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ary 


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dnternational Gritical Commentary 
on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and 


δου Cestaments 





UNDER THE EDITORSHIP OF 


THE REV. SAMUEL ROLLES DRIVER, D.D. 
Regius Professor of Hebrew, Oxford 


THE REV. ALFRED PLUMMER, M.A., D.D. 
Late Master of University College, Durham 


AND 


THE REV. CHARLES AUGUSTUS BRIGGS, D.D. 
Professor of Theological Encyclopedia and Symbolics 
Union Theological Seminary, New York 





THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL COMMENTARY. 


For DrrarLep LIsT OF THE 


TWENTY-FIVE VOLUMES NOW READY 
See end of Volume. 


The following other Volumes are in course of preparation :— 
THE OLD TESTAMENT. 


Exodus. A. Β. 8S. Kennepy, D.D., Professor of Hebrew, University of Edinburgh. 

Leviticus. J. F. Srenninea, M.A., Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford ; and the late 
H. A. Wuite, M.A., Fellow of New College, Oxford. 

Joshua. GrorGe ApaM Situ, D.D., LL.D., Principal of Aberdeen University. 

Kings. Francis Brown, D.D., Litt.D., LL.D., Professor of Hebrew and Cognate 


Languages, Union Theological Seminary, New York. 
Ezra and Nehemiah. L. W. Barren, D.D., late Professor of Hebrew, P. E. Divinity School, 


Philadelphia. 

Ruth, Song of Songs C. A. Brices, D.D., Professor of Theological Encyclopedia and Symbolics, 

and Lamentations, Union Theological Seminary, New York. 

Isaiah, chs. 28-66. G. BucHANAN Gray, D.D., Mansfield College, Oxford; and A. 8. PEarg, 
D.D., University of Manchester. 

Jeremiah. A. F. Kirkpatrick, D.D., Dean of Ely. 

Ezekiel. G. A. Cooxk, D.D., Fellow of Oriel College, and C. F. Burney, D.Litt., 
Fellow and Lecturer in Hebrew, St. John’s College, Oxford. 

Daniel. Joun P. Perers, D.D., late Professor of Hebrew, P. E. Divinity 


School, Philadelphia, now Rector of St. Michael's Church, New York. 


THE NEW TESTAMENT. 


Synopsis of the W. Sanpay, D.D., LL.D., Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, and 
Four Gospels. Canon of Christ Church, Oxford; and W. C. ALLEN, M.A., Principal 
of Egerton Hall. 
John. Joun Henry BERNARD, D.D., Dean of St. Patrick and Lecturer in Divinity, 
University of Dublin. 
Acts. C. H. Turner, M.A., Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford; and H. N. 


Bate, M.A., late Fellow and Dean of Divinity in Magdalen College, 
Oxford, now Vicar of St. Stephen's, Hampstead, and Examining 
Chaplain to the Bishop of London. 

2nd Corinthians. — The Right Rev. ArcH. Ropertson, D.D., Lord Bishop of Exeter; and 
ALFRED Prummer, M.A., D.D., formerly Master of University 
College, Durham. 

Galatians. Ernest Ὁ. Burton, D.D., Professor of New Testament Literature, 
University of Chicago. 


The Pastoral Epistles. Wavrer Lock, D.D., Dean Ireland's Professor of Exegesis, Oxford. 


Hebrews. JaMES Morratr, D.D., Professor in Mansfield College, Oxford. 

James. James H. Ropes, D.D., Bussey Professor of New Testament Criticism in 
Harvard University. 

Revelation. Rospert H. Cuarvegs, D.D., D.Litt., Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, 


Grinfield Lecturer on the Septuagint and Speaker’s Lecturer in 
Biblical Studies. 


Other engagements will be announced shortly. 


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RHE EPISTLES OF ST. PAUL 
TO THE THESSALONIANS 





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Whe-~ - 
ay 
THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL COMMENTARY 


A 
eRIEICAL AND EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY 


ON THE 


Metonweits OF Sl. PAUL 
mo THE LHESSALONIANS 


BY 


JAMES, EVERETTE FRAME 


PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGY, UNION THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY» NEW YORK 


Dees 
ΓΝ 


EDINBURGH 
T. & T. CLARK, 38 GEORGE STREET 


LOE? 


¥ 


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LAAT 





CONTENTS 


ABBREVIATIONS . 
PNTRODUCTION ὐ-- -- 


§ I. FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH OF THE THESSALONIANS 
(1) From ANTIOCH TO PHILIPPI 5 
(2) From ῬΗΙΠΙΡΡῚ TO THESSALONICA . . 
(3) FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH 
(4) CHARACTER OF THE CHURCH . 


§ 1. Tse First LETTER 
(1) From π᾿ TO (Coane 
(2) Prace, DATE, AND OCCASION . 
(3) CONTENTS 
(CQ PDISPOSTTION utente te ee Πρ π᾿- 


§ III. Tse Seconp LETTER 
(1) OCCASION . : 
(2) PLacE, DATE, AND fererore . 
(3) CONTENTS ὃ 
(4) RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS 
(5) DISPOSITION. . . . 


§ IV. LANGUAGE AND PERSONAL EQUATION . 
(1) WorDs 
(2) PHRASES : 
(3) PERSONAL παλτοῖς 


§ V. ΑΥΤΗΕΝΤΙΟΙΤΥ oF I 
(1) EXTERNAL EVIDENCE . 
(2) Baur’s CRITICISM . 
(3) Priority oF Il. : 
(4) THEORIES OF INTERPOLATION . 


§ VI. Avtuenticity oF II. : 
(1) ANTECEDENT PROBABILITY . 
(2) History OF THE CRITICISM 
(3) OBJECTION FROM ESCHATOLOGY 


(4) OpyEcTION FROM LITERARY RESEMBLANCES 


(A) STATEMENT OF THE CASE 
(B) HypoTHEsiIs OF FORGERY 


(5) HypoTHEsIs OF GENUINENESS . - - - 


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vi CONTENTS 


ὃ VII. Tse Text 
ὃ VIII. ComMMENTARIES . 
COMMENTARY . ..: 4104.42 oe 


INDEXES: 
I. SusByEcTS AND AUTHORS. 


II. Greek WorDS AND PHRASES . 


315 
310 


ABBREVIATIONS 


AJT. =The American Journal | 
of Theology (Chicago). 

Ambst. = Ambrosiaster. 

BDB. = Brown, Driver, Briggs, 
Heb.-Eng. Lexicon. 

Bee = Ἐς Blass, Grammatik des 
neutestamentlichen 
Griechisch (1896, 
19022). 

BMT. =E. Ὁ. Burton, Syntax of | 
the Moods and Tenses 
in N. T. Greek (18098*). | 

Born. = Bornemann. | 

Bousset, Relig. = W. Bousset, Die 

Religion des Ju- 
dentums im neu- 
testamentlichen 
Zeitalter (1906?). 
Calv. = Calvin. 
Charles, Eschat. = R. H. Charles, 
Eschatology, 
Hebrew, Jewish, 
and Christian 
(1899). 
Chrys. = Chrysostom. 


Deiss. BS.= A. Deissmann, Bzbel- 
studien (1895). 
NBS. = Neue Bibelstudien (1897). 


Light = Light from the Ancient 
East (1910) = Licht 
vom Osten (1909'). 
DeW. = De Wette. 
Dob. = Ermst von Dobschiitz, 
ΕΒ. = The Encyclopedia Bib- 


ἴσα (London, 1899- 











1903; ed. J. 9. Black 
and T. K. Cheyne). 


EGT. =The Expositor’s Greek 
Testament (ed. W. R. 
Nicoll, 1897-1910). 

Einl. = Einleitung in das N. T. 

Ell. = Ellicott. 

Ephr. = Ephraem Syrus. 

ERE. = Encyclopedia of Religion 
and Ethics (ed. J. 
Hastings, 1909 ff.). 

Exp. = The Expositor (London; 


ed. W. R. Nicoll). 
Exp. Times= The Expository Times 
(Edinburgh; ed. J. 
Hastings). 


Find. = G.G. Findlay. 

GGA. = Gdotting. Gelehrte Anzei- 
gen. 

GMT. =W.W. Goodwin, Syntax 
of the Moods and 
Tenses of the Greek 
Verb (1890). 

Grot. |= HugodeGroot (Grotius). 

Hatch, Essays = E. Hatch, Essays 

in Biblical Greek 
(1889). 

HC. = Holtzmann’s Handcom- 
mentar zum Neuen Tes- 
tament. 

HDB. = Hastings’ Dictionary of 
the Bible (1898-1904). 

LEC = International Critical 


Commentary. 
Introd. = Introduction to the N. T. 


vii 


Viil 


JBL. = The Journal of Biblical 
Literature (New York). 

JTS. = The Journal of Theolog- 
ical Studies. 


Kennedy, Last Things = H. A. A. 
Kennedy, St. Paul’s 
Conceptions of the Last 
Things (1904). 
Sources = Sources of N. 
T. Greek (1895). 


Lit. = Lightfoot. 

Lillie = John Lillie, Epistles of 
Paul to the Thessalo- 
nians, Translated from 
the Greek, with Notes 
(1856). 

Liin. = Liinemann. 

Lxx. = The Old Testament in 
Greek (ed. H. B. Swete, 
1887-94). 

Meyer = Kritisch-exegetischer 


Komm. iiber das N. T. 
Migne, ΡΟ. τε Patrologi@ series gra- 


ca. 
PL. = Patrologia series la- 
lina. 
Mill. = George Milligan. 
Moff. = James Moffatt. 


Moult. = James Hope Moulton, A 
Grammar of N. T. 


Greek, I (1906). 


NKZ.- =WNeue_ hkirchliche Zeit- 
schrift. 

PRE. = Real-Encyclopidie fiir 
protest. Theologie u. 
Kirche (3d ed. Hauck, 
1896-1909). 

RTP. = Review of Theology and 
Philosophy. 


Ruther. = W. G. Rutherford, St. 
Paul’s Epistles to the 


ABBREVIATIONS 


Thess. and Corinthi- 
ans. A New Transla- 
tion (1908). 


SBBA. = Sitzungsberichte der kd- 
niglich. Preuss. Akad. 
der Wissenschaften su 
Berlin. 

Schiirer = E. Schiirer, Geschichte des 
Jiidischen Volkes im 
Zeitalter Jesu Christi 
(4th ed., 1901-9). 

SH. = Comm. on Romans in 
ICC. by W. Sanday 
and A. C. Headlam. 

= C. A. Briggs, General In- 
troduction to the Study of 
Holy Scripture (1899). 

= Studien und Kritiken. 

= Die Schriften des N. T. 
(1907-8; ed. J. Weiss). 

= Hermann Freiherr von 
Soden. 

Soph. Lex. = E. A. Sophocles, Greek 
Lexicon of the Roman 
and Byzantine Peri- 
ods (revised by J. H. 
Thayer, 1887, 1900). 


SHS. 


SK. 
SNT. 


Sod. 


Thay. = Joseph Henry Thayer, 
Greek-English Lexicon 

of the N. T. (1880). 
Th. Mops.= Theodore of Mopsues- 
tia, in epistolas Pauli 
commentarii (ed. H. 
B. Swete, 1880-82). 


Tisch. = Tischendorf. 

TLZ. =Theologische Literatur- 
seitung. 

DS; = Texts and Studies (Cam- 
bridge). 

11). = Texte und Untersuchun- 
gen sur Geschichte der 
alichristlichen Litera- 
lur. 


ABBREVIATIONS ΙΧ 


Vincent = Μ. R. Vincent, Word | Witk. © = St. Witkowski, Epistule 





Studies in the N. T., Private Grece (1906). 
vol. IV, 1900. Wohl. = Wohlenberg. 
Viteau - J. Viteau, Etude sur le | WS. =P. W. Schmiedel, 8th 
Grec du N. T. (I, 1893, ed. of Winer’s Gram- 
II, 1896). matik (1894 ff.). 
Volz, Eschat. = Paul Volz, Jiidische 
Eschatologie DOM) Ὁ Zit. = F. Zimmer, Der Text der 
Daniel bis Akiba Thessalonicherbricfe 
(1903). (1893). 
Weiss = Β. Weiss in TU. XIV, 3 ZNW. = Preuschen’s Zeitschrift 
(1806). fiir die neutestament- 
WH. = The New Testament in liche Wissenschaft. 
the Original Greck | ZTK. = Zeitschrift fiir Theologie 
(1881; I, Text, II, In- und Kirche. 
troductionandAppen- | ZWT. = Zeitschrift fiir Wissen- 
dix). schaftliche Theologie. 


N. B. The Old Testament is cited from the Greek text (ed. Swete), 
the New Testament from the text of WH., and the Apostolic Fathers 
from the editio quarta minor of Gebhardt, Harnack, and Zahn (1902). 
For Ethiopic Enoch (Eth. En.), Slavonic Enoch (Slav. En.), Ascension 
of Isaiah (Ascen. Isa.), Assumption of Moses (Ass. Mos.), Apocalypse 
of Baruch (Apoc. Bar.), Book of Jubilees (Jub.), and Testaments of 
the Twelve Patriarchs (Test. xii), the editions of R. H. Charles have 
been used; for the Psalms of Solomon (Ps. Sol.), the edition of Ryle 
and James; and for the Fourth Book of Ezra (4 Ezra), that of Bensly 
and James. 

By I is meant 1 Thessalonians and by II, 2 Thessalonians. 


INTRODUCTION. 


§ I. FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH OF THE 
THESSALONIANS. 


(1) From Antioch to Philippi.—tt was seventeen years after 
God had been pleased to reveal his Son in him, and shortly after 
the momentous scene in Antioch (Gal. 2" *-) that Paul in com- 
pany with Silas, a Roman citizen who had known the early 
Christian movement both in Antioch and in Jerusalem, and with 
Timothy, a younger man, son of a Gentile father and a Jewish 
mother, set forth to revisit the Christian communities previously 
established in the province of Galatia by Paul, Barnabas, and 
their helper John Mark. Intending to preach the gospel in 
Western Asia, they made but a brief stay in Galatia and headed 
westward presumably for Ephesus, only to be forbidden by the 
Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; and again endeavouring 
to go into Bithynia were prevented by the Spirit of Jesus. Hav- 
ing come down to Troas, Paul was inspired by a vision to under- 
take missionary work in Europe; and accordingly set sail, along 
with the author of the ‘‘we’’-sections, from Troas and made a 
straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Nea- 
polis; and from thence to Philippi (Acts 151°-16"). The ex- 
periences in that city narrated by Acts (16!4°), Paul nowhere 
recounts in detail; but the persecutions and particularly the 
insult offered to the Roman citizenship of himself and Silas 
(Acts 1637) affected him so deeply that he could not refrain from 
telling the Thessalonians about the matter and from mention- 
ing it again when he wrote his first letter to them (I 2°). 

(2) From Philippi to Thessalonica.—¥orced by reason of per- 
secution to leave Philippi prematurely (I 2? Acts 163%4°), Paul 
and Silas with Timothy (I 2?; he is assumed also by Acts to be 

I 


2 THESSALONIANS 


present, though he is not expressly named between 16° and 17"), 
but without the author of the ‘‘we’’-sections, took the Via 
Egnatia which connected Rome with the East, travelled through 
Amphipolis and Apollonia, and arrived, early in the year 50 A.D., 
at Thessalonica, a city placed iz gremio imperit nostri, as Cicero 
has it (de prov. consul. 2), and a business and trade centre as im- 
portant then to the Roman Empire as it is now to the Turkish 
Empire, Saloniki to-day being next after Constantinople the 
leading metropolis in European Turkey. 

Thessalonica had been in existence about three hundred and 
sixty-five years and a free city for about a century when Paul 
first saw it. According to Strabo (330%-*4, ed. Meineke), an 
older contemporary of the Apostle, it was founded by Cassander 
who merged into one the inhabitants of the adjacent towns on 
the Thermaic gulf and gave the new foundation the name Thes- 
salonica after his wife, a sister of Alexander the Great. ‘“ Dur- 
ing the first civil war, it was the headquarters of the Pompeian 
party and the Senate. During the second, it took the side of 
Octavius, whence apparently it reached the honour and ad- 
vantage of being made a ‘free city’ (Pliny, H. N. IV"), a priv- 
ilege which is commemorated on some of its coins”? (Howson). 
That it was a free city (liberae conditionis) meant that it had 
its own βουλή and δῆμος (Acts 17°?), and also its own magis- 
trates, who, as Luke accurately states, were called politarchs 
(Acts 17°). 


Howson had already noted the inscription on the Vardér gate (de- 
stroyed in 1867) from which it appeared that “the number of politarchs 
was seven.” Burton, in an exhaustive essay (AJT. 1808, 598-632), 
demonstrated, on the basis of seventeen inscriptions, that in Thessa- 
lonica there were five politarchs in the time of Augustus and six in the 
time of Antoninus and Marcus Aurelius. 

On Thessalonica in general, see Howson in Smith’s DB. and Dickson 
in IJDB. where the literature, including the dissertation of Tafel, is 
amply listed. On Roads and Travel, see Ramsay in HDB. V, 375 f. 


(3) Founding of the Church—In the time of Paul, Thessa- 
lonica was important, populous, and wicked (Strabo 323, 3307; 
Lucian, Lucius 46, ed. Jacobitz). Various nationalities were 


FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH 3 


represented, including Jews (I 2'*1° IT 3? Acts 172 5). Quite 
naturally, Paul made the synagogue the point of approach for 
the proclamation of the gospel of God, for the Christ, whose 
indwelling power unto righteousness he heralded, is of the Jews 
according to the flesh; and furthermore in the synagogue were 
to be found a number of Gentiles, men and women, who had 
attached themselves more or less intimately to Judaism either 
as proselytes or as φοβούμενοι (σεβόμενοι) τὸν θεόν (see Bous- 
set, Relig.2, 105), and who would be eager to compare Paul’s 
gospel both with the cults they had forsaken for the austere 
monotheism and rigorous ethics of Judaism and with the 
religion of Israel itself. In such Gentiles, already acquainted 
with the hopes and aspirations of the Jews, he was almost cer- 
tain to win a nucleus for a Gentile Christian community (cf. 
Bousset, op. cit., 93), even if he had confined his ministry to the 
synagogue, as the account of Acts at first reading seems to 
intimate. 

According to that narrative (Acts 17? *-), Paul addressed the 
synagogue on three, apparently successive, Sabbath days, mak- 
ing the burden of his message the proof from Scripture that the 
Messiah was to suffer and rise again from the dead, and pressing 
home the conclusion that the Jesus whom he preached was the 
promised Christ. The result of these efforts is stated briefly in 
one verse (17*) to the effect that there joined fortunes with Paul 
and Silas some Jews, a great number of the σεβόμενοι “Ε)λλη- 
veS, and not a few women of the best society. It is not put 
in so many words but it is tempting to assume that the women 
referred to were, like “the devout Greeks,” Gentile proselytes 
or adherents, although Hort (Judaistic Christianity, 89) prefers 
to assume that they were “Jewish wives of heathen men of dis- 
tinction.” However that may be, it is interesting to observe 
that even from the usual text of Acts 17! (on Ramsay’s conjec- 
ture, see his St. Paul the Traveller, 226 ff.) it is evident that the 
noteworthy successes were not with people of Jewish stock but 
with Gentile adherents of the synagogue. 

Of the formation of a Christian community consisting almost 
wholly of Gentiles, the community presupposed by the two let- 


4 THESSALONIANS 


ters, the Book of Acts has nothing direct to say. In lieu thereof, 
the author tells a story illustrating the opposition of the Jews 
and accounting for the enforced departure of Paul from Thessa- 
lonica. Jealous of Paul’s successful propaganda not only with 
a handful of Jews but also with those Gentiles who had been 
won over wholly or in part to the Jewish faith, the Jews took 
occasion to gather a mob which, after parading the streets and 
setting the city in an uproar, attacked the house of Jason in the 
hope of discovering the missionaries. Finding only Jason at 
home, they dragged him and some Christians before the poli- 
tarchs and preferred the complaint not simply that the mission- 
aries were disturbing the peace there as they had been doing 
elsewhere in the empire, but above all that they were guilty 
of treason, in that they asserted that there was another king or 
emperor, namely, Jesus,—an accusation natural to a Jew who 
thought of his Messiah as a king. The politarchs, though per- 
turbed, did not take the charge seriously, but, contenting them- 
selves with taking security from Jason and the others who were 
arrested, let them go. 


Just how much is involved in this decision is uncertain. Evidently 
Jason and the rest were held responsible for any conduct or teaching 
that could be interpreted as illegal; but that Paul was actually expelled 
is doubtful; and that Jason and the others gave security for the continued 
absence of Paul is unlikely, seeing that the converts were surprised at 
his failure to return. See on I 218 and cf. Knowling on Acts 17° in EGT. 


Of the preaching on the Sabbath Paul has nothing to say, or 
of the specific case of opposition, unless indeed the persecution 
of Jason was one of the instances of hardness of heart alluded 
to in [ 2'*6, On the other hand, while Acts is silent about mis- 
sionary work apart from the synagogue, Paul intimates in the 
course of his apologia (I 27) that he was carrying on during 
the week a personal and individual work with the Gentiles that 
was even more important and successful than the preaching on 
the Sabbath of which alone Luke writes. It is quite to be ex- 
pected that the Apostle would take every opportunity to speak 
informally about the gospel to every one he met; and to point 
out especially to those Gentiles, who had not expressed an in- 





FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH 5 


terest in the God of his fathers by attaching themselves to the 
synagogue, the absurdity of serving idols, and to urge them to 
forsake their dead and false gods and turn to the living and true 
God and to his Son Jesus, who not only died for their sins but 
was raised again from the dead in order to become the indwelling 
power unto righteousness and the earnest of blessed felicity in 
the not distant future when Jesus, the rescuer from the coming 
Wrath, would appear and gather all believers into an eternal 
fellowship with himself (I 11° 4910 IT 218-14), 

(4) Character of the Church—His appeal to the Gentiles suc- 
ceeded; in spite of much opposition, he spoke courageously as 
God inspired him (I 22), not in words only but in power, in the 
Holy Spirit and in much conviction (I 1°); and the contagious 
power of the same Spirit infected the listeners, leading them to 
welcome the word which they heard as a message not human 
but divine, as a power of God operating in the hearts of believers 
(I τὸ 5. 23 5.) creating within them a religious life spontaneous 
and intense, and prompting the expression of the same in those 
spiritual phenomena (I 5%”) that appear to be the characteristic 
effect of Paul’s gospel of the newness of life in Christ Jesus. 

But although the gospel came home to them with power, and 
a vital and enthusiastic religious life was created, and a com- 
munity of fervent believers was formed, there is no reason for 
supposing that the circle of Christians was large, unless we are 
determined to press the πλῆθος πολύ of Acts 174. The neces- 
sities of the case are met if we imagine a few men and women 
meeting together in the house of Jason, the house in which Paul 
lodged at his own expense (II 37), and which was known to the 
Jews as the centre of the Christian movement; for it was there 
that they looked for the missionaries and there that they found 
the “certain brethren.” 

Nor must we expect to meet among the converts ‘‘many wise 
after the flesh, many mighty, and many noble.” To be sure, we 
hear later on of such important Thessalonians as Aristarchus (who 
was a Jew by birth, Acts 204 27? Col. 419 Phile. 24), Secundus 
(Acts 20) and Demas (Col. 41 Phile. 24 2 Tim. 4!°); but it 
cannot be affirmed with confidence that they belonged to the 


6 THESSALONIANS 


original group. Apart then from a few Gentile women of the 
better class (Acts 17°), the bulk of the Christians were working 
people. That they were skilled labourers like Paul is by no 
means clear; evident only is it that, hospitable and generous 
as they were (I 4'°), they were poor, so poor indeed that Paul 
supported himself by incessant toil in order not to make any 
demands upon the hospitality either of Jason his host or of any 
other of the converts, and that he welcomed the assistance sent 
him by the Philippians (Phil. 415) probably on their own initi- 
ative. 

This little circle of humble Christians quickly became as dear 
to Paul as the church of their fellow-Macedonians at Philippi. 
He did not insist upon the position of preponderance which 
was his by right as an apostle of Christ, but chose to become 
just one of them, a babe in the midst of them. As a nurse 
cherishes her own children, so in his affection for them he gave 
them not only the gospel of God but his very self as well. Like 
as a father deals with his own children, so he urged each one of 
them, with a word of encouragement or a word of warning as the 
need might be, to walk worthily of God who calls them into his 
own kingdom and glory (I 251). When he tried, in his first let- 
ter to them, to put into words his love for those generous, affec- 
tionate, and enthusiastic workingmen, his emotion got the better 
of his utterance: ‘Who is our hope or joy or crown to boast in 
—or is it not you too—in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he 
comes? Indeed, it is really you who are our glory and our joy” 
(I 2!%2°), It is not surprising that on his way to Corinth, and 
in Corinth, he received constantly oral reports from believers 
everywhere about their faith in God and their expectancy of the 
Advent of his Son from heaven (I 17°), And what he singles 
out for emphasis in his letters, their faith, hope, and love, their 
brotherly love and hospitality, their endurance under trial, and 
their exuberant joy in the Spirit, are probably just the qualities 
which characterised them from the beginning of their life in 
Christ. 

It was indeed the very intensity of their religious fervour that 
made some of them forget that consecration to God is not simply 








FOUNDING OF THE CHURCH τι 


religious but moral. He had warned them orally against the 
danger (I 42), but was obliged to become more explicit when he 
wrote them later on (I 4.8). Others again, it may be assumed 
though it is not explicitly stated, aware that the day of the Lord 
was near and conscious that without righteousness they could 
not enter into the kingdom, were inclined to worry about their 
salvation, forgetting that the indwelling Christ was the adequate 
power unto righteousness. Still others, influenced by the pres- 
sure of persecution and above all by the hope of the immediate 
coming of the Lord, became excited, and in spite of Paul’s ex- 
ample of industry gave up work and caused uneasiness in the 
brotherhood, so that Paul had to charge them to work with their 
own hands (I 4") and had to say abruptly: “Jf any one refuses 
to work, he shall not eat” (11 310). These imperfections however 
were not serious; they did not counterbalance the splendid 
start in faith and hope and love; had he been able to stay with 
them a little longer, he could have helped them to remove the 
cause of their difficulties. Unfortunately however, as a result 
of the case of Jason, he was compelled to leave them sooner 
than he had planned. 


It has been assumed in the foregoing that Paul was in Thessalonica 
not longer than three weeks. There is nothing incredible in the state- 
ment of Acts (1732), if the intensity of the religious life and the relative 
smallness of the group are once admitted. To be sure, it is not impos- 
sible that Luke intends to put the arrest of Jason not immediately 
after the three Sabbaths but at a somewhat later date, and that conse- 
quently a sojourn of six weeks may be conjectured (cf. Dob.). The 
conjecture however is not urgent nor is it demanded by the probably 
correct interpretation of Phil. 41%. That passage indicates not that the 
Philippians repeatedly sent aid to Paul when he was in Thessalonica 
but only that they sent him aid (see note on I 2:8). There is no evidence 
that either Paul or the Thessalonians requested assistance; it came un- 
solicited. Hence the time required for the journey on foot from Philippi 
to Thessalonica, about five or six days, does not militate against the 
assumption of a stay in Thessalonica lasting not longer than three weeks. 
See on this, Clemen, VKZ., 1896, VII, 146; and Paulus, II, 158; also, 
more recently, Lake, The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul, 1911, 64 ff. 


8 THESSALONIANS 


§ II. THE FIRST LETTER. 


(1) From Thessalonica to Corinth—No sooner had Paul left 
Thessalonica than he was anxious to return. ‘‘ Now we, brothers, 
when we had been bereaved of you for a short time only, out of 
sight but not out of mind, were excessively anxious to see you 
with great desire, for we did wish to come to you, certainly I Paul 
did and that too repeatedly, and Satan stopped us” (I 2!7-18), 
To the happenings in the interval between his departure and the 
sending of Timothy from Athens, Paul does not allude; from 
Acts however (17'°!°) it appears that directly after the arrest of 
. Jason, the brethren sent away Paul and Silas by night westward 
to Beroea, a land journey of about two days. In that city, the 
missionaries started their work, as in Thessalonica, with the 
synagogue and had success not only with the Gentile adherents 
of Judaism, men and women, but also with the Jews themselves. 
When however the Jews of Thessalonica heard of this success, 
they came to Beroea, stirred up trouble, and forced Paul to 
leave (cf. also I 2!*1°), after a stay of a week or two. Accom- 
panied by an escort of the brethren, Paul travelled to the coast 
and, unless he took the overland route to Athens, a journey of 
nine or ten days, set sail from Pydna or Dion for Athens (a voy- 
age under ordinary circumstances of two full days) leaving be- 
hind directions that Silas and Timothy follow him as soon as 
possible. 

From Paul, but not from Acts, we learn that they did ar- 
rive in Athens and that, after the situation in Thessalonica had 
been discussed, decided to send Timothy back immediately to 
strengthen the faith of the converts and prevent any one of them 
from being beguiled in the midst of the persecutions which they 
were still undergoing (I 3!*-; on the differences at this point 
between Acts and Paul, see McGiffert, Apostolic Age, 257). 
Whether also Silas and Timothy had heard rumours that the 
Jews, taking advantage of Paul’s absence, were maligning his 
character and trying to arouse the suspicion of the converts 
against him by misconstruing his failure to return, we do not 


THE FIRST LETTER 9 


know. At all events, shortly after the two friends had arrived, 
and Timothy had started back for Macedonia, Paul, after a 
sojourn of a fortnight or more, departed from Athens and in a 
day or two came to Corinth, whether with Silas or alone (Acts 
18!) is unimportant. 

(2) Place, Date, and Occasion.—Arriving in Corinth early in 
the year 50 A.D., Paul made his home with Prisca and Aquila, 
supported himself by working at his trade, and discoursed every 
Sabbath in the synagogue. Later on, Silas and Timothy came 
down from Macedonia and joined hands with Paul in a more 
determined effort to win the Jews to Christ, only to meet again 
the same provoking opposition that they had previously met in 
Macedonia. Paul became discouraged; but Timothy’s report 
that the Thessalonians, notwithstanding some imperfections, 
were constant in their faith and love and ever affectionately 
thinking of Paul, as eager to see him as he was to see them, 
cheered him enormously (I 35:10). 


Bacon (Introd., 58) dates the arrival in Corinth early in the spring of 
50 A.D.; cf. also C. H. Turner (HDB., I, 424). According to Acts 18", 
Paul had been in Corinth a year and six months before Gallio appeared 
on the scene and left Corinth shortly after the coming of the procon- 
sul (1818), From an inscription in Delphi preserving the substance of 
a letter from the Emperor Claudius to that city, Deissmann (Paulus, 
1911, 159-177) has shown that Gallio took office in midsummer, 51, 
and that, since Paul had already been in Corinth eighteen months when 
the proconsul of Achaia arrived, the Apostle ‘came to Corinth in the 
first months of the year 50 and left Corinth in the late summer of the 
year 51.” Inasmuch as Paul had probably not been long in Corinth 
before Timothy arrived, and inasmuch as the first letter was written 
shortly after Timothy came (I 3°), the date of I is approximately placed 
in the spring of 50 and the date of II not more than five to seven weeks 
later. 


From the oral report of Timothy and probably also from a 
letter (see on I 2" 49: 8 51) brought by him from the church, 
Paul was able to learn accurately the situation and the needs 
of the brotherhood. In the first place he discovered that since 
his departure, not more than two or three months previously, 
the Jews had been casting wholesale aspersions on his behaviour 
during the visit and misinterpreting his failure to come back; 


ΙΟ THESSALONIANS 


and had succeeded in awakening suspicion in the hearts of some 
of the converts. Among other things, the Jews had asserted 
(I 2) that in general Paul’s religious appeal arose in error, 
meaning that his gospel was not a divine reality but a human 
delusion; that it arose in impurity, hinting that the enthusiastic 
gospel of the Spirit led him into immorality; and that it was 
influenced by sinister motives, implying that Paul, like the pagan 
itinerant impostors of religious or philosophical cults (cf. Clemen, 
NKZ., 1896, 152), was working solely for his own selfish ad- 
vantage. Furthermore and specifically the Jews had alleged 
that Paul, when he was in Thessalonica, had fallen into cajoling 
address, had indulged in false pretences to cover his greed, and 
had demanded honour from the converts, as was his wont, using 
his position as an apostle of Christ to tax his credulous hearers. 
Finally, in proof of their assertions, they pointed to the unques- 
tioned fact that Paul had not returned, the inference being that 
he did not care for his converts and that he had no intention 
of returning. The fact that Paul found it expedient to devote 
three chapters of his first letter to a defence against these at- 
tacks is evidence that the suspicion of some of the converts was 
aroused and that the danger of their being beguiled away from 
the faith was imminent. In his defence, he cannot withhold an 
outburst against the obstinate Jews (I 2!*!°) who are the insti- 
gators of these and other difficulties which he has to face; but 
he betrays no feeling of bitterness toward his converts. On the 
contrary, knowing how subtle the accusations have been, and 
confident that a word from him will assure them of his fervent 
and constant love and will remove any scruples they may have 
had, he addresses them in language of unstudied affection. His 
words went home; there is not the faintest echo of the apologia 
in the second epistle. 

In the second place, he discovered that the original spiritual 
difficulties, incident to religious enthusiasm and an eager ex- 
pectation of the coming of the Lord, difficulties which his ab- 
rupt departure had left unsettled, still persisted, and that a new 
question had arisen, due to the death of one or more of the con- 
verts. In reference to the dead in Christ, they needed not only 


THE FIRST LETTER ΤΙ 


encouragement but instruction; as for the rest, they required 
not new teaching but either encouragement or warning. “The 
shortcomings of their faith”? (I 5310) arose chiefly from the re- 
ligious difficulties of the weak, the faint-hearted, and the idle. 
(x) The difficulty of “the weak” (οἱ ἀσθενεῖς I 51) was that 
as pagans they had looked upon sexual immorality as a matter 
of indifference and had perhaps in their pagan worship associated 
impurity with consecration to the gods. What they as Chris- 
tians needed to remember was that consecration to the true and 
living God was not only religious but ethical. Whether they had 
actually tumbled into the abyss or were standing on the preci- 
pice is not certain. At all events, Paul’s warning with its re- 
ligious sanction and practical directions (I 4**) sufficed; we 
hear nothing of “the weak” in the second letter. (2) The sec- 
ond class chiefly in mind are “the faint-hearted”’ (οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι 
Τ 5), those, namely, who were anxious not only about the death 
of their friends but also about their own salvation. (a) Since 
Paul’s departure, one or more of the converts had passed away. 
The brethren were in grief not because they did not believe in 
the resurrection of the saints but because they imagined, some 
of them at least, that their beloved dead would not enjoy the 
same advantages as the survivors at the coming of the Lord. 
Their perplexity was due not to inherent difficulties with Paul’s 
teaching, but to the fact that Paul had never discussed explicitly 
the question involved in the case. Worried about their friends, 
they urged that Paul be asked by letter for instruction concern- 
ing the dead in Christ (I 418). (6) But the faint-hearted were 
also worrying about themselves. They knew that the day of 
the Lord was to come suddenly and that it would catch the wicked 
unprepared; they remembered that Paul had insisted that with- 
out blameless living they could not enter into eternal fellowship 
with the Lord; but they forgot that the indwelling Christ is the 
power unto righteousness and the pledge of future felicity, and 
in their forgetfulness were losing the assurance of salvation. They 
needed encouragement and received it (I 5!"). Of these faint- 
hearted souls, we shall hear even more in the second letter 
(II 13-217), (3) The third class of which Paul learned com- 


12 THESSALONIANS| 


prised the idle brethren (οἱ ἄτακτοι I 54), With the enthu- 
silastic conviction that the Lord was coming soon, with the 
constant pressure of persecution, and with the stimulus of Paul’s 
presence removed, some of the brethren had resumed their idle 
habits with their train of poverty and meddlesomeness in the 
affairs of the brotherhood. It would appear (see note on I 4") 
that they had sought assistance from the church and had been 
refused on the ground that Paul had clearly said that if a man 
refused to work, he could receive no support. Perhaps the idlers 
had asked for money “in the Spirit,’”’ a misuse of spiritual gifts 
that tempted “those that laboured among them,” that is, those 
who took the lead in helping and warning, to despise the charis- 
mata (I 5153). At all events, the leading men seem not to have 
been overtactful; and when they intimated that they would 
report the matter to Paul and ask for instructions, the idlers 
retorted that they would not listen to the reading of Paul’s let- 
ter (I 5°7). There was undoubtedly blame on both sides; clearly 
the peace of the brotherhood was disturbed. Still the trouble 
did not appear serious to Paul, judging from the answer which 
he sent (I 42; cf. 51214. 3122. 26-27.) But in spite of Paul’s let- 
ter, as we shall see, the idle brethren continued to be trouble- 
some (II 3!!’). 

(3) Contents—With this situation in mind,—the excellence 
of their faith and love in spite of the temptations of the weak, the 
discouragement of the faint-hearted, and the unbrotherly conduct 
of the idlers; and their personal affection for Paul, notwith- 
standing the insinuations of the Jews, Paul began, not long after 
the arrival of Timothy (I 3°) to dictate our first epistle. The 
first three chapters are given to a review of his attitude to the 
church from its foundation, and to a defence both of his be- 
haviour when he was there (15-2!*) and of his failure to return 
(211-910), Even the prayer (311-12) that closes the double thanks- 
giving (12-2!; 2-310) begins with the petition that God and 
Christ may direct his way to them. Tactfully disregarding the 
shorttomings, Paul thanks God, as he remembers their work of 
faith, labour of love, and endurance of hope, for the election of 
the readers, the certainty of which is known from the presence 





THE FIRST LETTER - ΤΩ 


of the Spirit controlling not only the converts who welcomed the 
gospel with joy in spite of persecution and became a model as- 
sembly to believers everywhere, but also the attitude of the mis- 
sionaries whose preaching was in the Spirit and whose behaviour 
was totally unselfish (121°). Coming directly to the charges of 
the Jews, Paul, conscious both of the integrity of his motives and 
of his unselfish love (the theme is heard already in δι ὑμᾶς 1°) 
and aware of the openness of his religious appeal, reminds his 
friends that he came not empty-handed but with a gospel and 
a courageous power inspired by God (2!?). Wherever he goes, 
he preaches as one who has no delusions about the truth, for 
his gospel is of God; who has no consciousness of moral aberra- 
tion, for God has tested him and given him his commission; and 
who has no intention to deceive, for he is responsible solely to 
God who knows his motives (27). In Thessalonica, as his read- 
ers know, he never used cajoling speech, never exploited the gos- 
pel to further his own ambition, and never required honour to be 
paid him, even if he had the right to receive it as an ambassador 
of Christ (2**). On the contrary, he waived that right, choosing 
to become just one of them, a babe in the midst of them; waived 
it in unselfish love for his dear children. Far from demanding 
honour, he worked with his hands to support himself while he 
preached, in order not to trespass upon the hospitality of his 
friends (27°). The pious, righteous, and blameless conduct of 
which they were ever aware proves his sincerity as a preacher 
(219). Not asa flatterer but as a father, he urged them one and 
all, by encouragement or by solemn appeal, to behave as those 
who are called of God unto salvation in his kingdom and glory 
(21-2), Having thus defended his visit, he turns again to the 
welcome which they gave him and his gospel (215:16 resuming 
1®10), Rightly they thank God, as he does, that they welcomed 
the word which they heard as God’s word, as a power operating 
in their hearts, attesting the genuineness of their faith by their 
steadfast endurance in the persecutions at the hands of their 
fellow-countrymen. It is however the Jews who are egging on 
the Gentiles,—the Jews who killed the prophets and the Lord 
Jesus and persecuted us, and who are not pleasing to God 
and are against humanity, hindering us from preaching to Gen- 


14 THESSALONIANS 


tiles unto their salvation. They have hardened their hearts; 
their sins are filling up; and the judgment is destined to come 
upon them at last (2). 

Turning next to the insinuation of the Jews that he did not 
want to return, he reminds his orphaned children that from the 
moment he left them, he had been excessively anxious to see 
them and had repeatedly wished to return. Indeed nothing less 
than Satan could have deterred him. Far from not caring for 
them, he insists in words broken by emotion that it is above all 
they who are his glory and joy (2!7-*°). Determined no longer 
to endure the separation, the missionaries, he says, agreed to 
send Timothy to encourage them in their faith and prevent their 
being beguiled in the midst of their persecution. As the Jews 
had singled out Paul for attack, he is at pains to add that he 
too as well as his companions had sent to know their faith, for he 
is apprehensive lest the tempter had tempted them and his work 
should turn out to be in vain (3"*), The return of Timothy 
with the good news of their spiritual life and their personal affec- 
tion for Paul gave him new courage to face his own trials. “We 
live if you stand fast in the Lord.”’ Words fail to express the 
abundance of joy he has in their faith, as he prays constantly 
to see them and help them solve their spiritual difficulties (35:10), 
But whether or not his prayer will be answered, God and Christ, 
to whom he prays, will increase their love and will inwardly 
strengthen them, so that they will be unblemished in holiness 
when the Lord Jesus comes (311-18), 

Even as he prays for brotherly love and a blameless life, he 
seems to have in mind the needs of the idlers and the weak. 
At all events, the apologia finished, he takes up the imperfec- 
tions of the group, dealing chiefly with the difficulties of the 
weak, the idlers, and the faint-hearted. He begins the exhorta- 
tions (4'-5”) tactfully, urging not his own authority but that 
of the indwelling Christ, and insisting graciously that he has 
nothing new to say and that, since they are already doing well, 
he can only bid them to do so the more (4:5). At the same time, 
he does not withhold his exhortations. Speaking first of all of 
the weak, he urges that true consecration is moral as well as re- 
ligious and demands imperatively sexual purity. He suggests 





THE FIRST LETTER 15 


the practical remedy that fornication may be prevented by 
respect for one’s wife and that adultery may be prevented by 
marrying not in the spirit of lust but in the spirit of holiness and 
honour. Then, as a sanction for obedience, he reminds them 
that Christ punishes impurity; that God calls them not for 
impurity but for holiness; that to sin is to direct a blow not 
against the human but against the divine, even the Spirit, the 
consecrating Spirit that God gives them (4°). 

As to brotherly love, concerning which they had written, Paul 
remarks first of all and tactfully that, as they are practising it, 
instruction is unnecessary; but then proceeds to urge them in 
general to abound the more in that love and specifically, reiter- 
ating what he had said orally in reference to idleness, to strive 
to be tranquil in mind, undisturbed by the nearness of the 
advent, to mind their own business, not meddling in the affairs 
of the brotherhood, and to work with their hands, in order to 
win the respect of unbelievers and to avoid dependence upon the 
church for support (45:12). 

Taking up the new point, the question of the faint-hearted in 
reference to the dead in Christ, he replies that his purpose in 
giving this new instruction is that they, unlike the unbelievers, 
who do not have the hope in Christ, should not sorrow at all. 
For it is certain, both on the ground of the believer’s experience 
in Christ and of a word of Jesus, whose point is summarised, 
that the surviving saints will not anticipate the dead at the 
Parousia. In fact, when the Lord comes, the dead in Christ 
will arise first; then the survivors will be snatched up at the 
same time with the risen dead and all together, with no advan- 
tage the one over the other, will meet the Lord in the air. “And 
so we shall always be with the Lord” (418). With this encour- 
aging teaching, he turns to the personal anxieties of the faint- 
hearted. They know, he says, as well as he that the day of the 
Lord will come suddenly and will take unbelievers by surprise; 
but they are not unbelievers that the day of the Lord should 
surprise them. To be sure they must be morally prepared, 
armed with faith, hope, and love; but they need not be dis- 
couraged about the outcome, for God has appointed them to 


16 THESSALONIANS 


salvation, the indwelling Christ has enabled them to be blame- 
less, and Christ died for their sins in order that all believers, 
surviving or dead, may at the same time have life together with 
Christ. ‘Wherefore encourage one another and build up each 
other, as in fact you are doing” (51). 

With a renewed exhortation, the need of a deeper brotherly 
love being in mind, he urges all to appreciate those who labour 
among them, leading and admonishing, and to regard them 
highly because of their work. Recognising that the idlers are 
not alone to blame for disturbing the peace of the brotherhood, 
he adds: “Be at peace among yourselves” (515. 8), With a 
further exhortation, he sets forth the proper attitude of all to 
each of the three classes prominently in mind since 41: ‘Warn 
the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, cling to the weak” (5"). 
Then follows a word to all in view of the persecutions and the 
temptation to revenge, and in view also of the friction in the 
brotherhood: “Be slow to anger; see to it that no one retaliates 
an injury, but seek earnestly the good within and without” 
(5!4-19), In spite of these difficulties, ‘always rejoice, contin- 
ually pray, in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will 
operating in Christ for you” (5118). Finally, in view both of 
the disparagement and of the misuse of spiritual gifts, he exhorts: 
“Quench not the gifts of the Spirit, do not make light of cases 
of prophesyings; on the other hand, test all gifts of the Spirit, 
holding fast to the good and holding aloof from every evil kind” 
(5!*22). Recognising however that his exhortations (41-5), es- 
pecially to ethical consecration (45-8) and to brotherly love and 
peace (45:13 51-18) are of no avail without the help of God; and 
recognising further the necessity of the consecration not only of 
the soul but of the body (43:5), a consecration impossible unless 
the Spirit of God as immanent in the individual be inseparably 
bound to the human personality, body and soul, he prays first 
in general that God would consecrate them through and through, 
and then specifically that he would keep their spirit, the divine 
element, and their soul and body, the human element, intact, 
as an undivided whole, so that they might be morally blameless 
when the Lord comes. That this petition will be granted is cer- 





THE FIRST LETTER 17 


tain, for God the faithful not only calls but consecrates and 
keeps them blameless to the end (5°84). 

When you pray without ceasing (5:7), brothers, he says in 
closing, remember not only yourselves but us as well (525). Greet 
for us the brothers, all of them, with a holy kiss (529). Then 
naving in mind the assertion of some of the idlers that they would 
give no heed to his letter, Paul adjures the brethren that his 
letter be read to all without exception (527). “The grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ be with you” (528). 


(4) Disposition.—The first epistle may be thus divided: 


1. Superscription 1! 
A. The Apologia τὸ 2:3 

II. Thanksgiving 1°-3'° 
(1) Visit and Welcome 127° 
(2) Visit 21? 
(3) Welcome; the Jews 21°16 
(4) Intended Visit 217? 
(5) Sending of Timothy 35 
(6) Timothy’s Return and Report 3510 

ΤΠ Prayer 3% 

B. The Weak, The Idlers, The Faint-hearted, 
eres 4i—574 

IV. Exhortations 41-5” 
(x) Introduction 4"? 
(2) True Consecration 455 
(3) Brotherly Love 4°19 
(4) Idleness 41°? 
(5) The Dead in Christ 4118 
(6) Times and Seasons δ᾽ 
(7) Spiritual Labourers 517% 
(8) Idlers, Faint-hearted, Weak 547° 
(9) Love pid 

(το) Joy, Prayer, Thanksgiving 515 1 
(x1) Spiritual Gifts 51°” 
Save o erayers? 
VI. Final Requests 52>?" 
VII. Benediction 578 


2 


18 THESSALONIANS 


ὃ IT. THE SECOND LETTER. 


(1) Occasion.—It is impossible to determine with exactness 
the reasons that led to the writing of the second epistle. The 
internal evidence of II, upon which we must rely, permits only 
a tentative reconstruction of the course of events in the interval 
between the sending of I and the composition of Il. We may 
assume however that the first letter did not have quite the 
effect that a visit from Paul would have had. To be sure, what- 
ever suspicion the readers may have entertained as to Paul’s 
motives during and since his visit was dispelled by his affec- 
tionate words in defence of himself. It is evident also that his 
warning to the weak was effectual, being fortified by the help 
of the brethren, who, as he had requested, held to the weak, 
tenderly but firmly supporting them. On the other hand, the 
idle brethren continued to be meddlesome, Paul’s command, re- 
iterating what he had said orally (I 4"), not having had the de- 
sired effect. This failure may have been due in part to the fact, 
for which Paul is not responsible, that the majority, who had 
been urged to admonish the idlers (I 5") had not been tactful 
in performing their function (II 3%- 1°); and in part to the fact, 
for which again Paul is not to blame, that some of the brethren 
had imagined that Paul had said, either in an utterance of the 
Spirit, or in an uninspired word, or in the first epistle, something 
that was interpreted to mean that the day of the Lord was ac- 
tually present (II 2%). This disquieting statement, innocently 
attributed to Paul, perhaps by some of the excited idlers, affected 
not only the idle brethren as a whole but the faint-hearted as 
well. Already anxious about their salvation (I 5'"), they be- 
came unsettled and nervously wrought up (II 2*); and naturally 
enough, for if they deemed themselves unworthy of salvation, 
and if it was true that the day of the Lord had actually dawned, 
then there was no time left for them to attain that blamelessness 
in holiness, that equipment of faith, hope, and love upon which 
the first letter had insisted (I 3" 5°) as essential to the acqui- 
sition of salvation; and the judgment, reserved for unbelievers, 
would certainly come upon them. 


THE SECOND LETTER 19 


Unable either to relieve the anxiety of the faint-hearted or to 
bring the idlers to a sense of duty, the leaders sent a letter (see 
notes on 1 1 31-5) to Paul by the first brother (3) who was 
journeying to Corinth. Reflecting the discouragement of the 
faint-hearted, they write remonstrating with Paul for his praise 
of their faith, love, and endurance, intimating that they were 
not worthy of it. Though they are praying that God may con- 
sider them worthy of the kingdom, they fear that he may not 
deem them worthy (17). They tell Paul of the assertion, at- 
tributed to him, that the day of the Lord is present, and the 
effect which it had both on the faint-hearted and on the idlers; 
and they ask advice specifically concerning the advent of the 
Lord and the assembling unto him (II 21). It may be conjec- 
tured that ‘‘those who labour among you” (I 513) had informed 
the idle brethren that they would report their conduct to Paul; 
and that some of these idlers had retorted that they would give 
no heed to the commands of Paul by letter (II 3"), and would not 
even listen to the reading of the expected reply, intimating that 
they could not be sure that the letter would be genuine (II 3”). 

(2) Place, Date, and Purpose.—Such a letter as we have pos- 
tulated will have been sent shortly after the receipt of I. The 
new situation which it recounts is not new in kind but a natural 
development of tendencies present during the visit and evident 
in the first letter. Hence if we allow two or three weeks for I 
to reach Thessalonica, a week for the preparation of the reply, 
and two or three weeks for the reply to get to Corinth, then an 
interval between I and 11 of five to seven weeks is ample enough 
to account for the situation in Thessalonica suggested by II. 
Indeed, apart from the increased discouragement of the faint- 
hearted and the continued recalcitrance of some of the idle breth- 
ren, there is nothing to indicate a notable change in the church 
since the visit of Timothy. Persecutions are still going on (II 14; 
cf. 211 33 5.), and the Jews are evidently the instigators of the 
same (II 32); the endurance of the converts is worthy of all 
praise (II 14); and the increase of faith and love (II 13) indicates 
not a large growth numerically but an appreciative recognition 
of progress in things essential, the fulfilment in part of the prayer 


20 THESSALONIANS 


in I 31%. In Corinth, likewise, the situation since the writing of 
I has not changed materially; Silas and Timothy are still with 
Paul (II 1"); and the opposition of the Jews (Acts 17° %-), those 
unrighteous and evil men whose hearts are hardened (II 3?; 
cf. I 2'**°), persists, so much so that Paul would gladly share with 
the converts the relief which the Parousia is to afiord (II τῇ). 
On the whole, then, the available evidence points to the assump- 
tion that the second epistle was written from Corinth in the 
spring of 50 A.D. not more than five to seven weeks after the 
first epistle. 

The second epistle is not a doctrinal treatise on the Anti- 
christ, as if 21:12 were the sole point of the letter, but a practical 
exhortation, written by request and designed to encourage the 
faint-hearted and to admonish the idlers. The description of the 
judgment in 1° *-, the allusions to the premonitory signs in 2*°%, 
and the characterisation of the advent of the Anomos (2°), 
placed significantly after his destruction (25), are manifestly 
intended not to convey new information but to encourage the 
faint-hearted by reminding them of his oral instructions,—an 
employment of teaching for practical needs which is charac- 
teristic of Paul, as the passage in another Macedonian letter 
suggests (Phil. 25*-), In reference to the second purpose of IT, 
it is to be observed that since the idleness and meddlesomeness 
have increased, it is necessary to supplement the injunctions of 
I (4%! 514) by the severer command that the majority hold 
aloof from the idle brethren, avoid association with them; at 
the same time it is significant that the last word is only a repe- 
tition of what was said in the first letter (5'), with an added 
covert admonition of the somewhat tactless majority: “Do not 
regard him as an enemy but admonish him as a brother” (II 3"). 
To encourage the faint-hearted (II 1*-2!") and to warn the idlers 
(II 3’) is the two-fold purpose of this simple, tactful, pastoral 
letter. 

(3) Contents.—After the superscription (11) which differs 
from that in I only in having ἡμῶν after πατρί, expressing the 
sense of common fellowship in the Father, and in having after 
εἰρήνη the usual “from God our Father and the Lord Jesus 


THE SECOND LETTER 21 


Christ,” making explicit the source of divine favour and spiritual 
prosperity, Paul enters upon the thanksgiving (1310) and closely 
related prayer (111-12) which together form an unbroken sentence 
of over two hundred words, liturgical in tone and designed to 
encourage the faint-hearted. In spite of what they have written, 
he ought, he insists, to thank God, as is proper under the cir- 
cumstances, because their faith and brotherly love abound, so 
much so that he himself, contrary to their expectations, is boast- 
ing everywhere of their endurance and faith in the midst of per- 
secutions. ‘They need not worry (though the brethren as a 
whole are addressed, the faint-hearted are chiefly in mind) about 
their future salvation, for their splendid endurance springing 
from faith is positive proof that God the righteous judge will, 
in keeping with his purpose, deem them worthy of entrance into 
the kingdom, on behalf of which they as well as he are suffering. 
It will not always be well with their persecutors, for God, as 
righteous in judgment, will recompense them with affliction, as 
he will recompense the afflicted converts with relief from the 
same, a relief which Paul also will share. God will do so at the 
great assize (described in 17>!° not for the sake of the descrip- 
tion but for the encouragement of the believers) when the wicked, 
those, namely, who do not reverence God and do not obey the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus, will receive as their punishment sepa- 
ration forever from Christ, on the very day when the righteous in 
general and (with an eye to the faint-hearted) all who became 
believers (for the converts believed the gospel addressed to them) 
will be the ground of honour and admiration accorded to Christ 
by the attendant angels. To reach this happy consummation, 
to be acquitted in that day, Paul prays, as the converts likewise 
prayed, that God will fill them with goodness and love, in order 
that finally the name of the Lord Jesus may be honoured in 
virtue of what they are and they may be honoured in virtue of 
what his name has accomplished. This glorification and blessed 
consummation, he assures them, is in accordance with the divine 
favour of our God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (15:2). 

A little impatient that they have forgotten the instructions 
which he had given them orally and at a loss to understand how 


22 -  THESSALONIANS 


anything he had said in the Spirit, orally, or in his previous letter 
could be misconstrued to imply that he was responsible for the 
assertion that the day of the Lord is present, and yet recognising 
the agitation of the faint-hearted by reason of the assertion, and 
their need of encouragement, Paul turns to the specific question 
put to him “as to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our 
assembling unto him” and exhorts them not to let their minds 
become easily unsettled and not to be nervously wrought up by 
the assertion, however conveyed and by whatever means at- 
tributed to him, that the day of the Lord is actually present. 
Allow no one to delude you, he says, into such a belief whatever 
means may be employed. Then choosing to treat the question 
put, solely with reference to the assertion and ever bearing in 
mind the need of the faint-hearted, he selects from the whole of 
his previous oral teaching on times and seasons only such ele- 
ments as serve to prove that the assertion is mistaken, and re- 
minds them that the day will not be present until first of all the 
apostasy comes and there is revealed a definite and well-known 
figure variously characterised as the man of lawlessness, the son 
of destruction, etc., allusions merely with which the readers are 
quite familiar, so familiar indeed that he can cut short the char- 
acterisation, and appeal, with a trace of impatience at their 
forgetfulness, to the memory of the readers to complete the 
picture (2'°), 

Turning from the future to the present, he explains why the 
apostasy and the revelation of the Anomos are delayed. Though 
the day of the Lord is not far distant,—for there has already 
been set in operation the secret of lawlessness which is prepar- 
ing the way for the apostasy and revelation of the Anomos, 
still that day will not be actually present until that which re- 
strains him in order that the Anomos may be revealed only at 
the time set him by God, or the person who now restrains him, 
is put out of the way. Then and not till then will the Anomos be 
revealed. But of him the believers need have no fear, for the 
Lord will destroy him; indeed his Parousia, inspired by Satan 
and attended by outward signs and inward deceit prompted by 
falschood and unrighteousness, is intended not for believers but 


THE SECOND LETTER 23 


for unbelievers. These are destined to destruction, like the son 
of destruction himself, because they have destroyed themselves 
by refusing to welcome the heavenly guest, the influence of the 
Spirit designed to awaken within them the love for the truth 
which is essential to their salvation. As a consequence of their 
refusal, God as righteous judge is bound himself (for it is he 
and not Satan or the Anomos who is in control) to send them an 
inward working to delude them into believing the falsehood, in 
order that at the day of judgment they might be condemned, all 
of them, on the ground that they believed not the truth but con- 
sented to unrighteousness (25:1). 

With a purposed repetition of 1%, Paul emphasises his obliga- 
tion to thank God for them, notwithstanding their discouraged 
utterances, because, as he had said before (I τ΄ *-), they are 
beloved and elect, chosen of God from everlasting, called and 
destined to obtain the glory of Christ. As beloved and elect, 
they should have no fear about their ultimate salvation and no 
disquietude by reason of the assertion that the day is present, 
but remembering the instructions, received orally and in his let- 
ter, should stand firm and hold those teachings. Aware however 
that divine power alone can make effective his appeal, and aware 
that righteousness, guaranteed by the Spirit, is indispensable to 
salvation, Paul prays that Christ and God, who in virtue of their 
grace had already commended their love to Christians in the 
death of Christ and had granted them through the Spirit inward 
assurance of salvation and hope for the ultimate acquisition of 
the glory of Christ, may grant also to the faint-hearted that same 
assurance and strengthen them in words and works of righteous- 
ness (2!*17), 

With these words of encouragement to the faint-hearted, he 
turns to the case of the idle brethren. Wishing to get their will- 
ing obedience, he appeals to the sympathy of all in requesting 
prayer for himself and his cause, and commends their faith. 
Referring to some remarks in their letter, he observes that if the 
idlers are disposed to excuse themselves on the ground that the 
tempter is too strong for them, they must remember that Christ 
is really to be depended on to give them power to resist tempta- 


24 THESSALONIANS 


tion. Inasmuch as they have in Christ this power, Paul in the 
same Christ avows his faith in them that they will gladly do 
what he commands; indeed they are even now doing so. But 
to make his appeal effective, the aid of Christ is indispensable, 
—the power that will awaken in them a sense of God’s love and 
of the possession of that adequate endurance which is inspired 
by Christ (3°). Having thus tactfully prepared the way, he 
takes up directly the question of the idlers. He commands the 
brethren as a whole to keep aloof from every brother who lives 
as an idler, a command issued not on his own authority but on 
that of the name of Christ. He is at pains to say that he is urg- 
ing nothing new, and gently prepares for the repetition of the 
original instruction by referring to the way in which he worked 
to support himself when he was with them, so as to free them 
from any financial burden, strengthening the reference by re- 
minding them that although he was entitled to a stipend as an 
apostle of Christ, he waived the right in order that his self- 
sacrificing labour might be an example to them. Then after 
explaining the occasion of the present command, he enjoins the 
idlers, impersonally and indirectly and with a tactfully added 
“we exhort,” to work and earn their own living with no agita- 
tion about the day of the Lord. With a broad hint to the ma- 
jority as to their attitude to the idle brethren, he faces the con- 
tingency of disobedience on the part of some of the idlers. These 
recalcitrants are to be designated; there is to be no association 
with them. But the purpose of the discipline is repentance and 
reform. Once more the majority are warned: “Do not treat 
him as an enemy but warn him as a brother” (3515). Since the 
command alone may not succeed in restoring peace to the brother- 
hood, Paul finally prays that Christ, the Lord of peace, may give 
them a sense of inward religious peace, and that too continually 
in every circumstance of life (315). Anticipating that some of 
the idlers may excuse their refusal to listen to Paul’s letters on 
the ground that they are not his own, Paul underscores the fact 
that he is wont to write at the end a few words in his own hand 
317), The benediction closes the pastoral letter (315). 

(4) Religious Convictions —The religious convictions expressed 


THE SECOND LETTER 25 


or implied in II are Pauline. As in I so in II, the apocalyptic 
and the mystic are both attested. Though the former element 
is more obvious because of the circumstances, the latter is pres- 
ent as an equally essential part of the gospel, “‘our gospel’”’ (2"), 
to use the characteristic designation of the convictions that he 
had held for over seventeen years. Central is the conviction, 
inherited by Paul from the early church (cf. Acts 235) and con- 
stant with him to the end (Phil. 2"), that Jesus is Christ and 
Lord. Of the names that recur, Our (The) Lord Jesus Christ 
(2:- 14. 16 38; τἴ.2 212 26. 12) Our (The) Lord Jesus (18: 12. 17) 
Christ (35) and The Lord (19 253: 13. 31.3.4. 5. 16. 16) the last, 
ὁ κύριος, is characteristic of II as compared with I (cf. II 35 
with Phil. 41.-5. Though there is no explicit mention either of 
his death (cf. 219) or of his resurrection, the fact that he is Lord 
and Christ presupposes both that he is raised from the dead and 
that he is soon to usher into the kingdom of God all those who 
have been deemed worthy (1°). This day of the Lord (2?) is not 
actually present, as some had asserted, but it is not far distant (27). 
In that day (119), when the Lord comes (2!) or is revealed from 
heaven (17), he will destroy the Anomos (2°), execute judgment 
on unbelievers (1° 8:9), the doomed (2%), by removing them 
eternally from his presence; and will bring salvation (2!° 15) 
and glory (214) to all believers (119), those, namely, who have 
welcomed the love for the truth (2!°) and have believed the gospel 
preached to them (11° 214) when they were called (1" 212). 

The exalted Lord does not however confine his Messianic ac- 
tivities to the day of his coming; he is already at work in the 
present. To him either alone (35: 156) or with the Father (2:5), 
prayer is addressed; and from him with the Father come grace 
(1? 212. 16) and peace (12; cf. 31°); he is with the believers (315), 
the faithful Lord who strengthens them and guards them from 
the Evil One (3%) and gives them an eternal encouragement, 
good hope, and endurance (215 3°). In these passages it is not 
always easy to tell whether Paul is thinking of the Lord who is 
at the right hand of God (Rom. 8") or of the Lord who is in the 
believers (Rom. 819). However that may be, it is important to 
observe that the Lord to Paul is not only the being enthroned 
with God and ready to appear at the last day for judgment and 


26 THESSALONTIANS 


salvation but also, and this is distinctive, the permanent in- 
dwelling power unto righteousness, the ground of assurance that 
the elect and called will enter into the glory to be revealed, the 
first fruits of which they now enjoy. And this distinctive ele- 
ment underlies the utterances of this epistle, especially of 1" 
and 21:5:17 Jt is the indwelling Lord in whom the church of the 
Thessalonians exist (1!), in whom also Paul has his confidence 
in reference to the readers (34) and gives his command and ex- 
hortation (3:2). The same Lord within inspires the gospel (3!) 
and equips the persecuted with an endurance that is adequate 
(3°). It is the Spirit, to whom equally with the Lord Paul as- 
cribes the divine operations, that accounts for the charismata 
(23) and prompts consecration to God and faith in the truth (218). 
And it is either the Spirit or the Lord who is the means by which 
God fills the readers with goodness and love (ἐν δυνάμει 1"; 
cf. ἐν θεῷ τ"). 

Faith in Jesus the Christ and Lord (15: 4. 1) or faith in the 
gospel (1 213) which he inspires (31) and which Paul pro- 
claims (1!° 214) is the initial conviction that distinguishes the 
believers (110) from the Jews (32) and all others who have be- 
lieved the lie of the Anomos with its unrighteousness (2%), 
This faith is apparently prompted by the Spirit, the heavenly 
guest that seeks to stir within the soul the love for the truth 
unto salvation (21°) and that inspires the consecration of the 
individual body and soul to God, and faith in the truth of the 
gospel (2:3). To be sure, the love for the truth may not be wel- 
comed; in that case, God who controls the forces of evil, Satan 
and his instrument the Avomos, himself sends an inward work- 
ing to delude the unbelievers into believing the lie, so that their 
condemnation follows of moral necessity; for they themselves 
are responsible for being in the category of the lost. On the 
other hand, if the promptings of the Spirit are heeded, then the 
activities of the Spirit continue in believers; a new power (1") 
enters into their life to abide permanently, a power whose pres- 
ence is manifested not only in extraordinary phenomena (2°) 
but in ethical fruits such as (cf. Gal. 5%‘, τ Cor. 13! %, and 
Rom. 12° 5.) love (the work of faith 1"), brotherly love (1° 3!°), 
peace (315), goodness (1"), encouragement (215), hope (215), en- 


THE SECOND LETTER 27 


durance (3° 1‘), and, in fact, every good work and word (211); and 
a power unto righteousness that insures the verdict of acquittal 
at the last day (1° 5), and the entrance into the glory of the 
kingdom, foretastes of which the believer even now enjoys. 

Since there are no errorists in Thessalonica, such as are to be 
found later in Colosse dethroning Christ from his supremacy, 
there is no occasion for an express insistence upon his pre-emi- 
nence. It is thus noteworthy in II not only that the Lordship 
of Jesus is conspicuous but also that in 218 as in Gal. 1! he is 
named before the Father. There are no Judaists in Thessalonica; 
hence it is not significant that the categories prominent in Gala- 
tians (a letter which Zahn, McGiffert, Bacon, Lake, and others 
put before I and II), namely, law, justification, works, etc., are 
absent from II as from I. Furthermore, since the situation does 
not demand a reference to the historical or psychological origin 
of Sin, it is not surprising that we hear nothing either in II or 
in I of Sin, Adam, Flesh. In fact, it happens that in 11 there 
is no explicit mention either of the death or of the resurrection 
of Christ. What is emphasised in IT along with the apocalyptic 
is the indwelling power of the Lord or the Spirit, the source of 
the moral life and the ground of assurance not only of election 
from eternity but also of future salvation (15: 1-12 218-11) an 
emphasis to be expected in a letter one of the two purposes of 
which is to encourage those whose assurance of salvation was 
wavering. 


(s) Disposition.—The second letter may thus be divided: 


J. Superscription 11? 
A. Encouraging the Faint-hearted 1°-2” 

11. Thanksgiving and Prayer 1*” 
(x) Assurance of Salvation 1*1° 
(2) Prayer for Righteousness 11°” 

III. Exhortation 21” 
(x) Why the Day is not present 2'* 
(2) Destruction of the Anomos 2° 
(3) Parousia of the Anomos only for the 
doomed 2°” 


28 THESSALONIANS 


IV. Thanksgiving, Command, and Prayer 2!17 
(1) Assurance of Salvation 2!" 
(2) Hold fast to Instructions 21 
(3) Prayer for Encouragement and Righteous- 
ness 21617 
B. Warning the Idlers 31:11 


V. Finally 3'5 
Transition to the Idlers 
VI. Command and Exhortation 351 
The Case of the Idlers 
VII. Prayer for Peace 5216 
VIII. Salutation 5311 
IX. Benediction 5318 


§ IV. LANGUAGE AND PERSONAL EQUATION 


(1) Words.—The vocabulary of the lettersis Pauline. Thepres- 
ence of words either in I or in II which are not found elsewhere 
in the N. T., or which are found either in I or in II and elsewhere 
in the N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul (the Pastoral Epistles 
not being counted as Pauline), indicates not that the language 
is not Pauline, but that Paul’s vocabulary is not exhausted in 
any or all of the ten letters here assumed as genuine. Taking 
the text of WH. as a basis, we find in I about 362 words (includ- 
ing 30 particles and 15 prepositions) and in II about 250 words 
(including 26 particles and 14 prepositions). Of this total vo- 
cabulary of about 612 words, 146 (including 20 particles and 13 
prepositions) are found both in 1 and in II. 

Two hundred and ninety-nine of the 362 words in I (about 
82 per cent) and 215 of the 250 words in II (about 86 per cent) 
are found also in one or more of the Major Epistles of Paul (7. e. 
Rom. 1, 2 Cor. Gal.). If we added to the 299 words of I some 
19 words not found in one or more of the Major Epistles but 
found in one or more of the Epistles of the Captivity (7. e. Eph. 
Phil. Col. Phile.), then 318 of the 362 words in I (about 88 per 
cent) would appear to be Pauline; and similarly if we added to 


4 


LANGUAGE 29 


the 215 words of II some 7 words not found in one or more of 
the Major Epistles but found in one or more of the Epistles of 
the Captivity, then 222 of the 250 words in I (about 89 per cent) 
would appear to be Pauline. 


Of the 146 words common to J and II all but 4 are also found in one 
or more of the Major Epistles. These 4 are Θεσσαλονιχεύς I 11 11 τ! 
(Acts 204 277); χατευθύνειν I 3% IT 35 (Lk. 179); ἐρωτᾷν I 4: 52 IT 21 
(Phil. 43; Gospels, Acts, 1, 2 Jn.); and περιποίησις I 59 II 214 (Eph. 14; 
Heb. 10%? x Pet. 2°).—The 19 words in I and in the Epistles of the Cap- 
tivity but not in the Major Epistles are ἀγών 2? (Phil. Col. Past.); 
ἀχριβῶς 52 (Eph.); ἀπέχεσθαι 43 522 (Phil. Phile. ἀπέχειν; Past. ἀπέχ- 
εσθαι); ἄμεμπτος 3% (Phil.); δίς 218 (Phil.); ἐρωτᾷν 41 (II, Phil.); 
θάλπειν 27 (Eph. 52°); θώραξ 5% (Eph.); χαθεύδειν 5% 7-19 (Eph.); 
χαταλείπειν 3: (Eph.); μεθύσχεσθαι 57 (Eph.); παρρησιάζεσθαι 22 (Eph.); 
περιχεφαλαία 58 (Eph.); περιποίησις 5° (II, Eph.); πληροφορία 15 (Col.); 
πρόφασις 25 (Phil.); σβεννύναι 519 (Eph.); φιλίπποι 2? (Phil.); and 
ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ 319 513 (Eph. 32°).—The 7 words in II and in the Epistles 
of the Captivity but not in the Major Epistles are αἱρεῖσθαι 21 (Phil.); 
ἀπάτη 219 (Col. Eph.); ἐνέργεια 29: τ: (Phil. Col. Eph.); ἐρωτᾷν 21 
(I, Phil.); ἰσχύς 1° (Eph.); χρατεῖν 215 (Col.); and περιποίησις 2 (I, 
Eph.).—Of these 19+ 7 = 26 words, two are common to I and 11 (ἐρωτᾷν 
and περιποίησις): and four others are distinctively Pauline, in that they 
do not occur in the N. T. apart from Paul (ἐνέργεια; θάλπειν; περι- 
χεφαλαία; and ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ). 


Of the 44 (362—318=44) words of I which are not found in 
the Major Epistles or in the Epistles of the Captivity, 20 are 
also not found elsewhere in the N. T., 22 are found elsewhere in 
the N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul, and 2 are common to I and 
II. Again, of the 28 (250—222=28) words of II which are not 
found in the Major Epistles or in the Epistles of the Captivity, 
to are also not found elsewhere in the N. T., τό are found else- 
where in the N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul, and 2 are common 
to II and I. 


In the subjoined lists, an asterisk indicates that the word is not 
found in the Lxx. 

(a) Words in I but not elsewhere in the N. T.: ἀμέμπτως 21° 523; 
ἀναμένειν 119; Ἐἀπορφανίζεσθαι 217; ἄτακτος 514; ἐχδιώχεϊν 215; ἐνορχίζειν 
527; ἐξηχεῖσθαι 18; “θεοδίδαχτος 4°; χέλευσμα 415; *xoraxta 25; ὀλιγό- 
Ψψυχος 514; δλοτελῆς 52; ὀμείρεσθαι 28; ὁσίως 219; περιλείπεσθαι 415- 17; 


30 THESSALONTANS 


Ἐπροπάσχειν 2"; " σαίνεσθαι 33; "συμφυλέτης 2%; τροφός 27; and ὑπερ- 
βαίνειν 45. 

(b) Words in IT but not elsewhere in the N. T.: "ἀταχτεῖν 31: ἀτάχ- 
τως 3° 3 Ἐξνδειγμα 15; ἐνδοξάζεσθαι 110. 12. ἐγχαυχᾶσθαι 14; *xaho- 
ποιεῖν 312, περιεργάζεσθαι 3:1}; σημειοῦσθαι 314; τίνειν 19; and ὑπεραυξ- 
ἄνεοθαι 15. 

(c) Words in I and elsewhere in N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul: ’A0q- 
var 31; αἰφνίδιος ς᾽; ἀληθινός 19; ἀληθῶς 2%; ἀπάντησις 417; "ἀρχάγ- 
γελος 415; ἀσφάλεια 53; εἴσοδος 19 21; ἡσυχάζειν 4:1: χτᾶσθαι 44; 
ὁλόχληρος 5%; παραμυθεῖσθαι 211 5:4: τοιγαροῦν 48; ὑβρίζειν 23; ὠδίν 
53; ἀγτέχεσθαι 5:4; γαστήρ 5᾽; διαμαρτύρεσθαι 45; ἐναντίος 2:5: ἐρισ- 
τάναι 55; γῆφειν 5° 8; and παραγγελία 45. The last seven words are in 
I, in one or more of the Pastorals, and elsewhere in the N. T., but not 
elsewhere in Paul. 

(4) Words in II and elsewhere in N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul: 
ἀναιρεῖν 28; ἀποστασία 23; ἄτοπος 32; δίχη 19; ἐπισυναγωγή 21; θροεῖσθαι 
23; χαταξιοῦν 15; μιμεῖσθαι 37; σαλεύειν 22; σέβασμα 24; φλόξ 18; ἀξιοῦν 
111, ἐπιφάνεια 28; ἡσυχία 315; χρίσις τό and μῆτε 2%. The last five words 
are in II, in one or more of the Pastorals, and ἐπιφάνεια excepted, else- 
where in N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul. While ἐπιφάνεια appears 
elsewhere in N. T. only in the Pastorals, the phrase in II 28 4 ἐπιφάνεια 
τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ is unique in the Gk. Bib. 

(e) Words common to I and II and found elsewhere in N. T. but not 
elsewhere in Paul: θεσσαλονιχεύς I 1111 1! (Acts 204 272) and χατευθύνειν 
I 3" II 3° (Lk. 17°). 

None of the words in the five lists above can be strictly called un- 
Pauline. 


Attention has often been called to the consideration that II 
contains very few words which are found in Paul but not else- 
where in the N. T., except such as it has in common with I. As 
a matter of fact, the same criterion applied to I demonstrates 
that II is relatively better off than I in this respect. Apart from 
the two words common to I and II which are found elsewhere in 
Paul but not elsewhere in the N. T. (ἐπιβαρεῖν I 2° II 38 2 
Cor. 25 and μόχθος 1 29 IT 38 2 Cor. 1137), there are only 12 of 
the 216 words in I (362—146 common = 216) and 8 of the 104 
words in II (250-146 common = 104) which are found else- 
where in Paul but not elsewhere in the N. T. 


