the  person  is  overmastered  and 
becomes  the  instrument  of  the  lust. 

just  the  state]  We  have  the  same  word  {KaOdirep)  ii.  11, 
iii  6,  12  ;  like  KadJx;  in  i.  5,  ii.  2,  4,  5,  13,  14,  hi.  4,  iv.  1,  6, 
11,  etc.,  it  implies  exact  correspondence,  and  in  the  N.T.  it 
is  almost  peculiar  to  the  writings  of  St.  Paul. 

who  have  no  knowledge  of  God]  Cf.  2  Thess.  i.  8  ;  Gal.  iv. 
8.  The  words  are  a  quotation  from  Jer.  x.  25.  Cf.  Ps. 
lxxix.  6  ;  Job  xviii.  21  ;  Judg.  ii.  10  ;  1  Sam.  ii.  12  ;  Jer. 
ix.  3.  The  heathen  had  no  adequate  knowledge  of  God. 
They  often  recognized  His  power,  but  they  had  little  idea 
of  His  love  or  His  purity  ;  and  many  of  them,  in  their 
ignorance  of  anything  Divine,  had  lost  the  sense  of  the 
difference  between  right  and  wrong,  especially  as  regards 
charity,  purity,  and  honesty.  Cf.  Seneca  De  Ira  ii.  8  ; 
Nee  furtiva  jam  scelera  sunt;  praeter  oculos  eunt.  Adeoque 
in  publicum  missa  nequitia  est  et  in  omnium  pectoribus 
evaluit,  ut  innocentia  non  rara,  sed  nulla  est.  The  whole 
passage  should  be  read  as  a  description  of  heathen  disregard 
of  moral  laws.     For  other  echoes  of  the  O.T.  see  on  ii.  4. 

6.  to  transgress]  Of  the  two  verbs  {jmepfHaiveiv  teal 
•7r\eove/cTeiv)  it  is  possible  that  only  the  second  governs 
'  his  brother/  the  first  being  absolute.  But  it  is  also  possible 
that  both  verbs  govern  '  his  brother,'  and  that  we  ought 
to  translate,  '  to  get  the  better  of  and  defraud  his  brother  '  ; 
and  this  makes  equally  good  sense.  Nowhere  else  in  the 
N.T.  does  vTrepf3aii>eiv  occur. 

defraud  his  brother]  Impurity  is  a  wrong  to  society  ;  it 
defiles  the  sinner  and  his  victim  and  corrupts  the  whole 
community.  The  offender  robs  his  fellows  by  a  selfish 
lowering  of  the  moral  tone  ;  1  Cor.  v.  6.  In  the  case  of  the 
adulterer  the  defrauding  is  at  a  maximum.  In  the  Sibylline 
Oracles  iv.  164  it  is  probable  that  v/3pei?  is  used  in  this 
sense.     See  K.  Lake,  Earlier  Epistles  of  St.  Paul  p.   57. 

us  in  exchange  ?  Extasy  ;  the  absorption  of  our  own  personality 
in  that  of  the  Deity,  and  a  Deity  as  inaccessible  to  knowledge  as  to 
love. 


62        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [iv.  6 

'  His  brother  '  here  does  not  mean  '  his  fellow-Christian/ 
but  '  his  fellow-creature,'  '  his  neighbour.'  The  person 
who  was  specially  wronged  might  be  a  heathen. 

to  gratify  his  own  desire]  This  is  interpretation  of  the 
vague  expression  (eV  t&>  irpdyfiaTi)  under  which  the  nauseous 
meaning  is  veiled.*  In  the  matter  '  (R.V.)  means  '  in  the 
matter  which  we  are  considering,'  viz.  personal  chastity. 
Cf.  2  Cor.  vii.  n.  '  In  any  matter  '  (A.V.)  is  wrong  ;  there 
is  no  thought  here  of  fraud  in  business  transactions,  as  is 
clear  from  the  next  verse.  The  whole  section  is  concerned 
with  impurity,  and  an  abrupt  parenthetical  allusion  to 
dishonesty  and  covetousness  is  improbable.  The  Vulgate's 
in  negotio  misled  the  translators  of  1611.  The  suggestion 
that  for  ra>  irpdyfiarc  we  should  read  tw  irpdyixaii  may  be 
dismissed  ;  ra  =  tlvl  is  found  nowhere  in  the  N.T.,  neither 
here  nor  i  Cor.  xv.  8. 

an  avenger  of  all  sins  of  this  kind]  Lit.  '  an  avenger  con- 
cerning all  these  things.'  Here  and  in  Rom.  xii.  19,  and 
perhaps  xiii.  4,  it  is  Deut.  xxxii.  35  which  is  in  St.  Paul's 
mind  ;  cf.  Heb.  x.  30  ;  Ps.  xciv.  1.  He  is  closer  to  the 
Hebrew,  '  Vengeance  is  Mine  and  recompense,'  than  to  the 
LXX,  '  In  a  day  of  vengeance  I  will  recompense.'  It  is 
just  possible  that,  as  he  is  quoting  the  O.T.,  '  the  Lord  ' 
here  means  '  Jehovah.'  But  almost  certainly  '  the  Lord  ' 
has  the  usual  Pauline  meaning  of  '  the  Lord  Jesus,'  to  whom 
God  has  committed  the  final  judgment  ;  2  Thess.  i.  7-9. 
St.  Paul  constantly  takes  expressions  which  in  the  O.T.  are 
used  of  Jehovah  and  uses  them  of  Christ,  as  if  the  transition 
was  natural  and  obvious.  See  on  iii.  12  ;  also  Hastings' 
DAC.  I.  p.  188b. 

told  you  beforehand]  Or,  '  gave  you  warning  '  ;  cf.  iii.  3 ; 
2  Cor.  xiii.  2  ;  Gal.  v.  21. 

earnestly  protested]  A  stronger  word  (8iep.apTvpdp,e0a) 
than  that  used  in  ii.  12  (p,apTvp6p,evot,).  Cf.  Lk.  xvi.  28 
and  Heb.  ii.  6.  Elsewhere  St.  Paul  adds  '  before  God  ' 
[ivayn-Lov  rod  @eov)  to  '  earnestly  protest  '  ;  I  Tim.  v.  21  ; 
2  Tim.  ii.  14,  iv.  1.     Both  verbs  occur  in  St.  Paul's  speech 

*  Euphemia  est,  quod  adulterium  non  appellat  apostolus  (Bengel). 


iv.  7, 8]      HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  63 

before  the  Sanhedrin,  Acts  xxiii.  11,  and  both  in  the  speech 
at  Miletus,  xx.  21,  23,  24,  26.  In  the  latter  speech  Pauline 
language  abounds.     See  on  v.  12. 

7.  to  indulge  in]  Lit.  '  on  terms  of  '  (eVt)  ;  cf.  Eph.  ii.  10  ; 
Gal.  v.  13.     Non  vocavit  hac  lege  ut  essemus  immundi. 

an  unclean  life]  Or,  '  uncleanness.'  This  shows  that  in 
v.  6  there  is  no  reference  to  dishonesty  in  business.  Here, 
as  in  ii.  3,  we  have  a  change  of  preposition  ;  here  from  '  on 
terms  of,'  '  on  a  basis  of  '  (eV/)  to  '  in  '  (ev). 

in  perfecting  holiness]  Training  in  it,  as  in  vv.  3  and  4. 
The  repetition  of  the  term  should  be  noted.  We  must  also 
remember  that  St.  Paul  is  writing  from  Corinth,  where 
sensuality  was  rampant. 

8.  It  follows  from  this]  Introduces  an  emphatic  con- 
clusion (roiyapovv)  ;   cf.  Heb.  xii.  I. 

deliberately  ignores]  '  Treats  as  removed  from  position 
and  practically  inoperative  '  (aderel  =  '  makes  aderov'). 
Cf .  Lk.  x.  16  (a  Saying  which  may  be  in  the  Apostle's  mind  ; 
see  on  i.  5  and  ii.  16)  and  Jn.  xii.  48  ;   also  Is.  xxiv.  16  f. 

what  we  have  been  saying]  The  Greek  has  simply  '  deli- 
berately ignores,'  and  what  is  ignored  has  to  be  understood. 
Some  understand  '  God's  call  to  a  holy  life,'  which  makes 
what  follows  to  be  an  empty  truism. 

the  one  God]  See  on  i.  2.  The  article  (tov  Qeov)  is  all  the 
more  noticeable  because  '  a  man  '  (dvOpcoirov)  has  no  article. 

is  ever  giving]  Or  possibly,  '  is  the  Giver  of  '  (toi>  hlhoma 
like  tov  pvofxevov  in  i.  10).  '  Hath  given  '  (Sovra)  is  a 
wrong  reading.  In  Rom.  v.  5  ;  2  Cor.  i.  22,  v.  5  ;  Gal.  i.  4 
the  aorist  is  right.  "It  is  important  to  notice  how  central 
was  the  belief  that  Christians  were  men  who  were  inspired 
with  a  Holy  Spirit."  (K.  Lake,  Earlier  Epistles,  p.  21). 
This  inspiration  transformed  their  whole  life  ;  and  it  put 
an  end  to  the  pagan  plea  that  man  has  no  power  to  resist 
impure  desires. 

whose  special  characteristic,  etc.]  The  repetition  of  the 
article  (to  irvevfia  to  ayiov)  gives  this  effect  ;  '  holiness  ' 
is  a  separate  idea  added  to  '  the  Spirit.'  It  looks  back 
to  the  threefold  mention  of  holiness. 


64      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [iv.  8,  9 

to  dwell  within  you]  Lit.  '  into  you  '  (ek  y/xa?),  as  in 
ii.  9  ;  cf.  Heb.  viii.  10,  '  give  My  laws  into  their  mind.'  The 
meaning  might  be  '  for  your  good  '  ;  Eph.  hi.  2  ;  Col.  i.  25. 
Some  texts  here  have  '  us  '  for  '  you  '  (??/xa?  for  v/xasi),  a 
frequent  confusion  in  MSS.  See  Ezek.  xxxvii.  14,  which 
seems  to  have  been  in  the  Apostle's  mind. 

The  second  half  of  v.  8  balances,  by  way  of  contrast, 
the  second  half  of  v.  6.  The  Lord  is  the  Avenger  of  all  these 
gross  sins  ;  but  the  God  who  has  called  us  to  a  life  of  holiness 
is  the  Giver  of  the  Spirit,  to  enable  us  to  forsake  th  sins 
and  respond  to  His  call.  The  way  to  escape  the  Avenger 
is  to  fly  to  the  Giver  and  accept  and  cherish  His  gift. 

9.  There  is  another  subject]  The  opening  words  [irepl 
he  T779  k.t.X.)  resemble  1  Cor.  vii.  25,  viii.  1,  xii.  1,  xvi.  1  in 
form  ;  but  it  is  not  likely  that  the  Thessalonians  had  written 
to  the  Apostle  to  ask  for  advice  on  this  subject.    See  on  hi.  6. 

From  the  grossly  selfish  sin  of  impurity  the  writers  pass 
to  the  '  love  of  the  brethren  '  which  is  such  a  contrast  to  it, 
with  regard  to  which  the  Thessalonians  require,  not  reforma- 
tion, but  progress.  '  Love  of  the  brethren  '  ((/uAaSeA^ta), 
as  distinct  from  a^aTrt]  (iii.  6,  12,  v.  8),  which  has  no  limits, 
means  affection  for  all  fellow-Christians  (Rom.  xii.  10  ; 
Heb.  xiii.  1  ;  1  Pet.  i.  22  ;  2  Pet.  i.  7  only).  The  more  com- 
prehensive term  occurs  scores  of  times  in  N.T.  Chastity 
and  charity  are  in  a  special  sense  Christian  virtues,  and  the 
inculcation  of  them  had  much  to  do  with  the  success  of  the 
Gospel.  The  experience  of  the  heathen  had  taught  them 
the  value  of  these  lofty  virtues,  which  to  them  seemed 
to  be  almost  unattainable. 

you  have  no  need]  To  make  the  construction  smoother 
some  copyists  substituted  '  we  have  no  need.'  The 
statement  is  made  in  all  sincerity.  Though  poor,  these 
Macedonians  could  be  very  generous  (2  Cor.  viii.  1-5)  ; 
the  recognition  of  this  paves  the  way  for  a  request 
for   still   greater   things,    as   Chrysostom   intimates. 

The  writers  are  not  inciting  their  converts  to  acquire  a 
virtue  which  they  do  not  possess  by  telling  them  that  they 
do  possess  it.     Cf.  v.  1  ;  2  Cor.  ix.  1 ;  Philem.  21. 


iv.  9-11]     HORTATORY  AND   DOCTRINAL  65 

of  your  own  accord]  Without  being  exhorted  by  their 
teachers.  See  on  iv.  16  for  this  emphatic  use  of  the  pronoun 
(avTOi). 

you  have  accepted  God's  teaching]  Lit.  '  you  are  God- 
taught  '  (deoSloa/cTol  icrre),  an  expression  which  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  N.T.  Cf.  Jn.  vi.  45  ;  1  Cor.  ii.  10,  13  ; 
1  Jn.  ii.  20.  The  statement  does  not  refer  to  any  specific 
precept,  such  as  '  Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself,' 
but  to  the  Divine  influence  on  their  hearts.  Cf.  Is.  liv.  13  ; 
Jer.  xxxi.  34  ;  Mt.  xxiii.  8. 

10.  the  more  confidently]  This  verse  gives  an  additional 
reason  for  the  previous  statement  ;  cf .  hi.  4;  2  Thess.  iii.  10 ; 
1  Cor.  v.  7.  They  must  be  God-taught,  for  they  practise 
the  Divine  lesson,  not  merely  among  themselves,  but  in  the 
whole  of  Macedonia,  viz.  Philippi,  Beroea,  and  other  Chris- 
tian communities  not  known  to  us.  Their  position  on  the 
Egnatian  Way  gave  the  Thessalonians  many  opportunities. 
Like  the  other  two  cities,  they  became  a  missionary 
centre. 

to  do  this  still  more  fully]  Cf.  v.  1  and  v.  11.  The  Apostle 
would  say  the  same  thing  now.  It  is  the  jealousies  and 
enmities  between  Christians  which  constitute  the  chief 
obstacles  to  the  success  of  missionary  enterprise  at  home 
and  abroad.  "  Would  it  not  be  higher  praise  than  some  of 
us  deserve,  to  say  that  we  loved  with  brotherly  cordiality 
all  the  Christian  churches  in  Britain,  and  wished  them  God- 
speed in  their  Christian  work  ?  "  (Denney,  ad  loc). 

11.  make  a  vigorous  endeavour]  Lit.  '  Be  anxious  of 
distinction,  be  ambitious'  (<fu\oTifieia0ai).  In  late  Greek 
the  verb  seems  to  lose  the  idea  of  emulation.  The  exhorta- 
tion to  make  a  quiet  life  an  object  of  endeavour  is  among 
the  indications  that  there  had  been  much  restlessness  among 
the  converts.  In  Rom.  xv.  20  and  2  Cor.  v.  9,  the  only 
other  passages  in  the  N.T.  in  which  the  verb  occurs,  it  is 
used,  as  here,  in  a  good  sense.  See  Plummer  on  2  Cor.  v.  9. 
The  paradoxical  expression,  '  be  vigorous  in  keeping  quiet,' 
is  perhaps  made  deliberately.  Cf.  "  make  a  desperate 
effort  on  behalf  of  tranquillity  of  mind  "  (Arrian,  Disc,  of 


66  COMMENTARY  ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [iv  n,  12 

Epictetus,  ii.  16  sub  fin.)  ;  also   "  with  strenuous  yielding  " 
(Clement  of  Rome,  Cor.  lviii.  2,  lxii.  2). 

to  keep  quiet]  With  rjavya^iv  here  contrast  irepiep^a^eadai 
2  Thess.  hi.  11. 

to  work  at  some  handicraft.]  It  is  probable  that  the 
large  majority  of  the  converts  worked  (ipyd^eaOac)  with 
their  hands  for  their  living  ;  2  Thess.  hi.  10-13.  These 
two  Epistles  contain  no  exhortations  to  the  wealthy,  and  no 
warnings  as  to  the  deceitfulness  of  riches,  although  there 
was  much  wealth  in  Thessalonica. 

in  accordance  with  the  precepts]  This  applies  mainly  to 
'  work  at  some  handicraft,'  as  v.  12  shows.  The  precepts 
were  enforced  by  example  ;  2  Thess.  hi.  8-12  ;  1  Cor.  ix.  12  ; 
2  Cor.  vii.  2,  xi.  7,  9  ;  xii.  13  ;  Acts  xviii.  3,  xx.  34. 

12.  so  as  to  be  in  good  report]  Or,  '  in  a  comely  manner  ' 
{eva^fxovw^)  ;  Rom.  xiii.  13  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  40  ;  cf.  Mk.  xv.  43. 
'  Honestly '    formerly   had    this    meaning. 

your  unbelieving  neighbours]  Lit.  '  the  outsiders'  (Toi»?e£a>)  ; 
1  Cor.  v.  12  ;  Col.  iv.  5  ;  Mk.  iv.  11.  St.  Paul  is  keenly 
alert  to  the  wisdom  of  giving  no  handle  to  the  heathen  ;  1 
Cor.  xiv.  24  ;  Col.  iv.  5  ;  1  Tim.  hi.  7,  vi.  1.  That  the 
idlers  begged  of  the  heathen  is  not  implied  ;  but  the  heathen 
would  see  that  certain  Christians  were  idlers  and  sponged 
upon  others,  especially  upon  '  the  chief  women '  (Acts 
xvii.  4).  The  loafer  who  was  willing  to  live  on  the  bounty 
of  his  fellows,  and  thus  brought  Christianity  into  disrepute, 
was  not  unknown.  Lucian  tells  how  easily  simple  Christians 
were  taken  in  by  plausible  beggars. 

maintain  an  honourable  independence]  Lit.  '  be  in  need 
of  nothing,'  or  possibly,  '  be  in  need  of  nobody  '  (/j.r)8evo<; 
being  either  neuter  or  masculine).  The  meaning  is  much  the 
same  in  either  case.*  The  Gospel  bids  us  to  be  glad  to  give 
where  help  is  required  ;  but  it  also  bids  us  to  strive  not  to 
require  help   and  thus  burden  others. 

*  We  are  told  that  yu/^Sero's  must  be  neuter,  because  "  to  stand 
in  need  of  no  man  is  for  man  an  impossibility."  But  to  stand  in 
need  of  nothing  is  equally  an  impossibility. 


v.  13]         HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  67 

iv.  13-18.    Concerning  them  that  fall  asleep 

BEFORE   THE   ADVENT   OF   THE    LORD 

13  But  I  would  not  have  you  to  be  ignorant,  brethren,  concern- 
ing them  which  are  asleep,  that  ye  sorrow  not,  even  as  others  which 
have  no  hope.  14  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose  again, 
even  so  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with  him. 
15  For  this  we  say  unto  you  by  the  word  of  the  Lord,  that  we  which 
are  alive  and  remain  unto  the  coming  of  the  Lord  shall  not  prevent 
them  which  are  asleep.  16  For  the  Lord  himself  shall  descend 
from  heaven  with  a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  Archangel,  and  with 
the  trump  of  God  :  and  the  dead  in  Christ  shall  rise  first.  17  Then 
we  which  are  alive,  and  remain,  shall  be  caught  up  together  with 
them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  :  and  so  shall  we 
ever  be  with  the  Lord.  18  Wherefore,  comfort  one  another  with 
these  words. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  one  cause  of  the  restlessness  and 
idleness  of  some  of  the  converts  at  Thessalonica  was  the 
belief  that  the  Lord's  Return  was  imminent,  a  belief  which 
at  several  periods  in  the  history  of  the  Church  has  had  an 
unsettling  effect  on  men's  minds.  Hence  the  transition 
from  the  declaration  of  the  necessity  of  living  quietly  and 
working  steadily  to  the  subject  of  the  Advent.  With  regard 
to  this  subject  two  points  are  expounded,  viz.  the  lot  of 
those  who  are  dying  before  the  Advent,  and  the  time  at  which 
the  Advent  may  be  expected.  It  is  possible  that  St.  Paul, 
during  the  few  months  that  he  preached  at  Thessalonica, 
was  so  full  of  the  expectation  that  Christ  would  come  again 
soon,  and  had  so  many  other  things  to  teach,  that  he  said 
little  about  resurrection.  It  is  probable  that  some  deaths 
had  taken  place  since  the  departure  of  the  missionaries, 
and  that  in  this  way  discussion  and  unsettlement  had 
arisen.  Possibly  some  converts  had  been  killed  in  the 
persecution.  Had  these  Christians,  by  their  premature 
deaths,  lost  all  hope  of  sharing  in  the  glories  of  the  Return 
and  of  entering  the  Kingdom  ?  The  dominant  note  in  this 
Epistle  is  not  faith,  as  in  some  of  the  later  Epistles,  but 
hope, — hope  in  a  bright  and  glorious  future,  which  maybe 
very  near  at  hand.     The  fate  of  those  who  had  lived  under 


68       COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS   [iv.  13 

the  miseries  of  persecution,  and  had  died  before  this  future 
was  revealed,  seemed  to  be  most  pitiable.  What  was  the 
solution  of  this  problem  ? 