(a) Words found in I and Paul (except IT) but not elsewhere in the 
N.T.: ἁγιωσύνη 3 (Rom. 142 Cor. 71); ἀδιαλείπτως 13213517(Rom. 1°); 
ἔχδιχος 45 (Rom. 132); εὐσχημόνως 41 (Rom. 13" 1 Cor. 1449); θάλπειν 


LANGUAGE 31 


21 (Eph. 529) πάθος 45 (Rom. 126 Col. 3°); περικεφαλαία (58 Eph. 6”); 
πλεονεχτεῖν 45 (2 Cor. 21: 72 1217- 18); προλέγειν 34 (2 Cor. 13? Gal. 57); 
στέγειν 31- (1 Cor. 9! 137); ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ 310 513 (Eph. 3°); and 
φιλοτιμεῖσθαι 44 (Rom. 152° 2 Cor. 5°). 

(Ὁ) Words found in II and Paul (except I) but not elsewhere in the 
N. T.: ἀγαθωσύνη 1 (Rom. 15% Gal. 52 Eph. 5°); εἴπερ 16 (Rom.ter 
τ Cor.bis 2 Cor. 5%); ἐνέργεια 2% 4 (Eph. Phil. Col.); στέλλεσθαι 38 
(2 Cor. 82°); συναναμίγνυσθαι 314 (z Cor. 5°"); and ὑπεραίρεσθαι 24 
(2 Cor. 127). 


On the other hand, the vocabulary of I is relatively somewhat 
richer than II in specifically Pauline words, if we reckon as 
specific such words as are found in I and II (apart from words 
common to both) and elsewhere in the N. T., but elsewhere 
chiefly in Paul including one or more of the Major Epistles. 


(a) Words found in I and elsewhere in N. T. but elsewhere chiefly 
in Paul including one or more of the Major Epistles, II being excepted: 
ἀγνοεῖν 43; ἀχαθαρσία 2347; ἀναπληροῦν 216; ἀξίως 212; ἀρέσχειν 24- 15 41; 
ἀσθενής 514; δοχιμάζειν 24; δουλεύειν 19; εἴδωλον 19; εἰρηνεύειν 513; 
ἐχλογή 14; ἐξουθενεῖν 52°; ἔπειτα 417; ἐπιποθεῖν 3°; εὐχαριστία 3°; καθάπερ 
211. 38. 12 45. χαύχησις 219; μεταδιδόναι 28; μιμητῆς 1° 2:4; μνεία 1? 38; 
γήπιος 27; περισσοτέρως 217; ποτέ 25; συνεργός 37; ὑστέρημα 31"; and 
φθάνειν 216 415, 

(b) Words found in II and elsewhere in N. T. but elsewhere chiefly 
in Paul including one or more of the Major Epistles, I being excepted: 
ἄνεσις τῇ; ἀνέχεσθαι 14; ἀποχάλυψις 17; ἐνιστάναι 25; ἐνχαχεῖν 3"; 
ἐξαπατᾶν 23; εὐδοχία 111; χαταργεῖν 28; χλῆσις 1"; and νοῦς 2%. 

(c) Words common to I and ΤΙ, found elsewhere in N. T. but elsewhere 
chiefly in Paul including one or more of the Major Epistles, may here 
be added: ἁγιασμός I 43-4-7 IT 2%; ἀνταποδιδόναι 1 39 11 18; εἴτε 1 51° 
II 215; ἐνεργεῖσθαι I 213 11 27; ἐπιστολή I 527 IT 25. 15 3-17; θλίβειν I 
34 IL 18-7; εὐδοχεῖν I 2% 3: 11 213; χόπος [τὸ 29 35 II 38; νουθετεῖν I 52-4 
II 3%; ὄλεθρος I 52 11 19; παράχλησις I 23 11 215, πλεονάζειν I 315 IL τ΄; 
and στήχειν 1 38 IT 2%. 


It is generally conceded that the vocabulary of I is Pauline; 
and the same may be said with justice of II. Even when the 
literary resemblances between I and 11 are taken into account, it 
is to be remembered that of the 146 words common to I and II 
all but four are to be found in one or more of the Major Epistles of 
Paul; and that two of these four recur in one or more of the Epis- 
tles of the Captivity, the remaining two being θεσσαλονικεύς, 


32 THESSALONIANS 


and the good Lxx. word κατευθύνειν, Niigeli’s estimate of the 
vocabulary of IT is at least not an overstatement: “Taking it on 
the whole, the lexical situation of this letter yields nothing es- 
sential either for the affirmation or for the negation of the ques- 
tion of authenticity” (Wortschatz des Paulus, 1905, 80). 

(2) Phrases.—More significant than the vocabulary of I and 
II are the phrases and turns of thought. Two groups have been 
compiled, one in which the phrases are apparently unique, the 
other in which they are more or less specifically Pauline. The 
lists are not exhaustive, but the impression conveyed by them 
is that as with the vocabulary so with the phrases the resource- 
ful mind of Paul is at work. 


In the following lists, an asterisk indicates that the phrase is appar- 
ently not in the Lxx.; Lxx.=reminiscence from the Lxx.; and Lxx. cit.= 
a citation from the Lxx. 

(1) Unique Phrases.—(a) Phrases in I but not elsewhere in N. T.: 
* dua σύν 417 519; διδόναι πνεῦμα εἰς 45 (Lxx.); * εἷς τὸν ἕνα 54; ἔμπροσθεν 
with divine names 13 219 39. 15, Ἐἐγ βάρει εἶναι 2%; " ἐρωτᾷν χαὶ παραχαλεῖν 
4' (Papyri); * ἔχειν εἴσοδον πρός τινα 19; χαθάπερ οἴδατε 2 (cf. χαθὼς 
οἴδατε 27-5 34); ἔἜπρὸς χαιρὸν ὥρας 217 (Latinism in χοινή Ὁ); * θεὸς 
ζῶν καὶ ἀληθινός 19; χατευθύνειν τὴν ὁδὸν πρός 34 (Lxx.); *4 ὀργὴ ἡ 
ἐρχομένη 110; ἣ πίστις ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν 18; οἱ περιλειπόμενοι 4:5: 17. 
Ἐπράσσειν τὰ ἴδια 411 (classic); " σαλπὶγξ θεοῦ (apocalyptic ἢ cf. x Cor. 
15%); στέφανος καυχήσεως 21" (Lxx.); *utol ἡμέρας 5%, The next two 
may have been coined by Paul: "ὃ χόπος τῆς ἀγάπης 19 and *4 
ὑπομονὴ τῆς ἐλπίδος 1%. The following have a distinctively Pauline 
flavour: διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ 414; διὰ τοῦ χυρίου Ἰησοῦ 42; ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν 25; 
ἐν θεῷ πατρί τ΄; οἱ νεχροὶ ἐν χριστῷ 4:5 (cf. x Cor. 1518 Rev. 145); and 
ot χοιμνηθέντες διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ 4:4. 

(Ὁ) Phrases in I, but not elsewhere in N. T.: * &:3évar ἐχδίχησίν τινι 
18; *é% μέσου γίνεσθαι 27; ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ 3% (cf. Phil. 18); εὐδοχεῖν 
τινι 213 (Lxx.); Ἐεὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν 18 2"; ἡγεῖσθαι ὡς 5:5 (Lxx.); 
"στηρίζειν καὶ φυλάσσειν 3:; Ἔ τίνειν δίχην 19 (classic); "ἀπάτη ἀδιχίας 
2; "ἄτοπος χαὶ πονηρός 32; "ἐνέργεια πλάνης 2%; χατευθύνειν τὰς 
καρδίας 3° (Lxx.); " περιπατεῖν ἀτάχτως 3%"; ἢ πιστεύειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ 2:"; 
" πιστεύειν τῷ ψεύδει 2%; "πίστις ἀληθείας 2" (cf. Phil. 15); "σαλευθῆναι 
ἀπὸ τοῦ vobs 25. The influence of apocalyptic may be felt in " ἄγγελοι 
δυνάμεως 17; ἀνελεῖ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος 2° (Lxx.); "ὁ ἄνθρωπος 
τῆς ἀνομίας 29; ὃ ἀντιχείμενος χτλ. 24 (Lxx. in part); ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς 
ἰσχύος 1° (Lxx. cit.); "ἡ ἐπιφάνεια τῆς παρουσίας 28; " ὁ χατέχων ἄρτι 27; 
"τὸ χατέχον 2%; “<b μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας 27; ὄλεθρος αἰώνιος 19; ὅταν 


LANGUAGE 33 


ἔλθῃ χτλ. 1° (Lxx. in part). The following may have been coined by 
Paul: ἔὴ ἀγάπη τῆς ἀληθείας 21°; ἐλπὶς ἀγαθή 21°; εὐδοχία ἀγα- 
θωσύνης 14; τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν 1 (cf. εὐαγγέλιον 21); ἔπαράχλησις 
αἰωνία 215; ἔ τρέχειν χαὶ δοξάζεσθαι 31; ἔ ἣ ὑπομονὴ τοῦ χριστοῦ 3°. The 
following have a distinctively Pauline flavour: *év θεῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν τ'; 
* cb εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ 18; ὃ θεὸς 6 πατὴρ ἡμῶν 2:5; ὅ ὃ 
χύριος τῆς εἰρήνης 3:15 (cf. I 533); and πιστὸς δέ ἐστιν ὃ χύριος 533. 

(c) Phrases in I and elsewhere in N. T., but not elsewhere in Paul: 
δέχεσθαι τὸν λόγον 18 213; ἐν μέσῳ cum gen. 27; χαθὼς οἴδατε 25:5 34; 
λόγος ἀχοῆς 23 ὃ πειράζων 3°; υἱοὶ φωτός 55. 

(4) Phrases in II and elsewhere in N.T., but not elsewhere in Paul: 
ἄνθ᾽ ὧν 210. ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς 2%; ἀπὸ προσώπου 19 (Lxx. cit.); διδόναι εἰρήνην 
415. διχαία χρίσις 15 (cf. Rom. 25); ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος 2:3 (1 Pet. 
12); ἐν πυρὶ φλογός 18 (Lxx.); ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ éxetvy 11° (Lxx. cit.); ἔργῳ χαὶ 
λόγῳ 217; ἐσθίειν ἄρτον 38- 13; χρατεῖν τὰς παραδόσεις 215 (of. τ Cor. 112); 
πάντες οἱ πιστεύσαντες 119; ὃ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας 23. 

(6) Phrases common to I and II, but not elsewhere in N. T.: ἀδελφοὶ 
ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ (χυρίου) I 14 11 213 (Lxx. with Paul’s ἀδελφοῦ); 
αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε I 21 32 52 II 37; ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ (ἡμῶν) I 1: 11 τ! and ἐν 
χυρίῳ I. X. I 11 IT τι 312 (ἐν is distinctively Pauline); ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς 
ἀδελφοί I 512 II 2: (for παραχαλοῦμεν, due to infrequent use of ἐρωτᾷν in 
Paul); χαὶ γὰρ ὅτε I 34 IL 3%; (τὸ) ἔργον (τῆς) πίστεως I 13 11 11; 
αὐτὸς ὃ χύριος I 3% 416 IT 216 315 (cf. Rom. 816 26 τ΄ Cor. 1528 2 Cor. 8%), 

(f) Phrases common to 1 and II, found elsewhere in N. T., but not 
elsewhere in Paul: αὐτὸς 6 θεός I 31 523 IT 216 (Rev. 21°); χαὶ διὰ τοῦτο 
(I 2° II 24); ὃ λόγος τοῦ χυρίου I 18 (41) IT 31 (of. Col. 315); νυχτὸς καὶ 
ἡμέρας I 29 IL 38; προσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν I 5% 1 31 (Heb. 1338; cf. 
Col. 42). 

(2) Pauline Phrases—(a) Phrases in I and Paul except II but not 
elsewhere in N.T. Unless otherwise indicated, they are found in one or 
more of the Major Epistles: ἅπαξ xat δίς 218 (Phil. 415; Lxx.); εἰς κενόν 
35; ἐν παντί 518; ἐν πολλῷ (πολλῇ) 15 ὃ 22-17 Ext τῶν προσευχῶν 17; do- 
ἔσχειν θεῷ 24:15 41: διὰ τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν Ἶ. X. 59; ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ 575; 
εἶναι σὺν χυρίῳ 417 (Phil. 1232); ἐν χυρίῳ "Incod 41; ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς χερσίν 
44; τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ χριστοῦ 32; εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ θεῷ τ 2:2; ζῆν σὺν 
αὐτῷ 510: ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες 41-17 (2 Cor. 4"); οὐ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν 
43; ὃ θεὸς χαὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν 13 311: 15; θεὸς μαρτύς 25-96 χαλῶν ὑμᾶς 2:5 
5%; περιπατεῖν ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ 21:2 (Col. 119); στήχετε ἐν χυρίῳ 538 (Phil. 
41); and συνεργοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ 533. 

(Ὁ) Phrases in II and Paul except I but not elsewhere in Ν. Τ. Unless 
otherwise indicated, they are found in one or more of the Major 
Epistles: μὴ with aor. subj. of prohibition in third person 25 (1 Cor. 
16" 2 Cor. 111°); position of μόνον 27 (Gal. 219); ἐπιστεύθη with imper- 
sonal subject 1° (Rom. 10"); ὡς ὅτι 25 (2 Cor. 519 1121); of ἀπολλύμε- 
vot 210. ὃ ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου 311: wt ἐνχαχήσητε χαλοποιοῦντες 


3 


34 THESSALONIANS 


3 (Gal. 6°); θεὸς πατὴρ ἡμῶν 11; ὃ λόγος ἡμῶν 3" (2 Cor. 1:5); παρα- 
χαλεῖν τὰς χαρδίας 21 (cf. Col. 23 4" Eph. 6%); πεποιθέναι ἐν χυρίῳ 3! 
(Phil. 2°; of. Rom. 14"); and ὑπακούειν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ 1* (Rom. 10"). 

(c) Phrases in I and elsewhere in N. T. but elsewhere chiefly in Paul 
including one or more of the Major Epistles, If being excepted: ἐν παντὶ 
τόπῳ 18; οἱ ἔξω 4:3; ἐπιποθεῖν ἰδεῖν 3%; τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ 2? "."; 
θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ 42 5:8; 6 θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης 5%; οἱ λοιποί 44 5%; and πάν- 
τες οἱ πιστεύοντες 17. To this list should be added ἐν χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ 2 
5% and ἐν χριστῷ 4:5; and perhaps the following: ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ τ"; 
θεὸς ζῶν 1"; ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον 2:7 3%; ὃ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ 2:3; οἱ πιστεύον- 
τες 210. 12. and χρείαν ἔχειν 18 4% 12 51. 

(4) Phrases in II and elsewhere in N. T. but elsewhere chiefly in Paul 
including one or more of the Major Epistles, II being excepted: ἐν ὀνό- 
watt 3°; παρὰ θεῷ 16; and perhaps the following: 4 ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ 3"; 
h ἀποχάλυψις τοῦ χυρίου Ἰησοῦ 17 (1 Cor. 17); διωγμοὶ xat θλίψεις 19 
(Rom. 8:5); πάσχειν ὑπέρ τὸ (Phil. 1°); and σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα 2° (Rom. 
15} 2 Cor. 122). 

(6) Phrases common to I, II and Paul but not found elsewhere in N. 
T.: ἄρα οὖν I 5° 11 2%; τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν 1 15 IL 24; “ὁπος χαὶ μόχθος 
I 2° II 38; (τὸ) λοιπὸν ἀδελφοί I 4: IT 31; πρὸς τὸ wH cum inf. I 29 IT 35. 

(f) Phrases common to I, II Paul and found elsewhere in N.T. The 
following are characteristic of Paul: ἐν κυρίῳ I 535 5" 11 34; χάρις ὑμῖν 
χαὶ εἰρήνη I 11 IL 12; θεὸς πατήρ I 1! IL 1%. The following are not 
characteristic: ὃ θεὸς ἡμῶν I 23 3° IL 111-13 (x Cor. 6"); ἡμέρα κυρίου I 
52 II 25; ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν I 18 32.5.6. 1. 10 TT 13-4; ἡἣ παρουσία τοῦ χυρίου 
(ἡμῶν Ἰ. X.) I 313 415 523 IT 21 (x Cor. 15%); πῶς δεῖ I 4111 37 (Col. 45); 
and στηρίζειν xat παραχαλεῖν I 32 11 217 (inverted order); cf. Rom. 1. 


(3) Personal Equation.—It is generally felt that the person- 
ality back of the words and phrases of the first letter is none 
other than that of Paul. Characteristic of him and character- 
istic of that letter are warm affection for his converts, confidence 
in them in spite of their shortcomings, tact in handling delicate 
pastoral problems, the consciousness of his right as an apostle 
and the waiving of the same in love, the sense of comradeship 
with his readers in all things, and the appeal for their sympathy 
and prayers. So conspicuously Pauline is the personal equation 
of I that it is unnecessary to illustrate the point. But it is also 
frequently felt that the personal qualities revealed in I are lack- 
ing in II, that indeed the tone of 11 is rather formal, official, 
and severe. This impression arises in the first instance from 
the fact that there is nothing in II corresponding to the apologia 


PERSONAL EQUATION 35 


to which three of the five chapters of I are devoted and in which 
the personal element is outspoken. Omit the self-defence from 
I and the differences in tone between I and II would not be 
perceptible. This estimate is likewise due to the failure to read 
aright Paul’s purpose, with the result that the clew to his atti- 
tude is lost. ‘The impression of formality and severity is how- 
ever quite mistaken; as a matter of fact the treatment of both 
the faint-hearted and the idlers is permeated by a spirit of warm 
personal affection. Paul knows his Macedonians too well, trusts 
their love for him too deeply to be greatly disturbed either by 
the forgetfulness of the one class or the disobedience of the 
other. It is his love for them all that prompts him at the start 
to praise not only their growth in faith but also, despite the fric- 
tion in the brotherhood, their increase in brotherly love; and 
to surprise them by saying that contrary to their expectations 
he is boasting everywhere of their endurance and faith. 

From his love springs his confidence in them notwithstanding 
their continued shortcomings. He is quite sure that the faint- 
hearted are more in need of encouragement than of warning 
and so he directs every word in the first two chapters, including 
the description of judgment, the allusion to premonitory signs, 
and the characterisation of the advent of the Anomos, to the 
single end of assuring these brethren beloved by the Lord that 
they are as certain of future salvation as they are of being elected 
and called. His slight impatience at their forgetfulness (25) is 
free from brusqueness and his sole imperative, based on their 
assurance of salvation and supported by prayer, to hold fast 
the instructions (2!°) is dictated by a fatherly concern. He is 
likewise confident that the idlers, in spite of their neglect of his 
injunction given once orally and again by letter, will do, as they 
indeed are doing, what he commands (3), and so includes them 
in his praise of the faith and brotherly love of the church (1'). 
Furthermore, from his love arises also the tact with which the 
two parish problems before him are managed. One or two illus- 
trations will suffice to make this clear. In 18 *- Paul is describ- 
ing the judgment in reference to unbelievers and saints in gen- 
eral; suddenly with ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύσασιν (ν. 1), he 


36 THESSALONIANS 


changes from the general to the specific, intimating by the “all” 
that the faint-hearted belong to the number of the saints, and 
by the unexpected aorist participle that, as the explanatory 
parenthesis (“for our testimony to you was believed”’) declares, 
they had believed the gospel which he had preached to them. 
The description then closes with the assurance that that day 
is a day not of judgment but of salvation for believers, specif- 
ically the faint-hearted among them. The same tact is evident 
in 2°! where after announcing the destruction of the Anomos, 
he comes back to his Parousia, an infringement of orderly de- 
scription prompted by the purpose of showing that the advent 
of the Lawless One is intended not for the faint-hearted believers 
but solely for the doomed. Even more conspicuously tactful is 
the treatment of the idlers. He approaches the theme in 35 by 
expressing his confidence that the brethren will do what he 
commands as indeed they are doing; then, addressing the group 
as a whole but having in mind the majority, he gives his com- 
mand, not on his own authority but on that of Christ, to hold 
aloof from the idlers, qualifying the directness of the injunction 
by observing that his order is not new but the original teaching, 
and persuading obedience by referring to his own example of in- 
dustry. When he addresses the idlers (312), he does so indirectly 
and impersonally, and softens the command with an exhortation. 
Indeed, throughout the discussion, he insists that the idlers 
are brothers (3°), even the recalcitrants among them (315); that 
the purpose of discipline is reform; and, most notably, that the 
majority are not without blame in their treatment of the erring 
brothers (313), his final injunction being so worded as to leave 
the impression that the majority needed admonition as well as 
the idlers: ‘And do not regard him as an enemy but warn him 
as a brother” (315). 

But affection, confidence, and tact are not the only charac- 
teristics of Paul that appear in II as well as in 1. There is also 
the sense of fellowship with the readers which appears unob- 
trusively in 1° “for which you too as well as we suffer”; and in 
1’ “relief with us’’;—touches so genuinely Pauline as to be 
fairly inimitable. There is further the characteristic appeal for 


AUTHENTICITY OF I THESSALONIANS 37 


the sympathy and prayers of his friends in 3, a passage too in 
which he delicately compliments their faith (καθὼς καὶ πρὸς 
ὑμᾶς). And there is finally the assertion of his right as an 
apostle to a stipend, and the voluntary waiving of the same in 
love in order that he may not burden his poor friends with the 
maintenance and support to which he was entitled (37 *:). 

If this estimate of the personal equation of IT is just, then in 
this respect as in respect of the words and phrases, II as well as 
I is entitled to be considered, what it claims to be, a genuine 
letter of Paul. 


§ V. AUTHENTICITY OF I. 


The positive considerations already advanced in the preced- 
ing sections are sufficient to establish the Pauline authorship of 
I, unless one is prepared to assert that Paul never lived or that 
no letter from him has survived. Curiously enough it is the 
certainty that I is Pauline that seems to account (cf. Jiilicher, 
Einl.® 56) for the revival in recent years of an earlier tendency 
either to doubt seriously or to deny altogether the authenticity 
of the second epistle. 


(1) External Evidence-—The external evidence for the existence and 
Pauline authorship of I is no better and no worse than that for Gala- 
tians. Following the judicious estimate of The New Testament in the 
A postolic Fathers, 1905, it may be said that ‘“‘the evidence that Ignatius 
knew I is almost nil” (cf. I 517 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε with Ign. 
Eph. ro! and 1 2! οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσχοντες ἀλλὰ θεῷ with Ign. Rom. 
21). The παιδεύετε οὖν ἀλλήλους χαὶ εἰρηνεύετε ἐν αὑτοῖς of Hermas 
Vis. III οἵθ does not certainly come from I 5"*!-; nor does the θεοδί- 
Saxtot of Barn. 21° depend on I 49. On the other hand, I like Galatians 
was in Marcion’s N. T. (cf. Moff. Introd. 69f.), and of course from 
Trenezus on was accepted as Pauline and canonical by all branches of 
the church. 

(2) Baur’s Criticism.—While Schrader (Der Apostel Paulus, V, 1836, 
23 ff.) was the first to question the authenticity of I, it was Baur (Paulus 
1845, 480 57.) who made the most serious inroads against the tradition 
and succeeded in convincing some (e. g. Noack, Volkmar, Holsten) but 
not all (e. g. Lipsius, Hilgenfeld, Holtzmann, Pfleiderer, Schmiedel) of 
his followers that the letter is spurious. Four only of his reasons need 
be mentioned (cf. Liin. 11-15): (a) The un-Pauline origin is betrayed 


THESSALONIANS 


by the “insignificance of the contents, the want of any special aim and 
of any definite occasion” (Liin.). The last two objections are untenable 
and the first overlooks the fact that Paul’s letters are not dogmatic 
treatises but occasional writings designed to meet practical as well as 
theoretical difficulties, and that I everywhere presupposes on the part 
ofits readers a knowledge of the distinctive Pauline idea of the indwelling 
Christ or Spirit as the power unto righteousness and the pledge of future 
salvation. (ὁ) It is contended that I depends both on Acts and on the 
Pauline letters, especially 1, 2 Cor. To this it is replied that to pro- 
nounce I as a “mere copy and echo of τ, 2 Cor. is a decided error of 
literary criticism” (Moff. Introd. 70), and that the very differences be- 
tween Acts and I point not toward but away from literary dependence 
(McGiffert, EB. 5041). (c) More elusive is the objection that I reveals 
a progress in the Christian life which is improbable, if a period of only a 
few months had elapsed between the founding of the church and the 
writing of I. But the evidence adduced for this judgment is unconvin- 
cing. The fact that the fame of the little group has spread far and wide 
(17-8), that they have been hospitable to their fellow-Macedonians (4:9), 
or that Paul has repeatedly desired to see them (218 310) is proof not of 
the long existence of the community but of the intensity and enthusiasm 
of their faith. Indeed the letter itself, written not later than two or three 
months after Paul’s departure, reveals the initial freshness and buoy- 
ancy of their faith and love. Even the shortcomings betray a recent re- 
ligious experience (cf. Dob. 16-17). (d) Finally it is argued that 41-18 
while not disagreeing with 1 Cor. 15%? is in its concreteness unlike Paul. 
But on the other hand, waiving the antecedent probability in favour of 
Paul’s use of apocalyptic, and the distinctively Pauline οἱ νεχροὶ ἐν 
χριστῷ, it is to be observed that 417 indicates that he expects to sur- 
vive until the Parousia. It is not likely that a forger writing after Paul’s 
death would have put into his mouth an unrealised expectation (Liin.). 

(3) Priority of II.—The supposed difficulties in I have been removed 
by some scholars not by denying the Pauline authorship but by assum- 
ing that II was written before I. Grotius (see on II 213) for example sup- 
posed that II was addressed to Jewish Christians who along with Jason 
had come to Thessalonica from Palestine before Paul had preached there; 
and that IT 317 is proof that IT is the first letter of Paul to the Thessa- 
lonians. The priority of II was defended also by Laurent, Ewald, and 
others (cf. J. Weiss on 1 Cor. 16% and see, for details, Liin. 169-173, 
Dob. 20-21, or Moff. Introd. 75). Some colour is lent to this hypothesis 
by the consideration that the case of the idlers in IT 3° * yields a clearer 
insight into the meaning of I 4" and 5" (νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάχτους) 
than these passages themselves at first blush afford, and that it is not 
impossible that the severer discipline of If may have been followed by 
the less severe of I. On the other hand, IT 215 317 naturally refer not to 
a lost letter but to I; and ἐπισυναγωγήὴ (II 2'), which is not treated 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 39 


in 2!-!2 is an allusion to I 413-15, Furthermore, the evidence of II 13 *- 
111 21 31-5 (see notes on these verses) suggests that II is a reply to a letter 
from Thessalonica written after the receipt of I. Finally the reference 
to growth in faith and love (II 1°) is an advance on [ 1? *- and a fulfil- 
ment in part of the prayer of I 3% There is therefore no compelling 
reason for departing from the tradition, as early as Marcion, that I is 
prior to II. 

(4) Theories of Interpolation—More ingenious than convincing is the 
theory of Robert Scott (The Pauline Epistles, 1909, 215 ff.) to the effect 
that I and II are made up of two documents, one by Timothy (chs. 1-3 
of I and ch. 3 of 11) and the other by Silas (chs. 4-5 of I and chs. 1-2 of 
II), documents completed and edited by Timothy somewhere between 
7o and 80a.p. An interesting element in the conjecture is that chs. 1-3 
of I depend largely on Phil. and slightly on 2 Cor. 

Minor glosses have been suspected in 214-18 (cf. Schmiedel, ad loc.) or 
at least in 218 f- (Schmiedel, Drummond, Moff. et al.), in 5%! (cf. EB. 
5041), in 52? (cf. Moff. Introd. 69) and elsewhere; but in no one of these 
instances is the suspicion warranted, as the exegesis will show. 


§ VI. AUTHENTICITY OF I. 


(x) Antecedent Probability —Since the internal evidence of II 
reveals a situation which is thoroughly intelligible on the assump- 
tion of genuineness, and since the language, personal equation, 
and religious convictions of the letter are Pauline, it is ante- 
cedently probable that the ancient tradition assigning the 
epistle to Paul is to be accepted. 


The external evidence of II is slightly better than that for I. To be 
sure, little stress is to be laid on Ign. Rom. τοῦ ἐν ὑπομονῇ "I. X.=35 
or on the similarity in respect of apocalyptic utterances between II 
and Barn. 15° 182, Did. τό: #-, or Justin Martyr dial. 32% 1108 116°. 
On the other hand, Polycarp addresses the Philippians in 11° with the 
words of 14, and in 114 (et non sicut inimicos tales existimetis) with the 
words of 31%. “In spite of the fact that both these passages occur,in the 
part of Polycarp for which the Latin version alone is extant, his use of 
2 Thess. appears to be very probable” (NV. T. in Ap. Fathers, 95). 
Furthermore IT like I has a place in Marcion’s N. T. and has from 
Irenzus on been accepted as canonical and Pauline by all sections of 
the church. 


(2) History of the Criticism.—Though the antecedent prob- 
ability tells in favour of the genuineness of II, yet there are ad- 


40 THESSALONIANS 


mitted difficulties which to some scholars appear so serious as 
to compel them either to speak doubtfully of the authorship or 
to assume that IT proceeds from the hand not of Paul but of a 
falsarius. As the sketch of the history of criticism, given below, 
hopes to make clear, the difficulties are mainly two in number, 
the alleged contradiction between the eschatological utterances 
of II 2112 and I 5‘ and the confessedly close literary resem- 
blances between IT and I. Both of these difficulties, it is to be re- 
marked, proceed on the assumption (Kern, Holtzmann, Schmie- 
del, Wrede, and others) that I is a genuine letter of Paul. 


(a) Against Genuineness.—The first to question seriously the genuine- 
ness of II (see especially Born. 498 77.) was J. E. C. Schmidt (1801) who, 
on the ground of the eschatology of 2'-* in general, of the alleged dis- 
crepancies between 2'-!? and I 4-5, and of the supposed references to 
forged letters in 2? 317, thought that at least 2'-!? was a Montanistic in- 
terpolation; but who later (1804) denied the letter as a whole to Paul. 
De Wette at first (Zinl. 1826) agreed with Schmidt, but afterward 
when he published his commentary (1841) withdrew his support. Ap- 
parently the exegesis of II became easier on the assumption of genuine- 
ness. 

One of the most important contributions, both on account of its in- 
sight and on account of its influence on Baur (Paulus, 1845, 480 ae 
Holtzmann (Einl. 1885, 1892; ZNW. 1901, 97-108; and finally 
N.T. Theol. 19112, II, 213-215), Weizsicker (Das A postolische Zeitalter, 
1886, 258-261 = 1892", 249-251), Pfleiderer (Urchristentum, 1887, 1902"), 
Schmiedel (1889, 18932), Wrede (Die Echtheit des zweiten Thessalonicher- 
briefes, 1903), von Soden (Urchristliche Literaturgeschichte, 1905, 164-168), 
Weinel (Biblische Theol. des N. T. 1911, 500), and others, is unquestion- 
ably that of Kern, Ueber 2 Thess. 2%. Nebst Andeutungen tiber den 
Ursprung des zweiten Bricfes an die Thessalonicher (Tiibinger Zeit- 
schrift fiir Theologie, 1839, Zweites Heft, 145-214). After a careful 
exposition of 21:13 (145-174) and a sketch of the history of interpreta- 
tion (175-192), Kern looks for the origin of the prophecy in the his- 
torical situation of the writer (193 ff.) and finds that the apocalyptic pic- 
ture is an application by a Paulinist of the legend of the Antichrist to 
the belief in Nero Redivious. “The Antichrist, whose appearance is 
expected as imminent, is Nero; the things that restrain him are the 
circumstances of the world of that time; the person that restrains him is 
Vespasian, with his son Titus who had just besieged Jerusalem. What 
is said of the apostasy reflects the abominable wickedness that broke 
out among the Jewish people in their war against the Romans” (200). 
This unfulfilled prophecy belongs to the years between 68-70 A.D. and 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 41 


could not therefore be written by Paul (207). After referring briefly to 
the difficulty in 317, Kern sketches (211-213) the manner in which II 
depends on I, indicating in passing both the Pauline and un-Pauline 
elements in II. The first letter, he thinks, with its historical situation 
was excellently adapted to the creation of a second in which the apoca- 
lyptic picture, conceived by the spirit of the Paulinist, could be imparted 
to his Christian brethren. The passage 21-2, which is the pith of the 
whole matter, is preceded by an introduction and followed by an ex- 
hortation, both drawn from the genuine letter of Paul (214). 

The same conclusion was reached by Weizsicker who held that the 
purpose of II is the desire to impart 21-12, while the rest of the letter is 
solely a framework designed to encircle it with the authority of Paul, 
an intention revealed by the imitation, with corresponding changes, 
of the first letter. Unlike Kern, however, Weizsicker, in presenting his 
case, says nothing of the theory of Nero Redivivus, but points first of all, 
in evidence of spuriousness, to the striking relation of II to I both in 
the similarity of the historical situation and in the correspondence in 
their contents of separate parts of 11 to certain sections of I; although, 
he observes, the whole of II does not correspond in extent and arrange- 
ment to the whole of I. Schmiedel held with Kern to the theory of 
Nero Redivivus, but indicated in greater detail than he the literary de- 
pendence of II on I, while Holtzmann (1892) put into the forefront of 
the debate the differences between II and I in respect of eschatology. 

Between 1892 and 1gor1, the investigations into apocalyptic of Gunkel, 
Bousset, and Charles suggested not only the naturalness in Paul of 
such a passage as 21-!2 but also that the legend of Nero Redivivus is not 
the clew to the interpretation of that difficult section. Charles indeed 
(Ascension of Isaiah, 1900, LXI1) gave convincing reasons for conclud- 
ing that Schmiedel’s theory which regards 21-12 as a Beliar-Neronic myth 
(68-70 A.D.) “is at conflict with the law of development as well as with 
all the evidence accessible on the subject.” 

A new impetus was given to the discussion by Holtzmann in ΤΟΟΙ, 
who while still insisting that 2112 and I 41-5" present mutually exclusive 
views of the future, called attention anew to the literary dependence of 
II upon I; and by Wrede independently in 1903, who subjected the 
literary relations to an exhaustive examination and strengthened the 
theory of Kern as to the intentional dependence of II upon I. To Wrede, 
however, the argument from eschatology was convincing not of itself 
but only in connection with the main argument from literary dependence. 
Since, however, a date as early as 70 for a forgery is difficult to maintain, 
he was compelled to place II at the close of the first or at the beginning 
of the second century, a date which Hilgenfeld (1862) had already sug- 
gested on the strength of the assumption that “the mystery of iniquity” 
presupposes the rise of the gnostic heresies. Finally Hollmann (ZNW. 
1904, 28-38), while recognising that the literary relation of II and I, 


42 


THESSALONIANS 


the lack of the personal equation in IT, and the statement of IT 2? when 
compared with 3}7 are difficulties, is inclined with Holtzmann to lay 
the stress on the alleged discrepancies between 2! and I 51". Unlike 
his predecessors, Hollmann acknowledges the important part that the 
idlers play in II and accordingly suggests that the eschatological sit- 
uation at the end of the century, which evoked from II the correction 
that the Parousia is postponed, had been causing among other things 
the flight from labour. The forger selects for his purpose elements of 
the legend of Antichrist because of the theory of Nero Redivivus current 
in his day, forgetting entirely or else treating figuratively the allusion 
to the temple. 

(b) For Genuineness—The arguments of Kern failed to convince 
Liinemann (1850), Lightfoot (Smith’s DB. 1870, 3222 ff.; Biblical 
Essays, 1893, 253 f-, printed from lecture notes of 1867), Auberlen and 
Riggenbach (in Lange, 1864 = Lillie’s edition 1868), Jiilicher (Einl. 
1894), Bornemann (1894), Briggs (Messiah of the A postles, 1895), Zahn 
(Einl. 1897), B. Weiss (Einl. 1897), McGiffert (Apostolic Age, 1897, 
252 ff.), Charles (Ascen. Isa. 1900, LXII), Vincent (Word Studies, IV, 
1900), Bacon (Introd. 1900), Askwith (Introd. to the Thess. Epistles, 
1902), Wohlenberg (1903), Lock (HDB. 1903, IV, 743 ff.) and many 
others. The rebuttal, however, is addressed mainly not to the argument 
from literary dependence but to that from the differences in eschatology. 
On the other hand, McGiffert, who in his Apostolic Age (loc. cit.) had 
accepted the style of II as genuinely Pauline and had considered the 
arguments in favour stronger than those against the authenticity, pub- 
lished in 1903 (EB. 5041 ff.), after a fresh examination of the problem 
made independently of Holtzmann (1901) and Wrede (1903), a modifi- 
cation of his previous position. In this important discussion which re- 
veals a keen sense of the relevant, he waives as secondary the arguments 
from differences in eschatology and in style, and puts significantly into 
the foreground the argument from literary dependence. While admitting 
that the evidence as a whole points rather toward than against the 
Pauline authorship, he concludes that ‘‘it must be recognised that its 
genuineness is beset with serious difficulties and that it is at best very 
doubtful.” 

But in spite of the serious obstacles which the suggestion of Kern 
in its modern form puts into the way of accepting confidently the Pau- 
line authorship of II, it may be said fairly that the tendency at present 
is favourable to the hypothesis of genuineness; so for example Wernle 
(GGA. 1905, 347-352), Findlay (1904), Clemen (Paulus, 1904, I, 114 ff.), 
Vischer (Paulusbriefe, 1904, 70 f.), Heinrici (Der litterarische Chcracter 
der neulestamentlichen Schriften, 1908, 60), Milligan (1908), Bousset 
(ERE, 1908, I, 579), Mackintosh (1909), von Dobschiitz (1909), Moffatt 
(EGT. 1910; Introd. 1911), Knowling (Testimony of St. Paul to Christ 
1011", 24-28), Harnack (SBBA. 1910, 560-578), Dibelius (1911), Lake 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 43 


- (The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul, 1911), Deissmann (Paulus, 1911, 14), 
and many others. 

(c) Other Hypotheses —(1) J. E. C. Schmidt (1801) found in 21-2 a 
Montanistic interpolation and Michelsen (1876) in 21-9 a Jewish Chris- 
tian apocalypse; Paul Schmidt (1885) discovered in 15-42 and 22>-2 
evidences that a genuine letter of Paul had been worked over by a 
Paulinist in A.D. 69. The difficulty with these and similar theories of 
interpolation, apart from the question of the validity of the literary 
criteria, is the fact that in removing 21-!? one of the two salient purposes 
of the letter is destroyed. “Asa matter of fact, the suggestion of Haus- 
rath (Neutestamentliche Zeitgeschichte? 3, 198) that this passage is the 
only genuine part of the epistle is much more plausible” (McGiffert, 
EB. 5043). For other theories of interpolation, see Moff. 81f. (2) 
Spitta (Zur Geschichte und Litteratur des Urchristentums, 1893, I, 
111-154) assigns II, except 317-18, to Timothy (cf. also Lueken, SNT. II, 
21), a theory which is incompatible with the obvious exegesis of 2° (see 
Mill. Ixxxix ff.). On Scott’s proposal, v. supra, p.39. (3) Bacon (Introd. 
74) suggests that the linguistic peculiarities of II may be explained by 
the assumption that the amanuensis of II is different from that of I. (4) 
On the theory of Grotius, v. supra, p. 38; on that of Harnack, v. infra, 
P- 53: 

The history of the criticism outlined above tends to show that the 
two main objections to the authenticity of II are, as Kern pointed out 
in 1839, the literary resemblances between II and 1, and the alleged 
discrepancy in respect of eschatology between IT 21:15 and I 51", both 
objections depending on the assumption that I is genuine. 


(3) Objection from Eschatology.—The first of the two main 
objections to the genuineness of II is based on the alleged in- 
consistency between II 21:12 and I 5". According to II 25, the 
converts had been taught that certain signs would precede the 
Parousia; but according to I 51" they know accurately that 
the day comes as a thief at night, that is, suddenly and unex- 
pectedly. These two elements of the original teaching are, it 
is argued, mutually exclusive; and since Paul cannot be incon- 
sistent, and cannot have changed his opinions within the short 
interval between the composition of I and 11, the reference in IL 
to premonitory signs betrays a later hand. To this objection 
it has been urged with force (1) generally that in apocalyptic 
literature both the idea of the suddenness of the coming of the 
day of the Lord and the idea of premonitory signs constantly 
appear together; and (2) specifically that the natural inference 


44 THESSALONIANS 


from I 5! is that the readers are acquainted with the teaching 
of Paul that certain signs will herald the approach of the Lord. 
Signs and suddenness are not mutually exclusively elements in 
apocalyptic; and the mention of the suddenness but not the 
signs in I 5!“ and of the signs but not the suddenness in II 21:13 
is evidence not of a contradiction in terms but of a difference of 
emphasis due to a difference of situation in Thessalonica. 

In I 5!", Paul is not concerned with giving new instruction 
either on times and seasons in general or in particular on the 
suddenness of the coming of the day; he is interested solely in 
encouraging the faint-hearted to remember that though the day 
is to come suddenly upon all, believer and unbeliever alike, it 
will not catch the believer unprepared, the tacit assumption 
being that the readers already know accurately about the times 
and seasons including, as II 2° expressly declares, a knowledge 
of the premonitory signs. In 11 21:12, Paul is writing with the 
same faint-hearted persons in mind and with the same purpose 
of encouragement, but he is facing a different situation and a 
different need. The faint-hearted have become more discouraged 
because of the assertion, supported, it was alleged, by the au- 
thority of Paul, that the day of the Lord had actually dawned. 
In order to show the absurdity of that opinion, it became neces- 
sary for Paul to remind them of his oral teaching on premonitory 
signs. Though the reminder was of itself an encouragement, 
Paul took the pains to add for the further encouragement of the 
faint-hearted that the advent of the Anomos (2%) is intended 
not for them, but for unbelievers, the doomed who destroyed 
themselves by refusing to welcome the love for the truth unto 
their salvation. Since the converts are aware of this teaching 
about the signs, it is necessary only to allude to it; and the allu- 
sions are so indistinct that no one hearing the words for the first 
time could fully understand them. A different situation occa- 
sions a different emphasis; signs and suddenness are not incom- 
patibles in apocalyptic. 

On the question of signs and suddenness as a whole, see Briggs Mes- 
sianic Prophecy, 1886, 52 ff.; Messiah of the Gospels, 1894, 156_ff., 160_{/.; 
and Messiah af the Apostles, 1895, 550}. Against the contention of 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 45 


Schmiedel, Holtzmann, Hollmann, and others that I 51"! and IT 21-12 
are mutually exclusive, see Briggs, Messiah of the Apostles, 91 ff.; Spitta 
(op. cit. 129 ff.); McGiffert (EB. 5042); Clemen (Paulus,I,118); Zahn 
(Introd. I, 253); Moff. (Introd. 80f.); and the commentaries of Find. 
(lii), Mill. (ixxxvf.), and Dob. (38f.). Wrede candidly admits that were 
it not for the literary dependence of II on I, there would be little force 
in the argument from eschatology. 


(4) Objection from Literary Resemblances.—The second and 
more important of the two main objections to the authenticity 
of II is based on the literary resemblances between II and I. 
These similarities, it is contended, are so close and continuous 
as to make certain the literary dependence of II upon I and to 
exclude as a psychological impossibility the authorship of II by 
Paul, if, as is generally assumed, II is addressed to the same 
readers as I and written about three months after I. 

(A) Statement of the Case-—(a) In presenting the case for the 
literary dependence of II on I, care must be taken not to over- 
state the agreements or to understate the differences (see es- 
pecially Wernle, op. cit.). It is said for example: “New in the 
letter is the passage 21:12 (more accurately 27°: 1"), the evident 
prelude thereto 1° δ: % , and finally the epistolary material 
218 32. 13. 14.17, The entire remainder is simply excerpt, para- 
phrase, and variation of the larger letter, often in fact elabo- 
rated repetition of parallel passages of the same” (Holtzmann, 
ZNW. 1901, 104; so also in Einl.3 1892, 214). Much truer to 
the facts is the estimate of McGiffert (EB. 5044; cf. Dob. 45): 
“the only new matter in the second (letter) is found in 1°” 
2212. 15 21-5. 10. 13f. 17 (though) even within these passages there 
is more or less dependence upon I. The remainder of the epistle, 
about a third of the whole, is simply a more or less close repro- 
duction of the first epistle.”” That is to say, the new matter com- 
prises about two-thirds of the epistle, a rather large proportion 
when it is recalled that the apologia of the first three chapters 
of I does not recur in II, and that only two of the three classes 
chiefly exhorted in the last two chapters of I are treated in 11. 

In the paragraphs that follow, only the salient points of resemblance 
and difference are mentioned; for an exhaustive discussion, see Wrede 


(op. Cit.). 


46 THESSALONIANS 


(b) The most striking and at the same time most important 
feature in the resemblances between II and I is the epistolary 
outline, formally considered. No other two extant letters of 
Paul agree so closely in this respect. At the same time there 
are differences, and II has new material of its own. The follow- 
ing table may serve to visualise the outline: 


I 


παῦλος... χάρις χαὶ εἰρήνη...1ἱ 


SUYACLOTOUNEY. «55 Ὁ {ον τος 15-213 
ΟΝ ΣῈ SEES ee ile αν ἘΣ 
ebyagiotalipey ὦ". csi css ene 213-310 


αὐτὸς δὲ 6 θεὸς... χαὶ κύριος. 311-12 
AQUKOV Since ke n't nd cae eee ee 41. 
ἐρωτῶμεν 4: 513 (41:-5.32)....ὉὉννν νον 
(5) 


(mtatds ὃ χοδῶν 524)... 2... eee eee 


ee 


σε eo ρον" 

οὗ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμας ἀγνοεῖν... . 413-18 

περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων χαὶ τῶν 
πον: ora» δον δου aged 55:31 


αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης... . 533 


MIOTOO MULAIOV «1. 2 sce eee ate 5% 
προσεύχεσθε χαὶ περὶ ἡμῶν. ... 5" 
CERAGHINE ὁ 1.5. ΣΕ ον ἐς 536 
δυρυν που τς κου deted Sate 53 
ὮΝ σοι «EO OU. καρίνα 58 


1AM τ ΣΟ ΜΣ ρου δος Tita 
ἀπὸ θεοῦ κατρός xtA.......... 13" 
εὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν... ..... 13:19 
Rpoceuy quete ss os ss wae awe o's 111-13 
δούεονκεον: ον Δ eee 21:-3 
ὀφείλομεν εὐχαριστεῖν... .....- Qui 
ONMETEL: 03 3 pee eee 215 
αὐτὸς δὲ ὃ χύριος. ... χαὶ θεός... 216-17 
TO ROLROV wan ΡΥ τε δ᾽ ὁ ἢ ἀν δ pete 215 
(21) (παρακαλοῦμεν 313)...... «Ὁ νον 
«ροσεύχεσθε περὶ ἡμῶν. ....... 3h 
πιστὸς δέ ἐστιν ὃ xbptos....... 33 
πεποίθαμεν ἐν χυρίῳ .... ...... 3! 

ὃ δὲ χύριος xatevOdvar........ 35 
παραγγελλομαι. 2 οτος τως 3515 
TORRE MOUS F<. 6. οὐ λον τι κι 
αὐτὸς δὲ ὃ χύριος τῆς εἰρήνης... 3155 
ὃ χύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν... .3:5Ὁ" 
(3) hae Neb ais ues «suv ane ροβένονο A 
(31) eee eee) 
OPAORAGOG. ia τῶν mee eee 311,8 
ΡΠ, ἘΜ Sdn > ala eee 2411} 
BT λον gods εν εν cane ae ee 338 


The striking similarity between the two outlines, apart from the 
superscription and the salutation and benediction, consists in the double 
thanksgiving, the first prayer with αὐτός, the λοιπόν, and the second 


prayer with αὐτός. 


But even within the agreement there are differ- 


ences, for example, ὀφείλομεν IT 1* 2%; the position of χύριος in 21%; 
the contents of the section introduced by λοιπόν, and κύριος for θεός 
in II 3, Moreover, II adds new material, for example, προσευχόμεθα 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 47 


(τι, cf. Phil. 19) after the first thanksgiving; ἐρωτῶμεν (21-2; to be sure 
2: Ξεῖ 5; the exhortation is natural, for the purpose is not to censure 
but to encourage); the imperative otqxete after the second thanks- 
giving; and the ὃ κύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν (315) after the second prayer 
with αὐτός. 


(c) The author of I, though he follows in the main the epis- 
tolary outline of I and centres his reminiscences about the cor- 
responding sections in II, does not draw these reminiscences 
entirely from the corresponding epistolary sections in I; that 
is to say, II 174 does not come wholly from I 14, nor IT 21617 
from I 35, nor II 21. 5 from I 41 nor II 3'*from 1 5%. Evidently 
the author of II is not a slavish copyist, as is for example the 
author of the epistle to the Laodiceans (cf. Lightfoot, Colossians 
and Philemon, 285 f.) who starts with Gal. 11 and then follows 
the order of Philippians for sixteen out of twenty verses, and 
ends with Col. 415 (Dob. 45-46). In fact, apart from the formal 
agreements in the main epistolary outline, the striking thing is 
not the slavish dependence of the author of II on I, but the 
freedom with which he employs the reminiscences from I and 
incorporates them in original ways into new settings. 


In IT 13-4, little stress should be laid on the common epistolary for- 
mula εὐχαριστεῖν τῷ θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ ἡμῶν; more important is the new 
ὀφείλομεν which along with καθὼς ἄξιόν ἐστιν reveals the encouraging 
purpose of the first two chapters, as the exegesis will show. The ὑπερ- 
αὐξάνει and πλεονάζει, indicating the inward growth of the church, come 
not from I 124 but from the equally redundant πλεονάσαι καὶ περισσεύσαι 
of I 3%; the prayer for brotherly love is fulfilled. The ἑνὸς ἑχάστου 
is drawn not from I 124 but if necessary from I 2%. Instead, however, 
of repeating “‘the work of faith,” “the labour of love,” and “ the en- 
durance of hope” (I 12), or the faith, hope, and love of I 58, he confines 
himself to faith and love, the points which Timothy, in reporting the 
situation in I 3°, had emphasised. Then instead of saying that it is 
unnecessary to speak of their faith (I 18-°), he is at pains to say that, 
contrary to their expectations, he is boasting everywhere not of their 
faith and love, but of their endurance and faith in persecutions, which 
reminds one more of I 3? than of 12%-. It is evident that the writer of 
II 134 draws not simply from I 12-3 but from I 31? 213 3° 3? and if ἄξιον, 
which controls χαταξιωθῆναι (II 15) and ἀξιώσῃ (II 11), must have a 
basis, from ἀξίως 213. 

In the prayer II 21617 (αὐτὸς δέ xtA.), which corresponds to I 


48 


THESSALONIANS 


3", the only resemblance to I 3", apart from the initial phrase 
(and II puts Christ before God as in Gal. 11), is ὑμῶν τὰς χαρδίας and 
στηρίξαι. But the collocation στηρίζειν xat παραχαλεῖν (cf. Rom. 113) 
occurs in I 3% Surely the unique phrase παράχλησιν αἰωνίαν does not 
owe its origin simply to ἣ παράχλησις ἡμῶν I 25. 

Most interesting is the section beginning with τὸ λοιπόν in IT 31", 
which introduces the command to the idlers in 35:15, when compared 
with the corresponding section in I 4'? (λοιπόν χτλ.) which intro- 
duces the exhortations of 4*-5%%. It is interesting because II 3'-' draws 
nothing from I 4"? except the λοιπόν, unless παραγγελίας ἐξώχαμεν sug- 
gests παραγγέλλομεν and χαθὼς χαὶ περιπατεῖτε accounts for χαὶ ποιεῖτε 
χαὶ ποιήσετε. Rather χαθὼς παρελάβετε (cf. τ Cor. 15! Gal. 19 Phil. 49 
Col. 25) παρ᾽ ἡμῶν (I 41) appears first in II 3° χατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν ἣν παρ- 
ελάβετε παρ᾽ ἡμῶν; and τὸ πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν (I 41) appears first in 
II 37 πῶς δεῖ μιμεῖσθαι ὑμᾶς, the resulting combination εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ 
being found also in Col. 45 and 1 Tim. 315, But the αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε of 
II 37 comes not from οἴδατε γάρ I 4", but rather from the αὐτοὶ γὰρ of- 
Sate of I 2! or 3°. But to return to II 31-Ὁ; νν. 1-2 are newand fit nicely 
into the situation at Corinth; οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἣ πίστις betrays a mood 
similar to that in I 215-16; προσεύχεσθε ἀδελφοὶ περὶ ἡμῶν (Heb. 1318; 
cf. Col. 4%) is not a slavish reproduction of I 525 as the omission of xat 
and the changed position of ἀδελφοί indicate. To be sure, ὃ λόγος τοῦ 
χυρίου occurs elsewhere in Paul only I 15 (415), though Col. 315 has 
ὃ λόγος τοῦ χριστοῦ; but κύριος is characteristic of II compared with I, 
and in 3%, as in Phil. 4-5, occurs four times. In II 33, πιστὸς δέ ἐστιν 
ὃ χύριος ὅς agrees with I 5° only in πιστός and ὅς: στηρίξει (2:7) need 
come neither from I 3? nor from 3" (cf. Rom. 1" 1635), and φυλάξει is 
used elsewhere in Paul only with νόμος. In 11 34, πεποίθαμεν ἐν χυρίῳ 
(Phil. 2%), which is characteristic of Paul, does not occur in I; xap- 
αγγέλλομεν is not quite παραγγελίας ἐδώχαμεν (4%); and χαὶ ποιεῖτε 
χαὶ ποιήσετε resembles I 41° or 5" more than 41. In II 35,6 δὲ χύριος xa- 
τευθύναι ὑμῶν τὰς χαρδίας reminds one of ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ χύριος (I 3%), of 
χατευθύναι (311), and of ὑμῶν τὰς χαρδίας (3%; IT 217), It will be re- 
membered that of the 146 words common to I and II, χατευθύνειν, θεσ- 
σαλονιχεύς, ἐρωτᾷν (Phil.), and περιποίησις (Eph.) are the only ones 
not found in one or more of the Major Epistles of Paul; and that χατευ- 
θύνειν τὰς χαρδίας is a good Lxx. phrase. If now we follow the order of 
allusions in II 31-5 to I, we shall have I 4! (λοιπόν), 52° (προσεύχεσθε), 
18 (ὃ λόγος τοῦ χυρίου), 215-18 (οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἣ πίστις), 5% (πιστός), 52 
or 3" (στηρίξει), [Phil. 2% πεποίθαμεν ἐν χυρίῳ], 419 or 5% (ποιεῖτε), 3:3 
(ὁ δὲ χύριος), 311 (χατευθύναι), 312 (ὑμῶν τὰς χαρδίας). It is evident 
that the writer of II 31-6 does not take much from the corresponding I 
4}, but rather mingles scattered reminiscences from I with his new 
material (vv. 1-2. 4 5b), 

Finally, ΠῚ 3'* agrees with the corresponding I 5* only in the initial 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 49 


αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης, and even so θεός becomes xbetos. The 
prayer itself is different. Then, instead of the πιστός clause (I 524), 
11 inserts the new 6 κύριος μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν. 


(4) Apart from the epistolary outline, there are few lengthy 
agreements in the phrases common to I and II. 


The superscription of II 11? differs from that in I 11 in adding ἡμῶν 
to πατρί and ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρός κτλ. to εἰρήνη. While ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ (ἡμῶν) 
and ἐν χυρίῳ “I. X. (also ΤΙ 313) are not found elsewhere in N. T., the ἐν 
is distinctively Pauline; moreover, both χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη and θεὸς πατήρ 
are characteristic of Paul. In the first thanksgiving, the πάντοτε περὶ 
πάντων ὑμῶν of 1? recurs in IT τὸ without πάντων; furthermore πάντοτε περὶ 
ὑμῶν IT 11 218 agrees not with I 1? or 213 but with II 13, The first prayer 
with αὐτός (II 2:5) agrees with I 3 in the mention but not in the order 
of the divine names; and the second prayer with αὐτός (II 315) has Lord 
not God of peace (I 5%). The προσεύχεσθε χτλ. of II 31 is not identical 
with I 525. Striking is ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί (II 2! I 51), for in this 
phrase we expect παραχαλοῦμεν; but ἐρωτᾷν is found in Phil. and of 
course frequently in the papyri. The briefest agreement in the epistolary 
outline is τὸ λοιπόν IL 3! = λοιπόν I 41. In this connection may also be 
noted ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ χυρίου which, though it occurs in the 
second thanksgiving of II (2) is a purposed reminiscence of ἀδελφοὶ 
ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ in the first thanksgiving of I (14). The idea of 
election though not the word is present in both contexts (ἐχλογή I 14; 
εἵλατο, ἐχάλεσεν, περιποίησιν II 21-4), 

Apart from the epistolary outline, the agreements are seldom lengthy. 
Furthermore, the setting of the phrases in IT is usually different from their 
setting in I. The two lengthiest agreements occur in II 3819; the 
first (38) ἐν χόπῳ χαὶ μόχθῳ (I 29 τὸν κόπον ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν μόχθον) νυχτὸς 
χαὶ ἡμέρας ἐργαζόμενοι πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἐπιβαρῆσαί τινα ὑμῶν appears in ἃ 
different context in I 2° and is a purposed reminiscence (see note on II 
38); the following elements in it are found elsewhere in Paul but not 
elsewhere in the N. T.: χόπος καὶ μόχθος (2 Cor. 1127 κόπῳ χαὶ μόχθῳ), 
πρὸς τὸ μιῇ With infin., and ἐπιβαρεῖν (2 Cor. 25; nowhere else in Gk. 
Bib.); on the other hand νυχτὸς xat ἡμέρας is found elsewhere in 
N. T. but not elsewhere in Paul. The second (310), καὶ γὰρ ὅτε (not 
elsewhere in N. T.) ἦμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς (cf. 25 ὧν πρὸς ὑμᾶς) appears in a dif- 
ferent connection in I 34. Briefer reminiscences are αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε 
II 37 (I 21 33 52) and ἔργον πίστεως 11 112 (I 1) which are not found else- 
where in the N. T.; καὶ διὰ τοῦτο II 2" (1 2:3) and ὃ λόγος τοῦ χυρίου 
II 3! (I 18 418) which are found elsewhere in N. T. but not elsewhere in 
Paul; ὃ θεὸς ἡμῶν 11 τ11- 12 (1 22 39 t Cor. 6"), ἡμέρα κυρίου IT 2? (1 52), 
ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν 11 13-4 (1 18 32: 5- 6. 7- 10). ἣ παρουσία τοῦ χυρίου (ἡμῶν Ἰ. X.) 
IT 21 (I 338 416 523 x Cor. 1.533), πῶς Set IL 37 (1 4: Col. 4°), and στηρίζειν χαὶ 

4 


50 


THESSALONIANS 


παραχαλεῖν IT 2:17 (I 3%; cf. Rom. 1"), which are found elsewhere in 
N. T. and elsewhere in Paul; and ἄρα οὖν ἀδελφοί II 21" (I 5* Rom. 8:3), 
τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν IT 2 (I 1°) which are found elsewhere in Paul but 
not elsewhere in N. T. 


(e) In the passage 15-2", which consists of new material, 
there is but slight evidence of literary dependence on I, although 
knowledge of I is presupposed. In this material, distinctively 
Pauline elements occur. 


In I τό the stress is laid on election evidenced by the reception of 
the word in great θλίψις, and not on judgment (115); but in II 15+, 
the emphasis is put not so much on election as on the certainty of ac- 
quittalin judgment. This certainty is due to the fact of their endurance 
and faith, and the judgment is sketched in vv. 7°. It is not strange that 
θλίψις occurs in both passages; but ὀργή (I 110) is not in II nor διωγμός 
(II 14) in I. The ἐν τῇ ἀποχαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ of II 17 
is not a literary dependence on I 4:5, χαταβήσεται ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ; “his 
angels of power” is unique in Gk. Bib. and does not come from I 3%; the 
saints, ἐχδίχησις and ὄλεθρος come respectively not from I 3% 45 53 
but from the Lxx. In II 111-13, ἔργον πίστεως is the only certain reminis- 
cence of I (1), for 6 θεὸς ἡμῶν is found not only in I 2? 3? but elsewhere 
in Paul, as well as elsewhere in the N. T. and Lxx.; πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν 
comes not from I 1? but from II 1%. In II 21, ἐπισυναγωγή refers to I 4418 
but is not discussed in 21-12, ἐπιστολῆς in 2? refers to I. 

The Pauline elements have already been mentioned: εἴπερ (1°), the 
touch μεθ’ ἡμῶν (17), ὑπαχούειν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ (18), πᾶσιν leading to 
the ὅτι clause with ἐπιστεύθη (11°), ὡς ὅτι (23), and οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι (21°); 
see further the notes ad 15-2", 


(f) The freedom with which the author of II gives expression 
to Pauline convictions is illustrated in 2", 


Tn II 2" the epistolary outline of I 213 is followed, but the new ὀφεί- 
λομεν purposely repeats II 1%. The “brethren beloved by the Lord” 
(not God as in I 1‘) is an intentional reference to I 14; but what fol- 
lows is not a slavish combination of ἐχλογή (I 14), ὃ χαλῶν (I 2:3 or 5%), 
τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν (1 15), περιποίησιν (I 5°) and δόξαν (I 2"), but 15 ἃ fresh 
and vigorous statement of Pauline convictions, sweeping from everlast- 
ing to everlasting, akin to I 5° but not betraying literary dependence 
on the same. In the midst thereof come the effective but in Paul unusual 
an’ ἀρχῆς, ἁγιασμὸς πνεύματος (1: Pet. 13), and πίστις ἀληθείας (due to 
ν. 13). Δ similar freedom is witnessed also in II 1-12 (see notes ad Joc.). 


(g) Finally it is interesting to observe that from II 3%" it is 
possible to get a clearer picture of the situation presupposed by 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS SI 


IT 4" and 5% (νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους) than from those 
passages themselves. 11 at this point explains I. 


The statement that IT 3°». 1-12 js a reproduction of I 269 41-12 y6-7 514 
is misleading. Were it not for the context in which περιπατεῖν ἀτάχτως 
(II 3% 1) and ἀταχτεῖν (37) appear, we should not be certain that youe- 
τεῖτε (cf. IL 315) τοὺς ἀτάχτους (I 5%) referred not to the disorderly in 
general, as I 411-12 allows, but specifically to the idlers. The author of 
II thus betrays at this point first-hand acquaintance with the situa- 
tion faced in I. 

The μιμεῖσθαι of 37 refers to work not to suffering (I 1° 214 μιμηταῦ); 
τύπον in view of Phil. 317 is a natural word for “example” without re- 
course to the τύπον of I 17; the idea of waiving apostolic right in love 

3°) appears in a different setting in I 2°-7, and the language in which it 
is expressed agrees not with I 2%-7 but with 1 Cor. οἱ #-; and although 3? 


? 
and I 27-8 alike hint at self-sacrifice, μεταδοῦναι τὰς ψυχάς does not suggest 


διδόναι τύπον. Furthermore, the lengthy agreement of 38 with I 29 
is intentional, that of 31° with I 33 accidental, as II 25 suggests. These 
facts, coupled with the tactful treatment of the case of the idlers, es- 
pecially the significant emphasis in 315, which is far from Kirchenzucht, 
with the ethical turn in οὐ θέλει (31°) and with the quite Pauline ἐν χυρίῳ 
(32), point distinctly to the hand of Paul. 


(B) Hypothesis of Forgery.—Notwithstanding the fact that 
the greater part of the material in II is new, that, aside from 
the agreements in the epistolary outline of I and II, the reminis- 
cences from I but rarely occur in the corresponding sections of 
ΤΙ, that these reminiscences are worked over freely and mingled 
with new material, and that IT 9018 reflects an intimate and first- 
hand acquaintance with the situation presupposed by I 41°” 514, 
it is nevertheless held that it is quite as easy to imagine that a 
later writer familiar with I and with the style of Paul imitated 
I for his own purpose, as that Paul himself wrote II. Since then 
it is a psychological impossibility for Paul to have written II to 
the same persons a few months after I, the alternative is a forger. 

But apart from the consideration that those who support the 
hypothesis of forgery fail to indicate what are the criteria for a 
psychological impossibility in such a case, it is to be observed 
that it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine what the pur- 
pose of the forger is and why he hits on 1 85 the point of departure 
for his pseudepigraphon. 


52 


THESSALONIANS 


It is sometimes urged that II is written to take the place of I. Were 
this true, the reason for the forgery would be patent. But as both Mc- 
Giffert (EB. 5042) and Wrede (60) insist, there is no indication of an in- 
tention to “‘save Paul’s reputation and set him right with the Thess. 
after his death, by showing that he had not expected the consummation 
as soon as I seemed to imply” (McGiffert). In fact, 2:5 intimates that 
the authority of I is formally recognised (Wrede). Hence “the sole pur- 
pose of the eschatological passage is clearly to put a stop to the fanaticism 
to which the belief in the speedy consummation was giving rise” (Mc- 
Giffert; so essentially Kern, 214, Weizsiicker, 250, and Wrede, 67-69). 

To this it may be rejoined: (1) The internal evidence of the second 
letter reveals not one but two purposes, to encourage the faint-hearted 
who had become more despondent by reason of the assertion that the 
day is present and to warn more sharply the idlers who since the writ- 
ing of I had become more troublesome. Hollmann recognises this two- 
fold purpose in that he affirms that the forger united closely the strained 
eschatological situation and the flight from labour. (2) If 2 is de- 
signed as a corrective of prevailing wrong impressions as to the immi- 
nence of the Parousia, it chooses an extremely obscure method of illumi- 
nating the minds of the readers. On the assumption of genuineness, the 
reason for the obscurity is clear; the Thessalonians, since they knew the 
teaching already, needed only to be reminded of it. (3) Neither Kern 
nor Wrede has succeeded in explaining just why I is seized upon as the 
point of departure for the pseudepigraphon. (4) It is admittedly 
(Wrede, 37f. and McGiffert, EB. 5042) difficult to believe that a letter 
could be sent to the Thessalonians and be accepted by them as Pauline 
before Paul’s death; or to believe that a letter addressed to them but 
not really intended for them could have gained currency as Pauline in 
Paul’s lifetime. It is necessary therefore to go beyond the sixties, down 
even to the end of the first or even to the beginning of the second cen- 
tury in order to make a forgery intelligible. But the further one goes 
beyond 50 A.D. the harder it is to account for that intimate acquaintance 
with the situation implied by I, which is revealed especially in II 3%, 
(5) There is no essential incompatibility between I 5! 5. and II 21:3, 
between signs and suddenness, as both McGiffert and Wrede concede. 
(6) At every point the exegesis of II is easiest on the assumption of 
genuineness. (7) The hypothesis of forgery proceeds on the supposition 
that it is a psychological impossibility for Paul to have written II a few 
months after I to the same people. But criteria for distinguishing what 
is psychologically possible or impossible to Paul are not adduced. The 
only evidence that throws any light on the matter is the statement of 
Paul to another Macedonian church: “To go on writing the same things 
is not tedious to me, while to you it is safe” (Phil. 3"). To be sure, there 
are no objective criteria to go by; no two other extant letters of Paul 
in which two out of the three situations in one letter are treated ina 


ee 6. 


AUTHENTICITY OF II THESSALONIANS 53 


second letter written less than three months later. On the assumption 
of genuineness, it is evident that it was important for Paul to remember 
1, for its utterances at certain points had been misconstrued by some. 
And since, according to Phil. 31, Paul could write the same things if 
necessary, the presence in II of reminiscences, apart from the epistolary 
outline, is natural, especially if IL is a reply to a letter which the Thessa- 
lonians sent to Paul asking advice concerning the faint-hearted and the 
idlers, a letter written after their reading of I and after their failure to 
cope successfully with the difficulty created by the assertion that the 
day of the Lord was actually present. Indeed, it is not improbable that, 
as Zahn (Introd.I, 250; cf. Moff. Introd. 76) suggests, Paul read over the 
original draft of I before he dictated IT, for in the light of Cicero’s usual 
habit (cf. Zahn, Joc. cit.) and of similar evidence from the papyri (cf. Deiss. 
Light, 227 f.), it may be assumed that the letters of Paul were usually 
revised after dictation and copied, the copy being sent, and the original 
draft retained by Paul or his secretary. At the same time, it is strange 
that the epistolary outline of II should agree so closely with that of I. 
But strangeness is not identical with psychological impossibility. 


(5) Hypothesis of Genuineness—Since the antecedent prob- 
ability, namely, the intelligibility of the historical situation im- 
plied by II, the language, the personal equation, and the religious 
convictions, is distinctly in favour of Pauline authorship, and since 
the objection to the genuineness on the score of alleged discrepan- 
cies between I 51 *- and II 21:12 is not insuperable, the hypothesis 
of genuineness may be assumed as the best working hypothesis 
in spite of the difficulties suggested by the literary resemblances, 
especially the striking agreement in the epistolary outline. 


Harnack, however (ΟΡ. cit.), like Wrede, is convinced that it is psycho- 
logically impossible for II to have been written by Paul a few months 
after I to the same address, although the criteria for determining psy- 
chological impossibility are not stated. But he is equally confident that 
TI is thoroughly Pauline. The only way then out of the conclusion that 
TI is a forgery is the postulate that there were two churches in Thessa- 
lonica, one the main church composed of Gentiles, the other a kind of 
annex made up of Jews; and that I was addressed to the Gentile and II 
to the Jewish church. Although Paul ordered the former to see to it 
that the latter should hear the first epistle read (I 527), yet he was aware 
that the exhortations in reference to impurity, a sin to which Gentiles 
were susceptible, and in reference to eschatology (new teaching in I 413-18, 
and simple in I 51"), had in mind mainly if not wholly the problems of 
the Gentile Christians. Accordingly, in order to meet the specific needs 
of the Jewish Christians who were steeped in eschatology and had begun 


54 


THESSALONIANS 


to believe that the day of the Lord was present, and who were also idle 
(for although the Gentiles were idle, the Jews were the conspicuous idlers, 
as the severe reproof of II 3% 5 shows), he writes the second letter at 
the same time as I, or a few days after I. Though both types of Chris- 
tians were dear to Paul, yet the letter to the Jewish annex, while not 
unfriendly, lacks the warm tone and the intimate friendliness of I, is 
in fact somewhat severe (3:3 5.), official and ceremonious (ὀφείλομεν 
15 25), This postulate, once made, is worked out with the brilliance 
familiar to readers of his discussion of the Priscan authorship of 
Hebrews. 

Waiving the suggestion that the hypothesis would be relieved of 
one difficulty if the traditional assertion that II is severe, official, and 
ceremonious were dispensed with altogether, two important difficulties 
may be suggested, one that the evidence adduced for the existence of a 
separate Jewish Christian group is not quite conclusive, and the other 
that the psychological difficulty that prompts the postulate is not en- 
tirely removed. As to the first point, Harnack assumes that the O. T. 
colouring in IT suggests Jewish Christian readers, an assumption which 
is disputable; also that the Gentiles had had no instruction in escha- 
tology beyond the simplest teaching as to the suddenness of the day 
and the necessity for watchfulness, an assumption difficult not only in 
the light of I 52 !-, but also of I 41*-17 where Paul includes in his new teach- 
ing apocalyptic details which, on the theory of simplicity, are irrelevant. 
Furthermore, while Acts 17‘ states that the preaching in the synagogue 
succeeded with a few Jews and with a great many Gentiles, men and 
women, who as adherents of the synagogue may be presumed to have 
been acquainted with the Messianic hopes of the Jews in their apocalyp- 
tic expression, still it has nothing to say of the formation of two separate 
Christian groups. Still further, the first letter betrays no knowledge 
of the existence of more than one Christian assembly in Thessalon- 
ica, for the “all” in 52? obviously suggests not an annex of Jewish 
Christians but recalcitrants, most probably some of the idle brethren, 
within the one church of the Thessalonians. Moreover, the reading 
ἀπαρχῆν (see note on 2"), which did not suggest the hypothesis but 
which to Harnack is objective evidence in favour of it, is less suitable 
than ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς in a context designed to assure the readers of their cer- 
tainty of salvation. The second important difficulty with this plausible 
hypothesis is that the psychological impossibility which prompts it is 
not entirely eliminated, for although the presence of reminiscences is 
adequately accounted for, the surprising similarity of the epistolary 
outline is not. 

Lake (Exp. Times, Dec. 1910, 131-3, and The Earlier Epistles of St. 
Paul, 1911, 83 77.) inclines to think that Harnack’s theory complies with 
all the conditions of the problem; Dibelius and Knopf (TLZ, 1911, 455- 
457) speak hesitatingly. 


THE TEXT 55 


Sil LHe, TEx 


The text of Westcott and Hort is followed almost without 
exception in the commentary. The nomenclature is that of 
Gregory, Die Griechischen Handschriften des N. T. 1908 and Text 
Kritik des N. T. 111, 1909 (cf. Souter, Nov. Test. Graece, 1910). 
The various readings are taken from the apparatus of Tischen- 
dorf (Nov. Test. Graece, vol. I, ed. 8, 1872) and of Souter. 


The various readings from Greek manuscripts, versions, and patristic 
writers have been cited in the interest of exegesis. The following au- 
thorities have been most serviceable: Zimmer (Der Text der Thessa- 
lonicherbriefe, 1893), B. Weiss (Textkritik der Paulinischen Briefe, in 
TU.s 1896), and the textual notes in the commentaries of Findlay and 
Dobschiitz. 


(τ) Greek Manuscripts —From the lists in Gregory (0p. cit.) 
and von Soden (Die Schriften des N. T., begun in 1902 and now 
(1912) nearing completion), it would appear that about six 
hundred Greek manuscripts contain 1, 2 Thess. wholly or in part. 
The twenty-one uncials among them may be briefly enumerated 
as follows: 


δ (eapr). Cod. Sinaiticus, saec. iv, now at St. Petersburg. 
Edited by Tischendorf, its discoverer, in 1862. Photo- 
graphic reproduction by H. and K. Lake, Oxford, tort. 
Contains I and II complete. 

A (eapr). Cod. Alexandrinus, saec. v, now in the British 
Museum. Edited by Woide in 1786. Facsimile by E. 
M. Thompson, 1879. Contains I and 11 complete. 

B (eapr). Cod. Vaticanus, saec. iv, now in the Vatican 
Library. Photographic reproduction by Cozza-Luzi, 
Rome, 1889, and by the Milan firm of Hoepli, 1904. 
Contains I and 11 complete. 

C (eapr). Cod. Ephraemi Rescriptus, saec. v, now in the 
National Library at Paris. The N. T. fragments were 
edited by Tischendorf in 1843. Contains I 1? εὐχαρισ- 
τουμεν---,8 εγενηθητε. 


56 THESSALONIANS 


D (p). Cod. Claromontanus, sacc. vi, Graeco-Latin, now in 
the National Library at Paris. Edited by Tischendorf 
in 1852. Contains I and II complete. 

[E] Cod. Sangermanensis, saec. ix, now at St. Petersburg. 
A copy of D. 


F (p). Cod. Augiensis, saec. ix, Graeco-Latin, now in the 
Library of Trinity College, Cambridge. An exact tran- 
script by Scrivener, 1859. Contains I and II complete. 

G (p). Cod. Boernerianus, saec. ix, now in the Royal Library 
at Dresden. “It is closely related to F, according to 
some the archetype of F”’ (Souter). Edited by Matthaei, 
1791. Im Lichidruck nachgebildet, Leipzig (Hiersemann), 
1909. Contains I and II complete. 