Salmon  (Introd.  to  N.T.,  p.  385)  points  out  that  the  pro- 
blem is  evidence  of  the  early  date  of  the  Epistle.  Only 
at  the  very  beginning  of  Christianity,  when  but  few  Christians 
had  died,  could  this  anxiety  about  their  condition  have 
arisen.  Paley  (Home  Paulinae)  uses  a  similar  argument. 
Mystery-religions  and  some  philosophies  offered  immor- 
tality, but  immortality  through  the  death  and  destruction 
of  the  body.  Many  of  the  first  Christians,  and  especially 
Gentile  Christians,  hoped  to  have  immortality  without 
dying.  To  such  persons  every  death  of  a  Christian,  as  it 
occurred,  was  a  cause  of  perplexity  and  distress.  See  K. 
Lake,  Earlier  Epistles,  p.  92  ;  Hastings'  DAC.  art.  '  Escha- 
tology,'  p.  362. 

There  is  nothing  here  to  show  that  the  Thessalonians  had 
written  to  the  Apostle,  as  the  Corinthians  did  (1  Cor.  vii.  1), 
asking  for  a  solution  of  questions  which  disturbed  them. 
More  probably  Timothy  had  told  Paul  and  Silvanus  that 
these  two  questions  about  the  Advent  were  causing  un- 
healthy agitation. 

• 13  Now  there  is  a  matter,  Brethren,  about  which  we  do  not  wish  you 
to  remain  uninformed ;  I  mean  about  those  among  you  who  are  falling 
asleep  before  the  Coming  of  the  Lord  ;  for  we  desire  to  save  you 
from  sorrowing  in  the  way  that  the  rest  of  the  world  cannot  fail  to 
sorrow,  because  they  have  no  share  in  our  Christian  hope.  14  Our  hope 
saves  us  from  such  sorrow,  for,  if  we  really  do  believe  that  Jesus  died 
and  rose  again,  so  also  We  are  quite  sure  that  God  will  cause  those  who 
by  the  hands  of  Jesus  have  been  laid  to  sleep  to  be  brought  again  with 
Him.  15  We  are  quite  sure  of  it,  for  this  we  say  to  you  on  the  au- 
thority of  the  Lord,  that  we  who  are  alive,  who  survive  the  Coming  of 
the  Lord,  will  assuredly  have  no  advantage  in  time  over  those  who 
have  fallen  asleep  before  the  Coming.  16  We  cannot  do  so,  because 
the  Lord  Himself  will  come  down  from  heaven  with  a  commanding 
summons,  namely,  with  an  archangel's  cry,  with  a  trumpet  of  God  ; 
and  all  who  have  died  and  are  now  in  Christ  will  at  once  rise  again. 
17  Then,  and  not  till  then,  we  who  are  alive  and  survive  shall,  one  and 
all,  with  them  be  caught  up  in  clouds,  for  a  meeting  with  the  Lord, 
into  the  air ;  and  thus  for  evermore  with  the  Lord  shall  we  be.   18  Where- 


iv.  13]         HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  69 

fore,  in  times  of  doubt  and  depression,  comfort  one  another  by  re- 
peating these  Words. 


13.  We  do  not  wish  you  to  remain  uninformed]  This  is  a 
mode  of  expression  which  St.  Paul  frequently  uses  in  his 
earlier  letters,  especially  when  he  wants  to  correct  an  errone- 
ous idea,  or  to  explain  what  has  caused  perplexity  ;  Rom. 
i.  13,  xi.  25  ;  1  Cor.  x.  i,  xii.  1  ;  2  Cor.  i.  8  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  xii. 
3  ;  Phil.  i.  12  ;  Col.  ii.  1.  Similar  expressions  are  found  in 
secular  letters  preserved  in  papyri  ;  "  I  wish  you  to  know  " 
(yivoocriceiv  ae  deXco),  like  our  "  I  beg  to  inform  you." 

Brethren]  As  usual,  St.  Paul  adds  this  affectionate  address 
to  a  form  of  expression  which  otherwise  might  seem  to  be 
dictatorial  or  imply  reprehensible  ignorance  in  those  to 
whom  he  writes.     See  on  i.  4. 

who  are  falling  asleep]  The  present  participle  (icoi/j,co/u,evcov 
is  the  right  reading)  indicates  a  process  which  is  going  on. 
The  metaphor  or  euphemism  is  not  of  Christian  origin,  nor 
was  it  suggested  by  the  hope  of  a  resurrection  ;  but  it  was 
probably  adopted  by  Christian  writers  as  harmonizing  with 
that  hope,  and  as  having  been  employed  by  Christ  Himself  ; 
Mk.  v.  39  ;  Mt.  ix.  24  ;  Lk.  viii.  52  ;  Jn.  xi.  11.  It  is  remark- 
able that,  while  St.  Paul  uses  '  falling  asleep  '  of  Christians, 
whose  resurrection  lies  in  the  future,  he  uses  '  die  '  of  Christ 
(iv.  14,  v.  10  ;  etc.),  whose  resurrection  is  a  certain  fact. 
The  metaphor  as  used  in  Scripture  cannot  safely  be  used  in 
theological  discussion  as  throwing  light  on  the  doctrine 
of  an  intermediate  state.  Cf.  Horn.  //.  xi.  241  ;  Virg. 
Aen.  vi.  278,  x.  745  ;  Hor.  Od.  I.  xxiv.  5.  Probably  not 
many  had  died  at  Thessalonica  in  the  short  period  since 
their  conversion,  but  enough  to  raise  the  question  and  make 
many  of  the  survivors  anxious.  They  had  been  baptized 
in  the  full  expectation  of  living  until  the  Lord  returned  to 
admit  them  into  His  Kingdom.  What  would  be  the  lot  of 
those  who  had  failed  to  live  long  enough  for  this  ? 

from  sorrowing  in  the  way  that  the  rest  of  the  world,  etc.] 
Such  is  probably  the  way  in  which  St.  Paul  would  have 
explained  the  language  which  he  uses,  had  he  been  asked 

G 


70      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS     [iv.  13 

whether  all  sorrowing  for  the  death  of  those  who  are  dear 
to  us  is  wrong.  The  Greek,  if  treated  with  exactness, 
implies  that  the  Thessalonians  are  not  to  sorrow  at  all  for 
their  dead  ;  and  the  exact  meaning  may  stand.  They  are 
not  to  mourn  for  the  dead,  but  they  may  mourn  for  them- 
selves ;  cf.  Lk.  xxiii.  28.  The  dead  are  with  Christ,  which 
is  far  better  than  being  with  earthly  friends,  and  it  is  wrong 
to  bemoan  them  as  if  they  had  lost  much  and  gained  little 
or  nothing.  This  was  what  the  large  majority  of  heathen 
and  of  Jews  did  ;  they  had  miserable  ideas  about  life  after 
death,  if  they  believed  in  it  at  all.  But  to  sorrow  for  what 
we  have  lost  through  the  death  of  those  whom  we  love  is 
natural,  and  this  is  not  forbidden.  As  Augustine  remarks 
(Ep.  cclxiii.  3)  :  "  The  Apostle  Paul  did  not  prohibit 
sorrow  altogether,  but  only  such  sorrow  as  the  heathen 
manifest  who  have  no  hope  "  ;  and  Bengel  remarks  that  it  is 
a  special  note  of  the  power  of  Christianity  quod  ea  desiderium 
mortuorum  non  tollit  aut  exacerbat,   sed  suaviter  temperat. 

the  rest  of  the  world]  This  refers  chiefly,  if  not  exclusively, 
to  '  the  heathen  who  have  no  knowledge  of  God,'  the  unbe- 
lieving neighbours  of  the  converts.  See  on  vv.  5  and  12 
and  cf.  Rom.  xi.  7  ;  Eph.  i.  18,  iv.  4  ;  Col.  i.  23.  The  Apostle 
is  not  thinking  of  Sadducees. 

have  no  share  in  our  hope]  It  is  not  clear  whether  hope  of 
resurrection  or  hope  of  life  in  Christ  is  meant.  In  1  Cor.  xv. 
32  St.  Paul  points  out  the  inevitable  moral  result  of  denying 
a  future  life  ;  '  Let  us  eat  and  drink  etc.'  Cf.  Is.  lvi.  12  ; 
Eccles.  ii.  24,  hi.  12,  v.  18,  ix.  7  ;  and  especially  Wisd.  ii  6-9. 
It  is  therefore  not  surprising  to  find  similar  views  in  heathen 
writers  ;  Hdt.  ii.  y8  ;  Thuc.  ii.  53  ;  Eur.  Ale.  788  f., 
Iph.  Aid.  1252  ;  Hor.  Od.  II.  hi.  13  ;  Petron.  Satyr.  34. 
Numerous  passages  are  quoted  to  show  that  the  general  view 
of  the  heathen  respecting  the  dead  was  one  of  despair  ;  Plato, 
Phaedr.  64  ;  Theocr.  iv.  42  ;  Lucret.  hi.  942  ;  Catul.  v.  4.* 
It   is  said  that   at   Thessalonica   a  sepulchral  inscription 

*  See  Driver  on  Deut.  xiv.  1,  2  respecting  heathen  methods  of 
mourning  for  the  dead  which  were  forbidden  for  the  Chosen  People. 


iv.  13]         HORTATORY   AND   DOCTRINAL  71 

"  told  the  bystander  that  after  death  there  is  no  revival, 
after  the  grave  no  meeting  of  those  who  have  loved  each 
other  on  earth  "  (Conybeare  and  Howson,  ch.  ix.).  The 
hope  of  seeing  one  another  again  in  the  other  world  was 
cherished  only  by  those  few  heathen  who  believed  in  the 
immortality  of  the  soul.  The  fact  that  a  plant  or  tree 
cut  down  may  sprout  again  with  greater  vigour,  whereas 
men  when  cut  down  cannot  do  so,  seemed  to  the  heathen 
to  intimate  the  inferiority  of  man  to  vegetation.  Jews 
sometimes  had  the  same  thought  ;  Job  xiv.  7-10.  To 
the  Christian  this  sprouting  seemed  to  be  an  intimation 
of  resurrection.  The  contrast  has  often  been  pointed 
out  between  the  gloomy  despondency  of  the  heathen  inscrip- 
tions on  the  magnificent  tombs  along  the  Appian  Way, 
and  the  triumphant  hopefulness  of  the  Christian  inscriptions 
on  the  humble  graves  in  the  catacombs  below  the  same  soil. 
"  This  is  a  more  striking  illustration  than  any  quotations 
from  literature  "  (Lightfoot  ad  loc). 

Nevertheless,  it  is  right  to  remind  ourselves  of  heathen 
utterances  of  a  different  tenor.  There  are  the  well-known 
passages  in  Plato  :  Apol.  41,  Meno  81,  Phaedo  70,  72,  91, 
Rep.  x.  608-612,  Sym.  208,  Laws  xii.  958.  See  also  Cicero, 
Book  I.  of  the  Tusculan  Disputations  ;  Seneca,  Consolatio 
ad  Polybium  xxviii.  5,  Consolatio  ad  Marciam,  xix.  5,  Epp. 
xxvi.  9,  lvii.  56,  cii.  23-30.  Even  Ovid  (Met.  xv.  153-9)  can 
write  thus  of  death  : — 

0  genus  attonitum  gelidae  formidine  mortis, 
Quid  Styga,  quid  tenebras,  quid  novnina  vana  timetis, 
Materiem  vatum,  falsique  piacula  mundi  ? 
Corpora  sive  rogns  flamma,  sen  tabe  vetustas 
Abstulerit,  mala  posse  pati  non  ulla  putetis. 
Morte  carent  animae  :    semperque  priore  relicta 
Sede  novis  domibus  habitant,  vivuntque  receptae. 

The  last  two  lines  are  specially  impressive ; — 

Souls  have  no  share  in  death  :  when  their  earlier  haunt  is  abandoned, 
They  dwell  in  their  new  abodes,  and  live  on  in  the  home  that  receives 
them. 


72      COMMENTARY  ON    1   THESSALONIANS    [iv.  14 

We  have  a  homily  of  Chrysostom  on  this  verse  and  two 
sermons  of  Augustine. 

14.  if  we  really  do  believe]  The  implication  is  that  of 
course  we  do  believe  this  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  xv.  12,  21  ;  Gal.  hi.  29. 
The  writers  make  this  quite  clear  by  the  form  of  the  apodosis, 
which  runs,  not  '  we  ought  to  believe  also,'  but  '  so  also 
God  will,  etc'  There  is  no  uncertainty,  either  about  our 
belief  that  Jesus  has  been  raised,  or  about  our  being  raised 
in  due  time.  Why  not  about  the  latter  ?  Because  of  the 
reality  of  the  union  between  Christ  and  the  members  of 
His  mystical  Body.  Death  does  not  sever  them  from  Him  ; 
and  it  is  incredible  that  He  should  die  and  be  raised  again, 
but  that  they  should  die  and  never  be  raised.  Here,  as 
elsewhere  in  St.  Paul,  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ 
are  regarded  as  inseparable.  Even  where  only  one  is 
mentioned,  the  other  is  implied.  The  two  facts  are  the 
foundation  of  the  Christian  faith. 

those  who  by  the  hands  of  Jesus  have  been  laid  to  sleep] 
Lit.  '  those  who  fell  asleep  through  Jesus  '  (rov?  Koiixr\6kvra<i 
Bia  rov  'Itjctov)  This  use  of  '  through  '  (8cd  cum  gen.) 
is  difficult,  and  the  exact  meaning  is  uncertain.  We  should 
expect '  in  Christ '  (iv  Xpia-ru)),  as  in  v.  16  and  1  Cor.  xv.  18. 
'  To  be  raised  through  Christ '  and  '  to  live  through  Christ ' 
would  be  intelligible  enough.  Moreover  the  passage  from 
sleep  to  awakening  might  give  us  the  idea  of '  through. '  But 
that  is  not  what  we  have  here.  '  Who  fell  asleep  through 
Jesus  '  may  possibly  mean  that  it  was  through  Him  that 
they  passed  away  peacefully.  In  that  case  we  are  close  to 
the  idea  that  they  were  '  laid  to  sleep  by  Him.'  This  is 
rendered  all  the  more  possible  because  the  participle 
(K0L/x7}divTa<i)  may  be  passive  in  meaning  as  well  as  in  form. 
See  Moulton,  Prolegomena,  p.  162  ;  A.T.  Robertson,  Gr.  of 
Grk.  N.T.  p.  817.  But  if  we  are  right  in  conjecturing  that 
ii.  15  implies  that  some  Thessalonians  had  been  put  to  death 
in  the  persecution,  then  '  who  fell  asleep  through  Jesus  ' 
might  have  a  similar  meaning.  K.  Lake,  Earlier  Epistles, 
p.  88.  For  a  somewhat  similar  question  see  2  Esdr.  v. 
41,  42. 


iv.  14,  15]      HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  73 

Some  translators  transfer  the  puzzling  words  '  through 
Jesus  '  from  '  fell  asleep  '  to  '  bring  '  ;  'so  also  we  may 
be  sure  that  by  means  of  Jesus  God  will  bring  with  Him 
those  who  are  asleep.'  But  this  loses  the  impressive  contrast 
between  '  Jesus  died  '  and  '  those  who  fell  asleep  through 
Jesus.'     With  this  use  of  Sidci.  Rom.  i.  8,12  ;  2  Cor.  i.  5. 

to  be  brought  again  with  Him]  This  must  come  at  the 
end  of  the  sentence,  as  in  the  Greek.  The  verb  '  bring  ' 
or  '  lead  '  (ayeiv)  implies  that  they  are  alive  ;  2  Tim.  iv.  11  ; 
Acts  xvii.  15,  19,  etc.  If  they  are  alive,  they  must  have 
been  raised  ;  and  they  are  '  with  '  Christ,  because  they  have 
never  been  severed  from  Him. 

15.  For  this  we  say]  '  This  '  refers  to  what  follows,  not 
to  what  precedes.  The  last  chapter  of  the  Didache  re- 
sembles vv.  15-17. 

on  the  authority  of  the  Lord]  Lit.  '  in  the  word  of  the  Lord  ' 
(iv  \6yq)  Kvpiov),  i.e.  in  the  power  of  a  word  spoken  by  the 
Lord  (1  Kings  xiii.  17,  18,  xx.  35).  Cf.  '  Then  came  the 
word  of  the  Lord  (X070?  Kvpiov)  to  Isaiah,'  Is.  xxxviii.  4. 
The  reference  may  be  to  a  Saying  of  Christ  not  preserved 
in  the  Gospels,  like  the  one  in  Acts  xx.  35,  or  to  a  direct 
revelation  made  to  one  or  more  of  the  writers  of  the  letter, 
such  as  those  recorded  Acts  xvi.  6,  7,  9,  xviii.  9,  xx.  23, 
xxi.  11,  xxii.  17,  xxvii.  23  ;  2  Cor.  xii.  1  ;  Gal.  i.  12,  ii.  2. 
The  former  is  perhaps  rather  more  probable  ;  if  so,  the  case 
is  similar  to  Rom.  xiv.  14  and  1  Cor.  ix.  14,  where  there 
may  be  allusion  to  words  spoken  by  Christ.  Neither  '  in 
the  word  of  the  Lord  '  here,  nor  '  I  received  from  the  Lord  ' 
in  1  Cor.  xi.  23,  necessarily  implies  a  direct  revelation.  Some 
regard  it  as  an  appeal  to  the  Saying  which  is  recorded  Mt. 
xxiv.  31  ;  which  can  hardly  be  correct,  for  that  passage 
says  nothing  about  the  point  which  is  in  question  here,  viz. 
the  future  in  store  for  those  who  die  before  the  Advent. 
In  2  Esdras  xiii.  24  a  blessing  is  promised  to  those  who  are 
alive  at  the  Coming  of  the  Messiah.  But  in  any  case  the 
writers  here  claim  Divine  inspiration.  What  they  say 
they  say  '  on  the  authority  of  the  Lord.'  See  Zahn,  Introd. 
to  N.T.,  II.  p.  382. 


74   COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [iv.  15,  16 

we  who  are  alive.]  The  Apostle  naturally  identifies  himself 
with  the  living,  who  may  hope  to  survive  until  the  Coming. 
Equally  naturally  this  hope  became  less  strong  as  years 
passed  and  death  became  nearer.  He  nowhere  asserts 
that  he  will  live  to  see  the  Return,  though  he  believes  that 
he  may  do  so.  See  on  the  one  hand  Rom.  xiii.  11,  12  ;  1 
Cor.  vii.  29-31  ;  Phil.  iv.  5  ;  and  on  the  other  2  Cor.  v.  1-10  ; 
Phil.  i.  23,  iii.  11,  20,  21.  Sanday  and  Headlam,  Romans, 
p.  379.  It  is  worth  noting  that  we  have  here  incidental 
evidence  of  the  authenticity  of  the  letter.  A  forger  writing 
after  the  Apostle's  death  would  not  have  attributed  such 
words  as  '  we  who  are  alive  '  to  him. 

will  assuredly  have  no  advantage  in  time]  Or,  '  certainly 
will  not  forestall.'  We  have  here  the  strongest  form  of 
the  Greek  negative  (ou  firj),  and  the  verb  (<f>6do-to/j,ev) 
is  the  same  as  that  which  is  used  in  ii.  16  of  the  wrath  of 
God  overtaking  the  ungodly  more  speedily  than  they  antici- 
pated. The  Thessalonians  feared  that  only  the  living 
would  share  in  the  glory  and  joy  of  the  Return.  They  are 
assured  that  the  living  will  not  even  be  the  first  to  share 
in  it  ;  it  is  the  dead  in  Christ  who  will  have  that  advantage. 
They  will  be  already  with  the  Lord  when  He  returns.  Cf. 
Wisd.  vi.  14,  xvi.  28  for  the  use  of  cfiOdvecv  with  the  accus- 
ative ;  and  v.  3  ;  1  Cor.  viii.  13  ;  Gal.  v.  16  for  the  double 
negative. 

those  who  have  fallen  asleep]  Or,  '  have  been  laid  to 
sleep.'  The  writers  harp  on  this  expression,  which  occurs 
three  times  in  three  verses.  Those  who  have  passed  away 
are  not  really  dead  ;  they  are  only  asleep.  The  verse  gives 
the  impression  that  those  who  are  alive  are  a  minority  ; 
they  have  to  wait. 

16.  the  Lord  Himself]  He  will  not  send  any  agent  or 
representative  ;  He  will  come  in  person  (avros),  and  He 
knows  all  that  are  His.  This  emphatic  pronoun  is  frequent 
in  the  letter  ;  i.  9,  ii.  1,  iii.  3,  11,  iv.  9,  23.  For  the  personal 
reappearance  of  Christ  to  judge  the  world  cf.  2  Thess.  i.  10  ; 
Actsi.  n  ;  Mk.  xiv.  62  ;  Rev.  i.  7.  The  picturesque  details 
belong   to   Jewish   apocalyptic  ideas  ;   Exod.  xix.  11,  16  ; 


iv.  16]       HORTATORY   AND   DOCTRINAL  75 

Deut.  xxxiii.  2  ;  Is.  xxvii.  13  ;  Joel  ii.  1  ;  Mic.  i.  3,  4  ; 
2  Esdr.  vi.  23  ;  etc.  We  may  regard  them  as  being  probably 
symbolical.  "  There  are  problems  suggested  by  this  primi- 
tive Christian  eschatology.  It  is  always  difficult  to  say  how 
much  of  it  is  figurative.  It  is  quite  certain  that  there  is  a 
considerable  amount  which  was  never  intended  to  be  more 
than  symbolical.  The  eschatology  of  the  N.T.  puts  before 
us  certain  great  truths — resurrection,  the  recompense  of 
good  and  evil,  the  final  triumph  of  Divine  justice.  All  these 
it  teaches  in  the  language  of  symbolism.  That  symbolic 
language  has  become  the  inheritance  of  the  Christian  Church" 
(Headlam,  St.  Paul  and  Christianity,  pp.  33-35). 

See  Hastings'  DCG.  II.  p.  766. 

a  commanding  summons]  The  word  (/ceXevo-fia)  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  N.T.  It  means  a  shout  to  command,  or 
summon,  or  encourage  others.  Here  we  may  understand  a 
loud  summons  to  all,  whether  awake  or  asleep,  to  come  and 
meet  the  Lord  ;  cf.  Mt.  xxv.  6,  31.  It  is  uttered,  not  by  the 
Lord  Himself,  but  by  the  attendant  archangel.*  '  Angels  ' 
and '  voices  '  and  '  trumpets  '  are  frequent  in  the  Apocalypse. 

St.  Paul,  like  our  Lord,  makes  use  of  the  imagery  which 
was  current  in  his  day,  and  we  must  not  quote  him  as  an 
authority  for  a  literal  interpretation  of  such  language. 
Without  imagery  of  some  kind  ideas  such -as  these  cannot 
be  made  intelligible  to  either  teacher  or  taught.  The 
Apostle's  aim  is  to  calm  and  comfort  the  Thessalonians, 
not  to  propound  a  doctrine  of  the  Last  Things.  The  fact 
that  he  says  '  an  archangel's  cry  '  (4>covfj  apxayyeXov)  and 
not  '  the  cry  of  the  archangel  '  (ttj  (fxovfj  tov  apxayyeXov) 
is  some  slight  indication  that  he  regards  the  language  as 
symbolical  ;  but  we  cannot  insist  upon  this.  The  cry  and 
the  trumpet  explain  the  way  in  which  the  commanding 
summons  was  given.  'Archangel '  occurs  again  Jude  9  of 
Michael;  2  Esdr.  iv.  36  of  Uriel. f 

*  It  is  a  strange  idea  of  B.  Weiss  that  KeXevo-fxa  here  means  "  the 
word  of  command  which  authorizes  Christ  to  return,"  and  that  it 
"  proceeds  from  God." 

t  Among    curiosities    of   interpretation   is    the    suggestion    that 


76  COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [iv.  16,  17 

with  .  .  .  with  .  .  .  with]  The  preposition  (iv)  marks 
the  attendant  circumstances  in  which  the  descent  takes 
place  ;  it  will  be  accompanied  by  these  sounds.  Or  we 
might  say  '  at '  or  '  at  the  time  of,'  as  in  1  Cor.  xv.  52,  '  at 
the  Last  trump  '  (iv  rfj  io-^aTr)  araXTriyyi). 

a  trumpet  of  GodJ  Cf.  Exod.  xix.  16  ;  Ps.  xlvii.  6  ;  Zech. 
ix.  14  ;  Is.  xxvii.  13  ;  and  esp.  2  Esdr.  vi.  23.  We  have 
'harps  of  God'  (/ci0dpa<;  rod  &eo€),  Rev.  xv.  2;  also 
'  musical  instruments  of  God,'  1  Chron.  xvi.  42.  Instru- 
ments used  in  God's  service  is  the  meaning  in  each  case. 

died  and  are  now  in  Christ]  While  dead  to  us,  they  are  still 
in  the  care  of  the  risen  and  glorified  Christ.  "  Whence  did  St. 
Paul  derive  this  conception  ?  It  is  quite  as  mystical  as 
anything  which  meets  us  in  the  writings  of  St.  John  ;  it 
has  no  parallel  in  the  O.T.  or  in  secular  literature"  (Knowling, 
The  Testimony  of  St.  Paul  to  Christ,  p.  232).  Cf.  2  Thess. 
i.  12  ;  Jn.  xvii.  1,  10,  21-26  ;  and  see  on  v.  18.  The  phrase 
does  not  mean  '  those  who  died  in  Christ,'  i.e.  believing  in 
Him,  which  is  the  meaning  in  1  Cor.  xv.  18  and  Rev.  xiv.  13. 

shall  at  once  rise  again]  Lit.  '  shall  rise  first '  ;  but  this 
translation  gives  a  wrong  impression,  as  appearing  to  mean 
that  others  will  rise  later.  The  '  first  '  means  '  before  the 
Christians  who  are  alive  are  caught  up  into  the  air.'  Rev. 
xx.  5  is  not  here  in  point.  Like  Christ  Himself  at  His 
Resurrection,  they  will  rise  to  heavenly  life. 

17.  Then,  and  not  till  then]  Cf.  Gal.  i.  18  ;  in  both  places 
the  'then  '  (eirena)  is  very  emphatic.   Cf.  1  Cor.  xv.  28  (totc). 

one  and  all,  with  them]  We  have  the  same  combination 
(cifia  avv)  v.  io  ;  but  a.fia  is  to  be  taken  separately,  '  all 
together,'  '  one  and  all '  ;  cf.  Rom.  iii.  12.  It  is  needless 
to  discuss  whether  the  expression  is  temporal  or  local, 
'  together  with  them  in  time  '  or  '  together  with  them  in 
space.'  Both  make  good  sense,  and  both  may  be  meant.* 
There  is  a  blessed  reunion. 

'  archangel  '  here  means  the  Holy  Spirit.  In  this  way  we  get  an 
allusion  to  the  Trinity  ;  the  Son  summons,  the  Spirit  cries,  the 
Father's  trumpet  sounds  ! 

*  Ellicott  insists  on  the  temporal  meaning  as  the  usual  meaning  of 


iv.  17]         HORTATORY  AND   DOCTRINAL  >jj 

be  caught  up]  Like  the  Apostle  into  the  third  heaven, 
2  Cor.  xii.  2,  4  ;  cf.  Acts  viii.  39  ;  Rev.  xii.  5.  There  is  no 
parallel  to  this  rapture  in  Jewish  literature  of  similar  date. 
Thackeray,  The  Relation  of  St.  Paul  to  Contemporary  Jewish 
Thought,  pp.  107-112  ;  Charles,  Enc.  Bibl.  II.  1382. 

in  clouds]  As  a  chariot  ;  Acts  i.  9,  11  ;  Rev.  xi.  12  ;  Ps. 
civ.  3  ;  2  Kings  ii.  11.     Cf.  Mt.  xxiv.  30, '  on  the  clouds  '  (kirt). 

for  a  meeting  with  the  Lord]  The  expression  (et'9  airavrricnv 
tov  /cvpiov)  suggests  a  ceremonial  meeting  with  a  person 
of  position  ;  Mt.  xxv.  6  ;  Acts  xxviii.  15  ;  cf.  Jn.  xii.  13 
(ei<?    viravT7)<Jiv   avrS). 

It  is  possible  that  St.  Paul  knew  the  Parable  of  the  Wise 
and  the  Foolish  Virgins,  and  that  he  here  has  it  in  mind. 
But  this  is  the  only  point  of  resemblance  ;  the  rest  of  the 
imagery  is  quite  different.  The  phrase  is  frequent  in  the 
LXX. 

into  the  air]  To  be  taken  with  '  caught  up  in  clouds.' 
The  important  purpose  of  the  rapture,  viz.  to  meet  the 
Lord,  is  placed  between  the  two  expressions.  '  Into  the  air  ' 
is  an  explanatory  afterthought  added  in  dictating.  It  shows 
that  these  saints  have  been  freed  from  their  terrestrial 
bodies,  and  have,  like  the  Risen  Lord  Himself,  a  transformed 
body.  The  '  air  '  (ar/p)  is  the  atmosphere  near  the  earth, 
as  distinct  from  the  '  heaven  '  (ovpavos)  whence  the  Lord 
descends  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  xiv.  9  ;  Acts  xxii.  23  ;  Rev.  xvi.  17  ; 
Slavonic  Enoch  iii.  1.  Their  being  caught  up  into  the  air  is 
against  the  idea  that  the  Lord  is  coming  down  to  the  earth. 
They  have  been  raised  for  life  in  heaven  (2  Cor.  v.  1),  and 
He  has  come  down  from  heaven  to  fetch  them.  As  Augus- 
tine points  out  (De  Civ.  Dei,  XX.  xx.  2),  we  are  not  to  suppose 
that  they  remain  in  the  air. 

and  thus]  The  natural  consequence  of  this  blissful  meeting 
with  the  Lord  is  that  there  will  be  no  subsequent  parting. 
Nothing  is  said  about  their  abiding  with  Him  on  the  earth. 
Place  is  not  mentioned  ;  the  only  thing  that  matters  is  the 
company, — '  with  the  Lord.'     Nowhere  in  the  Pauline  Epp. 

a/m  :    '  We  shall  be  caught  up  with  them  at  the   same  time  that 
they  shall  be  caught  up.' 


78        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [iv.  17 

is  there  any  clear  intimation  of  a  reign  of  Christ  on  earth  ; 
cf.  2  Cor.  v.  1  ;   2  Tim.  iv.  18.      Hastings'  DB.  I.  p.   756. 

for  evermore]  '  At  all  times  '  (-rravroTe),  as  in  i.  2,  ii.  16, 
hi.  6,  v.  15,  16.  It  is  stronger  than  '  always  '  {aei),  which 
St.  Paul  rarely  uses. 

with  the  Lord]  We  have  crvv  here  and  v.  10,  which  com- 
monly expresses  closer  union  than  fierd  (hi.  13  ;  2  Thess. 
i.  7).  But  the  distinction  is  often  ignored  in  N.T.  This 
thought  was  often  in  the  Apostle's  mind  ;  v.  10  ;  2 
Thess.  ii.  1  ;  2  Cor.  v.  8  ;  Phil.  i.  23.  But  when  Philip- 
pians  was  written  his  way  of  looking  at  this  truth  had 
changed.  Instead  of  looking  for  Christ  to  come  down  to 
him  he  is  longing  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ. 

shall  we  be]  This  closes  the  momentous  statement  ;  and 
'  we  '  covers  both  those  that  have  been  raised  and  the  living. 

St.  Paul  tells  the  Thessalonians  no  more  than  is  necessary 
to  quiet  their  anxieties  about  the  Christians  who  have 
already  passed  away.  Nothing  is  said  about  the  resurrection 
of  the  wicked  or  of  the  heathen  ;  nothing  about  the  inter- 
mediate state  ;  nothing  about  the  judgment  of  quick  and 
dead  ;  nothing  about  the  change  from  '  natural '  bodies  to 
'  spiritual  '  bodies  ;  nothing  about  the  life  after  the  Return, 
except  that  there  will  be  uninterrupted  union  with  the  Lord. 
It  may  be  said  of  Scripture  generally  that  our  natural 
curiosity  about  the  other  world  is  not  gratified.  Just  the 
minimum  that  is  necessary  to  enable  us  to  shape  our  lives 
aright,  and  to  cherish  hope  for  ourselves  and  others,  is  told 
us,  but  very  little  more  than  that.  The  inference  is  that  it 
would  do  us  no  good,  and  might  do  us  harm,  to  know  more.* 

*  Mr.  A.  S.  Way  in  his  valuable  translation  of  The  Letters  of 
St.  Paul  (2nd  ed.,  1906,  p.  11)  prints  this  passage,  '  The  Lord  Him- 
self .  .  .  shall  we  be,'  in  poetical  form,  and  calls  it  "Hymn  of  the 
Second  Coming."  He  perhaps  does  not  mean  that  the  Apostle 
is  here  quoting  an  early  Christian  hymn,  as  may  well  be  the  case  in 
1  Tim.  iii.  16  and  2  Tim.  ii.  11,  12.  He  treats  v.  2,  3  in  a  similar 
manner,  calling  it  "  Hymn  of  the  Day  of  the  Lord  "  ;  and  also 
v.  5&-10,  calling  it  "  Hymn  of  the  Watchers."  What  is  true  of  all 
three  passages  is  probably  this  : — that  the  Apostle's  glowing  thought 
here  finds  utterance  in  frequent  antitheses  which  have  some  resem- 


iv.  18]        HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  79 

18.  Wherefore]  Or,  '  So  then  '  (ware),  as  the  result  of 
what  has  just  been  stated.  So  far  from  sorrowing,  there 
should  be  much  comfort  ;  and  this  is  the  main  purpose  of 
the  whole  section  ;    v.  13. 

comfort  one  another]  Or,  '  encourage  one  another.'  This 
rather  than  '  exhort  '  is  here  the  meaning  of  the  verb  {irapa- 
KakeiTe)  ;  cf.  ii.  II,  hi.  2,  iv.  1,  10,  v.  11,  14. 

by  repeating  these  words]  Lit.  '  in  these  words,'  '  by 
means  of  these  words,'  viz.  by  quoting  what  the  Lord  has 
made  known.  This  would  be  done  in  private  intercourse 
and  in  the  public  services  of  the  Church.  There  could  be 
no  stronger  or  more  convincing  authority  than  a  word  of  the 
Lord.  The  small  amount  of  consolation  which  heathen 
were  able  to  offer  is  shown  by  papyri.  Deissmann,  New 
Light  on  the  N.  T.  p.  76,  gives  a  characteristic  letter  of  consola- 
tion. ''Eirene  to  Taonnophris  and  Philon,  good  cheer! 
I  was  as  much  grieved  and  shed  as  many  tears  over  Eumoiros 
as  I  shed  for  Didymas,  and  I  did  everything  that  is  fitting, 
and  so  did  my  whole  family.  But  still  there  is  nothing  one 
can  do  in  the  face  of  such  trouble.  So  I  leave  you  to  comfort 
yourselves.  Good-bye."  Servius  Sulpicius  offers  consola- 
tion to  Cicero  for  the  death  of  his  beloved  daughter  Tullia  in 
these  terms  :  "I  received  the  news  of  your  daughter's 
death  with  all  the  concern  which  it  so  justly  deserves. 
Had  I  been  near  you  when  this  fatal  event  happened,  I 
should  not  only  have  mingled  my  tears  with  yours,  but 
assisted  you  with  all  the  consolation  in  my  power.  I  am 
sensible,  at  the  same  time,  that  offices  of  this  kind  afford 
at  best  but  a  miserable  relief.  Nevertheless,  I  thought 
that  I  might  suggest  a  few  reflexions,  not  of  course  new  to 
you,  but  possibly  overlooked  in  your  present  distress  of  mind. 
You  must  often,  in  these  wretched  times,  have  reflected 
that  the  lot  of  those  whom  death  has  gently  removed 

blance  to  Hebrew  poetry,  and  in  rhythms  and  cadences  which  are 
specially  pleasing  to  mind  and  ear.  Cf.  1  Cor.  xiii.,  esp.  vv.  4-10, 
xv.  426-57,  and  Rom.  viii.  31-39.  See  Moffatt,  Intr.  to  the  Litera- 
ture of  the  N.T.,  pp.  57,  58  ;  Ramsay,  The  First  Christian  Century, 
pp.  105-107  ;   Swete,  The  Life  of  the  World  to  Come,  pp.  28,  33,  112, 


80        COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [v.  i 

from  this  unhappy  scene  is  by  no  means  to  be  regretted. 
What  is  there  in  the  present  state  of  our  country  which 
could  have  made  life  desirable  to  your  daughter  ?  Remem- 
ber the  numbers  of  our  illustrious  countrymen  who  have 
been  suddenly  cut  off  (in  the  civil  wars),  how  the  Roman 
Republic  has  been  weakened,  and  how  its  provinces  have 
been  devastated.  Can  you,  with  these  greater  calamities 
in  your  mind,  be  so  immoderately  afflicted  for  the  loss  of  a 
single  individual,  a  poor  little  tender  woman,  who,  if  she 
had  not  died  now,  must  in  a  few  fleeting  years  have  sub- 
mitted to  the  common  fate  to  which  she  was  born  ?  " 

v.  i-ii.    The  Uncertainty  of  the  Time  of  the 
Advent  and  the  Need  of  Watchfulness 

v.  x  But  of  the  times  and  the  seasons,  brethren,  ye  have  no 
need  that  I  write  unto  you.  2  For  yourselves  know  perfectly  that 
the  day  of  the  Lord  so  cometh  as  a  thief  in  the  night.  3  For  when 
they  shall  say,  Peace  and  safety  ;  then  sudden  destruction  cometh 
upon  them,  as  travail  upon  a  woman  with  child,  and  they  shall  not 
escape.  4  But  ye,  brethren,  are  not  in  darkness,  that  that  day 
should  overtake  you  as  a  thief.  5  Ye  are  all  the  children  of  light, 
and  the  children  of  the  day  :  we  are  not  of  the  night,  nor  of  dark- 
ness. 6  Therefore  let  us  not  sleep,  as  do  others  ;  but  let  us  watch 
and  be  sober.  7  For  they  that  sleep,  sleep  in  the  night,  and  they 
that  be  drunken  are  drunken  in  the  night.  8  But  let  us,  who  are 
of  the  day,  be  sober,  putting  on  the  breastplate  of  faith  and  love  ; 
and  for  an  helmet,  the  hope  of  salvation.  9  For  God  hath  not  ap- 
pointed us  to  wrath ;  but  to  obtain  salvation  by  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  10  Who  died  for  us,  that  whether  we  wake  or  sleep,  we 
should  live  together  with  him.  u  Wherefore  comfort  yourselves 
together,  and  edify  one  another,  even  as  also  ye  do. 

The  condition  of  Christians  who  die  before  the  Advent 
was  not  the  only  question  which  Timothy  found  to  be  causing 
unsettlement  among  the  Thessalonian  converts.  Like  the 
four  disciples  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  many  of  them  wanted 
to  know  '  when  shall  these  things  be  '  (Mk.  xiii.  3,  4).  The 
Apostle  and  his  colleagues  had  already'given  them  what  was 
virtually  the  Lord's  answer  to  a  similar  question  ;  '  It  is 
not  for  you  to  know  times  and  seasons  which  the  Father 
hath  set  within  His  own  authority  '  (Acts  i.  7).     But  this 


v.  i]  HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  81 

had  not  satisfied  them  ;  and  St.  Paul  once  more  appeals  to 
what  they  already  know.  The  Day  of  the  Lord  will  come 
without  previous  sign,  and  the  wise  Christian  must  be  always 
ready  ;  he  must  wait  patiently,  work,  and  watch.* 

1  Now,  as  to  the  times  and  the  circumstances  of  the  Lord's  Coming, 
Brethren,  you  have  no  need  for  anything  further  to  be  written  to  you. 
2  For  you  yourselves  know  accurately  from  what  We  have  already 
taught  you,  that  the  time  of  the  Coming  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  is  just 
as  uncertain  as  the  coming  of  a  thief  in  the  night.  3  It  is  just  when 
men  are  saying,  "  We  may  feel  secure  ;  we  are  perfectly  safe,"  then 
in  an  instant  destruction  comes  upon  them,  just  as  travail-pangs 
upon  a  woman  with  child,  and  there  is  no  possibility  of  escape.  4  But 
you,  Brethren,  are  not  living  in  darkness,  so  as  to  let  the  Day  overtake 
you,  as  daylight  overtakes  thieves.  5  For  all  of  you  are  sons  of  light 
and  are  sons  of  day.  We  Christians  have  nothing  to  do  with  night,  nor 
yet  with  darkness ;  6  surely,  therefore,  We  ought  not  to  slumber,  as  the 
rest  of  the  world  do,  but  to  be  awake  and  be  sober.  7  For  those  who 
slumber,  slumber  at  night,  and  those  who  get  drunk,  are  drunk  at  night. 
8  But,  seeing  that  we  are  of  the  day,  let  us  be  sober,  as  is  only  right 
for  men  who  have  just  put  on  faith  and  love,  as  a  breastplate  for  our 
hearts;  and  as  a  helmet  for  our  heads,  hope  of  salvation.  9  And  ours 
is  a  sure  hope,  because  God  did  not  appoint  us  to  be  visited  with  His 
wrath,  but  to  secure  for  ourselves  salvation  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  10  who  died  for  us,  in  order  that,  whether  awake  in  life  or 
slumbering  in  death  at  the  time  of  His  Coming,  one  and  all  with  Him 
we  should  live.  u  Accordingly,  as  we  said  before,  comfort  one 
another,  and  build  up  each  the  other,  as  indeed  you  really  are  doing. 