H (p). Cod. Saec.vi. Most of the forty-one leaves now known 
are in the National Library at Paris; the remainder are 
at Athos, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, and Turin. 
The fragments at Kiev contain 2 Cor. 457, 1 Thess. 29:1 
(μνημονευετε. .. εστιν adnOas) and 451: (εαυτον σκεῦος 
... φιλοτιμισθαι); cf. H. Omont, Notice sur un ἱγὸς 
ancien manuscrit, etc. 1889. 


I (p). Cod. Saec.v. Ms. 4 in the Freer Collection at Detroit, 
Michigan. This manuscript is a “badly decayed frag- 
ment, now containing many short portions of the epistles 
of Paul. It is written on parchment in small uncials and 
probably belongs to the fifth century. . . . Originally 
contained Acts and practically all of the epistles but not 
Revelation. . . . While no continuous portion of the 
text remains, many brief passages from Eph. Phil. Col. 
Thess. and Heb. can be recovered” (H. A. Sanders, Bib- 
lical World, vol. XXI, 1908, 142; cf. also Gregory, Das 
Freer-Logion, 1908, 24). The fragments of Thess., a col- 


lation of which Prof. Sanders kindly sent me, contain 
i pi-2.9-10 27-8. 14-16 art 11-13 45:9. 16-18 Bee 23-26 an jis. 10-11 
28. 15-17 arse, 


K (ap). Cod. Mosquensis, saec. ix, now at Moscow. Col- 
lated by Matthaci, 1782. Contains I and II complete. 


THE TEXT 57 


L (ap). Cod. Angelicus, saec. ix, now in the Angelican Li- 
brary at Rome. Collated among others by Tischen- 
dorf (1843) and Tregelles (1845). Contains I and II 
complete. 

P (apr). Cod. Porphyrianus, saec. ix, now at St. Peters- 
burg. Edited by Tischendorf (1865). Contains I and 
II except. I 35 μηκετι---ημεις οἱ 411. 

W (eap). Cod. Saec. viii-ix, now at Mount Athos. Contains 
1 and II complete. 

048 (ap). Cod. Saec. v, now in the Vatican Library, a frag- 
mentary palimpsest. Contains I 1? with the short codex 
title. 

049 (ap). Cod. Saec. viii-ix, now at Mount Athos. Contains 
I 11-233 ανθρωπων. 

056 (ap). Cod. Saec. x, now in the National Library at Paris. 
I and II were collated by Van Sittart (Gregory, Text 
Kritik, 206). 

075 (p). Cod. Saec. x, now in the National Library at Athens 
(Gregory, ibid. 309). 

ΟΙΙΙ (p). Cod. Saec. vii (0), now in the Royal Museum at 
Berlin, a fragment containing only II 1!-2?, mutilated 
in 1% and 1-22, Printed in Gregory (ibid. 1075 ff.). 

0142 (ap). Cod. Saec. x, now in the Royal Library at Mu- 
nich. Contains I and 11 complete. 

o150 (p). Cod. Saec. ix (Gregory, ibid. 1081), now at Patmos. 

orst (p). Cod. Saec. ix or x (Gregory, ibid. 1081), now at 
Patmos. 

These uncials may be summarised as to date thus: Saec. iv (ΝΒ), 
v (ACI. 048), vi (DH.), vii (or11), viii-ix (¥ 049), ix (EFGKLP. o150), 
ix-x (ors1), and x (056. 075. 0142). 

There are about 585 minuscules which contain I and II complete or 
in part. Of these the following 38 appear to be the oldest: Saec. ix 
(1430. 1862. 1900); ix-x (33. 1841); x (1. 82. 93. 221. 454. 456. 457. 
605. 619. 627. 920. 1175 (I 11% 2% is lacking). 1244. 1739. 1760. 1770. 
1836. 1845. 1870. 1880. 1891. 1898. 1905. 1920. 1954 (I 11--25 is lacking). 
1997. 1998. 2110. 2125); x-xi (1851 (II 37-18 is lacking). 1910. 1912. 
1927). 


58 THESSALONIANS 


The leading minuscules, according to SH. (Ixv) are: 33 (saec. ix-x), 
1912 (saec. x-xi), 104. 424. 436. 1908 (saec. xi), 88. 321 (saec. xii), 263 
(saec. xiii-xiv), 5. 489 (saec. xiv), and 69 (saec. xv), one of the Ferrar 
Group. 


(2) Versions.—The following versions are occasionally quoted: 
Latin including Old Latin and Vulgate (Vulg.), Syriac Vulgate 
(Pesh.), Coptic in the Bohairic dialect (Boh.), and Armenian 
(Arm.). 


(a) Latin. Witnesses for the Old Latin are the Latin of the bi- 
linguals Ὁ (E) F G, namely, ἃ (e) f (?) g (?); r (saec. vii, a fragment now 
in Munich containing Phil. 4"-* and 1 Thess. 111°, discovered and edited 
by Ziegler, Ztalafragmente der Paulinischen Briefe, 1876); 3 (saec. vii- 
viii, now in the Bodleian; according to Wescott (Smith’s DB. 3458 f.) it 
agrees in many cases with d almost or quite alone); also the citations of 
the Speculum (=m; edited by Weihrich in the Vienna Corpus, xii, 1887; 
contains I 2!-14 41-10 5-22 JJ 13-12 36-18); and of Ambrosiaster (= Ambst., 
quoted from a collation which Prof. Souter was good enough to send 
me), and others. The Vulgate is cited from Nestle’s edition (Nov. Test. 
Graece, 1906); there are occasional references to the Vulgate codices 
Amiatinus (=am.; saec. viii) and Fuldensis (=fuld.; saec. vi). On 
the Latin versions, see Kennedy in HDB. III, 47-62 and Burkitt in EB. 
4992 ff. 

(b) Syriac. According to Burkitt (EB. 4998 f.), “no manuscript of 
the Old Syriac version of the Pauline Epistles is known to have survived.” 
The Syriac Vulgate or Peshitta, of which some sixty-seven manuscripts 
are available for Paul (Gregory, Text Kritik, 520 f.), owes its origin (so 
Burkitt) to Rabbula, Bishop of Edessa (411-435 A.p.), and represents a 
revision of an older Syriac translation. On the Syriac versions includ- 
ing the later revisions of Philoxenus (A.p. 508) and Thomas of Harkel 
(A.D. 616), see Burkitt (op. cit.). 

(c) Coptic. The Bohairic is cited from Horner: Coptic Version of 
the N. T. in the Northern Dialect, 111, 1905. 

N. B. In the library of Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan, of New York, there 
are about fifty manuscripts in the Sahidic dialect of the Coptic, formerly 
in the Coptic Monastery of St. Michael, in the Fayyim. Prof. Hyver- 
nat, the future editor, announces that the N. T. is represented by three 
complete gospels (Mt. Mk. and Jn.; Lk. is incomplete), fourteen letters 
of Paul, the two of Peter, and the three of John (JBL. XXXT, 1912, 55). 

(4) Armenian. On this version, see Conybeare in HDB. I, 153 f. 


ee μον υδουνονννυνμονδννδννυννυνυνννν μον. νυν Ν ΝΣ ΝΜ ΝΜ Νι.υ. ΜΝ ΩΝ ΔΥΜΝΗΝυυιυ.ιυὐδαυυ κυ ῳ ΜΩΝΜΩΗΝΌὨΧΒΖ.Ω0ΟΙ(ΔΔΝΝΛΏῺΩω. ΝΥΜΗΝΝΗ ΝὩΗΜΩΗΝΜΤΝΜΏΙΝἷϑΝ. Δὰν μι... ιν υϑμυνιυ ον Ὁ ῦ ων 


COMMENTARIES 59 


§ VIII. COMMENTARIES. 


Commentaries and annotations on Thessalonians are unex- 
pectedly numerous. The list given in the following paragraphs 
does not pretend to be exhaustive. 


On the history of interpretation, the following commentators are im- 
portant: Crocius, Pelt, Lillie, Dobschiitz, and especially Bornemann 
(1-7 and 538-708). 


(1) In the early church, the most important commentators 
are the Antiochans Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and 
Theodoret in Greek; also Ephraem in Syriac, and Ambrosiaster 
and Pelagius in Latin. 


For patristic commentators, see the notes in Swete’s edition of Th. 
Mops. on the Minor Epistles of Paul, and Turner’s article, Greek Pa- 
tristic Commentaries on the Pauline Epistles in HDB. V, 484-531. Origen 
is apparently the first commentator on our letters; but only one definite 
comment is extant, I 415-17 (quoted by Jerome, Ep. 119). The commen- 
taries of the Antiochans Theodore of Heraclea, the pupil of Lucian, 
Apollinaris of Laodicea, and Diodore of Tarsus, the teacher of Chrys. 
and Th. Mops., are known, if at all, only in fragments (cf. Cramer, 
Catenae, 1841-44). The homilies of Chrysostom, eleven on I and five 
on II (ed. F. Field, Oxford, 1885) have influenced not only the gatherers 
of catenae in the Middle Ages but every comm. down to the present. 
Equally an Antiochan, but less homiletical and more exegetical than 
Chrys. is his friend Theodore of Mopsuestia (7 c. 429) whose work on the 
Minor Epistles of Paul is fully extant in a Latin translation and partly 
in the original (ed. H. B. Swete, Th. Mops. in epistolas Pauli, Cambridge, 
1880-1882, and enriched by invaluable notes). This work is “the first 
and almost the last exegetical book produced in the ancient church 
which will bear any comparison with modern commentaries” (G. H. 
Gilbert, Interpretation of the Bible, 1908, 135). Theodoret of Cyrrhus 
({ 457), ἃ pupil of Theodore, gathers from him and Chrys. and aims at 
conciseness of expression. Less penetrating than they, he is still an 
Antiochan in method (ed. Marriott, Oxford, 1852, 1870). 

Of Ephraem Syrus ({ 373), ἃ few notes on Paul have been preserved 
in Armenian; these were translated into Latin and published by the 
Mechitarist Fathers, Venice, 1893. 

Two important Latin commentators of the fourth century are Am- 
brosiaster and Pelagius. By the former is meant the work on Paul 
published along with the works of Ambrose in Migne (PL. 17); see 


60 THESSALONIANS 


Souter, TS. VII, 4, 1905. The text of Pelagius, bound up with the works 
of Jerome in Migne (PL. 30, 670 f’.), is corrupt; but of Ms. cxix in the 
Grand Ducal Library at Karlsruhe, Souter (in a paper read before the 
British Academy, Dec. 12, 1906, and published 1907: Comm. of Pelagius 
on the Epistles of Paul) says, “it is pure Pelagius, perhaps the only copy 
in existence.” 


(2) “In the Middle Ages, exegesis consisted chiefly in the re- 
production of the expositions of the fathers, in collections and 
compilations, called epitomes, glosses, postilles, chains.” “The 
traditional principle of exegesis became more and more dominant, 
and alongside of this the allegorical method was found to be the 
most convenient for reconciling Scripture with tradition. The 
literal and the historical sense was almost entirely ignored” 
(Briggs, SHS. 453 f.). 


Among the later Greeks, the most important is John of Damascus 
(jc. 760; Migne, PG. 95). On Ccumenius and the other Greek 
catenists, 6. g. Theophylact and Euthymius Zigabenus, both of whom 
died in the early twelfth century, see Turner (0. cit.). 

The most important commentators in Latin are the scholastic master 
Thomas Aquinas ([ 1274) and Nicolaus de Lyra, the free but faithful 
converted Jew ({ 1340). Mainly compilers are Florus Diaconus (7 c. 860; 
Migne, PL. 119) who for Paul gathered together the stray comments 
of Augustine (cf. Born. 559); Haymo (Ὁ 1 853; Migne, PL. 117, 765 ff.); 
Rabanus Maurus (1 856; Migne, PL. 112, 530,ff.) and his pupil Wala- 
frid Strabo (¢ 849; Migne, PL. 114, 615 77.) who was auctoritas to Peter 
Lombard ({ 1164); Atto (f 961; ed. Burontius, Vercelli, 1768); Her- 
vacus Burgidolensis ({ 1150; Migne, PL. 181, 1355 ff.; follows Augus- 
tine freely); and Dionysius the Carthusian ({ 1471) the new edition of 
whose works begun in 1896 contemplates forty-five quarto volumes; a 
fruitful but unoriginal compiler. 


(3) In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformers agreed 
with the humanists, of whom Erasmus is the conspicuous ex- 
ample, in going back to the Hebrew and Greek text of Scripture 
and in giving the grammatical and literal sense over against the 
allegorical, but “insisted that Scripture should be its own in- 
terpreter and that it was not to be interpreted by tradition or 
external ecclesiastical authority” (Briggs, SHS. 456). Of the 
three great exegetes, Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin, the greatest 
is Calvin. 


COMMENTARIES ότι 


Erasmus (f 1536) edited the annotations of the Italian humanist 
Laurentius Valla (f 1457) in 1505, and a paraphrase of his own on all 
of Paul in 1521. Luther did not comment on our letters. Calvin’s 
comm. on Thess. appeared in 1539 (best edition in Corpus Ref. 52, 1895, 
133-218) and Zwingli’s in 1526 (ed. opera exeget. 1581, vol.IV). ‘Worthy 
to stand by their side” (Briggs) are Bugenhagen (1524), Bullinger 
(1 1575) and Musculus (f 1563). Beza’s Annotationes in N. T. (1565) 
should be mentioned. Melanchthon did not, but his friend Camerarius 
(Notatio, 1554) and his pupil Strigel (Hypomneumata, 1565) did comment 
on our epistles. 

The immediate successors of the Reformers ‘had somewhat of their 
spirit, although the sectarian element already influenced them in the 
maintenance of the peculiarities of the different national churches” 
(Briggs, SHS. 457). Calvinists are Hyperius ({ 1564), Marloratus (1561), 
Hemmingsen (7 1600), Aretius ([ 1574), Zanchius (f 1590) and Piscator 
(1589). Lutherans are Flacius (1570), Hunnius (7 1603), Georgius 
Major (7 1574) and Selnecker ({ 1592). In Britain we have John Jewel 
whose sermons, edited by John Garbrand (1583), are the first exposi- 
tion of our epistles in English; and Robert Rollock, principal or first 
master of the Univ. of Edinburgh, whose Latin commentary (1598) was 
followed by his lectures, in English (1606). 

Among Roman Catholic commentators or scholiasts are Faber Stapu- 
lensis (f 1512), Gagnaeus ({ 1549), Catharinus (1551), Clarius ([ 1555), 
Sasbout (1561), Zegers ({ 1559), Arias ([ 1598), Serarius ([ 1609), and 
Estius ({ 1613). 


(4) The seventeenth century is marked by the exegetical ac- 
tivity of the British Puritans such as Edward Leigh and Mat- 
thew Poole, and by the revival in Holland of the spirit of Eras- 
mus in the person of Hugo de Groot who combined sound 
classical learning with a keen historical sense. Like Grotius 
is Hammond who insisted on the plain, literal, and historical 
meaning. 


On seventeenth-century exegesis in Britain, see especially Briggs, SHS. 
459-469. Leigh’s Annotations upon all the N. T. was published in 1650. 
Several of the scholars whom he used in addition to Grotius have com- 
mented upon our epistles, as for example Drusius (1612, 1616) and de 
Dieu (1646), the Dutch divines; John Cameron (7 1625), the Scot who 
worked chiefly in France; John Mayer (1631); and William Sclater 
(Exposition with notes on τ Thess. 1619; Briefe Exposition with notes 
on 2 Thess. 1627; this brief exposition runs to 598 quarto pages). The 
annotations of the Westminster divines covering the whole Bible went 
into a second edition, 2 vols., in 1651. The great compilation Criticz 


62 


THESSALONIANS 


Sacri was published in 1660, 9 vols. “Among the last of the Puritan 
works on the more learned side was the masterpiece of Matthew Poole” 
(Briggs, op. cit. 467) entitled: Synopsis Criticorum, 1669 ff. in five folio 
volumes (1, 2 Thess. in vol. IV, 1676, col. 943-1004). Poole’s English 
Annotations on the Holy Bible was completed by his friends and published 
in 168s. 

The annotationes ad V. et N. T. of Grotius was published in Amster- 
dam in 1641. Hammond’s Paraphrase and Annotations on the N. T. 
appeared in 1653 and was done into Latin by Clericus in 1608. 

Other British expositors may be named: William Bradshaw (A 
plaine and pithie Exposition of 2 Thess. 1620, edited by Thos. Gataker); 
Timothie Jackson (1621, on 2 Thess.); David Dickson (expositio ana- 
lytica omnium apost. epp. 1645; English in 1659 by W. Retchford); 
Thomas Case (1670; this is not a comm. on 1 Thess. but an exposition 
of I 413-18 entitled Mount Pisgah: or a prospect of heaven); James Fergus- 
son (1674; brief exposition of 1, 2 Thess.); J. Fell (1675; on Paul’s 
letters); Richard Baxter (1684; paraphrase on N. T. with notes doc- 
trinal and practical); William Burkitt (1700; onthe N.T.); and Daniel 
Whitby (Paraphrase and Commentary on the N. T. 1703). Other Con- 
tinental commentators are Vorstius ({ 1622); Cappelus (f 1624); 
Gomarus (f 1641); Diodati ([ 1649); Calixtus ({ 1656); Haak (1637; 
in English, 1657, under title of Dutch Annotations, etc.); Slichting (the 
Socinian, ¢ 1661; Thess. was finished in 1660); Crocius (comm. in om- 
nes epp. Pauli minores, ed. 1663, 3 vols.); Calovius (1672-76; a Lutheran 
who corrects Grot.); and Cocceius ([ 1669). Among Roman Catholic 
scholars are Stevart (1609; ΟἹ 1, 2 Thess.); Justinianus (1612-13); 
Cornelius a Lapide (1614); Bence (1628; depends on Estius); Meno- 
chius (1630; praised by Grot.); Tirinus (1632); Fromond (7 1653; 
depends on Estius); Leander of Dijon (1663); Mauduit (1691); Ques- 
nel (1687; moral reflections in French); and Bernardinus a Piconio 
(1703 in Latin; 1706 in French. Often reprinted; cf. A. H. Prichard, 
1888-90). The Roman Church had its Poole in John de la Haye: 
Biblia Magna (1643, 5 vols.) and Biblia Maxima (1660, το vols.). 


(5) In the eighteenth century, the most important commen- 


tator is Bengel (Gnomon, 1742). But Ernesti’s principles of 
interpretation (1761) found fruit in Schott (1834). Flatt (1829) 
is influenced by Storr, and Pelt (1830) by Schleiermacher. 


The attention of the cighteenth century is given to the text (Bentley, 
Mill, Bengel, Semler, Griesbach), and to the gathering of parallels from 
profane literature (Wolf, Kypke, Koppe, Rosenmiiller, and especially 
Wetstein in his N. T. (1751)), from Philo (Loesner), and from rab- 
binical sources (Schéttgen and Meuschen). The revival of Biblical 


COMMENTARIES 63 


studies especially in Germany toward the end of the century (see 
Briggs, SHS. 469 ff.), due to Lessing, Herder, Semler, Eichhorn, and 
others, prepared the way for modern methods of interpretation in the 
nineteenth century. 

British expositors of the eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth 
century are mainly practical: Matthew Henry (vol. VI, 1721); Philip 
Doddridge (1739-56); Edward Wells ({ 1727); George Benson (1 Thess. 
1731; 2 Thess. 1732); John Guyse (f 1761); John Gill (1746-48); 
John Wesley (1754; depends in part on Bengel, Doddridge, and Guyse); 
Thomas Scott (1788-92); also John Lindsay (ft 1768); Thomas Pyle 
({ 1756); John Philips (1751; on τ Thess.); Samuel Chandler (f 1766; 
ed. N. White, 1777); James Macknight (1787 and 1795); Thomas Coke 
(1803; depends on Doddridge); Adam Clarke (1810-25); James 
Slade (1816); T. Belsham (f 1829); P. N. Shuttleworth (1829); W. 
Trollope (1828-34); Edward Burton (Greek Test. 1831); 5. T. Bloom- 
field (Greek Test. 1832); Charles Eyre (1832); Granville Penn (1837; 
annotations on N. T.); E. Barlee (1837); W. Bruce (1836); and W. 
Heberden (1839). 

Continental scholars: Laurentius (1714; the first comm. in German, 
according to Dob.); J. Lange (1729); Turretin ({ 1737; ed.1, 2 Thess. 
1739); Heumann ( 1764); Zacharié (1770); Matthaeus (1785); and 
Olshausen (vols. 1-4, 1830; English by A. C. Kenrick, 1858). 

Roman Catholic interpreters: Natalis Alexander (1710); Rémy 
(1739); Calmet ({ 1739); Gregorius Mayer (1788); and Massl (1841- 
48). 


(6) From De Wette (1841) to the present, commentaries on 
our epistles are many and excellent. (1) German. Koch (on 
1 Thess. 1849); Liinemann (in Meyer, 1850; 18784 in English 
by Gloag, 1880); Auberlen and Riggenbach (in Lange’s Bibel- 
werk, 1864); J. C. K. Hofmann (18627); P. W. Schmidt (on 
τ Thess. 1885); Zéckler (in Kurzgefasster Komm. 1887); P. W. 
Schmiedel (in Holtzmann’s Handcomm. 18927); W. Borne- 
mann (in Meyer, 1894); B. Weiss (1896, 19027); Wohlenberg 
(in Zahn’s Komm. 1903); Lueken (in SNT. 19077); E. von 
Dobschiitz (in Meyer, 1909); and M. Dibelius (in Lietzmann’s 
Handbuch, 1911). (2) Dutch. Baljon (1907). (3) British. 
Alford (Greek N. T. 1849-61); Jowett (1855); Ellicott (1858); 
Lightfoot (1 1889; Notes on Epistles of St. Paul, 1895); James 
Drummond (in International Handbooks, 1899); Findlay (in 
Cambridge Greek Test., 1904); George Milligan (1908); and 


64 THESSALONIANS 


Moffatt (in EGT. 1910). (4) American. John Lillie (The 
Epistles of Paul to the Thess., Translated from the Greek with 
Notes, 1856; and his English edition of Auberlen and Riggen- 
bach, 1868. Lillie’s is the most important American work done 
on our epistles); Henry Cowles (Shorter Epistles of Paul, etc. 
1879; popular); W. A. Stevens (in American Comm. 1890); 
and E. T. Horn (in Lutheran Comm. 1896). 

Excellent examples of scholarly exposition with a practical 
purpose are Lillie (Lectures, 1860); John Hutchinson (1884); 
and especially James Denney (in Expositor’s Bible, 1892) and 
H. J. Holtzmann (on 1 Thess.; ed. E. Simons, 1911). 

Roman Catholic scholarship is represented in German by 
Bisping (1854, 18652), Rdhm (on 1 Thess. 1885), Schiifer (1890), 
and Gutjahr (1900); in English by MacEvilly (1856); in French 
by Maunory (1881); and in Latin by Panek (1886). 


In addition to Ewald’s Die Biicher des neuen Bundes (1870) and Reuss’s 
La Bible (1874-80), the following commentators may be named: (1) 
German, Baumgarten-Crusius (ed. Schauer, 1848); and the practical 
works of Havemann (1875) and Goebel (1887, 18972). (2) British. 
T. W. Peile (1851-2); J. Turnbull (1854); Webster and Wilkinson 
(Greek Test. 1855-61); A. S. Patterson (1857); Wordsworth (Greek 
N. T. 1856-60); A. ΚΕ. Fausset (in Pocket Bible, 1862-3); E. Headland 
and H. B. Swete (1863-66); Ὁ. J. Vaughan (on x Thess. 1864); John 
Eadie (ed. W. Young, 1877); A. J. Mason (in Ellicott’s V. T. Comm. 
1879 Ὁ); William Alexander (in Speaker’s Comm. 1881); F. A. Malle- 
son (The Acts and Epistles of St. Paul, 1881); Marcus Dods (in Schafi’s 
Popular Comm. 1882); P. J. Gloag (in Pulpit Comm. 1887); M. F. 
Sadler (1890); Findlay (in Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, 
1891); G. W. Garrod (1899-1900; analysis with notes); V. Bartlet 
(in Temple Bible, 1902); W. F. Adeney (in New Century Bible, 1907 ?); 
R. Mackintosh (in Westminster N. T. 1909); and H. W. Fulford (Thess. 
and Pastorals, 1911). Practical are A. R. Dallas (Cottager’s Guide, vol. 
I, 1849); J. B. Sumner (“Expository lectures,” 1851); H. Linton 
(“Paraphrase and notes on Paul,” 1857); J. Edmunds (“plain and prac- 
tical” comm. on 1, 2 Thess. 1858); C. D. Marston (“Expositions on 
the Epp. of N. T.” 1865); W. Niven (“Family readings on 1, 2 Thess.” 
1875); R. V. Dunlop (“Lectures on 1 Thess.” 1882); G. W. Clark 
(1903); and A. R. Buckland (1906). (3) American. The explanatory 
and practical notes of Albert Barnes (1846) and the Family Bible of 
Justin Edwards (1851) may be mentioned. 





COMMENTARIES 65 


N. B. Of the commentators named in the preceding paragraphs, a 
score or more have been particularly helpful to the present editor: Chry- 
sostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Ambrosiaster, Calvin, Grotius, Ham- 
mond, Poole, Bengel, De Wette, Liinemann, Lillie, Ellicott, Auberlen 
and Riggenbach, Denney, Schmiedel, Bornemann, Lightfoot, Wohlen- 
berg, Findlay, and especially Milligan and von Dobschiitz. 


COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST EPISTLE 
TO THE THESSALONIANS. 


I. SUPERSCRIPTION (τὴ. 


Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the assembly of Thes- 
salonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Grace to you and peace. 


1. The superscription, which is to be distinguished from the 
address written “on the outside or on the cover of the folded 
letter” (Deissmann, Light, 148), comprises, as in contemporary 
letters, the name of the writer in the nominative, the people ad- 
dressed in the dative, and the greeting. Although it is the short- 
est of extant Pauline superscriptions, it contains the essential 
points of the more developed forms, not simply the names of 
writers and recipients but also the divine names God the Father 
and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the characteristically Pauline 
“grace and peace.” The Holy Spirit is mentioned in no super- 
scription and in but one benediction (2 Cor. 131%). 


The inscription IPOS OEZSZAAONIKEIS A ( ΒΑΚ, εἰ al.), like 
the inscriptions and subscriptions in most Mss. and like the introduc- 
tions (ὑποθέσεις) in some Mss., is editorial and seems to presuppose a 
corpus Paulinum with some such title as EIIZZTOAAI ITAYAOY. 
For elaborations of this briefest form of inscription (e. g. in DGF with 
a prefixed ἄρχεται; in P with a prefixed παύλου ἐπιστολή, or in G witha 
prefixed ἄρχεται and an added πρώτη ἐπιστολή), see von Soden, Schriften 
des N. ΤΟΙ, 294 ff. For the influence of contemporary literature upon 
the general form and many phrases of the Pauline and other N. T. 
letters, see Deissmann, BS. 187 ff., EB. ΤΙ, 1323 ff., and Light; Rendel 
Harris, Exp.5 VIII, 161 ff., 401 ff.; Robinson, Ephesians, 275 ff.; Mill. 
121 ff.; and Moff. Introd. 44 ff. Useful selections from contemporary 
letters may be found in Lietzmann, Griechische Papyri, 1905; Wit- 
kowski, Epistulae graecae privatae, 1906; and Mill. Selections from the 
Greek Papyri, 1910. 

67 


68 I THESSALONIANS 


Since Silvanus and Timothy were with Paul in Thessalonica 
when the church was established and with him in Corinth when 
both our letters were written (Acts 18°; cf. 2 Cor. 119), it is 
natural to find the three names associated in the superscription. 
Paul takes precedence as he is the leading spirit and the letter 
is his in a peculiar sense; Silvanus, the Silas of Acts, comes next; 
and Timothy, who was not only a helper but a preacher (2 Cor. 
119), as youngest comes last. While the letter is Paul’s, the ex- 
ceptionally frequent appearance of “we” where it is natural to 
think primarily not of an epistolary plural but of Paul and his 
companions suggests an intimacy of association in writing which 
is not true of 1 Cor. where Sosthenes is joined with Paul in the 
superscription, nor of 2 Cor. Col. Phile. Phil. where Timothy is 
joined with Paul. 


It is generally admitted that ‘“‘we” may be used in various senses 
including that of the epistolary plural (cf. not only Paul (1 Cor. 9" and 
915), but also Polybius, Josephus, and the papyri); but it is observed 
with force by Mill. (131-132) that owing to the “special circumstances 
under which the two epistles were written, we shall do well to give its 
full weight to this normal use of the plural in them, and to think of it 
as including St. Paul’s two companions along with himself wherever on 
other grounds this is possible”; cf. Zahn, Introd. I 209 ff. On the other 
hand, Dob. thinks that though the associated authors may be in mind 
they have no prerogatives whatever (67-68); see Dick, Der schrift- 
stellerische Plural bei Paulus, 1900. 

The form Σιλβανός (DG; cf. B in τ Pet. 51) is regular in the papyri 
(Mill.); of. P. Oxy. 335 (c. 85 A.D.) where Παῦλος sells Σιλβανός the sixth 
part of a house in the Jewish quarter. Our Silvanus is a Jew and a Ro- 
man citizen (Acts 16%’); cf. Schmiedel, EB. 4514 ff. Timothy was of 
mixed Gentile and Jewish blood; whether a Roman citizen or not is 
unknown; cf. Moff. EB. 5074 ff. 

The designation ἀπόστολος does not appear in the superscription of 
the Macedonian letters and Philemon; it appears in that of Gal. 1, 2 Cor. 
addressed to communities in which Judaists attacked Paul’s apostle- 
ship (Phil. 33 5. refers to unbelieving Jews as Lipsius, McGiffert, and 
most recently Dob. (117) insist); in that of Rom., a community not 
founded by him and not sharing his distinctive views, to which he is 
presenting his gospel; and in that of Col. Eph., churches founded by 
his converts whose Christianity he vouches for. 


τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων, There is but one Christian 
group in Thessalonica; it is small numerically, unless πλῆθος 


1 69 


πολύ (Acts 174) is to be pressed, but intense in faith (v. 8; ef. 
Rom. 18 Col. 16%); and it assembles perhaps in the house of 
Jason. 
The numerical strength of the church in the house of Prisca and Aquila 
(1 Cor. 1619 Rom. 165) is computed by Gregory (Canon and Text of the 
N.T.524) to be at least fifty. Whether the church in Thess. that Paul 
addressed was as large as that is quite unknown. 

No good reasons have been adduced to show why we have here and in IT 
τὶ (cf. Col. 415) the nomen gentilicium θεσσαλονιχεύς instead of the name 
of the place (Gal. 12 στ Cor. 12 2 Cor. 11). The view of von Soden (SK. 
1885, 274) that Paul “under the influence of the fresh impression of his 
success thinks of the inhabitants as already as a whole in touch with the 
church,” is unlikely in the light of the similar τῇ Λαοδιχέων ἐχχλησίᾳ 
in Col. 41%. Equally obscure is the fact that I, II, Gal. 1, 2 Cor. Phile. 
are addressed to the “church” or ‘“‘churches” (cf. Phil. τ! σὺν ἐπισκόποις 
χαὶ Staxdvots) while Rom. Col. Eph. are addressed to the saints and 
brethren. 


ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ “I. X. This phrase, found only here 
and (with ἡμῶν after πατρί) in II 11 and to be attached closely 
to the preceding as in 2", specifies the Christian character of 
the ἐκκλησία in contrast with the civic assembly of the Gen- 
tiles and the theocratic assembly of the Jews (Chrys.). The 
omission of τῇ after θεσσ., which on the analogy of Gal. 1” 
might have been retained, serves to accentuate the closeness of 
the attachment. Both the phrase as a whole and its compo- 
nent parts ἐν θεῷ πατρί (II 11) and ἐν κυρίῳ ᾽1. X. (II 11 3%) 
are peculiar to our letters. 

The ἐν, however, is the ἐν of the characteristic Pauline phrases 
ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ (2 518 and often in Paul), ἐν Χριστῷ (416 
and often in Paul), ἐν κυρίῳ (3° 5% II 34 and often in Paul), 
ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ (41 Rom. 14% Eph. 1° Phil. 21°), ἐν Χριστῷ 
Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν (τ Cor. 15% Rom. 6% 839 Eph. 3", but 
not in I, IL), ἐν πνεύματι (v. >; Rom. 89 οἱ, etc.), and ἐν τῷ θεῷ 
(22; Col. 33 Eph. 3°, but not Rom. 217 5"). The relation of the 
human and divine indicated by €v is local and realistic; the 
human is in the atmosphere of the divine. There is presupposed 
the indwelling of God (1 Cor. 1425 2 Cor. 615), Christ (Rom. 8"), 
or the Spirit (Rom. 8% ") as an energising (cf. 1 Cor. 12" 
Phil. 213) power both ethical and permanent. Hence when a 


7oO I THESSALONIANS 


man is in Christ or the Spirit, terms interchangeable as regards 
the operations, or in God, or when a man is possessed by them 
(ἔχειν Rom. 8191 Cor. 74), he is as such under the control of a 
divine power that makes for newness of life (cf. ἐν δυνάμει 
πνεύματος Rom. 1513: 1%), The divine air which the human 
breathes is charged, so to speak, with ethical energy. 


The new in these phrases with ἐν is neither the realism of the relation 
nor the grammatical form (cf. ἐν χυρίῳ Hab. 318; ἐν πνεύματι Ezek. 
11™ 37!) but the combination of ἐν with Χριστῷ, a combination due to 
Paul’s experience of Christ as Spirit and Lord. For influences on Paul’s 
conception, see Gunkel (Die Wirkungen des Geistes, 1888, 100 ff.); Deiss- 
mann (Die neutestamentliche Formel in Christo Jesu, 1892); Volz (Der 
Geist Gottes, 1910, τοῦ ff.); Reitzenstein (Die hellenistischen Mysterien- 
religionen, 1910) and acritique of the same in Schweitzer’s Geschichte der 
Paulinischen Forschung, 1911, 141-184, especially 170 ff.; Deissmann’s 
Paulus, 1911, 87 ff.; and Percy Gardner’s Religious Experience of St. 
Paul, τοῖσι. Ananalogy to Paul’s phrase is found in ἐν πνεύματι ἀχαθάρτῳ 
(Mk. 1%) and ἔχειν πνεῦμα ἀχάθαρτον (Mk. 32°); the man is in the demon 
because the demon is in the man as an energising (cf. II 27 Eph. 2?; also 
II 29: 1) force; δαίμονος γὰρ οὐσία ἐνέργεια (Reitzenstein, Poimandres, 
352%). 


θεῷ πατρί, The omission of the articles indicates that the 
phrase had long been fixed for Paul (cf. also II 1* (BD) Gal. 1! 13 
(BD) Eph. 6% Phil. 2"). The name Father, inherited by the 
Master (cf. Bousset, Relig. 432 ff.) and put into the central place 
in his teaching, is confirmed as primary in Paul’s redemptive 
experience. It is striking that this name occurs in passages 
giving fervent expression to his religious life, and that it is joined 
usually with the name Christ, e. g. in the superscriptions, thanks- 
givings (1? 2 Cor. 13 Col. 13 317 Eph. 13 52°), prayers (311: 13 II 215 
Rom. 15° Eph. 6%), and the like (1 Cor. 85 15%: 28 2 Cor. 115! 
Rom. 64 Eph. 2!8 45). It is probable that as Paul insists that no 
man can say κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς but in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12°), 
so he would insist that no man can say ᾿Αββά ὁ πατήρ (Gal. 
4° Rom. 8!) but in the same Spirit. At all events, Paul’s 
specifically Christian name of the God of both Jews and Gen- 
tiles (Rom. 32°) is “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ 
“Our Father.” 


τ ὮΙ 71 


xupio’I.X. In these words both the primitive (Acts 2325) and 
the Pauline convictions about Jesus are summed up: he is Mes- 
siah and Lord. The Lordship of Jesus (x Cor. 12 Rom. 10°), 
Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 85 Rom. 13" Phil. 211), Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 
4° Col. 2°) is the essence of the Pauline experience; it receives 
conspicuous emphasis in the second epistie (see on II 21), 
While both ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός and Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς have already 
become proper names, the Messianic connotation of Χριστός is 
not lost (cf. Rom. 9° 2 Cor. 510 Phil. 115 Eph. 11°, etc.). It is 
Jesus the Messiah who is Lord. 


On the divine names in I, II, see Mill. 135-140. Dob. (60-61) ex- 
plains the placing of Χριστός before ᾿Τησοῦς (e. g. 214 518), to which SH. 
(3 7.) call attention, as due to the ambiguity of the casus obliqui of ᾿Τησοῦς; 
for apart from Rom. 8*4 2 Cor. 45 Col. 2°, the order X. ’I. appears only in 
the formulz Χριστοῦ Τησοῦ and ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ, while Paul writes con- 
tinually χυρίου I. X. and ἐν χυρίῳ Ἰ. X. 


χάρις ὑμῖν Kat εἰρήνη. This phrase, common to all the 
ten Pauline superscriptions, bears, like the phrase ἐν Χριστῷ, 
the stamp of Paul’s experience. It is likewise the shortest Pau- 
line prescript. χάρις, used here in its widest sense, is the favour 
of God by which he acquits all sinners, Jews and Gentiles, solely 
on the principle of faith and grants them freedom from the power 
of sin and newness of life in Christ or the Spirit. εἰρήνη is the 
spiritual prosperity enjoyed by the recipients of the divine favour. 
What is expressed in all the other letters of Paul (except Col. 1? 
which adds only “from God our Father”), namely, that grace 
and peace come from God the (our) Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, is already implied in ἐν θεῷ κτλ. There is, however, no 
reason either here or in Col. for attaching χάρις to the clause 
with ἐν. 

In coining, as he apparently does coin, this form of greeting, 
Paul is less influenced by current epistolary phrases than by 
his conviction that the blessings of the promised Messianic king- 
dom (Is. 9° Ps. 723) are realised only through the grace of God 
in Christ. 


It is generally assumed (cf. Fritzsche on Rom. 17 or Zahn on Gal. 1°) 
that the Pauline greeting is suggested both by the Semitic and the Greek. 


72 I THESSALONIANS 


The influence of the Aramaic in εἰρήνη (Ezra 417} 57 Dan, 3°!(8) 636; see 
BDB. sub o>) may have been felt (cf. also Apoc. Bar. 78? where Syriac 
suggests ἔλεος χαὶ εἰρήνη); but it is doubtful (Robinson, Ephesians, 141) 
whether χάρις has anything to do with χαίρειν (Jas. 11 Acts 155 237°), 
for in some papyri at least (Witk. 22 ff. "Adnatog Σωσιφάνει χαίρειν. 
χάρις τοῖς θεοῖς πολλή or θεῷ πλείστη χάρις), χαίρειν is the greeting and 
χάρις the thanksgiving. On the other hand, cf. 2 Mac. 1: yalpew... 
yar εἰρήνην ἀγαθήν (Nestle, Exp. Times, 1911, vol. XXIII, 94). 

The word χάρις is rare in the Prophets and Psalms but frequent in 
the Wisdom literature. Paul’s usage has affected Luke and First Peter. 
The Johannist prefers ἀλήθεια to χάρις. εἴη or (since in later Gk. the 
optative tends to disappear) ἔστω is to be supplied, in accordance with 
Semitic (Dan. 3° Lxx. 1 Pet. 1%, etc.), not Greek (which demands χάριν 
sc. λέγουσιν) usage. The position of ὑμῖν serves to distinguish both χάρις 
and εἰρήνη (BI. 802). It is doubtless “pedantry to reflect on the fact 
that the readers as Christians possess already that grace, that hence only 
an increase of the same could be desired for them” (Dob.). Most editors 
omit with BGF Orig. Pesh. Arm. f g r Vulg. the usual clause with ἀπό. 
The insertion of the same by NADKLP, et al., is more explicable than its 
omission. 


Il. THANKSGIVING (123°). 


In the thanksgiving (12-31°; cf. 1% 2 3°) and closely related 
prayer (3!) covering the major portion of the letter, Paul re- 
views his attitude to the church during his visit (1*-2!*) and dur- 
ing the interval between his enforced departure and the writing 
of I (211-210). Though he praises without stint the faith and 
love of his converts, hardly mentioning the imperfections that 
exist (3° 1°), and though his words pulsate with warmest affec- 
tion, yet a tone of self-defence is heard throughout. The con- 
stant appeal to the knowledge or memory of the readers as re- 
gards his behaviour (15 21:1), the reference to oral reports which 
concern not only them but him (1°), the insistence on the fact 
that the writers desired—Paul himself repeatedly—to return 
(217-20) the statement that the writers, Paul especially, had de- 
termined to send Timothy (3'°), and finally the prayer that the 
writers may return (3")—all serve to intimate that Paul is de- 
fending both his conduct during the visit and his failure to re- 
turn against the allegations, not of the converts, not of Judaizers 


ee ee δ... eee 


1,2 73 


(for there are none in Thessalonica), not of the Gentile perse- 
cutors (214), for they are not attacked, but, as the ominous out- 
burst (215-16) suggests, of the Jews. 


It may be conjectured that the Jews, after Paul’s departure, were 
maligning his conduct and misconstruing his failure to return. Indeed 
they may well have been the real instigators of Gentile persecutions. 
Though it is unlikely that the converts actually distrusted Paul (3°), 
it is not improbable that they were wrought up and worried by the rep- 
resentations of the Jews, especially since Paul did not return. Whether 
he had heard of the matter before he despatched Timothy is uncertain 
but altogether probable. That the self-defence arises purely from a sus- 
picion of Paul without any basis of fact (Dob. 106-107) is unlikely. 
In the light of 215-16, the Jews not the Gentiles (cf. Zahn, Introd. I, 217- 
218) are the accusers. 


(1) Visit and Welcome (171°). 


Paul thanks God, as he bears in mind the spiritual excellence 
of the readers, for their election, the certainty of which is in- 
ferred from the presence of the Spirit controlling not only the 
converts who welcomed the gospel in spite of persecutions (vv. *19; 
cf. 245-18), but also the preachers themselves (vv. ὅ: %; cf. 21"). 

2We thank God always for you all, making mention of you when 
we pray, *bearing in mind continually your work resulting from 
faith, and your activity prompted by love, and your endurance sanc- 
tioned by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God 
and Father, ‘because we know, brothers beloved by God, that you 
have been chosen, *from the fact that the gospel we preach did not 
come to you with words only but also with power, and in the Holy 
Spirit and much conviction,—as you know the kind of men we be- 
came to you for your sake; ‘and (from the fact that) you became 
imitators of us and of the Lord, welcoming the Word in the midst of 
great persecution with the joy that the Holy Spirit gives, ‘so that 
you became a model community to all the believers in Macedonia 
and in Achaia: *for starting from you the Word of the Lord has 
sounded out not only in Macedonia and Achaia but in every place 
your faith in God has gone out, so that we need not utter a word 
about you, Sfor they themselves are reporting about us what kind of 


74 I THESSALONIANS 


visit we paid you, and (about you) how you turned to God leaving 
behind those idols of yours, for the purpose of serving the living and 
genuine God ‘and of awaiting his Son who comes down out of the 
heavens, whom he raised from the dead,—Jesus who delivers us 
from the judgment that is coming. 


The epistolary arrangement of I (χάρις 11; εὐχαριστοῦμεν 12-319; 
αὐτὸς δέ 31-13; ἐρωτῶμεν 41-52%; προσεύχεσθε 5%; ἀσπάσασθε 57°; χάρις 
538) may be compared with BGU, 423 (saec. ii, A.D., quoted by 
Robinson, op. cit. 276): πλεῖστα χαίρειν, εὔχομαι, εὐχαριστῶ . . . ὅτι, 
ἐρωτῶ, ἄσπασαι, ἐρρῶσθαί ce εὔχομαι. Some of the phrases in ν." 5: 
may be compared with P. Lond. 42 (saec. ii, B.c., quoted by Deiss. 
BS. 209 ff.): ot ἐν otxp πάντες σου διαπαντὸς μνείαν ποιούμενοι ... 
ἐπὶ μὲν τῷ ἐρρῶσθαί ce εὐθέως τοῖς θεοῖς εὐχαρίστουν; with BGU, 632 
(saec. ii, A.D., quoted by Robinson, op. cit. 276): μνίαν σου ποιούμενος; 
and with τ Mac. 12". 

As in the papyri, so also in Paul’s letters, there is freedom in the use 
both of the general epistolary outline and of the separate phrases. In 
Paul, the simplest thanksgiving is II 13 Rom. τ᾽. This is expanded in I 14 
Col. 14 Phile. 5 by a causal participle without ὅτι; in 1 Cor. 1‘ by clauses 
with ἐπί and ὅτι; in Phil. 1°*- with two clauses with ἐπί and a causal 
participle. In Phil. and our letter, the thanksgiving is full, while Gal. 
has no thanksgiving. In 2 Cor. and Eph., the O. T. εὐλογητὸς ὁ θεός 
takes the place of εὐχαριστοῦμεν. 

From Paul’s usage we may assume that περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν is to be 
taken not with μνείαν ποιούμενοι but with εὐχαριστοῦμεν (hence a 
comma after ὑμῶν), as the simpler form (1 Cor. 14 Rom. 18) suggests; 
that μνημονεύοντες is parallel to and an expansion of μνείαν ποιούμενοι, 
as δεόμενος (Rom. 119; contrast Phile. 4 Eph. 115) indicates; and that 
εἰδότες is a causal participle depending on εὐχαριστοῦμεν, while ὅτι 
depends not on the latter but on the former. Doubtful is the reference 
of ἀδιαλείπτως and ἔμπροσθεν; v. infra. 


2. εὐχαριστοῦμεν κτὰ. Thankfulness is not only felt but 
is expressed to God, and that too always and for all; in saying 
πάντων, Paul is thinking not of their imperfections (319) but 
of their faith and love and personal affection (3°). 


Inasmuch as Paul always uses the article in the phrase εὐχαριστεῖν 
τῷ θεῷ, τῷ is not significant in this case. Born. (69) presses the article 
to mean “the one God” in contrast to the pagan gods. But quite apart 
from the lack of definiteness in the use of the article (Bl. 465), it is to be 
noted that 4 θεός is more frequent than θεός in Paul; in I the proportion 


I, 2-3 75 


is about three to one, in Romans slightly greater; and in Col. all but two of 
the twenty-three cases have the article; cf. I 46 with Gal. 4°.—Both πάντοτε 
(except Rom. 11°) and περὶ ὑμῶν (except Phile. 4) follow εὐχαριστεῖν in the 
initial thanksgivings of Paul. πάντοτε, a late word, is rare in the Lxx. 
(Sap. 112! 1918) but common in Paul (35 51¢ II 1", etc.). ἀεί occurs a score 
or more times in the Gk. Bib. (cf. 2 Cor. 4" 61°); ἑχάστοτε but once 
(2 Pet. 1").—For περί, we have ὑπέρ in Phil. 13 Col. 13 (υ. ἰ.); the dis- 
tinction between them is fading away (Moult. I, 105). 


μνείαν ποιούμενοι KT. This participial clause defines 
πάντοτε (cf. Phile. 4). ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν ἡμῶν = προσευ- 
χόμενοι (Col. 13); ἐπί = “in the time οἵ." Each time that 
they are engaged in prayer, the writers mention the names of 
the converts (contrast μνημονεύειν v.* and μνείαν ἔχειν 3°) and 
give thanks for them. 


While both ποεῖσθαι μνείαν περί τινος and ποιεῖσθαι μνείαν τινός (cf. 
Job. 14% Ps. 110! Is. 321°) are classic, epistolary usage favours the latter 
construction. ὑμῶν is to be supplied. Its omission is due both here 
and Eph. 16 to the περὶ (ὑπὲρ) ὑμῶν; its retention by CDG, et al., is 
influenced by Rom. 11° Phile. 4 (cf. I 3° Phil. τὸ and papyri). ἡμῶν in- 
stead of μου (Rom. 11° Eph. 1° Phile. 4) is natural, since Silvanus and 
Timothy are associated with Paul in the thanksgiving.—The distinction 
between ἐν tats προσευχαῖς (Dan. Lxx. 918. 2°; Ign. Mag. 14! Trall. 131 
with μνημονεύειν; cf. Paul in Rom. 153° Col. 41) and ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν 
is probably slight; cf. 1 Mac. 12". 


3. ἀδιαλείπτως μνημονεύοντες. “Bearing in mind continu- 
ally.” This participial clause, parallel to the defining tem- 
poral clause μνείαν ποιούμενοι, suggests the immediate ground 
of the thanksgiving, while the third parallel εἰδότες gives the 
ultimate ground (Find.). The never-failing memory of the 
spiritual excellence of the converts prompts the expression of 
thanks at every season of prayer. 


Whether ἀδιαλείπτως is to be taken with μνημονεύοντες (Chrys. Dob. 
Dibelius, et al.) or with ποιούμενοι (Ephraem, Pesh. Vulg. and G (which 
capitalises Μνημονεύοντες) Wohl. Mill. Moff. et αἰ.) cannot be deter- 
mined. In view of the freedom of epistolary usage, the analogy of 1 Mac. 
124 Rom. 11° P. Lond. 42 (διαπαντὸς μνείαν ποιούμενοι) is not decisive. 
ἀδιαλείπτως is used with μνείαν ποιεῖσθαι (Rom. 12; cf. τ Mac. 12"), 
εὐχαριστεῖν (2%), and προσεύχεσθαι (517; of. Ign. Eph. 10'; Hermas 
Sim. IX 117; and Polyc. 43 évtuyyévetv).—Since μνημονεύειν with gen. 


76 I THESSALONIANS 


(Gal. 2!° Col. 415) refers to the thought not to its expression in prayer 
before God, it is better to take ἔμπροσθεν χτλ. not with the distant 
μνημονεύοντες but with the adjacent Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (Lft. Mill. Dob.), 
as indeed the position of the clause and the analogy of 3 make probable 
(but see Lillie, ad Joc.). 


ὑμῶν... Χριστοῦ. The genitives are somewhat bewildering 
and the interpretations are various. The most favoured solu- 
tion is that which joins ὑμῶν with ἔργου, κόπου, ὑπομονῆς, and 
which explains τῆς πίστεως, τῆς ἀγάπης, and τῆς ἐλπίδος as 
subjective genitives, and τοῦ κυρίου as an objective genitive 
qualifying ἐλπίδος, The stress is laid not on faith alone but 
on the work that results from faith; not on love alone but on 
the toilsome activity prompted by love; not on endurance 
alone but on the endurance that is inspired by the hope in Christ. 
The three phrases τὸ ἔργον τῆς πίστεως, ὁ κόπος τῆς ἀγάπης, 
and ἡ ὑπομονὴ τῆς ἐλπίδος may be the coinage of Paul; at 
least they are not found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. (except II τὴ 
ἔργον πίστεως. Heb. 619 reads not τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης but 
simply τῆς ἀγάπης), or in the Apostolic Fathers. 


Lillie notes that Olshausen and Steiger (1832 on 1 Pet. 1%) connect 
τοῦ χυρίου with all three gen. πίστεως, ἀγάπης and ἐλπίδος, a view to 
which Dob. inclines. But love to God (Rom. 838 1 Cor. 2° 8*) or Christ 
(x Cor. 16% Eph. 6%) is rare in Paul compared with the love of God or 
Christ for men. On the name ὃ χύριος ἡμῶν Ἰ. X. (5% *- 28 IL 21-1 16 
318), see below on 219. 


τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως. The work of faith is the activity 
that faith inspires, that is, love in all its manifestations (as 
in II 11}.---τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης. “The toilsome activity 
prompted by love.” In this unique phrase, minted from the sit- 
uation, it is uncertain whether Paul has in mind manual labour 
necessary to support missionary propaganda, er the laborious 
missionary effort as such (3°), or both. Love is not to be re- 
stricted to φιλαδελφία.-- τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος. “The 
endurance inspired by hope.’”’ This unique phrase differs from 
ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς ὑπομονῆς (4 Mac. 17) in that the emphasis is 
upon endurance. Hope, whose object is Christ (Col. 137), is the 
confident expectation of spiritual prosperity after death, the 


I, 3-4 77 


hope of salvation (58), the good hope (II 215) originating in 
Christ, a hope that those who are not in Christ do not share (4"). 
ὑπομονή (II 14 35) is frequent in 4 Mac. (6. g. 15%°) in the sense of χαρ- 
τερία. In τ Clem. 5? Paul himself is ὑπομονῆς μέγιστος ὑπογραμμιός. In 

II 3° the only adequate endurance is that inspired by Christ. 


ἔμπροσθεν κτλ. Hope in Christ suggests the day of the 
Lord when all men must appear before God. For the unbeliever, 
it is a day of destruction (1!° 5° II 1°), but for the believer, a day 
of salvation (11° 313 5°), the fruition of hope. The Judge here is 
not Christ (2 Cor. 519) but God (Rom. 14!°), and that too the 
God and Father of us Christians. As in 219 413, ἔμπροσθεν is 
attached loosely to the immediately preceding words. 


ὃ πατήρ (Rom. 64 Eph. 218 314 Col. 12v.1.), ἀββά 6 πατήρ (Gal. 45 Rom. 
815), ὃ θεὸς πατήρ (Col. 112 (8) 317), θεὸς ὃ πατήρ (τ Cor. 85 Col. 12 FG), 
ὃ θεὸς χαὶ πατήρ (1 Cor. 1524 Eph. 52°), ὃ θεὸς χαὶ πατὴρ τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν 
Ἶ. X. (Rom. 15° 2 Cor. 1 Eph. 13 Col. 13 (SA; BCDG omit xat) 2 
Cor. rr*! Ὁ) do not occur in I, Il. We have, however, θεὸς πατήρ (11 IT 
τ (BD) Gal. 11 13 (BD) Eph. 6% Phil. 2"), θεὸς πατὴρ ἡμῶν (IT 1! Gal. 
13 (NA) Rom. 17 1 Cor. 13 2 Cor. 12 Col. τὸ Eph. τὸ Phil. τὸ Phile. 3), 
and 6 θεὸς χαὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν (13 31- 15. Gal. 14 Phil. 42°). Unique is IT 218 
whether we read θεὸς ὃ πατὴρ ἡμῶν (BD) or 6 θεὸς 6 πατὴρ ἡμῶν (NG). 
Paul does not use 6 θεὸς ἡμῶν χαὶ πατήρ or πατὴρ θεός (Sir. 234). 


4, εἰδότες = ὅτι οἴδαμεν. The causal participle (cf. Phil. 1° 
Col. 13 Phile. 4) introduces the ultimate ground of the thanks- 
giving, namely, the election of the readers. Of this election Paul 
is assured both from the fact that (ὅτι v.°) the gospel which he 
preached, the gospel through which God calls men unto salva- 
tion (II 2"), came home to them with the power of the Spirit, 
and from the fact that (sc. ὅτι before ὑμεῖς v.*) the same Spirit 
operated in the believers, as could be plainly inferred from the 
welcome they gave to the Word and its messengers in spite of 
great persecution. It is significant both that here, as Calvin 
observes, Paul infers the pretemporal election of the readers 
from the fruits of the Spirit, and that it is taken for granted that 
the readers understand what ἐκλογή means, an evidence that 
this idea formed an integral part of the gospel of God proclaimed 
in Thessalonica. 


78 I THESSALONIANS 


ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. The frequency of ἀδελφοί 
in I is indicative of Paul’s love for his converts. This affec- 
tionate address is strengthened by “beloved by God,” a phrase 
which like “beloved by the Lord” (II 2") is unique in the 
N.T., though equivalent in sense to ἀγαπητοὶ θεοῦ (Rom. 1’). 
The connection of this phrase with ἐκλογή makes plain that 
election proceeds from the love of God (cf. Is. 4189 where ἐκλέγ- 
εσθαι is parallel to ἀγαπᾷν). 


Moses in Sir. 45! is ἠγαπημένος ὑπὸ θεοῦ χαὶ ἀνθρώπων; Israel in 
Baruch 3:17 is ἤγαπ. ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ (7. 6. “our God”); and Solomon in Neh. 
13% is ἀγαπώμενος τῷ θεῷ; cf. Ep. to Diogn. 4* where ἐκλογῇ and ἠγαπη- 
μένους ὑπὸ θεοῦ appear together and Ign. Trall. init. of the holy church 
ἦγαπ. θεῷ πατρὶ I. X. More frequently we have in this phrase, as in IT 
213. χυρίου; for example, Benjamin in Deut. 33” and Issachar in Test. 
xii Iss. 11 are ἦγαπ. ὑπὸ κυρίου; and Samuel in Sir. 46" is ἤγαπ. ὑπὸ 
χυρίου αὐτοῦ. See further Col. 313 1 Cor. 15%8, etc.—ddeAgot μου (Rom. 74 
15" x Cor. 1 11% 1439 Phil. 31), ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί (τ Cor. 1558 Phil. 
4), ἀγαπητοί (Rom. 121" 2 Cor. 7! 121" Phil. 4"), ἀγαπητοί μου (x Cor. 
ro“ Phil. 2”), do not occur in I, II as forms of address. The simple 
ἀδελφοί of address occurs about 20 times in 1 Cor., 14 in I Thess., τὸ in 
Rom., g in Gal., 7 in 2 Thess., 6 in Phil., 3 in 2 Cor., and twice in Phile. 
(ἀδελφέ). But no one of these addresses appears in Col. or Eph. Onthe 
Christian use of ἀδελφοί, cf. Harnack, Mission,? I, 340 f.; on the pagan 
use, Deiss. BS. 82 f. and Witk. 38, note 1. It is doubtful whether τοῦ 
before θεοῦ is to be retained (SACKP) or omitted (BDGL; cf. Weiss, 72). 


τὴν ἐκλογὴν ὑμῶν. “The election of you,” that is, “that 
you have been chosen,” namely, by God, as always in Paul. The 
eternal choice of God, “the divine purpose which has worked 
on the principle of selection” (SH. ad Rom. 9"), includes, accord- 
ing to II 2", not only the salvation of the readers but also the 
means by which or the state in which salvation is realised. 


The words ἐχλέγεσθαι (x Cor. 127% Eph. τ), éxAextés (Rom. 16%), 
ἐχλεχτοὶ θεοῦ (Rom. 8:2 Col. 3%), and éxAoy (Rom. g" 11° 7. 38) are 
rare in Paul. ἐχλογή does not occur in the Lxx. For its use in Ps. Sol., 
see the edition of Ryle and James, 1891, o5 f. χλῆσις (II 1"), καλεῖν 
(213 47 5%) is the historical calling mediated by the preaching of the 
gospel (II 2"). 


5. bre... ἐγενήθη. We infer your election from the fact 
that (ὅτι = “because” as in II 37 Rom. 853 1 Cor. 2") the Spirit 


π 4-5 79 


was in us who preached (v. ®) and in you who welcomed the Word 
(vv. °°). By saying “our gospel came” instead of “we came 
with the gospel” (2 Cor. ro“), Paul puts the emphasis more 
upon the message as the means of realising God’s call than upon 
the bearers of the message. The presence of the Spirit is the 
central fact in Paul’s experience and the test of its validity. 
Hence such passages as Gal. 3? r Cor. 122 Rom. 818 and the in- 
evitable 2 Cor. 13%, 


That ὅτι = guia (Vulg.) is the usual view. εἰδότες... ἐχλογὴν..- 
ὅτι = οἴδαμεν ὅτι (that) ἐχλήθητε ὅτι (because), as in Rom. 515 828-29 
Phil. 416, An alternative interpretation takes ὅτι as an object clause 
further explaining ἐκλογήν. Since, however, ἐκλογήν of the original pur- 
pose of God is not exactly the equivalent of the ὅτι clause, ἐχλογήν is 
held to mean “the manner of your election” and ὅτι “how that” (Lft. 
Mill.). In support of this view, 21 τ Cor. 1615 2 Cor. 123-4 should not be 
adduced, or Rom. 113 where τὸν χαιρόν is resumed by ὥρα. On the 
other hand, τ Cor. 155, especially if ἐκλήθησαν be not supplied, might be 
considered a parallel, although βλέπετε is not εἰδότες. But this al- 
ternative view is not “exegetically satisfactory” (Ell.)—The passive 
ἐγενήθη = ἐγένετο is frequent in Lxx.; in the N. T. it is found chiefly 
in Paul, Heb. Mt. Of the score or more instances in Paul, eight appear 
in 15-244; cf. BI. 201. 

In Lxx., γίνεσθαι πρός or ἐπί with accus. or ἐν with dat. are frequent 
as also γίνεσθαι εἰς for nominative (I 35; cf. 21), but otherwise γίνεσθαι 
εἰς is rare. It is used with persons (Ezek. 231° 2 Mac. 125) or things 
(3 Reg. 133%; Judg. 178 A ἐγενήθη εἰς ὄρος where B has ἦλθεν ἕως ὄρους). 
On γίνεσθαι = ἔρχεσθαι, ‘cf. τ Cor. 21: and the prophetic phrase λόγος 
χυρίου ἐγενήθη (ἐγένετο) πρός. In Paul, we expect with persons either 
πρός (1 Cor. 2 1619 and here ADG) or ἐν (so below NAC with ὑμῶν); 
eis here and Gal. 3" may be equivalent to the dative (I 48; cf. Bl. 39°; 
χηρύσσειν εἰς 29 where δὶ has dative as in 1 Cor. 92”), or to πρός. For 
the interchange of εἰς and πρός with γίνεσθαι, of. Lk. 144 Acts 10" 266 1352, 
ἐν = “with” (2 Cor. 21) or “clothed with” (1 Cor. 4%); cf. Moult. I, 6r. 


τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν. “Our gospel” (II 2! 2 Cor. 43; cf. 
Rom. 2/6 167°) is the gospel with which Paul and his associates 
have been intrusted (22) and which they preach (Gal. 2?). The 
author of the gospel is God (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ 2". 8. 9 
Rom. 1! 1515 2 Cor. 11”) or Christ (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Χριστοῦ 
3? Gal. 17 τ Cor. 9! 2 Cor. 2! 913 10! Rom. 151° Phil. 177; Tov 
υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ Rom. 1°). “The gospel” (τὸ εὐαγγέλιον 24 and 


80 I THESSALONIANS 


frequently in Paul) represents Paul’s convictions about Chris- 
tianity, the good news of the grace of God unto salvation pro- 
claimed in the prophets and realised in Christ (Rom. 1°) by 
whose death and resurrection the Messianic promise is mediated 
to all believers. Only such elements of this comprehensive gos- 
pel are explicitly treated in a given letter as the specific need re- 
quires (cf. Dob. 81/.). Hence, for the purpose of determining 
the content of the gospel, what is said implicitly may be more 
important than what is accentuated. For example, the gospel 
preached in Thessalonica had to do not simply with faith in the 
living and true God and ethical consecration to him, not simply 
with the Parousia and Judgment, but also with God’s election 
and calling, the significance of the death of Christ (5°), the new 
life in Christ or the Spirit, and the attendant spiritual gifts (519*-). 


On the origin and meaning of εὐαγγέλιον, see Zahn (Introd. ΤΙ, 377- 
379), Mill. (141-144), Dob. (86), and Harnack, Verfassung und Recht, 
1910, 199 ff. (also in English). The use of εὐαγγέλιον to designate the 
good news unto salvation may have originated in Palestinian Chris- 
tianity. In the Lxx. (and Test. xii, Ps. Sol.), the singular does not occur. 
A papyrus of the third century (A.D.) seems to read ἐπεὶ γνώστης ἐγενόμην 
τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (Deiss. Light, 371). 77/2 = “good tidings” is rendered in 
Lxx. by εὐαγγελία (2 Reg. 182° 27 4 Reg. 7° and (according to Harnack 
but not Swete) 2 Reg. 18%); while ΠΦΨ3 = “reward for good tidings” 
(see BDB.) is translated by the plural εὐαγγέλια (2 Reg. 41° 18%). For 
the plural εὐαγγέλια = “good news” in the Priene inscription, see Deiss. 
(0p. cit. 371). 

In Paul’s usage, the genitive in εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ is subjective, point- 
ing to the fact that God, 6 ἐνεργῶν (Phil. 215) in Paul, inspires the mes- 
sage preached (cf. I 2"); it is ἐν τῷ θεῷ that the missionaries speak the 
gospel of God (2%). Similarly the genitive in εὐαγγέλιον Χριστοῦ is 
subjective (Zahn; Harnack, 217-218, against Dob.). The indwelling 
Christ speaks in Paul (2 Cor. 13%) and reveals the gospel (Gal. 1). 
Such a view of the genitive does not preclude references to the content 
of the gospel (2 Cor. 44 Eph. 1° 61) or the employment of χηρύσσειν 
Χριστόν (1 Cor. 133, etc.) or εὐαγγελίζεσθαι αὐτόν (Gal. 115), for when 
Paul preaches Christ he preaches not only Christ but the plan of salva- 
tion conceived by God, promised by the prophets, and realised in the 
death and resurrection of Christ (Harnack, op. cit. 235). 

Like εὐαγγέλιον but with a distinctively O. T. flavour is the rarer 
ὃ λόγος (1° Gal. 6% Col. 4°), ὃ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (2:3 τ Cor. 1435 2 Cor. 217 4? 
Phil. 1 Col. 135) and ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (18 II 3! = Χριστοῦ Col. 312); of. 





I, 5 81 


Harnack (op. cit. 245 f.). This word is the word which God or Christ in 
Paul speaks, a divine not a human oracle (213) which comes to Paul as 
it came to the prophets (cf. Rom. 9°). The content of the word is oc- 
casionally specified as truth (2 Cor. 67 Col. 15 Eph. 1), life (Phil. 215), 
the cross (1 Cor. 118), or reconciliation (2 Cor. 51°).—The gospel is also 
the proclamation (tb χήρυγμα τ Cor. 1243 wou τ Cor. 24; ἡμῶν τ Cor. 15") 
which Jesus Christ inspires (Rom. 16%); or the testimony (τὸ μαρτύριον) 
which God (x Cor. 21) or Christ (1 Cor. 1°) inspires and which Paul and 
his associates proclaim (IL 1°; cf. εὐαγγέλιον 18).—On the Pauline 
gospel, see further J. Weiss, Das dlteste Evangelium, 1903, 33 ff., and J. 
L. Schultze, Das Evangelium im ersten Thess. 1907. 


λόγῳ. . . δυνάμει. The stress is laid on the manner of the 
coming of the gospel: “clothed not only with a form of words 
but also,” and significantly, “with power,” that is, with a 
reality back of the form, and that too a divine reality as the 
added ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ explains. 


Unlike the Corinthians, the Thessalonians did not object to Paul’s 
style, for we have not οὐκ... ἀλλά (1 Cor. 23f- 419-20 where λόγος and 
δύναμις are mutually exclusive) but οὐκ... μόνον... ἀλλά. δύναμις refers 
not to the results of power, the charismata in general, or those specifically 
associated with σημεῖα χαὶ τέρατα (2 Cor. 12!2)—in which case we should 
expect δυνάμεις (but cf. II 2°) or an added phrase (Rom. 1519 ἐν δυνάμει 
σημείων xat teop&twv)—but to the power itself, as the contrast with 
λόγῳ and the explanatory πνεύματι indicate.—éyv with πνεύματι as with 
λόγῳ and δυνάμει is ultimately local; to be clothed with the Spirit is 
to be in the Spirit. There is no reference to glossolalia in πνεῦμα. 
Furthermore ἐν δυνάμει χαὶ ἐν πνεύματι is not a hendiadys, though the 
operation of the Spirit is in its essence δύναμις (x Cor. 25 of God; τ Cor. 
542 Cor. 129 of Christ; 1 Cor. 24 Rom. 151: 19 of the Spirit; cf. ἐν δυνάμει 
II 1). 


καὶ πληροφορίᾳ πολλῇ. Closely connected with ἐν πνεύματι 
ἁγίῳ (omit ἐν before πληροφορίᾳ with NB) and resulting from 
the indwelling of the Spirit, is the inward assurance, certa multa 
persuasio (Beza), of the missionaries (cf. 2? ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα 
ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν). 

πληροφορία is rare in Gk. Bib. (Col. 2? Heb. 61: 10%; cf. 1 Clem. 42°); 
the verb is less rare (e. g. Eccl. 81! Rom. 42! 1 Clem. 423; and in papyri; 
cf. Deiss. Light, 82 f.). Of the meanings “fulness” or “conviction,” the 
latter is more appropriate here; see Hammond on Lk. 1'and Lft. on Col. 
2°. The phrase ἐν πολλῇ (πολλῷ) happens to occur in the N. T. only in 
Paul, the adjective preceding (2?- 17 Rom. 9”) or following (1° δ 1 Cor. 2% 

2 Cor. 64) the noun. 


82 I THESSALONIANS 


καθὼς οἴδατε κτλ. “As you know what sort of men (οἷοι = 
guales; cf. 2 Cor. 127°) we became in your eyes for your sakes.” 
The connection appears to be: “We preached the gospel in the 
power of the Spirit and in full persuasion of its divine reality. 
That means that we preached not for our own selfish interests, as 
the Jews insinuate, but solely for your advantage, as you know.” 
The theme of self-defence here struck is elaborated in 21:12 where 
the appeal to the knowledge of the readers in confirmation of 
Paul’s statements becomes frequent. 
χαθὼς οἴδατε (22-534), αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε (2133; 52 Π 3"), χαθάπερ οἴδατε 
(21:1), οἴδατε (42 IT 25), μνημονεύετε (2%; II 25), μάρτυς (25 10) occur 
chiefly in the thanksgiving (12-31°), especially 21-12, χαθώς (13 times in 
I) is later Gk. for χαθά which Paul does not use; cf. καθάπερ (21! 3% 12 4°). 
—The reading ὑμῖν (NAC) has been assumed with WH.; ἐν ὑμῖν (BDG) is 
preferred by Tisch. Zim. Weiss, Dob. In Rom. 102°, SAC read εὑρέθην 
τοῖς, ἐγενόμην τοῖς with Is. 651, while BD insert ἐν in each instance. The 
ἐν interprets the simple dative; 219 is a good parallel, but γίνεσθαι ἐν 
λόγῳ 2° is quite different, and 27 has ἐν μέσῳ as we should expect 
after γῆπιοι. The simple ὑμῖν is a dative of reference (215), expressing 


neither advantage nor disadvantage, and importing scarcely more than 
“before.”—On δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, of. 1 Cor. 4° 2 Cor. 415 89 Phil. 1%4, 


6. The sentence is getting to be independent, but ὅτε (v. δ) is 
still in control: “and from the fact that you became,” etc. The 
proof of election is the presence of the Spirit not only in the 
preachers (εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν) but also in the hearers who wel- 
comed the word (ὑμεῖς δεξάμενοι) with joy in the midst of great 
persecution. To be sure, Paul mentions first not the welcome 
but the imitation. But the two things are inseparable, if we 
take δεξάμενοι as a participle not of antecedent action, “when 
you had welcomed,”’ but of identical action, ‘“‘in that you wel- 
comed.” μιμηταὶ ἡμῶν κτὰ. “Imitators of us and above all of 
the Lord”’ (ipsius Domini, Ambst.). Paul’s consciousness of his 
own integrity (1 Cor. 45), due to the power of Christ in him (Gal. 
230), permitted him to teach by example (1 Cor. 11') as well as 
by precept. As an example not simply of endurance but of joy 
in persecutions, he could point to himself and especially to Christ. 
Some knowledge of the life of Jesus on the part of the readers is 
here presupposed (cf. Gal. 31). μετὰ χαρᾶς πνεύματος ἁγίου. 


I, 5-7 83 


The inward joy which is the accompaniment (“eT@) of external 
persecution, and which is cogent proof of election, is an enthusi- 
astic happiness (Phil. 1°°) due to the new δύναμις operating in 
the believers, the power of the Spirit (Gal. 522 Rom. 1411) or 
Christa(Phil, 3% 441°): 


Although θλίψις alone is the point of comparison in 2", and although 
Paul, who frequently refers to the sufferings of Christ (2 Cor. 51 Phil. 419 
Rom. 8:7), does not elsewhere refer to Christ’s joy in suffering, yet Chrys. 
is right in finding the point of comparison here in θλίψις μετὰ χαρᾶς. 
The context alone here as <lsewhere (II 37-9 τ Cor. 416 111 Phil. 317 49 
Gal. 413) determines the scope of imitation. ἐν θλίψει = ἐν μέσῳ θλίψεως: 
external persecution (Acts 175*- and the like) is meant (3-7 II 14-6; 
cf. 2 Cor. 18), not distress of mind (2 Cor. 2‘).—déyea0at, as the contrast 
with παραλαμβάνειν (213) shows, means not simply “receive,” but ‘“re- 
ceive willingly,” “welcome.” The phrase δέχεσθαι thy λόγον (only here 
and 218 in Paul) is used by Luke (Lk. 8" Acts 814 111 and especially 17") 
but not by Lxx.; it is equivalent to δέχεσθαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (2 Cor. 114). 
—-xbetos is not θεός (A) but Christ, as always in I, II (Mill. 135-140).— 
B inserts xat before πνεύματος conforming to δυνάμει καὶ πνεύματι ν. ὅ. 
—On μετά of accompaniment, cf. 3% 528 II 17 213. 16-18—On joy in 
suffering, cf. 2 Cor. 61° 139 and especially 71 83, 


7. ὥστε γενέσθαι κτλ. The actual result of their imitation of 
Christ and Paul is that the Thessalonians became themselves an 
example to all the Christians ‘‘in Macedonia and in Achaia,” the 
two provinces constituting Greece since 142 B.c. In the matter 
of how one ought to welcome the gospel, the taught have become 
the teachers. Knowledge of their progress came to Paul not 
only from Timothy’s report (3°) but also from other news that 
kept coming to him in Corinth (ἀπαγγέλλουσιν ν. 1°). 


In the mainly Pauline phrases πάντες οἱ πιστεύοντες (Rom. 3% 411; 
cf. Rom. 118 τοῖ Acts 13%), ὑμεῖς οἱ πιστεύοντες (21° 1; Eph. 119 τ Pet. 
27), and ot πιστεύοντες (Gal. 322 τ Cor. 124 14%; Jn. 647), the present 
tense is timeless. Paul does not use the aorist (cf. Mk. 1617 Acts 25: 
433 Heb. 4) in these expressions except in II 11°.—The reading τύπος is 
necessary in Rom. 5" 617 and certain in IT 39 Phil. 317. τύποι is secure 
in t Cor. 10%. On the analogy of IT 3° Phil. 317 4 Mac. 619 τύπον is here 
to be read with BD. τύπους (SAC) may be due to ὑμᾶς. 


8-10. The general drift of these verses is clear, but some of 
the details are obscure. The statement (ν. 7) that the readers 


84 I THESSALONIANS 


have become a pattern to all the Christians in Greece may well 
have surprised the Thessalonians. But the explanation (vv. ὃ “) 
must have been a greater surprise, for it is added that news of 
the gospel as proclaimed in Thessalonica and of the Christianity 
of the readers has spread not only in Greece (v. 7) but every- 
where, as if v.? had ended with πιστεύουσιν. The point of vv. 3 “- 
is not that Paul himself is everywhere extolling the readers, as 
he probably did (II 1‘), for ἡμᾶς (v. 8) and αὐτοί (ν. *) are de- 
signedly contrasted; not that the readers are boasting at home 
and abroad of their spiritual life, even if they might have boasted 
of the gospel, for ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν is not ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν; but that other people, 
believers everywhere, whose names are not given, keep telling 
Paul in Corinth both about the visit he paid and about the con- 
version of the Thessalonians. These reports make unnecessary 
any words from Paul. 