I.  as  to  the  times  and  the  circumstances]  The  latter  word 
(jcaipoi)  is  often  translated  '  seasons/  but  it  has  no  exact 
equivalent  in  English.  The  former  word  (xpovoc)  refers 
to  the  date,  the  latter  to  the  occurrences  which  will  dis- 
tinguish the  event  as  something  impossible  to  mistake.  Cf. 
Dan.  ii.  21  and  Acts  i.  7  for  the  plurals,  without  articles. 
The  Vulgate  in  rendering  fcatpol  varies  between  aetates, 
saecula,  and  momenta  ;  the  last  is  best,  but  Latin  has  no 
exact  equivalent,  as  Augustine  remarks.  See  Trench, 
Syn.  §  lvii.  In  modern  Greek  xp°v°s  is  a  '  Year  '  and 
Kat,po<;  is  '  weather.'     The  plurals  do  not  imply  considerable 

*  See  Warfield  on  the  Prophecies  of  St.  Paul,  Expositor,  3rd 
Series,  IV,  pp.  35,  36,  450. 


82      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [v  1,2 

length  of  time  ;  in  Greek,  as  in  English,  the  phrase  is  a  set 
formula. 

Brethren,  you  have  no  need]  See  on  i.  4  and  iv.  9.  In  2 
Thess.  ii.  2  this  question  is  again  raised,  as  if  by  that  time 
need  had  arisen. 

2.  For  you  yourselves  know]  See  on  ii.  1. 

accurately]  '  Perfectly  '  is  not  the  exact  meaning.  The 
Thessalonians  wanted  to  know  precisely  (a/cptfiws)  the  date 
and  signs  of  the  Coming.  They  are  reminded  that  they 
have  already  been  taught  '  precisely  '  all  that  it  concerns 
them  to  know,  indeed  all  that  the  Lord  has  revealed  ;  viz. 
that  the  Return  will  come  suddenly  to  all,  but  that  believers 
who  are  watchful  will  not  be  taken  by  surprise.  Christ's 
warnings  that  God  has  not  allowed  exact  knowledge  as 
to  the  time  have  never  sufficed  to  prevent  curiosity  as  to 
this  subject  ;  Mk.  xiii.  32  ;  Mt.  xxiv.  36  ;  Acts  i.  7.  Jewish 
apocalyptical  writers  tried  to  extract  from  Jeremiah  and 
Daniel  a  great  deal  more  than  can  be  found  in  those  books, 
and  Christians  have  done  the  same  with  the  Apocalypse. 
With  such  imaginations  and  conjectures  St.  Paul  has  no 
sympathy  ;  but  this  passage  and  i.  10,  together  with  much  of 

2  Thessalonians,  shows  that  St.  Paul  must  have  said  a  good 
deal  about  the  Return  and  the  Judgment  in  his  preach- 
ing. 

the  Day  of  the  Lord]  A  proverbial  expression  which 
passed  over  from  the  O.T.  to  the  N.T.  with  some  change  of 
meaning.  It  has  become  a  proper  name,  and  in  the  true 
text  here  has  no  article  [rj^pa  Kvpiov).  In  the  Prophets 
it  is  very  frequent  to  denote  any  time  when  Jehovah  inflicts 
signal  vengeance  on  His  enemies,  and  hence  comes  to  mean 
'  the  great  and  terrible  day  '  of  final  judgment  ;  Amos 
v.  18  ;   Is.  ii.  12,  xiii.  6  ;  Jer.  xlvi.  10  ;   Ezek.  xiii.  5,  xxx. 

3  ;  Joel  i.  15,  ii.  31,  hi.  14  ;  etc.  In  the  N.T.  it  means  the 
Day  of  the  Lord's  Return  as  Judge  ;  1  Cor.  i.  8,  v.  5  ;  2 
Cor.  i.  14  ;  cf.  Lk.  xvii.  30.  Hence  it  was  called  simply 
'  that  Day  '  (2  Thess.  i.  10),  or  '  the  Day  '  (Rom.  xiii.  12). 
See  below  on  v.  4.  We  have  here  another  instance  of  the 
easy  way  in  which  what  in  the  O.T.  is  said  of  Jehovah  is 


v.  2, 3]  HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  83 

transferred  in  the  N.T.  to  Christ.  See  Knowling,  The 
Witness  of  the  Epistles,  pp.  266,  404,  and  DAC.  art.  '  Day 
and  Night.' 

just  as  .  .  .  as]  We  have  the  same  expression  of  exact 
similarity  (w?  .  .  .  oi/rco?)  ii.  7,  8  and  1  Cor.  vii.  17.  The 
coming  of  the  Day  is  treated  as  a  certainty,  and  hence  the 
present  tense  (epxeTa')-     Cf.  x  Jn-  n-  J8,  iv.  3. 

a  thief  in  the  night]  Almost  certainly  a  reference  to  the 
Saying  which  is  recorded  Mt.  xxiv.  43  and  Lk.  xii.  39,  and 
which  is  reproduced  2  Pet.  hi.  10  ;  Rev.  hi.  3,  xvi.  15.  See 
the  Introduction  V,  p.  xxiv.,  "  Reminiscences  of  Sayings  of 
Christ."  The  addition  '  in  the  night '  is  made  with  a  view  to 
what  follows.  It  may  have  come  from  the  prevalent  Jewish 
idea  that  the  Messiah  would  come  at  midnight  ;  and  it  helped 
to  produce  the  primitive  belief  that  the  Lord  would  return 
in  the  night,  and  probably  on  Easter  Eve.  It  is  possible 
that  the  saying  was  influenced  by  the  Law  about  the  House- 
breaker (Exod.  xxii.  2,  3),  according  to  which  vital 
difference  was  made  when  the  thief  came  in  the  night. 
Abbott,    The   Proclamation  of  the  New  Kingdom,  p.   466. 

'  As  a  thief  '  points  to  the  unexpectedness  of  the  great 
event  :  '  thief  '  is  emphatic.  What  may  happen  at  any 
time  at  last  comes  to  be  regarded  as  not  coming  now. 

3.  just  when  .  .  .  then]  See  1  Cor.  xv.  24,  where  the  same 
expression  (orav  with  the  pres.  subj.  and  combined  with 
rore)  is  used.     It  indicates  coincidence  in  time. 

men  are  saying,  We  may  feel  secure]  Here  also  words  of 
Christ  may  be  in  the  Apostle's  mind  ;  Mt.  xxiv.  37,  48  ; 
Lk.  xvii.  26-36.  But  cf.  Deut.  xxix.  19  ;  Jer.  vi.  14,  vii. 
10  ;  Ezek.  xiii.  10,  to  which  allusion  may  be  made. 

in  an  instant]  Emphatic.  Cf.  Lk.  xxi.  34,  the  only  other 
passage  in  the  N.T.  in  which  the  word  (a/^j/i'Sto?)  occurs. 
There  the  simile  is  '  as  a  snare  '  (co?7ra7<'?)  or  '  a  trap.'  Cf. 
Wisd.  xvii.  15  ;  2  Mace.  xiv.  17.  This  close  agreement 
between  St.  Paul  and  St.  Luke  is  notable. 

destruction]  Cf.  2  Thess.  i.  9  ;  1  Cor.  v.  5  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  9, 
where  this  word  (o\e0po?)  is  combined  with  '  perdition  ' 
(aTT(o\ua).     The  exact  meaning  is  uncertain.     The  order 


84      COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS    [v.  3, 4 

of  the  Greek  is  perhaps  worth  keeping  ;  '  there  comes  on 
them  destruction.' 

comes  upon  them]  The  verb  (tyta-TaTai)  is  often  used  of 
comings  that  are  a  surprise,  and  it  is  a  favourite  with  St. 
Luke  (Lk.  ii.  9,  xxiv.  4  ;  Acts  iv.  1,  xii.  7,  etc).  See  Zahn, 
Introd.  to  N.  T.  p.  224. 

just  as  travail-pangs]  This  is  possibly  another  reminiscence 
of  a  Saying  of  the  Lord  ;  Mk.  xiii.  8  ;  Mt.  xxiv.  8.  But 
more  probably  it  comes  from  the  O.T.,  in  which  words 
which  resemble  this  passage  far  more  closely  are  frequent ; 
Ps.  xlviii.  6  ;  Jer.  iv.  31,  vi.  24  ;  Hos.  xiii.  13  ;  Mic.  iv.  9. 
See  especially  Is.  xiii.  8,  9.*  The  verse  is  so  unlike  St.  Paul's 
style,  that  it  is  probably  either  a  quotation  or  an  echo  of  some 
writing  or  saying.  To  the  ideas  of  certainty  as  to  event 
and  of  uncertainty  as  to  time  (v.  2)  it  adds  the  ideas  of  pain 
and  of  impossibility  of  escape.  Cf.  Job.  xi.  20  ;  Prov. 
xix.  5  ;   Jer.  xi.  n. 

Jowett  (ad  loc.  p.  97)  remarks  :  "  In  different  passages  of 
Scripture,  and  even  in  the  same  passage,  the  coming  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  is  described  to  us  under  contradictory 
aspects.  It  is  near,  it  is  not  near  ;  visible  and  invisible  ; 
marked  by  signs,  and  yet  discernible  to  God  only.  It  is  in 
the  clouds  of  heaven  and  in  the  human  soul  at  once.  And 
everywhere  the  thoughts  are  drawn  off  from  the  over-curious 
consideration  of  its  form  and  manner  to  the  practical  lesson 
which  may  be  gathered  from  it." 

there  is  no  possibility]  As  in  iv.  15,  we  have  the  strongest 
form  of  the  negative  (ov  firj),  which  occurs  only  four  times  in 
the  Pauline  Epistles.     See  p.  74. 

4.  But  you,  Brethren]  The  '  you  '  is  in  emphatic  contrast 
to  the  presumptuous  sceptics  just  mentioned.  This  passage, 
when  compared  with  Rom.  xiii.  11-14,  has  enough  similarity 
to  show  that  both  are  Pauline,  and  enough  difference  to 
show  that  neither  is  copied  from  the  other.  Cf.  Eph.  iv. 
20,  where  we  have  a  similar  construction. 

in  darkness]  In  which  one  may  be  surprised  and  over- 

*  That,  omitting  the  vowel  points,  the  same  Hebrew  word  might 
mean  either  '  snare  '  or  '  travail '  is  not  here  of  much  moment. 


v.  4,5]  HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  85 

whelmed,  even  if  one  has  not  fallen  asleep.  Spiritual 
darkness  is  meant  ;  Jn.  hi.  19,  xii.  35  ;  Rom.  ii.  19,  xiii.  12  ; 
1  Jn.  i.  6.  The  Christian  is  in  the  light  of  knowledge  and 
the  light  of  a  holy  life.  His  whole  being  is  full  of  light  ; 
Lk.  xi.  34.  The  metaphor  is  frequent  in  all  moral  and 
religious  literature.  See  Hastings'  Enc.  of  Religion  and 
Ethics,  viii.,  art.  '  Light  and  Darkness.' 

the  Day]  A.V.  and  R.V.  have  '  that  Day,'  without  au- 
thority. As  in  1  Cor.  hi.  13  and  Heb.  x.  25,  we  have  y  tj/mepa 
without  eKeiviq  (2  Tim.  i.  12,  18,  iv.  8).  '  The  Day ' 
suffices. 

overtake  you]  '  You  '  is  again  emphatic  :  '  you  are  morally 
alert.'     Jn.  xii.  35. 

as  daylight  overtakes  thieves]  The  majority  of  authorities 
read  '  as  a  thief,'  but  some  important  witnesses  have  '  as 
thieves,'  i.e.  as  thieves  are  surprised  when  day  dawns  and 
they  are  caught  in  the  act.  In  ii.  7  we  had  a  sudden  inver- 
sion of  metaphor  from  '  children  '  to  '  mother  '  ;  and  it  is 
possible  that  here  we  have  a  similar  change  from  being 
surprised  as  by  a  thief  to  being  surprised  as  thieves  are. 
No  copyist  would  deliberately  change  '  as  a  thief  to  '  as 
thieves  '  (&>?  /cXiim)?  to  &>?  /cXeVra?),  whereas  the  converse 
change  would  be  natural.  But  the  reading  '  thieves ' 
might  be  an  accidental  slip,  caused  by  the  preceding  '  you  ' 
(vfxa<;  &5?  /c\e7TTa?).  Lightfoot  has  a  good  parallel  from 
Euripides,  Iph.  Taur.  1025,  6. 

5.  For  all  of  you]  This  is  a  twofold  advance  on  v.  4  ; 
'  all  of  you  '  is  more  than  '  you,'  and  '  sons  of  light  '  is 
more  than  '  not  in  darkness.' 

sons  of  light]  The  absence  of  the  article  {viol  <£<wto? 
makes  a  reference  to  the  Saying  recorded  in  Lk.  xvi.  8 
(tovs  ut'ou?  tov  <£a>To?)  precarious.  A  reference  to  Christ 
as  the  Light  is  more  probable  ;  Jn.  xii.  36  (Trio-Teuere  et? 
to  </>w<?,  Lva  viol  (fccoTos  yevijaOe).  But  the  metaphor 
being  so  common,  there  is  no  need  to  suppose  reference  to 
any  particular  Saying.  Cf.  Eph.  v.  8.  13,  14.  '  Sons  of 
Light  '  belong  to  the  light,  and  the  light  belongs  to  them  ; 
it  is  their  natural  home,  and  also  their  patrimony  to  which 

H 


86      COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS   [v.  5-7 

they  have  a  natural  right.  Cf.  Rom.  xiii.  12  ;  Jn.  xi.  9. 
See  Deissmann,  Bible  St.  p.  165. 

Sons  of  day]  '  Day  '  here  does  not  mean  the  '  Day  of  the 
Lord  '  ;  it  refers  to  the  passage  of  the  Thessalonians  out  of 
the  night  of  heathenism  into  the  daylight  of  the  Gospel. 
There  should  be  a  full  stop  here.  What  follows  belongs  to 
v.  6  and  should  have  been  included  in  v.  6.  With  the 
existing  division  there  should  be  only  a  semicolon  at  the  end 
of  v.  5.  The  change  from  '  you  '  to  '  we  '  shows  the  true 
division  of  the  sentences. 

We  have  nothing  to  do  with  night,  nor  yet  with  darkness] 
That  is  true  of  the  ideal  Christian.  Note  the  chiasmus  ; 
'  light,  day — night,  darkness.'  The  arrangement  is  rather 
frequent  in  Paul ;  1  Cor.  iii.  17,  iv.  10,  viii.  13,  xiii.  2  ; 
2  Cor.  iv.  3,  vi.  8,  ix.  6,  x.  12,  etc. 

6.  surely,  therefore]  An  argumentative  inference  from 
the  last  sentence  of  v.  5.  The  introductory  combination 
of  particles  (apa  ov\>)  is  frequent  in  Paul  and  is  peculiar 
to  him  in  the  N.T.  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  15  ;  Rom.  v.  18,  vii.  25, 
viii.  12,  etc. 

to  slumber]  To  be  idle  and  morally  inert  ;  a  different 
verb  (tcadevSeiv)  from  that  which  is  used  of  the  sleep  of 
death  (Koijudadai)  iv.  13-15.      Cf.  Eph.  v.  14  ;  Mk.  xiii.  36. 

the  rest  of  the  world]  the  heathen  ;  cf.  iv.  5. 

be  awake  and  be  sober]  The  same  verbs  (ypiyyopeiv  and 
vrffpeiv)  are  combined  1  Pet.  v.  8  in  reverse  order.  It  is 
possible  that  here  also  we  have  a  reminiscence  of  a  Saying 
of  Christ  ;  Mt.  xxv.  13,  xxvi.  41  ;  Mk.  xiv.  38.  See  on  vv. 
13, 15.  '  Be  sober  '  means  more  than  abstention  from  intoxi- 
cation. It  excludes  all  excess  in  self-indulgence  and  all 
unhealthy  excitement,  such  as  that  at  Thessalonica  about 
the  Lord's  Return.  Cf.  2  Tim.  iv.  5  ;  1  Pet.  i.  13,  iv.  7  ; 
Rom.    xiii.    13. 

7.  For  those  who  slumber,  etc.]  The  expressions  are 
to  be  understood  literally,  not  in  a  spiritual  sense.  It  is  quite 
in  St.  Paul's  manner  to  use  words  first  in  a  metaphorical 
and  then  in  a  literal  sense,  or  vice  versa,  as  he  does  here 
with  day  and   night,  light  and  darkness,  being  alert  and 


v.  j,  8]         HORTATORY   AND   DOCTRINAL  87 

slumbering,  being  sober  and  drunken.  In  some  places 
we  are  not  sure  which  sense  is  uppermost.  Of  course  those 
who  are  sons  of  light  and  of  day  must  be  awake  and  sober, 
for  the  opposite  behaviour  is  associated  with  the  darkness 
of  night.  Slumbering  by  day  and  getting  drunk  by  day  are 
marks  of  extreme  laziness  and  depravity.* 

8.  '  We  Christians,  who  live  in  the  presence  of  Him  who 
is  the  Light  of  the  World,  are  specially  bound  to  be  alert 
and  sober.  We  have  taken  arms  in  His  service  ;  and  for 
soldiers  to  sleep  or  be  drunk  on  duty  is  a  monstrous  offence.' 
The  change  from  the  present  tense  (ovre?)  to  the  past 
(ivSvad/xevot)  must  be  observed  :  and  the  meaning  may  be 
that  wakefulness  and  sobriety  are  not  enough  ;  we  must 
also  be  armed. 

breastplate  .  .  .  helmet]  Is.  lix.  17  seems  to  be  in  St. 
Paul's  mind,  and  possibly  Wisd.  v.  17-19.  That  he  was 
familiar  with  the  Book  of  Wisdom  can  hardly  be  doubted. 
The  idea  of  Christian  armour  is  often  in  his  mind,  but  he  is 
not  careful  always  to  give  the  same  meaning  to  the  different 
pieces  ;  Rom.  vi.  13,  xiii.  12-14  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  7,  x.  4  ;  Eph. 
vi.  n-17.  Cf.  the  military  words  in  iv.  16.  The  comparison 
of  the  life  of  the  Christian  to  that  of  a  soldier  is  so  obvious, 
especially  to  one  who  had  seen  so  much  of  military  life  as  St. 
Paul  had  done,  that  he  would  probably  have  made  it  without 
any  suggestions  from  the  LXX.  The  initiated  in  mystery 
religions  were  sometimes  regarded  as  sacred  cohorts  in  the 
service  of  the  god  or  goddess  ;  the  Stoics  compared  life  to  a 
warfare,  and  the  man  who  loyally  accepted  his  lot  was 
sometimes  called  a  soldier  of  Destiny.  It  has  been  noticed 
that  no  backpiece  is  mentioned,  not  even  in  Eph.  vi.  11-17. 


*  It  is  doubtful  whether  any  distinction  is  intended  here  between 
[AeOvo-KeaOai  and  fxeOvuv  :  but  as  there  is  a  change  of  verb  in  the 
Greek  it  is  worth  while  to  make  some  change  in  the  English  ;  '  get 
drunk  .  .  .  are  drunk.'  The  Vulgate  has  ebrii  sunt  for  both.  Cf. 
Mt.  xxiv.  49;  Lk.  xii.  45;  Acts  ii.  15;  Eccles.  x.  16.  Even  the 
heathen  recognized  that  revelry  in  the  morning  was  disgraceful ; 
Cicero,  Phil.  ii.  41  ;    Juvenal  i.  49,  50  ;    Catul.  xlvii.  5,  6. 


88     COMMENTARY  ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [v.  9, 10 

The  Christian  may  sometimes  avoid  a  conflict ;  but  once 
engaged  he  does  not  turn  to  flight.  Hastings'  DAC.  art. 
'  Armour.' 

faith,  love,  hope]  See  on  i.  3,  where  we  have  the  same  order, 
as  also  Col.  i.  4,  5  ;  cf.  Gal.  v.  5,  6.  Faith  and  love  are 
naturally  combined,  for  faith  without  loving  activity  is 
worthless.  Faith  may  start  action,  but  without  love  the 
action  will  not  last.  In  this  life  hope  may  be  a  stronger 
motive  than  love  ;  it  is  when  eternity  is  added  that  the 
supremacy  of  love  is  seen. 

hope  of  salvation]  This  hope  can  be  made  a  certainty  if 
the  right  means  are  taken,  and  therefore  there  is  no  need 
to  be  despondent. 

9.  appoint  us  to]  Cf .  1  Pet.  ii.  8  ;  Acts  xiii.  47. 
His  wrath]  See  on  i.  10  and  ii.  16. 

to  secure  for  ourselves]  Cf.  2  Thess.  ii.  14  and  Heb.  x.  39, 
where  the  same  expression  (et?  ireptirolriaiv)  occurs.  It  has 
the  meaning  of  '  securing  '  there,  and  no  other  meaning 
need  be  sought  here.  The  Vulgate  has  in  acquisitionem  in 
all  three  places.  Cf .  the  use  of  the  cognate  verb  {-irepnroieiv) 
Is.  xliii.  21. 

10.  died  for  us]  It  was  '  about  us  '  [irepl  rjpav)  that  He 
was  thinking  when  He  willed  to  die.  He  died  a  death  in 
which  we  had  a  special  interest.  This  is  the  only  passage 
in  1  and  2  Thessalonians  in  which  our  interest  in  the  death 
of  Christ  is  mentioned  ;  and  "  it  is  the  most  vague  expression 
that  could  have  been  used  to  signify  that  Christ's  death 
had  something  to  do  with  our  salvation  "  (Denney,  ad  loc. 
p.  196).  Cf.  v.  25.  Elsewhere  we  have '  on  behalf  of  '  {virep), 
2  Cor.  v.  15  ;  Gal.  hi.  13  ;  etc.  Sometimes  also  '  instead  of ' 
{avrCj,  Mk.  x.  45  ;  Mt.  xx.  28.  But  in  late  Greek  the  clas- 
sical distinctions  between  prepositions  are  not  fully  main- 
tained, and  it  is  rash  to  build  theories  upon  such  distinctions. 
The  purpose  of  the  death  is  clearly  stated.  He  died  in  order 
that  (iva)  we  should  share  His  life.  In  some  way  His 
death  wins  life  for  us.  This  simple  statement  implies  much 
previous  instruction. 

whether  awake  ...  or  slumbering]  The  same  verbs  are 


v.  io,  ii]      HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  89 

used  as  in  v.  6,  but  with  an  obvious  change  of  meaning. 
Cf.  Rom.  xiv.  9. 

one  and  all  with  Him  we  should  live]  This  is  the  grand 
result,  placed,  with  emphasis,  at  the  end  ;  and,  as  in  iv. 
17,  we  have  <rvv.  The  concluding  word  is  '  live'  (ty}<ra>/xev). 
Thus  we  have  a  sure  hope  of  salvation.  For  '  one  and  all  ' 
see  on  iv.  17.  On  the  general  import  of  this  verse,  and  its 
position  in  St.  Paul's  teaching,  see  Lightfoot,  Biblical 
Essays,  pp.  230  f. 

11.  Accordingly]  As  in  hi.  1  (Bto).  Because  God  has 
appointed  us  to  the  salvation  which  Christ  has  made  it 
possible  for  us  to  win,  and  which  is  equally  secure,  whether 
or  no  we  are  alive  when  He  returns. 

as  we  said  before]  In  iv.  18  ;  see  on  ii.  11,  iv.  1,  10. 

build  up  each  other]  A  favourite  metaphor  with  St.  Paul, 
especially  in  1  Corinthians  (oIko8o/h€iv,  olKohofjurj,  eiroiico- 
Bo/xetv).  In  most  of  the  places  '  build  up  '  is  a  better 
rendering  than  '  edify.'  This  building  up  is  of  universal 
obligation.  The  care  of  souls  is  not  the  privilege  of  a  class, 
but  the  duty  of  all.  The  Church  is  a  building  of  which  each 
Christian  is  a  stone,  and  each  Christian  is  also  a  building  ; 
and  in  both  cases  the  building  is  a  temple  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  metaphor  is  found  in  all  four  groups  of  the 
Pauline  Epistles,  but  this  is  the  only  occurrence  of  it  in  the 
earliest  group.  It  denotes  spiritual  progress  of  the  most 
comprehensive  kind.  Cf.  1  Cor.  hi.  9-17,  vi.  19  ;  2  Cor. 
vi.  16  ;  Gal.  ii.  18  ;  Eph.  ii.  20-22,  iv.  12,  16,  29  ;  1  Tim. 
hi.  15  ;    2  Tim.  ii.  19  ;    and  see  DAC.  art.   '  Edification.' 

each  the  other]  Lit.  '  one  the  one  '  (eh  rov  eva,  not  ew 
rbv  eva,  as  has  been  suggested)  ;  cf.  1  Cor.  iv.  6.  The 
change  from  '  one  another  '  (dXX^Xou?)  to  the  much  less 
common  expression  is  made  for  the  sake  of  variety  and 
perhaps  some  increase  of  force. 

as  indeed  you  really  are  doing]  As  in  iv.  1,  10,  the  writers 
are  anxious  to  avoid  seeming  to  be  finding  fault.  They  are 
not  blaming  the  Thessalonians,  who  have  acted  nobly  under 
persecution,  but  are  exhorting  them  to  maintain  their 
virtues  and  improve  upon  them  ;  cf.  2  Thess.  hi.  4.     Even 


90      COMMENTARY   ON   1   THESSALONIANS     [v.  12 

when  he  has  a  great  deal  to  blame  in  his  various  converts, 
the  Apostle  generally  finds  something  to  praise,  for  which 
he  thanks  God. 


v.  12-22.    Exhortations  respecting  Church 
Discipline  and  Holiness  of  Life 

12  And  we  beseech  you,  brethren,  to  know  them  which  labour 
among  you,  and  are  over  you  in  the  Lord,  and  admonish  you  ; 
13  And  to  esteem  them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake. 
And  be  at  peace  among  yourselves.  14  Now  we  exhort  you,  brethren, 
warn  them  that  are  unruly,  comfort  the  feebleminded,  support  the 
weak,  be  patient  toward  all  men.  15  See  that  none  render  evil  for 
evil  unto  any  man  ;  but  ever  follow  that  which  is  good,  both  among 
yourselves,  and  to  all  men.  16  Rejoice  evermore :  17  Pray  without 
ceasing :  18  In  every  thing  give  thanks  :  for  this  is  the  will  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  concerning  you.  19  Quench  not  the  spirit :  20  Des- 
pise not  prophesyings :  21  Prove  all  things  ;  hold  fast  that  which 
is  good.     22  Abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil. 

The  link  with  what  precedes  is  not  very  close  ;  but  there 
is  a  natural  passage  from  the  special  topic  of  matters  con- 
nected with  the  subject  of  Christ's  Coming  to  duties  con- 
nected with  Church  Order  and  Christian  life  in  general 
during  the  interval  of  waiting  for  the  Coming.  The  object 
of  the  section  is  to  promote  an  increase  in  healthy  modes  of 
life  by  orderly,  cheerful,  and  devout  conduct.  The  series 
of  brief  injunctions  which  it  contains  forms  a  code  of  standing 
orders  for  all  Christians. 

' 12  And  now  we  ask  you  as  friends,  Brethren,  to  recognize  the  au- 
thority of  those  who  toil  among  you  and  preside  over  you  in  the  Lord  and 
admonish  you.  13  We  ask  you  to  regard  them  with  love  in  the  most 
fervent  degree  in  appreciation  of  the  amount  and  value  of  their  work. 
And,  while  you  pay  respect  to  them,  be  at  peace  among  yourselves. 

14  Now  we  exhort  you,  Brethren,  to  admonish  those  who  are 
disorderly  ;  give  encouragement  to  the  fainthearted  ;  give  support 
to  the  weak  ;  be  forbearing  and  longsuff ering  towards  all  men.  15  See 
to  it  that  no  one  pays  back  to  anybody  evil  in  return  for  evil  :  on  the 
contrary,  on  all  occasions  make  it  your  practice  to  seek  eagerly  after 
that  which  is  beneficial,  both  with  regard  to  one  another  and  to  all 
men.  16  On  all  occasions  rejoice  ;  17  unceasingly  cherish  a  spirit 
of  prayer  ;  18  in  all  that  happens  to  you  be  thankful  ;  we  charge  you 


v.  12]  HORTATORY  AND   DOCTRINAL  91 

to  do  all  this  because  it  is  God's  will  with  regard  to  you,  manifested 
in  the  power  of  Christ  Jesus.  19  When  the  Spirit  kindles  any  of  you, 
beware  of  quenching  it  ;  20  when  it  inspires  any  to  speak,  do  not  set 
at  naught  its  suggestions.  21  Nevertheless,  do  not  give  heed  without 
testing.  Test  all  things  ;  hold  fast  only  that  which  is  sound  and  good  ; 
22  abstain  from  every  visible  form  of  evil.' 

12.  ask  you  as  friends,  Brethren]  See  on  iv.  1  and  i.  4. 
With  the  general  sense  cf.  1  Cor.  xvi.  15,  16. 

recognize  the  authority  of]  '  Know  them  (elBivai)  for 
what  they  are,'  appreciate  their  character  and  treat  them 
with  respect.  Cf.  the  similar  use  of  '  acknowledge ' 
(eTTvyivcacnceTe)    1   Cor.   xvi.    18. 

That  the  Apostle  had  already  ordained  presbyters  in  so 
infantile  a  Church  is  improbable.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is 
unlikely  that  he  had  made  no  provision  for  organization. 
"  The  Church  of  Christ  can  no  more  hold  together  without 
officers,  rules,  and  institutions  than  any  other  society  of 
men  "  (Schaff,  Apostolic  Christianity ,  II.,  page  487).  See 
Lightfoot,  The  Christian  Ministry,  sub  init. 

toil]  A  favourite  verb  (kottlolv)  found  in  all  four  groups  of 
the  Apostle's  Epistles.  It  is  one  of  the  many  Pauline  words 
which  are  found  in  Luke's  report  of  the  speech  at  Miletus, 
Acts  xx.  35  ;  see  on  ii.  12,  iv.  6,  v.  8.  It  implies  working 
with  effort  and  consequent  weariness.  In  i.  3  we  have  the 
cognate  substantive  («o7ro?).  As  in  iv.  16  the  '  archangel's 
cry  '  and  the  '  trumpet  of  God  '  explain  the  manner  of  the 
'  commanding  summons,'  so  here  the  '  presiding  '  and 
'  admonishing  '  explain  the  manner  of  the  '  toil.'  It  is  the 
Church-workers  who  take  the  lead  and  check  disorder.  The 
fact  of  their  being  workers  is  mentioned  first  ; — an  indirect 
rebuke  to  idlers  (iv.  11)  ;  and  we  may  surmise  that  it  was 
through  their  efficiency  as  workers  that  they  came  to  preside 
and  had  the  right  to  admonish. 

preside  over  you]  The  word  {irpola-TafLevov^)  implies  some 
kind  of  leaders,  but  it  can  hardly  be  a  technical  title  for  a 
particular  rank,  like  '  presbyter  '  or  '  deacon.'  It  describes 
function  rather  than  designates  rank,  activity  rather  than 
an  office  ;   and  it  implies  protection  and  care.     Cf.  Rom. 


92        COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS    [v.  12 

xii.  8.  These  workers  who  guide  and  admonish  no  doubt 
owed  their  leading  position  to  personal  gifts  ;  and  when 
official  appointments  began  to  be  made,  persons  whom 
experience  had  proved  to  be  specially  gifted  were  chosen  to 
be  '  presbyters  '  or  '  elders  '  in  the  technical  sense.  It  is 
certainly  incorrect  to  suppose  that  we  have  here  three 
classes  of  officials  ;  and  it  is  therefore  futile  to  conjecture 
that  they  are  the  catechists,  the  presbyters,  and  the  evangel- 
ists. The  same  persons  work,  preside,  and  admonish,  as 
is  shown  by  the  one  article  (rovs)  which  brackets  the  three 
functions.  With  '  those  who  preside  over  you  '  may  be 
compared  the  equally  vague  expression  '  those  who  have  the 
rule  over  you  '  (ol  riyov/xevoi),  Heb.  xiii.  7,  17,  24  ;  and 
with  the  triplet  here  may  be  compared  the  triplet  in  ii.  n. 

It  is  unreasonable  to  look  for  a  settled  order  of  govern- 
ment and  a  regularly  organized  clergy  in  a  period  during 
which  Christ's  Return  was  expected  almost  daily.  Spiritual 
functions,  and  the  names  for  them,  were  alike  fluid.  Les 
fideles  sont  classes  par  le  don  sftirituel  qu'ils  exercent  (Renan, 
p.  238).  See  Hort,  Christian  Ecclesia,  1897,  p.  126  ;  Hast- 
ings' DAC.  art.  '  Church  Government.'  Harnack  re- 
marks ;  "  It  is  obvious  that  in  Galatia  and  at  Corinth  no 
organization  whatever  existed  for  a  decade,  or  even  longer  " 
[Mission  and  Expansion,  I.  p.  434).  Von  Dobschiitz  says 
much  the  same  ;  ''  To  discharge  all  this  labour  of  love  there 
were  in  the  beginning  no  responsible  officials  on  whom  the 
burden  might  be  shifted  :  it  was  the  brotherly  duty  of 
every  Christian  "  (The  Apostolic  Age,  p.  79).  There  were 
certainly  none  at  Corinth  when  St.  Paul  complained  that 
'  brother  goeth  to  law  with  brother,  and  that  before  unbe- 
lievers,' and  when  he  rebuked,  not  officials,  but  the  congre- 
gation, for  the  monstrous  desecration  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 
See  essays  on  the  Christian  Ministry  by  Sanday,  Harnack, 
Salmon,  Simcox,  and  others  in  the  Expositor,  3rd  Series, 
V.    and    VI. 

in  the  Lord]  Added,  as  in  iv.  1,  to  show  the  source  of  the 
authority  to  preside  and  admonish  ;  viz.  the  Lord  who 
gave  the  qualifying  gifts.     It  would  hardly  be  necessary  to 


v.  12, 13]     HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  93 

remind  the  Thessalonians  that  it  is  spiritual  and  not  political 
rulers  who  are  meant.  There  is  no  hint  that  St.  Paul  had 
appointed  them. 

admonish]  Lit.  '  put  in  mind  '  (vovOerovvTas) ,  but  always 
used  of  calling  attention  to  faults  or  defects  ;  2  Thess.  iii. 
15  ;  Rom.  xv.  14  ;  1  Cor.  iv.  14  ;  Col.  i.  28,  iii.  16.  Else- 
where in  the  N.T.,  Acts  xx.  31  only,  where  it  occurs  in  St. 
Paul's  speech  at  Miletus  ;  see  last  note  on  iv.  6.  Here 
we  have  the  rudiments  of  Church  discipline.  Teaching, 
especially  of  doctrine,  was  done  mainly  by  the  Apostle  and 
his  colleagues  ;  but  from  the  first  there  must  be  provision 
for  the  maintenance  of  morality  and  order. 

13.  regard  them  with  love  in  the  most  fervent  degree] 
The  construction  is  uncertain,  whether  the  adverb  (virep- 

eKirepccraov)  belongs  to  what  precedes  it  (rjyelcrdai 
avTovs),  or  to  what  follows  (iv  ayd-mr)).  '  Esteem  them  very 
highly  in  love  '  may  be  right.  In  either  case  we  have  an 
unusual  mode  of  expression,  but  either  makes  good  sense. 
The  persons  whose  gifts  have  brought  them  into  prominence 
would  be  of  the  same  social  class  as  those  whom  they  had 
led  and  admonished,  and  therefore  might  easily  be  regarded 
with  jealousy  and  suspicion  by  the  latter.  The  large 
majority  of  the  Thessalonian  converts  belonged  to  the 
labouring  classes,  and  these  are  apt  to  resent  dictation  from 
persons  who  "  are  no  better  than  we  are."  Christ  Himself 
suffered  from  this  spirit  ;  Mk.  vi.  2-4.  In  any  case  these 
leaders  were  new  to  their  position,  which  was  new  also  to 
those  whom  they  endeavoured  to  lead.  Compare  Didache* 
xv.  2  ;"  Therefore  despise  them  not,  for  they  are  those  that 
are  the  honoured  men  among  you  with  the  prophets  and 
teachers." 

in  appreciation  of  the  amount  and  value  of  their  work] 
Lit.  '  because  of  (Sid)  their  work,'  which  was  very  laborious 
(Ko-moivTa?)  and  beneficial  (vov8erovvTa<;).  By  manifesting 
respect  and  affection  the  Thessalonians  would  show  that 
they  appreciated  all  this. 

be  at  peace  among  yourselves]  This  follows  closely  on  what 
precedes.     They  could  not  be  on  good  terms  with  one 


94    COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [v.  13, 14 

another,  if  some  of  them  were  ignoring  the  directions  of  the 
generally  recognized  leaders.  Here  again  we  have  a  parallel 
in  the  Didache  ;  "  Reprove  one  another  not  in  wrath,  but  in 
peace,  and  with  every  one  that  transgresses  against  another 
let  no  one  talk,  nor  yet  hear  a  word  from  you,  until  he 
repents  '  (xv.  3).  The  reading  '  among  them  '  (eV  avrots 
for  iv  eavroh),  i.e.  among  the  leaders,  can  hardly  be  right, 
and,  if  right,  it  could  hardly  mean  '  in  your  dealings  with 
them.'  '  Be  at  peace  '  (eiprivevere)  means  '  continue  to 
maintain  peace.'  It  does  not  imply  that  quarrels  exist  ; 
Rom.  xii.  18  ;  2  Cor.  xiii.  n.  The  charge  may  be  an  echo 
of  another  of  Christ's  Sayings  ;  Mk.  ix.  50,  the  only  passage 
in  which  the  verb  occurs  outside  the  Pauline  Epistles.  Cf. 
vv.  2,  5,  6  and  ii.  16. 

14.  Now  we  exhort  you,  Brethren,  to  admonish]  It  is  not 
clear  whether  the  writers  continue  to  address  the  whole 
congregation  or  turn  to  the  leaders  in  particular.  The  use 
of  the  verb  '  admonish  '  is  rather  in  favour  of  the  second 
alternative  ;  and  it  is  obvious  that  those  who  are  to  be 
admonished,  or  encouraged,  or  supported  are  not  addressed. 
In  that  case  the  connecting  particle  (Se)  might  be  rendered 
'  But.'  On  the  other  hand,  the  preceding  '  Be  at  peace 
among  yourselves  '  is  certainly  addressed  to  the  whole 
congregation  ;  and  why  should  '  Brethren  '  in  this  verse  be 
different  in  meaning  from  '  Brethren  '  in  v.  12  ?  In  this 
case  the  connecting  particle  might  be  '  And.'  '  Now ' 
would  suit  either  view.    Cf.  hi.  11. 

those  who  are  disorderly]  The  term  is  a  military  one 
(tou?  ard/cTovs),  '  those  who  leave  the  ranks.'  This  might 
mean  either  the  insubordinate,  who  disobey  orders,  or  the 
careless,  who  march  and  drill  in  a  slovenly  manner.  The 
latter  is  probably  the  idea  here.  In  papyri  the  cognate 
verb  (draicTeiv)  is  often  used  as  interchangeable  with  '  to 
be  idle  '  (dpyelv).  We  know  of  no  actual  rebellion  against 
authority  at  Thessalonica,  but  there  were  many  who  neg- 
lected their  duties  and  wasted  their  time,  thinking  that  the 
Return  was  imminent  ;  iv.  n.  These  excited  '  loafers  ' 
needed  to  be  kept  in  order.     The  next  two  classes  are 


v.  14, 15]  HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL         95 

depressed  in  character  and  need  encouragement  and 
support.     Cf.  2  Thess.  iii.  6,  11. 

the  fainthearted]  An  O.T.  word  (oXiyoyJrvxovf)  ;  Is.  xxv. 
5,  xxxv.  4,  liv.  6,  lvii.  15  ;  Prov.  xviii.  14  ;  Ecclus.  vii.  10. 
It  is  used  of  those  who  are  broken  in  spirit  and  have  lost 
confidence  in  themselves.  This  might  be  the  result  of  the 
persecution  to  which  they  had  been  subjected,  or  to  the 
delay  of  the  Return,  which  made  them  anxious  about  the 
condition  of  those  who  had  died  and  about  their  own 
prospects.     Cf.  ii.  II,  iv.  18. 

give  support  to  the  weak]  '  Lay  hold  of  them  {avTe^eaOe) 
and  help  them  to  stand  firm  '  ;  used  Tit.  i.  9  of  holding  on 
to  the  faithful  word.  The  verb  is  always  middle  in  the 
N.T.  and  almost  always  in  the  O.T.  In  the  O.T.,  as  in 
Tit.  i.  9,  it  is  used  of  laying  hold  in  order  to  support  oneself ;  e.g. 
laying  hold  of  wisdom  (Prov.  iii.  18,  iv.  6),  of  salvation, 
righteousness,  and  My  covenant  (Is.  lvi.  2,  4,  6),  the  Law 
(Jer.  ii.  8).  '  Cling  to  '  has  this  double  meaning  in  English. 
Cf.  Mt.  vi.  24  ;  Lk.  xvi.  13.  '  The  weak  '  means  those  who 
are  feeble  in  spiritual  insight  and  character  ;  1  Cor.  viii. 
10,  ix.  22. 

be  forbearing  and  longsuffering]  Not  quick-tempered,  but 
long-tempered  (fiaKpodv/noc,  longanimes) .  It  implies  patience 
of  injuries  and  irritations,  without  paying  back  in  act  or 
word.  We  all  of  us  need  this  forbearance,  and  we  all  of  us 
can  show  it.  Opportunities,  both  ways,  abound.  Cf.  1  Cor. 
xiii.  4  ;  Gal.  v.  22  ;   Mt.  xviii.  26,  29. 

towards  all  men]  Not  only  towards  disorderly,  and  faint- 
hearted and  weak  Christians,  who  will  often  be  provoking 
enough,  but  also  (as  in  iii.  12)  towards  Jews  and  heathen, 
whether  persecutors  or  not.  This  is  plain  from  what  is 
added  in  v.  15.  Such  longsuffering  is  a  specially  Divine 
characteristic.  God  is  patiens  quia  aeternus  ;  He  can  afford 
to  wait. 