Difficulty arises only when we try to make Paul more definite than 
he is. He does not say who carried the news everywhere, but says only 
that the gospel which he preached has sounded out and the faith of the 
converts has gone out. He does not specify the indirect objects of λαλεῖν 
and ἀπαγγέλλουσιν, nor does he define αὐτοί. It may perhaps be con- 
jectured that αὐτοί means the believers everywhere, that is, some of 
them. In this case, the αὐτοί are probably not those who bring the 
news to Greece and other parts from Thessalonica, but those who make 
reports to Paul. The indirect object of λαλεῖν may be the αὐτοί, that 
of ἀπαγγέλλουσιν, Paul and his associates. λαλεῖν rather than γράφειν 
here suggests oral reports. To be sure, περὶ ὑμῶν (ν. " B, εἰ al.) is the 
easier reading, but περὶ ἡμῶν prepares better for ὁποίαν ἔσχομεν. Paul 
writes from the standpoint of Corinth where the reports keep coming 
in; hence not ἀπήγγειλαν or ἀπήγγελλον, as if Bercea or Athens were in 
mind, but the progressive present ἀπαγγέλλουσιν. 


8. This verse, formally considered, is without asyndeton, un- 
less recourse is had to the unnecessary expedient of placing a 
colon after κυρίου or τόπῳ. The obscurity lies in the fact (1) 
that v.* (γάρ) explains not solely, as we should expect, why the 
readers became “ἃ model to all Christians in Greece,” but also 
why they became a pattern to all believers everywhere; and in 
the fact (2) that after τόπῳ, where the sentence might naturally 
end, a second and, in the argument, a more important subject 


1,8 85 


is introduced, ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν, which is not synonymous with ὁ λό- 
γος τοῦ κυρίου, and a second predicate ἐξελήλυθεν which is prose 
for ἐξήχηται. Materially considered, this verse is concerned 
not with the method by which the news of the gospel and of the 
faith of the readers is brought everywhere, whether by Paul, by 
travelling Thessalonians, or by other Macedonians (cf. 419), but 
with the fact that the word of the Lord and their faith have ac- 
tually spread, a fact that makes it unnecessary for Paul himself 
to say anything about this model community. 


It is hardly worth while tampering with an innocent anacoluthon (see 
Lillie for a conspectus of attempts) whether by conjecturing ¢ = ἐν ᾧ 
after τόπῳ and translating “in every place into which your faith has 
gone forth”; or by putting a colon after χυρίου (Liin. Born. Wohl. 
et. al.), a procedure which introduces a formal asyndeton and hints that 
the parallel subjects are synonymous. Simpler is it to let the balanced 
sentence remain untouched (Lft. Schmiedel, οὐ a/.), in which case ἐξήχη- 
ται xtA. explains only ἐν τῇ Maxcedovig...’Ayaig (ν. 7 and ἡ πίστις 
χτλ. explains πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύουσιν (v.7).—In ὃ λόγος τοῦ χυρίου there 
is a covert allusion to Paul as a preacher in the Spirit and in much con- 
viction (v.*), and in ἣ πίστις a clear reference to the welcome which the 
converts gave (v.°). Each of these points recurs in vv. 9-10 and 21-12. 
13-18, Jn passing, be it observed that vy.?1° form a single sentence; 
hence after ᾿Αχαίᾳ (v. 7) a colon is to be placed and also after λαλεῖν τι 


(v. 8). 


ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν κτὰ. “Starting from you, the word of the Lord (the 
word that Christ inspires) has sounded forth.” The parallel 
ἐξελήλυθεν and the similar ἢ ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξῆλθεν 
(x Cor. 1438) suggests that ἀπό (which might = ὑπό: cf. BI. 40°) 
is here local, marking the Thess. “‘as the simple éerminus a quo 
of the ἐξηχεῖσθαι᾽" (ΕΠ... 


Whether ἐξήχηται implies the sound either of a trumpet (Chrys.) or 
of thunder (Lft.) is uncertain; it may mean simply “has spread.” The 
word itself is rare in the Gk. Bib. (active in Joel 3% Sir. 4013, middle in 
3 Mac. 3? (Ven.) and here); cf. Lk. 451 ἦχος with 44 φήμη. Before’Axaig, 
ἐν τῇ is retained by NCD, εἰ al., a reading perhaps conformed to v. ? 
(Weiss); cf. Acts 192! where 8B omit and AD retain τὴν before ᾿Αχαίαν. 
If with B, et al., ἐν τῇ is omitted, then Greece as a whole is contrasted with 
the rest of the world.—The ἐν with ἐξήχηται and ἐξελήλυθεν (cf. Lk. γι) 
may be interpreted with the older grammarians to mean “not only the 


86 I THESSALONIANS 


arrival of the report, but its permanence after its arrival” (Ltin.), as, 
indeed, the perfects of resultant action likewise suggest. Recent gram- 
marians (Bl. 41! and Mill.) are inclined not to press the point, in view 
of the frequency in later Gk. of ἐν for ets.—After οὐ (uy) μόνον... ἀλλά, 
Paul adds χαί except here and Phil. 2%; but to insert xa! here with 
KL is to fail to observe that the omission is purposed, for ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ 
includes Macedonia and Achaia (Bl. 77*).—év παντὶ τόπῳ is a pardon- 
able hyperbole (1 Cor. 12 2 Cor. 2"; ς΄. Rom. 18 Col. τ). As Paul is 
not speaking with geographical accuracy, it is unnecessary to assume 
that since he left Thessalonica he went beyond Greece or that he has 
Galatia or Rome in mind. 


ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεόν. The repetition of the article 
serves to make clear the object toward which their faith is turned 
and also to suggest a contrast (Ell.) between their present atti- 
tude to God and their past pagan attitude to idols. The phrase 
is rare in the Greek Bible (4 Mac. 15% (8) 16%) but frequent in 
Philo (cf. Hatch, Essays, 86 f.). 

With πίστις and πιστεύειν Paul uses εἷς (Col. 25 Phile. 5 2. 1.), ἐν 
(Col. 14 Gal. 335 Eph. 1), ἐπί (Rom. 4°) and πρός (Phile. 5 v.1.). 4 
πίστις ὑμῶν (3% 5 5. 7. 10 17] 1%. 4) is frequent in Paul (Rom. 15: 13, etc.) 


and elsewhere (Jas. 13, etc.). ἐξέρχεσθαι, a rare word in Paul, is used 
with εἰς (Rom. 101%) and πρός (2 Cor. 817). 


λαλεῖν has to do strictly with the utterance as such, λέγειν 
with the content of the utterance (SH. on Rom. 319), as when we 
say: “he speaks well but says nothing.” 


On λαλεῖν with accus., cf. 2? Phil. 1 Rom. 1518 (ct). Observe the 
parallelism of ὥστε... γάρ in vv. 7-8 89, On ὥστε μή, cf. 1 Cor. 172 
Cor. 37. The common χρείαν ἔχειν with infin. only here and 4° 5! in 
Paul. The reading ὑμᾶς (B, εἰ al.) for ἡμᾶς is probably conformation 
to ὑμῶν after πίστις. 


9. αὐτοὶ yap «TX. There is no need for us missionaries (ἡμᾶς) 
to speak, for they themselves, that is, such believers from Greece 
and elsewhere as happen to be in Corinth (αὐτοί in contrast with 
ἡμᾶς) keep reporting (ἀπαγγέλλουσιν is a progressive present) 
to us, first of all and somewhat unexpectedly, about us (περὶ 
ἡμῶν), namely, what kind of a visit we paid you, and then 
about you, “how you turned,” etc. It is unnecessary to remark 
that Paul’s version of the report need not be literal. As he 


τ 8-9 87 


writes, he has in mind the insinuations of the Jews (v. 21:1; 
hence περὶ ἡμῶν is put first. 
αὐτοί is constructio ad sensum as αὐτοῖς Gal. 2%. ἀπαγγέλλειν (τ 
Cor. 142) is frequent in Lxx. and Luke; ‘uty is to be understood. 
The reading περὶ ὑμῶν (B) misses the point of contrast between visit 
and welcome. adnuntiatis (r), which Rendel Harris prefers, is due to 
the supposed difficulty in περὶ ἡμῶν (Dob.).—The indirect interrogative 
éxotos (Gal. 28 τ Cor. 3%), which is rare in Gk. Bib., expresses like 
οἷοι (ν. 5) the quality of the visit.—etcodoc in Lxx. is used both of the 
action (Mal. 32) and of the place (Ezek. 42°). ἔχειν εἴσοδον πρός ap- 
pears to be unique in Gk. Bib. (cf. 21); the reference is not to a door 
opening into their hearts (cf. Marc. Aur. 519 ἔχει εἴσοδον πρὸς ψυχὴν 
and Hermas Sim. IX, 12°), for that is excluded by 21; nor to the favour- 
able reception (which even P. Oxy. 32 peto a te ut habeat introitum ad te 
does not of necessity suggest), for the welcome is not mentioned until 
πῶς ἐπεστρέψατε (cf. 21-12 the visit; 2135. the welcome); but simply to 
the act of entering (Acts 1324 Heb. 1o!? 2 Pet. 11). εἴσοδος = παρουσία 
“visit” (Phil. 126 3 Mac. 317); cf. also εἰσέρχεσθαι, εἰσπορεύεσθαι πρός 
(Acts 164° 283°), 


καὶ πῶς ἐπεστρέψατε κτλ. “And” about you they report 
“how you turned to God,” etc. πῶς introduces a second object 
clause parallel to ὁποίαν. In keeping with v. 8, faith in God is 
singled out as the primary characteristic of the readers, but the 
idea is expressed not, as we might expect, with ἐπιστεύσατε ἐν 
τῷ θεῷ but, since Gentile rather than Jewish converts are in 
mind, with a phrase perhaps suggested by the contrast with idols, 
ἐπεστρέψατε πρὸς Tov θεόν. In facing God, they turned their 
backs on idols. These εἴδωλα are looked upon as dead (1 Cor. 
12”) and false, not being what they purport to be. While the 
idol in itself is nothing (1 Cor. 10!*), communion with it brings 
the worshipper under the power of the gods and demons who 
are conceived as present at the ritual act, or as resident in the 
idol, or, to the popular mind, as identified with the idol (τ Cor. 
10), Unlike these dead and false idols, God is living and genu- 
ine, what he purports to be (contrast 1 Cor. 8° Gal. 4°). 


πῶς describes the fact (Ruth 2" Acts 11") rather than the manner 
(Sap. 6% τί δέ ἐστιν σοφία καὶ πῶς ἐγένετο ἀπαγγελῶ), that is, πῶς 
tends to become ὅτι (Bl. 702). The ἐπί in ἐπιστρέφειν is directive as 
in Gal. 4° πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν. ἐπιστρέφειν, rare in Paul, is frequent 


88 


I THESSALONIANS 


in Lxx. In the phrase émotpégetv . . . χύριον (θεόν), the Lxx. uses both 
ἐπί, which Luke prefers, and πρός (Lk. 174 Acts 9! 2 Cor. 3:5). The 
article in τὸν θεόν need not be pressed as Gal. 4* indicates.—et8wdov 
(Rom. 2* 1 Cor. 84, etc.) in the Lxx. renders a variety of Hebrew words 
both proper and opprobrious. For the meaning of these words and for 
the forms of idolatry mentioned in the Bible, see G. F. Moore, EB. 2146 ff. 
The polemic against images begins with the prophets of the eighth cen- 
tury. ‘With the prophets of the seventh century begins the contemp- 
tuous identification of the gods of the heathen with their idols, and in the 
sixth the trenchant satire upon the folly of making gods of gold and silver, 
of wood and stone, which runs on through the later Psalms, Wisdom, 
Baruch, the Jewish Sibyllines, etc., to be taken up again by Christian 
apologists” (op. cit. 2158). See further Bousset, Relig. 350 ff. and Wend- 
land, Die hellenistische-rimische Kultur, 142.—0eb¢ ζῶν (Rom. 9%* = Hos. 
1!° 2 Cor. 3%, etc.) is common in Gk. Bib. (Is. 37* 17, etc.); ἀληθινός = 
“genuine” (Trench, Synonyms, 27) appears only here in Paul as a de- 
scription of God (cf. Jn. 17? 1 Jn. 52° 2 Ch. 1533 Mac. 2" 618). The total 
phrase θεὸς ζῶν xat ἀληθινός seems to be unique in Gk. Bib. (καὶ ἀληθινῷ 
Heb. 9* (AP) is a scribal reminiscence of our passage). 


10. δουλεύειν καὶ ἀναμένειν, The positive turning to God, 


faith toward him, has a twofold purpose, religious consecration 
to him, a δουλεύειν θεῷ (Rom. 6”) demanding righteousness of 
life (cf. 455); and a hope, hitherto unknown (413), which awaits 
God’s Son who comes (τὸν ἐρχόμενον) or comes down (τὸν KaTa- 
Baivovra 415) out of the heavens, to finish his work as rescuer, 
by freeing believers from the impending judgment. 


On the infin. of purpose with ἐπιστρέφειν, cf. Rev. 1! Sap. το" 
Eccl. 2*°, Like the Galatians (Gal. 48!-), the readers have exchanged a 
slavery to idols for a slavery to God. Usually Paul speaks of a slavery 
to Christ (δουλεύειν Rom. 1211 1418 1618, etc.; δοῦλος Gal. 11° Rom. 1], 
etc.). δουλεύειν χυρίῳ (Ps. 24 go? Sir. 21, etc.) like ἐπιστρέφειν ἐπὶ 
(πρὸς) κύριον is acommon phrase in the Lxx. On the meaning of δοῦλος 
in Paul, see Zahn on Rom. 1! (in Zahn’s Kommentar). 

ἀναμένειν (classical, Lxx.) appears only here in N. T. Paul does 
not use περιμένειν at all (Gen. 4015 Acts 1‘) or μένειν transitively (Is. 
87 2 Mac. 7%° Acts 20% 33), choosing the stronger ἐχδέχεσθαι (1 Cor. 
1133 16") and ἀπεχδέχεσθαι (Gal. 55 Rom. 81» 5. x Cor, 17 Phil. 32°). 
The nearness of the thing expected is suggested by the very idea of 
waiting (cf. Is. 59"). 


Tov υἱὸν αὐτοῦ... Ἰησοῦν. The faith of the readers had to do 
not only with God but with his Son who is to come down out of 


i00>1O 89 


the heavens, the Messiah of the apocalyptic hope. Specifically 
Christian is the phrase, explanatory of τὸν υἱόν, ὃν ἤγειρεν ἐς 
τῶν νεκρῶν which intimates not only that the Messiah had lived 
and died but also that he is now, as ἐγερθείς, κύριος (cf. Rom. 424 
τοῦ Eph. 17°). Likewise specifically Christian is the name Jesus; 
to Paul as to the Christians before him ᾿Ιησοῦς is Χριστός and 
κύριος (see on 11). In the explanatory words τὸν ῥυόμενον ἡμᾶς 
KT, (a timeless participle), the function of Jesus as Messiah is 
stated negatively as that of deliverance or rescue from the judg- 
ment which though future is not far distant. | 


This is the only mention of Jesus as Son in our letter; the designation 
does not occur at all in II, Phil. Phile. For ὃ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, cf. Gal. το 44. 5 
Rom. 13. 9 510 829; 83 (ἑαυτοῦ) 8% (ἰδίου) τ Cor. 19 (+ Ἶ. X. τοῦ χυρίου 
ἡμῶν); for υἱὸς θεοῦ, cf. Gal. 22° 2 Cor. 119 Rom. 14 Eph. 413; ὃ υἱός x Cor. 
1578; ὃ υἱὸς τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ (Col. 113).---οὐρανός is rare in Paul com- 
pared with the gospels; the singular (11 times) and the plural (το times) 
appear to be used interchangeably (cf. 2 Cor. 51%). Paul may have 
shared the conception of seven heavens (Slav. En. 81 5- 20! #-; cf. 2 Cor. 
123 5.). ἐχ τῶν οὐρανῶν (Mk. 14 = Mt. 317 Ps. 1481 Sap. 919) occurs only 
here in Paul, who prefers ἐξ οὐρανοῦ (Gal. 18 Cor. 1547 2 Cor. 52) or 
ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ (415 IT 11°).—Paul prefers ἐγείρειν to ἀνιστάναι (4-16 Eph. 
512 but ἀνάστασις (ἐξανάστασις) to ἔγερσις (Mt. 275). The phrase éyet- 
ρειν ἐκ νεχρῶν is not found in Lxx. (but cf. Sir. 485). The reading éx ve- 
χρῶν (AC) is more usual in Paul than ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν (NBD; cf. Col. 118 
Eph. 5:2); see Weiss, γό.---ύεσθαι is frequent in Psalms and Isaiah. 
Paul uses ἐχ of things (Rom. 724 2 Cor. 11° Col. 1”) and ἀπό of persons 
(II 3? Rom. 15%) with ῥύεσθαι, a point overlooked by CDG which read 
ἀπό here. For the historical name (6) Ἰησοῦς, cf. 414 Gal. 617 Rom. 326 8" 
t Cor. 123 2 Cor. 45 2: 114 Phil. 21° Eph. 421 and Mill. 135. 


ἐκ τῆς ὀργῆς τῆς ἐρχομένης. “From the wrath which is com- 
ing.” This phrase seems to occur only here in the Gk. Bib. 
ἔρχεται, however, is used in a similar way in 5? Col. 38= Eph. 5° 
(cf. ἔφθασεν 215 and ἀποκαλύπτεται Rom. 1'7!-). The choice of 
ἐρχομένη rather than μέλλουσα (Mt. 37= Lk. 37; cf. Ign. Eph. 
111) may have been determined by the fact that Paul purposes to 
express not so much the certainty (which the attributive par- 
ticiple present might indicate, GMT. 826) as the nearness of the 
judgment. Nearness involves certainty but certainty does not 
necessarily involve nearness. (7) ὀργή (215 59 Rom. 3° 5° 9” 13°) 


go I THESSALONIANS 


is (ἡ) ὀργὴ (tod) θεοῦ (Rom. 118 Col. 3° Eph. 5°), ἡ θεία ὀργή 

(4 Mac. 9%) as expressed in punishment and is equivalent to 

κρίσις (in Paul only IL 1°), the eschatological judgment, as 
ἡμέρα ὀργῆς (Rom. 2°) indicates. 

The term ὀργή is Jewish; cf. especially Sir. 57. On the phrase ἡμέρα 

ὀργῆς, of. Zeph. 115; on ἣ ἡμέρα ὀργῆς κυρίου, cf. Zeph. 115 2? Ezek. γ1 (A). 

On the idea of the day of judgment in the O. T. see Briggs, Messianic 


Prophecy, 1886, 487 ff. In Paul σωτηρία (σώζειν) and ζωῇ are often con- 
trasted with ὀργή (6. g. 21° 5° Rom. 25 5: 5°), 


(2) The Visit of the Missionaries (2'"). 


The account of the visit (2-2; cf. 15 85. 94) takes the form of a 
self-defence against insinuations made by Jews. With the same 
subtlety that led them to accuse the missionaries of preaching 
another king, namely, Jesus (Acts 17), the Jews were insinuating 
that the renegade Paul, like many a pagan itinerant preacher, 
was self-deluded, sensual, and deceiving, delivering his message 
in flattering words as a foil to cover selfish greed and requiring 
honour to be paid him. Paul’s failure to return lent some colour 
to these assertions, and the converts became anxious. In his 
defence, Paul, speaking mainly for himself but including his asso- 
ciates, conscious both of the integrity of his motives and of the 
unselfishness of his love, and aware of the straightforwardness of 
his religious appeal, reminds his readers that he came not empty- 
handed but with a gospel and a courageous power inspired by 
God (νν. 1:3). Wherever he goes, he preaches as one with no de- 
lusion about the truth, for his gospel is of God; with no conscious- 
ness of moral aberration, for God had tested him and commis- 
sioned him to preach; with no intention to deceive, for he is 
responsible to God who knows his motives (vv. **). Furthermore, 
when he was in Thessalonica, he never used cajoling speech, as 
the readers know, never used the gospel to exploit his ambitions, 
and never required honour to be given him, although he had 
the right to receive it as an apostle of Christ (vv. 55). On the 
contrary, he waived his right, becoming just one of them, not 
an apostle but a babe, and waived it in love for his dear children. 


II ΟΙ 


Instead of demanding honour, he worked incessantly to support 
himself while he preached, in order to save the readers from any 
expense on his account (vv. 7°). His sincerity is evident from 
the pious, righteous, and blameless conduct which they saw in 
him (ν. 19). Notas a flatterer but as a father, he urged them 
one and all, by encouragement and by solemn appeal, to behave 
as those who are called of God into his kingdom and glory 
(vv. 11-12), 


The disposition of 21-1? is clearly marked by γάρ (vv. 1: 3 5-6) and ἀλλά 
(vv.2:47-2) and by the parallel comparisons attached to λαλοῦμεν 
(v.4) and ὑμῶν (ν. 8). The three points of v.3 are met in the clause 
with ἀλλά (v.4); and the three points of vv. 5-6 are met in vv. 7", the 
γάρ (ν. 9) resuming and further elucidating ἀλλά (v.7); thus ζητοῦντες 
δόξαν is considered in vv. 7-9, πλεονεξία in v.19, and χολαχία in vy, 1-12,— 
A careful exegesis of 2*-8 is given by Zimmer in Theol. Studien B. Weiss 
dargebracht, 1897, 248-273. 


1Tndeed you yourselves know, brothers, that the visit we paid you 
has not proved to be void of power. On the contrary, although we 
had previously undergone suffering and insult in Philippi, as you 
know, still we in the power of our God took courage to tell you the 
gospel of God in the midst of much opposition. 

3Indeed the appeal we are wont to make comes not from delusion 
nor from impurity nor with any purpose to deceive. *On the con- 
trary, as we stand approved by God to be intrusted with the gospel, 
so we are wont to tell it, concerned not with pleasing men but God 
who tests our hearts. 

‘Indeed, we never once came before you with cajoling address, 
as you know, or with a pretext inspired by greed, God is witness, 
Sor requiring honour of men—from you or from others, although 
we were ever able to be in a position of honour as Christ's apostles. 
7On the contrary, we became babes in the midst of you,—as a nurse 
cherishes her own children *so we yearned after you, glad to share 
with you not only the gospel of God but our very selves as well, for 
you had become dear to us. *%You remember of course, brothers, our 
toil and hardship; night and day we worked for our living rather 
than put a burden on any of you while we preached to you the gospel 
of God. You are witnesses and God as well how piously and right- 


Ο2 J THESSALONIANS 


eously and blamelessly we behaved in the sight of you believers. 
145 you know, we were urging you intividually, as a father his own 
children, both by encouragement “and by solemn appeal, to walk 
worthily of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 

1. αὐτοὶ yap οἴδατε κτὰ. With an explanatory γάρ, Paul re- 
sumes ὁποίαν εἴσοδον ἔσχομεν (1°) and takes up explicitly the 
defence already touched upon in 1° (which is strikingly parallel 
to 22), Addressing the readers affectionately (ἀδελφοί as in τ), 
he recalls to their knowledge that the visit which he paid them 
was not empty (κενή), meaning not that it was fruitless, for the 
welcome by the converts (1°) is not resumed until ν. 15; but that, 
as the ἀλλά clause certifies, the visit was not empty-handed, 
was not, as 1° says, “in word only but also in power,” for he came 
with a gospel of which God is the author, and preached with a 
courage (cf. 1° πληροφορίᾳ) which was due to the power of God 
operating in him (cf. 15 ἐν δυνάμει καὶ ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ). That 
he thus preached, notwithstanding recent experiences of perse- 
cution and insult in Philippi and great opposition in Thessalonica, 
is further proof of the divine inspiration both of his message and 
of his power in proclaiming it. 


Ὑάρ resumes and explains 1° (Bengel) by way of 1° where περὶ ἡμῶν 
is put significantly at the beginning. On αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε, see 1°; 
and on the construction οἴδατε thy... ὅτι, of. τ Cor. 32°. The article 
(τὴν) is repeated as in 18 (ἣ πρός xtA.). The perfect γέγονεν with which 
the aorists (15 25: 7- 1°) are to be contrasted denotes completed action; 
the facts of the visit are all in, and the readers may estimate it at its 
full value. ἡμῶν shows that Paul includes Silas and Timothy with him 
in the defence. 


2. ἀλλὰ προπαθόντες κτὰ. Using a strong adversative 
(ἀλλά; cf. vv.* 7), he describes positively the character of his 
visit and defines οὐ κενή (ν. 1). Equipped with a gospel inspired 
by God (cf. vv. “ δ: 9, and see note on τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν 1°) 
and emboldened to preach by the indwelling power of their God 
(ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν), the visit of the missionaries was not devoid of 
power. Paul had already told them of his persecution and es- 
pecially (καί is perhaps ascensive as in 1° καὶ Tod κυρίου) of the 
illegal treatment previously experienced at Philippi, and had 


ΤΙ, 1-2 93 


mentioned the matter with feeling; for, as Lft. remarks, it was 
not the physical distress (προπαθόντες) that disturbed him but 
the insult (ὑβρισθέντες) offered to his Roman citizenship (Acts 
162*-), He recalls the fact now (καθὼς οἴδατε: cf. 15) for apol- 
ogetic reasons (see above on v. 2). 


The aorist participles are of antecedent action and probably conces- 
sive. προπάσχειν (only here in Gk. Bib.) is one of the compounds with 
πρό which Paul is fond of using (34 Gal. 31) even when there is no classic 
or Lxx. precedent (e. g. Gal. 38 17 Gal. 12 2 Cor. 85: 1° 95). ὑβρίζειν, 
which Ruther. translates “to treat illegally,” occurs only here in Paul and 
rarely in ΤΧχ.--παρρησιάζεσθαι (here and Eph. 62° in Paul; frequent in 
Acts) denotes here, as λαλῆσαι shows, not “to speak boldly” (παρρησίᾳ 
λαλεῖν) but “to be bold,” “to take courage” (cf. Sir. 6"), fiduciam sump- 
simus (Calv.). The aorist may be inceptive, “we became bold.” Ac- 
cording to Radermacher (Neutestamentliche Grammatik, 1911, 151), this 
ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα is only a more resonant and artificial expression for 
ἐτολμήσαμεν (cf. Phil. 114) which an Attic author would have rather used, 
since ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα λαλῆσαι is ultimately a tautology. Paul does 
not elsewhere use πρός with λαλεῖν, but this directive preposition in- 
stead of a dative is natural after verbs of saying (cf. 2 Cor. 611: 137 Phil. 4°). 


ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν. The missionaries are “in God” (see on ἐν θεῷ 
αἴ because God is in them (ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνου évduvapovpevor, The- 
ophylact; cf. Phil. 413). Characteristic of our epistles (3? II r"- 12, 
τ Cor. 6") and of Revelation (4! 51° 731 1210 r9t#-) is ὁ θεὸς 
ἡμῶν. The ἡμῶν here (cf. Tas καρδίας ἡμῶν v.*) seems to refer 
primarily to the God whom Paul and his two associates preach 
(hence ἡμῶν, not μου Rom. 18 τ Cor. 14 (ACD) 2 Cor. 12” Phil. 
13 419 Phile. 4), but does not exclude the further reference to the 
converts and other believers who feel themselves in common 
touch with the Christian God, our God Father (τ 31: ® Gal. 14 
Phil. 42°), There may be in ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν a latent contrast with 

pagan idols and deities (1°). 
Both χύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν (Mk. 1229 Acts 23° Rev. 19°) and 6 θεὸς ἡμῶν 
(Heb. 1229 Lk. 178 Jude 4 2 Pet. 1!) are frequent in Lxx. (e. g. Deut 11” 
Ps. 432° 973 Is. 405 Jer. 16'° 49! Sap. 151 Baruch (passim); cf. πατὴρ ἡμῶν 
Tob. 13‘) and express Israel’s sense of devotion to her God, often in 
opposition tacit or expressed to the gods of other nations (cf. τ Reg. 57 
Δαγὼν θεὸς ἡμῶν; also Acts 1937 ἣ θεὸς ἡμῶν). For ἐν τῷ θεῷ μου, cf. 

2 Reg. 3230= Ps. 17. 


94 I THESSALONIANS 


ἐν πολλῷ ἀγῶνι. “In the midst of much opposition” or “ 
great anxiety” (Vulg. in multa sollicitudine). Whether persecu- 
tion is meant, as the reference to the experiences at Philippi at 
first suggests, or inward trouble, as the change from θλέψει (1°) 
to ἀγῶνι (cf. Heb. 12! Sap. 10!) may indicate, is uncertain. 
Most comm. find here as in Phil. 12° a reference to outward troubles, 
whether persecutions (Ephr.), danger, or untoward circumstances of 
all sorts (6. g. De W. Liin. Ell. Lft. Mill. Born.). Since, however, ἀγών 
in Col. 21 refers to anxiety (cf. also ἀγωνίζεσθαι 1 Cor. 9% Col. 12° 4% and 
συναγωνίζεσθαι Rom. 15%), it is not impossible that inward struggle 
is meant (so Fritzsche apud Lillie, and Dob.). In later Gk. é&yayv{tends 
to mean “anxiety” (Soph. Lex. who notes Iren. I 25 ἐν πολλῷ πάνυ 
ἀγῶνι). Chrys., who speaks first of danger and then quotes 1 Cor. 2°, 
apparently understands ἀγών of both external and internal trouble; so 
Lillie: “‘at least this restriction (to the external) in the present case 
must be justified from the context, not from Paul’s use of the word 
elsewhere.” 


3-4. The self-defence is continued with direct reference to 
the insinuation that the missionaries were of a kind with the 
wandering sophists, impostors, and propagandists of religious 
cults. First negatively (as v.?) it is said: “Indeed (yap as v. 1) 
our appeal never comes from delusion, nor from impurity, nor 
is it ever calculated to deceive.” Then positively (ἀλλά as v.*): 
“On the contrary, we are wont to speak as men approved by 
God to be intrusted with the gospel, concerned not with pleasing 
men but God who tests our motives.” The three specifications 
of ν.3 are not replied to formally but are nevertheless adequately 
met: Not ἐκ πλάνης, for the gospel is in origin divine not hu- 
man; not ἐξ ἀκαθαρσίας, for the gospel has been committed to 
tested missionaries; and not ἐν δόλῳ, for our responsibility is 
not to men but to God who sounds the depths of our inner lives. 
ἡ παράκλησις ἡμῶν. “The appeal we make,” taking up λαλῆ- 
σαι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ. παράκλησις (often in Paul) may 
mean “summons,” “address,” “encouragement” (1, 2 Mac.; ¢f. 
ΤΙ 215) “comfort” (so usually in Lxx.). In this connection, how- 
ever, α8 λαλῆσαι (y.*) and λαλοῦμεν (v.") make evident, the ad- 
dress itself, not the content (διδαχή Chrys. ); is meant; hence 
“appeal” (Lft.), and that too in virtue of ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν and 


Ii, 2-3 95 


\ > lé Lo) 6 a o 8 . 
τὸ εὐαγγέλιον Tov θεοῦ, a religious appeal, not without refer- 
ence to προφητεία (52° 1 Cor. 141: 9; Rom. 12°). 


ἐστίν is to be supplied in view of λαλοῦμεν (v. 4). The habitual principle 
(Bengel) is intended. As the Thess. could have no direct knowledge of 
Paul’s custom elsewhere, he does not in vv. *4 appeal to them in confirma- 
tion (contrast vv. **-), 


ἐκ πλάνης. Our religious appeal does not come “from delu- 
sion,” for our gospel is of God. πλάνη, as δόλῳ shows, is not 
“deceit” (active) but “error” (passive), the state of πλανᾶσ- 
θαι, “delusion” (Lillie). “Homo qui errat cannot but be un- 
decided; nor is it possible for him to use boldness without con- 
summate impudence and folly” (Cocceius, quoted by Lillie). 
οὐδὲ ἐξ ἀκαθαρσίας. “Nor does it come from an impure char- 
acter.” ἀκαθαρσία (elsewhere in N. T. only in Paul, except 
Mt. 2527) regularly appears directly with πορνεία or in contexts 
intimating sexual aberration. Hence here, as 47 Rom. 619, the 
reference is not to impurity in general, not to covetousness, but 
to sensuality (Lit.). The traducers of Paul, aware both of the 
spiritual excitement (519*-) attending the meeting of Christian 
men and women and of the pagan emotional cults in which 
morality was often detached from religion, had subtly insinu- 
ated that the missionaries were no better morally than other 
itinerant impostors. That such propagandists would be repu- 
diated by the official representatives of the cult would aid rather 
than injure a comparison intended to be as odious as possible. 


St. Paul was at this very time living in the midst of the worship of 
Aphrodite at Corinth and had but lately witnessed that of the Cabiri 
at Thessalonica” (Lft.). The exact nature of this latter cult, the syncre- 
tistic form which it assumed, and the ritual which it used are uncertain, 
but Lightfoot’s phrase, “the foul orgies of the Cabiric worship,”’ may not 
be too strong. The maligners of Paul may have had some features of 
this cult in mind when they charged him with ἀχαθαρσία. The cult of the 
χάβιροι or χάβειροι (perhaps from the root 133; hence μέγαλοι, (δυνατοί, 
ἰσχυροί) θεοί) originated, it would appear, in Phoenicia and was carried 
thence to Lemnos, Samothrace (cf. Herod. 251), Macedonia (cf. Lactant. 
div. instit. 1, 1518 and Bloch, cols. 2533-34) and elsewhere, and became in 
the Hellenic-Roman period second in importance only to the Eleusinian 
mysteries. That it was well known in the seaport town of Thessalonica 


96 I THESSALONIANS 


is evident from coins and from Jul. Firmicus Maternus (de errore prof. 
relig. 11). On the Cabiri, see Lit. Bib. Essays, 257 ff. where the older 
literature including Lobeck’s Aglaophanes, 1202 ff. is given; also the 
articles by Hild (Cabires in La Grande Encyc. 606-610) and by Bloch 
(in Roscher, 1897), Megalot Theoi, cols. 2522-2541. 


οὐδὲ ἐν δόλῳ. “Nor is it with craft, with any purpose to de- 
ceive,” for they are ever engaged in pleasing not men but God. 
Over against the ἐκ of origin, ἐν denotes the atmosphere of the 
appeal. It is not clothed with deception or deceit, that is, with 
any deliberate intention to deceive (Ell.). This charge may have 
suggested itself to the critics in view of the devices of sophists 
and the tricks of jugglers and sorcerers (cf. Chrys.) by which 
they sought to win the attention and the money of the crowd 
(cf. 2 Cor, 1219). 


The reading οὐδέ before ἐν δόλῳ is well attested, but the οὔτε of KL 
after an οὐδέ has a parallel in Gal. 112 (BEKL); cf. Bl. 77!° Note in 
1 Mac. ἐν δόλῳ (139), μετὰ δόλου (71°), and δόλῳ (1317). 


4, With ἀλλά (as ν. 3), the origin and purpose of the λαλεῖν 
are positively affirmed. λαλοῦμεν “we are wont to speak” re- 
sumes ἡ παράκλησις ἡμῶν (ν.3) and λαλῆσαι (ν.3). As already 
noted, the points made in ν. * are reckoned with: The gospel is 
of God, hence they are not deluded; they were commissioned to 
preach, hence their character is not unclean; they are pleasing 
not men but God, hence their appeal is not meant to deceive. 


On the correlation χαθὼς.... οὕτως, cf. 2 Cor. 15 8* 107, etc.; on οὐχ 
ὡς... ἀλλά, “not as such who .. . but as such who,” cf. Col. 33.— 
Like Apelles (Rom. 161°), they are δόκιμοι ἐν Χριστῷ; their λαλεῖν is 
ἐν τῷ θεῷ not ἐν 36Aw.—deéexovteg (Gal. 11°) indicates action going on; 
on the Pauline ἀρέσχειν θεῷ (2:5 41 Rom. 88; 1 Cor. 7%), of. Num. 2377 
Ps. 68; on ἀρέσχειν ἀνθρώποις, cf. Gal. 1195 on ἀνθρωπάρεσχος (Col. 53 = 
Eph. 6°), cf. Ps. 52°—On οὐ (Gal. 45 Phil. 3°) with participle instead of 
un (v. *),see BMT. 485-.---δοχιμάζειν = “prove,” “test” (of metals Sir. 
25 3432), as in Rom. 138 Sir. 39%4; on the perfect “approve after test,” 
cf. Sir. 428 2 Mac. 43. 


τῷ δοκιμάζοντι Tas καρδίας ἡμῶν. As the motive is in ques- 
tion, Paul refers to God as one who sounds the depths of the 


Wy 3-5 07 


hearts, the inner life (Mk. 72!). ἡμῶν refers to Paul and his asso- 
ciates (contrast ὑμῶν 513 17 217 3°). 


In Psalms and Jeremiah, δοχιμάζειν of God’s testing is frequent (cf. 
also Sap. 3°); ὁ. 5. Jer. 12° χαὶ σύ, χύριε, γινώσχεις με, δεδοχίμαχας τὴν 
χαρδίαν μου ἐναντίον σου; cf. also Ps. τόξ, and with the possessive 
omitted, Jer. 112° 17°. 


5. γάρ parallel to γάρ in νν. 1- 5, resumes γάρ (v.*) and further 
explains that what is true in general (vv.**) of the principles of 
the missionaries, about which the readers could not know directly 
(hence no appeal to their knowledge in vv.*-4), is also true of their 
behaviour in Thessalonica of which the readers are directly aware 
(hence the καθὼς οἴδατε asin vv.1”). Αϑίηνν. 1- ὃ, {Π6 γάρ clause 
is negative; andagain as in v. 3, there are three separate charges 
denied, each one being phrased differently: not ἐν λόγῳ κολακίας, 
not προφάσει πλεονεξίας, and not ζητοῦντες δόξαν. The points 
are similar to but not identical with those made in v.3: ἐν Ady@ 
κολακίας corresponds, indeed, rather closely to ἐν δόλῳ, but 
προφάσει πλεονεξίας is less specific than ἐξ ἀκαθαρσίας and is 
distinct from it in meaning, and ζητοῦντες δόξαν is quite differ- 
ent from ἐκ πλάνης. Following the γάρ clause (vv. *°) is the 
ἀλλά clause (vv. 7-2; cf: vv.?:4) in which the three points of vy. *° 
are positively answered,—fnTobvtes δόξαν in vv. 7° πλεονεξία 
in v. 19, and KoAakia in vv. 2-2, 


On οὔτε (vv. 5-8), cf. Rom. 838 5. 1 Cor. 69#-; on οὔτε γάρ. .. ote... 
ἀλλά, cf. Gal. 615.---πτοτέ = “ever” is common in Paul and Lxx.— 
ἐγενήθημεν governs first a dative with ἐν (λόγῳ), then a dative without ἐν 
(προφάσει), and finally a participle (ζητοῦντες). Since γίνεσθαι = ἔρχε- 
σθαι (14), we may render: ‘Indeed we never came before you with 
cajoling address (év as in 14), nor using (dative of means) a pretext 
inspired by greed, nor demanding honour,” etc. (participle of manner). 
—The ἐν before προφάσει, which Tisch. Zim. Weiss retain, is probably 
to be omitted as conformation to the first ἐν (BSS° WH. Dob.). 


ἐν λόγῳ κολακίας. “With cajoling address.” λόγος is here 

(as 1) “speech,” as λαλῆσαι, παράκλησις and λαλοῦμεν (vy. **) 

demonstrate (Liin.). κολακία is either “flattery,” the subordi- 

nation of one’s self to another for one’s own advantage; or, as 

ἐν δόλῳ intimates, “cajolery,” a word that carries with it the 
i 


98 I THESSALONIANS 


additional notion of deception. The genitive describes the char- 
acter of the speech. The hearers could tell whether Paul’s ad- 
dress was straightforward or not; hence καθὼς οἴδατε. 


ἐν λόγοις ἐχολάχευέ με χαὶ μετὰ δόλου διὰ ῥημάτων ἐπαίνει (Test. 
xii, Jos. 41). In classic usage (cf. Schmidt, Syn. 1870, III, 438 7.), αἰχάλ- 
λειν (not in Gk. Bib.) indicates flattery in the sense of complimentary 
remarks designed to please; θωπεύειν (not in Gk. Bib.) means any kind 
of subordination by which one gets one’s own way with another; while 
χολαχεύειν (1 Esd. 4% Job 1917 Sap. 1417) hints at guile, a flattery cal- 
culated to deceive; cf. Aristophanes, Eg. 46 ff. ἤχαλλ᾽ ἐθώπευ᾽ ἐχολάχευ᾽ 
ἐξηπάτα. χολαχία is only here in Gk. Bib. Ell. notes Theophrastus 
(Char. 2) and Aristotle (Nic. Eth. 4% ad fin.): “he who aims at getting 
benefit for money and what comes through money is a χόλαξ.᾽ 


προφάσει πλεονεξίας. The “cloke of covetousness”’ is liter- 
ally “pretext of greediness.”” The point is that Paul did not use 
his message as a foil to cover selfish purposes (cf. ἐπικάλυμμα 
τ Pet. 215). As the appeal to God (θεὸς μάρτυς) indicates, the 
motive is in question (cf. Chrys.). The genitive is subjective, 
“a pretext which greediness (Lft.) uses or inspires.” πρόφασις 
here is not excuse but specious excuse (cf. Phil. 18 Ps. r4o# 
Hos. τοῦ). πλεονεξία is more general than φιλαργυρία and 
denotes the self-seeking, greedy, covetous character of the 
πλεονέκτης. 


The context here does not allow a more specific meaning of πλεονεξία. 
In the Lxx. (Judg. 519 (A) Ps. 118°* Hab. 2°, etc.), advantage in respect of 
money is sometimes intended, cupidity. In 4° below, it is joined with ἀχα- 
θαρσία; but it “does not appear that πλεονεξία can be independently 
used in the sense of fleshly concupiscence” (Robinson on Eph. 5°; but 
see Hammond on Rom. 139 and Abbott in JCC. on Eph. 55). Lft. (Col. 
3°) translates: “ ‘greediness,’ an entire disregard for the rights of 
others.””—On θεὸς μάρτυς (sc. ἐστίν as Rom. 1°), cf. not only Paul (Phil. 
18 2 Cor. 153) but Jewish usage (6. g. Gen 31; 1 Reg. 20%. 4: Sap. 15 and 
especially Test. xii, Levi τοῦ). 


6. οὔτε ζητοῦντες κτὰ. “Nor did we ever come (ν. °) re- 
quiring honour,” etc. The participle of manner, in apposition to 
the subject of ἐγενήθημεν (ν. 5), introduces the third disclaimer, 
which, like the other two-{v. ®) may reflect the language of the 
traducers (Zimmer). Pauli denies not that he received honour 


II, 5-6 99 


from men, not that he had no right to receive it, but that he 
sought, that is, required honour from men either in Thessalonica 
or elsewhere. 

δυνάμενοι ἐν βάρει etd, “Although we were ever (sc. ποτέ 
from v.*) able to be in a position of weight (ἡ. 6. honour) as 
Christ’s apostles.” This concessive clause, subordinated to 
ζητοῦντες δόξαν, qualifies the fact, “we never came requiring 
honour,” by asserting the principle (cf. II 3°) that the authority 
to demand honour inheres in their place of preponderance as 
Christ’s apostles. 


δόξα = “honour,” as in classic usage. There is no evidence that it is 
equivalent to donor in the later sense of honorarium. On the rare ζητεῖν 
éx, of. Gen. 43% Nah. 3" Ezek. 2239; and for the rarer ζητεῖν ἀπό, cf. 
Barn. 21°.—Since βάρος may mean not only “burden” (Gal. 62 2 Cor. 417 
Sir. 13°) but also “importance” (as in later Gk.; cf. Soph. Lex. sub voc. 
and βαρύς 2 Cor. 10"), it is possible to take ἐν βάρει εἶναι (a unique phrase 
in Gk. Bib.) as equivalent to ἐν τιμῇ εἶναι (Chrys.), in pondere esse 
(Calv.), the ἐν indicating the position in which they were able to stand 
and from which, if necessary, they were able to exercise authority; “to 
take a preponderant place” (Ruther.). On the other hand, ἐν βάρει 
εἶναι may = βαρὺς εἶναι “to be burdensome.” In a letter to the present 
editor under date of March 15, 1910, Dr. Milligan writes that he “is 
inclined to think the more literal idea of ‘burden,’ ‘trouble’ was cer- 
tainly uppermost in the Apostle’s thought and that the derived sense of 
‘gravitas,’ ‘honor’ was not prominent, if it existed at all.” He calls 
attention to P. Oxy. 106214 (ii, A.D.) εἰ δὲ τοῦτό σοι βάρος φέρει; and 
to BGU, 1595 (A.D. 210) οὐ δυνάμενος ὑποστῆναι τὸ βάρος τῆς λειτουργίας. 
Assuming the translation “to be burdensome,” expositors find a ref- 
erence either (1) to the matter of a stipend (cf. v. 911 38 2 Cor. 12:5 and 
especially 2 Cor. 11° ἀβαρῇ ἐμαυτὸν ἐτήρησα); so for example Theo- 
doret, Beza (who takes πλεονεξία = φιλαργυρία), Grot. Flatt, Zim. 
Drummond, and Field (Otium Norv. III, 122); or (2) to both the stipend 
and the authority; so Chrys. Crocius (non tantum de ambitione sed 
et de avaritia), Lit. Find. Wohl. Moff. and others. The immediate 
context, however, does not distinctly suggest a reference to a stipend, 
unless δόξα = honorarium; furthermore the omission of ὑμῖν (Dob.), 
which Vulg. reads (cum possemus vobis oneri esse), makes the translation 
“to be burdensome”’ less likely than “to be in honour,” “in pondere 
esse” (cf. Erasmus, Hammond, Pelt, De W. Liin. Ell. Schmidt, Schmie- 
del, Born. Dob.).—On Χριστοῦ ἀπόστολοι, of. 2 Cor. 113. Paul uses 
ἀπόστολος not only of himself and the twelve, but also of Silvanus and 
Timothy (here), Junias and Andronicus (Rom. 167), Apollos (1 Cor. 4°), 


I0o I THESSALONIANS 


Epaphroditus (Phil. 255). See further 2 Cor. 8% 11" Acts 14 and McGif- 
fert, Apostolic Age, 648. The word ἀπόστολος occurs once in Lxx. (3 Reg. 
145 A). As after γέγονεν (ν. 1) and δόλῳ (v.3), so after ἀπόστολοι, a 
comma is to be placed. 


1. ἀλλὰ ἐγενήθημεν νήπιοι. “On the contrary, we became 
babes in the midst of you.” ἀλλά is parallel to ἀλλά in v. 4 and 
controls vv. 7”, the γάρ (ν. 9) resuming the ἀλλά here. A colon 
is to be put after ὑμῶν. Although they were entitled to demand 
honour as Christ’s apostles, yet they waived that right, choosing 
to be not apostles but babes in the midst of them. To contrast 
with ἀπόστολοι and to fit ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν, we rather expect not 
an adjective but a noun. νήπιοι (Gal. 41-3 1 Cor. 13% Rom. 2%, 
etc.), with its implication of the unripe and undeveloped, far 
from being meaningless (Schmidt) is a capital antithesis of 
ἀπόστολοι. Not only does νήπιοι fit the immediate context ad- 
mirably, it is also in keeping with the spirit of brotherly equality 
that characterises Paul’s attitude to his readers not only in I 
but also in II. He is just one of them, ws εἷς ἐξ ὑμῶν (Chrys.). 

Not only is νήπιοι admirably adapted to the context, it is also the 
better attested reading (SBDCGF, Vulg. Boh. Ephr. Ambst. Orig. ad 
Mt. 19") as Tisch. admits; and is accepted by WH. Zim. Baljon, Lft. 
Find. Wohl. Indeed WH. will not allow an alternative reading (cf. 
App.2 128). On the other hand, Weiss is equally insistent on ἥπιοι as 
alone worthy of attention (AEKLP, Pesh. Arm.; Tisch. Ell. Schmiedel, 
Born. Dob. Moff.). While on purely transcriptional grounds ἥπιοι 
may be accounted for by haplography or νήπιοι by dittography, in- 
ternal evidence favours vyrtot.—Six of the ten cases of νήπιοι in N. T. 
(including Eph. 4:4 Heb. 5") are found in Paul; ἥπιος is found in the 
Gk. Bib. only 2 Tim. 2%, The objection (urged by Ell. Schmiedel, 
Born. and others) that νήπιοι “mars the metaphor” in the succeeding 
comparison (whose point, however, is not gentleness but unselfish love) 
is met by Lft. who observes that “rhetorical rules were as nothing com- 
pared with the object which he had in view.” ἐν μέσῳ with gen. occurs 
only here in Paul; it is frequent elsewhere in Gk. Bib. 


7-8. ws ἐὰν τροφός... οὕτως κτὰ. “As a nurse cherishes her 
own children so we yearning after you were glad to share not 
only the gospel of God but our very selves as well, because you 
had become dear to us.”” The change from νήπιοι to τροφός is 
due to a natural association of ideas. The point of the new meta- 


——— 


mI, 7-8 ΤΟΙ 


phor is love, the love of a mother-nurse for her own children. 
Not only did the missionaries waive their right to demand honour, 
they waived it in motherly affection for their dear children (cf. 
15 δι’ ὑμᾶς). No punctuation is necessary before οὕτως (cf. v. 4 
and Mk. 42°). 


The construction is similar to Mk. 426 (AC) οὕτως... ὡς ἐὰν βάλῃ. 
On the difference between ὡς é&y= ὡς ἄν (SSA) with subjunctive indicating 
the contingency of the act and ὡς with the indicative, note with Viteau 
(I, 242) 2 Cor. 8% χαθὸ ἐὰν ἔχῃ. .. καθὸ οὐκ ἔχει. τροφός here as else- 
where in Gk. Bib. (Gen. 358 Is. 4922 4 Reg. 112 = 2 Ch. 22") is feminine. 
θάλπειν = “to warm” is used of the mother-bird (Deut. 225 Job 39") 
and of Abishag (3 Reg. 12 4; cf. θερμαίνειν 12 #-); here and Eph. 52%, 
the secondary sense “to cherish” is appropriate (see Ell. on Eph. 539). 
Neither τροφός nor θάλπειν suggests that the τέχνα are θηλάζοντα; hence 
it is unnecessary to press the metaphor in the clause with οὕτως, as 
some do (ὁ. σ. Liin.). Grot. compares Num. 11" λάβε αὐτὸν εἷς τὸν 
χόλπον cov (Moses) ὡσεὶ ἄραι τιθηνὸς (nursing-father as Is. 4025) τὸν 
θηλάζοντα, a passage, which, according to Zimmer, may have been in 
Paul’s mind.—If ἑαυτῆς is emphatic, as in classic usage, the nurse is also 
the mother; if itis = αὐτῆς (Bloomfield apud Lillie; cf. Moult. I, 87 f.), 
the nurse may or may not be the mother. Zimmer, accepting ἑαυτῆς as 
emphatic (cf. v. 11), but finding difficulty with the idea of a mother-nurse 
in service, takes ἑαυτῆς metaphorically, understanding that the pro- 
fessional nurse treats the children of her mistress as if they were “her 
own”; cf. Chrys.: ‘Are they (the nurses) not more kindly disposed to 
them (προσηνεῖς) than mothers ?”—éautod in Paul, when used with the 
article and substantive, has regularly, as in classic Gk., the attribu- 
tive position (28 2 44 IIT 312): the exceptions are Gal. 64 81 Cor. 118 
(B) 2 Cor. 3:3 (ND), where the position is predicate. 


8. ὀμειρόμενοι ὑμῶν κτὰ. “Yearning after you”’ (Lillie; cf. 
ἐπιποθοῦντες 3°). With the affection of a mother-nurse, they 
were eager to share not only what they had but what they were 
(Schmidt), because, as is frankly said, the converts had become 
‘ dear to them, τέκνα ἀγαπητά (τ Cor. 414 Eph. 5}). 


ὀμείρεσθαι (the breathing is uncertain) is found also in Job 3% (Lxx.) 
and Ps. 62? (Sym.). In meaning, it is similar to ἐπιποθεῖν and ἱμείρεσθαι 
(see Wetstein, ad loc.); but the derivation is unknown (cf. WH. App. 
151,159; WS. 16%; Bl. 64). Thackeray (Gram. O. T. Greek, I, 97, note 5), 
following Moult., thinks the ὁ “comes from a derelict preposition 6. 
There is therefore no connection between ὃμ. and tyctoecbat.”—The 


102 I THESSALONIANS 


usual reading εὐδοχοῦμεν (B has ηὐδοχοῦμεν; so WH. Weiss) is not 
here a present (2 Cor. 55) but an imperfect, as ἐγενήθημεν (ν. 7) and 
ἐγενήθητε (ν. 8) demand (cf. Zim.). εὐδοχεῖν is common in later Gk. 
(cf. Kennedy, Sources, 131). In Lxx. θέλειν is sometimes a variant7of 
εὐδοχεῖν (Judg. 1117 191% 38), sometimes a parallel (Ps. 50%) to it. In 
papyri, εὐδοχεῖν is often used of consent to an agreement (P. Oxy. 26117 
97%; of. Mill. ad loc.). In Paul, εὐδοχεῖν is frequent with infin. (31 Gal. 
1'8, etc.), but rare with ἐν (1 Cor. 105 2 Cor. 121°; Lxx. frequently) or 
with dative alone (II 213; cf. Sir. 1851 A); the construction with accus., 
with ἐπί and dat. or accus., or with εἰς does not appear in Paul.—The 
construction μεταδιδόναι τί τινι is found also in Rom. 1" Tob. γ19 (B); 
the accusative is of the part shared; hence μεταδοῦναι ψυχάς is not 
a zeugma for δοῦναι ψυχὰς ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. ψυχαί (2 Cor. 1213) is plural, for 
Paul and his associates are in mind. ψυχῆ like χαρδία (ν. 4) is the inner 
self. On ἑαυτῶν for ἡμῶν αὐτῶν, of. WS. 221°; on οὐ μόνον... ἀλλὰ xal, 
see 1°, 

διότι (218 45) is regularly “because” in Gk. Bib.; in 2 Mac. 7%, it 
may mean “that” (Mill.); of. WS. 574. After ἀγαπητός in Paul we 
expect a genitive (Rom. 17) not a dative; but cf. Sir. 1.53 χαὶ οὐχ ἔστιν 
ἀγαπητὸν τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν. 


9. μνημονεύετε yap κτὰ. “You remember of course brothers 
(v.1).” The γάρ resumes ἀλλά (ν. 1) and further illustrates οὔτε 
ζητοῦντες δόξαν (ν.5). “Instead of requiring honour of you, we 
worked hard and incessantly to support ourselves while we 
preached to you the gospel of God” (cf. II 38). 


μνημονεύετε is indicative as οἴδατε (νν. 1: 5-1) suggests. The accus. 
with μνημονεύειν occurs only here in Paul; Lxx. has both gen. and ac- 
cus. (cf. v. J. in Tob. 419). The phrase χόπος χαὶ μόχθος is Pauline (II 38 
2 Cor. 1137); cf. also Jer. 2018 Test. xii, Jud. 184. Infact in Paul μόχθος 
always appears with χόπος (cf. Hermas, Sim. V, 63). Beza, with Lillie’s 
approval, makes labeur, peine, travail the equivalents respectively of 
πόνος, κόπος, and μόχθος. Grot. (cf. Lft. and Trench, Syn. 102) con- 
siders χόπος passive, in ferendo and μόχθος active, in gerendo. Lit. 
translates: “toil and moil.” 


νυκτὸς Kal ἡμέρας κτὰ. Without connecting particle (EKL 
insert yap), the ceaselessness of the labour and the purpose of it 
as a “labour of love” are indicated. They worked not through 
the whole night and day (accus.) but during the night and day 
(gen.). The purpose of this incessant labour (πρὸς τὸ μή IT 38 
2 Cor. 3") was to avoid putting upon the converts individually 


II, g-I0 103 


or collectively a financial burden. ἐργαζόμενοι marks the cir- 
cumstances attending the preaching. Asin Corinth (1 Cor. 49°) 
where there were not many wise, mighty, or noble, so in Thessa- 
lonica (II 38*-) where the converts were mainly working people, 
Paul finds it necessary to work with his hands (4" 1 Cor. 4” 
Eph. 438) for wages. 


The phrase νυχτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας occurs in Paul elsewhere only 319 and 
II 38; cf. τ Tim. 55 2 Tim. τὸ Mk. 55 Judith 111”. In the Lxx. the usual 
order is ἡμέρας καὶ γυχτός (e. g. Josh. 18 3 Reg. 859, etc.; cf. Lk. 18? 
Acts 9% Rev. 48, etc.). ἐπιβαρεῖν, a late word, appears in Gk. Bib. else- 
where only in Paul (II 38 2 Cor. 25) and is “nearly but not quite equiva- 
lent in meaning to xetaBageiv” (Ell.), which is found in Gk. Bib. only 2 
Cor. 121¢and Mk. 145 (cf. καταβαρύνειν 2 Reg. 135, etc.). With κηρύσσειν, 
Paul uses ἐν (Gal. 22 2 Cor. 119 Col. 1%), εἰς (here, as Grot. notes, for 
dative), or the dative (x Cor. 92? and δὶ here)—all permissible Attic con- 
structions (Bl. 394). The phrase χηρύσσειν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ recurs 
in Mk. τι; cf. Gal. 2? Col. 123 Mk. 131° 149. 


10. ὑμεῖς μάρτυρες κτλ. As vv. 7-9 referred to the charge of 
ζητοῦντες δόξαν (ν. 5), so this verse refers probably to the 
charge of πλεονεξία (ν. 5), and vv. 1:13 to that of κολακία, The 
ἀλλά of v. 7 still controls, as the asyndeton (H inserts γάρ) sug- 
gests. The fact that Paul and his associates carried themselves 
in a pious, righteous, and blameless manner (on the adverbs with 
ἐγενήθημεν, cf. τ Cor. 16'° Tob. 711) is evidence that they were 
not using the gospel as a foil to cover greedy ambition (v.*). As 
witnesses of their behaviour, they invoke first, since the actual 
conduct not the motive is mainly in mind, the believers, and then 
to strengthen the appeal, God himself. 

Aman is ὅσιος who is in general devoted to God’s service; a 
man is δίκαιος who comes up to a specific standard of right- 
eousness; and a man 15 ἄμεμπτος who in the light of a given 
norm is without reproach. All three designations are common 
in the Lxx. and denote the attitude both to God and to men, the 
first two being positive, the third negative. 


ὡς = “how” as in Phil. 18 ὅσιος (not in Paul and rare in N.T.) is 
common in Lxx. (especially Ps. Prov. Sap. Ps. Sol.); ὁσιοῦν (not in 
N. T.) occurs in Sap. 61° Ps. 172° 2 Reg. 2225; ὁσιότης (Eph. 4™ Lk. 175) 
is found in Sap. and elsewhere in Lxx.; éalws, in Gk. Bib. elsewhere only 


104 1 THESSALONIANS 


Sap. 61° 3 Reg. 8%, is frequent in 1 Clem.; cf. also P. Par. 63 (Deiss. BS. 
211) πρὸς οὗς ὁσίως χαὶ διχαίως πολιτευσάμενος.---ὅσιος and δίχαιος are 
frequently parallel (Pr. 1728; cf. Sap. οὐ Lk. 17° 1 Clem. 484). For 
ὅσιος and ἄμεμπτος, cf. Sap. το", διχαίως is more frequent than ὁσίως 
in Gk. Bib., but ἀμέμπτως is found elsewhere only 5% 312 (BL) and Esther 
413 (134); cf. x Clem. 443-* 632. The adjective ἄμεμπτος (3:32 Phil. 215 
3°Lk. 1° Heb. 87) is frequent in Job, sometimes (6. g. 11.92%, etc.) with δέ- 
zatos.—The addition of τοῖς πιστεύουσιν to ὑμῖν is designed, if at all, not 
to contrast Paul’s attitude to the non-Christians with his attitude to 
the Christians (so some older comm.), or his attitude to the converts as 
converts with that to the converts as pagans (Hofmann, Dob.), but 
simply to meet the charge that his attitude to the believers was in- 
fluenced by selfish motives. 


11-12. καθάπερ οἴδατε κτλ. Not asa κόλαξ (y. 5 κολακία) 
but as a πατήρ (1 Cor. 415 Phil. 2”), they urged the converts in- 
dividually (ἕνα ἕκαστον ὑμῶν; cf. II τῇ Eph. 47 Col. 4°), each 
according to his specific need, as the added παραμυθούμενοι and 
μαρτυρόμενοι intimate. The faint-hearted, they encouraged 
(54 παραμυθεῖσθε τοὺς ὀλιυγοψύχους); to the idlers (5%), they 
gave a solemn protest. παρακαλεῖν is general, παραμυθεῖσθαι 
and μαρτύρεσθαι specific. Hence εἰς τό is to be construed only 
with παρακαλοῦντες (cf. 2 Cor. τ΄; also δέομαι below 319 and 
ἐρωτάω II 22. ‘We were urging both by encouragement and 
by solemn protest, that you walk,” etc. 


χαθάπερ (3° 15 4°), found frequently in Paul and in Exodus, is equiva- 
lent to the less Attic χαθώς.----ὡς as in v. 19 = πῶς ((Ε).---παραχαλεῖν, a 
favourite word in Paul and susceptible of various translations, here 
means “urge,” “exhort.”—zxapayu0etcOat, a rare word in Gk. Bib. (5. 
Jn. 11% 31 2 Mac. 15%), means here and 5% not “comfort” but “en- 
courage.” On παραχαλεῖν and παραμυθεῖσθαι, of. 1 Cor. 14? Phil. 21 
2 Mac. 158% μαρτύρεσθαι (Gal. 53 Eph. 417 Acts 2035 26% Judith 778 
t Mac. 2598 8) is stronger than παραχαλεῖν and means either “to call 
to witness” or “to protest solemnly”; in later Gk. (cf. Mill. ad loc. and 
1 Mac. 255), it approximates μαρτυρεῖν (hence DG have here μαρτυρού- 
wevor).—The participial construction (παραχοαλοῦντες for παρεχαλοῦ- 
μεν) is quite admissible (cf. 2 Cor. 75 and BI. 79%). Some comm. 
repeat ἐγενήθημεν (v.1°), attaching the participle loosely; others sup- 
ply a verb like ἐνουθετοῦμεν (Lft.)—The ὑμᾶς (which Ν᾽ omits) after 
παραχαλοῦντες resumes ἕνα Exactoy ὑμῶν. 


περιπατεῖν ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ κτλ. The object (εἰς τό) of the 
fatherly exhortation is that the readers conduct themselves in ἃ 


ΤΠ ΤΠ - 105 


manner worthy of their relation to God who calls them, through 
the preaching of the gospel (II 214), into his own kingdom and 
his own (sc. ἑαυτοῦ) glory. βασιλεία, aninfrequent word in Paul 
compared with the Synoptic Gospels, denotes the redeemed so- 
ciety of the future over which God rules, the inheritance of be- 
lievers (Gal. 521 1 Cor. 69: 10 1559; cf. Eph. 55), and the consum- 
mation of salvation (If 1° τ Cor. 15%). Foretastes of this sway 
of God (Rom. 14!” ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ; cf. τ Cor. 429 Col. 411) or 
of Christ (Col. 1) are already enjoyed by believers in virtue of 
the indwelling power of Christ or the Spirit. δόξα is parallel 
with βασιλεία and suggests not only the radiant splendour of 
God or of Christ (II 2") but also the majesty of their perfection 
(cf. Ps. 968 Rom. 3”). 
περιπατεῖν ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ, found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Col. 119 
(χυρίου), is common in the Pergamon inscriptions (Deiss. VBS. 75 f.), 
and appears also in the Magnesian inscriptions (Mill. ad loc.); cf. 
πολιτεύεσθαι ἀξίως αὐτοῦ τ Clem. 21! Polyc. 53.---περιπατεῖν like dva- 
στρέφεσθαι in the ethical sense is both a Hebrew and a Greek idiom. 
KL read here, as in Col. 11° Eph. 4!, περιπατῆσαι.---τοῦ χαλοῦντος (5%4 
Gal. 53 Rom. 911) is timeless like τὸν ῥυόμενον (11°). Paul prefers the 
present to the aorist participle (Gal. 1% 1° and SA here) of χαλεῖν. On 
ets after χαλεῖν, cf. II 2% τ Cor. 1° Col. 315—On βασιλεία θεοῦ, cf. 
Sap. 101° 2 Ch. 138 Ps. Sol. 174; on Christ’s kingdom, cf. Col. 1 Eph. 55 
2 Tim. 4" 18 Jn. 183%. ἑαυτοῦ does not of necessity indicate a contrast 
with Satan’s kingdom (Col. 1% Mk. 334-). On the meaning of δόξα, see 
Gray, HDB. Il, 183 ff.; Kennedy, Last Things, 299 f.; Gunkel, Die 
Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes, τοῦ ff.; and SH. on Rom. 3%. 


(3) Welcome in Persecutions; the Jews (2'1). 


After the defence of his visit (2!), Paul turns again (cf. 1° ὃ) 
to the welcome received. Repeating in ν. 15 the thanksgiving of 
1? δ. he points out that just as he is conscious of preaching God’s 
gospel (vv.!“) so the readers welcomed his word as God’s word. 
That it is not a human word, as the Jews alleged, but a divine 
word, operating in the hearts of believers, is demonstrated by 
the fact that the readers welcomed it in spite of persecutions (v.™ 
resuming 1° %-), persecutions at the hands of Gentiles similar to 
those which the Jewish Christians in Judea experienced at the 


τοῦ Τ THESSALONIANS 


hands of Jews. Then remembering the constant opposition of 
the Jews to himself in Thessalonica, Bercea, and Corinth, and 
their defamation of his character since he left Thessalonica, and 
the fact that though the Gentiles are the official persecutors yet 
the Jews are the prompting spirits, Paul, in a prophetic outburst 
(cf. Phil. 3! #-), adds, neglecting negative instances, that the 
Jews have always opposed the true messengers of God, killing 
the prophets and the Lord Jesus, and persecuting Paul; and 
prophesies that this their constant defiance is bound to result, 
in accordance with the purpose of God, in the filling up of their 
sins always, and in judgment at the day of wrath. Indeed, to 
his prophetic vision, that day has come at last. 

134 nd for this reason, we too as well as you thank God continually, 
namely, because when you had received from us the word which you 
heard, God’s word, you welcomed it, not as a word of men but as it 
really is, as a word of God which also is operative in you who be- 
lieve. “For you, brothers, became imitators of the assemblies of God 
in Judea, those, namely, that are in Christ Jesus, in that you under- 
went the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, as 
they themselves at the hands of the Jews—the men who killed both 
the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us; who please 
not God and are against all mankind *%in that they hinder us from 
talking to the Gentiles with a view to their salvation,—in order that 
they might fill up the purposed measure of their sins always; but 
the wrath has come upon them at last. 

13. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς κτλ. “And for this reason we 
too as well as you give thanks.” διὼ τοῦτο refers, as the resump- 
tive ὅτι shows, not to the entire contents of vv." but to the 
salient principle enounced in vy. 4, namely, that the gospel is 
not human, as the Jews alleged, but divine. The καί in καὶ 
ἡμεῖς indicates a reciprocal relation between writers and readers. 
As the Thessalonians, in their letter to Paul, thanked God that 
they welcomed the gospel as a word from God, so now do the 
missionaries reciprocate that thanksgiving. 

διὰ τοῦτο like διό is frequent in Paul, but καὶ διὰ τοῦτο (Mk. 6™ 
= Mt. 142; Lk. 142° Heb. οἵ" Jn. 5"; Barn. 8? Ign. Mag. οὗ Hermas, Sim. 
VI, 2, IX, τοῦ (καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καί as here)) occurs elsewhere in Paul only 


IT, 13 107 


II 2"; hence D here and II 2" omits xaf. It is probable that in Paul 
this consecutive and subordinating διὰ τοῦτο has always some reference 
to the preceding even when the primary reference, often general, is sup- 
plemented by a secondary, often specific, reference introduced by ὅτι as 
here and often in Jn. (cf. Gen. 119 21%!, etc.; Diogn. 25 Hermas Vis. III, 6'), 
by ἵνα (2 Cor. 1319 Phile. 15), or by some other construction (II 2" 
t Cor. 11° Heb. 91°). On διὰ τοῦτο καί, cf. 35 Rom. 13° Lk. 1149 Mt. 24 
Jn. 1218; on ὅτι = “because,” Rom. 18.—xet before ἡμεῖς, if it retains 
its classic force, is to be construed closely with ἡμεῖς. Its precise sig- 
nificance here is somewhat uncertain. In a similar passage (Col. 1°), 
Lft. observes that “‘xef denotes the response of the Apostle’s personal 
feeling to the favourable character of the news” (so here Mill.). Wohl. 
thinks that Paul tacitly refutes the insinuation that he is not thankful 
to God. More plausible here (as in Col. 19 Eph. 115) is the conjecture of 
Rendel Harris (of. cit.; cf. Bacon, Introd. 73 and McGiffert, EB. 5038) 
that καί presupposes a letter from the Thess. to Paul (cf. 4% % 51) in 
which they thanked God as Paul now thanks him. Dob. however, fol- 
lowing the lead of Lietzmann (ad Rom. 37), feels that καί is not to be 
joined closely with ἡμεῖς, but serves to emphasise the εὐχαριστοῦμεν 
with reference to εὐχαριστοῦμεν ἰῃ 12. Insupport of this usage, Dob. refers 
to xat λαλοῦμεν in τ Cor. 213, which goes back to the λαλοῦμεν in 25. 


παραλαβόντες... ἐδέξασθε. The distinction between the ex- 
ternal reception (παραλαμβάνειν) and the welcome (δέχεσθαι) 
given to the word, a welcome involving a favourable estimate of 
its worth, was early recognised (cf. Ephr.). That the distinction 
is purposed, that Paul is tacitly answering the insinuation of the 
Jews that the word preached was not of divine but of human 
origin (vv. 1-2) is suggested by the striking position of τοῦ θεοῦ 
(which leads P to put παρ᾽ ἡμῶν before λόγον ἀκοῆς, and induces 
Schmiedel to consider τοῦ θεοῦ a gloss) and by the emphasis on 
the fact that this word, heard, received, and welcomed, also 
operates in the inner lives of believers. 


λόγον ἀχοῆς = λόγον ὃν ἠκούσατε; of. Sir. 42: λόγον ἀκοῆς = yOwN VAI 
(Smend). Grot. notes Heb. 426 λόγος τῆς ἀκοῆς. The gen. is appositive. 
—Since παρά with gen. (rare in Paul) is used, apart from Rom, r1*7 (Lxx.), 
with verbs implying (II 38) or stating the idea of receiving (6. g. παρα- 
λαμβάνειν 41 ID 535 Gal. τι"; δέχεσθαι Phil. 4:13; κομίζεσθαι Eph. 68), it 
is more natural to take παρ᾽ ἡμῶν with παραλαμβάνειν than with ἀχοῆς, 
although, as Beza remarks, the sense is the same in either construction. 
On παραλαμβάνειν εὐαγγέλιον, of. τ Cor. 15! Gal. 1° 


108 I THESSALONIANS 


οὐ λόγον ἀνθρώπων κτὰ. “Not as a word of men but, as it 
really is, as a word of God.” Since there is a distinction between 
παραλαμβάνειν and δέχεσθαι, the latter implying an estimate 
of worth, λόγον ἀνθρώπων and λόγον θεοῦ are to be taken pred- 
icatively. The precise point appears to be not that the word is 
true, for this is first stated in καθὼς ἀληθῶς ἐστίν, not that the 
hearers welcomed the word as if it were true, for there is no ὡς 
(contrast Gal. 4"), but that they welcomed the word as a word of 
God (cf. Ephr.). ὃς καὶ ἐνεργεῖται. Since λόγος receives the 
emphasis, ὅς refers not to θεοῦ but to λόγος, The καί indicates 
not only that the word is heard (ἀκοῆς), received (παραλαβόντες), 
and welcomed (ἐδέξασθε), but also that it is an active power 
(Rom. 110) operating constantly (pres. tense) in (Col. 129) the 
hearts of believers. The word is living, for the power of God is 
in the believers (1! ἐν θεῷ) as it is in the missionaries (2? ἐν τῷ 
θεῷ ἡμῶν). 
Eighteen of the twenty-one cases of ἐνεργεῖν in the N. T. occur in 
Paul. In the active, it is used of superhuman operations, usually divine 
but once (Eph. 2%) demonic. ἐνεργεῖσθαι (II 27 2 Cor. 4:3 Col. 1 Eph. 
3°; of. Rom. 7* 2 Cor. 1° Gal. 5*) may be passive “to remind us that the 
operation is not self-originated” (Robinson, Ephesians, 247) or middle, 
without such a reminder (Mayor on Jas. 515). It happens that ὑπό is 
never expressed. “In actual meaning ἐνεργεῖν and ἐνεργεῖσθαι come 
nearly to the same thing” (Robinson, /.c.). Grot. remarks: ἐνεργεῖσθαι 
sono passivum sensu activum. See further Robinson (op. cit. 241-247). 
—The Old Latins and some comm. (Ephr. Th. Mops. Piscator, Bengel, 
Auberlen) refer ὅς to θεός, an interpretation which is contextually im- 
probable and which is precluded if ἐνεργεῖται is passive. 


14, ὑμεῖς yap μιμηταὶ... ὅτι ἐπάθετε. “For you became im- 
itators, brothers, of the Christian congregations in Juda in 
that you suffered.” γάρ connects the points of welcome and 
steadfastness under persecution, and at the same time illustrates 
and confirms the reality of the indwelling word of God. The 
ὑπομονὴ ἐν θλίψει of τὸ is obviously resumed; but the persons 
imitated are not the missionaries and the Lord Jesus, but the 
Jewish Christians in Palestine, the analogy between them and 
the Thessalonians being that the former suffered (ἐπάθετε) at 
the hands of the Jews as the latter at the hands of the Gentiles. 


ee 


iT, 13-14 109 


The reason for referring to the persecutions in Judea is un- 
known. It may be that the older churches are selected as perti- 
nent examples of steadfastness to the younger communities; or 
that, and with greater probability (cf. Calv.), the Jews in Thes- 
salonica had insinuated that Christianity was a false religion, in- 
asmuch as the Jews, the holy people of God, were constrained to 
oppose it. If the latter surmise be correct, the force of Paul’s 
allusion is that the Jews persecute the Christians because they 
always persecute the true followers of the divine will, and that 
it is the Jews who incite the Gentiles to harass the believers. 
ἐπάθετε may refer to a single event in the remoter (Gal. 1% τ 
Cor. 15°) or nearer (Dob.) past, or to a series of persecutions, 
considered collectively (BMT. 39°). In the latter case, the refer- 
ence would include not only the case of Jason (Acts 17°), but the 
persecutions which continued since Paul’s departure (3%), the 
Jews being the real cause of Gentile oppression in Thessalonica, 
as they were the actual persecutors in Judea. The defence of 
his failure to return (2!7-3"), which follows immediately after 
the prophetic outburst against the Jews, confirms the probability 
that the Jews are at the bottom of Gentile persecutions in 
Thessalonica after Paul’s departure, as well as during his visit, 
and makes unnecessary the rejection of vv. 15 (Schmiedel) 
or of vy. 1416 (Holtzmann, Einl. 214) as interpolation. TOV 
ἐκκλησιῶν Tod θεοῦ, This phrase, mainly Pauline (II τ΄ x Cor. 
111°), might of itself denote Jewish assemblies or congregations, 
hence the distinctively Pauline ἐν Χρίστῷ "Inco (see on ἐν θεῷ 
1) is added here, as in Gal. 1”, to specify the communities as 
Christian. 


éxxAnota, the Greek term for the assembly of citizens (cf. Deiss. 
Light, 112 ff.), is used by Lxx. regularly for bap and rarely for 17); συν- 
αγωγή on the other hand usually renders the latter, and rarely the 
former. The terms are virtually synonymous in Jewish usage; cf. ἐκ- 
χλησία χυρίου (Deut. 23: 5: Mic. 25 Neh. 131 (x; AB θεοῦ) τ Ch. 288); 
συναγωγὴ κυρίου (Num. 16% 204); also Pr. 514: ἐν μέσῳ ἐχχλησίας καὶ 
συναγωγῆς (see Toy, ad loc. in ICC.) and τ Mac. 3% ἄθροισμα καὶ éx- 
χλησίαν πιστῶν. How early the Christians began to restrict συναγωγῇ 
to the Jewish and ἐχχλησία to the Christian assembly is uncertain (cf. 
Jas. 22 and Zahn, Introd. I, 94 f.). The plural at ἐκκλησίαι τοῦ Χριστοῦ 


0 I THESSALONIANS 


occurs once in N. T. (Rom. 16'*), but the singular ἣ ἐχχλησία τοῦ 
Χριστοῦ (αὐτοῦ) does not appear, except:Mt. 1618 (μου), before Ignatius 
(Trall. init. and 12). On τῶν οὔσων ἐν, cf. 1 Cor. 1* 2 Cor. 1'. 


τὰ αὐτά κτὰ. “In that you suffered from your own fellow- 
citizens the same as they did from the Jews.” The point of im- 
itation, introduced by ὅτε, is obviously not the fact of παθεῖν 
but the steadfast endurance manifested under persecution. The 
comparison τὰ αὐτὰ Kat... καθὼς καί is intended to express not 
identity but similarity. συμφυλέται are Gentiles as Ιουδαίων 
shows. 


After τὰ αὐτά (Rom. 2! 2 Cor. 1° Phil. 31 Eph. 65) we have not the 
expected & (2 Cor. 1°) but the looser χαθώς. El. cites Plato, Phacd. 
86A: τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ ὥσπερ σύ; cf.also Sap. 18" ὁμοίᾳ δὲ δίχῃ δοῦλος ἅμα 
δεσπότῃ χολασθείς, χαὶ δημότης βασιλεῖ τὰ αὐτὰ πάσχων.---ἘῸΓ the cor- 
relative xat in χαὶ ὑμεῖς. - - χαὶ αὐτοί, cf. Rom. 1° and Bl. γ8:.---οΟαὐτοί 
is constructio ad sensum for αὐταί; cf. Gal. 1% éxxAnolat.. . ἀχούοντες. 
-- πάσχειν is a kind of passive of ποιεῖν (BI. 54%); hence ὑπό (Ὁ ἀπό); 
of. Ep. Jer. 33 Mk. 52° Mt. 171.—D omits xat ὑμεῖς. 

Like φυλέτης, a classic word not found in Gk. Bib., συμφυλέτης, onl 
here in Gk. Bib., means either “tribesman” or “countryman” (cf. 
Hesychius: ὁμόεθνος); it is similar to συνπολίτης (Eph. 215). The ten- 
dency in later Gk. to prefix prepositions without adding to the original 
force was condemned, as Ell. remarks, by the second-century grammarian 
Herodianus: πολίτης δημότης φυλέτης ἄνευ τῆς σύν. Paul, however, is 
fond of such compounds with σύν even when they do not appear in 
the Lxx. (6. g. Phil. 2 315. 17 2 Cor. 615 Gal. 14, etc.).—%toc, common in 
Gk. Bib., may in later Gk. mean either proprius (Vulg.) or vester. 

The term Ἰουδαῖος (see Zahn, Introd. ΤΙ, 306 ff.) is not of itself dis- 
paraging. It is frequently employed by Jews as a self-designation (Rom. 
217 Jer. 39" 4519, etc.). Paul, however, while he speaks of himself as of 
the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew and an Is- 
raclite (Rom. 11! 2 Cor. 11% Phil. 3°), rarely if ever employs ᾿Ιουδαῖος as 
a self-designation (Gal. 215), but uses it of the Jew who finds in Christ 
the fulfilment of the law (Rom. 235), of the Jew contrasted with the 
Greek (so regularly as here), and of Judaism in contrast with Chris- 
tianity (1 Cor. 10% Gal. 1" 5), no disparagement being intended by the 
word itself. 


15-16. The past -¢xperiences in Thessalonica and Bercea 
(Acts 171-15), the insingations alluded to in vv.'", and the present 
troubles in Corinth (37; cf. Acts 185 5.) explain sufficiently this 


Il, 14-15 ΠῚ 


prophetic denunciation of the Jews (cf. Phil. 91. 5.). The counts 
are set forth in a series of five participles in ae apposition with 
τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων. Of these, the first two (ἀποκτεινάντων and ἐκ- 
διωξαντων) are aorist and refer to the past: “who put to death 
both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us,” that 
is, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy (their experiences particularly 
in Thessalonica and Bercea being looked at collectively). The 
next two participles (μὴ ἀρεσκόντων, and ὄντων understood after 
ἐναντίων) are present and describe the constant attitude of the 
Jews, a description qualified by the fifth participle also present 
(κωλυόντων, introduced without «a/): “and who oppose the will 
of God and the good of humanity in that they hinder us from 
speaking to the Gentiles with a view to their salvation.” For 
such obstinacy, judgment is prepared. In accordance with the 
purpose of God, the Jews are constantly filling up the measure 
of their sins; and to the prophetic outlook of Paul, the wrath of 
God has actually come upon them at last. 


The denunciation is unqualified; no hope for theiz future is expressed. 
The letters of Paul reveal not a machine but a man; his moods vary; 
now he is repressed (II 32 οὐ γὰρ πάντων ἣ πίστις), again he is outspokenly 
severe (Phil. 31 5.), and still again he is grieved, but affectionate and 
hopeful (Rom. οἱ 5: 1125), 


καὶ τὸν κύριον Kal τοὺς προφήτας. “Both the Lord and 
the prophets.” καί... καί correlates the substantives. The 
“prophets” are not Christian but Hebrew (Rom. τῇ 37! 113). By 
separating Tov κύριον from ᾿Ιησοῦν, Paul succeeds in emphasis- 
ing that the Lord of glory whom the Jews crucified (τ Cor. 28) 
is none other than the historical Jesus, their kinsman according 
to the flesh (Rom. 9°). 


That the first two xaé are correlative is the view of Ell. Lft. Dob. 
et al. and is confirmed by 1 Cor. 10%. Flatt, De W. Lillie, Auberlen, 
Liin. Schmiedel, ef a/., interpret the first χαΐ to mean “also.” Erasmus 
and Schmidt translate “not only the Lord and the prophets but also us.” 
—Some comm. take τοὺς προφῆτας with ἐχδιωξάντων. Since, however, 
ἀποχτείνειν, a rare word in Paul, is used literally by him only here and 
Rom. 113 = 3 Reg. 191° (τοὺς προφῆτας σου ἀπέχτειναν), the construc- 
tion with ἀποχτεινάντων suggested by the xat correlative is preferable, 


112 I THESSALONIANS 


apart from the consideration that the argument would be weakened 
were προφήτας attached to ἐχδιωξάντων (cf. Lk. 13% = Mt. 23*7).—For 
τῶν xa! with participle, we might have had οἵ καί with finite verb (Rom. 
8167). On ἀποχτείνειν of the death of Jesus, cf. Acts 315; also σταυροῦν 
(Acts 236 41° 1 Cor. 28) and ἀναιρεῖν (Acts 2%, etc.). On ὁ χύριος ᾿Τησοῦς, 
cf. 42 II 17 28 x Cor. 16% 2 Cor. 4% 11%* Eph. 1'* Phile. 5. According to 
Tert. (adv. Marc. 5°), Marcion prefixed ἰδίους to προφῆτας (so KL, εἰ al.), 
thus making the reference to the Hebrew prophets unmistakable. 


καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιωξάντων. “And persecuted us.” It is uncertain 
whether ἐκδιώκειν here means “persecute” or “banish”; it 
is likewise uncertain whether the aorist indicates a single act of 
ἐκδιώκειν or a series of acts taken collectively. The word would 
recall to the readers the harassing experiences of Paul and his 
associates (ἡ μᾶς) in Thessalonica and perhaps also in Bercea. 


Ell. emphasises the semi-local meaning of ἐκ, and renders “drive out”; 
he sees a specific allusion to Acts 17!°. But ἐχδιώχειν may be equivalent 
to διώχειν, as the use of these words and of χαταδιώχειν in Lxx. suggests 
(cf. Kennedy, Sources, 37). 


καὶ θεῷ μὴ ἀρεσκόντων KTA, This present participle and the 
succeeding ἐναντίων (sc. ὄντων) state the constant obstinate 
attitude of the Jews to God and men, a statement to be under- 
stood in the light of the explanatory κωλυόντων κτλ. (ν. 15), 
added without καί. The Jews please not God by resisting his 
purpose to save the Gentiles; they oppose all men not, as Tacitus 
(Hist. 5°) and others have it, in being adversus omnes alios hostile 
odium, but in being against the best interests of humanity, 
namely, their salvation. It is not talking to the Gentiles that the 
Jews are hindering but the talking to them with a view to their 
salvation (cf. Acts 17° *:), the λαλεῖν τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ 
(v.2) εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας (5°), 


On Tacitus and the Jews, cf. Th. Reinach, Textes Relatifs au Judaisme, 
1895, 205 ῇ. ἐναντίος is rarely used of persons in the Gk. Bib. (cf. 
Num. 1% (AF) 2? and 1 Esd. 85 πρὸς τοὺς ἐναντίους ἧμιν). On ἀρέσχειν, 
see ν. 4; on πάντες ἄνθρωποι, cf. Rom. 1217 §- 1 Cor. 151° 2 Cor. 3? Phil. 45, 
etc.; χωλύειν, 1 Cor. 149%; λαλεῖν ἵνα, x Cor. 141"; ἵνα σωθῶσιν, 1 Cor. 
10%,—owlery and σωτηρία (5%? II 21) are Jewish terms borrowed by 
the early Christians to designate the blessings of the age to come under 
the rule of God the Father. To Paul this salvation is future, though 


—————— ὩῸ» 


a 


I, r5—-10 113 


near at hand (cf. Rom. 13"); but there are foretastes of the future glory 
in the present experience of those who possess the Spirit (Rom. 82), and 
thus belong to the class “the saved” (1 Cor. 118 2 Cor. 215; contrast 
II 210 οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι). σώζειν need not be negative except when ἀπὸ τῆς 
ὀργῆς (Rom. 5°) or the like is mentioned (see on 11°). 


εἰς τὸ ἀναπληρῶσαι KTr, They killed both Jesus and the 
prophets, they persecuted Paul and his fellow-missionaries, they 
are hindering the Gentile mission, with the distinct purpose (εἰς 
70—not on their part but on God’s part) of filling up the meas- 
ure of their sins (B carelessly omits τὰς ἁμαρτίας) always. 
Grammatically, εἰς τό with infin. (see v. 1) may denote either 
purpose or conceived result; logically it may here denote pur- 
pose, for what is in result is to Paul also in purpose. The ob- 
stinacy of the Jews is viewed as an element in the divine plan. 


The metaphor underlying ἀναπληρῶσαι is to be found in the Lxx. 
(cf. Gen. 151° Dan. 823 2 Mac. 614). A definite measure of sins is being 
filled up continually by each act of sin, in accordance with the divine 
decree. The aorist infin. is future in reference to the participles in the 
preceding context, but the tense of the infin. itself indicates neither action 
in progress nor action completed; it is indefinite like a substantive. The 
infinitive rather than the noun (cf. 2 Mac. 6" πρὸς ἐκπλήρωσιν ἁμαρτιῶν) 
is chosen in reference to πάντοτε, the point of the adverb being the con- 
tinual filling up. This πάντοτε ἀναπληρῶσαι, while logically progressive, 
is regarded by the aorist collectively, a series of ἀναπληρῶσαι being 
taken as one (cf. BMT. 30). 


ἔφθασεν δὲ ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς κτλ. “But the wrath has come upon 
them at last.” ἡ ὀργή (that is, as DG, Vulg. explain, ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ 
θεοῦ: see 11°) is not so much the purposed or merited wrath (cf. 
Sap. 192) as the well-known principle of the wrath of God which 
is revealed (Rom. 118) in the ends of the ages (1 Cor. ro") in 
which Paul lives, and which is shortly to be expressed in the 
day of wrath (Rom. 25). In view of the eschatological bearing 
of ἡ ὀργή, the reference in ἔφθασεν (= ἤλθενὶ, notwithstand- 
ing ἡ ὀργὴ ἡ ἐρχομένη (119), cannot be to a series of punish- 
ments in the past (cf. the catena of Corderius on Jn. 335 in 
Orig. (Berlin ed.) IV, 526: τὰς ἐπελθούσας ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς θεη- 
λάτους τιμωρίας): nor to a specific event in the past, whether 


the loss of Jewish independence, or the famine (Acts 11°), or 
8 


114 I THESSALONIANS 


the banishment from Rome (Acts 18?; cf. Schmidt, 86-90); 
nor quite to the destruction of Jerusalem, even if Paul shared 
the view that the day of judgment was to be simultaneous with 
the destruction of Jerusalem; but must be simply to the day 
of judgment which is near at hand. ἔφθασεν is accordingly 
proleptic. Instead of speaking of that day as coming upon the 
sons of disobedience (Eph. 5°), he speaks of it as at last arrived. 
Such a proleptic use of the aorist is natural in a prophetic pas- 
sage and has its analogy in the Lxx. (Dob. notes Hos. 9?‘ 10°). 


In the N. T. φθάνειν occurs, apart from Mt. 1238 = Lk. 1129, only in 
Paul, and is™always equivalent to ἔρχεσθαι except in I 415 where it is 
synonymous with προφθάνειν (Mt. 172°). In the Lxx. it means reg- 
ularly “to come”; occasionally “to anticipate” (Sap. 613 16°8; cf. 47 
Sir. 302°). Elsewhere in Paul, φθάνειν is construed with εἰς (Rom. 9 
Phil. 4315; cf. Dan. (Th.) 4!7- 19 6% 1212) and ἀχρί (2 Cor. το"). For ἐπί, 
of. Mt. 1238 = Lk. 1129; Judg. 20%- # Eccl. 8" (ἐπί and πρός) Dan. (Th.) 
4%: 25; for ἕως, cf. 2 Ch. 289 Dan. (Th.) 48 γ13 87.—For the use of the 
English perfect in translating the Greek aorist, cf. BMT. 46. 


εἰς τέλος. “At last.” That the temporal meaning of εἰς τέλος 
is here intended and that too not in the sense of “continually,” 
“forever,” but, as ἔφθασεν demands, “at last” is evident from 
the parallelism of the clauses: 


ἀναπληρῶσαι αὐτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας πάντοτε. 
ἔφθασεν ἐπ᾽ avTovs ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος. 


For εἰς τέλος = postremo, cf. Stephanus, Thes. col. 9224. In the Lxx. 
εἰς τέλος (apart from εἰς τὸ τέλος of many Psalms and of Josh. 3"" F) 
is used both intensively “utterly,” “completely,” and temporally “for- 
ever” (Ps. 48'°; cf. εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα as a variant reading (Ps. 91") or as a 
parallel (Ps. 767 102%) of εἰς τέλος); but the translation “at last” is 
in no single case beyond question. In Gen. 46‘=Amos οὗ, els τέλος rep- 
resents the so-called Hebrew infin. abs. (cf. Thackeray, Gram. O. T. 
Greck, I, 47, note 1). In Lk. 185 “forever” =“ continually” is equally 
possible with “finally.” The difficulties in rendering εἰς τέλος may be 
observed in any attempted translation of 2 Clem. τοῦ Ign. Eph. 14? 
Rom. 1' 10!. In our passage, however, πάντοτε demands the temporal 
sense and that, too, because of ἔφθασεν, “at last.”—When εἰς τέλος 
is taken intensively, ἔφθασεν is joined both with ἐπί and εἰς, and ὀργῆς 
is tacitly supplied after τέλος (cf. Job 237 Ezek. 36'°); or αὐτῶν is sup- 
plied after εἰς τέλος “to make an end of them” (De W.); or} is supplied 


ee 


II, 16 Its 


before εἰς τέλος (the article could easily be omitted; cf. 2 Cor. 77 9"), 
“the wrath which is extreme”; or πάντοτε is taken loosely for πάντως, 
παντελῶς (Dob.). For a conspectus of opinions, see either Lillie or 
Poole.—The reading of B Vulg. f is to be observed: ἐφθ. δὲ ἣ ὀργὴ 
ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς εἰς τέλος. With this order, we may translate either “the 
wrath has come upon them at last” or “the wrath which was against 
them has come to its height” (cf. 2 Mac. 615 πρὸς τέλος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν 
and 614 πρὸς ἐκπλήρωσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν; also Sap. 1227 τὸ τέρμα τῆς χα- 
ταδίχης ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἐπῆλθεν; and 2 Mac. 738). In the latter transla- 
tion, φθάνειν is construed with εἰς as in Rom. g* Phil. 31°. The order 
of B is, however, probably not original; it inverts for emphasis as in 5° 
ἔθετο 6 θεὸς ἡμᾶς (Zim.); furthermore the parallelism with v. 141: is 
broken. The reading ἔφθαχεν (BD) makes explicit the prophetic sense 
of ἔφθασεν; there is a similar variant in 1 Mac. 10% Cant. 2!2.—If the 
literal sense of ἔφθασεν is insisted upon, and if of the many possible 
references to the past the destruction of Jerusalem is singled out, then 
either the entire letter is spurious (Baur, Paulus,? II, 97) or the clause 
ἔφθασεν... τέλος is an interpolation inserted after 70 A.D. (cf. Schmiedel, 
ad loc. and Moff. Introd. 73). In view of the naturalness of a pro- 
leptic aorist in a prophetic passage, the hypothesis of interpolation is 
unnecessary (cf. Dob. and Clemen, Pazlus, I, 114). 

Relation of υ. 15. ἰο Test. xii, Levi 64%. That notwithstanding the textual 
variations there is a literary relation between our clause and Levi 6" is 
generally admitted. But that Levi 6" is original to Levi is still debated. 
Charles in his editions of the Test. xii (1908), following Grabe (Spicileg. 
1700,? I, 138), holds that 6" is an integral part of the original text of Levi 
and that Paul quotes it. The text which Charles prints (ἔφθασεν δὲ αὐ- 
τοὺς ἣ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰς τέλος) is supported by ch (om. αὐτούς) i 
and δ εἰ (except that these three read not τοῦ θεοῦ but κυρίου), and 
is apparently to be translated: “but the wrath of God has forestalled 
them completely.”’ In his English version Charles has: “but the wrath 
of God came upon them to the uttermost,” a translation that seems to 
presuppose the text of b d g and the first Slavonic recension (d omits 62 
and prefixes διὰ τοῦτο; Ὁ 5: invert the order to read: ἔφθασεν δὲ ἣ ὀργὴ 
χυρίου ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς εἰς téAoc).—In favour of the view that Levi 6" in 
some form is original to Levi, it is urged (1) that this passage, unlike 4’ 
ad fin. (where both Charles and Burkitt admit a Christian interpola- 
tion, although some form of ἀνασχολοπίζειν is attested), is not specifi- 
cally Christian and hence is not likely to be an interpolation; and 
(2) that 6" is prepared for by 67 *- where Levi sees that the ἀπόφασις 
θεοῦ ἦν εἰς χαχά against Shechem and the Shechemites. On this theory 
Paul quotes Levi 6" from memory.—In favour of the view that Levi 6% 
is a Christian interpolation from Paul, it is urged (1) that the striking 
parallelism of members already observed between our clause and v. 16> 
points to the originality of ν. 159 with Paul; (2) that the textual varia- 


116 I THESSALONIANS 


tions in Levi reflect those in Paul; for example, (a) ἡ ὀργή, which is used 
absolutely by Paul in a technical sense, does not appear in Test. xii, 
while ἣ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ is found both in Levi 6" and Reuben 4‘; to be sure 
in Paul DEGF, Vulg. add τοῦ θεοῦ, but not SBAPKL (CH are wanting); 
(Ὁ) in b, 81 of Levi 6", the order of words is that of B f Vulg. of Paul; (ὦ) 
six of the nine Gk. Mss. of Levi (c hiae f) omit the ἐπ᾽, a reading sim- 
ilar to that of the catena of Corderius already noted: ἔφθασεν δὲ αὐτοὺς 
ἡ ὀργὴ εἰς τέλος; and (d) above all, the first Armenian recension omits 
Levi 6" altogether. (That ets τέλος is used absolutely in Test. xii else- 
where only in the poorly attested Levi 5° is not significant, in the light 
of the frequent use of εἰς τέλος in the Lxx.). According to this theory, 
Levi 6", instead of being the original which Paul quotes, is an interpo- 
lation from Paul (the various Greek forms of the interpolation being 
influenced largely by the variants in Paul), and is thus an early witness 
to the presence in Paul of v. 15. (Dob.). 

The question may be considered as still unsettled. Conybeare (RTP. 
1908, 375) seems to agree with Charles; Burkitt (JTS. 1908, 138) and 
Plummer (Matthew, 19009, xlvi) dissent; as does also Dob. (48), who, how- 
ever, prefers (115) to leave it, in the present state of investigation, 
“ganz unsicher.”” Lock (HDB. IV, 746a) surmises that the “use of the 
phrase in the Test. «ii Pair. perhaps shows that it was a half-stereotyped 
rabbinical formula for declaring God’s judgment,” but does not adduce 
any rabbinical parallels. Roénsch (ZWT. 1875, 278 jf.), according to 
Dob., finds the origin of both Levi 6" and our verse in a divergent 
conception of Gen. 35 !- (cf. also Jub. 30%). Burkitt (op. cit.) regards 
the text of Levi as “a Christian interpolation or at any rate as hav- 
ing been modified in language by the translator or by an editor who 
was familiar with τ Thess.” 


(4) The Intended Visit (211-30), 


These verses are to be joined closely to the succeeding sec- 
tions of the epistolary thanksgiving, viz., the sending of Timothy 
(3!-5), his return with a report on the whole favourable, though 
there were some deficiencies in their faith (35:10), and the prayer 
that the apostles might be able to come back to Thessalonica 
(38), The emphasis upon the fact that they wanted to re- 
turn, that Satan was the only power to hinder them, that Tim- 
othy, the trusted companion, is sent to take their place, and that 
they are praying God and Christ to direct their way to them, 
intimates rather strongly that 2!7-3", with its warm expressions 
of personal affection, is an apology for Paul’s failure to return 


Oe 


ΤΠ τὸ ἢ 117 


(cf. especially Calv.), prompted by the fact that the Jews (vv. 15-1) 
had insinuated that he did not return because he did not want 
to return, did not care for his converts, an assertion which had 
made an impression on the warm-hearted and sensitive Thessa- 
lonians, in that it seemed to lend some colour to the criticism 
of Paul’s conduct during his visit. 


Although 217-3!° is a unit, we subdivide for convenience as follows: 
The Intended Visit (2!7-2°); The Sending of Timothy (3'-5); and Tim- 
othy’s Return and Report (3°-?°). 


To allay their doubts, the readers are reminded (vv. 17°) that 
the apostles from the very moment that they had been bereaved 
of them were excessively anxious to see them, that Paul es- 
pecially, the centre of the Jews’ attack, had wished, and that too 
repeatedly, to see their faces again. Indeed, nothing less than 
Satan could have deterred them. Far from not caring for them, 
the missionaries insist, in language broken with emotion, on 
their eagerness to return, for is it not, they ask, above all, the 
Thessalonians who are the object of their glory and joy both 
now and in that day when the converts, having finished their 
race, will receive the victor’s chaplet. 

1iNow we, brothers, when we had been bereaved of you for a short 
time only, out of sight but not out of mind, were excessively anxious 
to see your faces with great desire, 8for we did wish to come to you— 
certainly I Paul did, and that too repeatedly—and yet Satan stopped 
us. For who is our hope or joy or chaplet to boast in—or 15 tt not 
you too—in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? *°In- 
deed it is really you who are our glory and our joy. 

17. ἡμεῖς δέ, While δέ introduces a new point in the letter, 
the apology for his absence, it is also adversative, introducing a 
contrast not with ὑμεῖς (v.14) but with the Jews (vv. !*15; so 
Liin.). Over against the insinuation that Paul did not wish to 
return, that his absence meant out of mind as well as out of 
sight, he assures the distressed readers, with an affectionate ad- 
dress (ἀδελφοί), that he had been bereaved of them (a7rop¢a- 
νισθέντες is temporal, not both causal and temporal) only for 
a moment, a bodily absence that did not betoken forgetful- 


118 I THESSALONIANS 


ness, when he and his companions were excessively anxious to 
return. 

ἀπορφανισθέντες. Paul is not only τροφύς (v.7), νήπιος (v. ἢ, 
and πατήρ (ν. "), but also, if with Th. Mops. we press the meta- 
phor here, ὀρφανός. for although ὀρφανός is used “with some 
latitude of reference” (Ell. who notes inter alia Plato, Phaed. 
239 E), yet the specific reference is here quite pertinent, as Chrys. 
insists: “He says not χωρισθέντες ὑμῶν, not διασπασθέντες 
ὑμῶν͵ not διαστάντες, not ἀπολειφέντες, but ἀπορφανισθέντες 
ὑμῶν, He sought for a word that might fitly indicate his mental 
anguish. Though standing in the relation of a father to them all, 
he yet utters the language of orphan children that have pre- 
maturely lost their parent” (quoted by Lillie, ad loc.). 


ἀπορφανίζεσθαι is found only here in Gk. Bib. Wetstein notes it 
in AEschylus, Choeph. 247 (249). ὀρφανίζεσθαι (not in Gk. Bib.) takes 
the gen. The ἀπό with ὑμῶν is in lieu of a gen. of separation; cf. 2 Clem. 
2°: ἔρημος ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, and BI. 4ο".---ἀδελφοί frequently as here (cf. 21 
4". 10. 18 51. 12. 25) but not always (14 2% 14 37 54) marks the beginning of 
a new section. 


πρὸς καιρὸν ὥρας. This idiomatic expression for a very short 
time is to be connected closely with ἀπορφανισθέντες, Calvin 
observes: “It is not to be wondered at if a long interval should 
give rise to weariness or sadness, but our feeling of attachment 
must be strong when we find it difficult to wait even a very short 
time.” And the reason for the emphasis is that the Jews had 
insinuated that Paul had no intention to return, no affection to 
inspire such an intention. 


The phrase πρὸς χαιρὸν ὥρας, only here in Gk. Bib. appears to com- 
bine the classic πρὸς καιρόν (1 Cor. 7° Lk. 8; Pr. 53 Sap. 4‘) and the 
later πρὸς ὥραν (2 Cor. 78 Gal. 25 Phile. 15 Jn. 535); it is perhaps a Lat- 
inism in the χοινή; cf. momento horae. 


προσώπῳ ov καρδίᾳ. “In face not in heart”; physically but 
not in interest; “out of sight not out of mind” (Ruther.). The 
phrase is interjected in view of the assertion of the Jews that 
Paul’s absence is intentional not enforced. 


Ms 7 11g 


sine Ἢ ᾿ 5 
We have not τῷ σώματι οὐχ ἐν πνεύματι (cf. τ Cor. 53), not τῇ σαρχὶ 
~ I 5 “ 
οὗ τῷ πνεύματι (cf. Col. 2°), but, as in 2 Cor. 512, προσώπῳ οὐ χαρδίᾳ. 
On the idea, cf. 1 Reg. 167: ἄνθρωπος ὄψεται εἰς πρόσωπον ὁ δὲ θεὸς εἰς 
χαρδίαν. 


περισσοτέρως ἐσπουδάσαμεν κτὰ. No sooner had we been 
separated than we became “anxious out of measure to see your 
face with passionate desire” (Ruther.). The verb receives two 
parallel modifiers, περισσοτέρως, in the elative sense of “exces- 
sively,” and ἐν πολλῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ. The repetition of a similar 
idea and the resumption of ἐσπουδάσαμεν in ἠθελήσαμεν (ν. 18) 
serve to indicate not tautology, and not simply intensity of af- 
fection, but a tacit defence of Paul against the slanders of the 
Jews. 


Since in later Gk. the comparative tends to usurp the function of the 
superlative, while the superlative tends to become an emphatic positive 
(BI. 118; Moult. 1, 78, 236), it is probable that περισσοτέρως is here not 
comparative but elative as in 2 Cor. 7" (περισσοτέρως μᾶλλον) and 715 
(where Bachmann (in Zahn’s Komm.) notes a similar use in BGU, 380"). 
περισσῶς does not occur in Paul; περισσοτέρως is found chiefly in 
Paul (cf. 2 Cor.).—Interpreters who hold strictly to the comparative 
force of περισσοτέρως explain the meaning variously (see Lillie, ad loc.). 
(x) “The more fervently did we endeavour, as knowing the perils that 
beset you” (Fromond, Hofmann, Schmidt, Schmiedel); (2) the love 
of the apostles “instead of being lessened by absence was rather the 
more inflamed thereby” (Calvin, Lillie, Lft.); (3) “the repeated frus- 
tration of his attempts to get back to Thessalonica, far from deterring 
Paul from his intention, have rather still more stirred up his longing 
and increased his exertion to visit the believers in Thessalonica” (Born.; 
cf. Find. Wohl. Mill.) —Other expositors, taking περισσοτέρως as elative, 
find the reference in the confidence of Paul that the separation being 
external cannot in God’s purpose be for long, a fact that prompts the 
eagerness to overcome the separation (cf. Dob. who refers to Phil. 
14. 25), —oroudkter (Gal. 2190 Eph. 42) is always in the N. T. and oc- 
casionally in the Lxx. (Judith 131: 13 15. 21°) construed with the infin- 
itive. τὸ πρόσωπον ὑμῶν ἰδεῖν (319; cf. Col. 21 1 Mac. 79°) = ὑμᾶς ἰδεῖν 
(38; Rom. 1 1 Cor. 167, etc.), as in P. Par. 47 (Witk. 64).---ἐπιθυμία 
is used here and Phil. 12* in a good sense. On πολλῇ, see on 1°. The 
phrase ἐν πολλῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ is not the cognate dative (Lk. 2215 Gal. 51?), 
though this dative is common in Lxx. and occasional in classic Gk. (cf. 
Conybeare and Stock, Septuagint, 60-61). Note the various expressions 
of desire: σπουδάζειν, ἐπιθυμία, θέλειν, ebdoxety (3!) and ἐπιποθεῖν (3°). 


120 I THESSALONIANS 


18. διότι ἠθελήσαμεν κτὰ. “For we did wish to come to 
you.” ἐσπουδάσαμεν becomes ἠθελήσαμεν and τὸ πρόσωπον 
ἰδεῖν becomes ἐλθεῖν πρὸς buds; the parallel expressions are 
virtually synonymous. The repetition is purposed, for he is de- 
fending himself and his associates; hence also he adds, “and 
Satan stopped us.”” Inasmuch, however, as the Jews had singled 
out Paul as the chief offender, he interjects ἐγὼ μὲν Παῦλος, καὶ 
ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, Inthe light of ἅπαξ καὶ δίς (Deut. 9% 1 Reg. 17°? 
Neh. 132° τ Mac. 5330), the first καί may be ascensive, and the in- 
terjected phrase as a whole be translated: “Certainly I Paul did 
(θέλησα ἐλθεῖν) wish to come, and that too repeatedly.” 


διότι here as v. ὃ is not “wherefore” (διό; so D°EKL) but “because”; 
a comma suffices after ἐπιθυμίᾳ. θέλειν (cf. 413 IT 3101 Cor. 167) occurs 
in Paul about twelve times as often as βούλεσθαι. In Paul it is difficult 
to distinguish between them, though θέλειν seems to pass into “wish,” 
while βούλεσθαι remains in the realm of “deliberate plan.” Had Paul 
here intended to emphasise distinct deliberation, he would probably 
have used βούλεσθαι asin 2 Cor. 115. The actual resolve following 
σπουδάζειν and θέλειν comes first in ηὐδοχήσαμεν (3").—qéy occurs in 
every letter of Paul except II and Phile.; in about one-third of the 
instances it is solitarium.—Apart from the superscriptions and the 
ἀσπασμός (II 317 τ Cor. 16%! Col. 418; of. Phile. 19), Παῦλος appears in 
every letter of Paul except Rom. and Phil.—For ἐγὼ μέν, cf. 1 Cor. 53; 
for ἐγὼ Παῦλος, 2 Cor. 10! Gal. 52 Eph. 3! Col. 1° Phile. το. 

The meaning of χαὶ ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς, a collocation found in Gk. Bib. only 
here, Phil. 415 and Neh. 132° (N°-*; the correct reading is ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς), 
is uncertain. Usually the four words are taken together to mean an 
indefinite succession of occurrences, “often,” “repeatedly” (6. g. Grot. 
Pelt, Lft. Wohl. Dob.), or else, definitely (cf. Herod. IT, r21, ITT, 148, cited 
by Wetstein on Phil. 419 and Plato, Phaed. 63 E init.: καὶ δὶς χαὶ τρίς Ξξ 
“both twice and thrice”), ‘both once and twice, that is, twice” (Mill.). 
Zahn, indeed (Introd. I, 204f.; cf. Find.), conjectures that Paul at- 
tempted to return first when in Bercea and a second time when waiting 
in Athens for Silvanus and Timothy. In the Lxx., however, we have 
simply ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς which in Deut. 913 1 Reg. 1739 and Neh. 1.339 invites 
the translation “often,” “repeatedly,” and which in 1 Mac. 3° (ὡς 
ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς) appears to mean χαθὼς ἀεί, “as usual.’’ Similar is the re- 
curring phrase ὡς ἅπαξ χαὶ ἅπαξ (1 Reg. 410 2035 Judg. 1629 2030. 31) which 
seems to mean χαθὼς ἀεί (Judg. 162° A) or κατὰ τὸ εἰωθός (Num. 24'). 
If the phrase in our passage is not xat ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς but ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς, 
then the first xaf is ascensive: “and (xa!) what is more, repeatedly 


1 πὸ ΤΌΤ 


(ἅπαξ χαὶ dtc)”; and light is thrown on Phil. 41%: ὅτι χαὶ ἐν θεσσαλονίχῃ 
χαὶ ἅπαξ xa δὶς εἰς τὴν χρείαν wor ἐπέμψατε, which is to be rendered 
not, “for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my need,” 
but, taking xat...xat correlatively (cf. Ewald, ad loc., in Zahn’s 
Komm.), “for both (when I was) in Thessalonica and (xa) repeatedly 
(ἅπαξ χαὶ δίς) (when I was in other places) you sent to my need.” The 
point of Phil. 415 is thus not that the Philippians sent help frequently 
to Paul in Thessalonica but simply sent help to him there (probably on 
their own initiative) and frequently elsewhere. 


καὶ ἐνέκοψεν ἡμᾶς ὁ Σατανᾶς. “We were anxious to see you, 
we did wish to come to you, and yet Satan stopped us” (ἡμᾶς, 
that is, Paul and his two associates). The context gives an ad- 
versative turn to the copula (Vulg. sed). What particular ob- 
stacle Satan put in the way of their return, Paul does not tell 
us. Satan, however, did not thwart all of them permanently; 
they are able to send one of their number, Timothy, from Athens; 
and they are confident that God and Christ, to whom they pray 
(3) will direct their way to Thessalonica. 


The reference to the work of Satan has been variously interpreted. 
(1) The illness of Paul is thought of as in 2 Cor. 127 (so Simon, Die Psy- 
chologie des A postels Paulus, 1897, 63). But as Everling remarks (Die 
paulinische Angelologie und Démonologic, 1888, 74), the theory of ill- 
ness does not fit Silvanus and Timothy. (2) Satan prevented them from 
returning in order to destroy the spiritual life of the converts and thus 
rob Paul of his joy in their chaplet of victory at the Parousia (so Ka- 
bisch, Die Eschatologie des Paulus, 1893, 27f.). But as Dibelius (Die 
Geisterwelt im Glauben des Paulus, 1909, 56) observes, the chaplet of 
victory will be theirs if they continue steadfast under persecution; and 
furthermore, to make the victory sure, Paul himself need not return 
to Thessalonica (cf. 3%). (3) Satan inspired the Politarchs to compel 
Jason and his friends to give bonds for the continued absence of Paul 
(so Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller, 240; McGiffert, Apostolic Age, 249; 
Find. and others). This explanation, however, “renders it difficult to 
see why the Thessalonians did not understand at once how Paul could 
not return” (Moff.), and takes the force out of the insinuations of the 
Jews. (4) Hence it is safer to leave the reference indefinite as Paul does 
(Everling, Dibelius, Mill.), or at most to think of “the exigencies of 
his mission at the time being” (Moff.). 

ἐνχόπτειν occurs in Gk. Bib. elsewhere only Gal. 57 Acts 241; ἐνχότ- 
πεσθαι only Rom. 15% 1 Pet. 27. GF here and some minuscules in Gal. 57 
read ἀνέχοψεν (Sap. 182 4 Mac. 13% cf. 1998). The Satan of Job, 


122 I THESSALONIANS 


Zech. and 1 Ch, 21' is rendered in Lxx. by (δ) διάβολος except Job 2? (A) 
which like Sir. 2127 has ὃ Σατανᾶς. For Σιατάν, cf. 3 Reg. 11" *. In Paul, 
ὃ Σατανᾶς (II 2°; always with article except 2 Cor. 127) is ὃ πειράζων 
(3°), ὃ πονηρός (II 3°), 6 θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου (2 Cor. 45), ὃ ἄρχων τῆς 
ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς 
ἀπειθίας (Eph. 2%). On demonology in general, cf. Bousset, Relig.? 
381 ff. and J. Weiss in PRE. IV, 408 ff.; in Paul, the works of Ever- 
ling and Dibelius noted above. 


19-20. τίς yap ἡμῶν κτὰ. In reply to the insinuation that 
he does not return because he does not care for his converts, Paul 
insists, with a compliment to their excellence, that he wanted 
to come to them because they are really his glory and his joy. 
As he thinks of them now and as he looks forward to the day when 
Jesus is to come, when the Christian race in over, and the Thes- 
salonians receive the triumphant wreath, he sees in them his 
hope and joy, and in their victory his ground of boasting. His 
words are broken with emotion: “For (γάρ introducing the mo- 
tive of the ardent desire to return) who is our hope and joy and 
chaplet of boasting δ᾽ The answer is given in v.*°; but Paul 
anticipates by an interjected affirmative question: “Or is it not 
you as well as (καί) my other converts ?” The καί before ὑμεῖς 
is significant (cf. Chrys.): “Can you imagine that the Jews are 
right in asserting that we do not care for you as well as for our 
other converts?” This said, he finishes the original question 
with the emphasis more on hope than on joy: “before our Lord 
Jesus when he comes?” And finally he repeats the answer im- 
plied in ἢ οὐχὶ καὶ ὑμεῖς, but without καί, in v. 39: “Indeed 
(yap = certe, as Calvin notes) it is really (ἐστε) you who are our 
glory and our joy.” 
τίς = “who” (Rom. 8535); on τίς γάρ, of. 1 Cor. 2:1 47 215 = Rom. 11", 
As the hope is present, ἐστι is to be supplied; ἡμῶν goes with the three 
nominatives. ἢ is usually disjunctive but sometimes the equivalent of 
a copula (BI. 77"); it appears in all the Pauline letters; cf. ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε 
(Rom. 11? 1 Cor. 6? -) or ἐπιγινώσχετε (2 Cor. 13°); & here omits 4. 
οὐχί is used frequently by Paul, chiefly in interrogative sentences (cf. 
Rom. 39).--στέφανος (Phil. 41; 2 Tim. 45 1 Cor. 95) is here not the 
royal crown (2 Reg. 12° 1 Ch. 20% Zech. 6" ™ Ps. 203; see Mayor on 
Jas. 112 and Swete on Mk. 1517 Rev. 21:90) but the victor’s wreath or 
chaplet; Deiss. (Light, 312) notes a second-century A.D. inscription in the 


II, 19-20 123 


theatre at Ephesus: ἠγωνίσατο ἀγῶνας τρεῖς, ἐστέφη δύο. χαυχήσεως 
(obj. gen.) is the act of boasting. naxsn nowy is rendered variously in 
Lxx.: στέφανος χαυχήσεως (Ezek. 1612 234 Pr. 16%), τρυφῆς (Pr. 4°), 
χάλλους (Is. 62%), δόξης (Jer. 1318) and ἀγαλλιάματος (Sir. 6%; so A in 
our passage). 


ἔμπροσθεν κτὰ. Paul’s hope for his converts will be realised 
when they come “before our Lord Jesus,” that is, ἔμπρροσθεν τοῦ 
βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ (2 Cor. 51; cf. 1 Thess. 1% 3! and contrast 
3°), as ἐν TH παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ explains. When Jesus comes, ar- 
rives, is present, they will receive not ὀργή (as the Jews of v. 1°) 
but σωτηρία (5?). 

παρουσία is used untechnically in 1 Cor. 1617 2 Cor. 787 τοῖο Phil. 126 
213 (cf. Neh. 25 Judith 1o!8 2 Mac. 813 521 3 Mac. 317). Whether the tech- 
nical use (219 313 415 528 IT 21.8 τ Cor. 15%; cf. below II 29 of ὃ ἄνομος) 
is a creation of the early church (Mill. 145 ff.; Dibelius) or is taken over 
from an earlier period (Dob.) is uncertain. (Test. xii, Jud. 223 ἕως τῆς 
παρουσίας θεοῦ τῆς διχαιοσύνης is omitted by the Armenian; cf. 
Charles). Deiss. (Light, 372 ff.) notes that in the Eastern world παρουσία 
is almost technical for the arrival or visit of a king (cf. also Mt. 215 
Zech. 92 Mal. 3) and that while the earthly king expected on his arrival 
to receive a στέφανος παρουσίας, Christ gives a στέφανος to believers 
ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ.---ὃ χύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς (31 13 IT 18 Rom. 162 
1 Cor. 54 2 Cor. 11) is less frequent in Paul than ὃ κύριος ἡμῶν I. X. (13 
59. 23. 28 11 21. 14. 16 218 Rom. 53: 11 158 30 τ Cor. 22: 18. 1557 2 Cor. τ 

8° Gal. 644. 18 Eph. 13- 17 520 624 Col. 13); hence GF add here Χριστοῦ. 


ὑμεῖς yap ἐστὲ κτλ. “Indeed it is really you who are the 
objects of our honour and our joy.” ἐστε is significantly ex- 
pressed, not to contrast the present with the future (Flatt; see 
Lillie, ad loc.) or with the past, but to contrast the reality of 
Paul’s affection for his converts with the falsity of the insinua- 
tions of the Jews. χαρά is repeated from ν. 1°. δόξα is new, and 
may mean “glory” or “honour.” In the latter case, the point 
may be that he does not demand honour from them (v. 5) but 
does them honour. 


(5) The Sending of Timothy (3%). 


Although Satan had frustrated the immediate realisation of 
their desire to return, he was unable either to quench that de- 


124 I THESSALONIANS 


sire (3") or to prevent the sending at least of Timothy. It is 
probable, as Calvin has observed, that vv.!-* are apologetic, but 
precisely what the situation is to which Paul speaks is uncertain. 
We may suppose that the Jews had alleged not only that the 
missionaries, and Paul in particular (218 3°), had purposely left 
the converts in the lurch with no intention of returning, but 
also that the fact of Gentile persecution was evidence of the false 
character of the gospel preached (see on v. 1). Reports of these 
slanders may have reached Paul and stimulated his eagerness to 
return. Unable himself to go back at once, he, with Silvanus, 
determines to send Timothy, a trusted friend, in his stead, and 
that too at no small cost, for he himself needed Timothy. The 
purpose of the sending is to strengthen and encourage the con- 
verts in the matter of their faith and thus prevent their being 
beguiled in the midst of their persecutions. As Paul had been 
singled out by the Jews as the object of attack, he is at pains to 
add that he too as well as Silvanus had sent to get a knowledge 
of their faith, for he is apprehensive that the Tempter had 
tempted them and that his work among them would turn out to 
be in vain. To the insinuation that their sufferings proved 
that the gospel which they had welcomed was a delusion, he 
tacitly replies, with an appeal to their knowledge in confirma- 
tion of his words (οἴδατε vy. *4, as in 21-2), by saying that Chris- 
tianity involves suffering, a principle to which he had already 
alluded when he predicted affliction for himself and his converts, 
—a prediction which, as they know, was fulfilled. 

1Wherefore, since we intended no longer to endure the separa- 
tion, we resolved to be left behind in Athens alone, *and sent Tim- 
othy, our brother and God’s co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to 
strengthen you and encourage you about your faith, *to prevent any 
one of you from being beguiled in the midst of these your afflic- 
lions. For you yourselves know that we Christians are destined to 
this; ‘for when we were with you we were wont to tell you before- 
hand: “We Christians are certain to experience affliction,” as 
indeed it has turned out and as you know. 

‘Wherefore, I too, since I intended no longer to endure the sepa- 
ration, sent him to get a knowledge of your faith, fearing that ‘the 


TEs x 125 


Tempter had tempted you and that our labour might prove to be in 
vain. 

1. διὸ μηκέτι κτὰ. Since, after the shortest interval, we were 
anxious to see you because of our love for you, and since the 
immediate accomplishment of our desire was frustrated by Sa- 
tan, “so then (διό summing up the main points of wv. 17), 
since we intended no longer to endure τὸ ἀπορφανίζεσθαι ἀφ᾽ 
ὑμῶν, we resolved (ηὐδοκήσαμεν being the climax of ἐσπουδάσα- 
μεν (v.17) and ἠθελήσαμεν (v.18)) to be left behind in Athens 
alone.” The words καταλειφθῆναι... μόνοι are emphatic, as 
Calvin observes. It was at some cost to Paul and Silvanus that 
they determined to be left behind, and that too alone, parting 
with so trusted and necessary a companion as Timothy. Sucha 
sacrifice was an unmistakable testimony to their affection for 
the converts. “It is a sign of rare affection and anxious desire 
that he is not unwilling to deprive himself of all comfort for the 
relief of the Thessalonians” (Calvin). = 


διό (51), like διὰ τοῦτο (v.5 which resumes διό here) and ὥστε (418), 
retains its consecutive force, even if it has lost its full subordinating 
force. B reads διότι, the only case in the N. T. epistles where διό is 
exchanged for διότι (Zim.); the reading of B may be due to μηχέτι 
(Weiss) or to διότι in 218 (Zim.).—On μηχέτι, cf. v. 5 Rom. 68 2 Cor. 515, 
etc. If the classic force of y with participles is here retained, then a 
subjective turn is to be given to μηχέτι: “as those who”; if not, 
wnxétt = οὐκέτι. For the usage of μή and οὐ in later Gk., see BMT. 485, 
Bl. 751, and Moult. I, 231 f.—otéyetv, a Pauline word used with the 
accus. expressed (πάντα τ Cor. 92 137) or unexpressed (here and v. 5) 
occurs elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only Sir. 817: οὐ δυνήσεται λόγον στέξαι. 
The classic sense ‘‘cover” and derivatively “shelter,” “protect,” “‘con- 
ceal” is found also in Polybius (6. g. IV, 82, VIII, 145); the meaning 
βαστάζειν, ὑπομένειν (Hesychius), likewise in Polyb. (ὁ. g. III, 532, 
XVIII, 184) fits all the N. T. instances better than “ward off” (which 
Wohl. here suggests); see especially Lft. ad Joc. From Kypke (II, 213) 
down, Philo (in Flac. 526, ed. Mangey) is usually cited: μιηχέτι στέγειν 
δυνάμενοι τὰς ἐνδείας. This passage has led many comm. to take 
στέγοντες here as = δυνάμενοι στέγειν; but the pres. part. probably 
represents an imperfect of intention (cf. GMT. 38), and is equivalent to 
μέλλοντες στέγειν. For ηὐδοχήσαμεν (SBP; εὐδοχκ. ADGF) in the sense 
of “resolve,” see above on 28. While it is not certain, it is probable 
that the resolve was made when Paul and his two companions were in 


126 


I THESSALONIANS 


Athens. In this case, the independent account of Acts must be supple- 
mented by the inference that Silas and Timothy did come as quickly as 
possible to Athens (Acts 17" f-).—Except in quotations, Paul does not 
elsewhere use χαταλείπειν. The similar ὑπολείπειν occurs but once 
in Paul (Rom. 11° cit.). The phrases χαταλείπεσθαι or ὑπολείπεσθαι 
μόνος are quite common in Lxx., being employed either in contrast 
with others who have departed (Gen. 32% Judith 13? with ὑπολ.; of. 
[Jn.] 8° with χαταλ.) or who have perished (Gen. 7% 428 Is. 32% 49% 
1 Mac. 134 with xataA.; Gen. 442° with ὑπολ.). 

The “we” in vv. 1-5 is difficult (see on 11). Were it true that θλίψεσιν 
(v.*) refers solely to the persecutions that Paul experienced (Dob.), and 
that consequently the “we” of v. 4 refers to Paul alone, then it would be 
natural to take the “we” of ν. 1 as also referring simply to Paul, and 
to urge the consideration that a μόνοι which includes Silvanus weakens 
the argument. But it is by no means certain that θλίψεσιν (v.*) has 
in mind only Paul; furthermore, χείμεθα (v.*) and μέλλομεν (v. 2) may 
refer to Christians in general, while ἦμεν and προελέγομεν (v. *) include 
not only Paul but Silvanus and Timothy. Above all, ἐγώ (v. 5) is nat- 
urally explained (cf. 215) as purposely emphasising the fact that he as 
well as Silvanus had made the resolve to send Timothy, for the Jews obvi- 
ously had directed their criticisms mainly against Paul. Hence the 
subject of ηὐδοχήσαμεν and ἐπέμψαμεν is Paul and Silvanus (cf. Mill.). 
—Failure to see the significance of the contrast between ἐγώ (v. 5) and 
the subject of ἐπέμψαμεν (v.2) has led Hofmann and Spitta (Zur 
Geschichte und Litteratur des Urchristentums, 1893, I, 121 ff.), who 
rightly take the subject of ηὐδοχήσαμεν (v.21) to be Paul and Silvanus, 
to infer that Paul (v.*) sent another person, unnamed, in addition to 
Timothy. But ν. δ speaks only of the return of Timothy, and the ob- 
vious object of ἔπεμψα here as of ἐπέμψαμεν (ν. 3) is Τιμόθεον. 


2. Τιμόθεον... συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ κτλ. Timothy, who has 
already been called an apostle (27), is here described not only 


as “ 


our brother” (cf. 2 Cor. 1! Col. 11) but also, if the reading of 


D de Ambst. be accepted, ‘‘ God’s fellow-labourer.”” The sphere 
in which (Rom. 1° Phil. 4°) he works with God is the gospel 
which Christ inspires (see on 14). The choice of such a repre- 
sentative honours the converts (Chrys.) and proves Paul’s in- 
clination to consult their welfare (Calv.). 


The reading of B (χαὶ συνεργόν), which Weiss and Find. prefer, 
yields excellent sense and attaches itself nicely to ἡμῶν (cf. Phil. 235 
Rom. 16"). But if it is original, it is difficult to account for τοῦ θεοῦ 
in the other readings. If D is original, it is easy to understand (cf. Dob. 


Ill, 2-3 127 


131) the suppression of the bold designation συνεργὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (else- 
where only r Cor. 3°) by the omission of tod θεοῦ, the substitution of 
διάχονον for συνεργόν in NAP, Vulg. (διάκονον τοῦ θεοῦ; fuld. domini), 
and the conflated readings of GF (καὶ διάκονον καὶ συνεργὸν τοῦ θεοῦ) 
and D°KL, Pesh. (xat St&xovov τοῦ θεοῦ χαὶ συνεργὸν hudy).—ouvepysc, 
outside of Paul, appears in Gk. Bib. only 3 Jn. 8, 2 Mac. 87 145; in Paul 
it is used with μου (Rom. 16%  Phile. 24 Phil. 43) or ἡμῶν (Rom. 169 
Phile. 1; cf. 2 Cor. 8%), with a thing (2 Cor. 124 Col. 4"), and with θεοῦ 
(only here and τ Cor. 3°). Timothy is thus not simply “our fellow- 
worker” (Rom. 162") but “God’s fellow-worker.” Apart from SAPKL, 
et al., here, Paul does not call Timothy a διάκονος τοῦ θεοῦ. 


2-3", εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι. . τὸ μηδένα σαίνεσθαι KTrA. The 
primary purpose (εἰς τό) of Timothy’s mission is to strengthen 
and encourage the converts in reference to (ὑπέρ = περί) their 
faith (18). The secondary purpose, dependent on the fulfilment 
of the primary, is to prevent any person (τὸ μηδένα) from being 
beguiled in the midst of these their afflictions. Under the stress 
of persecutions, some of the converts might be coaxed away from 
the Christian faith by the insinuations of the Jews. In the phrase 
ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσιν ταύταις, ἐν is primarily local, though a tem- 
poral force may also be felt. Since Paul says not ἡμῶν but 
ταύταις, it is evident that he is thinking not of his own but 
of his converts’ afflictions, as indeed buds and ὑμῶν (v. 3) inti- 
mate. Zahn (Introd. I, 218) observes: ‘‘The Tempter, who was 
threatening to destroy the Apostle’s entire work in Thessalonica 
(3°), assumed not only the form of a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5°), 
but also that of a fawning dog (Phil. 32) and a hissing serpent 
(Cor; τι} 


Paul uses πέμπειν with εἰς τό and infin. elsewhere v.* II 2", with 
infin. of purpose (x Cor. 16%; cf. 1 Mac. 1317 (NV)s2_Mac. 141°), and 
with ἵνα (2 Cor. 9? Phil. 219- 8; cf. Col. 48 Eph. 6”). It is a small matter 
who is the subject of στηρίξαι (cf. γνῶναι v. 5), whether Paul or Timothy, 
for in the last resort Timothy is the agent of Paul’s purpose.—The col- 
location στηρίζειν and παραχαλεῖν occurs in the reverse order also in 
II 217; cf. Rom. 1" Acts 14% 15%2—dnép here and II 2!= περί (which 
D‘L here read); on παραχαλεῖν ὑπέρ, cf. 2 Cor. τ28.--ὁμᾶς, to be sup- 
plied after παρακαλέσαι, is expressed by D°KL.—td μὴ with infin., a 
good Pauline construction, is used appositively (Rom. 14" 2 Cor. 2"), 
predicatively (Rom. 142! with adjective), and as the object of δεῖσθαι 
(2 Cor. τοῦ). Here τὸ μηδένα with infin. may be either in apposition 


128 I THESSALONIANS 


with τὸ στηρίξαι (Liin. Born. Find.), or the object of παραχαλέσαι 
(Ell. Schmiedel, Wohl. Dob.), or the infin. of purpose (Bl. 713), or 
better still, as in 45, the infin. after an unexpressed verb of hindering 
(GMT. 811). 

The meaning of σαίνεσθαι (only here in Gk. Bib.) is uncertain. 
(1) The usual view, that of the Fathers and Versions, interprets it to 
mean “to be moved” (χινεῖσθαι, σαλεύεσθαι) or “to be disturbed” 
(ταράττεσθαι, θορυβεῖσθαι); for the latter rendering, cf. Dob. who con- 
trasts στηρίζειν (v.2) and στήχειν (ν. 5"). (2) Lachmann (see Thay. 
sub voc.) conjectures from the reading of G (μηδεν act evecbat) ἀσαίνειν 
= not λυπεῖν (Hesychius) but dodery = ἄχθεσθαι. (3) Nestle (ZNW. 
1906, 361 f. and Exp. Times, July, 1907, 479) assumes σιένεσθαι = 
σιαίνεσθαι (cf. Mercati, ZNW. 1907, 242) and notes in Butler’s Lausiac 
Hist. of Palladius (TS. V1,? 1904) the variant σχανδαλισθείς for σιανθείς. 
The meaning “to cause or feel loathing” fits all the passages noted by 
Nestle and Mercati (Dob.), but is not suitable to our passage. (4) Fa- 
ber Stapulensis (apud Lillie: adulationi cederet) and others down to 
Zahn (Introd. 1, 222 f.), starting from the Homeric literal sense of σαίνειν 
“to wag the tail,” interpret σαίνειν in the derivative sense of “flatter,” 
“cajole,” “beguile,” “fawn upon” (cf. ASschylus, Choeph. 194 (Din- 
dorf): σαίνομαι δ᾽ bx’ ἐλπίδος and Polyb. I, 80%: of πλεῖστοι συνεσαίνοντο 
τῇ διαλέχτῳ). This meaning is on the whole preferable; it fits ad- 
mirably the attitude of the Jews (cf. also Mill. ad loc.). Parallels to 
σαίνεσθαι were gathered by Elsner (II, 275 f.) and Wetstein (ad loc.). 


3°-4, αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε κτὰ. “1 mention these persecutions 
of yours, for (γάρ) you yourselves are aware (cf. 21) that we Chris- 
tians are destined to suffer persecution (κείμεθα; Calv. ac si 
dixisset hac lege nos esse Christianos). And I say you are aware 
that suffering is a principle of our religion, for (καὶ yap v. 4 re- 
suming and further explaining γάρ v. *) when we three mission- 
aries were with you, we stated this principle in the form of a 
prediction repeatedly declared: “‘We Christians are certain to 
be afflicted.” And the prophecy has proved true of us all as 
‘you know (2°).” It is to be observed that Paul not only states 
the prophecy and its fulfilment, but also appeals to the knowl- 
edge of the readers in confirmation of his statement. This ap- 
peal, in the light of the similar appeals in 2', suggests that Paul 
is intending not only to encourage the converts but also at the 
same time to rebut the cajoling insinuations of the Jews who 
would coax the converts away from the new faith on the pre- 


I, 3-5 120 


tence that persecution is evidence that the gospel which they 
welcomed is a delusion. 


εἰς τοῦτο = εἰς τὸ θλίβεσθαι. χεῖμαι εἰς (Phil. 116 Lk. 22) does not 
occur in Lxx. (Josh. 45 is not a parallel); it is equivalent to τέθειμαι εἰς 


(BI. 237; cf. Lk. 235% with Jn. 19"). Christians as such are “set,” 
“appointed,” “destined” to suffer persecution (cf. Acts 14%). In εἶναι 
πρός (IL 2° 31°) as in παρεῖναι πρός (Gal. 41% 29 2 Cor. 11°), πρός = 
“with,” “bei,” “chez” (cf. Bl. 437). The phrase xat γὰρ ὅτε... ἦμεν 
recurs in II 31° The imperfect προελέγομεν denotes repeated action; 
πρό is predictive as μέλλομεν shows; cf. Gal. 524 2 Cor. 132 Is. 4128; 
and below 45. The ὅτι before μέλλομεν may be recitative or may in- 
troduce indirect discourse unchanged. μέλλομεν is followed by the 
present infin. here and Rom. 4% 813, It is uncertain whether μέλλομεν 
= χείμεθα “are certain to” or is a periphrasis for the future (Bl. 62), 
“are going to.” The construction χαθὼς xat . . . xat is similar to that 
in 4°; ‘as also has happened,” corresponding to the prediction, “and 
as you know,” corresponding to their knowledge. The χαί is implied 
in χαθώς and is sometimes expressed (4!- δ: 13 51 IT 31), sometimes not 
(15 22, etc.). 


5. διὰ τοῦτο κἀγώ κτὰ. Contrary to the slanders which you 
are hearing, “1 too, as well as Silvanus, intending to stand the 
separation no longer, sent Timothy to get a knowledge of your 
faith.” This verse obviously resumes ν. 1, though the purpose 
of the sending of Timothy is put in different language. As in 2!8 
(ἐγὼ μέν), so here the change from the plural to the singular 
(κἀγώ) is due to the fact that the Jews had singled out Paul as 
especially the one who, indifferent to the sufferings of the con- 
verts, had left them in the lurch with no intention of returning. 
The καί before ἐγώ is emphatic, “I too as well as Silvanus.” 
That the object of ἔπεμψα is Τιμόθεον is plain not only from v. ! 
but from v. ὁ which reports the return of Timothy only. 

μή πως ἐπείρασεν KTA, He sent to get a knowledge of their 
faith, “fearing that” (sc. φοβούμενος, and cf. Gal. 4") the 
Tempter had tempted them, that is, in the light of v.*, that the 
Jews, taking advantage of the persecutions, had beguiled them 
from their faith; and fearing that, as the result of the tempta- 
tion, the labour already expended might prove to be fruitless. 
The aorist indicative ἐπείρασεν suggests that the tempting has 
taken place, though the issue of it is at the time of writing 

9 


130 I THESSALONIANS 


uncertain; the aorist subjunctive γένηται intimates that the 
work may turn out to be in vain, though that result has not yet 
been reached (cf. Gal. 2? μή πως εἰς κενὸν τρέχω ἢ ἔδραμον). 
The designation of Satan (218) as ὁ πειράζων is found elsewhere 
in the Gk. Bib. only Mt. 4°; it is appropriate, for as Calvin 
remarks: proprium Satanae officium est tentare (cf. τ Cor. 7°). 


The construction of μῇ πως κτλ. assumed above (cf. BMT. 225 and 
Bl. 65°) is preferable to that which takes it as an indirect question (cf. 
Lk. 31:5). The order of B τὴν ὑμῶν πίστιν puts an emphasis on ὑμῶν 
which is more suitable in v.7. On the subject of γνῶναι, see on the 
subject of στηρίξαι v.%. εἰς κενόν, found in N. T. only in Paul, is a com- 
mon phrase in the Lxx. ὁ. g. with γίνεσθαι (as here; Mic. 1"), τρέχειν 
(Gal. 2? Phil. 215), δέχεσθαι (2 Cor. 61), εἶναι (Lev. 262°), and χοπιᾶν (Phil. 
216; Job 2° 3015 Is. 65% Jer. 285%). For 6 χόπος ἡμῶν, see 13 and cf. 1 
Cor. 15°8. The designation of Satan as ὃ πειράζων does not appear in 
Lxx. Test. xii, Ps. Sol. or in the Apostolic Fathers. 


(6) Timothy’s Return and Report (3°). 


The apprehension that induced Paul to send Timothy is al- 
layed by the favourable report of the religious and moral status 
of the converts and of their personal regard for him. From their 
faith which still kept hardy in trials, Paul derived courage to 
face his own privations and persecutions: “ We live if you stand 
fast in the Lord.”’ Transported by the good news, he cannot 
find adequate words to express to God the joy he has, as he prays 
continually that he might see them and amend the shortcomings 
of their faith. The exuberance of joy, the references to the visit 
(vv. δ: 10). the insistence that the joy is δι᾿ ὑμᾶς (ν.9) and the 
thanksgiving περὶ ὑμῶν (ν. 9) imply that the insinuations of 
the Jews are still in mind. The Tempter has tempted them but 
they have not succumbed. To be sure the exuberance of feeling, 
due not only to their personal affection for him, but also to 
their spiritual excellence, does not blind his mind to the fact 
that deficiencies exist, to which in 4! 1: he turns. 

*But now that Timothy has just come to us from you and has 
brought us good news of your faith and love, and has told us that 
you have been having a kindly remembrance of us always and have 


Til, 5-6 131 


been longing to see us as we too to sce you,—"for this reason, brothers, 
we became encouraged in you to face all our privations and perse- 
cutions through your faith, *for now we live if you stand fast in the 
Lord. *Indeed, what adequate thanks can we return to God for you 
for all the joy we express for your sake in the presence of our God, 
begging night and day most earnestly to see your face and make up 
the deficiencies of your faith. 

6. ἄρτι δὲ ἐλθόντος κτλ. With δέ (cf. 21”), a new point in the 
apologetic historical review of Paul’s acts and intentions since 
his departure from Thessalonica is introduced, the return and 
report of Timothy. The selection of material is still influenced 
by the criticisms directed by the Jews against Paul’s character 
and conduct. It is first stated that Timothy has but now (ἄρτι) 
come from them to Paul and Silvanus, a fact that makes clear, as 
Grotius has observed, that our letter was written not in Athens 
but in Corinth, and that too under the fresh inspiration of the 
report of Timothy. Although ἐλθόντος may be simply temporal, 
it is probably also causal, as διὼ τοῦτο (vy. 7) which resumes the 
genitive absolute clause suggests. 


ἄρτι, which is to be joined with the gen. abs. (cf. 3 Mac. 615) and not 
with παρεχλήθημιεν, may refer either to the immediate present, “just 
now,” “modo” (cf. Mt. 918 Gal. 119 42° 2 Mac. g!8 (V) 3 Mac. 61:8) or to 
the more distant past, “nuper” (cf. ΤΙ 27 1 Cor. 13! 167; also Poole, 
ad loc.) The former sense is preferable here as no contrast between 
the now and a more distant past is evident in the context. δέ is not 
in itself adversative, but introduces either a new section (217 3", etc.) 
or a new point within a section (215 3%, etc.). ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν may be emphatic 
(Find.); it-is from the Thessalonians that Paul desires news, and Tim- 
othy comes directly from them, bringing with him a letter. That Sil- 
vanus is already with Paul is the intimation of ἡμᾶς (but cf. Acts 18°). 


εὐαγγελισαμένου kTA, The word itself reveals the character 
of the report; it is good news that the messenger brings. ‘Do 
you see the exuberant joy of Paul? He does not say ἀπαγγεῖ 
λαντος (1°) but εὐαγγελισαμένου. So great a good did he think 
their steadfastness (βεβαίωσιν) and love.” The first element 
in the good news is their excellence religiously (πίστις) and 
morally (ἀγάπη); “in these two words, he indicates tersely totam 
pietatis suimmam’”’ (Calvin). 


132 


I THESSALONIANS 


εὐαγγελίζεσθαι, “to bring good news,” is a classic word (cf. Aristoph. 
Eq. 642 f.) found in Lxx. (2 Reg."1*° parallel with ἀναγγέλλειν, Ps. 39° 
Is. 40° 52? 60% 61', etc.) and N. T. (chiefly in Pauline and Lukan writings; 
cf. Lk. 1" 22° 3'8, etc.). Paul uses it either absolutely in the technical 
sense of preaching the gospel (1 Cor. τι, etc.), or with εὐαγγέλνον 
(Gal. 1" 1 Cor. 151 2 Cor. 117), πίστιν (Gal. 1%), πλοῦτος Χριστοῦ, or 
with Christ as the object (Gal. 11%; cf. Acts 5% 85° 112° 1718). On the 
word, see Mill. 141 ff. and Harnack, Verfassung und Recht, 199 ff.— 
ἀγάπη for Paul as for Christ fulfils the law on the ethical side (Rom. 13% 
Gal. 5"). The comprehensiveness of its meaning is made clear in x Cor. 
13} . where the points emphasised are pretty much the same as those 
in Gal. 523 and Rom. 125. Paul speaks regularly of divine love to 
men (ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ IT 35 Rom. 55, etc.; tod Χριστοῦ Rom. 835; τοῦ 
πνεύματος Rom. 1539), but he rarely speaks of man’s love to God (1 Cor. 
2° 83 Rom. 8383) or Christ (1 Cor. 16%? Eph. 6%). 


καὶ ὅτι ἔχετε μνείαν KT. The second element in the good 
news is personal; the Thessalonians have been having all along 
(ἔχετε πάντοτε) a kindly remembrance of Paul, “notwithstand- 


ing 


the efforts of the hostile Jews” (Mill.). This constant re- 


membrance is significantly revealed in the fact that they have 
been all the time longing (ἐπιποθοῦντες: sc. πάντοτε) to see 


the 


missionaries as the missionaries have been (sc. πάντοτε ἐπι- 


ποθοῦμεν ἰδεῖν and cf. 211 5.) to see them. 


ὅτι naturally goes with elayyeAtcapévou (cf. Acts 13); the change of 
construction is more felt in English than inj]Gk. But others supply 
εἰπόντος or λέγοντος (Jer. 2015) before 8tt.—Although πάντοτε some- 
times precedes (417 515. 16) and sometimes follows the verb (13 2!¢ II 13. ἡ 
213), and hence could be here taken either with ἐπιποθοῦντες or with 
ἔχειν μνείαν, yet the latter construction is to be preferred in the light 
of 12 and Rom. 119 (ποιεῖσθαι μνείαν ἀδιαλείπτως). In this case, the 
present ἔχετε, because of the adverb of duration (πάντοτε), describes 
an action begun in the past and still continuing at the time of speaking; 
and is to be rendered: “ And that you have had always,” etc. (cf. BMT. 
17). τἀγαθός (515 II 21% 17) means here as in Rom. 5? (Lft.) “kindly,” 
“pleasant.” It is doubtful whether ἐπιποθεῖν (a characteristic word 
of Paul; cf. Rom. x" Phil. 239) differs greatly from ποθεῖν (a word not 
in Paul; cf Sap. 155! with 15'°). On χαθάπερ (2") with comparative 
nat, cf. 313 4° Rom. 4¢ 2 Cor. 1. 


7. διὰ τοῦτο παρεκλήθημεν κτλ, The good news dispelled the 
anxiety created by the situation in Thessalonica and gave him 


Iii, 6-9 133 


courage to face his own difficulties. ‘Wherefore, because of 
the good news (διὰ τοῦτο resuming ἐλθόντος κτλ.) we became 
encouraged (cf. ν. 2 παρακαλέσαι) brothers (217) in you (ἐφ᾽ ὑμῖν) 
to face (ἐπί) all our privation and persecution through your 
faith.” The first ἐπί denotes the basis of the encouragement; 
the second ἐπί the purpose for which it was welcome; and the 
διά the means by which it was conveyed, “through this faith of 
yours” (ὑμῶν being emphatic; contrast vv. 3: 5). 

Grot. and Lillie take the first ἐπί = “on your account”; the second 
ἐπί is local with a touch of purpose in it (cf. Bl. 43°). On παραχαλεῖσθαι 
ἐπί, cf. 2 Cor. 1477; Deut. 323° Ps. 89% 134% 2 Mac. 7% θλίψις is not 
distress of mind but as in 1° “persecution” (cf. 2 Cor. 121°); ἀνάγκη is 
here not carking care (2 Cor. 97) but “physical privation” (Lft.) as in 
2 Cor. 64: ἐν θλίψεσιν, ἐν ἀνάγκαις, ἐν στενοχωρίαις; see further Job 
1524 Zeph. 115. ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ (ν.9 2 Cor. 14 74 Phil. 1°) is less frequent 
in Paul than ἐν πάσῃ τῇ (II 29- 1°; 317 x Cor. 15, etc.). Here and v. 9, 
πάσῃ may be comprehensive, the instances of privation and persecution 
being regarded as a unit, or may express heightened intensity (Dob.). 


8. ὅτι νῦν ζῶμεν κτλ. “Through your faith,” I say, “for 
now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.” Though at death’s 
door constantly (Rom. 836 1 Cor. 15%! 2 Cor. 69 11), he feels that 
he has a new lease of life (recite valemus, Calv.), if their faith 
stands unwavering in virtue of the indwelling power of Christ 
(Phil. 41), notwithstanding their persecutions (cf. II τῇ) and the 
beguilement of the Jews. 


On the late Gk. στήχειν, built on ἕστηχα, see BI. 17 and Kennedy, 
Sources, 158; apd cf. Judg. τόξο (B), 3 Reg. 84 (B; A has στῆναι), 
Ex. 1413 (A; B has στῆτε), Rom. 144, etc. The phrase στήχετε ἐν χυρίῳ 
recurs in Phil. 41; on ἐν, see 11. The reading otqxete (BAGF) is more 
original than στήχητε (SD); on ἐάν with indic., cf. τ Jn. 515 Mk. 1125, 
It is not the form (BMT. 242, 247) but the fact of the condition that sug- 
gests that Paul here speaks ‘“‘ with some hesitation. Their faith was not 
complete” (Lft. who notes ὑστερήματα v. 1°). If this is so, νῦν is not 
temporal but logical: “this being the case” (so EIl.). 


9. τίνα yap εὐχαριστίαν KT. The faith of the converts gave 
Paul and his associates not only life but joy (Chrys.), as yap, 
parallel to ὅτι and introducing a second and unqualified con- 
firmation of διὰ τῆς ὑμῶν πίστεως, makes plain. This joy, 


134 I THESSALONIANS 


which is not so much personal as religious, and which therefore 
finds its constant outlet ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν (Dob.), is 
so excessive that Paul is unable to give God that adequate thanks 
which is his due. Although it is pointed out, over against the 
insinuations of the Jews, that it is none other than the converts 
for whom (περὶ ὑμῶν) he renders thanks to God, none other 
than they who are the basis of his joy (ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ χαρᾷ), and 
none other than they on whose account (δι ὑμᾶς: cf. 1°) he 
constantly expresses before the Christian God (ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν; cf. 
2?) his overwhelming feeling of joy, yet it is likewise indicated 
that it is God after all, not himself, not even the converts, that 
he must try to thank for their spiritual attainment. 


On the co-ordinating γάρ in interrogative sentences, see Bl. 78%. εὖ- 
χαριστία, a favourite word of Paul, denotes for him not “gratitude” 
(Sir. 37" 2 Mac. 237) but the “giving of thanks” (Sap. 1628 where it is 
parallel to ἐντυγχάνειν). ἀνταποδιδόναι, common in Lxx. and used by 
Paul either in a good sense as here and Ps. 115° (Grot.) or in a bad 
sense (cf. II τὸ Rom. 1219 Deut. 3241), is probably stronger than ἀπο- 
διδόναι (515), and “expresses the idea of full, complete return” (Mill.), 
“What sufficient thanks can we repay?” (Lit.). Instead of τῷ θεῷ 
(ABEKL), SDFG read χυρίῳ, influenced doubtless by ἐν κυρίῳ (v. §); sim- 
ilarly 8 reads at the end of v. 9 τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν.---ΕῸΓ περὶ ὑμῶν, B alone 
has περὶ ἡμῶν, which is “sinnlos” (Weiss).—zeot after δυνάμεθα ἀνταπο- 
δοῦναι is like that with εὐχαριστεῖν (13 II τ 213, etc.). ἐπί indicates that 
joy, full and intense (πάσῃ; contrast ἐπὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἀνάγχῃ ν. 8), is the 
basis of the thanksgiving; cf. 2 Cor. οἱ". 7% before χαίρομεν stands not 
for ἐφ᾽ ἡ (cf. 2 Cor. 7), but either for the cognate dative χαρᾷ (Jn. 3% 
Is. 6610 B) or for the cognate accus. ἥν (Mt. 21° Is. 392 NA, 661° A, Jonah 
4°). δι᾿ ὑμᾶς (Jn. 339) is stronger than the expected ἐφ᾽ ὑμῖν (cf. χαί- 
ρειν ἐπί Rom. 161° x Cor. 135 1617 2 Cor. 7%; Is. 39? Hab. 318 and often 
in Lxx.). ἔμπροσθεν goes with χαίρομεν. 


10. νυκτὸς, δεόμενοι. It is in the atmosphere of intense joy 
that he prays unceasingly (νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας as 2°) and exu- 
berantly (ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ as 5"), not simply that he might see 
their face (as 2!7) but also that he might make up the deficien- 
cies of their faith (cf. v. ὃ. Both his desire to return which has 
been the point of his defence since 217 and his desire to amend 
the shortcomings of their faith are suffused by the spirit of joy. 
The converts are thus tactfully assured both of the genuineness 


III, 9-10 135 


of his longing to see them and of his confidence that their imper- 
fections are not serious. In passing, it is worth noting that the 
enthusiasm of his feeling does not prevent him from being aware 
of the existence of moral defects,—an interesting side-light on 
the ethical soundness of his religious feelings. δεόμενοι, loosely 
attached to χαίρομεν, prepares the way not only for the prayer 
(vv. 4-13), namely, that God and Christ may direct his way to 
them (v. 11), and that the Lord may increase their brotherly 
love and love in general (v. 12) and strengthen them to remove 
their defects, but also for the exhortations (4! *-) in which there 
is a detailed and at the same time tactful treatment of the 
ὑστερήματα. 


ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ is found in 5% (SAP; BDGF read ὑπερεχπερισσῶς, 
a word occurring in τ Clem. 20" but not in Lxx.), Eph. 32° and Test. xii, 
Jos. 175, but not in Lxx. It is stronger than περισσοτέρως (217) and 
ὑπερπερισσῶς (in Gk. Bib. only Mk. 737) and ἐχ περισσοῦ (Dan. (Th.) 
32; Mk. 6% v.1.). See Ell. on Eph. 32° and cf. Ambst. abuntantissime. 
ets τό introduces the object of δεόμενοι (BMT. 412). δεῖσθαι (Rom. 11 
Gal. 413, etc.), like ἐρωτᾶν (41 52 II 2! Phil. 4°), is less frequent in Paul 
than παραχαλεῖν.---ὁστέρημια is found six times in Lxx., eight times in 
Paul, and once in Luke (Lk. 214); it indicates a lack and is opposed to 
περίσσευμα (2 Cor. 813 1.). It is joined with ἀναπληροῦν (τ Cor. 1617 
Phil. 23°; cf. Test. xii, Benj. 115 1 Clem. 382), προσαναπληροῦν (2 Cor. 9” 
119) and ἀνταναπληροῦν (Col. 124) but not elsewhere in Gk. Bib. with 
χαταρτίζειν. This word (Gal. 6! Rom. 9%, etc.; of. προχαταρτίζειν 2 
Cor. 9°), common in Lxx., means generally to render ἄρτιος, hence to 
“adjust” differences, “repair” things out of repair, “set”? bows, “pre- 
pare” dishes, etc.; and here “make up,” “make good” that which is 
lacking to complete faith. Since, however, the sense “das Fehlende” 
passes imperceptibly into that of “ Fehler” (Dob.), as indeed 1 Clem. 25 
(where ὑστερήματα is parallel to παραπτώματα) and Hermas Vis. III, 2? 
(where it is parallel to ἁμαρτήματα) suggest, we may translate either 
“make up the deficiencies of your faith” (Lillie) or “amend the short- 
comings of your faith” (Ruther.). 4 


Ill. PRAYER (31-3). 


With δέ, introducing a new section in the epistolary disposi- 
tion of the letter, Paul passes from the superscription (1!) and 
the thanksgiving (12-3!°) to the prayer (3). Both the desire 


136 I THESSALONIANS 


to see them (v. 19) and the desire to amend the deficiencies of their 
faith (v. 1°) are resumed as he turns in prayer to the supreme 
court of appeal, God and Christ; but the emphasis in 3% is 
put less on the longing to see them (v. "), the apologetic inter- 
est underlying 217-310. than on the shortcomings of their faith 
(νν. 1.9), the ὑστερήματα of v.19, This change of emphasis 
prepares the way for the exhortations (4! 5:); in fact, when he 
prays that Christ may make them abound in brotherly love as 
well as in love (v."*) and may strengthen them inwardly so that 
they may become blameless in saintliness when they appear be- 
fore God at the last day when Jesus comes attended by his 
glorious retinue of angels (v. 13), it is not improbable that he 
has more or less distinctly in mind the matter of φιλαδελφία 
(4°) and ἁγιασμός (43-8), to which, with λοιπόν (41), he forth- 
with addresses himself. 

“Now may our God and Father and our Lord Jesus himself 
direct our way to you. "And as for you, may the Lord make you 
to increase and abound in love toward one another and toward all 
men, just as we too toward you, “in order that he may strengthen 
your hearts (so that they may be) blameless in holiness in the presence 
of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his angels. 

11. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ θεός κτλ. Since δέ introduces a new epistolary 
division, and is not of itself adversative, it is unnecessary to 
seek a contrast with the immediately preceding (v. 19) or with 
the remoter words: “and Satan hindered us” (218). Indeed the 
prayer “to see your face” (v. 1°) is not contrasted with but is 
resumed by the prayer that God and Christ “‘may open up and 
direct our way to you de medio eorum qui moram fecerunt verbo 
nostro”’ (Ephr.). While it is striking that in Paul’s expressions 
of religious feeling, in superscriptions, thanksgivings, prayers, 
etc., the name of the Lord Jesus Christ stands next to the name 
of the Father (see on θεῷ πατρί, τι}, usually after but sometimes 
before (II 2!° Gal. 11), it is even more striking that both names 
should be unitedly governed by a verb in the singular (αὐτὸς... 
κατευθύναι; cf. 11 2151), The estimate of the lordship of Christ, 
explicit in Colossians, is latent not only in 1 Cor. 85 but here, a 
consideration that forbids (cf. Dob.) the taking of the ungram- 


ON it hy, 137 


matical step of denying that αὐτός here includes both God and 
Christ as the objects of prayer. 


Lillie, however, finds in δέ the idea both of transition and of slight op- 
position: “After all our own ineffectual attempts and ceaseless longings, 
may he himself, the hearer of our prayers (v. 1°), direct our way unto 
you, and then will all Satan’s hindrances be vain. (So Pelt, Schott, 
Liin.).” Characteristic of the prayers of I and II is the αὐτὸς δέ (θεός 
5381] 216; χύριος 416 IT 216 316; cf. 2 Cor. 819 8) instead of the simple 6 δέ 
(θεός Rom. 1513). These phrases (cf. also αὐτὸς ὃ υἱός τ Cor. 1528; 
αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα Rom. 816. 26. αὐτὸς 6 Σατανᾶς 2 Cor. 11") are, except 
Rev. 213 (αὐτὸς ὃ θεός), found in N. T. only in Paul. The αὐτός is either 
reflexive or an emphatic “he” (cf. Moult. I, 91). On ὃ χύριος ἡμῶν 
Ἰησοῦς (Ὁ omits Ἰησοῦς; GFKL add Χριστός), see on 219. χατευθύνειν, 
rare in the N. T. (II 3251. 17) but common in Lxx., means “make 
straight,” “make straight for” (cf. 1 Reg. 6”), and “guide,” “direct,” 
“prosper.” χατευθύνειν δδόν (or διαβήματα) is likewise frequent in Lxx. 
(Ps. 5° Judith 128, etc.). On the πρός, cf. τ Ch. 2918 2 Ch. 20% Sir. 493. 
In Paul, apart from μὴ γένοιτο (fourteen times), the optative of wish- 
ing with the third person is found only in our letters (vv. 1-12 523 II 217 
3°: 18), Rom. 1513 (followed by εἰς τό with infin.), and 155 (followed by 
ἵνα); see further Phile. 20 and BMT. 176. 


12. ὑμᾶς δὲ ὁ κύριος κτλ. The δέ introduces a new point 
and is here adversative, as the emphatic position of ὑμᾶς makes 
clear: “and as for you.” “Such is our prayer for ourselves; but 
you, whether we come or not (Beng.: sive nos veniemus, sive 
minus), etc.” (Lillie). This second petition, directed to the Lord 
alone (that is, not θεός (A) but Christ, as DGF, which add 
Ἰησοῦς, interpret,—Christ who is the indwelling power unto 
love), has in view the ὑστερήματα (ν. 1°). The love in which 
Christ will make them to increase and abound is defined both as 
φιλαδελφία, a love which though present (4°) needs to abound 
the more (419-12), and as ἀγάπη, love to all men everywhere (515 
Gal. 610). As an example of love, he points to himself (1° IT 3°; 
cf. Calv.): “As also (καθάπερ καί, ν. 5) we increase and abound 
(sc. the intransitive πλεονάζομεν καὶ περισσεύομεν TH ἀγάπη 
and cf. 2 Cor. 9%) toward you.” ‘They are to love one another 
as he loves them. 


πλεονάζειν, common in Lxx., is found in N. T. but once (2 Pet. 18) 
outside cf Paul (cf. II 1°); it means “increase,” “multiply,” “abound.” 


138 I THESSALONIANS 


The transitive sense here is not infrequent in the Lxx. (e. g. Num. 26" 
2 Ch. 315 Ps. 49! 70% Sir. 208 (A) 32! Jer. 37)"). περισσεύειν, frequent 
in N. T. and seven times in Lxx., is virtually synonymous with πλεονάζειν. 
The transitive occurs also in 2 Cor. οὗ; of. 2 Cor. 41" Eph. 1%. “Do you 
see the unchecked madness of love which is indicated by the words? 
He says πλεονάσαι and περισσεύσαι instead of αὐξῆσαι (Chrys.; ς΄. 
ΤΠ 1°). εἰς here, as in II 13, may be taken closely with ἀγάπῃ, the article 
being tacitly repeated and the verbs construed with the dative as in 
2 Cor. 3° Sir. 11"; or εἰς may be joined with the verbs (cf. πλεονάζειν 
els Phil. 417: περισσεύειν εἰς Rom. 37 515 2 Cor. 1°, etc.), the dative 
designating the sphere in which they are to increase and abound (¢f. 
περισσεύειν ἐν Rom. 15" 1 Cor. 1558, etc.). 


13. εἰς τὸ στηρίξαι κτλ. The purpose of the prayer (εἰς τό; 
cf. Rom. 15) for love is that Christ (τὸν κύριον is the sub- 
ject of στηρίξαι) may strengthen not their faith (v. 2) but their 
hearts, their inward purposes and desires, with the result that 
these hearts may be blameless (cf. 219) in the realm of holiness. 
The point appears to be that without the strong foundation of 
love the will might exploit itself in conduct not becoming to 
the ἅγιος, that is, specifically, as 4° suggests, in impurity. 
ἁγιωσύνη denotes not the quality (ἁγιότης), or the process 
(ἁγιασμός), but the state of being ἅγιος, that is, separate from 
the world and consecrated to God both in body and in soul ( 5%). 


Some comm. (6. g. Flatt, Pelt, Find. Dob.), influenced doubtless by 
v. 3, where, however, the στηρίξαι is specifically stated to be ὑπὲρ τῆς 
πίστεως ὑμῶν, are inclined to think of the strengthening of faith to meet 
trials, a strengthening resulting in holiness. στηρίζειν χαρδίαν (II 27 
Ps. 1118 Sir. 657 2218 Jas. 55) differs from στηρίζειν ὑμᾶς (v. 3) only in 
the expressed emphasis upon the inner life; of. mapanahsty with ὑμᾶς 
(v. 2) and with χαρδίας (II 217). There is no indication here of fear as 
the opposite of στηρίζειν καρδίαν (Sir. 2215 Ps. 1118) or of the thought 
of perfect love casting out fear (1 Jn. 47%). ἀμέμπτους agrees with 
χαρδίας; to be supplied is either ὥστε αὐτὰς εἶναι or εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτάς; 
of. δλοτελεῖς (53), ἀνεγχλήτους (1 Cor. 15) or σύμμορφον (Ph. 35). The 
reading ἀμέμπτως (BL. ef al.; cf. 219 5%) is due either to the verb or toa 
difference of spelling (Zim.). ἁγιότης is rare in Gk. Bib. (2 Cor. 1 
Heb. 12!° 2 Mac. 15°); ἁγιωσύνη is more frequent (Rom. τ’ 2 Cor. 7! 
2 Mac. 313 Ps. 295 95° 96" 1445); and ἁγιασμός (4% “11 213) is still 
more frequent (about ten times in Lxx. and ten times in N. T.; cf. Rom. 
6, etc.). BDEGF read ἁγιοσύνῃ; δαὶ and the corrected B ἁγιωσύνῃ, 
“the usual change of o and w” (Weiss); but A has δικαιοσύνῃ. On 


Te 12:15 139 


the idea of holiness, see SH. on Rom. 17 and Skinner and Stevens in 
HDB. Il, respectively, 394 77. and 399 ff. 


ἔμπροσθεν κτὰ. Only those whose love inspires purposes that 
are blameless in the sphere of holiness will find the day of the 
Lord a day not of wrath (1!° 21°) but of salvation (5°). In the 
light of v. 9, the reference might seem to be (cf. Chrys.) to a holi- 
ness not in the sight of men but “before our God and Father” 
(see on 13); but in view of the next prepositional phrase, “‘in 
the coming of our Lord Jesus”’ (cf. 219), it is evident that the day 
of the Lord is in mind when all must come before the βῆμα of 
Christ (2 Cor. 5!°) or God (Rom. 14!°) or both, when the same 
Father who demands holy love will test the hearts to see if they 
are free from blame in the realm of holiness. 

μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἁγίων αὐτοῦ. “With all his holy ones.” 
Whether ἅγιοι refers to angels or to saints is uncertain. (1) In 
favour of “angels” is the immediate connection with παρουσίᾳ, 
the time when Christ comes down from heaven at the voice of an 
archangel (415), μετ᾽ ἀγγέλων δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ (ΤΙ 17). The pic- 
ture of the accompanying retinue of angels is similar to that in 
Mk. 838 Mt. 25%! and Jude 14 = Enoch (Gk.) 1°. The αὐτοῦ, as 
Mt. 162” 24%! suggest, refers to Christ. Paul may have had in 
mind Zech. 145: ἥξει ὁ κύριος μου Kal πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, 
(2) In favour of “saints” is the usage of the N. T. where, apart 
from this passage, ἅγιοι = “saints”; the fact that πάντες οἱ 
ἅγιοι is a common turn in Paul (cf. οὗ ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ Col. 135); 
and possibly the fact that Did. 167 interprets Zech. 14° of the 
saints. In this case, because of the difficulty of conceiving the 
surviving saints coming with the Lord at his Parousia, and be- 
cause of the difficulty, due to πάντες, of contrasting the de- 
parted and the living saints, it is necessary to place the scene 
implied by μετὰ πάντων κτλ. not immediately at the Parousia, 
as the present context seems to suggest, but later, namely, at 
the judgment, when Christ comes with all his consecrated ones, 
now glorified, ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος. 


(x) In favour of “angels” are Grot. Hammond, De W. Liin. Ed- 
ward Robinson (Lex. 1850), Schmiedel, Dob. Moff. Dibelius, and others; 
cf. Ascen. Isa. 4% (with Charles’s note) and Ps. Sol. 174° (with note of 


140 I THESSALONIANS 


Ryle and James). (2) In favour of “saints” are, in addition to those 
who unnaturally construe μετὰ τῶν κτλ. closely with στηρίξαι (Estius, 
Flatt, Hofmann, Wohl. ef al.), Calv. Find. Briggs (Messiah of the 
Apostles, 85), Vincent, and others. (3) Still others (e. g. Bengel, Ell. 
Lillic, Lft. Mill.) include both angels and glorified men.—It is uncer- 
tain whether ἀμήν (NAD) is original (Zim.) or a liturgical addition (cf. 
Weiss, 104). WH. retain it in Paul only Rom. τ 53 16*7 Gal. 618; Rom. 176 
οὐ 11% Gal. 15 Eph. 3% Phil. 42°. In the N. T., apart from the unique 
usage in the words of Jesus (where a single amen in the Synoptic Gospels 
and a double amen in John begins the utterance), ἀμὴν as in the O. T. 
is used at the end of asentence. In the Lxx., however, ἀμὴν is rare (6. g. 
1 Ch. 16% τ Esd. οἵ Neh. 5 86 Tob. 88 1415 3 Mac. 7 4 Mac. 18*); 
yévorto and ἀληθῶς also translate ἸῸΝ (cf. the various renderings of 
Luke, ἀληθῶς, ἐπ’ ἀληθείας, πλήν, vat, etc.). On the meaning of amen, 
see Massie in HDB. I, 80f. and H. W. Hogg in EB. 136]. 


IV. EXHORTATIONS (4!-s”). 


Formally speaking, Paul passes from the superscription (1), 
thanksgiving (12-3), and prayer (3%) to the exhortations 
(415%); materially speaking, he passes from the defence of his 
visit (12-2!°) and of his failure to return (2!7-3") to a tactful (cf. 
4! 19 5!) treatment of the shortcomings of the faith of the 
readers (31°; cf. 38: 24), These exhortations are not haphazard, 
but are designed to meet the specific needs of the community 
made known to Paul by Timothy and by a letter which Timothy 
brought. In fact, it would appear from 4°: 15 5! (περὶ δέ. cf. 
τ Cor. γ1- 35 8! 121, etc.) that the Thessalonians had written spe- 
cifically for advice concerning love of the brethren, the dead in 
Christ, and the times and seasons. Three classes of persons are 
chiefly in mind in 415%: (1) The weak (458; cf. οἱ ἀσθενεῖς 
54); (2) the idlers (οἱ ἄτακτοι 5") who have been the main in- 
struments in disturbing the peace of the brotherhood (4°" 
5i213; cf. st); and (3) the faint-hearted (οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι 5") 
who were anxious both about their dead (413-158) and about their 
own salvation (s'*"). The only distinctly new point, not touched 
upon in the previous oral teaching of Paul, is the discussion of 
“the dead in Christ”’ (418-18), 


For convenience, we may subdivide the Exhortations as follows: 
(1) Introduction (4'*); (2) True Consecration (4**); (3) Brotherly 





ΤΠ. E3-IV, I 141 


Love (49-199); (4) Idleness (4105-:5).. (5) The Dead in Christ (4-14); 
(6) Times and Seasons (51"); (7) Spiritual Labourers (515-15); (8) The 
Idlers, The Faint-hearted, and The Weak (5145-9). (9) Love (5144); 
(το) Joy, Prayer, and Thanksgiving (51°18); and (11) Spiritual Gifts 


(519-22). 


(x) Introduction to the Exhortations (41). 


In his introductory words, Paul appeals, in justification of his 
exhortations, not to his own authority but to the authority which 
both he and his readers recognise as valid, the indwelling Christ 
(ἐν κυρίῳ, διὰ κυρίου). He insists that he is asking of them 
nothing new, and that what he urges conforms to the instructions 
which they have already received and which they know. Finally, 
in emphasising that they are living in a manner pleasing to God, 
he can only ask and urge them to abound the more. These open- 
ing verses are general; the meaning of τὸ πῶς δεῖ and τίνας 
παραγγελίας becomes specific in 4°". 

1Finally brothers we ask you and urge in the Lord Jesus that, as 
you have received from us instructions as to how you ought to walk 
and please God, as in fact you are walking, that you abound the 
more. *For you know what instructions we gave you, prompted by 
the Lord Jesus. 

1. λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί, With λουπόν, “finally,” a particle of 
transition often found toward the end of a letter (Grot.: Jocutio 
est properantis ad finem), and with an affectionate ἀδελφοί (cf. 
2 Cor. 13!: λοιπόν, ἀδελφοί), Paul turns from the epistolary 
thanksgiving and prayer to the epistolary exhortation, from the 
more personal considerations to what remains to be said (Ambst. 
quod superest) about the deficiencies of the converts. 


The reading is uncertain. The prefixed τό may be disregarded (Zim.); 
but as P in 2 Cor. 13 so most uncials here (SADEGFKL; WH.mg. 
Tisch. Zim. Weiss, Dob.) read λοιπὸν οὖν. Weiss (121) thinks that 
the omission of οὖν in B and in many minuscules and versions is due to 
a scribal error. Elsewhere, however, Paul uses both λοιπόν (1 Cor. 118 
42 2 Cor. 13") and τὸ λοιπόν (1 Cor. 7%; plus ἀδελφοί, II 531, Phil. 48; or 
plus ἀδελφοί μου, Phil. 31). Epictetus prefers λοιπόν to τὸ λοιπόν (cf. 
Bultman, Der Stil der Paulinischen Predigt, τοτο, του). Τί οὖν is read, 
the reference may still be in general to what has preceded (Lft.; cf. Dob. 


142 I THESSALONIANS 


who notes the οὖν in Rom. 12! Eph. 4', etc.) and not specifically to 3%, 
as many prefer (Ell.; cf. Lillie who remarks: “as working together with 
God to the same end”). For λοιπὸν οὖν in papyri, see Mill. ad loc. 
On the interpretation of vv. '", see also Bahnsen, ZW T. 1904, 332-358. 


ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς KT, “In the Lord Jesus we ask and urge 
you.” On the analogy of παραγγέλλομεν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν 
ἐν κυρίῳ I. X. (11 3"; cf. Rom. 14" Eph. 417), both verbs are to 
be construed with ἐν κυρίῳ ᾿Ιησοῦ. In fact, ἐρωτᾶν and παρακα- 
ety are virtually synonymous ((Ecumenius, apud Lillie: τἀυτόν 
ἐστιν καὶ ἰσοδυναμεῖ), as the usage in papyri shows (cf. also Phil. 
4?! Lk. 73! Acts 16). The position of ὑμᾶς, after the first, not 
after the second verb, suggests not that the converts are in the 
Lord, which on other grounds is true, but that the apostles are 
in the Lord, the point being that the exhortation is based not on 
personal authority but on the authority of the indwelling Christ, 
which is recognised as valid by both readers and writers. 


On the phrase, cf. P. Oxy. 744 (Witk. 97): ἐρωτῶ ce xat παραχαλῶ σε; 
and P. Oxy. 294 (Mill. Greek Papyri, 36): ἐρωτῶ δέ σε χαὶ παρακαλῶ. 
Like δεῖσθαι, παραχαλεῖν is used of prayer to Christ (2 Cor. 128); cf. 
P. Leid. Καὶ (Witk. 89): παραχαλῶ δὲ χαὶ αὐτὸς τοὺς θεούς. ἐρωτᾶν like 
our “ask” and the Hebrew 5xw is used in later Gk. for both “ask ἃ ques- 
tion,” “interrogare,” and “ask a favour,” “rogare” (cf. 2 Esd. 51° Ps. 136%). 
The construction ἐρωτᾶν ἵνα, only here in Paul but quite common else- 
where (cf. Mk. 72° Lk. 736; P. Oxy. 74431-), is analogous to παραχαλεῖν ἵνα 
(II 3% x Cor. 11° 16 2 Cor. 95 128). On the ἐν in ἐν (SA insert τῷ) χυρίῳ 
Ἰησοῦ, cf. Rom. 14" Phil. 21° Eph. 115, and see on 1}. 


ἵνα... ἵνα. With ἵνα, Paul starts to introduce the object of 
the verbs of exhorting (BMT. 201); but before he gets to the 
goal he reminds the readers tactfully (1) that what he has to 
say is conformable to what they had received from him when he 
was with them; and (2) that they are in fact walking according 
to instructions received. When then he comes to the object of 
the verbs and repeats the ἵνα, he can only ask and urge them to 
abound the more. 


Precisely what Paul intended to say when he began with the first 
ἵνα, whether περιπατῆτε χαὶ ἀρέσχητε θεῷ, we do not know. Dob. ob- 
serves that the Clementine Vulgate and Pelagius (but Souter thinks 
not) read sic et ambuletis = οὕτως χαὶ περιπατῆτε, and take the second 


LViek=2 143 


ἵνα in subordination to the first; a reading due to a corruption, within 
the Latin versions, of ambulatis. To avoid the pleonasm (Zim.), SAKL, 
ef al., omit the first ἵνα; KL, et al., further soften by omitting χαθὼς 
Kal περιπατεῖτε. 


καθὼς παρελάβετε κτλ. The first καθώς clause reminds them 
tactfully that what he has to say is not new but strictly conform- 
able (καθώς) to the traditions and instructions which they had 
received (παρελάβετε; cf. Gal. 191 Cor. 151; II 36 Phil. 4° Col. 2°), 
those, namely, as v.? notes explicitly, that he had previously com- 
manded διὰ τοῦ κυρίους The teachings are here referred to gen- 
erally and in the form of an indirect question: ‘“ As to how (τὸ πῶς) 
you ought to walk and so (καί) please God”’ (cf. Col. 119). The 
Kai is consecutive and “marks the ἀρέσκειν as the result of 
the περυπατεῖν᾽" (Ell.; cf. Bl. 77°). 


Paul as a Pharisee (Gal. 114) and as a Christian has his παραδόσεις 
(II 215 36 Cor. 112) or τύπος διδαχῆς (Rom. 617; cf. 1617 τ Cor. 417 Col. 27 
Eph. 42). Although he attributes his gospel to the immediate inspira- 
tion of the indwelling Christ or Spirit, yet the contents of the gospel are 
mediated by the Old Testament (6. g. Rom. 3! 13°), late Judaism, words 
of Jesus (4:5), and by the teaching of the primitive church (τ Cor. 1128 
153). On πῶς, see 1°; on τό introducing indirect questions, cf. Rom. 826 
and BI. 475; on τὸ πῶς, Acts 424; on πῶς δεῖ, IT 37 Col. 48. 


καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε. This second tactful reminder, in- 
troduced by καθὼς καί (cf. 34), is thoroughly in keeping with 
v. 10 511 IT 34, and indicates of itself that the actual exhortation 
can only be for moresuch conduct. Hence the object of ἐρωτῶμεν 
καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν is, as expected: ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον, 
“that you abound even more in walking according to the in- 
structions received.” 


On dpécxetv, see 24 and Deiss. NBS. 51; on περισσεύειν μᾶλλον, see 
v. 109 and cf. 2 Cor. 3? Phil. 12. Paul uses regularly the present subj. of 
περισσεύειν (1 Cor. 141? 2 Cor. 8798 Phil. 12°); but B, εἰ al., here and BD, 
et al., in Phil. 19 read the aorist subj. as in 2 Cor. 415. 


2. οἴδατε yap κτὰ. “For you know what instructions we 
gave you.” γάρ strengthens and confirms the point already 
made in the first clause with καθώς (ν, 1), Thisexplicit appeal to 


144 I THESSALONIANS 


the knowledge of the readers shows how concerned Paul is in 
insisting that he is making no new requests. 


“The emphasis, as Liinemann observes, rests on τίνας, and prepares 
the readers for the following τοῦτο, v. 3” (Ell.). Not until we come to 
ἀπέχεσθαι do we learn the content of τὸ πῶς det (v. 1) and τίνας (v. 3). 
—For γάρ, cursive 33 reads δέ (cf. Gal. 41). οἴδατε γάρ reminds us of 
the apologetic appeals in 1® 21- 3" ® 1 33. 4; here also the reference is 
apologetic, but in a different sense; Paul would have his converts feel 
that he is not issuing new and arbitrary orders, but orders already given 
and prompted by the indwelling Christ (διὰ τοῦ χυρίου). παραγγελία 
is a military word occurring rarely in Gk. Bib. (literally in Acts 57% 16%; 
of ethical orders, 1 Tim. 15: 18 1 Clem. 42°). διδόναι παραγ. is a late 
Gk. periphrasis for παραγγέλλειν (a common word in Gk. Bib.; cf. 
v. "II 34 5.) similar to διδόναι ἐντολὴν for ἐντέλλεσθαι (of., in Jn. 14%, 
BL with SAD). 


διὰ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. “Prompted by the Lord Jesus” (Lft.); 
loquente in nobis Spiritu Christi (Vatablus, apud Poole). The 
διά designates the Lord “as the causa medians through which 
the παραγγελίαν were declared; they were not the Apostle’s 
own commands, but Christ’s (οὐκ ἐμὰ yap, φησίν͵ ἃ παρήγγειλα, 
ἀλλ᾽ ἐκείνου ταῦτα, Theophylact), by whose influence he was 
moved to deliver them” (Ell.). διὰ κυρίου is grammatically 
different from but essentially identical with ἐν κυρίῳ; the former 
is dynamic both in form and in meaning; the latter is static in 
form but dynamic in force (see on 1'). Christians are “in” 
Christ or the Spirit because Christ or the Spirit is in them as a 
permanent energising activity. Since the divine is in them, it 
is “through” (δια) the divine as a mediating cause that they are 
empowered to do all things (Phil. 41°). The presence of both ἐν 
κυρίῳ (ν. 1) and διὰ κυρίου is here designed not to emphasise 
the apostolic authority of the writers but to point the readers to 
the divine source of authority which both readers and writers 
recognise as legitimate, the indwelling Christ. To be sure, Paul 
recognises his apostolic authority (2° II 3°); no doubt it had of 
itself immense weight with the Thessalonians; but here he in- 
sists that just as when he was with them (27) so now as he writes 
he is but one of them, relying as they do on Christ in them as the 
common source of divine authority. 


— a λα, 


a 


Iv, 2-3 145 


Schettler, Die paulinische Formel, “ Durch Christus,” 1907, gives an 
exhaustive study of διά with Χριστοῦ and its synonyms, θεοῦ and πνεύ- 
ματος. While pressing his point somewhat rigorously, he succeeds in 
showing that διά indicates causal agency, and that the phrase “through 
Christ” denotes the activity of the spiritual Christ as agent in crea- 
tion and salvation, and as an influence either in general or specifically 
in the life of prayer and the official legitimation of Paul (cf. AJT. 1907, 
690 f.). For this διά, cf. 444 59 II 22. A few minuscules (69. 441-2. 462) 
read here ἐν χυρίῳ ’I. (cf. IL 315 where for ἐν x. “I. X., S°D°KL, et αἱ., 
read διὰ x. I. X.); on this interchange of ἐν and διά, see further Rom. 
5°f- 2 Cor. 120 518 f. Col. 116-19 f-, On ἐν ὀνόματι (II 38 Col 317) and διὰ 
τοῦ ὀνόματος (1 Cor. 11°), see below on II 3°. 


(2) True Consecration (43:8). 


The divine exhortation (ἐν κυρίῳ, ν. 1) and the divine com- 
mand (διὰ κυρίου, v. 3) now becomes the divine will (θέλημα τοῦ 
θεοῦ, v. 3). The meaning of τὸ πῶς (v. 1) and τίνας (v. 2) which 
are resumed by τοῦτο (vy. 3) is first stated generally as “your 
consecration,” that is, “that you be consecrated.” This gen- 
eral statement is then rendered specific by two pairs of infinitives 
in apposition to ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν, namely, ἀπέχεσθαι and εἰδέναι, 
κτᾶσθαι and ὑπερβαίνειν. The principle is that true consecra- 
tion being moral as well as religious demands sexual purity. 
Along with the principle, a practical remedy is suggested: The 
prevention of fornication by having respect for one’s wife; and the 
prevention of adultery by marrying not in lust but in the spirit 
of holiness and honour. As a sanction for obedience, Paul adds 
(vv. ®-8) that Christ punishes impurity; that God calls Christians 
not for impurity but for holiness; and that the Spirit, the gift 
of God unto consecration, is a permanent divine power resident 
in the individual Christian (58) so that disobedience is directed 
not against the human but against the divine. 


The appeal to the Spirit as the highest sanction‘in every problem of 
the moral life is characteristic of Paul; cf. τ Cor. 619 and McGiffert, 
Apostolic Age, 263 ff. The reason for presenting the Christian view of 
consecration involving a Christian view of marriage is to be found not 
simply in the fact that the converts had as pagans looked upon sexual 


immorality as a matter of indifference, but also in the fact that such im- 
10 


146 I THESSALONIANS 


morality had been sanctioned by their own religious rites (see on ἀχα- 
θαρσία, 2°). The temptation was thus particularly severe and some of 
the converts may have been on the point of yielding. The group as a 
whole, however, was pure, as 1* 3° and χαθὼς χαὶ περιπατεῖτε (v.*) 
make plain. 


°God’s will is this, that you be consecrated, that is, that you ab- 
stain from fornication, ‘that each of you respect his own wife; that 
each of you get his own wife in the spirit of consecration and honour 
‘not in the passion of lust, as is the case with the Gentiles who know 
not God, *to prevent any one of you from disregarding or taking ad- 
vantage of his brother in the matter. For the Lord is an avenger for 
all these matters, as indeed we have predicted and solemnly affirmed ; 
‘for God has not called us Christians for impurity but to be conse- 
crated; ‘consequently the rejecter rejects not man but God who puts 
his Spirit, the consecrating Spirit, into you. 

3. τοῦτο γάρ κτλ. “Well, to be explicit, God’s will is this.” 
With the explanatory γάρ, τὸ πτῶς and τίνας (v.*) are resumed by 
τοῦτο, a predicate probably, placed for emphasis before the sub- 
ject θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ: and are further explained in ὁ ἁγιασμὸς 
ὑμῶν. By saying “God’s will,” Paul lays stress once more on 
the divine sanction already evident in the introduction (vv. 1:3), 
“in” and “through” the Lord Jesus. 


Though ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν and ἀπέχεσθαι are in apposition with τοῦτο, 
it is yet uncertain whether τοῦτο is subject (Lft. and most comm.) or 
predicate (De W. Dob.). Since τοῦτο resumes the objects τὸ πῶς and 
τίνας, and since the prompting subject is Christ (διὰ τοῦ χυρίου) who 
expresses the will of God, it is perhaps better to take θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ 
as subject and τοῦτο as predicate. On τοῦτο γάρ, cf. especially 518; also 
415 2 Cor. 810 Col. 3°, etc. In Paul regularly (except 1 Cor. 737 Eph. 2) 
and in Lxx. frequently, θέλημα refers to the divine will. In Paul we 
have either τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ (Rom. 12? Eph. 6%; with χατά, Gal. 14 
(of. 1 Esd. 81:6), or ἐν, Rom. 119); or θέλημα θεοῦ (518; with διά, Rom. 
1552 1 Cor. 11, etc.) like εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ (Rom. 11). We expect here 
either τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ (A) or θέλημα θεοῦ (Ὁ; so BD in 5'8 where 8 
has θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ). The omission of only one article here may be due 
to the influence of the Hebrew construct state (Bl. 46°). But neither 
here nor in ς᾽" is the total will of God in mind; multae sunt voluntates 
(Bengel). Paul does not use θέλησις; cf. ἡ θέλησις τοῦ θεοῦ (Tob. 1218 
2 Mac. 1218), 





IV, 37-4 147 


ὁ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν = τὸ ὑμᾶς ἁγιάζεσθαι. God’s will is “your 
consecration”; that is, either that you may be consecrated or 
better that you consecrate yourselves. The word ἁγιασμός 
denotes both the process of consecration (as here) and the state 
of the consecrated (as vv.‘ 7; see SH. on Rom. 619). The con- 
secrating power is God (57), Christ (1 Cor. 1% 30), or the Spirit 
(v. 811 28; cf. Rom. 151°). Though in itself, as Vorstius (apud 
Poole) observes, ἁγιασμός is a general term, yet the immediate 
context, ἀπέχεσθαι sith πορνείας, and the contrasts between 
ἁγιασμός and πάθος ἐπιθυμίας (vv. +5) and between ἁγιασμός 
and ἀκαθαρσία (v. 7) suggest the restriction to impurity. 


In the N. T. ἁγιασμός is chiefly in Paul; but only here do we have 
the article or the personal pronoun (cf. Ezek. 45‘). On ἐν ἁγιασμῷ, cf. 
vv. “- 7 Test. xii, Benj. ro Ps. Sol. 17% 1 Clem. 352; on ἐν ἁγιασμῷ 
πνεύματος IT 213 τ Pet. 17; on εἰς ἁγιασμόν, Rom. 619- 22 Amos 211. 
For ἁγιασμός = ἁγιωσύνη, cf. Test. xii, Levi 187 (πνεῦμα ἁγιασμοῦ) with 
18 and Rom. 14 (πνεῦμα ἁγιωσύνης). 


ἀπέχεσθαι... πορνείας. “That you hold aloof from fornica- 
tion”’; for true consecration to God is moral as well as religious. 
Every kind of impurity is a sin not simply against man but 
against God (cf. ν. ὃ and Ps. 50%: cot μόνῳ ἥμαρτον). 


What was unclear in τὸ πῶς (ν. 1), τίνας (v.2), and τοῦτο (ν. 3) and 
what was still general in ὃ ἁγιασμὸς ὑμῶν, now (vv. 358-65) becomes clear 
and specific in the two pairs of infinitives, ἀπέχεσθαι and εἰδέναι, 
χτᾶσθαι and ὑπερβαίνειν, placed in asyndetical apposition with ὃ ἁγι- 
ασμὸς ὑμῶν. Dibelius thinks it unnecessary to take the infin. as ap- 
positive, “‘since the infinitive often appears in such hortatory enu- 
merations (see Pseudophokylides)”’; on such infinitives, but without 
subject, cf. Rom. 1215 Phil. 31° and BI. 691. In the Lxx. ἀπέχεσθαι 
takes either the genitive alone or the gen. with ἀπό (both constructions 
in Sap. 215); classic Gk. prefers the former, Paul the latter (572). Paul 
uses the plural πορνείαι (τ Cor. 72) but not πᾶσα πορνεία (so F here); 
the word itself suggests all forms of sexual immorality. On the generic 
ths, of. τ Cor. 613. 18, 


4, εἰδέναι... σκεῦος. “That each of yourespect his own wife.” 


Usually εἰδέναι is understood in the sense of “learn how to,” 


“ savoir’”’ (Phil. 413) and so is construed with κτᾶσθαι as its com- 


148 I THESSALONIANS 


plement: “that each one of you learn how to get (or ‘possess’) 
his own vessel (‘ wife’ or ‘body’) in holiness and honour’’; in the 
light, however, of 513 where εἰδέναι = “respect,” it is tempting 
to take it also here = “regard,” “appreciate the worth of.” In 
this case a comma is to be put after σκεῦος to indicate the separa- 
tion of κτᾶσθαι from εἰδέναι. With this punctuation, the paral- 
lelism of ἀπέχεσθαι and εἰδέναι, κτᾶσθαι and τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν 
becomes at once obvious. 


εἰδέναι here and 5%, like ἐπιγινώσχειν in x Cor. 16° Mt. 17%, is 
employed in a sense akin to that in the common Lxx. phrase εἰδέναι 
(ν. II 18 Gal. 48) or γινώσχειν (Gal. 4°) θεόν, the knowledge involving 
intelligent reverence and obedience; cf. Ign. Smyr. 91: θεὸν χαὶ ἐπίσ- 
χοπον εἰδέναι. For ἕχαστον, ΒΞ or B’, the Latins, εἰ al. read ἕνα ἕχαστον 
as 2" II 13—(1) In the usual view which takes εἰδέναι with χτᾶσθαι 
and which rightly sees in vv. *»-8a reference solely to ἀχαθαρσία, the point 
is that ‘‘first πορνεία is prohibited; then a holy use of its natural remedy 
affirmatively inculcated; and lastly the heinous sin of μοιχεία, especially 
as regarded in its social aspects, formally denounced” (Ell.). (2) In 
favour of the alternative view which takes εἰδέναι = “respect” and 
so separates it from χτᾶσθαι is the position of χτᾶσθαι not before τὸ 
exutod σχεῦος as we should expect from Phil. 4, and as DG, et al., 
here actually have it, but after; the apparent parallelism of the four 
infinitives; the fact that εἰδέναι... σχεῦος is complete in itself, bal- 
ancing ἀπέχεσθαι... πορνείας; and the fact that εἰδέναι in 51*= “to 
respect,” “appreciate.” In this alternative view we have two pairs 
of parallel infinitives, ἀπέχεσθαι and εἰδέναι, χτᾶσθαι and τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαί- 
γεῖν. In the first pair, ἀπέχεσθαι, though first in order, is really subor- 
dinate to εἰδέναι, the point being: “abstain from fornication by ap- 
preciating the worth of your wife.’ In the second pair, ὑπερβαίνειν, 
as τὸ wh (v. infra) intimates, is explicitly subordinate to χτᾶσθαι, the 
thought being: “marry in the spirit of holiness and thus prevent 
adultery with a brother’s wife.” The arrangement of the four infin- 
itives is chiastic; in each pair a practical remedy for temptation is 
provided. 

Spitta (Zur Geschichte und Litteratur, I, 1893, 1313) was evidently the 
first to suggest the separation of χτᾶσθαι from εἰδέναι; but his own 
view that εἰδέναι = yw (Gen. 41:7, etc.) is apparently untenable, for 
yv = “know carnally” is rendered in Lxx. not by εἰδέναι but by γινώ- 
σχεῖν (Judg. 21" is not an exception). Born. and Vincent rightly take 
εἰδέναι here as in 5 to mean “respect,’’ but assume for χτᾶσθαι the 
improbable sense (v. infra): “to do business.” Wohl., after taking the 
position that both impurity and dishonesty in business are discussed 


IV, 4 149 


in vv. “5.8, suggests for consideration in a foot-note (902) an interpre- 
tation similar to the alternative view here proposed, but does not 
elaborate it. 


τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος. “His own vessel,” that is, “his own wife.” 
Paul has in mind married men and the temptation to unholy 
and dishonourable relations with women. The ἑαυτοῦ intimates 
a contrast between a σκεῦος πορνείας and a σκεῦος γάμου τιμίου. 
As εἰδέναι κτὰλ., parallel to and explanatory of ἀπέχεσθαι κτλ. 
shows, the way of escape from πορνεία is the appreciation of the 
worth of the wife. This estimate of marriage is essential to true 
consecration and is God’s will. 


σχεῦος is rare in Paul; it is used literally of a utensil in the household 
(Rom. 9”), and metaphorically, with some qualifying description, of 
an implement for some purpose (6. g. Rom. 92! σχεύη ὀργῆς, ἐλέους; 
2 Cor. 47 ὀστράχινα σχεύη--- ἃ metaphor from money stored in earthen 
jars,” as Bigg (ICC. on τ Pet. 37) notes). The absolute td σχεῦος in a 
metaphorical sense appears to be unique in the Gk. Bib. (1) On the 
analogy of the other Pauline passages, the reference here is to a vessel 
adapted to a purpose; and the emphasis on éautod and the contrast 
with πορνεία suggest the woman as the vessel, not, however, for forni- 
cation but for honourable marriage. This meaning for σχεῦος has a 
parallel not in 1 Pet. 37 (where both the man and the woman are vessels), 
but in rabbinical literature (cf. Schéttgen, Horae Hebraicae, I, 827), 
where 509 = σχεῦος = woman. This interpretation of σχεῦος is taken by 
the Greek Th. Mops. as well as by Augustine and most modern com- 
mentators. (2) On the other hand, many commentators (e. g. Ter- 
tullian, Chrys. Theodoret, Calv. Grot. Mill. Dibelius) understand 
σχεῦος as = “body.’”’ Insupport of this opinion, passages are frequently 
adduced (see Liin. and cf. Barn. 73 111°) in which the context rather than 
the word itself (σχεῦος, ἀγγεῖον, vas) indicates that the vessel of the 
spirit or soul is the body. But even if σχεῦος of itself is a metaphor for 
body (cf. Barn. 218), it is difficult so to understand it here, if χτᾶσθαι 
and ἑαυτοῦ have their usual meaning. (1) χτᾶσθαι in the Gk. Bib. as 
in classic Gk. means “to get” a wife (Sir. 3629), children (Gen. 4), 
friends (Sir. 67), enemies (Sir. 2073 296), gold (Mt. 101%), etc.; also “to 
buy” (Acts 118 820 2228), The sense “dem Erwerb nachgehen”’ (Born.), 
“pursue gain-getting” (Vincent) is doubtful, although we have the 
absolute 6 χτώμενος “the buyer” (Deut. 28° Ezek. 712 f 83); χέχτησθαι 
(not in N. T.) in Lxx. as in classic Gk. means “to have gotten” (a wife, 
Ruth 41°), “possess” (Pr. 162), “own” (ὃ κεχτημένος, “the owner,” 
Ep. Jer. 58). “Cum χτᾶσθαι significat acquirere non potest σχεῦος 
sigaificare corpus suum sed uxorem” (Wetstein). This conclusion, how- 


150 I THESSALONIANS 


ever, is bereft of its force if in Hellenistic Gk. χτᾶσθαι = χέχτησθαι (so 
Mill. who quotes P. Tebt. 52 5. and P. Oxy. 259°; and, following him, 
Dibelius). (2) But the difficulty with ἑαυτοῦ remains: “to possess 
his own body.” ‘This may be obviated by assuming that here, as often 
in later Gk., ἑαυτοῦ like ἴδιος (cf. 1 Cor. 7?) has “‘lost much of its em- 
phatic force” (Mill. on ἑαυτῆς, 27; and Moult. I, 87 /.). If, however, 
χτᾶσθαι and éautod retain here their normal meaning, then σχεῦος 
probably = “woman,” “ wife.” 


κτᾶσθαι. “That each of you get in marriage his own wife” 
(sc. τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σκεῦος). Wetstein notes Sir. 362°: ὁ κτώμενος 
γυναῖκα ἐνάρχεται κτήσεως (cf. also Ruth 419). Paul has now in 
mind unmarried men and the temptation especially to adultery. 
The ἑαυτοῦ is contrasted with the brother’s wife implied in v. 5, 
True consecration, which is God’s will, is not simply that a man 
should marry in order to avoid adultery (cf. 1 Cor. 72: διὰ 
Tas πορνείας ἕκαστος THY ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω), but, as the 
ἐν ἁγιασμῷ Kai τιμῇ prescribes, should marry in purity and re- 
spect for his wife, and not in the passion of lust. As the clause 
with εἰδέναι explained that the married man is to appreciate 
his wife and so be kept from fornication, so the clause with τὸ μὴ 
ὑπερβαίνειν indicates that the unmarried man is to marry in 
holiness and honour and so be kept from invading the sanctity 
of his brother’s home. 


The subject ἕχαστον and the object tb ἑαυτοῦ σχεῦος hold over; ς΄. 
Sir. 512° (χτήσασθε αὑτοῖς ἄνευ ἀργυρίου), where αὐτὴν is to be supplied. 


ἐν ἁγιασμῷ καὶ τιμῇ. “In holiness and honour.” The ἐν 
designates the atmosphere in which the union of the man and 
woman takes place (Ell.). ἁγιασμός is here equivalent to ἁγιω- 
σύνη, the state of those who are consecrated to God. Religious 
feeling is to pervade marriage; but whether this feeling is to be 
expressed in prayer is not stated. Wohl. notes Ignatius to 
Polycarp 5?: “It is fitting for men who marry and women who 
are married to unite themselves (τὴν ἕνωσιν ποιεῖσθαι) with 
the consent of the bishop ἵνα ὁ γάμος ἢ κατὰ κύριον Kal μὴ κατ᾽ 
ἐπιθυμίαν." The marriage is likewise to be “in honour”; 
that is, the woman is not a σκεῦος πορνείας but a σκεῦος γάμον 
τιμίου, and honour is due her as a person of worth (εἰδέναι). 


ti 


Iv, 4-6 I51I 


Paul’s statement touches only the principles; Tobit 81% is more 
specific. “Even were χτᾶσθαι taken as = ‘possess,’ a usage not quite 
impossible for later Greek, it would only extend the idea to the duties 
of a Christian husband” (Moff.). 


5. μὴ ἐν πάθει ἐπιθυμίας κτλ. Without connecting particle, 
the positive statement is further elucidated by a negative and 
the contrast between Pauline and pagan ideals of marriage 
sharply set forth: “not in the passion of lust as is the case with 
the Gentiles who do not recognise and obey the moral require- 
ments of God.” That pagan marriage was marked by the ab- 
sence of holiness and respect for the wife and by the presence of 
passionate lust is the testimony of one familiar with the facts, 
one who is “as good a source for the life of the people as any 
satirist” (Dob.). 


πάθος signifies any feeling; to 4 Mac. it consists of ἡδονῇ and πόνος; 
in Paul it is always used in a bad sense (Rom. 126 Col. 35). ἐπιθυμία in 
Paul has usually a bad sense, but sometimes a good sense (217 Phil. 123; 
of. κακὴ ἐπιθυμία, Col. 35). On καθάπερ xal, see 3% Ellicott, with his 
wonted exactness, notes the xef as having here “‘its comparative force 
and instituting a comparison between the Gentiles and the class im- 
plied in ἕκαστον ὑμῶν. On τὰ μὴ εἰδότα τὸν θεόν, a Lxx. phrase (Jer. 
1025 Ps. 78°), cf. II 18 Gal..48 τ Cor. 121, and contrast Rom. 1%. If the 
Thessalonians in their pagan state had held πορνεία to be sanctioned 
by religion, and had also considered πάθος ἐπιθυμίας to be compatible 
with honourable marriage, the clause with καθάπερ would be particularly 
telling. See Jowett, Il, 70 ff. ‘On the Connexion of Immorality and 
Idolatry.” 


6. τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν καὶ πλεονεκτεῖν, “Τὸ prevent (τὸ μή) 
any one of you (sc. τινὰ ὑμῶν from ἕκαστον ὑμῶν, v.*) from dis- 
regarding and taking advantage of his brother in the matter.” 
Just as appreciation of the wife (εἰδέναι) is tacitly regarded as 
a preventive of fornication (ἀπέχεσθαι), so pure and honoura- 
ble marriage (κτᾶσθαι) is expressly (τὸ μή) regarded as prevent- 
ing the invasion (ὑπερβαίνειν) of the sanctity of the brother’s 
home. 


The meaning of τὸ μῇ is uncertain. Many take it as final in the sense 
of τοῦ μή (Schmiedel) or ὥστε (Lft.); others regard it as not merely 
parallel to the anarthrous εἰδέναι but as reverting “to the preceding 


152 


I THESSALONIANS 


ἁγιασμός, of which it presents a specific exemplification more immediately 
suggested by the second part of v. 4” (Ell); Dob., who inclines to the 
view of Ell., concludes that the article indicates the beginning of a new 
and second main point, the matter of dishonesty in business; Dibelius 
suggests that the article is merely a cesura in delivery, designed to show 
that the μή is not parallel to the μμῇ in v. δ, but the beginning of a new 
clause. On the other hand, τὸ μὴ (cf. 3°) may be due to the idea of hin- 
dering implied in the clause with χτᾶσθαι, a clause thus to be closely 
connected with τὸ μὴ ὑπερβαίνειν χτλ., as indeed the asyndetical con- 
struction itself suggests. In classical Greek, τὸ μή is used with many 
verbs and expressions which denote or even imply hindrance or preven- 
tion (GMT. 811, where inter alia the following are noted: Aschylus, 
Agam. 15: φόβος παραστατεῖ τὸ μὴ βλέφαρα συμβαλεῖν ὕπνῳ (“stands 
by to prevent my closing my eyes in sleep”); and Soph. Antig. 544: 
μῆτοι, μ᾽ ἀτιμάσῃς τὸ μὴ οὐ θανεῖν). In this case there is no reason for 
assuming a change of subject in v. 5.--ὁ περβαίνειν, only here in N. T., 
is used in the Lxx. literally, “cross over” (2 Reg. 2239 Pr. 9!8 A), “pass 
by” (2 Reg. 18% Job 9"); and metaphorically “surpass” (3 Mac. 6%), 
“leave unnoticed,” “disregard” (Mic. 718: ἐξαίρων ἀνομίας χαὶ ὑπερ- 
βαίνων ἀσεβείας). Since the meaning “disregard” suits perfectly here 
(cf. Ell. who notes Isaeus 385 4334 and other passages), it is unneces- 
sary to take ὑπερβαίνειν absolutely, or to supply, instead of the natural 
object τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, cither ὅριον or νόμον (see Wetstein, who also 
quotes Jerome: concessos fines praclergredicns nuptiarum). πλεονεχ- 
πεῖν occurs elsewhere in Gk. Bib. apart from Paul (2 Cor. 2" 72 12111.) 
only Judg. 44 Ezek. 2257 Hab. 2°; it means “get the advantage of,” 
“defraud,” the context not the word itself indicating the nature of 
the advantage taken, whether in money, as usually in Paul, or not 
(2 Cor. 2"). Here the object of greediness (cf. πλεονεξία, 2°) is the 
brother’s wife as the context as a whole and ἐν τῷ πράγματι par- 
ticularly suggest. 


ἐν τῷ πράγματι. “In the matter,” “the meaning of which is 
sufficiently defined by the context” (Lft.), as in 2 Cor. γι. It 
is probable that the phrase is not a specific reference either to 
πορνεία, as if the article were anaphoristic, or to μοιχεία, as if 


the 
“ce a 


article referred to the matter immediately in hand, but is 
euphemistic generalisation for all sorts of uncleanness” 


(Lillie), as wept πάντων τούτων in this clause and ἀκαθαρσία in 


nae 


suggest. 


τῷ, not the enclitic τῳ, which is without parallel in the N. T., is to be 
read.—xpayua like res and 737 is a euphemism for anything abominable. 
Wetstcin cites in point not only 2 Cor. 7" but also Aischines, Timarch. 


Iv, 6 153 


132 ff. and Iszeus, de hacred. Cironis, 44; cf. also Pirque Aboth 5% and 
Taylor’s note.—In this connection it may be noted that many commen- 
tators (e. g. Calv. Grot. De W. Liin. Born. Vincent, Wohl. Dob.) deny 
the view of Chrys. Th. Mops. Bengel, and most English interpreters (see 
the names in Lillie) that Paul in vv. 3Ρ-8 is referring solely to impurity, 
and assert, either on the ground that Vulg. translates ἐν τῷ πράγματι 
by in negotio or that Paul frequently associates uncleanness with avarice 
(cf. Test. xii, Benj. 5! ἄσωτοι and οἱ πλεονεχτοῦντες), that with τὸ μή 
a new point begins, dishonesty in. business (cf. especially Dob. Die 
_urchristlichen Gemeinden, 1902, 283). Inthis view, πρᾶγμα = “business”; 
and the article is either anaphoristic, if with Born. and Vincent χτᾶσθαι 
= “to do business,” or generic, business in general. Against this opin- 
ion is the consideration that “no other adequate example of πρᾶγμα in 
this sense in the singular has been produced” (Mill.). To obviate this 
consideration, Dibelius looks beyond 1 Cor. 6! (πρᾶγμα ἔχειν) to the 
papyri for πρᾶγμα in the sense of “case” at court, without explaining 
τῷ, and refers v. δ to disputes: “nicht Uebergriffe machen und beim Zwist 
den Bruder tibervorteilen.’—To interpret v.* of sexual immorality is 
considered forced exegesis by Calv. and Dob. On the other hand, ΕἸ]. 
pertinently remarks: “To regard the verse as referring to fraud and 
covetousness in the general affairs of life is to infringe on the plain mean- 
ing of τῷ πράγματι; to obscure the reference to the key-word of the 
paragraph ἀκαθαρσία (ν. 7); to mar the contextual symmetry of the 
verses; and to introduce an exegesis so frigid and unnatural as to make 
us wonder that such good names should be associated with an interpre- 
tation seemingly so improbable.” 


τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ. Not neighbour in general, not both neigh- 
bour and Christian brother, but simply the Christian brother is 
meant. Obviously the point is not that it is permissible thus to 
wrong an outsider, but that it is unspeakable thus to wrong a 
brother in Christ. Zanchius (apud Poole) compares aptly 1 Cor. 
68: ἀδικεῖτε Kal τοῦτο ἀδελφούς. 

6>-8. With διότι, yap (ν. 1) and τοιγαροῦν (ν. 8), Paul passes 
to motives for obeying these commands, not his but God’s com- 
mands. First he appeals, as he had done before when he was 
with them, to the sanction of the judgment when Christ will 
punish all these sins of the flesh (v. Ὁ). Next he reminds them 
that God’s call had a moral end in view, holiness (v. 7). Finally 
he points out that the indwelling, consecrating Spirit, the gift of 
God, is the resident divine power in the individual, so that dis- 
obedience strikes not at the human but at the divine (v. ὃ). 


154 I THESSALONIANS 


διότι ἔκδικος κτλ. διότι = “because” as in 2%. As asanction 
for present obedience to the will of God as specified in vy. >-%, 
Paul points to the future judgment (2 Cor. 5!°, Rom. 14:9), 
κύριος is not θεός (GF) but Christ (913), as the emphatic ὁ θεός 
(vv. 7’) intimates. He is the one who inflicts punishment di- 
rectly or indirectly (cf. II 15), the avenger (ἔκδικος) “for all these 
things,” that is, for fornication, adultery, and all such unclean- 
ness. 


ἔχδιχος means here, as always in Gk. Bib. (Rom. 13 Sir. 30 Sap. 12" 
4 Mac. 157°; cf. ἐχδιχητής Ps. 85), “avenger.” This characterisation 
of God is so common in the Lxx. (ἐχδιχῶν or ποιῶν ἐχδίχησιν, Ps. 988 
Nah. 1? Mic. 515, etc.), that the phrase ἔχδιχος χύριος here need not 
be a literary allusion to Ps. 931: 6 θεὸς ἐχδιχήσεων χύριος, ὃ θεὸς ἐχδιχή- 
σεων. 


καθὼς καὶ προείπαμεν κτὰ. Paul tactfully reminds them, 
as in vv. 1-2, that this eschatological sanction is not new to them. 
When he was with them he had “predicted” and “solemnly 
affirmed” that Christ would avenge all manner of unchastity. 
Apparently neither the temptation nor the exhortation was new. 
But whether Timothy had brought news of the yielding to temp- 
tation in some case or cases, since Paul’s departure, as ὁ ἀθετῶν 
(v. 8) rather strongly intimates, or whether the exhortation is 
simply prophylactic, is uncertain. 


On the comparative xat (A omits) after χαθώς, see 34; the xa after 
ὑμῖν is the simple copula; on the position of ὑμῖν, of. v. 1 ἐρωτῶμεν ὑμᾶς. 
προείπαμεν (cf. Gal. 5%! where it is contrasted with προλέγω) is predictive 
as in 34; on the mixed aorist (AKL read προείπομεν), see Bl. 211. dta- 
μαρτύρεσθαι, only here in Paul but common elsewhere in Gk. Bib., is 
possibly stronger than μαρτύρεσθαι (212; but cf. Kennedy, Sources, 37); 
it means either “call to witness” (Jer. 39! #* Deut. 4° 31°) or “solemnly 
affirm or protest”; cliam apud Att. notio testes invocandi cvanescit 
(Blass on Acts 2*°). 


7. ov yap ἐκάλεσεν KT. The yap, parallel to διότι (v. ὃ), in- 
troduces a second motive for obedience, the moral goal of God’s 
call. ‘For God called us Christians not that we should be im- 
pure (ἐπί denoting the purpose or object) but that we should be 
holy” (ἐν indicating the state of holiness resulting from the call- 


Iv, 6-8 155 


ing). Such being the moral purpose of the call, it would be sin 
to disregard these commands which express God’s will. 


On χαλεῖν, which is mediated by the preaching of the gospel (II 2"), 
see 212; on ἀκαθαρσία, which sums up περὶ πάντων τούτων, see 25. ἁγι- 
ἀσμός is here, as in v.‘, holiness, the state of those whom God con- 
secrates to himself through the Spirit. ἐπί indicates either the condition 
or basis on which, or the “object or purpose for which, they were (not) 
called” (Ell.); cf. Gal. 513 Eph. 21° and Bl. 433; also Sap. 223 6 θεὸς 
ἔχτισεν toy ἄνθρωπον ἐπ᾽ ἀφθαρσίᾳ (Mill.). ἐν is not for εἰς (Piscator) 
but is a “natural abbreviation for ὥστε εἶναι ἐν ἁγιασμῷ as the sense 
requires” (Lft. who notes Eph. 45). For ἐν introducing the result of 
χαλεῖν, Col. 315 is pertinent. Other expositors (6. g. Bengel, Hofmann, 
Riggenbach, Wohl. Dob.) understand ἁγιασμός as an act of God and 
éy as indicating the essential character of the call. 


8. τουγαροῦν. With τοιγαροῦν, “therefore,” “consequently,” 
Paul draws a sharp inference from vv.*’. Since the specific 
commands, making for a consecration that is moral, are the ex- 
press will of God who not only judges but calls unto holiness, he 
that sets aside these injunctions sets aside not man but God, 
the God who through his Spirit is the energising, consecrating 
power in the hearts of the believers. 


As in Is. 212 (ὃ ἀθετῶν ἀθετεῖ, ὃ dvoudy ἀνομεῖ), so here the present 
participle is timeless and equivalent to a substantive, “the rejecter,” 
“the despiser.” The omission of the object (Vulg. qui haec spernit) 
serves to “call attention not so much to what is set at naught as to the 
person who sets at naught” (Ell.). The omission of the article before 
ἄνθρωπον suggests a reference not to man generically nor to some par- 
ticular man (6. g. tov ἀδελφόν who has been wronged), but to any in- 
dividual, with perhaps a “latent reference to the Apostle” (ΕἸ].; cf. 
Dob. who compares 2 Cor. 12?) who was God’s spokesman. The con- 
trast between man and God is unqualified (cf. 213 Gal. 11° Exod. 168 
1 Reg. 87); it is not a man’s will but God’s will that is here in question. 
τοιγαροῦν, elsewhere in N. T. only Heb. 12! and a dozen times in Lxx., 
is similar to but stronger than διὰ τοῦτο (21%), διό (31) or ὥστε (418), 
and like these introduces a logical conclusion from a preceding discus- 
sion. Usually it begins the sentence (Heb. 12! Job 221°; cf. Epictetus); 
sometimes it is the second word (4 Mac. 1315 174 Job 24%, etc.). ἀθετεῖν 
(cf. Soph. Lex. sub voc.) is a late Gk. word common in Lxx.; it signifies 
“put away,” “set aside”; hence “reject,” “spurn,” “despise” (cf. 
Jude 8 with 2 Pet. 21°). 


156 I THESSALONIANS 


τὸν διδόντα κτλ. “Who puts his Spirit, the holy, consecrating 
Spirit into you,” that is, εἰς τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν (Gal. 4°). This 
addition, phrased in language reminiscent of the Lxx. (cf. Ezek. 
374: καὶ δώσω τὸ πνεῦμά μου εἰς ὑμᾶς Kal ζήσεσθε), is a 
tacit reminder that they as well as Paul are ἐν κυρίῳ (vy. 1) 
and as such responsible for their conduct not to Paul but to God 
who dwells in them by Christ or the Spirit. Three points are evi- 
dent in this appended characterisation of God, each of them in- 
timating a motive for obedience. (1) Not only is God the one 
who calls and judges, he is also the one who graciously puts into 
their hearts his Spirit whose presence insures their blamelessness 
in holiness when the Lord comes (313). In gratitude for this 
divine gift, they should be loyally obedient. (2) This indwelling 
Spirit is a power unto holiness, a consecrating Spirit. Devotion 
to God must consequently be ethical. (3) The Spirit is put not 
εἰς ἡμᾶς (A) “into us Christians” collectively, but εἰς ὑμᾶς 
“into you” Thessalonians, specifically. Hence each of them is 
individually responsible to God who by the Spirit is resident 
in them. In despising, the individual despises not a man but 


God. 


διδόντα (BNDEGFI) is a general present participle and timeless; it 
describes God as the giver of the Spirit (cf. ὁ χαλῶν ὑμᾶς, 2"). δόντα 
(AKL, Vulg.) is due to ἐχάλεσεν (v. 7; cf. NA in 21:3, χαλέσαντος); the 
aorist points to the time when God gave (Rom. 5° 2 Cor. 1 5*) or sent 
(Gal. 4°) the Spirit into their hearts. The new point emphasised by 
τὸν διδόντα is made explicit by SDGFKL, Vulg. et al., which insert xat 
after τόν (cf. SGP in II 2" which read καί before ἐκάλεσεν, and A in IT 38 
which inserts καί before στηρίξει). Here BAEI omit καί, as do BADKL 
in II 2:4 and NBD and most in 3%. In our passage, most textual critics 
including Weiss (112) insert xaf; but WH. do not allow it even as an 
alternative reading. The phrase διδόναι πνεῦμα εἴς τινα is apparently 
found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Ezek. 37%, For διδόναι πνεῦμά τινι, 
of. Rom. 55 118 2 Cor. 55 Eph. 117; Is. 425; for διδόνας πνεῦμα ἔν τινι, 
of. 2 Cor. 1 3 Reg. 2233 Ezek. 30636Π. 4 Reg. τοῦ 2 Ch. 18%; for διδόναι 
πνεῦμα ἐπί τινα, cf. Num. 1139 15. 421. The εἰς is for dative or for ἐν; 
“give to be in,” “put in.”—The whole phrase τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον 
is unusual in Paul; he uses, indeed, τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ (Rom. 8"), τὸ ἅγιον 
πνεῦμα (2 Cor. 13"), and τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τοῦ θεοῦ (Eph. 4%; cf. 
113 and Is. 63"); but more often he has simply πνεῦμα ἅγιον (156, etc.; 
Ps. Sol. 17). On the phrase here, cf. Ps. 1421°: τὸ πνεῦμά cou τὸ ἅγιον, 


Iv, 8-9 157 


and Is. 631°: αὐτοὶ δὲ ἠπείθησαν χαὶ παρώξυναν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ. 
Paul’s emphasis on τὸ ἅγιον is especially appropriate to the theme 
ἁγιασμός, consecration which is ethical as well as religious. Some codices 
(AI) put αὐτοῦ before πνεῦμα. 


(3) Love to the Brothers (431%). 


_ As the exhortation to ethical consecration (vv. *§) recalls 
ἀμέμπτους ἐν ἁγιωσύνῃ (313), so the new point “concerning love 
to the brothers” recalls περισσεύσαι TH ἀγάπῃ εἰς ἀλλήλους 
(32). The form in which the new section (δέ) is introduced, 
περὶ δὲ τῆς φιλαδελφίας, suggests (cf. x Cor. γ35 81 12! 161 (2 
Cor. 9!) 16”) that the Thessalonians had written Paul expressly 
for advice in this matter. They would scarcely have done so, 
if there had been no disturbing elements in the brotherhood, 
namely, as vv. 190-12 intimate, idleness on the part of some lead- 
ing'to poverty and meddlesomeness in the affairs of the brother- 
hood. In his reply, Paul at first says (vv. *1%) that it is unneces- 
sary for him to write anything about the matter because they 
have been taught of God to love one another and are, moreover, 
practising this love among the brethren not only at home but 
throughout all Macedonia. This excellent practice, however, 
does not prohibit his exhorting them not simply in general to 
abound the more in brotherly love (περισσεύειν μᾶλλον) but also 
in particular to be tranquil in mind, to attend to their own affairs, 
and work with their hands (vv. 11-2), any more than the fact that 
they were walking so as to please God (v. 1) prevented his urging 
them not simply in general to abound the more in such walking 
(ἵνα περισσεύητε μᾶλλον) but also in particular to abstain from 
fornication, etc. (vv. +8). To affirm, as some do, that although 
vy. 1-12 are closely joined syntactically with vv. *' yet exe- 
gesis is not justified in joining them materially appears to miss 
not only the obvious connection of the two sections but also the 
parallelism of approach already observed between vv. δ and 
vv. 13. It is for convenience only that we subdivide into Love 
to Brothers (421) and Idleness (41%). 

%Vow concerning love to the brothers, you have no need of our 
writing to you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love another ; 


158 I THESSALONIANS 


10in, fact you are also doing it toward all the brothers who are in the 
whole of Macedonia. 

9. φιλαδελφίας. The brother who is the object of love is 
not the brother by birth, nationality, or alliance, but the brother 
ἐν Χριστῷ: Affection for the brotherhood (1 Pet. 2!7) does not 
exclude ἀγάπη εἰς πάντας (3%), 


In the Lxx. (4 Mac. 13%-2¢ 141) as in classical Gk. φιλαδελφία (cf. 
also φιλάδελφος 2 Mac. 1514) designates love of the brother by birth 
(cf. ἀδελφότης of the brotherhood by alliance in 1 Mac. 1219. 1"); in the 
N. T. it denotes always love of the Christian brother (Rom. 1219 Heb. 13! 
1 Pet. 1% 2 Pet. 17; cf. 1 Clem. 475 481). See Kennedy, Sources, 95 f. 


ov χρείαν ἔχετε κτὰ. “You have no need that we (sc. ἡ μᾶς) 
write to you.” The explanation of this “simple statement of 
fact” (Mill.) is then introduced by γάρ. But instead of saying, 
“for you yourselves know how to love one another” (cf. 5!) or 
“for we know that you are loving one another”’ (cf. 2 Cor. 9°), 
he says “for you yourselves (αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς contrasting with 
ἡ μᾶς understood before γράφειν) are taught of God to love one 
another,” thus resuming the point made in v. ὃ that it is not the 
apostles who teach but God speaking by the indwelling Spirit or 
Christ. In virtue of this divine inspiration, they are θεοδίδακτοι 
(Barn. 21°), that is, διδακτοὶ θεοῦ (Is. 541) or ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ (Ps. 
Sol. 17%°). 


ἡμᾶς (Riggenbach) not τινά or ἐμέ is to be supplied before γράφειν. 
The difficulty created by γράφειν instead of γράφεσθαι (51) may ac- 
count for the reading ἔχετε γράφεσθαι (H, et al.; cf. 5.) and ἔχομεν γρά- 
φειν (DGF, εἰ al.; cf. 1°). B (cf. am. habuimus) has εἴχομεν, which may 
suggest (Dob.) that Paul had already written a letter, and that he 
now justifies his failure to mention therein φιλαδελφία. If εἴχομεν, how- 
ever interpreted, is original (so Weiss), then ἔχομεν is a correction 
aad ἔχετε a conformation to 5! as H shows. I seems to read erye [τε 
ea] gtv. Most editors read ἔχετε with SAHKL, εἰ al., and γράφειν with 
most uncials. θεοδίδαχτος occurs only here in Gk. Bib.; Lft. notes 
it in the later Barn. 21%, Athenag. Leg. 11 and Theoph. ad Autol. 2°. 
On compounds with θεο-, cf. Rom. 139 2 Tim. 3152 Mac. 6" and Ignatius. 
For the idea, see Is. 54% Jn. 645 Jer. 31%. εἰς τό limits θεοδίδαχτοι 
(cf. Phil. 1:3 and BMT. 413). On the characteristic Johannine ἀγαπᾷν 
ἀλλήλους, cf. Rom. 138 1 Pet. 13, 








IV. 671g 159 


10. καὶ yap ποιεῖτε κτλ. “For you are also doing it,” that 
is, τὸ ἀγαπᾷν ἀλλήλους. With Kal γάρ (3%), Paul “confirms 
the statement that they had already been divinely instructed in 
regard to it” (Lillie) and strengthens the reason for ov χρείαν 
ἔχετε (v.°). Two points are in mind (cf. 18): (x) not only are 
they taught it, they also practise it; (2) they practise it not only 
at home but also throughout all Macedonia. These two points 
are so combined that the proof of love at home is found in the 
love exhibited toward all the Macedonian Christians, an argu- 
ment from the greater to the less (Calvin). 


On ποιεῖν εἷς, cf. τ Cor. τοῦ. B alone puts a xat before εἷς, marking 
the advance from ἀλλήλους to πάντας. ΒΚΙΗ (Ὁ) repeat τούς after 
ἀδελφούς (cf. 18 21); SADGF, ef al., omit; it is hard to tell whether it has 
been inserted as an improvement of style (Zim. Dob.) or whether it is 
original, the omission being due to partial haplography; cf. Phile. 6 

᾿ἀγαθοῦ tod (AC omit τοῦ). ὅλῃ may be enthusiastic (cf. 17-8), but Thes- 

salonica as well as Philippi and Bercea may have been a centre of in- 
fluence for Macedonia as a whole; cf. 2 Cor. 1! τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ 
*Ayatg. Thedisposition to love all the Macedonian Christians may have 
expressed itself both in hospitality to visiting brothers, Philippians, 
Berceans, and others (Dob.), and “in ministering to the necessity of 
other churches” (McGiffert, EB. 5041). Mill. (XLVI) quotes a re- 
mark of Jerome, in his commentary on Galatians (Migne, PL. 26, 356), 
that reveals the charitable disposition of the Macedonians of his day: 
Macedones in charitate laudantur et hospitalite ac susceptione fratrum. 


(4) Idleness (41-12), 


Though the readers are practising brotherly love, yet (δέ) 
Paul urges them both generally “to abound the more” (ς΄. v. 1) 
in that virtue, and specifically “to strive to be calm, and to mind 
their own business, and to work with their hands.” This last 
injunction at least (ἐργάζεσθαι) is not new (cf. IL 319), as he 
forthwith proceeds to add (καθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγγείλαμεν; cf. 
v. 2); it is repeated here (v. 1) to the end (1) that the readers 
may behave themselves becomingly, having in mind the opinion 
of non-Christians, and (2) that they may be dependent on no 
one for support. 

Precisely what the situation is to which Paul speaks, beyond 


160 I THESSALONIANS 


the fact that it has to do with brotherly love, is not clear. It 
may be assumed that the belief in the coming of the Lord had 
created in the minds of some of the converts a feeling of restless- 
ness and excitement which manifested itself outwardly in idle- 
ness and meddlesomeness in the affairs of the brotherhood. The 
idlers, we may imagine, being in want, had asked support from 
the church, and being refused on the ground that they were able 
to support themselves, had attempted to interfere in the affairs 
of the group. The peace of the brotherhood was disturbed and 
Christianity was falling into disrepute with unbelievers. Being 
in doubt as to how brotherly love was to be exhibited in such a 
case, the leaders wrote Paul for advice. 


The clue to the interpretation of vy. 1-1? is given in II 361 without 
which our verses would remain obscure. But neither I nor II tells us 
precisely wherein the meddlesomeness, alluded to in πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια 
and expressed in περιεργάζεσθαι (II 3"), consists. For idleness, while 
it naturally leads to poverty and to demands upon the brotherhood for 
support (Theodoret, Estius, Lft.), does not of itself involve interference 
with the affairs of the church. But as the position of πράσσειν τὰ 
ἴδια before ἐργάζεσθαι intimates, meddlesomeness, the result of idleness, 
is the disturbing factor. Some light may be thrown on the situa- 
tion by hints given in 54-. In 512-13, for example, the readers are 
urged to appreciate the worth of (εἰδέναι as v.*) “those who labour 
among you,” those, namely, who act as leaders and function as νουθε- 
τοῦντες; and to regard them highly in love on account of their work. 
Furthermore, the readers are commanded to be at peace not with 
them, but among themselves; and also to warn the idlers (5). In 
5'* they are exhorted not to quench the operations of the Spirit, not 
to despise the gift of prophecy; and again are bidden to test all sorts of 
charismata, holding fast to such as make for edification and holding 
aloof from every evil kind of charismata. In ς᾽ the God of peace is in- 
voked; and in 5?’ this letter is ordered read to all the brethren. From 
these statements we may surmise that the idlers (ot ἄταχτοι, 5) are 
the disturbing element in the brotherhood, their idleness being due to a 
religious cause, namely, the excitement occasioned by the expectancy 
of the coming of the Lord. They became poor and asked “the workers 
among them” for assistance, only to be refused on the ground that the 
applicants were able but unwilling to support themselves, and were thus 
acting in direct violation of what Paul had taught (IT 31°: εἴ τις οὐ θέλει 
ἐργάζεσθαι: μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω, a passage which suggests that χαθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγ- 
γείλαμεν (I 4") is to be restricted to ἐργάζεσθαι). The leaders were 


IV, LO-1& 161 


probably not tactful, as εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς (513) implies and II 315. 16 
confirms. Possibly the demand of the idlers was made “in the Spirit,” 
on the analogy of Did. 111: ὃς δ’ ἂν εἴπῃ ἐν xvebuate’ Δός μοι ἀργύρια 
ἢ ἕτερά τινα, οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε αὐτοῦ. Such a misuse of spiritual gifts may 
well have led “the workers among you”’ to distrust the validity of the 
χαρίσματα; in which case the exhortation in 519-23 is ad hoc. The in- 
vocation of the God of peace in 535 is pertinent; the solemn adjuration 
that the letter be read to ail the brethren intimates that some of the 
idlers had asserted that they would give no heed to the epistolary in- 


junctions of Paul, a suggestion confirmed by II 3 17, 


1obWe urge you, however, brothers to abound the more, “and to 
strive to be calm and to mind your own business, and to work with 
your hands as we charged you, 1317: order that you may behave your- 
selves becomingly in reference to the unbelievers and may have need 
of no one to support you. 

11. φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἡσυχάζειν. “Strive to be calm.” Paul 
recognises that the source of meddlesomeness and idleness is 
inward, the excitement created in the minds of some by the ex- 
pectation that the day of the Lord was at hand. With Lam. 376 
he might have said: “It is good that a man should hope and 
quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” (Lxx.: καὶ ὑπομενεῖ 
καὶ ἡσυχάσει εἰς TO σωτήριον κυρίου). Inward tranquillity 
once restored, outward idleness and meddlesomeness would cease. 