15.  that  no  one  pays  back  evil  in  return  for  evil]  All 
members  of  the  congregation  are  to  see  to  this.  The  charge 
shows  that  there  was  danger  of  retaliation,  possibly  in 
consequence  of  the  persecution.     It  is  not  clear  whether 


96    COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [v.  15, 16 

each  person  is  to  see  to  himself,  or  all  are  to  see  to  each. 
What  follows  is  in  favour  of  the  former.  We  have  the  same 
expression  (/ca/cbv  <zvtI  kcikov  airohihovai)  Rom.  xii.  17 
and  1  Pet.  iii.  9.  It  looks  like  another  reminiscence  of  one 
of  Christ's  Sayings  ;  Mt.  v.  39,  44  ;  Lk.  vi.  27-29.  Even 
the  Jews  had  seen  that  the  lex  talionis  needed  modification  ; 
Exod.  xxiii.  4,  5  ;  Deut.  xxii.  1  ;  Job  xxxi.  29  ;  Prov. 
xxiv.  17,  xxv.  21  ;  Ecclus.  xxviii.  1-7.     See  Introduction,  V. 

on  all  occasions]  See  on  iv.  17. 

make  it  your  practice  to  seek  eagerly]  As  in  the  preceding 
sentences,  we  have  the  present  imperative,  and  the  verb 
itself  [SimKere)  implies  steady  pursuit  of  some  end,  a 
meaning  which  is  specially  common  in  Paul  ;  Rom.  ix.  31, 
xii.  13,  xiv.  19  ;   1  Cor.  xiv.  1  ;   etc. 

that  which  is  beneficial]  Lit.  '  the  good  '  (to  ayaOov).  But 
'  evil '  (naKov)  in  the  previous  sentence  means  that  which 
is  injurious,  and  therefore  '  the  good  '  here  means  that  which 
is  the  reverse  of  injurious.     See  on  iii.  8. 

to  one  another]  Here,  as  in  iii.  12,  there  may  possibly  be  a 
suggestion  of  strained  relations  between  Gentile  and  Jewish 
converts.  But  in  neither  place  is  any  such  explanation  of 
the  words  necessary. 

all  men]  While  '  one  another  '  refers  to  fellow-Christians, 
'  all  men,'  as  in  v.  14,  includes  Jews  and  heathen. 

16.  On  all  occasions  rejoice]  For  the  sixth  time  in  this 
short  letter  we  have  the  favourite  adverb  (iravTore),  which 
is  rarely  used  by  other  N.T.  writers,  excepting  St.  John. 
The  repetition  of  the  adverb  points  to  some  connexion 
between  this  injunction  and  the  previous  one.  '  On  all 
occasions  seek  to  benefit  some  one,  and  then  on  all  occasions 
you  will  have  joy.'  But  there  is  more  in  it  than  that.  Joy 
is  in  the  front  rank  among  the  gifts  of  the  Spirit  ;  Gal.  v. 
22  ;  Rom.  xiv.  17,  xv.  13  ;  Phil.  ii.  18.  Cf.  Jn.  xv.  11, 
xvi.  22,  xvii.  13  ;  etc.  The  injunction  must  have  seemed 
startling  to  converts  who  were  suffering  much  persecution  ; 
but  the  Apostle  dares  to  give  it  both  to  these  and  to  other 
Macedonians  ;  Phil.  ii.  18,  iii.  1,  iv.  4.  He  knew  that  he 
was  not  asking  for  what  was  impossible,  for  he  practised 


v.  i6, 17]       HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  97 

this  virtue  himself  ;  2  Cor.  vi.  10,  vii.  4  ;  Phil.  ii.  2.  It  is 
not  more  paradoxical  than  the  Beatitudes,  and  the  next 
injunction  shows  how  it  may  be  accomplished.  One  who 
has  acquired  the  habit  of  converse  with  God  will  always 
have  cause  for  joy.  In  all  these  three  injunctions  (vv.  16, 
17,  18)  the  adverbial  expression  is  placed  first  with  emphasis  ; 
it  is  better  to  keep  it  first  in  English.  All  three  injunctions 
are  specially  needed  in  times  of  trouble,  such  as  persecution. 
Cf.  Exod.  xxii.  23,  27  ;   Job  xxxiv.  28. 

17.  Unceasingly  cherish  a  spirit  of  prayer]  Something  of 
this  kind  is  the  meaning  of  the  charge  '  Unceasingly  pray.' 
Cf.  Rom.  xii.  12  ;  Eph.  vi.  18  ;  Col.  iv.  2  ;  Acts  i.  14,  ii.  42, 
vi.  4  ;  Mk.  xiv.  38  ;  Lk.  xxi.  36.  The  charge  certainly 
means  more  than  '  Never  discontinue  your  daily  prayers.' 
On  the  other  hand  it  cannot  mean  '  Never  cease  saying 
prayers,'  for  any  attempt  to  do  that  would  soon  make  the 
repetition  of  the  words  as  mechanical  as  a  prayer-wheel. 
It  is  the  keeping  constantly  in  mind  the  presence  of  God,  and 
one's  dependence  on  Him,  that  is  meant.  Augustine 
(Eft.  130,  To  Proba,  ix.  18)  interprets  thus  ;  ''  Desire,  without 
intermission,  from  Him  who  alone  can  give  it,  a  happy  life  ; 
and  happy  no  life  can  be  but  that  which  is  eternal.  This, 
therefore,  let  us  desire  continually  from  the  Lord  our  God  ; 
and  thus  let  us  pray  continually."  Origen  (Horn.  Sam.  i.  9) 
confesses  that  "  once,  when  he  read  it,  he  asked  how  it  could 
possibly  be  fulfilled  ;  and  discussing  it  in  several  passages 
he  concludes  that  a  spiritual  rather  than  a  temporal  '  ceas- 
ing '  is  contemplated,  and  that  the  whole  of  the  Christian's 
life,  even  eating,  drinking,  and  sleeping,  may  be  regarded 
as  a  stream  of  prayer,  offered  to  God's  glory"  (Abbott, 
The  Founding  of  the  New  Kingdom,  p.  233).  "  In  all  true 
praying  we  have  the  cry  of  an  inward  hunger  for  better 
being  and  doing.  .  .  .  There  is  the  wistful  reaching  forth 
towards  something  higher  and  more  perfect.  Wherever, 
then,  improvement  is  being  desired  and  sought  (not  improve- 
ment in  our  surroundings,  but  in  ourselves  ;  not  improve- 
ment in  what  we  have,  but  in  what  we  are  and  do),  there  is 
prayer,  even  though  it  may  not  be  breaking  out  at  the  time 


g8    COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS  [v.  17,18 

in  any  cry  to  God,  since  there  is  the  very  same  spirit  which 
breathes  in  the  cry  of  prayer"  (Hastings'  Great  Christian 
Doctrines.  Prayer,  p.  420).  Jerome  (Ep.  22,  To  Eus- 
tochium,  yj)  says  that  "to  the  saints  their  very  sleep  is 
supplication,"  but,  nevertheless,  there  must  be  fixed  times 
for  daily  prayer  in  which  the  habitual  yearning  finds  expres- 
sion in  words. 

"  Prayer  is  the  soul's  sincere  desire 
Uttered  or  unexpressed, 
The  motion  of  a  hidden  fire 

That  trembles  in  the  breast  "   {Montgomery?) 

St.  Paul  laboured  night  and  day  with  his  hands  ;  yet  he 
was  constantly  praying,  especially  for  his  converts  ;  see 
2  Thess.  i.  11  ;   Eph.  i.  16  ;  Col.  i.  9  ;  cf.  i.  3. 

18.  In  all  that  happens  to  you  be  thankful]  In  every 
circumstance  of  life  (eV  iravrC)  ;  2  Cor.  vii.  11,  16,  ix.  8, 
11,  xi.  6,  9  ;  Phil.  iv.  2.  ''  The  precept  is  universal  in 
sphere,  as  the  two  before  it  are  continuous  in  time  ' '  (Eadie, 
ad  loc.)  ;  cf.  2  Cor.  vi.  4  f.  Even  in  persecutions,  sicknesses, 
bereavements,  and  other  trials,  thanksgiving  is  due  ;  ev^apw- 
rovvres  Travrore  virep  irdvrwv  Eph.  v.  20  ;  cf.  Col.  i.  12, 
ii.  7,  hi.  17,  iv.  2  ;  Jas.  i.  2  ;  Prov.  hi.  11,  12  ;  Ecclus.  ii. 
1-11.  The  combination  of  prayer  and  thanksgiving  is 
frequent  ;  hi.  9,  10  ;  Phil.  iv.  6  ;  Col.  iv.  2  ;  1  Tim.  ii.  1. 
In  the  stocks  of  the  inner  prison  at  Philippi  the  outraged 
Paul  and  Silas  prayed  and  sang  hymns  to  God  ;  Acts  xvi.  25. 
The  duty  of  giving  thanks  to  God  is  often  insisted  upon  by 
St.  Paul ;  Rom.  xiv.  6  ;  2  Cor.  i.  11,  iv.  15,  ix.  11,  12  ;  and 
the  references  given  above.  It  is  one  of  the  defects  of  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer  that  the  element  of  thanksgiving 
is  somewhat  small  as  compared  with  that  of  supplication. 

to  do  all  this]  '  This  '  possibly  refers  to  all  three  of  the 
injunctions  and  not  to  the  last  one  only.  It  may  seem  to  be 
impossible  to  do  all  these  things.  But  it  cannot  really  be 
impossible  ;  for  God  wills  it,  and  He  does  not  require  us  to 
do  impossibilities.  We  have  here  an  anticipation  of  Kant's 
"  We  ought,  therefore  we  can.'*     The  confident  belief  that 


v.  18-20]    HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  99 

the  Lord  would  return,  and  return  soon,  rendered  the 
acceptance  of  these  exacting  principles  possible  and  even 
natural.  Une  immense  esperance  donnait  a  ces  preceptcs  dc 
religion  pure  I'efficacite  qu'ils  n'ont  jamais  eue  par  eux- 
memes  (Renan,  p.  248). 

in  the  power  of  Christ  Jesus]  '  In  Christ  '  or  '  in  Christ 
Jesus  '  (seldom  '  in  Jesus  '  or  '  in  Jesus  Christ ')  is  frequent 
in  Paul,  and  always  in  reference  to  the  Glorified  Christ. 
The  phrase,  therefore,  requires  to  be  expanded  in  English 
in  order  to  make  this  clear  ;  iv.  16  ;  Rom.  hi.  24,  viii.  1,  2, 
xii.  5,  xv.  17  ;  etc.,  etc.  Where  '  Lord  '  is  added  the 
meaning  is  clear  without  expansion  ;  e.g.  i.  1  ;  Rom.  viii. 
39  ;  1  Cor.  xv.  31  ;  etc.  See  Sanday  and  Headlam  on  Rom. 
vi.  11. 

19.  From  Pentecost  onwards  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  is 
spoken  of  as  analogous  to  the  action  of  fire.  Spiritus,  ubi  est 
ardet.  It  kindles  men's  hearts  and  makes  them  glow,  and 
those  who  receive  it  and  respond  to  it  are  said  to  be  fervent. 
Hence  the  warning  against  '  quenching  the  Spirit.'  If  it 
stood  alone,  we  should  understand  it  as  a  general  caution 
against  causing  the  influence  of  the  Spirit  to  cease  by 
habitual  neglect  of  it.  Augustine  [Ep.  xcviii.  3)  takes  it  in 
this  sense  ;  •'  The  Apostle  says,  Quench  not  the  Spirit  ;  not 
that  He  can  be  quenched,  but  that  those  who  act  as  if 
they  wished  to  have  Him  quenched  are  deservedly  spoken 
of  as  quenchers  of  the  Spirit."  But  what  follows  seems  to 
show  that,  in  the  general  unsettlement  at  Thessalonica,  the 
special  charismatic  gifts  of  the  Spirit  were  being  ignored, 
and  the  manifestations  of  them  were  being  repressed.  If 
disregard  of  these  Divine  endowments  continued,  they 
might  be  withdrawn  altogether.  Hence  the  charge,  '  Cease 
to  quench  the  Spirit.'  For  the  various  manifestations  see 
1  Cor.  xii.  8-10,  xiv.  26. 

20.  The  charge  against '  setting  prophesyings  at  naught ' 
looks  like  an  explanation  of  the  more  general  charge  in  v.  19, 
or  at  any  rate  as  an  example  of  what  is  there  condemned. 
By  '  prophesying  '  is  meant  the  inspired  utterance  of  Divine 
truths  for  the  edification  of  others,  and  prediction  of  the 


ioo    COMMENTARY  ON   1   THESSALONIANS  [v.20, 21 

future  is  not  necessarily  included.  At  Corinth  this  invalu- 
able gift  was  despised  in  comparison  with  the  much  less 
valuable  gift  of  ecstatic  utterance  for  the  edification  of 
oneself  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  There  is  no  evidence  of  ecstatic  utter- 
ances at  Thessalonica  ;  but  apparently  inspired  preachings 
were  for  some  reason  not  treated  with  proper  respect.  There 
may  have  been  impostors  or  fanatics,  who  caused  all  pro- 
phesying to  be  suspected.  Cf.  2  Thess.  ii.  2,  which  implies 
something  of  the  kind.  Hence  the  charge,  '  Cease  to  set 
them  at  naught.'  For  the  verb  cf.  Rom.  xiv.  3,  10  ;  1  Cor. 
i.  28  ;   Gal.  iv.  14. 

21.  Nevertheless]  It  is  possible  that  the  conjunction  (Si) 
ought  to  be  omitted.  In  that  case  the  meaning  may  be, 
'  Do  not  reject  what  seems  to  be  a  manifestation  of  the 
Spirit  ;  nay  rather,  test  everything  (however  unpromising), 
and  keep  what  is  really  good.'  '  Do  not  reject  without 
testing.' 

Test  all  things]  See  on  ii.  4,  where  the  same  verb  is  used  ; 
also  Trench,  Syn.  §  lxxiv.  Not  all  who  come  forward  as 
prophets  are  really  inspired.  Some  may  be  deluded,  some 
may  wish  to  delude.  The  congregation  must  make  a 
practice  of  testing  all  such  claims  ;  1  Cor.  xii.  2,  xiv.  32  ; 
Eph.  v.  10  ;  1  Jn.  iv.  1  ;  Mt.  vii.  15,  16  ;  xxiv.  11,  24.  The 
kind  of  test  that  is  to  be  applied  is  not  stated  ;  but  '  By 
their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them.'  It  is  spiritual  discernment 
rather  than  intellectual  sagacity  that  is  required.  There 
was  a  gift  for  discerning  spirits  (1  Cor.  xii.  10,  xiv.  29), 
and  there  may  be  allusion  to  it  here.  See  Didache  xi.  1-12, 
esp.  12.  But  the  injunction  may  mean  more  than  '  test 
all  spirits  and  all  utterances  which  profess  to  be  inspired.' 
It  may  mean  '  Find  out  the  spiritual  value  of  everything,  and 
hold  fast  to  it,  or  hold  aloof  from  it,  accordingly.'  Yet 
the  testing  of  spiritual  gifts  is  primarily  meant.  Cf.  Rev. 
ii.  2.* 

hold  fast]  Cf.  1  Cor.  xi.  2,  xv.  2  ;  Rom.  i.  18. 

*  Twice  in  his  Letters  {Epp.  lxi.  1,  lxxxiv.  7)  Jerome  quotes  the 
Apostle  as  saying  '  Read  all  things,'  and  applies  the  words  to  the 
writings  of  Origen. 


v.  21,22]      HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  101 

sound  and  good]  Able  to  stand  all  tests,  being  really 
valuable  in  itself,  independently  of  all  results  (to  koKov)  ; 
Rom.  vii.  18  ;   Jas.  iv.  17  ;   Job  xxxiv.  4. 

Many  of  the  Fathers  connect  this  injunction  with  a  Saying 
which  is  frequently  attributed  to  Christ,  but  once  or  twice 
to  St.  Paul,  jiveade  hoKijAoi  Tpwrre^lrai.  It  is  impossible 
to  find  a  satisfactory  English  translation.  '  Show  yourselves 
tried  bankers,'  '  Prove  yourselves  to  be  sound  money- 
changers,' '  Become  approved  exchangers  '  are  all  of  them 
literal,  and  are  all  unsatisfying.  '  Put  your  talents  to  good 
use,'  '  Make  the  best  use  of  your  opportunities,'  is  the 
meaning  which  is  suggested  by  the  words.  In  connexion 
with  this  passage  they  might  mean,  '  Become  experts  in 
discerning  spiritual  values.'  See  Lightfoot  ad  loc.  and  West- 
cott,  Intr.  to  the  Study  of  the  Gospels,  Appendix  C  ;  also 
Suicer,  Tpaire^irri^. 

The  punctuation  in  the  A.V.  is  faulty.  There  should  be 
only  a  comma  or  semicolon  at  the  end  of  v.  21.  Both 
'  hold  fast '  and  '  abstain '  are  closely  connected  with 
'  test.'     Cf.  Rom.  xii.  9,  where  we  have  a  similar  alternative. 

22.  abstain  from  every  visible  form  of  evil]  The  construction 
is  uncertain,  and  also  the  exact  signification  of  '  form  ' 
(a7ro  iravTo<i  ei8ov<;  irovr\pov  aire^eade).  '  Evil  '  may  be 
an  adjective  ;  '  abstain  from  every  evil  form  '  :  and  '  form  ' 
may  mean  either  '  outward  appearance,'  or  '  semblance,'  or 
'  kind.'  Of  these  three,  '  outward  appearance  '  (without 
any  idea  of  unreality)  is  probably  right.  '  Semblance  ' 
is  almost  certainly  wrong  ;  the  evil  to  be  avoided  is  really 
evil.  '  Kind  '  or  '  species  '  is  possibly  right.  Although 
this  meaning  is  not  found  elsewhere  in  the  N.T.,  it  is  found  in 
the  LXX,  Ecclus.  xxiii.  16,  xxv.  2  ;  and  Josephus  (Ant. 
X.  iii.  1)  has  trav  elSo?  Trovrjpias.  It  makes  little  differ- 
ence whether  we  take  '  evil '  as  a  substantive  or  an  adjective  ; 
but  to  take  it  as  a  substantive  makes  a  better  antithesis  to 
'  that  which  is  good.'  Cf.  Rom.  xii.  9,  where,  however, 
we  have  to  irov^pov  and  rw  ayadq).  In  Didache  iii.  1  we 
have  what  looks  like  a  reminiscence  of  this  charge  ;  "  Flee 
from  every  evil  and  from   every  thing   that   is   like   it  " 

1 


102    COMMENTARY  ON  1  THESSALONIANS  [v.  22, 23 

{<f>ev<ye  cltto  7t<zvto9  irovrjpov  Kal  ajrb  ttclvtos  6/jlolov  avrov). 
It  is  of  more  importance  to  note  that  the  '  evil '  is  of  a 
malignant  kind  (irovrjpov,  not  kclkov)  ;  absolute  badness,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  evil  one.  Cf.  Job.  i.  1,  ii.  3,  and  see 
Trench,  Syn.  §  lxxxiv.  '  Abstain  from  '  may  remind  us, 
and  was  perhaps  intended  to  remind  the  Thessalonians, 
of  the  charge  given  in  iv.  3.  The  idea  of  base  metal — 
'  stick  to  the  genuine  metal  ;  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
base'  — is  not  suggested  by  the  wording,  the  meaning  of 
which  is  quite  general.     See  DAC.  art.  '  Abstinence,'  p.  9. 

v.  23,  24.    Prayer  for  the  Thessalonians 

23  And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly  ;  and  I  pray 
God  your  whole  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body  be  preserved  blameless 
unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  24  Faithful  is  he  that 
calleth  you,  who  also  will  do  it. 

The  way  in  which  the  Apostle's  exhortations  so  often  shade 
off  into  prayer  illustrates  the  meaning  of  his  injunction  to 
'  pray  without  ceasing.'  The  spirit  of  prayer  is  always  in 
the  background  ;  hi.  11  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  16,  hi.  16.  As  Chrysos- 
tom  says,  like  a  true  teacher,  he  helps  his  disciples  not  only 
with  counsels,  but  with  prayers.  Where  there  is  no  actual 
prayer,  there  is  often  a  recognition  of  his  and  his  converts' 
entire  dependence  upon  Divine  support  for  all  the  good  that 
has  been  effected  or  can  be  attained  ;  i,  2,  9,  ii.  2,  4,  13,  iii. 
9,  v.  25,  28  ;  2  Thess.  i.  3,  5,  12,  etc.  Similar  features 
are  found  in  other  letters. 

'  23  Now  may  the  God  of  peace  Himself  help  you  to  do  this  :  may 
He  sanctify  you  so  that  you  may  become  complete  in  holiness  ;  and 
in  complete  entirety  may  your  spirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
free  from  reproach  at  the  Coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  24  This 
prayer  for  your  sanctification  is  well  founded.  He  who  calls  you  to 
be  holy  is  faithful.  He  not  only  calls  you,  He  will  also  do  His  part 
towards  making  the  call  effectual.' 

23.  Now]  These  pregnant  exhortations  to  continue  and 
increase  in  holiness  of  life  (12-22)  having  been  given,  the 
Apostle  passes  on  (Si)  to  an  indispensable  condition  of  their 


v.  23]  HORTATORY  AND  DOCTRINAL  103 

being  effectual  ;  they  must  be  aided  by  the  blessing  of  God. 
This  being  the  connexion,  '  Now  '  or  '  And,'  rather  than 
'  But,'  gives  the  force  of  the  conjunction.  Cf.  the  prayer 
in  hi.  11-13,  which  begins  with  the  same  words  {Avto?  he  6 
Oeost),  and  where  both  A.V.  and  R.V.  have  '  Now  '  to  mark 
the  transition. 

the  God  of  peace]  A  Pauline  expression,  especially  common 
in  similar  contexts  ;  Rom.  xv.  33,  xvi.  20  ;  Phil.  iv.  9  ; 
cf.  Heb.  xiii.  20  ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  33.  We  have  '  the  Lord  of 
peace,'  2  Thess.  hi.  16  ;  '  the  God  of  love  and  peace,'  2 
Cor.  xiii.  11  ;  '  the  God  of  hope,'  Rom.  xv.  13  ;  '  the  God 
of  all  comfort,'  2  Cor.  i.  3  ;  '  the  God  of  patience  and  of 
comfort,'  Rom.  xv.  5.  The  characterizing  genitive  is  in 
each  case  determined  by  the  context.  The  unsettled  and 
excited  Thessalonians  need  peace  for  the  establishment  of  a 
Christian  life.     Cf.  the  charge  in  v.  13. 

Himself]  Emphatic,  as  in  iii.  11  :  nothing  less  will  serve. 
God's  help  is  contrasted  with  their  own  efforts. 

sanctify  you]  '  Make  you  in  effect  what  He  called  you  to 
be — saints  '  ;  1  Cor.  i.  2  ;  cf.  Exod.  xxxi.  13  ;  Lev.  xi.  44  ; 
xx.  7,8. 

complete  in  holiness]  So  that  no  part  of  their  nature  is 
left  unsanctified.  This  idea  (oKoreXeU)  is  repeated  in  a 
slightly  different  form  by  '  in  complete  entirety,'  or  '  in 
unbroken  totality  '  (6\6/c\r)pov).  See  Trench,  Syn.  §  xxii. 
The  latter  expression  belongs  to  all  three  of  the  words  which 
follow,  not  to  the  first  alone.  The  rendering  '  your  whole 
spirit  '  is  in  this  respect  misleading.  Each  of  the  three 
constituents  of  human  nature  is  to  be  preserved  in  its 
entirety. 

spirit  and  soul  and  body]  The  three  are  placed  in  order  of 
merit,  which  is  sometimes  reversed,  with  the  highest  last. 
Origen  has  both  arrangements.  Man's  nature  is  commonly 
regarded  as  of  two  parts,  one  material  and  the  other  not, 
body  and  soul  or  flesh  and  spirit.  This  division  is  found  in 
heathen  and  in  Jewish  writers  as  well  as  in  the  N.T.  In  the 
N.T.  '  spirit  '  and  '  soul  '  are  sometimes  synonymous,  as  in 
the  first  verse  of  the  Magnificat.     But  sometimes,  as  here, 


104  COMMENTARY  0N    1   THESSALONIANS  [v.23,24 

'  spirit '  (Trvevfia)  is  the  higher,  and  '  soul '  (tyvxn)  is  the 
lower  element  in  the  immaterial  part.  Cf.  1  Cor.  ii.  14,  15, 
xv.  44-46,  and  see  Westcott's  Additional  Note  on  Heb.  iv.  12  ; 
also  Augustine,  Conf.  VII.  xvii.  23,  25. 

This  diversity  of  usage  shows  that  we  are  not  justified  in 
claiming  any  one  passage  of  Scripture  as  giving  inspired 
authority  for  any  psychological  system.  Here  the  Apostle  is 
not  committing  himself  to  a  trichotomist  theory  ;  still  less 
is  he  declaring  that  such  a  theory  is  certainly  true.  He  is 
praying  that  the  whole  being  of  the  Thessalonians,  in  the 
most  comprehensive  sense,  may  be  sanctified  and  preserved.* 

Brightman  [Journal  of  Theol.  Studies.  Jan.  1901,  p. 
273)  has  shown  that  this  trichotomy  is  very  common  in  the 
Egyptian  liturgies,  but  always  in  the  strange  order,  '  soul, 
body,  spirit,'  and  that  this  order  occurs  elsewhere  in  liturgies, 
though  not  often.  Tertullian  (Marcion.  v.  15)  has  this  order 
reversed,  spiritus  noster  et  corpus  et  anima.  It  is  difficult  to 
account  for  it. 

be  preserved  free  from  reproach]  '  Be  kept  so  as  to  be  free 
from  reproach.'  See  on  ii.  10,  where  we  have  the  same 
adverb  (afikfiirrmst).  The  reproach  implied  by  the  adverb 
is  that  of  being  defective  or  faulty,  rather  than  that  of 
being  utterly  wrong  ;  and  the  reproach  has  reference  to  the 
Judgment,  at  which  it  is  prayed  that  the  Thessalonians 
may  be  found  blameless. 

at  the  Coming]  '  Unto  the  Coming  '  is  wrong  as  a  transla- 
tion (iv  TrapovaLa),  and  gives  a  wrong  impression  as  to 
what  is  desired.  Cf.  Wisd.  x.  5,  where  the  Divine  Wisdom 
is  said  to  have  preserved  the  righteous  Abraham  blameless 
unto  God  (irripr)crev  avrov  a/ie/x7TTov  @e<Z). 

There  is  no  sufficient  reason  for  rejecting  kcu  6\6/c\r}pov 
.  .  .  T7]pr)8etij  as  an  interpolation,  unless  the  fact  that  v.  24 
would  fit  on  well  to  the  first  sentence  of  v.  23  be  regarded 
as  such. 

24.  He  who  calls  you]  The  preceding  verse  shows  what  is 

*  But  we  can  hardly  infer  from  this  that  at  this  period  St.  Paul 
did  not  contemplate  any  transformation  of  the  earthly  body  into 
a  heavenly  or  spiritual  body.     There  is  no  evidence  either  way. 


v.24,25]         CHARGES  AND  BENEDICTION  105 

meant.  '  He  who  calls  you  to  be  saints,  has  an  interest  in 
your  sanctification.'  '  Calls,'  not  '  called  '  (0  koXwv,  not 
6  KaXeaas).  He  is  their  Caller,  their  Inviter  ;  that  is  His 
relation  to  the  converts.  See  on  ii.  12  and  cf.  1  Cor.  i.  9. 
is  faithful]  He  will  therefore  be  true  to  His  character  as 
one  who  calls  men  to  a  holy  life  ;  iv.  7.  He  does  not  call 
and  then  leave  those  who  are  called  to  fail  for  want  of  His 
help.  If  they  strive  to  respond  to  His  invitation,  they 
are  sure  to  be  sanctified  and  preserved.  Cf.  Deut.  vii.  9, 
xxxii.  4  ;  Is.  xlix.  7,  15-17.  '  Faithful '  is  emphatic  by  posi- 
tion. The  verse  has  the  ring  of  a  magnificent  confidence. 
Cf.  2  Thess.  iii.  3  ;   1  Cor.  i.  9,  x.  13. 

v.  25-28.    CONCLUDING   CHARGES    AND 
BENEDICTION 

25  Brethren,  pray  for  us.  26  Greet  all  the  brethren  with  an  holy- 
kiss .  27 1  charge  you  by  the  Lord  that  this  Epistle  be  read  unto  all 
the  holy  brethren.  2S  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with 
you.     Amen. 

The  letter  draws  rapidly  to  a  close.  After  three  brief 
injunctions  the  farewell  blessing  is  given.  The  first  injunc- 
tion may  have  been  suggested  by  the  preceding  prayer. 
The  writers  have  just  been  interceding  for  the  Thessalonians. 
They  now  ask  for  their  prayers.  But  St.  Paul  so  often  asks 
for  the  prayers  of  those  whom  he  addresses,  and  so  often 
prays  for  them,  that  there  is  no  need  to  assume  any  con- 
nexion in  this  case  between  the  prayer  and  the  request. 

The  request  shows  us  one  great  difference,  to  which  no 
attention  is  called  in  Scripture,  between  St.  Paul  and  Christ. 
The  Apostle  prays  for  himself  and  for  his  disciples,  and  he 
charges  them  to  pray  for  themselves  and  for  others,  and  in 
particular  for  himself.  Christ  prays  for  Himself  and  for 
His  disciples,  and  He  charges  them  to  pray  for  themselves 
and  for  others  ;  but  He  never  asks  them  to  pray  for  Him. 

After  the  request  to  the  Thessalonians  to  pray  for  their 
three  instructors  in  the  faith  the  Apostle  seems  to  take  up 
the  pen.  This  is  plainly  stated  in  2  Thess.  iii.  17  as  his 
habitual  practice  :   he  writes,  not  merely  the  benedictions 


106  COMMENTARY  ON   1  THESSALONIANS  [v.  25, 26 

but  the  final  salutations  also,  with  his  own  hand.*  This 
letter  is  concluded  in  the  1st  person  singular.  It  is  no  longer 
'  we  '  but  I.  The  salutation  in  v.  26  and  the  concluding 
benediction  come  from  the  Apostle  singly  as  well  as  the 
strong  charge  in  v.  27. 

1  25  Brethren,  pray  for  us. 

26  Convey  my  salutations  to  all  the  brethren  with  a  holy  kiss.  2"  I 
adjure  you  solemnly  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  to  see  to  it  that  this 
letter  be  read  to  all  the  brethren. 

28  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you.' 

25.  Brethren]  See  on  i.  4,  ii.  1. 

pray  for  us]  The  same  preposition  as  in  v.  10  (nepl  vp&v). 
We  have  similar  requests  2  Thess.  hi.  1  ;  Rom.  xv.  30  ; 
Eph.  vi.  19  ;  Col.  iv.  3  ;  and  what  are  virtually  such  requests 
2  Cor.  i.  11  ;  Phil.  i.  19,  Philem.  22.  Here  we  perhaps  ought 
to  add  '  as  well  as  for  yourselves  '  ;  but  the  «at  which 
implies  this  is  omitted  in  some  important  authorities. 
Its  absence  in  2  Thess.  iii.  1  might  lead  to  its  omission  here. 
Its  appropriateness  might  cause  its  insertion  in  either 
passage,  and  it  has  not  been  inserted  in  2  Thess.  iii.  1. 

Those  who  retain  kcli  sometimes  explain  it  as  meaning, 
'  as  we  have  just  prayed  for  you,'  referring  to  v.  23.  But 
'  for  us  also  '  {koi  vrepl  rjfx&v)  would  naturally  mean  '  for 
us  as  well  as  for  yourselves,'  and  this  would  be  a  reference 
to  v.    17. 

26.  Convey  my  salutations]  A  comparison  of  the  other 
passages  in  which  a  '  holy  kiss  '  is  enjoined  (see  below)  con- 
firms the  impression  that  the  salutation  is  from  the  Apostle 
himself  and  not  from  all  three  writers.     It  is  equivalent  to 

*  For  his  habit  of  dictating  his  letters  see  Rom.  xvi.  22  ;  1  Cor. 
xvi.  21  ;  Gal.  vi.  11  ;  Col.  iv.  18.  Possibly  his  hands  were  so  stiff 
with  toil,  or  his  sight  was  so  bad,  that  writing  was  specially  irksome 
to  him.  But  probably  the  chief  reason  was  that  he  could  express 
himself  with  more  freedom  when  he  dictated.  His  adding  a  few 
words  in  his  own  handwriting  is  analogous  to  our  signing  a  letter 
written  for  us  by  another  person.  See  Deissmann,  Light  from  the 
Ancient  East,  pp.  153,  158  ;  Bevan,  S.  Paul  in  the  Light  of  To-Day, 
PP-  53-55- 


v.26,27]         CHARGES  AND  BENEDICTION  107 

our  "  Give  my  love  to  all ;  kiss  them  for  me."  And  the 
salutation  is  addressed,  apparently,  to  all  the  members  of 
the  Church  in  Thessalonica.  There  is  little  to  indicate  that 
a  sudden  turn  is  made  from  the  whole  Church,  who  are 
certainly  addressed  in  vv.  25  and  28,  to  those  who  preside 
over  it  ;  but  it  is  possible  that  vv.  26  and  27  are  addressed 
to  the  first  recipients  of  the  letter.  The  Apostle  sends  a 
holy  kiss  to  each  Christian,  and  the  delivery  of  this  affection- 
ate message  is  to  strengthen  in  all  of  them  affection  for  one 
another.  Similar  messages  are  found  in  the  secular  letters 
of  the  period. 

a  holy  kiss]  The  use  of  this  special  mark  of  affection  (<pl\yfia 
aycov)  is  enjoined  Rom.  xvi.  16  ;  1  Cor.  xvi.  20  ;  2  Cor. 
xiii.  12  ;  also  1  Pet.  v.  14,  where  it  is  called  '  a  kiss  of  love  : 
((f)L\rjfAa  aya7rr)<;).  The  adjective  or  genitive  is  added  to 
distinguish  this  kiss  from  that  which  is  the  expression  of 
ordinary  affection.  We  do  not  know  that  the  use  of  it 
had  already  become  liturgical.  A  century  later  it  had  cer- 
tainly become  so  ;  Justin  Mart.  Apol.  i.  65  ;  Tertull.  De 
Orat.  14  and  18,  Ad  Uxor.  ii.  4.  It  is  often  mentioned  by 
later  writers.  See  Robertson  and  Plummer  on  1  Cor.  xvi. 
20  ;  Plummer  on  2  Cor.  xiii.  12  ;  Diet.  Chris.  Ant.  I.  p.  902  ; 
Suicer,  a<nra<r/x6<;  and  (piXrjfia  ;  E.  A.  Abbott,  The  Law 
of  the  New  Kingdom,  pp.  378  f.  He  points  out  that  nothing, 
except  Lk.  vii.  45,  is  quoted  as  showing  any  Jewish  or 
Gentile  practice  that  might  explain  it. 

27.  I  adjure  you  solemnly]  St.  Paul  here  speaks  with  full 
Apostolic  authority,  and  it  is  the  only  place  in  the  letter  in 
which  he  separates  himself  from  his  two  colleagues  and  does 
so  ;  ii.  18  and  hi.  5  are  not  parallel.  The  expression  {evopKi%a> 
Vftas)  is  a  rare  one,  and  it  is  probably  a  strong  form  of  '  I 
adjure  '  (6ptc%a>),  which  occurs  Mk.  v.  7  and  Acts  xix. 
13,  and,  as  here,  is  followed  by  two  accusatives.  There  is 
a  remarkable  parallel  at  the  end  of  the  Apocalypse  -of 
Baruch  (lxxxvi.  1-3)  ;  "  When,  therefore,  ye  receive  this 
my  epistle,  read  it  in  your  congregations  with  care.  And 
meditate  thereon,  above  all  on  the  days  of  your  fasts. 
And  bear  me  in  mind  by  means  of  this  epistle,  as  I  also  bear 
you  in  mind  in  it  ;  and  always  fare  ye  well." 


108     COMMENTARY   ON    1   THESSALONIANS     [v.  27 

It  is  by  no  means  clear  why  St.  Paul  gives  this  injunction 
in  such  very  strong  language.  It  is  suggested  that  he  had 
a  suspicion  that  his  statements  about  the  Lord's  Coming 
might  be  misrepresented  ;  and  2  Thess.  ii.  2  seems  to  imply 
that  this  had  been  the  case.  He  therefore  insisted  that  every 
one  should  hear  exactly  what  he  said.  Another  suggestion 
is  that  he  feared  that  the  disorderly  persons  mentioned  in  v. 
14  might  try  to  avoid  hearing  the  contents  of  the  letter. 
A  third  suggestion,  made  by  Harnack  and  adopted  by 
K.  Lake,  is  that  there  were  two  congregations  at 
Thessalonica,  one  Gentile  and  the  other  Jewish,  and  that 
this  letter  is  to  be  read  to  both.  Of  this  Jewish  congregation 
we  have  no  evidence  in  the  letter  ;  *  nor  have  we  any  means 
of  deciding  which  of  these  suggestions,  if  any,  is  correct. 

to  see  that  the  letter  be  read]  The  question  is  again  raised 
whether  this  verse,  at  any  rate,  must  not  be  addressed  to 
those  who  preside.  There  is  no  '  must.'  The  letter  would 
be  received  by  a  small  minority  ;  and  whoever  receive  it  are 
to  take  care,  not  merely  that  it  be  passed  round,  but  that 
it  be  read  publicly  to  the  whole  congregation.  Subtle 
calumnies  and  insinuations  had  been  circulated  against  the 
missionaries,  and  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  all  should 
hear  the  answers  to  them.  There  were  serious  shortcomings 
in  the  lives  of  the  converts,  and  it  was  equally  necessary 
that  all  should  be  warned  of  them  and  encouraged  to  do 
better.  It  is  not  likely  that  all  the  converts  could  read  ; 
probably  the  majority  could  not  ;  and  '  read  '  {avayLvcoatceiv) 
here,  as  in  Eph.  iii.  4  and  Col.  iv.  16,  must  mean  '  read 
aloud.'  Cf.  1  Mace.  xiv.  19.  It  is  of  course  probable  that 
the  letter,  in  the  first  instance,  was  delivered  to  leading 
members  of  the  congregation.  The  question  is  not  of 
great  moment. 

It  is  more  important  to  notice  that  this  reading  aloud  in 
the  congregation  led  to  certain  writings  being  regarded  as  of 
special  authority,  and  became  one  of  the  chief  marks  which 

*  Chrysostom  remarks  that  at  Thessalonica  there  were  many 
churches  both  Jewish  and  Hellenic  :  but  he  is  speaking  of  '  the 
church  '  in  each  household  ;    Philem.  2. 


v.  27,28]  CHARGES   AND   BENEDICTION  109 

distinguish  canonical  from  uncanonical  writings.  We  are 
not  to  suppose  that  St.  Paul  meant  that  this  letter  was  to  be 
read  repeatedly  in  public  worship  ;  *  still  less  that  he  ex- 
pected that  it  would  ever  be  regarded  as  Scripture  ;  although 
both  these  things  have  happened.  See  Sanday,  Inspiration 
(Bampton  Lectures),  p.  360  ;   Swete  on  Rev.  i.  3. 

to  all  the  brethren]  The  Christians  in  Thessalonica  are 
meant,  not  those  in  all  Macedonia,  still  less  those  in  all  the 
Churches.  The  insertion  of  '  holy  '  before  '  brethren  '  in 
some  texts  is  probably  an  intentional  or  mechanical  assimi- 
lation to  '  holy  kiss.' 

28.  The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you] 
This  is  the  normal  form  of  the  Apostle's  concluding  bene- 
diction ;  2  Thess.  iii.  18  ;  Gal.  vi.  18  ;  Rom.  xvi.  24.  He 
sometimes  says  '  with  you  all '  or  '  with  your  spirit '  instead 
of  '  with  you  '  ;  and  he  sometimes  omits  '  our  '  or  '  Christ ' 
or  both.  The  fullest  form  is  the  Trinitarian  one  in  2  Cor. 
xiii.  13.  The  shortest  form,  '  Grace  be  with  you,'  is  found 
in  the  later  Epistles  ;  Col.  iv.  18  ;  1  Tim.  vi.  21  ;  2  Tim. 
iv.  22  ;  to  which  '  all '  is  added,  Tit.  iii.  15.  The  liturgical 
use  of  the  '  Grace  '  is  of  course  taken  from  St.  Paul.  On  the 
other  hand  the  '  Amen  '  at  the  end  of  it  is  here,  as  in  most 
places  in  the  N.T.,  an  addition  borrowed  from  the  liturgies. 
It  is  probably  genuine  Gal.  vi.  18  and  Jude  25. 

This  concluding  benediction  takes  the  place  of  the  ordinary 
'  Fare  ye  well '  {eppwaOe,  Acts  xv.  29)  or  '  Farewell '  (eppaxro, 
which  many  authorities  insert  Acts  xxiii.  30) .  Other  forms 
are  '  I  wish  you,  or  thee,  farewell '  (ippcoaOai  u/^a?,  or  ere 
evxofiai).     Cf.  3  Jn.  2. 

The  subscription,  '  First  unto  Thessalonians,'  is  a  late 
addition  ;  and  '  was  written  from  Athens  '  is  a  still  later 
addition  which  states  what  is  incorrect.  The  letter  was 
written  from  Corinth.     See  Introduction,  p.  xiii. 

*  The  aorist  (dvayvwaOrjvai)  could  not  mean  this.  Hence  there 
is  more  point  than  fairness  in  Bengel's  comment,  Quod  Paulus  cum 
adjuratione  jubet,  id  Roma  sub  anathemate  prohibet. 