ἡσυχάζειν, only here in Paul, is used elsewhere in Gk. Bib. to denote 
silence after speech (Acts 1118), rest after labour (Lk. 2355), peace after 
war (Judg. 3", etc.), and the like; also tranquillity or peace of mind, the 
antithesis being expressed (Job 326 Pr. 1% Is. 74) or implied (Ex. 244 
Lam. 325 and here); cf. IT 3:2: μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐργαζόμενοι. Many com- 
mentators, influenced doubtless by Plato’s Rep. VI, 496 D, where the 
philosopher retires from public life and pursues his studies in retirement 
ἡσυχίαν ἔχων χαὶ τὰ αὑτοῦ πράττων (cf. Dio Cass. 6027: thy ἡσυχίαν 
ἄγων χαὶ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πράττων), find the opposite of ἣἡσυχάζειν implied 
in the opposite of πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια and interpret ἡσυχάζειν objectively 
as leading the quiet life after busying themselves with affairs not their 
own, as, for example, entering into public life, discussing the Parousia 
in the market-place and elsewhere, and thus bringing the Christian 
circle into discredit with the Gentiles (Zwingli, Koppe, Schott, Dob. 
and others). But the Thessalonians are not philosophers but working 
people, and the context (περὶ τῆς φιλαδελφίας) points to church rather 


than to public affairs. 
Tr 


162 i THESSALONIANS 


φιλοτιμεῖσθαι occurs elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Rom. 15%° 2 Cor. 59 
and 4 Mac. 1%* (A). In later Gk. it is used absolutely in the sense “love 
honour,” “be ambitious,” or “act with public spirit” (Mill.); and with 
a complementary infinitive in the sense of “strive,” “be eager,” “try” 
(so in papyri (Mill.); cf. Polyb. I, 832, where φιλοτιμεῖσθαι is balanced 
by ποιεῖσθαι μεγάλην σπουδήν). The meaning here = σπουδάζειν in 217; 
see Wetstcin, ad loc. and SH. on Rom. 152%. On the Pauline phrase 
παραχαλοῦμεν.. .. ἀδελφοί, cf. 5 Rom. 1539 1617 x Cor. 119 1615; also I 512 
IT 21: (where ἐρωτῶμεν (v. 1) takes the place of παραχαλοῦμεν). With 
παραχαλεῖν, Paul uses the ἵνα clause (v.! II 3%); or the infinitive, 
either alone or with εἰς τό (2:1) or τὸ μή (3%); or the imperative (5% 
1 Cor. 4:5). 


πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια καὶ ἐργάζεσθαι κτὰ. The outward expres- 
sion of inward restlessness was meddlesomeness and idleness. 
Paul refers first not to idleness but to meddlesomeness (7reptep- 
γάζεσθαι 11 3") because in this case the disturbing element in 
the peace of the brotherhood was not simply that some were 
idle and in their want had asked support from the church, but 
also that, being refused, they had attempted to interfere in the 
management of its affairs. Furthermore, in putting second 
ἐργάζεσθαι, the cause of meddlesomeness, he seems to intimate 
that καθὼς ὑμῖν παρηγγείλαμεν is to be taken not with all 
three preceding infinitives (ἡσυχάζειν, πράσσειν, and ἐργά- 
ζεσθαι) but solely with the last, as indeed the clause of purpose 
v. % (especially μηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε) and the parallel II 31° 
(εἴ τις -οὐ θέλει ἐργάζεσθαι μηδὲ ἐσθιέτω) suggest. To meet 
this situation, he urges first that they attend to their own affairs 
and not interfere with the affairs of the church; and second, re- 
peating an injunction already given, that they work with their 
hands, that is, support themselves instead of begging assistance 
from the church (μηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε, v. 12). 


πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια is unique in the Gk. Bib. but common in the classics 
(see Wetstein); cf. μὴ πολυπραγμονεῖν (Plato, Rep. IV, 433 A) and 
ἰδιοπραγεῖν (Soph. Lex.). GF. read πράττειν. ἐργάζεσθαι ταῖς χερσίν 
(x Cor. 413 Eph. 428; cf. Sap. τ517) denotes manual labour; but whether 
skilled or unskilled is not certain. Influenced by ἴδια (Weiss, 91), 
AKL, et al., prefix ἰδίαις to χερσίν, an unnecessary insertion in view 
of ὑμῶν. In τ Cor. 4" Eph. 42%, where ὑμῶν fails, ἰδίαις is to be read, 
though B omits it in Eph. 48. 


ΤΥ: LI=T2 163 


12. ἵνα περιπατῆτε κτλ. The purpose of παρακαλοῦμεν js 
twofold, (1) that the converts may behave themselves becom- 
ingly with a view to the opinion of non-Christians (τοὺς ἔξω), 
the point being that the idleness of some of the Christians tended 
to bring Christianity into discredit with the unbelievers; and 
(2) that they may have need of no one to support them, the point 
being that they should support themselves instead of trespassing 
on the hospitality of the church. 


Ell. thinks that ἵνα περιπατῆτε εὐσχημόνως refers mainly to jovydCery 
and πράσσειν, and μιηδενὸς χρείαν ἔχητε refers to ἐργάζεσθαι. This ref- 
erence is due to the fact that ἡσυχάζειν is interpreted as leading a 
quiet life after a bustling interest in public affairs. Ewald and Dob. 
take the clause with ἵνα as the object of παρηγγείλαμεν; but the 
change from the infinitives to ἵνα after παρακαλοῦμεν strongly intimates 
that Paul is passing from the object to the purpose of the exhortation 
(of. τ Cor. 10#!-: γίνεσθε... xaos... ἵνα). εὐσχημόνως, which is used 
elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only Rom. 13" (περιπατεῖν) and τ Cor. 14% 
(parallel to χατὰ τάξιν), denotes “becomingly,” “honestly” in the sense 
of honeste, so that no exception can be taken; cf. Epictetus, Diss. II, 53 
εὐσχημόνως ἀνεστράφης. οἱ ἔξω in Paul (x Cor. 512f- Col. 45) indicates 
non-Christians, irrespective of race (contrast οἱ ἔσω, 1 Cor. 5). The 
Jews had a similar designation for non-Jews; cf. ot ἔξωθεν (Josephus, 
Ant. 15316; also τ Tim. 3”) and οἱ ἐχτός (Sir. prol.); and see Schéttgen 
on τ Cor. 512 and Levy, Neuhebr. τι. Chald. Worterbuch on y13.n. πρός 
= “with an eye to,” as in Col. 45; not coram, “in the eyes οἵ." On the 
gender of μηδενός, Vorstius (apud Poole) remarks: “ perinde est sive 
urndevoc in neut. gen. sive in masc. accipias.” Nor does it matter logically, 
for in either case the reference is to dependence upon the brotherhood 
for support. Grammatically, the usage of χρείαν ἔχειν is inconclusive; 
contextually, the masculine is probable (τοὺς ἔξω); Vulg. has nullius 
aliquid. 


(5) The Dead in Christ (4). 


This section is separated from the previous paragraphs “con- 
cerning brotherly love” (vv. 5:12) but is closely related to the 
following question ‘‘concerning times and seasons”’ (514), as the 
repetition of ἅμα σύν (ν. 17) in 51° intimates. The faint-hearted 
(οἱ ὀλιγόψυχοι 5!) are anxious both about their dead (4!*18) 


and about their own salvation (51:1). 
Since Paul’s departure, one or more of the Thessalonian Chris- 


164 I THESSALONIANS 


tians had died. The brethren were in grief not because they did 
not believe in the resurrection of the saints, but because they 
feared that their dead would not have the same advantages as 
the survivors when the Lord came. Their perplexity was due 
not simply to the Gentile difficulty of apprehending the meaning 
of resurrection, but also to the fact that Paul had not when he 
was with them discussed explicitly the problem of the relation 
of survivors to dead at the Parousia. Since they had received 
no instruction on this point (contrast vv. 12: δ: % 1 5%), they 
write to Paul for advice “concerning the dead.” 


That the question is not: Will the Christians who die before the 
| Parousia be raised from the dead? but: Will the Christians who die 
before the Parousia be at the Parousia on a level of advantage with 
the survivors? is made plain by the consideration that in v. 1" Paul says 
not ἐγερεῖ but ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ (which presupposes resurrection); and 
that he singles out for emphasis not only in v. * but also in the summa- 
rised agraphon (v. 15), in the explanation of v. 15 given in vv. 1517 (as far 
as ἀέρα), and in the consequence drawn in ν. 17 (xat οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν 
χυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα), not ἀναστήσονται but σὺν αὐτῷ (ν. 1), ἅμα σύν (v.17; 
cf. 515), and σὺν κυρίῳ (ν. 17). It may well be that during the previous 
seventeen or more years of Paul’s Christian career relatively few Chris- 
tians had died (cf. Acts 12%; also the death of Stephen when Paul was 
yet a Pharisee); but it is improbable that, because this passage is per- 
haps the first extant reference in Paul to the resurrection of believers, it 
is also the first time Paul had expressed himself, let alone reflected, on 
the subject; but see Lake, Exp. 1907, 494-507. In fact, if v.15 is to be 
accepted, Jesus himself had given his disciples to understand that the 
survivors would not anticipate the dead at his coming, thus intimating 
that some might die before he came (cf. Mk. 9'). 

Similar but not identical questions bothered the writers of the Apoca- 
lypse of Baruch and Fourth Ezra; but their answers differ from that of 
Paul. Baruch says (11°!-): “Announce in Sheol and say to the dead: 
Blessed are ye more than we who are living.” Ezra writes (1315 5.) 
that the seer first pronounces woe unto the survivors and more woe unto 
the dead, but concludes that it is better or happier for the survivors, a 
conclusion confirmed from on high with the words (1.332): “magis beatifict 
sunt qui derelicti super eos qui mortui sunt.” Paul’s encouraging word is 
that living and dead are at the Parousia on a level of advantage, ἅμα 
σύν (ν. 17 510), stmul cum. 


In replying to the request for information, Paul states that his 
purpose in relieving their ignorance is that they, unlike the non- 


IV, 13 165 


Christians who sorrow because they have no hope of being with 
Christ, should not sorrow at all. The reason for this striking 
utterance, already tacit in ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα (ν. 15), is first expressed 
in v. '! where from a subjective conviction, drawn from Chris- 
tian experience and hypothetically put: “if we believe, as of 
course we do, that Jesus died and rose again,” he draws directly 
an objective inference: ‘“‘so also God will lead on with Jesus 
those who died through him.” ‘This internal argument from the 
believers’ mystic experience in Christ, the main purpose of which 
is to prove that the saints will be σὺν αὐτῷ, is further strengthened 
by an appeal to the external authority of an unwritten word of 
the Lord, summarised in Paul’s language, to the effect that the 
surviving saints will not anticipate the dead at the Parousia 
(v. 15). Then in apocalyptic language, drawn from tradition but 
coloured with his own phraseology, Paul explains the word of 
the Lord by singling out such details in the procedure at the 
Parousia as bring to the forefront the point to be proved, ἅμα 
σὺν αὐτοῖς (vy. 1°17 as far as ἀέρα); and draws the conclusion, 
anticipated in v. 13, “and so we shall always be with the Lord.” 
Finally (v. 18), uniting conclusion with exhortation, he bids them 
not to be encouraged but to encourage one another with the very 
words he himself has used. 

13Vow as to those who sleep, brothers, we do not wish you to be 
im ignorance, that you may not grieve, as do the rest who have not 
hope. “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so also God will 
lead on those who fell asleep through Jesus along with him. '*For 
this that follows, we, the writers, tell you, not on our own authority 
but in a word of the Lord, namely, that we, the writers and our Chris- 
tian contemporaries, who live, that is, who survive until the coming 
of the Lord, shall by no means anticipate the dead; because the 
Lord himself ai a command, namely, at an archangel’s voice and a 
divine trumpet, will come down from heaven, and the dead who are 
im Christ will arise first of all; “then we the living, the survivors, 
will with them at the same time be caught and carried by means of 
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we shall be always with 
the Lord. 1550 then encourage one another with these words. 

13. ov θέλομεν δέ κτλ. With δέ and the affectionate ἀδελφοί, 


166 I THESSALONIANS 


Paul passes to a new section, “concerning the dead” in Christ, 
about which they had written (cf. v. 5) for instruction. The 
Pauline phrase that introduces the theme, οὐ θέλομεν δὲ ὑμᾶς 
ἀγνοεῖν, is negative in form but positive in meaning, as the 
clause with ἵνα μή (cf, Rom. 11°) demonstrates. 


This phrase, with some variation, is in the N. T. employed only by 
Paul and serves to emphasise a personal statement within a paragraph 
(Rom. 1'* 2 Cor. 15), or to introduce a new point in a new paragraph 
(Rom. r1*5 τ Cor. 10") or section (1 Cor. 121 and here). The positive 
form θέλω δὲ (γὰρ) ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι (x Cor. 11% Col. 21; cf. Phil. 1") is 
“very common in the papyri” (Mill.). The fact that the clause with 
οὐ θέλομεν in τ Cor. 12! precedes and here follows (cf. 2 Cor. 18) the 
clause with περί does not exclude the probability (see v.*) that the 
new point “concerning the dead,” unconnected as it is with the preced- 
ing “concerning brotherly love,”’ is a reply to a written request from the 
converts to Paul. 


τῶν κοιμωμένων, The present participle is probably timeless, 
“the sleepers,” that is, the dead, a euphemism not confined to 
Biblical writers. The word κοιμᾶσθαι itself does not throw light 
on the state of the Christian dead before the Parousia, but it is 
especially appropriate in Paul who considers the believers as 
being ἐν Χριστῷ not only before death and at death (1 Cor. 158), 
but also from death to the Parousia (v. 15 οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ). 
At the Parousia, they will be (v. 17) or will live (519) σὺν κυρίῳ, 
the ultimate goal of the Christian hope. 


“The designation of death as a sleep did not arise from the resurrec- 
tion hope; for it is found in books that were unacquainted with this 
hope” (Charles, Eschat. 127, note 1; cf. Volz, Eschat.134). As Paulis not 
here discussing the intermediate state, it is not certain from what he 
writes that he shared with Eth. Enoch 51! and 4 Ezra 7* the view that 
at death the body went to the grave and the soul to Sheol; or that he 
regarded the existence in Sheol as “ ein triibes Schattenleben”’ (Schmiedel). 
Clear only is it that in some sense, not defined, the dead as well as the 
living are under the power of the indwelling Christ (ἐν Χριστῷ).--- 
χοιμᾶσθαι in the N. T. as in the classics (see Liddell and Scott, sub voc.) 
and Lxx. (ς΄. κοιμᾶσθαι μετὰ τῶν πατέρων Gen. 4739 Deut. 31'* 2 Reg. 712 
1 Ch. 17", etc.; αἰώνιος κοίμιησις Sir. 4019) is frequently a euphemism 
for ἀποθνήσχειν; so also χαθεύδειν (519; Ps. 87° Dan. 12%); see es- 
pecially Kennedy, Last Things, 267 ff. KL (DG) read the perfect part. 





ΤΡ ΕΞ 107 


with τ Cor. 152°; 1912 reads the aorist with v. “and 1 Cor. 1518. The 
present is either timeless indicating a class, “the sleepers,” or it desig- 
nates the act of sleep as in progress (cf. x Cor. 1139); the aorist views 
the act of sleep as entered upon in the past without reference to its 
progress or completion; the perfect regards the act as completed in the 
past with the added notion of the existing state (see BMT. passim and 
cf. 2 Mac. 1244f-); in all cases οἱ vexeot are meant. 


iva μὴ λυπῆσθε KTA. The purpose of οὐ θέλομεν ἀγνοεῖν = 
θέλομεν εἰδέναι is stated without qualification, “that you do 
not grieve.” With καθὼς καί, a comparison is instituted which is 
also an antithesis: “as the non-Christians grieve (sc. λυποῦνται) 
who do not have, as you do, the hope of being with Christ.” 
Just as καθάπερ καί (ν. 5) does not mean, “in the same manner 
or degree of πάθος as the Gentiles,” so καθὼς καί here does not 
mean that the Christians are indeed to grieve but not in the same 
manner or degree as the unbelievers (cf. Theodoret, apud Swete: 
οὐ παντελῶς κωλύει τὴν λύπην, ἀλλὰ THY ἀμετρίαν ἐκβάλλει). 
Paul speaks absolutely, for death has a religious value to him, 
in that after a short interval the dead are brought to the goal of 
the Christian hope, σὺν αὐτῷ (cf. Phil. 1° 5.). In view of this 
glorious consummation, present grief, however natural, is ex- 


cluded (cf. Jn. 14°8). 


Tn the light of the context which lays stress not on resurrection as such 
but on being with Christ, it is probable that the hope which the unbe- 
lievers do not have is not resurrection or immortality as such but the 
hope of being with Christ. It is striking that Paul seems to overlook 
the belief in immortality exemplified in the mysteries “especially of 
the orphic circles, but also in the cult of Attis, Isis, and Mithra, per- 
haps in that of the Cabiri as well” (Dob. 188). This oversight may be 
due either to the fact that neither the Jewish nor the pagan hope is a 
hope of εἶναι σὺν Χριστῷ, or to the fact that he has chiefly in mind the 
despair of the common people among the pagans whose life and aspira- 
tions he knew so well. In the latter case, a second-century papyri con- 
firms Paul’s estimate: “Irene to Taonnophris and Philo, good comfort. 
I was as sorry (ἐλυπήθην) and wept over the departed one as I wept for 
Didymas. And all things whatsoever were fitting, I did, and all mine, 
Epaphroditus and Thermuthion and Philion and Apollonius and 
Plantas. But, nevertheless, against such things one can do nothing. 
Therefore comfort ye one another (παρηγορεῖτε οὖν Exutotc)”; see 
Deiss. Light, 164; and cf. Mill. Papyrz, 96, and Coffin, Creed of Jesus, 


168 I THESSALONIANS 


1907, 114-138. With this average pagan view may be contrasted the 
following from a contemporary Christian apologist, Aristides (noted by 
Dob.): ‘And if any righteous man among them passes from the world, 
they rejoice and offer thanks to God; and they escort the body as if he 
were setting out from one place to another near” (translation of D. M. 
Kay in Ante-Nicene Fathers, 1X, 277). ot λοιποί, used absolutely here 
and 5° Rom. 117 1 Cor. 713 1537 2 Cor. 13? Phil. 1", gets its meaning from 


""π 


the context; here it probably = οἱ ἔξω (ν. 1) and denotes non-Christians 
in general. On μὴ ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα, cf. Eph. 2:5; on xat in comparisons, 
rare after negations, cf. v.°; with λυπεῖσθαι (Rom. 1415 Eph. 4° 2 Cor. 
2°. 610 78.) indicating inward grief, contrast χλαίειν, θρηνεῖν, χόπ- 
τεσθαι and πενθεῖν (Lk. 675 8:3 2327), 


14, εἰ yap πιστεύομεν κτλ. The γάρ introduces the reason 
for ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε, already hinted at in ἔχοντες ἐλπίδα (ν. 1): 
“for if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so also God will lead 
on those who fell asleep through Jesus along with him.” The 
Greek sentence runs smoothly (cf. 18), but there is an obvious 
compression of thought. Since οὕτως καί in the apodosis sug- 
gests a comparison, Paul might have said: “As we are convinced 
that Jesus died and that God raised him from the dead, so also 
must we believe, since the indwelling Christ is the guarantee of 
the resurrection of the believer, that God will raise from the dead 
those who died through Jesus and will lead them on along with 
him.” There are, however, compensations in the compactness, 
for from a subjective conviction based on experience and stated 
conditionally, “‘if we believe, as we do, that Jesus died and rose,” 
Paul is able to draw directly an objective inference, ‘‘so also God 
will,” etc. 

The fact of fulfilment lies not in the form of the condition but in the 
context (BMT. 242). Thecontext here indicates that the Thessalonians 
are perplexed by doubts not as to the fact of the resurrection of the 
dead but as to whether the dead will have equal advantage with the 
survivors at the Parousia. By the insertion of ὃ θεός in the protasis, 
Paul makes clear that it is God who raised Jesus from the dead (119 


1 Cor. 6'* 2 Cor. 414 Rom. 8" τοῦ, etc.). On πιστεύειν in the sense of 
conviction, cf. πιστεύειν ὅτι in Rom. 68 10°, 


ἀπέθανεν καὶ ἀνέστη. * The death and resurrection of Jesus are 
inseparable in Paul’s thought about salvation. As Christ died 
and rose actually, so does the believer die and rise with him mysti- 


IV) 13-14 169 


cally (Gal. 219 Rom. 6? *- Col. 22° 31 #-), The presence of Christ 
or the Spirit in the Christian guarantees that when he actually 
dies ἐν Χριστῷ (1 Cor. 1518) or διὰ Χριστοῦ (here), he will con- 
tinue ἐν Χριστῷ (v. 15) during the interval between death and 
resurrection, and will at the Parousia be raised from the dead by 
God through the power of the same indwelling Christ or Spirit 
(Rom. 811), and will attain the ultimate goal of Christian hope, 
εἶναι σὺν Χριστῷ. This characteristically Pauline idea is the 
probable link that unites the protasis and apodosis of our verse. 
Paul regularly uses ἐγείρειν (ἐξεγείρειν τ Cor. 614) for the resurrec- 
tion; he uses ἀνιστάναι elsewhere only in Eph. 5"4, a quotation, and 
below v. 16 in an utterance distinctly traditional in flavour. On the 
other hand, he uses ἀνάστασις (ἐξανάστασις Phil. 3"), but not ἔγερσις 
(Mt. 275). On the name Ἰησοῦς, see 11° and cf. Rom. 8" 2 Cor. 414. 
For οὕτως xat without an expressed correlative, cf. Gal. 43 Rom. 6" 
t Cor. 2% 9! 149-12 154-45, The reading of B, εἰ al., οὕτως ὃ θεὸς κα 
brings out the point that as God raised Jesus, so also he will raise the 
believers; cf. 1 Cor. 1518: ἄρα xat of χοιμηθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ, where 
not only the dead but also (χα) the living (ὑμεῖς) ἀπώλοντο. Though 
οὕτως without an expressed correlative is frequent in Paul (cf. v.17 II 317 
Gal. 1°), yet the xat is placed here (cf. v. 1°) by B to mark the connection 
with τοὺς χοιμηθέντας (Weiss, 136). 


τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ. “Those who fell asleep 
through Jesus,” that is, through the indwelling power of that 
Jesus who died and rose again, the causal energy which operates 
in the believers from baptism to actual resurrection from the 
dead (v. supra on ἀπέθανεν). Though the union of διά with 
κοιμηθέντας is striking, yet it is consonant with Paul’s thinking, 
is demanded by the parallelism of the sentence (Ell. Dob.), 
and is the logical though not the grammatical equivalent of οἱ 
κοιμηθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ in τ Cor. τ51 (cf. ν. 1 ἐν κυρίῳ with v. ὃ 
διὰ κυρίου). 
Those who join διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ with the participle (6. g. Ephr. Chrys. 
Calv. Grot. Ell. Lft. Mill. Dob. Dibelius) do so on various grounds. 
Calvin (apud Lillie) says: “dormire per Christum is to retain in death 
the union (coniunctionem) which we have with Christ; for they who 
by faith are engrafted into Christ have their death in common with 


him, that they may be partners in his life.” Lake (The Earlier Epistles 
of St. Paul, 1911, 88) thinks it probable “ that it means martyrdom rather 


170 I THESSALONIANS 


than a natural death”; so before him Musculus (apud Lillie): “The 
faithful die through Christ, when on his account they are slain by the 
impious tyrants of the world.” Lake further conjectures that the ref- 
erence to the death “of the Lord Jesus and of the prophets” (2:5) cer- 
tainly suggests that persecution in Thessalonica “had already led to the 
martyrdom of some Christians” (loc. cit.). Dob. contents himself with 
a general statement: ‘‘Sie sind gestorben, indem ein Verhdltniss su Jesus 
dabei war.’’ For Dibelius, the Pauline conception revealed in v. "9. 
“wurzelt in den Mysterien.’—On the other hand, many expositors 
(e. g. Th. Mops. De W. Liin. Lillie, Schmiedel, Born. Wohl. Schettler, 
Moff.) join διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ with ἄξει. The reasons adduced are (1) 
that it is unnecessary to designate the dead as Christian and (2) that 
διά is made equivalent to ἐν. Inreply it is urged that we have ot vexpot 
ἐν Χριστῷ (v. 15) and that the equivalence between διά and ἐν is not 
grammatical but conceptual. In this alternative view, Jesus is God’s 
agent in both resurrection and ἄγειν (Th. Mops. and finally Schettler 
(op. cit. 57): “Gott wird sich Jesus bedienen, um die Toten su erwecken 
und die Erweckten zu sammeln).”—The view that joins διὰ tod "Insod 
with χοιμιηθέντας is preferable not simply because it gives a distinctively 
Pauline turn to the passage but also because it is grammatically better. 
On the latter point, Ell. remarks vigorously: “The two contrasted 
subjects Ἰησοῦς and χοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ “Incod thus stand in clear 
and illustrative antithesis, and the fundamental declaration of the sen- 
tence ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ remains distinct and prominent, undiluted by any 
addititious clause.” 


ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ. In these words, the “fundamental declaration” 
of Paul’s reply (vv. 118), just supported by an appeal to the in- 
ternal evidence of the believer’s experience of the indwelling 
Christ, is succinctly stated. The believers are not to sorrow; 
for the departed saints, as well as the survivors, will at the Pa- 
rousia be in the company of Christ and follow his lead. What is 
added in v. 15 confirms the same declaration on the external evi- 
dence of a summarised word of the Lord. How it is that the sur- 
vivors will not anticipate the dead (v. 15) is then further explained 
in vv. 1°17 where Paul selects from a traditional description of 
the Parousia such points as bring into prominence his central 
contention, εἶναι σὺν αὐτῷ. 
Since σὺν αὐτῷ (ν. 17 51° 2 Cor. 134 Phil. 1.53) is the goal of ἐν Χριστῷ 
(Deiss. Neutestamentliche Formel “in Christo Jesu,” 126), ἄγειν refers 


to the final act when Jesus the victor over enemies (IT 28 1 Cor. 15%), 
accompanied by his saints, leads the way heavenward to hand over the 





ἵν, τ τ 171 


kingdom to God the Father. The resurrection and ἐπισυναγωγή (IT 21), 
the redemption, change, or transformation of the body (Rom. 8% 1 Cor. 
15°! Phil. 531), and the judgment are all presupposed. Paul is not here 
concerned with the details; even in the description vv. 196-11 only such 
pertinent features are sketched as prepare the readers for the conclusion 
which he draws: χαὶ οὕτως πάντοτε σὺν χυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα. It is thus un- 
necessary to take σὺν αὐτῷ = εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ, as Th. 
Mops. does: ‘‘quoniam et illos suscitabit per Jesum ita ut et sint cum eo”; 
for σὺν αὐτῷ begins both for living and for dead immediately at the 
Parousia and continues forever (πάντοτε v. 17). 


15. τοῦτο γάρ κτλ. To confirm and explain, by an appeal to 
external authority, what was stated in v. ' on the basis of re- 
ligious experience, Paul proceeds: ‘“‘This that follows, we, the 
writers of the letter, tell you, not on our own authority but in 
(the sphere of, by means of; cf. 1 Cor. 27 14°) a word of the Lord, 
namely, that we (ἡμεῖς, including both the writers and their 
Christian contemporaries) who live, that is, who survive until 
the coming of the Lord, shall by no means anticipate the dead.” 

Since γάρ gives not a second reason for v. 13 but explains and confirms 
the point of v. 4 on a new ground, τοῦτο is to be taken not with the pre- 


ceding but with the following, and ὅτι is not causal (Zahn, Introd. 
I, 223) but resumptive as in τ Cor. 1% 


ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου. In this verse it is probable that the point only 
of the word of the historical Jesus is given, not the word itself; 
cf. Rom. 14‘ 1 Cor. οἱ". In the light of Mk. οἱ, it is not unlikely 
that Jesus may have expressed the opinion that those who sur- 
vived until the coming of the Son of Man would not anticipate 
the dead. Since, however, no such “word of the Lord” exists in 
extant gospels (cf. Zahn, Introd. I, 224), the utterance here sum- 
marised in Paul’s own words is an agraphon. 


The presence of ἐν λόγῳ χυρίου of itself intimates that Paul has in 
mind not a general suggestion of the Risen Lord (Gal, 1¥ 2? 2 Cor. 138 
Eph. 3%) given by revelation (so Chrys. De W. Liin. Ell. Lft. Mill. 
Dob. Moff. and others) but a definite word of the historical Jesus (so 
Calv. Drummond, Wohl. Dibelius, and others). Even if he had 
written simply ἐν xvet (Eph. 41), the content of the inward revelation 
would have an historical basis, as Rom. 14", with its allusion to Mk. 715, 
suggests: οἶδα καὶ πέπεισμαι ἐν χυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ ὅτι οὐδὲν κοινὸν δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ. 
Furthermore the analogy both of Rom. 14" and of τ Cor. 9" (where Paul 


172 I THESSALONIANS 


alludes to but does not literally cite Mt. τοῖο Lk. τοῦ = τ Tim. 515), and 
the fact that Paul does not affirm that the Lord says “we who live,” 
etc. (contrast Acts 20°: τῶν λόγων τοῦ χυρίου Ἰησοῦ (cf. 1 Tim. 6°) 
ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν) but affirms that “we tell you on the strength of a word 
of the Lord that we who live,” etc., conspire to make probable that 
here as in Rom. 14" 1 Cor. 94 we have not a citation of but an allusion 
to a word of the Lord. The exact form of the agraphon is not recover- 
able unless it is embedded in vv. 16:11 (Ropes, Dibelius). 

Schmiedel, in an excellent note, after remarking that the word of the 
Lord does not come from Mt. 249-81 or from 4 Ezra 5*! #- (as Steck once 
held), observes that it is not to be found in v. 155 (as von Soden held, SK. 
1885, 280 f.), or in v. 16 without πρῶτον (so Stihelin, J.d. Th. 1874, 193f.), 
or hardly in v. 15 alone, since vv. 151} are too detailed, or in vv. 15:17, 
since its beginning after the previous formulation in ν. 15 would not be 
sufficiently accentuated, but in vv. 1-17, If, however, it is admitted that 
v. 15 gives the point of the agraphon, the only question at issue is 
whether it is actually cited in vv. 117, At first sight, the “concrete 
and independent character” of these verses (Ropes) does suggest a cita- 
tion, even if it is granted that the citation is free (the Pauline phrase- 
ology being evident in αὐτὸς ὃ κύριος and ἐν Χριστῷ). On the other 
hand, it is noteworthy that the salient point of vv. 1*-17, the ἅμα σύν, does 
not explicitly appear in the summary of the word ν. 16. The impres- 
sion, difficult to escape, is that Paul, remembering a traditional descrip- 
tion of the Parousia, selects such points as explain the basal declaration 
of the summarised word of the Lord in v.15. On the question, see 
Ropes, Die Spriiche Jesu, 1896, 152 ff. and HDB. V, 345; Titius, Neu- 
testamentliche Lehre von der Seligkeit 1895, 1, 24; Resch, Paulinismus, 
338-341; Mathews, Messianic Hope in N. T. 1905, 73; and Askwith, 
Exp. 1911, 66. 


ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες κτλ. The insertion of ἡ μεῖς and the presence 
of εἰς denoting the temporal limit make clear that the exact 
contrast here is not between the living and dead at the Parousia; 
not between “we Christians who are alive”’ αὐ the Parousia and 
the dead; but between “we Christians who live,”’ that is, “who 
continue to survive until the Parousia,”’ and the dead. Paul 
thus betrays the expectation that he and his contemporary 
Christians will remain alive until Christ comes. 
Paul’s personal belief that the advent is at hand is constant (1 Cor. ro" 
16% Rom. 13" Phil. 45), a conviction shared also by other Christians of 
the first century (τ Pet. 47 Heb. 1o* Jas. 58 1 Jn. 215) and apparently by 


the Master himself (Mk. 9!). In our passage, Paul speaks, as often, 
without qualifications. If questioned, he would probably have admitted 





ἵν Ἐπ τῷ 172 


that he himself as well as other Christians might taste of death before the 
Lord came. Such cases, however, would have been to him exceptional. 
His hope is fixed not on a far-off divine event; not on the fact that “each 
several generation, at whatever period existing, occupies during that 
period the position of those who shall be alive at the Lord’s coming” 
(Bengel), but on the nearness of the Parousia, even if the exact day and 
hour be unknown. Calvin tacitly admits the obvious force of ἡμεῖς 
in observing that Paul by using it makes himself as it were one of the 
number of those who will live until the last day. But Paul does this, 
Calvin ingeniously explains, “to rouse the expectation of the Thessa- 
lonians, and so to hold all the pious in suspense, that they shall not 
count on any delay whatever. For even supposing him to have known 
himself by special revelation that Christ would come somewhat later, 
still this was to be delivered as the common doctrine of the church that 
the faithful might be ready at all hours” (quoted by Lillie, ad loc.). 
Apart from Grotius and, less clearly, Piscator, most of the older ex- 
positors found difficulty in admitting that Paul at this point shared the 
views of his time. Origen (Cels. V, 17), for example, in the only extant 
quotation from his commentary on our letters, namely, on I 41517 (cf. 
Turner, HDB. V, 406), allegorises; Chrys. Th. Mops. and others so in- 
terpret of περιλειπόμενοι as to exclude Paul; still others think that 
the ἡμεῖς is not suited to Paul, although Olshausen protests against 
this enallage personae or ἀνακοίνωσις. On the older views, see Liin. 
ad loc. Denney, however (177), queries: “15 it not better to recognise 
the obvious fact that Paul was mistaken as to the nearness of the second 
advent than to torture his words to secure infallibility?’” See also 
Kennedy, Last Things, 160 ff. 


οἱ περιλειπόμενοι κτὰ. The living are further defined as 

those who continue to survive until the Parousia. With ref- 

erence to these survivors including Paul, it is asserted on the 

strength of the Lord’s utterance that they will by no means take 
temporal precedence over the dead. 

The participle περιλειπόμενοι is present, the action being viewed as 

going on to the limit of time designated by εἰς; contrast ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ 

219 313 523 ¢ Cor. 152% The word περιλείπεσθαι occurs elsewhere in 

N. T. only v.17; cf. 4 Mac. 131% 12% φθάνειν here, but not in 216, is 

used classically in the sense of προφθάνειν (Mt. 1725), “ praevenire,” 

“precede,” “anticipate.” On od wy with aorist subj. as the equivalent 


of an emphatic future indic. (so K here), cf. 53 and BMT. 172. For 
χυρίου after παρουσίαν, B reads ᾿Γησοῦ, conforming to v.14 (Weiss, 81). 


16. ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος. With ὅτι “because,” parallel to yap 
(v. 15; of. 212), the word of the Lord summarised in v. 15 is ex- 


174 I THESSALONIANS 


plained and elaborated. The point of the Pauline phrase αὐτὸς 
ὁ κύριος (cf. 3") is apparently that the very Jesus under whose 
control the believers stand in life, at death (τοὺς κοιμηθέντας 
διά, v."*), and from death to resurrection (οὗ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ), 
and whose indwelling spiritually guarantees their resurrection, 
is the Lord who at the resurrection functions as the apocalyptic 
Messiah. 

ἐν κελεύσματι κτλ. The descent of the Lord from heaven is 
characterised by three clauses with ἐν. Unlike the three dis- 
connected clauses with ἐν in x Cor. 15%, the second and third are 
here joined by καί, a fact suggesting that these two clauses 
are in some sense an epexegesis of the first. ‘At a command, 
namely, at an archangel’s voice and at a trumpet of God.” Pre- 
cisely what Paul has in mind is uncertain. It is conceivable 
that God who raises the dead (v. “), or Christ the agent in resur- 
rection, commands the archangel Michael to arouse the dead; 
and that this command is executed at once by the voice of the 
archangel who speaks to the dead (cf. τ Cor. 15%) through a 
divine trumpet. But whatever the procedure in detail may be, 
the point is clear that at the descent of the Lord from heaven, 
the dead are raised first of all, and then the survivors and the 
risen dead are together and simultaneously (ἅμα σύν) snatched 
up and carried by means of clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 


Kabisch (Die Eschatologie des Paulus, 1893, 231) thinks that God gives 
a command to Christ and that the archangel is only the messenger, the 
voice which God makes use of (cf. Kennedy, Last Things, 190). Teich- 
mann (Die paulinischen Vorstellungen von Auferstehung und Gericht, 
1896, 23) imagines that Christ on his way to earth commands the dead 
(who through the cry of the archangel and the blowing of the trumpet 
of God are awakened from their slumber) really to arise. Paul’s state- 
ment, however, is general; how far he would subscribe to the precise 
procedure read into his account from extant Jewish or Christian sources, 
no one knows. 

Most commentators agree with Stihelin (J. 4. Th. 1874, 189) in tak- 
ing the ἐν of attendant circumstance as in 1 Cor. 42; but it may mean 
“at the time of” as in 1 Cor. 15% ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ σάλπιγγι. χέλευσμα, 
found in Gk. Bib. here and Pr. 24%, is used classically (cf. Wetstein, ad 
loc.) in various applications, the command of a χελευστῆς to his rowers, 
of an officer to his men, of a hunter to his dogs, etc. Ell. quotes Philo 


IV, 16-17 175 


(de praem et poen. 19) as using it of God’s assembling the saints. The 
σάλπιγξ, like other touches in the description, appears in the account 
of the theophany on Mt. Horeb (Ex. 191%-19; cf. Briggs, Messiah of the 
Apostles, 88); here the trumpet, as in 1 Cor. 15%, is used not to marshal 
the hosts of heaven, or to assemble the saints (Mt. 24%!, which adds to 
Mark μετὰ σάλπιγγος μεγάλης; Bengel says: tuba Dei adcoque magna), 
but to raise the dead.—The ἀρχάγγελος (in Gk. Bib. only here and Jude 
9) may be Michael as in Jude; cf. Eth. En. 9! 20%. On Michael, see 
Lueken, Der Erzengel Michael; Bousset, Relig.? 374 J.; Everling (op. cit. 
79 ff.) and Dibelius, Die Geisterwelt, etc. 32 ff. 


καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ κτλ. With καί of simple narration, 
the results of the descent of the Lord are stated; first (πρῶτον) 
the resurrection of the dead saints, which removes their disad- 
vantage by putting them on a level with the living; and then 
(ἔπειτα, v. 17), the rapture of both the risen dead and the sur- 
vivors, presumably in changed, transformed, redeemed bodies 
(x Cor. 15% Phil. 32! Rom. 8”), to meet the Lord in the air. 
Striking here is it that Paul says not simply ἀναστήσονται ot 
νεκροί (Is. 26) but οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Xpio7@. This phrase designates 
not “those who died in Christ” (z Cor. 1518) but “the dead who 
are in Christ’; and intimates, without defining precisely the 
condition of the believers in the intermediate state, that as in 
life and at death so from death to the Parousia, the believer is 
under the control of the indwelling Christ or Spirit. This in- 
dwelling spiritual Christ, whose presence in the believer guaran- 
tees his resurrection, is also the very enthroned (Rom. 8*) Lord 
himself (ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος) who comes down from heaven to 
raise the dead. 

17. ἔπειτα... ἁρπαγησόμεθα κτὰ. “Then, presumably at 
no great interval after the resurrection, ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες οἱ πε- 
ριλειπόμενοι (as in ν. 15; it is unnecessary here to add εἰς τὴν 
παρουσίαν Tov κυρίου) shall be caught up simultaneously (ἅμα) 
with the risen saints (σὺν αὐτοῖς) and carried by clouds to meet 
the Lord in the air.”” The rapture is a supernatural act as in 
Acts 839 Rev. 125; of. 2 Cor. 122. The means (ἐν), not the 
agent (ὑπό; cf. Baruch 425), by which the rapture is executed 
is the clouds which, as in Elijah’s case (4 Reg. 2"), are conceived 
as a triumphal chariot. Slavonic Enoch 3!%- (ed. Morfill and 


176 I THESSALONIANS 


Charles; noted also by Mill.) is in point: ‘These men (that 
is, angels) summoned me and took me on their wings and placed 
me on the clouds. And lo, the clouds moved. And again, go- 
ing still higher, I saw the ether and they placed me in the first 
heaven.” 


ἅμα σύν occurs in Gk. Bib. only here and 51°; Vulg. has here simul 
rapiemur cum; in 5%, am. fuld. omit simul. In Gk. Bib. ἅμα is regularly 
an adverb (Pr. 2218, etc.); in Mt. 13%? 20', it is a preposition. ΕἸ]. re- 
marks: “We shall be caught up with them at the same time that they 
shall be caught up, ἅμα marking as usual connection in point of time.” 
The phrase gives the most precise statement of the equality of advan- 
tage that we have; it does not appear in the summary of the agraphon 
in v.1% GF m Ambst. omit οἱ περιλειπόμενοι; B has οἱ περίλειμενοι. 
In the syn. gospels, the cloud appears, apart from the transfiguration 
and Lk. 124, only in connection with the Parousia of the Son of Man. 
The influence of Dan. 7" is felt where Lxx. has ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν (Mt. 
2439 26%) and Th. μετά (Mk. 14%; cf. Rev. 17). The ἐν, however, is 
given by Mk. 132*= Lk. 2127; see further Rev. 1113 (ἐν), 4 Ezra 13? 
(cum), and Ex. 345 (χατέβη χύριος ἐν γεφέλῃ); and cf. Acts 1" with 1°. 


εἰς ἀπάντησιν KT. With εἰς, the purpose of ἁρπαγησόμεθα 
is expressed, “to meet the Lord.” The εἰς ἀέρα designates the 
place of meeting, probably the space between the earth and the 
firmament of the first heaven, as in Slav. En. 3! *- quoted above. 
As it is probably to the air, not to the earth that the Lord de- 
scends from heaven, so it is into the air that all the saints are 
caught up into the company of the Lord and from the air that 
God will lead them on with Jesus (ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ v. 12) to heaven 
where the fellowship with Christ begun in the air will continue 
forever; for, in summing up the point intended in the descrip- 
tion of vv. 1517, he says not καὶ ἐκεῖ (“and there,” as if the air 
were the permanent dwelling-place; so apparently Kabisch (op. 
cit. 233) alluding to Ass. Mos. 10°) but καὶ οὕτως, drawing the 
conclusion from vv. 1517, implicit in v. 1 (σὺν αὐτῷ), with the 
added emphasis upon the permanence of the fellowship, πάν- 
τοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα. 


In the Lxx. συνάντησις, ἀπάντησις, ἀπαντῆ, ὑπάντησις and συναντῇ 
occur chiefly in phrases with εἰς and gen. or dat. ‘The readings vary, 
but εἰς with ὑπάντησιν or συνάντησιν is rare. In the N. T. the read- 


τὰ ἘΠ τὸ 077 


ings also vary; cf. Mt. 25° 2732 Acts 2815; also Mt. 834 25! Jn. 1215. 
Here DGF read εἰς ὑπάντησιν τῷ Χριστῷ. Moulton (I 14%), who notes 
BGU, 362 (πρὸς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ ἡγέμονος; for πρός, cf. 3 Mac. 57), 
thinks the special idea of the word is the “official welcome of a newly 
arrived dignitary. The case after it is entirely consistent with Greek 
idiom, the gen. as in our ‘“‘to is inauguration,” the dat. as the case 
governed by the verb”; see also Ex. 1917 εἰς συνάντησιν τοῦ θεοῦ .--- 
The εἰς before ἀέρα is naturally taken with ἀπάντησιν, the usage being 
either classical, or εἰς for ἐν of place (BI. 39%). Above the firmament 
is the αἰθήρ, a word not found in Gk. Bib. pnw is rendered a few times 
in Sym. by αἰθήρ; in Lxx. (2 Reg. 2212 = Ps. 1712) by ἀῆρ. On the mean- 
ing of ἀήρ, cf. Slav. En. 31-2, Ascen. Isa. 79-3 τοῦ; and see Moses Stuart 
in Bibliotheca Sacra, 1843, 139 ff. and Ezra Abbot in Smith’s DB, 
I, GO Je 


καὶ οὕτως KTA. “And so (cf. 1 Cor. 717 Rom. 11° !-), as the re- 
sult of the resurrection, the rapture, and the meeting of the Lord 
in the air, we shall be with the Lord, not for the moment only 
but forever” (πάντοτε), the point of v. “ and the fruition of the 
Christian hope. 


For σὺν χυρίῳ, B reads ἐν χυρίῳ which is “ganz gedankenlos” (Weiss, 
56); cf. Phil. 1%. The belief in the nearness of the coming of Christ 
is constant in Paul, but there is less emphasis on the traditional scenery 
in the letters subsequent to our epistles. Even in 1 Cor. 1524-26 where 
there is an allusion to the last conflict (cf. II 28), the concrete im- 
agery is less conspicuous (cf. Rom. 818. 2 Cor. 511°). In the epistles 
of the imprisonment, the eschatology is summed up in hope (Col. 15- 38; 
cf. Eph. 118 44), the hope of being with Christ (Col. 3° Phil. 1°85 cf. 
2 Cor. 134). On χαὶ οὕτως... ἐσόμεθα, Moff. remarks: “This is all 
that remains to us, in our truer view of the universe, from the naive 
λόγος χυρίου of the Apostle, but it is everything.” 


18. ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε κτλ. “So then,” as the result of the 
conviction drawn from the religious experience in Christ (v. 12), 
from the summarised word of the Lord (v. 15), and from the con- 
firmatory description of the Parousia (vv. 1517), do not grieve 
(v. 8), but “encourage one another (5!) with these (τούτοις 
not τοιούτοις) words,” the very words that have been used. 

On ὥστε = διό (51) = τοιγαροῦν (48) = διὰ τοῦτο (37) with imperative, 
cf. τ Cor. 10! 113 1439 1558 Phil. 212 41, Paul does not simply offer en- 


couragement; he bids them actively to encourage one another (cf. 2 Cor. 


13.) —It is obvious that vv. 117 do not pretend to give a description 
12 


178 I THESSALONIANS 


in detail of the Parousia. Of the points not mentioned, we may assume 
that Paul would admit the following: the assembling of the saints; the 
redemption, change, or transformation of the body (Rom. 8* 1 Cor. 15%! 
Phil. 3°‘); and the judgment on all men (Rom. 14" 2 Cor. 51°) without 
the resurrection of the wicked. On the other hand, since Paul does not 
elsewhere indicate a belief in the intermediate kingdom (cf. Charles, 
Eschat. 389 ff.), it is not to be looked for between πρῶτον and ἔπειτα 
here (cf. Vos, Pauline Eschatology and Chiliasm, in the Princeton Theol. 
Rev. for Jan. 1911). It is, however, probable that after the meeting of 
the Lord in the air, the Lord with his saints go not to earth but to 
heaven, as ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ (v. ") suggests, the permanent abode of Christ 
and the believers. Even in this description of the Parousia it is worth 
noting that the interest centres in the ultimate form of the hope, elvat 
ody χυρίῳ; and that only such elements are singled out for mention 
as serve to bring this religious hope to the forefront. Like the Master, 
Paul, out of the treasures of apocalyptic at his disposal, knows how to 
bring forth things new and old. 


(6) Times and Seasons (5'-"). 


The written request for information “concerning times and 
seasons” (cf. 45: 152) appears to have been made at the suggestion 
of the faint-hearted who were concerned not only about their 
friends who had died (4!*-18; cf. 51°) but also about their own sal- 
vation. In doubt about Paul’s teaching in reference to the near- 
ness of the advent and in fear that the day might catch them 
morally unprepared, they ask him, in their discouragement, for 
further instruction about the times and seasons. Paul, however, 
is convinced that they require not further instruction but en- 
couragement (5). Accordingly, while reminding them that the 
day is to come suddenly and is to be a day of judgment on unbe- 
lievers (vv. 1:5), he is careful to assure them that the day will 
not take them by surprise, for they, one and all of them, are sons 
of light and sons of day, that is, believers (vv. *®"). Further- 
more, recognising that they need to be exhorted to moral alert- 
ness, an exhortation which not only they but all Christians re- 
quire (hence the tactful change from “you” to “we” in v. °), 
he urges that since they are sons of light and sons of day, they 
must be morally alert and sober, arming themselves with that 
faith and love, and especially that hope for future salvation, 


V, 1 179 


without which they cannot realise their destiny (vv. *-8). There 
is, however, no cause for anxiety, he assures the faint-hearted, for 
God has appointed them unto salvation, the indwelling Christ 
enables them to acquire it, and Christ died for their sins in order 
that all believers, whether surviving until the Parousia, or dying 
before it, might at the same time have life with Christ (vv. 9:10). 
Hence they are to encourage and build up one another, as in 
fact they are doing (v. "). 
» 1Now as to the times and seasons, brothers, you have no need that 
anything be written you ; *for you yourselves know accurately that the 
day of the Lord so comes as a thief αἱ night. *When people are say- 
ing: “All is well and safe,” then sudden destruction comes on them 
as travail on her that is with child, and they shall in no wise escape. 
4But you, brothers, are not in darkness that the day should sur- 
prise you as thieves are surprised; *for you are all sons of light and 
sons of day. 

We Christians do not oelong to night or to darkness. 550 then 
let us not sleep as do the unbelievers, but let us watch and be sober. 
7For tt is at night that sleepers sleep and at night that drunkards 
are drunk. *But we, since we belong to day—let us be sober, putting 
on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salva- 
tion. %For God has not appointed us to wrath but to the winning of 
salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that 
whether we are watching or whether we are sleeping, we might to- 
gether have life with him. 

So then encourage one another and build up one the other, as 
in fact you are doing. 

1. περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων KTr. With δέ, the second (cf. 4") es- 
chatological question about which the Thessalonians had written 
(cf. 49: 13) for information is stated: “Concerning the times and 
seasons.” Perceiving, however, that they really need not in- 
struction but encouragement, he tells them, following the prece- 
dent of 4° (contrast 413-18) but varying the language: “you have 
no need that anything (sc. τι) be written you.” 


The plural (cf. καιροὺς χαὶ χρόνους Dan. 25: 433 (Lxx.); contrast the 
singular ἕως χρόνου xat χαιροῦ Dan. 712) does not here refer to a future 
cycle of times and seasons, or to a past cycle now ending (cf. 1 Cor. 10), 


180 I THESSALONIANS 


but indicates in traditional language the time of the Parousia. The 
question put to Paul was an old one (cf. Jer. 25" 36° Dan. ο"᾽" 5.) and 
was prevalent not only in Christian but in Jewish circles of the time 
(see Charles, Eschat. 168-175; Volz, Eschat. 162 ff.). Notwithstanding 
the warning of the Lord: οὐχ ὑμῶν γνῶναι χρόνους ἢ χαιρούς (Acts 17; 
cf. Mk. 13°? Mt. 2455), it was impossible to quell curiosity as to the exact 
day and hour. Doubtless the converts particularly in mind in 51" 
were wondering what Paul’s teaching meant, especially since they 
feared lest the day might find them morally unprepared. Though as 
Ammonius (apud Ell.) says: ὃ μὲν χαιρὸς δηλοῖ ποιότητα χρόνος δὲ ποσ- 
ὄτητα, yet in Jewish usage the terms are interchangeable (cf. Dan. 7" 
Sap. 718). Ν᾿ inserts tod before γράφεσθαι; GF smooth χρείαν ἔχετε to 
χρεία ἐστίν. 


2, αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς κτὰ. The reason why (yap as in 4°) it 
is unnecessary to write is not that he is unable to teach them any- 
thing new (Th. Mops.), but that, in view of the purpose of en- 
couragement, it is inexpedient and superfluous (cf. Chrys.) to 
do any more than call attention to the facts which they already 
know accurately, namely (1), that the day of the Lord comes “as 
a thief at night comes” (sc. ἔρχεται), that is, suddenly and un- 
expectedly; and (2) that, as the explanation (vv. 35) indicates, 
although the day comes suddenly for both believers and unbe- 
lievers alike, it is only the latter (v.*) and not the former 
(vv. +") who are taken by surprise. 


“> 


On αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε, see 21. ἀχριβῶς (Acts 2432) occurs elsewhere in 
Paul only Eph. 515 and elsewhere in Gk. Bib. about a dozen times. 
Findlay thinks that ἀχριβῶς is quoted from the letter sent to Paul. The 
O.T. (ὃ) ἡμέρα (τοῦ) κυρίου, which appears first in Amos 515 (see Robert- 
son Smith, Prophets, 396, and Davidson, HDB. I, 736) is retained by 
Paul, though κύριος is Christ, as the context here and elsewhere (ce. g. 
Phil. 11° 2!¢ x Cor. 18 2 Cor. 114) attests. The omission of the articles 
(here and Phil. 15 19 216; cf, Is, 212 13°- °, etc.) indicates a fixed formula 
(cf. θεὺς πατήρ, 11). A reads with Amos 518" ἡ ἡμέρα xuelov. The 
mention of νύξ, literal here and v. 7, prepares the way for the metaphors 
in the contrasts between darkness and daylight (v. 4), darkness and light 
(v.*), and night time and daytime (ν. "; cf. ν. 8). On >... οὕτως, 
cf. Cor. 717 (οὕτως καί, Rom. 515 18, etc.). As the emphasis is on ὡς 
χλέπτης not on ἔρχεται, the present tense is general or gnomic (BMT. 
12), not present for future, or prophetic. For the early belief that the 
Lord would come at night, expecially Easter eve, see Liin. ad loc. who 
quotes Lactantius, Znst. 7°, and Jerome on Mt. 25: 





Vy i=3 181 


Paul does not tell us (contrast 415) whence he derived the information 
assumed to be possessed by the readers. The comparison to a thief is 
in itself natural enough (cf. Jer. 291° ὡς κλέπται ἐν vuxtl ἐπιθήσουσιν 
χεῖρα αὐτῶν; also Job 24" Joel 2°); but the first extant comparison of 
the coming of the Lord to a thief appears to be the word of Jesus in 
Lk. 1239 = Mt. 244: εἰ ἤδει 6 οἰκοδεσπότης ποίᾳ ὥρᾳ ὁ χλέπτης ἔρχεται. 
To be sure ἐν νυχτί does not appear in the logion, and it is the Lord 
himself (by context) not the day of the Lord that is compared to a thief. 
But despite these differences, it is better to see in our passage an allu- 
sion to that word of the Lord than to postulate an agraphon or a cita- 
tion from an unknown Jewish apocalypse (as Briickner does in his Ent- 
stehung der paulinischen Christologie, 179 ff.). TEphr. (who wrongly 
takes ὅτι as = quia) remarks on οἴδατε: “‘sicut didicistis etiam haec 
a nobis; quoniam οἱ nos ex ipso evangelio Domini nostri didicimus. 
2 Pet. 31° (where CKL add ἐν γνυχτί) is evidently based on our 
passage. 


3. ὅταν λέγωσιν κτλ. “When people are saying: There is 
(sc. ἐστίν) security and safety,” etc. Starting from ἡ μέρα κυρίου 
as a day of judgment, and from the idea of moral indifference 
suggested by ἐν νυκτί (cf. v. 4 οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει), Paul pro- 
ceeds, without connecting particle (cf. v. 5 οὐκ ἐσμέν. 1 Cor. 1426 
Col. 3") to explain the bearing first on unbelievers of the sudden 
coming of the Lord (v. 2). Though λέγωσιν is impersonal (cf. 
1 Cor. τοῦθ and Bl. 30°) and αὐτοῖς is undefined, yet clearly un- 
believers alone are in mind, as the sharply contrasted ὑμεῖς δὲ 
ἀδελφοί (ν. 4) makes plain. By the phrase εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια, 
we are reminded with Grot. of Ezek. 131°, λέγοντες εἰρήνη καὶ 
οὐκ ἦν εἰρήνη (cf. Jer. 614 = 84); and of the false repose and 
safety of the people described in the word of the Lord (Lk. 1726 {- 
=Mt. 24511.) to which Ephr. alludes: ‘“‘istud est quod dixit Do- 
minus noster: sicut fuit in diebus Noé et Loth, etc. 


The asyndeton (NAGF, ef al.) is corrected by BD, et al., which insert 
δέ, and by KLP, Vulg. (enim), οἱ al., which insert γάρ. For ὅταν δέ, cf. 
1 Cor. 131° 1527, etc; ὅταν γάρ, τ Cor. 34 2 Cor. 1215, etc. GF, et al., read 
λέγουσιν (cf. στήκετε 38). On ὅταν... τότε, cf. τ Cor. 1528 54 Col. 34. For 
the present general condition, see BMT. 260, 312. εἰρήνη and ἀσφάλεια, 
united only here in Gk. Bib., are virtually synonymous (cf. Lev. 265':); 
but Ell. would distinguish them: “εἰρήνη betokens an inward repose 
and security; ἀσφάλεια a sureness and safety that is not interfered with 
or compromised by outward obstacles.” 


182 I THESSALONIANS 


αἰφνίδιος ὄλεθρος. That is, either “all of a sudden” (ad- 
jective for adverb; Bl. 442) or “sudden” (adjective) ‘“destruc- 
tion comes on them.” It is probable that ὄλεθρος, like θάνατος 
(2 Cor. 215 7°) and ἀπώλεια (IT 219 τ Cor. 118 2 Cor. 21° Phil. 12°) 
is the opposite of σωτηρία; and that the point is not annihila- 
tion of existence but separation from the presence of Christ; 
hence ὄλεθρος may be αἰώνιος (IL 1°) as well as αἰφνίδιος, 


On the idea, see Kennedy, Last Things, 314. In τ Cor. 55, ὄλεθρος τῆς 
σαρχός is contrasted with the salvation (σώζεσθαι) of τὸ πνεῦμα; in 
τ Tim. 6°, we have εἰς ὄλεθρον χαὶ ἀπώλειαν. αἰφνίδιος is rare in Gk. 
Bib. (Lk. 21*4 Sap. 1715 2 Mac. 141 3.Mac. 3%); WH. edit here αἰφνίδιος 
(BN), but in Lk. 21% ἐφνίδιος (so here, ADFLP, et al.). ἐφιστάναι, fre- 
quent in Lxx. appears in N. T. only here and 2 Tim. 4": δ, apart from 
Lk. Acts. It is construed with dat. (here and Sap. 65 * Lk. 2° 24', 
etc.), or with ἐπί and accus. (Sir. 41** Jer. 21%, etc.; Lk. 21 Acts 
τοῦ 11"). On ἐπίσταται (BRL, etc.) for ἐφίστατα: (DEKP, ef al.), see 
BI. 67. GF, read φανήσεται; B puts αὐτοῖς after ἐπίσταται. 


ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδίν κτὰ. “As travail comes upon (sc, ἐπίσταται) 
her that is with child.” The point of the comparison is not ὁ 
πόνος τῶν ὠδίνων (cf. Is. 667), as the common Lxx. phrase ὠδῖνες 
ὡς τικτούσης might suggest (so Th. Mops.); not the certainty 
(an interpretation which Chrys. combats); but the suddenness 
as αἰφνίδιος indicates. The idea of inevitableness, brought out 
by οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν, arises probably not from the comparison 
but from ὄλεθρος, 


For ὠδῖνες ὡς τιχτούσης, cf. Ps. 47° Hos. 13? Mic. 4° Jer. 6% 8% 
2233 27%; also Jer. 13% Is. 138; and Is. 267 Eth. En. 624. The singular 
(NSB read ἡ ὠδείν) is rare in Gk. Bib.; but even if the plural were read 
with GF, there would be here no reference to the dolores Messiae (Mk. 138 
= Mt. 248; cf. Volz, Eschat. 173 and Bousset, Relig.* 286). On ἐχφεύγειν 
(Rom. 2? 2 Cor. 11%), cf. Lk. 2135; on οὐ wh with aor. subj. instead of 
fut. indic. (which DGF here read; ef. Gal. 49°), see 41" and cf. Rom. 45 
τ Cor. 8" Gal. s"*. It is unnecessary to supply an object with ἐχφύγωσιν; 
contrast 2 Mac. 6%: τὰς τοῦ παντοχράτορος χεῖρας οὔτε ζῶν οὔτε ἀπο- 
θανὼν ἐχφεύξομαι. Here only does Paul use γαστήρ; elsewhere in N. T. 
apart from Tit. 1 Lk. 1", it is used in the common Lxx. phrase, as here, 
ἔχειν ἐν γαστρί = εἶναι ἔγχυος. 

Lft. remarks on v.?: “The dissimilarity which this verse presents to 
the ordinary style of St. Paul is striking.” To be sure, ὅταν... τότε, 





ΡΞ: 183 


ὥσπερ, ἐχφεύγειν, ὄλεθρος, or οὐ μή with aor. subj. need excite no wonder; 
but the use of εἰρήνη = “security,” of ἀσφάλεια, αἰφνίδιος, ἐφιστάναι and 
ὠδίν, and of the impersonal λέγωσιν might suggest that Paul (a) is cit- 
ing from a Jewish apocalypse, or (Ὁ) from an agraphon, or is writing 
under the influence either (c) of a Jewish apocalypse or (d) a word of 
the Lord (as in v.2). In the light of ν. 3, (a) is improbable. In favour 
of (4) rather than (c) is to be urged not Mk. 138 = Mt. 248, or Mk. 13” 
and par., but Lk. 2154-36: “Take heed to yourselves that your hearts 
be not dulled by debauches and μέθῃ and the distractions of life; and 
take heed lest ἐπιστῇ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἐφνίδιος ἣ ἡμέρα as a trap (ὡς παγίς; 
cf. Jer. 557). For it will surely come upon all those who sit on the face 
of all the earth. ἀγρυπνεῖτε at every season, praying that ye may be 
able éxguyety all these things which are going to happen, and to stand 
before the Son of Man.” This passage may have affected vv.‘-* below; 
cf.Rom. 13"#-. In favour of (0) is not the concrete and definite character 
of the utterance (cf. 415), but the indefinite αὐτοῖς. “If, as seems not 
unlikely, the sentence is a direct quotation from our Lord’s words, the 
reference implied in the word αὐτοῖς is to be sought for in the context 
of the saying from which St. Paul quotes” (Lft.). 


4. ὑμεῖς δέ κτλ. The δέ is adversative by context and con- 
trasts the brethren with the αὐτοῖς (v. 3) who are now seen to be 
unbelievers. The latter are in the realm of night, as ἐν νυκτί 
(v. 2) suggests, that is, of wickedness; and the day of the Lord 
with its inevitable destruction comes on them suddenly and finds 
them unprepared. The brethren on the other hand (δέ) are not 
in darkness (ἐν σκότει), that is, in the realm of wickedness, and 
the day of the Lord, now designated as the daylight in contrast 
with the dark, while it comes suddenly for them also, does not 
(and this is the point of the new comparison) surprise them as 
thieves are surprised by the coming of the dawn. 


“Christians are on the alert, open-eyed; they do not know when it 
is to come, but they are alive to any signs of its coming. Thus there is 
no incompatibility between the emphasis on the instantaneous character 
of the advent and the emphasis in IT 23f- on the preliminary conditions” 
(Moff.). On σχότος, cf. Rom. 132 1 Cor. 45 2 Cor. 6", etc.; cf. ἡ ἐξουσία 
τοῦ σχότους Col. 1% Lk. 22%. The clause with ἵνα is not of purpose but 
of conceived result (cf. 2 Cor. 117 and BMT. 218f.). The daylight isa 
metaphor for “the day,” that is, ἡ ἡμέρα ἐχείνη (GF; cf. I τι); on 
ἡ ἡμέρα, cof. τ Cor. 3% Rom. 13%; also Rom. 215 Ezek. 36%. χαταλαμ- 
βάνειν is here not “attain” (Rom. 9? 1 Cor. 9% Phil. 3 5), or “under- 
stand” (Eph. 318), but “overtake” (Gen. 19! Sir. 7! Jn. 12°5), with a 


184 I THESSALONIANS 


touch of surprise and detection. GF read χαταλάβοι. ADGF place 
ὑμᾶς before ἣ ἡμέρα. Rom. 13"-", where the time before the Parousia 
is designated as ὕπνος, σχότος, and γύξ, affords a striking parallel to 
vv.*7, The advent is ἣ ἡμέρα and Christians are to put on τὰ ὅπλα 
τοῦ φωτός and to conduct themselves ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ, that is, are to avoid 
χώμοις, μέθαις xTA., for ἣ νὺξ προέχοψεν ἣ δὲ ἡμέρα ἤγγιχεν. 


ὡς κλέπτας. “That the day should surprise you as thieves 
are surprised.” As Grotius has observed, the comparison here is 
not the same as in y. *, though it follows naturally from it. In 
v. ἢ, “the day of the Lord comes as a thief at night,” suddenly 
and unexpectedly; here the day of the Lord (compared to the 
daylight) does not surprise the believers as it does the unbelievers 
(ὡς κλέπτας), that is, does not catch the Christians unawares 
and unprepared. 


χλέπτας, read by BA Boh., is accepted by Lachmann, WH. De W. 
Ewald, Koch, Lft. Moff. and Field (Otium Norv. III, 123). Most com- 
mentators, however, prefer the numerically better attested χλέπτης 
(see Souter, ad loc.). In this case, the same comparison is used as in v. 2, 
but here the point is not “suddenness” but “surprise.” The usual ob- 
jection to ~Aéxtas, that it spoils the metaphor (see on νήπιος 27), is too 
incisive, in view of the inversion of metaphors in Paul, especially in this 
section (cf. καθεύδειν and γὙρηγορεῖν in vv. * 10); see Lft. on 27 and ad 
loc. Weiss (17) thinks that χλέπτας is a mechanical conformation to 
ὑμᾶς (cf. τύπους 17). Zim. (cf. Mill. and Dibelius) suggests that xAéxtas 
involves a change of sense that overlooks the reference to Lk. 129 = 
Mt. 244. 


5. πάντες yap ὑμεῖς κτλ. The yap explains why “the day” 
should not surprise them; and the πάντες (cf. πᾶσιν II 1") 
singles out the faint-hearted for special encouragement. The 
readers, one and all, are not “in darkness” but are “sons of 
light,” that is, belong to Christ; and, with a slight advance of 
meaning, are “sons of day,” that is, belong to the realm of future 
light and salvation, the unexpressed reason being that the in- 
dwelling Christ or Spirit guarantees their ability so to live a 
blameless life that they may even now, if they are vigilant and 
sober, be assured of the rescue from the wrath that comes (1'°), 
and of an entrance into God’s own kingdom and glory (2"; 
v. infra, vv. 510), © 


VA 4-0 185 


υἱὸς φωτός suggests the possible influence of the word of the Lord in 
Lk. 168; cf. Jn. 1236 Eph. 58 (τέχνα); the phrase does not occur in Lxx. 
υἱὸς ἡμέρας is not found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. The use of υἱός with 
a gen. to denote the intimate relation of a person with a thing or person 
appears to be Semitic in origin (see on II 23 and cf. Deiss. BS. 161- 
166); the idiom is common in the Gk. Bib. 


οὐκ ἐσμέν κτλ. The change from ὑμεῖς (vv. +5) to ἡμεῖς 
(vv. *-1°) should not be overlooked. In saying that all the breth- 
ren are sons of light and sons of day, Paul seems already to be 
preparing the way tactfully for an exhortation that they conduct 
themselves as such, especially since blamelessness of life (313) 
alone assures them of escape from judgment (cf. 2 Cor. 519 Rom. 
1419). Not wishing to discourage the faint-hearted but at the 
same time recognising that they need the warning, he includes in 
the exhortation not only them but himself and all other Chris- 
tians, and proceeds (v. *») asyndetically: ‘‘We Christians, all of 
us, do not belong to night or to darkness.” He thus prepares 
for the exhortation to sobriety and vigilance (vv. *7), and for 
the encouraging assurance of future salvation (vv. 3:19). This 
done, the ὑμεῖς of ν. 55 (cf. v.4) is resumed in v.". It is obvious 
that οὐκ ἐσμὲν νυκτὸς οὐδὲ σκότους forms the transition to the 
exhortation. 


εἶναι νυχτός, σχότους, ἡμέρας (v. 3) is logically equivalent to υἱοὶ γυχ- 
τός, etc. In view of τ Cor. 3% 2 Cor. 107 Rom. 145, etc., it is unneces- 
sary to supply υἱοί. The arrangement of φωτός, ἡμέρας, νυχτός, σχότους 
is chiastic. Day and night are the periods; light and darkness the 
characteristics of the periods. GF put xat before οὐκ ἐσμέν to relieve 
the asyndeton. On otx... οὐδέ, see 23 and 11 33. 


6. dpa οὖν μὴ καθεύδωμεν κτλ. “So then let us not sleep as 
do the rest (οἱ λοιποί as 4") but let us watch and be sober.” 
The figurative use of καθεύδειν and νήφειν is suggested, as v. 7 
intimates, by the fact that sleepers sleep at night and drunkards 
get drunk at night. καθεύδειν covers all sorts of moral laxity; 
γρηγορεῖν, its opposite, denotes watchfulness, moral alertness, 
vigilance against the assaults of unrighteousness. The point of 
νήφειν is less certain; for since drunkenness may suggest either 
stupid unconsciousness or abnormal exaltation (B. Weiss, Dob.), 


186 I THESSALONIANS 


νήφωμεν may be an exhortation either to perfect control of the 
senses without which vigilance is impossible or to quietness of 
mind (4") without which the peaceable fruits of righteousness 
essential to future salvation are unattainable. 


Since χαθεύδωμεν and γὙρηγορῶμεν are metaphorical, it is unlikely 
that νήφωμεν here (and v. 8) is literal, as if some of the converts were 
intemperate; or that it is both literal and metaphorical (Find.). At 
the same time, as v. 7 intimates, the sons of day and the sons of light 
in Thessalonica as elsewhere may have been tempted to indulge in 
habits characteristic of those who belong not to day but to night. ἄρα 
οὖν, found in Gk. Bib. only in Paul, is followed by the hortatory subj. 
(here and Gal. 61° Rom. 14:5); or by the imperative (II 2:5). KLP read 
χαθεύδομεν and GF νήφομεν; cf. Rom. 1419 (SBAG).—xaOedde is 
used by Paul only in this section and in the fragment of a hymn cited 
in Eph. 5%. Inv. 7 it is literal; inv. itis = χοιμᾶσθαι = ἀποθνήσχειν. 
ὡς xat, which DGF read here for the simple ὡς, is rare in Paul (Rom. 9*8 
1 Cor. 77!- οὐ Eph. 23 5%), and is perhaps a reminiscence of Eph. 25 
ὡς χαὶ οἱ λοιποί. Ὑρηγορεῖν is infrequent in Paul (x Cor. 16% Col. 4) 
and the Lxx. (cf. 1 Mac. 1237: γρηγορεῖν χαὶ εἶναι ἐπὶ τοῖς ὅπλοις, 
ἑτοιμάζεσθαι εἰς πόλεμον δι᾽ ὅλης τῆς νυχτός). It is employed in the 
eschatological passages Mk. 1335 #- Lk, 1237 f- and Mt. 244 -; but in 
Lk. 2139 and Mk. 1233 we have ἀγρυπνεῖν.---νήφειν, rare in Gk. Bib., is 
used metaphorically in the N. T. (ν. 8.2 Tim. 45 τ Pet. 113 47; 58 (νήψατε, 
Ὑρηγορήσατε); cf. ἐχνήφειν (x Cor. 15% Joel 15, etc.) and ἀνανήφειν 
(2 Tim. 235). 


7. οἱ yap καθεύδοντες κτὰ. The exhortation to vigilance and 
sobriety is illustrated by a fact of observation familiar to the 
readers (cf. Rom. 13! #-). ‘Those who sleep (usually) sleep at. 
night (νυκτός. cf. 2°) and those who get drunk (usually) are 
drunk at night.”” These habits, characteristic of those who are 
not sons of day and sons of light, are mentioned, not without 
reference to the temptations to which all Christians, including 
the readers, are exposed. 


The distinction between μεθύσχεσθαι “get drunk” (Eph. 5'* Lk. r2¢s 
Pr. 23") and μεθύειν (B reads μεθύοντες) “be drunk” (1 Cor. 11%} 
cf. ὃ μεθύων Job 1235 15. 19% 24%, etc.) is doubted by Ell. Lift. and 
others. Since Paul does not say ot χαθεύδοντες νυχτός εἰσιν χτλ., “the 
sleepers belong to night,” etc., it is improbable that v. 7 is figurative 
(see Liin.). Schmiedel would exscind v.? as a marginal note, and v. 8 
as a connecting link inserted by a later reader. 


V16-8 187 


8. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμέρας κτλ. The emphasis on νυκτός (v. 7), 
already implied in vv. 2: “δ, prepares for the contrast here, δέ 
being adversative by context, and for the exhortation. Sleep 
and drunkenness are the affairs of those who belong to the night; 
“but let us, since we belong not to night (the realm of evil), but 
to day (the future glory; cf. v.*), be sober.” 

ἐνδυσάμενοι KT. “It is not sufficient to watch and be sober, 
we must also be armed” (Chrys.). ‘‘Perhaps the mention of 
vigilance suggested the idea of a sentry armed and on duty” 
(Lft. who compares Rom. 13! #-), As in 13, Paul describes the 
Christian life on the religious side as faith and on the ethical 
side as love, and singles out for special remark the moral 
quality of hope; hence to the breastplate he adds the helmet, 
the hope for future salvation, thus giving to conduct an escha- 
tological sanction. 


One is reminded here and even more strongly in Eph. 6% of Is. 5917: 
χαὶ ἐνεδύσατο δικαιοσύνην (cf. Job 29") ὡς θώραχα (cf. Sap. 518) χαὶ 
περιέθετο περιχεφάλαιαν σωτηρίου ἐπὶ τῆς χεφαλῆς. The figure, how- 
ever, is natural to Paul (cf. Rom. 13:32 ἐνδυσώμεθα τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός 
and Eph. 6" ἐνδύσασθε thy πανοπλίαν τοῦ θεοῦ). The purpose of the ar- 
mour, tacit here but expressed in Eph. 6", is probably: πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι 
ὑμᾶς στῆναι πρὸς τὰς μεθοδίας τοῦ διαβόλου, the Satan who, as an 
angel of darkness, transforms himself into an ἄγγελος φωτός (2 Cor. 111"). 
ἐνδύεσθαι, a common word in Lxx., is used metaphorically by Paul with 
various objects (cf. Gal. 327 1 Cor. 15% #- Rom. 13% Col. 313 Eph. 4%). 
The aorist part. is of identical action (BMT.139). θώραξ, here and Eph. 
64 in Paul, is quite frequent in Gk. Bib. (cf. ἐνδύεσθαι θώραχα τ Reg. 175 
Jer. 264 Ezek. 3841 Mac. 33). περιχεφάλαια, in N. T. only here and Eph. 
617, is literal in Lxx. except Is. 5917. On the complete armour of the 
hastatt, see Polyb. VI, 23. The gen. πίστεως and ἀγάπης are appositional. 


ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας. Salvation is both negatively freedom from 
wrath (cf. 12°) and positively fellowship with Christ, as vv. 319 
declare. Since σωτηρία is an eschatological conception (cf. Rom. 
13"), something to be acquired (v. *), Paul says not σωτηρίαν 
but ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας (objective gen. as τὸ Rom. 5? Col. 12”). 

The significance of this exhortation to hope lies in the convic- 
tion that without blamelessness of life (3%) even believers can- 
not escape the judgment (cf. Rom. 14!° 2 Cor. 5!°), To be sure, 


188 I THESSALONIANS 


as Paul forthwith encourages the faint-hearted to remember 
(vv. 5:19), this hope is virtually certain of realisation. 


Here and v. ", he speaks generally of σωτηρία. In Rom. 853, he singles 
out the redemption of the body as the object of hope; “for by that hope 
we have been (proleptically) saved”; and in Phil 3%° !-, Jesus Christ as 
σωτήρ is to transform the body of our humiliation that it may be con- 
formable to the body of his glory (note ἀπεχδεχόμεθα in both pas- 
sages and cf. Gal. 55). Though Paul here may have this specific hope 
also in mind, he contents himself with a general statement, ἐλπὶς 
σωτηρίας (cf. Job 2° for the objective gen.: προσδεχόμενοι τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς 
σωτηρίας μου). 