Indexes 


INDEX   I.      GENERAL 


Abbott,  E.  A.,  7,  51,  54,  83,  97,  107 

Achaia,  12 

Acts,   1  Thessalonians  independent 

of,  xii,  24,  43 
Advent,  Second,  8,  14,  41,  67,  104 
Affliction,  the  lot  of  Christians,  8, 

11,  45 

The  problem  of,  46 
Air,  77 
Alford,  xxvii 
Alliteration,  7 
Amen,  54,  109 

Analysis  of  the  Epistle,  xix,  xx 
Angels,  54,  75 

Apocalypse  of  Baruch,  16,  17,  107 
'  Apostle,'  Title  of,  1,  2,  22 
Apostolic  Decree,  59 
'  Appeal,'  20 
Appian  Way,  71 
Archangel,  75 
Arrian,  65 
Article,  Absence  of  the,  75,  82,  85 

Force  of  the,  vii,  7,  63 

Repetition  of  the,  63 
Arthur,  King,  41 
'  Asia,'  Meaning  of,  v 
Asleep,  Falling,  69,  74 
Assembly,  3,  30 
Athanasius,  52 
Athens,  xvii,  43 

Speech  at,  xiv,  14 
Augustine,  22,  60,   70,   72,  77,  97, 

99.  104 
Authenticity    of    1    Thessalonians, 

x-xii,  2,  43,  74 
Avenger,  Christian,  62 
A.V.,  Defects  in  the,  9,  15,  30,  32, 

43.  45.  62,  82,  104 
Bacon,  B.  W.,  xi 

Baruch,  Apocalypse  of,  16,  17,  107 
Baur,  F.  C,  x,  43 


Benediction,  Concluding,  1,  109 
Bengel,  23,  26,  40,  61,  70,  109 


Berkeley,  Bishop,  v 
Beroea,  xvi,  xvii,  43,  65 
Bigg,  C,  60 
Bleek,  44 

Body,  The  human,  60 
Bondservants,  13,  14 
Bornemann,  xi,  xxviii 
Brethren,  9,  19,  24,  94 
Brightman,  104 
Brother,  19,  61 
Brooke,  A.  E.,  42 
Building  as  a  metaphor,  89 
Burkitt,  F.  C,  35 
Burton,  E.  de  W.,  ix 

Cabiri,  Worship  of  the,  ix,  21 
Cassander,     Founder     of     Thessa- 

lonica,  viii 
Chase,  F.  H.,  xv,  20 
Chiasmus,  86 
Christ  Jesus,  30 
Christology,  xxvi,  4,  15,  52,  62 
Chrysostom,  3,  8,  13,  25,  35,  45,  48, 

52,  59,  60,  64,  72,  102,  108 
Church  workers,  91 
Cicero,  58.  71,  87 
Clement  of  Rome,  xi,  66 
Climax,  Inverted,  33 
Clouds,  77 
Comfort,  49,  79 

Coming,  Second,  8,  14,  41,  67,  104 
Commentaries,  xxvi,  xxvii 
Compound   verbs,    13,   32,   38,   43, 

49,  50,  62,  107 
Congregation,  Reading  to  the,  108 
Constructions,  Broken.  37,  40,  41 
Converts  in  Thessalonica,  xv,  xvi, 

3,   11,   13,  24,  26,  49,  51,  65, 

66,  67 
Conybeare  and  Howson,  ix,  71 
Contradictory  aspects  in  Scripture, 

27,  84 
Corinth,  xiii,  63 
Coverdale,  3,  22 
Crown,  Different  kinds  of,  40 


111 


112 


INDEX 


Dalman,  27 

Darkness,  85 

Date  of  1  Thessalonians,  xiii,  68 

Dative,  Possessive,  26 

'  Day  of  the  Lord,'  82 

'  Day,  The,'  85 

Dead,  Sorrowing  for  the,  69-71 

Deissmann,  19,  39,  42,  79,  86,  106 

Denney,  xxvii,  65,  88 

Destruction  of  Jerusalem,  35 

'  Devout  '  heathen,  xvi,  15,  24 

De  Wette,  32,  34 

Dictation  of  letters,  37,  41,   106 

Didache,  59,  73,  93,  94,  100,  101 

Divine  witness,  Appeal  to,   8,  25, 

41.  50,  54 
Dobschiitz,  vii,  xi,  xxviii,  92 
Driver,  70 
Duration    of    the    mission    to    the 

Thessalonians,  xvi,  13,  24,  53 

Election,  9 

Ellicott,  xxvii,  76 

Emphasis,  7,  42,  50,  51,  54,  63,  65, 

83-  84,  85,  103,  105 
Endurance,  8 
Enoch,  Secrets  of,  35,  77 
Epictetus,  66 
Erasmus,  9 

Eschatology  symbolical,  75 
Realistic,  28 

Findlay,  xxvii,  4 
First  person  plural,  7,  21,  23,  39 
Forgeries,  Early  Christian,  xii 
Forgery,    1    Thessalonians    not    a, 

xii,  2,  43,  74 
Frame,  J.  E.,  xi,  xxvii 

Galatians,  Date  of,  xiii 

Genitive,    Characterizing,    29,    40, 

103 
Genitives,  Accumulation  of,  8 
'  God,  Our,'  20,  50 
'  God-fearers,'  xvi,  15,  24 
Gospel,  10 

'  Gospel  of  Christ,'  45 
'  Gospel  of  God,'  20 
Gospels  not  written  when  St.  Paul 

wrote,  xxiii,  10 
Grace,  109 
'Grace  and  peace,'  4 

Harnack,  xi,  xxiii,  13,  92,  108 
Headlam,  75 
Heart  or  hearts,  21 


Heathen,  Instruction  to  the,  xiv 

Hopelessness,  70,  71 

Immorality,  21,  58,  61 

Ignorance  of  God,  61 
Heaven  or  heavens,  15 
Hermas,  xi 
Hilgenfeld,  xi 
'  Holy  ones,'  54 
Holy  Spirit,  63,  76 
Hope,   the   dominant   note  in   the 

Epistle,  8,  14,  41,  67,  70,  88 
Hort,  3,  32,  92 
Hymns  in  the  N.T.,  78 
Hyperbole,  13 

Idolatry,  7,  13,  14,  20,  21 
Imitation  of  the  Apostle,  11,  30 
Importance  of  this  Epistle,  xiii-xv 
Impurity,  Warnings  against,  58-64 
Interpolations,  4,  54,  109 

wrongly  suspected,  32,  58,  104 
Irenaeus,  xi 

Jacquier,  13 

Jason,  xvi,  40 

Jerome,  98,  100 

Jewish  apocalyptic,  74,  75 

Jewish    and   Gentile  converts,  53, 

108 
Jews,  at  Thessalonica,  xvi,  13 
Hostility  of,  xvi,  xvii,  1 7,  20,  3 1 , 

33 
Josephus,  101 
Jowett,  B.,  xi,  xii,  xxvii,  6,  41,  50, 

58,  84 
Joy,  Christian,  96,  97 
Jubilees,  Book  of,  35 
Judgment,  14,  41,  42,  74 
Julicher,  xi,  32,  40 
Justin  Martyr,  107 
Juvenal,  33,  87 

Kant,  98 

Kennedy,  H.  H.  A.,  44 

'  Kingdom  of  God,'  27,  67 

'  Kiss,  Holy,'  107 

Knowledge,  Appeals  to,   10,   19,  26 

Knowledge  of  God,  61 

Knowling,  16,  76,   83 

Lake,  K,  61,  63,  68,  72,  108 
Letter     from     the     Thessalonians 

improbable,   xviii,   29,  43,   48, 

64,  68 
Lewin,  xiii 
Lightfoot,  xxiii,  xxviii,  14,  29,  40, 

52,  60,  71,  85,  89,  91,  101 


INDEX 


ii3 


Lock,  W.,  xxviii 

'Lord,  The'  (of  Christ),  4,  11,  53, 

62 
'  Love  of  the  brethren,'  64 
Lucian,  66 

Macedonia,  viii,  12 

Macedonians,  Character  of  the,  v, 

vi,  64 
St.  Paul's  affection  for  the,  57 
McGiffert,  xi,  xii,  xxviii 
Marcion,  xi 
Mark,   Gospel  of,   unknown  to  St. 

Paul,  xxiii,  10 
Miletus,  Speech  at,  26,  63,  93 
Military  metaphors,  87 
Mission  at   Thessalonica,  Duration 

of  the,  xvi,  3,  24,  53 
Missionary  centres,  vi,  vii,  65 
Moffatt,  xi,  xii,  79 
Mommsen,  vi 
Montefiore,  xiv,  xv 
Montgomery,  98 
Moulton,  72 

Muratorian  fragment,  xi 
Mystery-religions,  68 

Nearness  of  the  Advent,  1 6,  67,  74, 

83 
Negative,  Strong  form  of,  74,  84 
Neo-Platonism,  60 
'  Night  and  day,'  24 

Occasion  and  Object  of  the  Epistle, 

xv— xviii 
O.T.,   Echoes  of  the,  xx-xxii,  21, 

61,  62,  64,  76,  82,  84,  87,  95 
Origen,  2,  97,  100,  103 
'  Orthodox  City,  The,'  viii 
Ovid  on  death,  71 

Paley,  68 

Papyri,  7,  40,  69,  94 
Paradox,  65 

Parallels  in  2  Corinthians,  31,  49 
'  Parousia,'  42,  104 
Paul,  St.,  Nowhere  in  the  Epistles 
called  '  Saul,'  39 
Affection  for  his  converts,  9,  26, 

36,  5°.  57.  69 
Methods  of  instruction,  xiv 
Tactfulness,  11,  58,  69,  89 
Indignation    against    the    Jews, 

31-35 
Reticence,  78 
Handicraft,  24,  25 
View  of  the  Mission  to  Europe,  v 
Hope  about  the  Coming,  74 


Peace,  4,  93,  103 

Perfect  tense,  Force  of  the,  12,  13, 

19,  21 
Persecution,  xvi,  8,  11,  32,  41,  67, 

72 
Philippi,  v,  19,  98 

Why  chosen  as  a  starting-point, 

vi 
Plato,  71 
Pleasing  God,  33 
'  Pledge  '  of  Jason,  xvi,  40 
Plotinus,  60 
Politarchs,  ix,  xvi,  47 
Polycarp,  xi 
Possessive  dative,  26 
Prayer,  7,  52,  97,  102,  105 
Preposition,  Repetition  of,  12 

Change  of,  21,  63 
Presbyters,  92 

Present  participle,  15,  27,  69,  105 
Present  tense,  Prophetic,  83 
Pronouns,    Emphatic,    10,    19,    34, 

42,  43-  50.  52,  53.  74.  84,  85, 

103 
Prophesying,  99 
Prophets,  Christian,  100 

Jewish,  32 
Psychology,  104 
Punctuation,  Questions  of,  40,  86, 


'  Q,'  Had  St.  Paul  seen,  xxiii,  10 
Quotations  from  the  O.T.,  xx-xxii, 
21,  62,  64,  76,  82,  84,  87,  95 

Rackham,  xvii,  40 
Ramsay,  W.,  xiii,  39,  79 
Reading  to  the  congregation,  108 
Readings,   Various,   4,    12,   23,   44, 

54,  57,  64,  85,  94,  100,  106,  109 
Renan,  xi,  24,  49,  53,  59,  92,  99 
Rendall,  xiii 

Resurrection,  15,  69,  72,  76 
Return,  Christ's,  8,  14,  41,  67,  104 
Robertson,  A.,  28,  107 
Robertson,  A.  T.,  8,  14,  39,  72 
Robinson,  J.  A.,  4,  21,  30 
Ropes,  19,  30,  40,  44 
R.V.,  Defects  in  the,  9,  15,  32,  43, 

45 

Sabatier,  xi,  15 
Saints,  3,  54 
Salmon,  x,  68,  92 
Salutations,  1,  4,  106 
Salvation  open  to  all,  33 
Sanday,  xxviii,  4,  31,  92,  109 


U4 


INDEX 


Sanday  and  Headlam,  4,  15,  74,  99 

Satan,  xvii,  40,  47,  53 

Sayings  of  Christ,  Resemblances  to, 

xxii-xxvi,   11,  27,   33,  45,  54, 

63.  73.  85,  86,  94,  96 
Schaff,  91 

Schmiedel,  xi,  xxviii 
Secrets  of  Enoch,  35,  77 
Seneca,  27,  46,  61,  71 
Sensuality  disclaimed  by  St.  Paul, 

21 
Septuagint,   Reminiscences  of  the, 

xx-xxii,  21,  61,  62,  64,  76,  82, 

84.  87,  95 
Servius  Sulpicius,  79 
'  Shortcomings,'  51 
Sibylline  Oracles,  61 
Silas,  xv,  xvii,  43,  47 

Identity  with  Silvanus,  2 
Simcox,  W,  92 
Singular  or  plural,  12,  85 
'  Son  of  God,'  15 
'  Sons  of  light,'  85 
Sorrowing  for  the  dead,  69,  70 
Spiritual  gifts,  93,  99 
Stephen's  speech,  Parallel  to,  32 
Subscription,  43,  109 
Suicer,  101 

Swete,  xx,  3,  16,  79,  109 
Symbolism,  75 
Synagogues  and  Christian  missions, 


Tacitus,  33 

'  Tempter,  The,'  47 

'  Tentmaker,'  24 

Tertullian,  104,  107 

Testaments  of  the  XII  Patriarchs, 

35-  42 
Testing,  21,  100 
Thackeray,  77 


Thankfulness,  50,  98 
Thanksgiving  in  letters,  5,  16,  29 
Theodore  of  Mopsuestia,  60 
Theodoret,  9 
Theodosius,  45 
Therma,  vii 

Thessalonica,  vii-x,  xvi,  58,  66 
Length  of  the  mission  to,  xvi,  13, 

24 

Afflictions  of,  45 

Immorality  of,  24,  25,  66 
Timothy,  xvii,  2,  29,  43,  44,  47 
Tozer,  ix 
Travail-pangs,  84 
Trench,  3,  8,  19,  22,  57,  102,  103 
'  True  God,'  14 
'  Trumpet  of  God,'  76 
Turner,  C.  H.,  xiii,  xxvi 

'  Vessel,'  59,  60 

Via  Egnatia,  vi,  vii,  xv,  13,  65 

Vulgate,  23,  57,  62,  87 

Defects  in,  23,  28,  30,  81,  87 

Warfield,  81 

Way,  A.  S.,  xxvii,  78 

Weinel,  11,25 

Weiss,  B.,  75 

Wendt,  xi 

Westcott,  1 01,  104 

Wette,  De,  32,  34 

Will  of  God,  59,  98 

Witness,  Appeals  to  Divine,  8,  25, 

4i.  50.  54 
Wohlenberg,  xxviii,  34 
Women  converts,  viii,  ix,  xvi,  25 
'  Word  of  the  Lord,'  73 
'  Wrath,'  15,  34 

Zahn,  x,  xiii,  2,  7,  23,  45,  48,  73,  84 
Zeller,  ix 


INDEX  II.     GREEK 


dyados,  48,  96 
dydiri],  64 
dyawr)Tbs,   23 
&yeii>,  73 
ayia.(Tfj.6s,  59 
#7101,   54 
dyiwcrvvri,  54 
070!!',  20 
d8e\<pos,  24,  44 
d5taXet7TTws,  7 
<W,  34,  78 
<"7P,  77 
dfleTeii/,  63 
al(pvl5ios,  83 
dKadapvia,  21 

dicpiftws,  82 

d\?;^tj'6s,  14 

a/ia,  76 

dfx£p.irTWs,  25,  104 

dvayivwcTKeiv,  1 08 

d^d^/CT;,  49 

dva.tr\7)povv,  34 

dpraTToSowcu,  50 

dvr£xe^Oai,  95 

dVW,  38,  96 

dTrd^TTjcrtj,  77 

d7ro5t56cat,  96 

diropcpavL^eiVy  38 

dirwXeta,  16,  83 

dpa  o5i>,  86 

dprt,  48 

dra/cros,  94 

7dp,  19,  42 
ylvevdcu,  II,  26 
ypriyopetv,  86 

S<?,  38,  52,  64,  94,  102 
deofj-tvoi,  51 
8<?x°Ma',  30 
did  (c.  ace),  29,  50,  93 

(<r.  gen.),  58,  72 
didSrjfxa,  40 
SidKovos,  44 
8ia/xapH'p€<r0ai,  62 
5t5acrxa\fa,  20 
StSaxJ?,  20 
BiKaiut,  25 
5«5,  89 


diwKeiv,  32,  96 
doKifidfeiv,  21,  IOO 
SouXetfeti',  13 
St/va^tus,  10 

^dv  (c.  indie.),  50 
eldivai,  9 1 
eTSos,  101 
elpt)vetieiv%  94 

eis  Kei^y,  47 

eis  Trept.Trol-q<rivt  88 

e£s  tAos,  34 

eis  t6,  34 

ei's  u/zds,  64 

els  rdy   eVa,  89 

ei'croSos,  19 

e«,    15 

^K  TrXdi'TjS,  20 

£k8iwk(iv,  32 

€KK\7]aia,  3,  30 

€k\o7T7,  9 

ev,  3,  IO,  21,  76 

^v  pdpei,  22 

ev  /i^<ry,  23 

^  wdXXrj  eTndvfJ.(<},  39 

^j/  7raiTt,  98 

&  rdxa,  16 

evtpyelcrdai,  30 

ivKOwreiv,  40 

i^XVTal>  I2 
e7rt  (c.  gen.),  7 

f«r.  <&/.)>  63 

(f.  arc),  34 

lirifiapeiv,  2$ 
iiri6v/j.ta,  39,  6 1 
€Tri<?Tpt<t>ei.v,  13 
epydfecrdai,  66 
Zpyov,  8 
epwTav,  57 
ei)a77e\ifw,  48 
evcrxwdews,  66 
£t)xap<0"'"e«',  5 
ei>XapiOT/a,  5,  50 
((picrrdvat,  84 

rip.£pa  KVpiov,  82 
T/cri'xdfa!',  66 

daX-reiv,  23 
115 


n6 


INDEX 


6&VCLT0S,  16 

dtXrifia.  rov  GeoO,  59 
6eo5i8a.KTos,  65 
Geo's,  6;  7,  13,  30 
Oipfia,  vii. 
0\i\J/is,  49 

Kaddwep,  49,  6 1 

Kadevdeiv,  86 

Kaddis,  10,  21,  31,  61 

/ca£,  doubled,  31,  32 
intensive,  41 
responsive,  29 

Kal  ydp,  46 

Kcup6s,    38,  81 

ko.k6v  dvrl  kcikov,  96 

KaXaV,  27,  105 

ko\6s,  IOI 

Kapdia,  39,  cf.  21,  54 

Ka.Take«j)dr)vai,  43 

KaTaprlfciv,  51 

K<XTev0!ji>eiv,  53 

k£kti)ct9<u,  60 

K^\evcr/J.a,  75 

Ktvos,  19,  47 

KOL/xdadai,  69,  72 

A'oXa/ce^a,  22 

KOiriav,  91 

kottos,  8,  24 

KToiffOai,  60 

Xoyos  Kvplov,  73 
Xot7r6^,  57 

fj.aicp6dvpt.os,  95 
ix-aWov,  58 
/xaprvpeTcrOai,  26 
/jl^Wcj,  16 
ju&>  without  5^,  39 
yuerd,  78 

y577Ttot,  23 
vf)<f>eivt  86 
poi/0ere?i',  93 
i/Ov,  48 

ot'Sare,  10,  1 9 
choSofietv,  89 
6\edpos,  16,  83 
6\iy6\f/vxos,  95 
6\6k\t]pos,  103 
oXoreXijs,  103 
6<r/ws,  25 
^'rav  .  .  .  t6t6 
fir*,  9 

oy  /*??,  74,  84 
0^,  57 
cvpavds,  77 


7rd0os,  61 

7rd^T0Te,  34,  48,  78,  96 
7ra/)a7yeXfa,  58 
irapaKa.\eii>,  26,  45,  49,  57 
■7rap&K\7jGis,  20,  26 
Trapa\a/j.(3&peu>,  29 
irapovcria,  42 
■jretpdfwf,  6,  47 
Tre/Ji,   64,   88,   106 
TrepnroLrjcris,   88 
7ritrTeii^^cai,  21 
irXavr),  20 
TrXeoveKTeiV,  6 1 
7rXeoye^a,  22 
■jrXrjpotpopla,   10 
irveviia,    104 
TroXirapxai,  ix 
■Kovqpbi,   102 
iropvda,  59 
npayiia,  62 
TrpoKTrdfievoi,  91 
wpos  Kaipbv  upas,  38 
TT/Oos  i^tas,   46 
TrpocrevxVi  vi 
irpdawirov,    39,   51 
vpocpacns,  22 

pvo/ievos,  6,   15 

aalveadai,  45 
ffKevos,  59 
trriyeiv,  43 
aricpavos,  40 
(rrriKeiv,  50 
cvfJ.<pv\4Tat,  31 
ffifr,  76,  78,  89 
(rwepyds,  44 

TOtyapoOv,  63 

T157TOS,    12 
Ttp=TlPl,  62 

t/toi  <p(i)r6s,  85 
uWp,  45,  88 
virepfiaiveiv,  61 
virepeKTepiacroO,  5 1 
vironovr),  8 
vuTiprj/xa,  51 

00di/w,  34,  35,  74 
4>i\a5e\<pla,  64 
<pi\yjfj.a  &yiov,  107 
<pi\onne?(r6at,  65 

X<*<P<*.  4 
X/wvoi,  8l 

^Xi7,  103 

lis  .  .  .  oirrws,  83 


Printed  in  Great  Britain  for  Robert  Scott,  Publiiher,  Pateb»osteb  How,  Loudon,  E.C„ 

*y_BUTLEB   &  TAXKEH,  FBOHB 


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