9-10. ὅτι οὐκ ἔθετο κτὰ. With ὅτι “because,” he confirms 
the propriety of the exhortation to the ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας by en- 
couraging the faint-hearted to be assured that that hope is bound 
to be fulfilled. The ground of assurance is stated, first, nega- 
tively, “God did not appoint us Christians for wrath,” that is, 
for condemnation at the day of judgment (cf. 11° 215); and then 
positively, “but to gain salvation.” Since, however, it is impos- 
sible to work out one’s own salvation (Phil. 2") unless the divine 
power operates in the believer, Paul next recalls the means by 
which salvation is to be acquired, namely, “through” the causal 
activity of the indwelling “Jesus Christ our Lord.” Further- 
more, since death and resurrection are inseparable factors in 
the redemptive work of Christ (cf. 4), he adds: “who died for 
us,” that is, for our sins, “in order that we might live, have life 
with him,” the future life in fellowship with Christ, which is 
the consummation of Christian hope. 


The construction τιθέναι τινά εἴς τι, only here in Paul, but fre- 
quent in Lxx., is not the equivalent of Acts 13'7 = Is. 49° (τέθειχά σε 
els φῶς; contrast Rom. 417 = Gen. 17°), but nevertheless “appears to 
have a partially Hebraistic tinge” (Ell.; cf. Ps. 65" Hos. 47 Mic. 17 
Jer. 2512, etc.). ἔθετο (= ἔθηχεν, BI. 55") indicates the purpose of God, 
but like εἵλατο (II 2") is less specific than ἐχλογή (14); περιποίησις, 
rare in Gk. Bib., is used absolutely in the passive sense of “ possession,” 
“remnant,” in 2 Ch. 14" Mal. 317 Hag. 2° Eph. 1 1 Pet. 2%; here, how- 
ever, and II 2" Heb. 10%, where a genitive follows, it is active, acquisilio 
(Vulg. Ell Mill. and most), “gaining,” “winning,” as indeed γρηγορῶ- 
μεν and νήφωμεν (Find.) and the clause with διά (Dob.) intimate. 
B and some miauscules invert the order to read ὁ θεὸς ἡλᾶς (cf. 215). 


ye 


v, 8-10 189 


διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ἽἼ. X. This clause is to be construed not 
with ἔθετο but with the adjacent εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας. 
The ova indicates the causal activity of the risen Lord conceived 
of as a spiritual power resident in the hearts of believers, ena- 
bling them to bring forth the fruits of righteousness essential to 
salvation and guaranteeing their resurrection from the dead 
and eternal fellowship with himself. 


The phrase is the logical but not grammatical equivalent of ἐν τῷ 
χυρίῳ: see on 42 4. On the divine name, see τ; B Eth. omit Χριστοῦ 


(cf. 219). 


10. τοῦ ἀποθανόντος κτλ. The risen Lord through whose in- 
dwelling power the believer gains salvation is also he who died 
for us, that is, for our sins (Gal. 13 1 Cor. 153; cf. Rom. 5% 475). 


BN read περί (cf. Gal. τ where B has ὑπέρ), but most have ὑπέρ (cf. 
Rom. 5); the distinction between these prepositions is becoming en- 
feebled (Moult. I, τος). By the phrases ἀποθνήσχειν ὑπέρ (Rom. 5°*- 
1415 x Cor. 153 2 Cor. 5:5), διδόναι περί (Gal. 1), and παραδιδόναι ὑπέρ 
(Gal. 22° Rom. 8%), Paul indicates his belief in the sufferings and es- 
pecially the death of Christ, the righteous for the unrighteous, as an 
atonement for sins (cf. Moore, EB. 4229 ff.). In speaking of the death of 
Christ for us, Paul uses regularly the category not of forgiveness (Rom. 
47 Col. 14 Eph. 17; cf. Col. 2! 315 Eph. 4%) but of reconciliation (Rom. 
g10 ἢ. 2 Cor. 518 #- Col. 12° #-) and especially justification. “Forgive- 
ness he calls justification. It is the same thing as atonement, or recon- 
ciliation, terms in which somewhat different aspects of the same process 
are emphasised” (Ropes, Apostolic Age, 156). The absence of these 
terms in I, II, and the fact that this is the only passage in I, II in which 
the death of Christ for us is mentioned, suggests not that the significance 
of that death was not preached prominently in Thessalonica, but that 
the purpose of these letters did not call for a discussion of justification, 
law, works, etc. Nothing is here said explicitly of Christ’s death “to 
sin” (Rom. 61°) or of the believers’ dying and rising with Christ (Gal. 
219 f. Rom. 63 #- Col. 212- 2° 31), but this conception may underlie both 
the passage (412), “if we believe that Jesus died and rose,” etc., and 
διὰ τοῦ χυρίου and ἐν χυρίῳ. 


vA 


ἵνα... ζήσωμεν. The purpose of the death, stated in the 
light of the cognate discussion (411), is: “that whether we are 
watching (living) or whether we are sleeping (dead), we might 
together live with him.” γρηγορῶμεν and καθεύδωμεν are to 


190 I THESSALONIANS 


be taken figuratively for ζῶμεν and ἀποθνήσκωμεν (Rom. 148), 
as, indeed, Th. Mops. Chrys. Ephr. (sive υἱοὶ simus sive mortui), 
and most affirm. For survivors and dead, salvation comes 
simultaneously at the Parousia, as ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ (413) and 
πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα (411) prepare us to expect. 


It is noteworthy that even in a casual statement about the signifi- 
cance of salvation, three distinctive points in Paul’s conception are 
touched upon, forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ, moral 
renewal through the indwelling power of the spiritual Christ, and the 
final consummation of future fellowship with him. Ell. is again right 
in insisting that as in 4:7 so here ἅμα and σύν be separated; “the ζῆν 
σὺν Χριστῷ forms the principal idea, while the ἅμα subjoins the further 
notion of aggregation”; Vulg., however, joins simul cum (contrast 411). 
On χαθεύδειν = “to die”; see 4%; but “to this particular use of γρη- 
γορέω no Biblical parallel can be adduced” (Mill.). There seems to be 
no sharp difference in meaning between ef with the subjunctive (com- 
mon in later Gk.; cf. Mill. and τ Cor. 145) and the expected ἐάν (Rom. 
14°). Burton (BMT. 253), contrary to the opinion of many (6. g. Bl. 65*) 
thinks that the subjunctive “can hardly be explained as attraction since 
the nature of the thought (in our passage) calls for a subjunctive.” 
A few minuscules read γὙρηγοροῦμεν and also with KLP χαθεύδομεν. 
εἴτε, a favourite particle in Paul (cf. II 215), is rare elsewhere in Gk. Bib. 
(x Pet. 21:3 !- Josh. 2415 Is. 30% Sir. 414, etc.).—A reads ζήσομεν; DE 
ζῶμεν; the aorist ζήσωμεν (NB, ct al.) indicates the future living as a 
fact without reference to progress or completion, “that we might have 
life.” 


11. διὸ παρακαλεῖτε κτλ. “Wherefore” (31; cf. ὥστε 417), 
since the day of the Lord, though it comes suddenly on all, be- 
lievers and unbelievers, will not surprise you believers; and 
since the power of Christ makes possible that blamelessness of 
life which is necessary to salvation and so guarantees the reali- 
sation of your hope; do not be faint-hearted but “encourage one 
another” (παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους, as was just said in 415) “and 
build up one another.” Then remembering the actual practice 
of the converts, and justifying, as it were, his writing when there 
was no need to write (ν. 1; cf. 4°), he adds tactfully as in 419 
(cf. 41): “as in fact (καθὼς καί; see 34 41) you are doing.” 

οἰχοδομεῖν, οἰχοδομή and ἐποιχοδομεῖν are frequent words in Paul, 
especially in his letters to Corinth. From the figure of the church or 


ν, 16-12 “IOI 


the individual (1 Cor. 61°) as a temple of the Spirit, the further metaphor 
of “building up,” “constructing” a character would naturally develop 
(see Lft. on 1 Cor. 59:2. The parallelism with ἀλλήλους demands for 
εἰς tov ενὰ a sense similar to ἀλλήλους and the accentuation εἷς τὸν 
ἕνα, “each one of you build up the other one.” Lillie observes: “no 
edition has εἰς τὸν ἕνα, the construction adopted by Faber Stapulensis 
(ad unum usque, to a man), Whitby (into one body), Riickert (who under- 
stands by τὸν ἕνα Christ).”’ Blass (45?) remarks on the phrase: “quite 
unclassic but Semitic for ἀλλήλους. Of the many parallels cited by 
Kypke (II, 339), the closest is Theoc. 22%: εἷς ἑνὶ χεῖρας ἄειρον. The 
exact phrase, however, recurs later in the Greek Legend of Isaiah, 2° (in 
Charles’s Ascen. Isaiah, 143); Testament Job, 27 (in James’s A pocrypha 
Anecdota); and in Pseudo-Cyrill. Alex. X, 1055 A, εἷς τῷ ἑνί = ἀλλήλοις 
(noted by Soph. Lex. 427). r 


(7) Spiritual Labourers (51-13), 


There are still some ὑστερήματα (3) which need to be ad- 
justed. Hence the exhortations (41-5!) are now continued, as 
δέ introducing a new point and ἐρωτῶμεν (cf. 4) intimate. The 
brethren as a whole are first urged to appreciate those who 
labour among them, two special functions of these labourers be- 
ing selected for emphasis, that of leading and that of admonish- 
ing. But not only are they to appreciate the labourers, they 
are to do so very highly, and that too not from fear and distrust 
but from love, because of their work. Then changing from in- 
finitive to imperative, he commands them to be at peace not 
“with them” but “among yourselves.” 

2A yrthermore, we ask you, brothers, to appreciate those who 
labour among you both acting as your leaders in the Lord and warn- 
ing you; “and to rate them very highly in love for the sake of their 
work. Be at peace among yourselves. 


There must be a reason for specifying two of the functions of “the 
workers” and for observing that in acting as leaders they do so in the 
Lord. Precisely what the reason is escapes our knowledge. It may be 
conjectured, however (see on 4"), that the idlers in their want had ap- 
pealed for assistance to those who laboured among them, managing the 
external affairs of the group including money matters and acting as spir- 
itual advisers, and had been refused rather tactlessly with an admonition 

‘on the ground that the idle brothers though able were unwilling to sup- 


192 I THESSALONIANS 


port themselves, thus violating Paul’s express command (4" IT 310), 
The result was friction between the idlers and ‘‘the workers” and the 
disturbance of the peace of the church. Paul recognises that there was 
blame on both sides; and so, addressing the brethren as a whole, for 
the matter concerned the entire brotherhood, he urges first, with the 
idlers in mind, that the workers be appreciated, that it be remembered 
that they manage the affairs of the church not on their own authority 
but on that of the indwelling Christ, and that they be highly esteemed 
because of the excellence of their services. He urges next, still address- 
ing the church as a whole, but having in mind the attitude of the 
workers in admonishing, that they be at peace among themselves. 

The arrangement of the exhortations in 513-33 is not perfectly obvious. 
To be sure, παραχαλοῦμεν δέ (v. “) is a fresh start, and vv. 15:15 and 
vv. 19-2 are distinct in themselves; but the division of the material in 
vv. 115 is uncertain. In the light, however, of the triplet in vv. 15:5, it 
is tempting to divide the six exhortations in vv. 115 into two groups 
of three each, putting a period after ἀσθενῶν and beginning afresh with 
μαχροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας. In this case, we may subdivide as follows: 
The Spiritual Labourers (vv. 12-13); The Idlers, The Faint-hearted, and 
The Weak (v. 14-c); Love (vv. 44-15); Joy, Prayer, and Thanksgiving 
(vv. 1%18); and Spiritual Gifts (vv. 19-2). 


12. ἐρωτῶμεν δέ κτλ. As already noted, the exhortations be- 
gun in 41 are here renewed. The phrase ἐρωτῶμεν... . ἀδελφοί 
recurs in II 2!. Here as in 4! εἰδέναι means “respect,” “ap- 
preciate the worth of.” In τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ προῖσ- 
ταμένους καὶ νουθετοῦντας, we have not three nouns designat- 
ing the official titles of the class of persons to be appreciated, but 
three participles describing these persons as exercising certain 
functions. Furthermore, the omission of the article before the 
last two participles indicates that only one set of persons is 
intended, “those who labour among you.” Finally, the correl- 
ative kal... καί suggests that of the various activities involved 
in τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν, two are purposely emphasised, leader- 
ship in practical affairs and the function of spiritual admonition. 


Whether the two functions of “those who labour among you” “were 


executed by the same or different persons cannot be determined; at 
this early period of the existence of the church of Thess. the first suppo- 
sition seems much the most probable” (Ell.). Though it is likely that 
the older or more gifted men would be conspicuous as workers, it does 
not follow that the class described not by title but by function is that 
of the official πρεσβύτεροι, a word found not in Paul, but in the Pas- 








Vi che 193 


torals. Nor must we infer from the fact that later we have traces in 
another Macedonian church of ἐπίσχοποι and διάκονοι (Phil. 11) that 
such officials are in existence in Thess. at the time of writing I and IT. 
Rather we are in the period of informal and voluntary leadership, the 
success of which depended upon the love of the brethren as well as 
upon the recognition that the leadership is ἐν xvef . Hence Paul ex- 
horts the converts not only to esteem the workers but to esteem them 
very highly in love because of their work. See McGiffert, A postolic 
Age, 666. . 


τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν. Tn the light of ὁ κόπος τῆς ἀγάπης 
(1), of Paul’s habit of incessant work (29 1), and of the exhorta- 
tion to work (411), this quite untechnical designation of the per- 
sons in question as “those who work among you” is conspicu- 
ously appropriate. While such a designation is natural to Paul, 
the artisan missionary (cf. Deiss. Light, 316 f.), the choice of it 
here may have been prompted by the existing situation. It was 
“the idlers” (οὗ ἄτακτοι ν. 11) who were fretting “the workers,” 
as both 4" and the exhortation “‘be at peace among yourselves” 
make probable. 


χοπιᾶν, “grow weary,” “labour,” with body or mind, is common in 
Gk. Bib. and frequent in Paul. With this word, he describes the ac- 
tivities of the women in Rom. τόδ: 15; the missionary toil of himself 
(Gal. 41° τ Cor. 151° Phil. 215 Col. 12°) and others (1 Cor. 161°); and the 
manual labour incident thereto (1 Cor. 412 Eph. 428). The ἐν with ὑμῖν 
designates the sphere of the labour, inter vos (Vulg.); cf. 2 Reg. 237. 


καὶ προϊσταμένους καὶ νουθετοῦντας. “Both leading you 
in the Lord and warning you”’ (cf. 21: Kal ππαρωμυθούμενοι καὶ 
μαρτυρόμενοι). Though these participles may introduce func- 
tions different from but co-ordinate with τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν 
ὑμῖν (Dob.), yet it is more probable (so most) that they explain 
and specify τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν, but without exhausting the 
departments of labour (cf. Lillie). Since such a phrase as ὁ κόπος 
τῆς ἀγάπης (1%) should seem to preclude any restriction whatever 
of the labour prompted by love, it is evident that the specifica- 
tions here made are advanced not because they “were likeliest 
to awaken jealousy and resistance”’ (Lillie) but because they had 
actually awakened them, 

13 


194 I THESSALONIANS 


προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν κυρίῳ. “Act as your leaders in the 
Lord.” Attention is first called to the fact that the workers are 
leaders, that is, not simply rulers or chairmen but men who look 
after the general welfare of the group, especially the external 
matters, including the administration of the funds. That ἐν 
κυρίῳ is placed only after προϊσταμένους indicates not that the 
working (cf. Rom. 16") and the warning are not in the Lord, but 
that it is necessary to remind the brethren, the idlers in par- 
ticular, that the workers in taking the lead in temporal things 
are acting at the promptings not of personal interest but of 
the indwelling Christ. 


προΐστασθαι, here and Rom. 128 in Paul, is used in 1 Tim. 3" 5 
(cf. 3°, 2 aor. act.) of managing the household; in Tit. 35- ™ of attending 
to good works; and in x Tim. 517 (perf. act.) of the ruling πρεσβύτεροι 
(cf. Hermas Vis. II, 4). The word occurs also in Lxx. (6. g. 2 Reg. 1317 
Amos 6:0 Bel. (Lxx.) 8) and papyri (Mill.). Besides the basal meaning 

“be over,” “rule,”’ “act as leader,” there are derived meanings such 
as “protect,” “guard,” “ care for” (cf. Test. xii, Jos. 25). In the light of 
τ Tim. 35 (where προστῆναι is parallel to ἐπιμελήσεται) and of προστατεῖν 
τινός = praesidio sum curam gero (Witk. 16), Dob. inclines to insist 
both here and in Rom. 128 on the derived meaning, “fiirsorgen.’”—NA 
read προϊστανομένους. 


νουθετοῦντας ὑμᾶς. Apparently some of the brethren, pre- 
sumably the idlers (see on 4"), had refused to give heed to the 
spiritual counsels of the workers, with the result that relations 
between them were strained and the peace of the brotherhood 
disturbed. Hence the appropriateness of calling attention to the 
fact that the workers were not only leaders in things temporal 
but also spiritual advisers. νουθετεῖν denotes brotherly warn- 
ing or admonition, as II 5318 makes plain. 


γουθετεῖν appears in N. T., apart from Acts 20%, only in Paul; it is 
connected with διδάσχειν in Col. 128 31%; cf. also νουθεσία 1 Cor. 10" 
Eph. 64 (with παιδεία) and Tit. 3'°. These words along with γουθέτημα 
are in the Lxx. found chiefly in the wisdom literature (cf, Sap. 12? 
ὑπομιμνήσκων νουθετεῖς). 


18. καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι κτὰ. It is not enough that the brethren ap- 
preciate the workers; they are to esteem them (ἡγεῖσθαι = εἰδέ. 


Vj L2s23 195 


vat) very highly (v7repexmreptoo as), and that too not from fear or 
distrust but from love (ἐν ἀγάπῃ): for the workers, because of 
their work of faith (1%), deserve not only esteem but high and 
loving esteem. “Those who labour among you,” like Paul and 
Timothy in 1 Cor. 161, τὸ ἔργον κυρίου ἐργάζονται. 


As the parallel with εἰδέναι demands, ἡγεῖσθαι is here not “con- 
sider” (II 315 2 Cor. 9°) but “esteem,” a meaning, however, not elsc- 
where attested (Mill. Dob.). For this reason, some comm. find the 
expected notion of esteem in the adverb and support their finding by 
such phrasesas neg? πολλοῦ (Herod. II, 115) or περὶ πλείστου (Thucy. 
II, 89) ἡγεῖσθαι. But these adverbial expressions are not identical 
with ὑπερεχπερισσῶς. Other comm. (from Chrys. to Wohl.), on the 
analogy of ποιεῖσθαι ἐν ὀλιγωρίᾳ (Thucy. IV, 51, VII, 32) = ὀλιγωρεῖν, take 
ἡγεῖσθαι ἐν ἀγάπῃ = ἀγαπᾷν, a meaning not sufficiently attested and 
unlikely here because of the distance between ἐν ἀγάπῃ and ἡγεῖσθαι. 
Schmiedel compares ἐν ὀργῇ εἶχον (Thucy. II, 18% 213 652); and Schott 
notes even Job 35? τί τοῦτο ἡγήσω ἐν χρίσει. The unusual meaning 
“esteem” is contextually preferable; cf. εἷς τὸν ἕνα (v. 1) and εἰδέναι 
(νυ. 1 44). On ὑπερεχπερισσῶς (BDGF; ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ NAP), see 319, 
GF read ὥστε (Vulg. wt) before ἡγεῖσθαι. B has ἡγεῖσθε (of. εἰρη- 
γεύετε). P omits αὐτῶν as if ἡγεῖσθαι = “to rule.” Εἰ has διό for διά. 


εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. “Be at peace among yourselves,” 
one with the other, ἑαυτοῖς for ἀλλήλοις (cf. Mk. οἴ). This 
striking command, separated grammatically (note the change 
from infinitive to imperative) but not logically from the preced- 
ing, suggests that the workers, in functioning both as managers 
of the funds and as spiritual advisers, had been opposed by some 
of the converts, presumably the idlers (411; cf. v.14 νουθετεῖτε 
τοὺς ἀτάκτους and II 515), with the result that friction between 
them arose and the peace of the group was ruffled. The fact that 
Paul says not μετ᾽ αὐτῶν but ἐν ἑαυτοῖς further suggests that 
the workers are in part to blame for the situation, in that their 
admonitions to the idlers who had asked for aid had not been 
altogether tactful (cf. IT 3%: 1°). 


ἑαυτοῖς is read by BAKL, ef al.; the tactfulness of Paul who in- 
cludes both the workers and the idlers in the exhortation to peace is 
lost sight of in the reading ἐν αὐτοῖς (SDP; cf. GF and Vulg. cum eis), 
followed by Chrys. Th. Mops. (i eos), and most of the Greek comm., 
and by Erasmus, Calvin, and most recently Dibelius. Furthermore, 


196 I THESSALONIANS 


on the analogy of Rom. 128 (cf. 3 Reg. 224), we should have expected 
not ἐν αὐτοῖς but μετ᾽ αὐτῶν (cf. Zim.). Swete (op. cit. ad loc.) remarks: 
“ Ambst. who reads inter vos thinks only of mutual forbearance amongst 
the faithful: pacificos eos esse hortatur.”” Hermas has both εἰρηνεύετε ἐν 
αὑτοῖς (Vis. ITI, 91°) and ἐν ἑαυτοῖς (125; 9? parallel with ἀλλήλοις; cf. 5"). 


(8) The Idlers, The Faint-hearted, and The Weak (5‘**~). 


From the beginning of his exhortations (41), Paul seems to 
have had in mind the needs of three classes, the meddlesome idlers 
(41-12; 512-13), those who were anxious both about their friends 
who had died (413-18) and about their own salvation (5!-"), and 
those who were tempted to unchastity (455). To the same three 
classes he now refers once more (cf. Th. Mops.), specifying them 
respectively as “the idlers” (οὗ ἄτακτοι), who as most trouble- 
some need to be warned; “the faint-hearted” (οὐ ὀλιγόψυχοι), 
who were losing the assurance of salvation and need to be en- 
couraged; and “the weak” (οἱ ἀσθενεῖς), who being tempted 
to impurity are to be clung to and tenderly but firmly supported. 

“Further we urge you, brothers, warn the idlers, encourage the 
faint-hearted, cling to the weak. 

14, παρακαλοῦμεν... . ἀδελφοί, With δέ a new point in the 
exhortation is introduced. The similarity of the phrase (410) to 
ἐρωτῶμεν... . ἀδελφοί (ν. 1.) and the repetition of adeApol make 
probable that the persons addressed are the same as in vv. 1513, 
that is, not the workers only (Chrys.; Th. Mops. who says: 
“vertit suum sermonent ad doctores”; and Born. Find.) but the 
brethren as a whole. The only individuals obviously excluded 
are the recipients of the warning, encouragement, and support. 
“Those who labour among you,” though they take the lead in 
practical affairs and admonish, have no monopoly of the func- 
tions of νουθετεῖν, παραμυθεῖσθαι and ἀντέχεσθαι. 


On νουθετεῖν, see v. 1, D omits ὑμᾶς. Instead of the expected in- 


finitives after παραχαλοῦμεν (4.5), we have imperatives (1 Cor. 415; 
cf. above εἰρηνεύετε). GI, indeed, read νουθετεῖν, παραμυθεῖσθαι, and © 


ἀντέχεσθαι (so D), perhaps intimating (and if so, correctly; cf. Wohl.) 
that with the imperative μακχροθυμεῖτε, Paul turns from brotherly love 
(cf. 41°12) to love (πρὸς πάντας; cf. εἰς πάντας, v. 15; εἰς ἀλλήλους ν. 15 
is of course included). 





V, 14 197 


ποὺς ἀτάκτους. “The idlers.” Since in 41-12, to which these 
words evidently refer, people of unquiet mind, meddlesome, and 
idle are mentioned, most commentators content themselves here 
with a general translation, the “disorderly,” “unquiet,” “un- 
ruly,” even when they admit that idleness is the main count in 
the disorder (Ephr.: ‘‘inquietos, qui otiost ambulant et nihil fa- 
ciunt nisi inania’”’). The certainty that the specific sense “the 
idlers”’ is here intended is given in II 3°%- where the context 
demands that ἀτακτεῖν and περιπατεῖν ἀτάκτως be rendered as 
Rutherford translates and as the usage in papyri allows, “to be 
a loafer,” “to behave as a loafer” (cf. Theodoret: “τοὺς ἀτάκ- 
Tous τοὺς ἀργίᾳ συζῶντας οὕτως ἐκάλεσεν). 


In the N. T., ἄτακτος occurs only here, ἀταχτεῖν only in IT 37, and 
ἀτάχτως only in II 3% 4. Chrys. notes that they are originally military 
words, the τάξις being that of troops in battle array, or of soldiers at 
their post of duty. By a natural extension of usage, they come to 
describe various types of irregularity such as “intermittent” fevers, 
“disorderly” crowds, and “unrestrained” pleasures; and, by a still 
further extension, “disorderly” life in general (ς΄. 3 Mac. 119; Deut. 3219 
Ezek. 1229 4 Reg. 92° (Sym.); Test. xii, Naph. 29; 1 Clem. 40? Diogn. 91). 
In an exhaustive note, Milligan (152-154) has called attention to several 
papyri concerned with contracts of apprenticeship (6. g. P. Oxy. 275, 
724-5) where ἀταχτεῖν and ἀργεῖν are used interchangeably. In a 
letter to the present editor under date of February 12, 1910, Dr. Milli- 
gan refers “to a still more striking instance of ἀταχτέω = ‘to be idle’ 
than the Oxyrhyncus passages. In BGU, 11258 (13 B.c.)—a contract— 
the words occur ἃς δὲ ἐὰν ἀρταχτήσηι Tt ἀρρωστήσηι. Evidently ἀταχτῆ- 
ont is to be read, with a confusion in the writer’s mind with ἀργήσηις 
(Schubart).” In a paper in the volume entitled Essays in Modern The- 
ology (in honour of Dr. Briggs), 1911, 191-206, reasons are advanced in 
some detail for concluding that ἀταχτεῖν and its cognates, as employed 
by Paul, are to be translated not “to be idle,” etc. (cf. AIT. 1904, 614 77.) 
but “to loaf,” etc. In II 3", the idleness is a refusal to work, a direct 
violation of instructions orally given (παράδοσις 3°), of Paul’s own ex- 
ample (37!-), and of the gospel utterance (τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν 34). To express 
this notion of culpable neglect, Paul chooses not σχολάζειν (cf. Exod. 
58. 17), a word he prefers to use in the sense “to have leisure for” (1 Cor. 
75: cf. Ps. 45%); not ἀργεῖν (cf. Sir. 30%; also ἀργός Sir. 37! Mt. 12° 
20% 61 Tim. 58 Tit. 12), a word which Paul does not use; but ἀταχτεῖν 
(ἀτάκτως, ἄταχτος), a word which distinctly implies the wilful neglect 
of the “golden rule of labour” (Dob.). In English, this notion of neglect 
is conveyed best not by “to be idle,” etc., but by “to be a loafer,” etc. 
as Rutherford saw in II 35: 7 but not inI 5%. 


198 ‘I. THESSALONIANS 


τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους. “The faint-hearted.”” These “men of 
little heart’? (Wiclif) were worried not only about their dead 
(413-15) but also about their own salvation (5!"). They are not 
troublesome like the idlers; hence they require not warning but 
encouragement (παραμυθεῖσθε; cf. 2"; see also παρακαλεῖτε 
415 511 and the discussion in II 1°-2!’). 

Theodoret (cf. Chrys.) explains τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους both as τοὺς ἐπὶ 
τοῖς τεθνεῶσιν ἀμετρίως ἀθυμοῦντας (cf. Col. 3%!) and as τοὺς μὴ ἀνδρείως 
φέροντας τῶν ἐναντίων τὰς προσβολάς. The first reference is probable; 
but in place of the second reference, namely, to persecution, an allusion 
to the lack of assurance of salvation (5!) is more probable. In the 
prayer of 1 Clem. so‘ there is an interesting parallel: ἐξανάστησον τοὺς 
ἀσθενοῦντας, παραχάλεσον (cf. παραχαλεῖτε 418 511) τοὺς ὀλιγοψυχοῦντας. 
In the Lxx., ὀλιγόψυχος (only here in Ν. T.; of. Pr. 1429 181: Is. 255 
354 54° 5715), ὀλιγοψυχεῖν (not in N. T.), and ὀλιγοψυχία (not in N. T.) 
are regularly used, with the exception of Jonah 4% (where physical 
faintness is meant; cf. Isoc. 19°), of the depressed and the despondent 


> 


in whom little spirit is left; so Is. 571%: ὀλιγοψύχοις διδοὺς μαχροθυ- 
μίαν χαὶ διδοὺς ζωὴν τοῖς τὴν χαρδίαν συντετριμμένοις. 


ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν. “Cling to the weak.” In this con- 
nection, the reference is to the weak not physically (x Cor. 11°°) 
but morally. Furthermore, since ‘“‘the idlers” and “the faint- 
hearted”’ refer to classes already exhorted (4%; 4-51), it is 
probable that “the weak” are not generally the weak in faith 
(Chrys. Ephr. and others) but specifically those who are tempted 
to impurity (438; so Th. Mops.: de illis qui fornicatione detur- 
pabantur). Being persons of worth, they are not to be despised 
(cf. Mt. 6%= Lk. 16") but are to be held to and tenderly but 
firmly supported. 
ἀντέχεσθαι, always middle in Gk. Bib. except 4 Mac. 7‘, is construed 
with the gen. either of persons (Mt. 6% = Lk. 16" Pr. 45 Zeph. 1515. 57") 


or of things (Tit. 1° Is. 564, etc.). For a different connotation of ot 
ἀσθενεῖς, cf. 1 Cor. 89 9%. 


(9) Love (514 d-15) 


With μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας, Paul seems to turn from the 
specific needs of the three classes just named to a need of the 
group as a whole in reference to one another and especially to 


a, 


V, 14 199 


all men, namely, not simply brotherly love but also love. The 
exhortation, directed to all the converts, that they be slow to 
anger, and that they see to it that no one of their number re- 
taliate a wrong done but that they rather seek earnestly the good 
toward one another and toward all, suggests, though the exhor- 
tation is general and characteristic of Paul, a specific situation, 
namely, that the friction between workers and idlers within, and 
chiefly the persecutions from without at the hands of Gentiles 
directly and Jews indirectly, had stirred up a spirit of impatience 
destined to express itself, if it had not done so already, in re- 
venge. To prevent this violation of the moral ideal, τὸ ἀγαθόν, 
that is, love in which Paul had previously prayed (912) that the 
Lord would make them abound εἰς ἀλλήλους Kal εἰς πάντας 
the present injunction is apparently intended. 
πρὸς πάντας includes all men (Gal. 61°), the Thessalonians (vv. 36:2) 
and their fellow-Christians (41°) and the Gentiles and Jews (εἰς ἀλλήλους 
χαὶ εἰς πάντας ν. 15 31. It is probable, therefore, that μακχροθυμεῖτε 
goes not with the preceding which has to do solely with brotherly love 
(so most) but with the following (so Wohl.). It is perhaps not accidental 
that, as in vv. 1618 (χαίρετε, προσεύχεσθε, εὐχαριστεῖτε), and in vv. 1-18 
(εἰδέναι, ἡγεῖσθαι, εἰρηνεύετε), SO now in v. 145: (νουθετεῖτε, παραμυθεῖσθε, 
ἀντέχεσθε) and vv.44-15 (μαχροθυμεῖτε, ὁρᾶτε, διώκετε) we have the ar- 
rangement in triplets. 


44Be patient with all men; see to it that no one pays back to 
any one evil for evil, but do you always follow the good toward one 
another and toward all. 
14°, μακροθυμεῖτε. “ Bepatient with all men,” literally, “‘long- 
tempered,” slow to anger and retaliation, as opposed to the dis- 
position of the ὀξύθυμος who, unable to endure much, acts ill- 
advisedly (Pr. 147) and stirs up strife (cf. Pr. 26° (A): ὅπου δὲ 
οὐκ ἔστιν ὀξύθυμος, ἡσυχάζει μάχη). Patience is a fruit of the 
Spirit (Gal. 5”) and a characteristic of love ( Cor. 134 ἡ ἀγάπη 
μακροθυμεῖ). 
In Paul μαχροθυμία is several times closely joined with χρηστότης 
(Gal. 5% 2 Cor. 6%; cf. 1 Cor. 134); it is used not only of men but of 
God (Rom. 2! 9%; of. μακρόθυμος καὶ πολυέλεος Exod. 34° Ps. 85% 
1028, etc.). In Gk. Bib. μαχροθυμεῖν is regularly construed with ἐπέ 
(Sir. 184 Jas. 57, etc.), once with εἰς (2 Pet. 3°); of. μετά Ign. Polyc. 6% 


200 I THESSALONIANS 


15. ὁρᾶτε κτὰ. The group as a whole are held responsible for 
any single member (7s) whose patience is exhausted and who is 
ready to retaliate an injury done him by brother or outsider 
(τινί includes both as the parallel εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας 
indicates). The ancient principle of retaliation (cf. Exod. 2153 "- 
Deut. 19% Lev. 24!°!-) had undergone modifications in keeping 
with the advancing moral insight of Israel (cf. Pr. 20 24 25% "- 
Sir. 28-7), but it was left to the Master to put the case against 
it in the unqualified injunction beginning ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς 
ὑμῶν (Mt. -" = Lk. 627). It was perhaps the difficulty of living 
up to such an imperative in the present circumstances that 
prompted Paul to write not simply “render not evil for evil” 
(Rom. 1217) but, evoking the responsibility of the Christian so- 
ciety for the individual, “see you to it that no one pay back to 
any one evil for evil.” 

ὁρᾶτε μή occurs only here in Paul (cf. Mt. 181° Josh. 9"*) who prefers 
βλέπετε μή (Gal. 51° x Cor. 89 ro Col. 25). On ἀποδιδόναι, cf. Rom. 12"? 
τ Pet. 3° Pr. 17%. NGF read ἀποδοῖ (a subj. from ἀποδόω); D reads 


ἀποδοίη. The opposite of καχός in Paul is both ἀγαθός (Rom. 7!9 12%, 
etc.) and χαλός (Rom. 7% 12!7, etc.). ἀντί is rare in Paul (Rom. 127 


A 


1 Cor. 1115 Eph. 5%; IL 210 ἀνθ᾽ Gy). 


ἀλλὰ... διώκετε KTA. “But,” on the contrary, “always,” no 
matter how trying the circumstances, “follow,” that is, strive 
earnestly after “the good.” It is difficult to avoid the conviction 
that τὸ ἀγαθόν, the moral ideal (here opposed to κακόν, “an 
injury”) is for Paul love, seeing that ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον Ka- 
κὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται (Rom. 1319), the neighbour including both the 
believer and the unbeliever (εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας, as in 
3"). He might have said διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην (x Cor. 14"). 


It is questionable whether in Paul’s usage τὸ ἀγαθόν and τὸ καλόν 
(ν. 3.) can be sharply differentiated (sce Ell. on Gal. 619). Both terms 
represent the ethical ideal of Paul, which, as a comparison of Rom. 
124 f. and Gal. 52 with 1 Cor. 13 makes plain, can be described as 4 
ἀγάπη. On τὸ ἀγαθόν, cf. Rom. 7'* 12° 134 Gal. 61%, etc.; τὸ χαλόν 
Rom. 7!* Gal. 6° 2 Cor. 137, etc. For διώκειν in ἃ similar metaphor- 
ical sense, cf. Rom. 9* Sir. 278; Rom. 12" 14!” Ps. 3318 ζήτησον εἰρήνην 
χαὶ δίωξον αὐτήν. See also Epict. IV, 59 διώχειν τὸ ἀγαθὸν φεύγειν τὸ 
χαχόν. The χαί which BKLP (cf. Weiss, 114) insert before εἰς ἀλλήῆ- 
λους is to be omitted with NADEGF, εἰ al.; cf. 3134}, 


νυ 25727 201 


(το) Joy, Prayer, Thanksgiving (51°18). 


The injunction to constant joy and prayer and to thanksgiv- 
ing in every circumstance is characteristic of Paul (cf. 397). 
The fact, however, that he notes, as in 4%, that this exhortation is 
God’s will makes probable that the special circumstances of per- 
secution from without and friction within are here in mind as in 
vv. 415, Τῇ adding that this will of God operates in Christ Jesus, 
he designates that will as distinctively Christian, the will of the 
indwelling Christ who is the personal and immediately accessible 
authority behind the injunction (cf. 47!-). In adding still further 
εἰς ὑμᾶς, he intimates that the will of God in Christ is for their 
advantage, and implies that the Christ in them, the source of 
joy (x Phil. 44), prayer (Eph. 618 Rom. 8325), and thanksgiving 
(cf. διὰ Χριστοῦ Rom. τ 725 Col. 31”) is the power that enables 
them to carry out the difficult imperative. 

16 Always rejoice; ‘continually pray; 18in everything give thanks; 
for this is God’s will operating in Christ Jesus for you. 

16. πάντοτε χαίρετε. Paul has already revealed his own joy 
because of the converts (219 !- 39 £-), and has used the fact of their 
joy in the midst of persecution as a proof of their election (1°). 
It is natural for him now, with the persecutions from without and 
the disturbances in the brotherhood in mind, to urge them not 
only to rejoice (Rom. 12!° 2 Cor. 131! Phil. 31 44, etc.), but to re- 
joice “always” (πάντοτε as Phil. 41; cf. ἀεί 2 Cor. 619). This 
feeling of joy, expressed or unexpressed, is a joy before God 
(cf. 3° 1), as the following references to prayer and thanksgiving 
make probable. The source and inspiration of this religious joy is 
the indwelling Christ, as ἐν Χριστῷ presently explains (cf. Phil. 44 
χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε: GF insert ἐν κυρίῳ here; cf. Phil. 31). 

11. ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε. The way to constant joy in 
the midst of persecution is constant prayer (cf. Chrys.) unuttered 
or expressed. The exhortation to be steadfast in prayer (Rom. 
12” Col. 42), to pray ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ (Eph. 618) is characteristic 
of Paul’s teaching and practice (31° II 11). In this context, 
prayer would include especially supplication ὑπὲρ τῶν διωκόντων 


202 I THESSALONIANS 


(Mt. 5 Lk. 678 Rom. 12"). That they can thus pray as they 
ought is possible because of the indwelling Christ (ἐν Χριστῷ 
᾿Ιησοῦ; cf. Rom. 8° Eph. 618). 


προσεύχεσθαι (v. 35 IT 1 31) is common in Gk. Bib.; it is a general 
word (τὸ ὁμιλεῖν τῶ θεῷ, Theophylact), including δεῖσθαι (3:19), ἐντυγ- 
χάνειν (Rom. 85:6. 39), etc. On ἀδιαλείπτως, see 1", 


18. ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε. “Whatever happens, give thanks 
to God.” Since in 2 Cor. οὗ ἐν παντί is distinguished from πάν- 
ΤΟΤΕ we must supply here not χρόνῳ or καιρῷ but χρήματι, “in 
every circumstance of life,” even in the midst of persecutions 
and friction within the brotherhood. Even when τῷ θεῷ is not 
expressed, it is to be understood after εὐχαριστεῖν (cf. Rom. 1% 
1 Cor. 10% 114 1417 Eph. 119). Constant joy with constant prayer 
leads to the expression of thankfulness to God at every turn of 
life. The stimulating cause of thanksgiving is the Christ within 
(ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ; cf. the διά in Rom. 18 725 and especially 
Col.3*), 


The parallelism here between πάντοτε and ἀδιαλείπτως, and the usage 
of πάντοτε or ἀδιαλείπτως with εὐχαριστεῖν (13 212 IL 18 213 x Cor, 1¢ 
Phil. 13 Eph. 52° Phile. 4), χαίρειν (Phil. 44; ἀεί 2 Cor. 61°), μνημονεύειν 
(12), μνείαν ἔχειν (3°) or ποιεῖσθαι (Rom. 1°), προσεύχεσθαι (11 1"; ἐν 
παντὶ xate@ Eph. 618) make it tempting to take ἐν παντί = πάντοτε (so 
Chrys. τὸ det εὐχαριστεῖν τοῦτο φιλοσόφου ψυχῆς, Flatt and Dob.). But 
the usage of ἐν παντί, in the N. T. only in Paul, quite apart from 2 Cor. 
9%, is against that interpretation (cf. 1 Cor. 15 2 Cor. 48 64 75: 11. 16 87g" 
11 9 Eph. 5% Phil. 4% 1). In the Lxx., ἐν παντί is rare and never tem- 
poral (Pr. 285 Sir, 182? 3728 Dan. (Lxx.) 1137 4 Mac. 83); in Neh. 138 
ἐν παντὶ τούτῳ, it is τούτῳ not παντί which demands a χρόνῳ or χαιρῷ. 
Had Paul wished to indicate a temporal reference, he would have 
added χρόνῳ or καιρῷ (Eph. 618; cf. Lk. 2139 Acts τι Tobit 4! Ps. 33! 
1 Mac. 12" Hermas, Mand. V, 23), or written διὰ παντός (II 315 Rom. 
1110) instead of ἐν navel. On εὐχαριστεῖν, εὐχαριστία (of. εὐχάριστος Col. 
415), which are frequent words in Paul, see on 1° 3°; cf. Epict. I, 4%? τοῦ 
χαίρων καὶ τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστῶν. For the collocation of thanksgiving and 
prayer, apart from the epistolary outline, see 3° Phil. 45 Col. 4°. 


τοῦτο yap θέλημα θεοῦ κτλ. “For this,’’ namely, that you 
rejoice and pray always and give thanks to God whatever hap- 
pens, “is God’s will.’’ As in 4°, Paul insists that what he exhorts 


V, Ley 10) 203 


is not of his own but of divine authority. But instead of stopping 
here, leaving the readers to infer that God was inaccessible and 
his will impersonal, Paul adds characteristically, using his preg- 
nant phrase ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ (2'4; see on 11), that God’s will, 
the authority that has the right to give the difficult injunction, 
operates in Christ Jesus, thus indicating that the will is distinc- 
tively Christian and that Christ in whom God operates is an 
accessible personal power whose right to command is recognised 
both by Paul and by his readers (cf. 47 15). With the further ad- 
dition of εἰς ὑμᾶς, which would be superfluous if év X. Ἴ. meant 
simply that the will of God was declared by Christ, Paul im- 
plies not only that the distinctively Christian will of God is 
directed to the believers but also that it is to their advantage 
(cf. 2 Cor. 134 εἰς ὑμᾶς SAD); and he succeeds in hinting that it 
is the Christ in the believers who guarantees their ability to exe- 
cute even this most difficult exhortation. 


Since joy, thanksgiving, and prayer are related ideas (cf. 39 f-), and 
since the change from πάντοτε and ἀδιαλείπτως to ἐν παντί does not 
compel the singling out of εὐχαριστία as the only element in the will 
of God requiring immediate emphasis, it is probable that τοῦτο refers 
not simply to εὐχαριστεῖτε (so Th. Mops. Chrys. Ephr. Ell. Wohl.), 
or to εὐχαριστεῖτε and προσεύχεσθε (Grot.), but to all three impera- 
tives. While it is possible to understand 6 before ἐν Χριστῷ (cf. 2 Cor. 
519 Eph. 4%), it is probable in the light of Rom. 839 (τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ θεοῦ 
τῆς ἐν X. Ἴ.) that τό is to be understood (cf. 2" Phil. 34). Though the 
stress here is on the will of God as operating in Christ, yet such opera- 
tion presupposes the presence of God in Christ. The omission of articles 
in θέλημα θεοῦ indicates either a fixed formula or that one part of the 
divine will is meant (EIl.). Influenced by 43, DEFG add ἐστίν after 
γάρ; and NA insert tod before θεοῦ. L omits Incod. By putting εἰς 
ὑμᾶς before ἐν X. ’L., A yields the less pregnant sense “will of God di- 
rected to you who are in Christ Jesus” (so Dob.). 


(11) Spiritual Gifts (519-%). 


From the distinctively Pauline conception of Christ or the 
Spirit as the permanent ethical power in the life of the believer 
(ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿Ιησοῦν, the Apostle turns to the ancient but equally 
Pauline conception of the Spirit (cf. Rom. 1518 Eph. 4" of Christ) 


204 I THESSALONIANS 


as the source of the extraordinary phenomena in the Christian 
life, the spiritual gifts (τὸ πνεῦμα). Though the gifts of the 
Spirit (χαρίσματα) are as valid to Paul as the fruits of the 
Spirit, he is ever at pains to insist that the validity of the 
former depends on their serving an ethical end, namely, love 
(xt Cor. 12-14). 

The presence of the exhortation at this point makes probable 
the conjecture (see 4") that the idlers had demanded ἐν πνεύματι 
that the workers, in whose hands as leaders was the control of 
the funds, give them money. This demand was refused on the 
ground that Paul had enjoined orally that if a man refused to 
work he should not receive support (II 3°; I 4"). The effect 
on the workers of this misuse of the Spirit was an inclination to 
doubt the validity not of the Spirit in the ethical life but of the 
Spirit as manifested in χαρίσματα. Hence the first two exhorta- 
tions, though addressed to all, refer especially to the attitude of 
the workers. In general, Paul says, the operations of the Spirit 
are not to be extinguished; and in particular, the manifestations 
of the Spirit in prophecy are not to be despised. Then, still ad- 
dressing all, but having in mind especially the idlers who had 
misinterpreted the Spirit, he urges them to test all things, that 
is, πάντα εἴδη πνευμάτων (cf. τ Jn. 41), including prophecy; and 
then, as a result of the test, to hold fast to the good, that is, 
those manifestations of the Spirit that make for edification or 
love, and to hold aloof from every evil sort of πνεῦμα or 
χάρισμα; for while the good is one, the evil is manifold. 

Th. Mops. refers the five injunctions to spiritual gifts (cf. Ephr.); 
so Chrys. who, however, first interprets τὸ πνεῦμα of the fruits of the 
Spirit. The triple arrangement of vv. 13.185 is here succeeded by a five- 
fold, 2+ 3. If, as is almost certain, πάντα δὲ δοχιμάζετε is to be re- 
stricted to spiritual gifts in general and prophecy in particular, it 
follows that both xatéyete and ἀπέχεσθε, which designate the positive 
and negative results of the testing, are likewise so to be restricted (cf. 


Th. Mops.). Indeed K, et al., indicate this interpretation by reading 
δοχιμάζοντες for δοχιμάζετε. 


Quench not the gifts of the Spirit; 5940 not make light of cases 
of prophesying; *on the other hand, test all gifts of the Spirit, hold- 
ing fast to the good “and holding aloof from every evil kind. 


ν, TQ 205 


19. τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε. “Quench not the Spirit,” that 
is, the divine Spirit operating in believers. The reference, how- 
ever, is not to the ethical fruits of the Spirit (cf. 1° 48 II 213) but, 
as προφητείας makes certain, to the extraordinary gifts of the 
Spirit, the charismata. Furthermore, τὸ πνεῦμα is not to be re- 
stricted to a specific charisma (Ephr. gui loquuntur in linguis 
spiritus) but is to be understood of the totality of the extraor- 
dinary operations (Calvin). To quench, to put out the fire of, 
the Spirit is to prohibit or repress those who ἐν πνεύματι are 
ready with psalm, teaching, revelation, tongue, interpretation, 
etc. (1 Cgr..14%°). To repress the believer is or may be to re- 
press the Spirit. This exhortation is of course not incompati- 
ble with the injunction that all things be done εὐσχημόνως, 
κατὰ τάξιν, and πρὸς οἰκοδομήν (x Cor. 144% 2°), 


That 1 Cor. 12-14 (cf. 2 Cor. 122-4 Rom. 12°-°) happens to be the locus 
classicus on spiritual gifts is due to the fact that Paul is there replying 
to a written request for information περὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν. The Thessa- 
lonians had made no such specific request; but, if our conjectural re- 
construction is correct, Paul refers to the matter here in order to warn 
both the workers and the idlers. This brief allusion, however, yields 
information that tallies exactly with what may be learned in extenso 
from the passages noted above. In Thessalonica, as in Corinth, the 
Christian life was accompanied by the same spiritual phenomena. 

Three main groups of χαρίσματα may be detected: (1) Healing, 
both of ordinary (ἰάματα) and of extraordinary (δυνάμεις) disease. 
(2) Revelation, including (a) γλώσσαις λαλεῖν, an unintelligible utter- 
ance requiring, in order that it might be πρὸς οἰκοδομήν, Epunvia, 
another charisma; (Ὁ) προφητεία (see below, v 2°); (c) διακρίσεις πνευ- 
μάτων (see below, v. 31); and (4) διδασχαλία. (3) Service, embracing 
“apostles, governments, helps” (cf. Rom. 128 1525 1 Cor. 161). While 
Paul rejoices in all these extraordinary gifts and especially in proph- 
ecy (1 Cor. 14), he makes plain that they all must be used for the up- 
building of the church, and that without love even prophecy is of no 
avail (1 Cor. 13). On the Spirit in general, see Gunkel, Die Wirkungen 
des Geistes, 1888; Weinel, Die Wirkungen des Geistes und der Geister, 
1899; Briggs, JBL. 1900, 132 ff.; Gloél, Der Heilige Geist in der Heils- 
verkiindigung des Paulus, 1888; Wood, The Spirit of God in Biblical 
Literature, 1904; Arnal, La Notion de L’Esprit, I, 1908 (La Doctrine 
Paulienne); and Volz, Der Geist Gottes, 1910. On the charismata in 
particular, see Schmiedel, EB. 4755 f.; McGiffert, A postolic Age, 517 ff.; 
and J. Weiss (in Meyer) and Robertson and Plummer (in JCC.) on 1 Cor. 


206 I THESSALONIANS 


12-14; also Harnack, Das hohe Lied von der Liebe (in SBBA. 1911, 
132 f.). For the particular situation in Thessalonica, see Liitgert, Die 
Volkommenen in Phil. und die Enthusiasten in Thess. 1909, 55 77. 

Since σβεννύναι is used of putting out fire or light (see Wetstein), 
the Spirit is here conceived metaphorically as fire (cf. Rom. 12" Acts 2° 
Mt. 311: = Lk. 3° 2 Tim. 1°). In Lxx. σβεννύναι is used with θυμός 
(4 Reg. 2217 = 2 Ch. 345 Jer. 44 72°), ὀργή (Jer. 21"), ψυχή (Sir. 23:5) 
and ἀγάπη (Cant. 87 where ἐξουδενοῦν also occurs). On the hellenistic 
ζβέννυτε (BDGF), see BI. 3°. 


20. προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε. From the general τὸ πνεῦμα, 
he passes to the particular, the charisma of prophecy (Calvin). 
This gift is singled out for mention, perhaps, because the idlers 
had exercised it wrongly and because the workers made light of 
it especially. The plural (cf. 1 Cor. 13°) is chosen either because 
prophecy has many forms of expression or because individual 
cases are in mind. προφητεία to Paul is not the science of 
interpreting Scripture (Calvin), not the gift of foretelling the 
future and explaining the past, but the proclamation of the 
utterance of God, so that the prophet (1 Cor. 1278 §- 14%9 5.) is 
the revealer of the will of God operating in the indwelling 
Christ or Spirit. 


προφητεία to Paul is apparently the greatest χάρισμα (x Cor. 14), 
though it is worthless unless it makes for love (a comprehensive term 
for the ethical, non-charismatic fruits of the Spirit). Though it may 
arise in an ἀποχάλυψις or ὀπτασία (2 Cor. 12?-4 Gal. 2°), it is, unlike 
speaking with tongues, an intelligible utterance, making directly, with- 
out ἑρμηνία, for edification, comfort, and encouragement (1 Cor. 14°). 
There is a control by the Spirit but the νοῦς is active, as it is not in γλώσ- 
outs λαλεῖν. What is prompted by the Spirit can be remembered and 
imparted, though the control of the Spirit is greater than in διδασχαλία, 
It may be that such passages as Rom. 818 δ. 1 Cor. 13, 158° *- owe their 
origin to prophecy. ἐξουθενεῖν is quite frequent in Paul (Gal. 4* Rom. 
143. 10. etc.), and in the Lxx. (cf. ἐξουθενοῦν and ἐξουδενοῦν); in mean- 
ing it is akin to χαταφρονεῖν and ἀποδοχιμάζειν (cf. Mk. 8% with 9"). 


21. πάντα δὲ δοκιμάζετε. “Test all things,” that is, πάντα 
εἴδη πνευμάτων (1 Cor. 1219), including προφητεία. Though Paul 
insists, over against the doubts of the workers, that no operation 
of the Spirit is to be repressed, and that no case of prophecy is 
to be despised, yet he recognises and insists equally as well, over 


ee 


V,, 10-22 207 


against the misuse of the Spirit by the idlers, that all χαρίσματα 
must be subject to test. Hence δέ, contrasting the two atti- 
tudes, is adversative. That this is Paul’s meaning is confirmed 
by τ Cor. 12!° where the charisma of διακρίσεις πνευμάτων is 
mentioned; cf. also 14°°: “Let two or three prophesy” καὶ of 
ἄλλοι διακρινέτωσαν, that is, “and let the others exercise the 
gift of discerning” whether a given utterance ἐν πνεύματι makes 
for good or is evil. 


It is noteworthy that the utterances of the Spirit are to be tested. 
Calvin rightly infers that the spirit of judgment is conferred upon be- 
lievers that they may discriminate so as not to be imposed upon. This 
power, he thinks, must be sought from the same Spirit who speaks by 
his prophets. In fact, as 1 Cor. 1219 1429 prove, the power to discern 
is itself a charisma, διαχρίσεις πνευμάτων (cf. Grot.). It is further note- 
worthy that the nature of the test isnot stated. In view, however, of the 
place given to οἰκοδομῇ and especially to ἀγάπη (see Harnack, of. cit.) 
in 1 Cor. 12-14, it is probable that the test of the spiritual is the ethical, 
the value of the Spirit for the life of love. In his note on τὸ χαλόν, Ephr. 
says: id est quod adaequatur evangelio, a pertinent statement in the light 
of 213f-, In xz Jn. 4! where δοχιμάζειν τὰ πνεύματα occurs, the test is 
objective, the belief that Jesus is the Christ come in the flesh; in 2 Jn. 
to the same test recurs with the added point of φιλαδελφία; these 
two being the elements in the διδαχὴ Χριστοῦ emphasised in view of 
the docetic and separatist (τ Jn. 21°) movement. In the Didache, δοκι- 
pate is likewise referred to (6. g. 111-2 12!); especially pertinent to 
the probable situation in Thess. is 1112: ‘Whoever says in the Spirit: 
Give me silver or anything else, ye shall not hearken unto him; but 
if he tell you to give on behalf of others that are in want, let no man 
judge him.” δέ, omitted by NA, εἰ al., is probably to be read after πάντα 
with 8°BDGFP, Vulg. (autem), et al. 


τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε κτλ. The brethren are not to rest content 
with the testing and the discovery whether a given utterance of 
the Spirit in a man tends to the good or is an evil kind, but are 
(a) to hold fast to the good and (0) to hold aloof from every evil 
kind. The positive injunction of itself includes the negative; 
but the mention of the negative strengthens the appeal and adds 
a new point—the good is one, but the evil many. τὸ καλόν. 
designates the utterance of the Spirit as making for οἰκοδομή 
(x Cor. 14-5 15- 26) or specifically love (τ Cor. 13; v. supra v.15 
To ἀγαθον). 


208 I THESSALONIANS 


χατέχειν is common in Gk. Bib. and has a variety of meanings. 
Luke uses the word differently in each of his four instances; “hold fast 
to” (λόγον Lk. 8:5), “get hold of,” “occupy” (τόπον Lk. 14"), “re- 
strain from” (Lk. 4% τοῦ μὴ πορεύεσθαι; Paul never has χατέχειν τοῦ 
(τὸ) μή), and “put in” (of a ship, Acts 27). Mill. (155-157), in illus- 
trating the use of the word in papyri, groups the meanings under two 
heads (1) “hold fast”’ and (2) “hold back.” Examples of (1) are “hold 
fast to” (= xpateiv) with λόγον (x Cor. 152), and παραδόσεις (1 Cor. 
11°; cf. 2 Thess. 2156 xpatette); “possess,” “get possession of” (1 Cor. 
7°9 (absolute) 2 Cor. 619 Exod. 3213 Josh. 1", etc.; cf. Sir. 469 Lk. 14°); 
“grip,” “control,” “cripple” (cf. Deiss. Light, 308) “overpower” (2 Reg. 
1? Job 15% Jer. 6% 13%! Ps. 118% 13819, etc.; cf. P. Oxy. 217! κατέχει τὰ 
πράγματα hon βασιλεία; also 3 Mac. 512 ἡδίστῳ χαὶ βαθεῖ (ὕπνῳ) χα- 
τεσχέθη τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ δεσπότου; and Jn. 54 (υ. 1.) νοσήματι χατείχετο, 
of demon possession as in Lk. 1315). Examples of (2) are “detain” 
(Phile. 13 Gen. 2455 Judg. 1315 16 (A has βιάζειν) 194); as in prison 
(Gen. 397° 421°); “restrain” (cf. Deiss. Light, 308), “restrain from” 
“hinder” (Lk. 45). The exact shade of meaning is not always easy 
to discover (6. g. II 25 Rom. 118 γ5 Is. 40%). Reitzenstein (Die hel- 
lenistischen Mysterienrcligionen, 1910, 71 ff.) admits that χατέχεσθαι, 
χάτοχος, and χατοχῆ may be used of possession; but in the references 
to the Serapeum he holds with Mill. that χάτοχος = δέσμιος, xatoxh 
= the prison (temple), and χατέχεσθαι = “to be detained.” See further 
on II 2%, 


22. εἴδους πονηροῦ. “Evil kind” of χάρισμα or πνεῦμα (cf. 
1 Cor. 1219 1 Jn. 4'). Asa result of testing it appears that there 
is but one kind of operation of the Spirit that can really be called 
such, namely, that which makes for the good; while the kinds 
which are attributed to the Spirit, but which prove themselves 
evil,are many. Hence, instead of ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ to balance τὸ 
καλόν, we have ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ, “from every evil 
sort hold yourselves aloof” (ἀπέχεσθε as 45). 


If τὸ xadbv χατέχετε is general (Lft. Born. Wohl. ef al.), then ἀπέ- 
χεσῦςε is likewise general; if, however, the former is specific (Liin. ΕἸ]. 
εἰ al.), then the latter is likewise specific. The objection (Liin.) that 
the specific sense would require ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ is not cogent, for in 
v.15 χαχόν is balanced by τὸ ἀγαθόν; and furthermore Paul purposes to 
contrast the one good with the many evil forms. Whether πονηροῦ 
is a noun (De W. Liin. Ell. Schmiedel, Born. Vincent, Find. Wohl. 
Mill. and most) or adjective (Erasmus, Bengel, Pelt. Lft. Dob. εἰ al.) 
is uncertain; in either case the meaning is the same (Calv.). The ab- 
sence of the article “does not contribute to the decision” (Ell.); nor 
the possible allusion to Job 11 = 18 (ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ 


WV; 120-23 209 


πράγματος) or 23 (ἀπεχόμενος ἀπὸ παντὸς χαχοῦ). Apart from 4 πονηρός 
(II 5331 Cor. 5:32 Eph. 616) and τὸ πονηρόν (Rom. 12°), πονηρός in Paul 
is an adjective and anarthrous (II 3? Col. 121 Eph. 515 613), unless Gal. 
14 (ἐκ τοῦ αἰῶνος τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος πονηροῦ) is an exception.—eldog is rare 
in N. T. but common in Lxx. It may mean (1) that which is seen 
whether “physical form” (Jn. 537 Lk. 3%; frequently in Lxx. of the 
human form χαλός or αἰσχρὸς τῷ εἴδει) or “look,” “mien” (Lk. 9% 
Job 411° Pr. 719, etc.), or physical “appearance,” “manifestation,” quod 
aspicitur (6. g. 2 Cor. 57 Exod. 2417 Num. 91); or (2) “sort,” “kind,” 
“class” (Jer. 153 Sir. 2316 252; cof. P. Tebt. 5829f- ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους 
(πυροῦ); cf. Witk. 78). This meaning fits our passage admirably. 
Calvin, however, misled by species (Vulg.), understands εἶδος as “ap- 
pearance” over against reality, “abstain not simply from evil but from 
all appearance of evil.” This interpretation puts the stress not on 
πονηροῦ (which τὸ χαλόν demands) but on εἴδους and introduces a 
meaning of εἶδος which is doubtful lexically.—From Hinsel (SK. 1836, 
170-184) to Resch (Agrapha,? 112-128), it has been held frequently 
that in vv. 21-22 there is an allusion to an agraphon, γίνεσθε δόκιμοι 
τραπεζῖται (on this agraphon, see Ropes, Spriiche Jesu, 141-143, or 
HDB. V, 349). Rutherford seems to have this in mind when he trans- 
lates: “Rather, assay all things thereby. Stick to the true metal; have 
nothing to do with the base.”” There is, however, no mention of τραπε- 
Cicat or νόμισμα in this context; and, as we have seen, δοχιμάζειν is, 
in the light of vv. 12°, naturally to be understood of the testing of 
«νεύματα. 


V. PRAYER (ς55:9. 


Recognising that the exhortations (41-5) especially to ethical 
consecration (45-8) and peace (528; cf. 419-12) would be of no 
avail without the divine assistance; and recognising further the 
necessity of the consecration not only of soul but of body (4°), 
—a, consecration which would be impossible unless the Spirit of 
God as immanent in the individual were inseparably bound to 
the human personality, body and soul; he prays first in gen- 
eral that God may consecrate them through and through, and 
then specifically that he may keep their spirit, the divine ele- 
ment, and the soul and body, the human element, intact as an 
undivided whole so that they may be blameless when the Lord 
comes. That the prayer will be answered is certain, for God 
the faithful not only calls but also consecrates and keeps them 


blameless to the end. 
14 


210 I THESSALONIANS 


*Now may the God of peace himself consecrate you through and 
through, and may your spirit and soul and body be kept intact so 
as to be blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. **Faith- 
ful is he who calls you ; who also will do this very thing. 

23. αὐτὸς δέ κτλ. Following the exhortation (41-5), a new 
epistolary section is introduced, the prayer. In this connection, 
δέ is slightly adversative as if Paul had said: “I have exhorted 
you to ethical consecration and to the things that make for 
peace, but God himself is the only power that can make the 
exhortation effective.” 

ὁ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης. An apt designation in the light of vv. 15:13, 
This “peace,” however, is not to be restricted to harmony within 
the brotherhood; but is to be understood of the spiritual pros- 
perity (1) of which God is the author (Estius) and without 
which concord in the community is impossible. A similar ap- 
peal to the underlying religious sanction is seen in 1 Cor. 14% 
where, after a reference to disorder among the prophets, God 
is called a God not of confusion (ἀκαταστασίας) but of peace 
(εἰρήνης, instead of the expected εὐσχημόνης or τάξεως). 

ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς, “Consecrate you throughout,” 
“through and through” (Luther). The note of consecration 
already struck in 3" and 43:8 is heard again. As in those pas- 
sages so here consecration includes not only religion, devotion 
to God, but conduct, ethical soundness. Furthermore, since 
Paul has in mind the consecration not only of the soul but of 
the body (4°), it is probable that ὁλοτελεῖς is to be taken not 
qualitatively “so that you may be perfect” (Ambst. Lft. Dob. 
et al.) but quantitatively “wholly,” per omnia (Vulg.), that is, 
σώματι Kal ψυχῆ (Theophylact; cf. Grot. De W. Liin. ΕἸ]. 
Schmiedel, Born. Wohl. Mill. et al.). 


On αὐτὸς δέ, see 34%. The phrase ὃ θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης (not in Lxx.) 
is mainly Pauline (Rom. 15** 162° 1 Cor. 143 2 Cor. 13" Phil. 4° Heb. 
13%; cf. ὃ κύριος IL 318).---Ἴἀγιάζειν is rare in Paul (active here and 
Eph. 5%, passive in Rom. 15'¢ 1 Cor. 1? 6" 74), but common in Lxx. 
(Exod. 31" ἐγὼ χύριος ὃ ἁγιάζων ὑμᾶς, Lev. 11 218 Ezek. 37%). 
Though the consecrating power of Christ or the Spirit possesses the 
believers at baptism so that they become a χαινὴ χτίσις, yet the con- 
secration is not fully perfected (cf. 3"). For the optative ἁγιάσαι, 


V, 23 211 


GF have the future indic. ὁλοτελῆς occurs only here in Gk. Bib.; 
Field notes it in Lev. 6 Ps. 50% (Aq.); cf. Aristotle, de plantis, 817 f. 
ὃ χόσμος ὁλοτελῆς ἐστιν χαὶ διηνεχῆς; also Hermas, Mand. IX, 6, Vis. 
ITT, 64 109 134. 
καὶ ὁλόκληρον κτὰ. “And—to specify more exactly (ΕἸ), 
may your spirit and soul and body . . . be kept in their en- 
tirety,’ as an undivided whole. So important for the readers 
is the prayer for the consecration not only of soul but of body 
that Paul repeats it, explaining the ἁγιάσαι -vith ἀμέμπτως 
τηρηθείη; the ὑμᾶς with ὑμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα, ἡ ψυχή, TO σῶμα: 
and the ὁλοτελεῖς with ὁλόκληρον. In doing so, he makes 
clear that God not only consecrates the believers but keeps 
them (“from the baptism to the coming of Christ,’ Ephr.) so 
that they are blameless when the Lord comes. 


ὁλόχληρον like ὁλοτελεῖς which it resumes is in the predicate posi- 
tion and is to be interpreted not qualitatively “so as to be ethically 
perfect” but qualitatively “in their entirety,” “intact,” integer (Vulg.), 
the point being that no part of the Christian personality should be lack- 
ing in consecration. Though closely connected with πνεῦμα, ὁλόκληρον 
like the unemphatic ὑμῶν is to be construed with all three substantives. 
—théxAnoos differs etymologically from δλοτελής but is in meaning 
virtually synonymous with it. The former word occurs elsewhere in 
the Gk. Bib. Jas. 14; Zech. 111° (of physical soundness; cf. 6AoxAnola 
Acts 315 Is. 18 v. J.); Ezek. 155 (of wood not yet cut for fuel); Deut. 
275 Josh. οἱ t Mac. 447 (of the unhewn stones for the altar); Deut. 169 
(A) Lev. 2315 (of the seven Sabbaths); Sap. 15% (of δικαιοσύνη); 4 Mac. 
157 (of εὐσέβεια); cf. Hermas, Mand. V, 23 τῶν τὴν πίστιν ἐχόντων 
δλόχληρον; also A in 1 Ch. 247 = 259 where B has ὃ χλῆρος. 


ὑμῶν TO πνεῦμα KT. Judging from the Pauline conception of 
the Christian as the man into whom there has entered a super- 
natural divine power, Christ or the Spirit (Gal. 48 Rom. 84 
1 Cor. 619 2 Cor. 1”), and from the fact that Paul is addressing 
Christians, it is probable but not certain that “your spirit” (cf. 
1 Cor. 14") designates that portion of the divine Spirit which as 
dwelling permanently in the individual as τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ 
θεοῦ constitutes τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου TO ἐν αὐτῷ (τ Cor. 2"), 
The believer and the unbeliever are so far alike that their indi- 
viduality consists of an inner (ψυχή, νοῦς, καρδία, ὁ ἔσω ἄν- 
Opw7ros) and an outer part (σῶμα); but the believer differs from — 


212 I THESSALONIANS 


the unbeliever in that he has received from God the divine Spirit 
which controls and redeems his former individuality, so that at 
the Parousia he is raised from the dead and enters upon a life 
with Christ in a spiritual body. Without the indwelling πνεῦμα, 
man at his best (ψυχικός) is mere man, unregenerate, σαρκικός (1 
Cor 3° 15% *-), incapable of resurrection and life with Christ. 
Hence the emphasis on ὁλόκληρον at this point; the divine in 
man and the human individuality must be kept intact, an undi- 
vided whole, if the believer is to be blameless at the Parousia. 


This view, shared substantially by Dob., appears in an anonymous 
catena quoted by Swete (Th. Mops. II, 39): οὐδέποτε ἐπὶ ἀπίστου τὰ 
τρία τέθειχεν, πνεῦμα, ψυχήν, xal σῶμα, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ μόνων τῶν πιστευόντων ὧν 
ψυχὴ μὲν χαὶ σῶμα τῆς φύσεως, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τῆς εὐεργεσίας, τουτέστιν, τὸ 
χάρισμα τῶν πιστευόντων. Th. Mops. (who seems to take ὁλόχληρον 
with πνεῦμα and ἀμέμπτως with ψυχή and σῶμα) Chrys. and Theodoret 
interpret ὑμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα as the direct equivalent of τὸ πνεῦμα in ν. 19. 
—The contrast between “my,” “our” spirit with the divine Spirit (1 
Cor. 514 Rom. 81:5) does not of necessity compel the conclusion that the 
human spirit in a psychological sense (= ψυχή, νοῦς, etc.) is here meant, 
for in 1 Cor. 14% where “my spirit” is contrasted with “my voic,” it 
is evident that “my spirit” is that portion of the divine Spirit which is 
resident in the individual. Occasionally Paul uses τὸ πνεῦμα ὑμῶν as 
a designation of the Christian personality (Gal. 615 Phil. 45 Phile. 
25) instead of ὑμεῖς (v. 38 IT 318) or the popular ψυχή (Rom. 29 11% 
131 164 2 Cor. 133 Phil. 23°; also 1 Thess. 28 2 Cor. 1215); and this is 
probably the case in 1 Cor. 1618 2 Cor. 213 713 (cf. Mt. 112° and 4 σὰρξ 
ὑμῶν 2 Cor. 75); ἐκ ψυχῆς (Col. 5333 Eph. 6°) is equivalent to é% χαρδίας 
as Rom. 617 makes probable. ψυχή is rare in Paul compared with πνεῦ- 
μα, σῶμα or even χαρδία; it is less frequent than νοῦς. Ten of the 
thirteen instances have been mentioned already; in 1 Cor. 154 = 
Gen. 27, Paul contrasts sharply πνεῦμα and ψυχῆ under the influence 
of his conception of the ψυχιχός as σαρχιχός; in Phil. 127 (στήχετε ἐν 
ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ συναθλοῦντες), where, as here, ψυχὴ appears 
alongside of πνεῦμα, πνεῦμα is the divine Spirit as such or as individual- 
ised in the believer.—Didymus (de spiritu sancto, 55, quoted by Swete 
(op. cit.), 39) thinks that it would be incredible and blasphemous for 
the Apostle to pray that the Holy Spirit integer servctur, qui nec imminu- 
lionem potest recipere nec profectum; and hence refers “your spirit” 
to the human spirit. Whether his objection is cogent depends on the 
interpretation of 1 Cor. 5° and 2 Cor. 7! (if σάρξ here as in Col. 25 = 
σῶμα; cf. 2 Cor. 7°). Pelagius (noted by Dob.) remarks: gratia spiritus, 
quae quamvis in se semper integra sit, non tamen in nobis integra nisi ab 





V, 23 213 


integris habetur (Souter). If with Didymus Paul here speaks de humano 
spiritu, then πνεῦμα is a distinctively psychological term appropriate 
to believers and unbelievers alike, and the collocation with ψυχή which 
is unusual (Phil. 127 1 Cor. 154°) is to be understood either (1) as rhetor- 
ical (De W. Jowett, and many), or at least as “a popular statement, not 
an expression of the Apostle’s own psychology” (Charles, Eschat. 410); 
or (2) as the “distinct enunciation of the three component parts of the 
nature of man” (Ell.; so most after Origen, Jerome, Apollinaris of 
Laodicea). Lft. ad Joc. says: “The spirit which is the ruling faculty in 
man and through which he holds communication with the unseen world 
—the soul, which is the seat of all his impulses and affections, the centre 
of his personality—the body, which links him to the material world and 
is the instrument of all his outward deeds—these all the Apostle would 
have presented perfect and intact in the day of the Lord’s coming.” 

In the O. T. man is regularly divided into an inner (spirit or soul) and 
an outer (body) part,—a view which prevails in the simple psycholog 
of late Judaism (Bousset, Relig.2 459) and in the N. T. Concurrent 
with this view is another (to Charles the more primitive), namely, that 
ruach is the breath of life which quickens man, body and soul, and re- 
turns at death to God (Charles, Eschat. 44),—a view which occasionally 
appears in apocalyptic literature (ibid. 194-232). Charles (zbid. 
409 ff.) understands πνεῦμα in Paul of the higher nature of man which 
is created anew by God in order to make possible communion with him; 
it of course survives death; ψυχῆ is a mere function of the body and 
perishes with it. Dob. doubts this and refers to 2 Cor. 123 1215, 

Neither Plato nor Aristotle has a trichotomy (Dob. 230 ff.); they 
divide man into σῶμα and ψυχή and subdivide ψυχῆ into three parts or 
powers. When νοῦς comes alongside of ψυχή, it is a function of the 
latter, “the instrument by which the soul thinks and forms conceptions” 
and it has “no reality at all prior to the exercise of thought” (Arist. 
de anima, III, 4 (429), in Hammond, Aristoile’s Psychology, 1902, 113). 
In Philo, “the πνεῦμα is not a part of human nature but a force that 
acts upon it and within it. The dichotomy of human nature re- 
mains” (Hatch, Essays, 128). In Christianity, trichotomy does not 
seem certain until the second century; outside of Christianity, it is not 
clear before the Neoplatonists with their σῶμα, ψυχή, νοῦς (Dob.).—On 
the question at issue, see Wendt, Die Begriffe Fleisch und Geist, 1879; 
Dickson, St. Paul’s Use of the Terms Flesh and Spirit, 1883; Hatch, 
Essays, 94-130 (for psychological terms in Lxx. and Philo); Davidson, 
Old Testament Theology, 1904, 182 [Π.; Charles, Eschat.; Bousset, 
Relig.2 450 ff.; and Lft. Ell. and Dob. on our passage. 


ἀμέμπτως .. . τηρηθείη. “May your spirit and soul and body 
as an undivided whole be kept blamelessly (that is, so as to be 


214 I THESSALONIANS 


blameless) at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (3%). Since 
ἀμέμπτως τηρηθείη resumes ἁγιάσαι, the logical subject of the 
passive optative is God. The verb τηρεῖν of itself intimates that 
the process of keeping intact the divine and human element in 
man has been going on since the baptism (Ephr.) when first 
the Spirit entered into the believer. The adverb ἀμέμπτως lays 
stress not so much on the manner of God’s activity as on the 
result; hence the adverb may be interpreted as an adjective (so 
Lillie, Pelt: ὥστε ὑμᾶς ἀμέμπτους ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ; cf. Bl. 76% 
and see above on 219 and on 3132 where BL read ἀμέμπτως). 


Grot. Piscator, Lft. Dob. εἰ al. take ἐν as brachyology for εἰς; cf. 
Bl. 41: and 1 Cor. 1118. τηρεῖν (1 Cor. 737 2 Cor. 11° Eph. 4°) is com- 
mon in Gk. Bib.; cf. Sap. τοῦ of σοφία: εὗρεν τὸν δίκαιον χαὶ ἐτήρησεν 
αὐτὸν ἄμεμπτον θεῷ. 


24. πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν KTA. The prayer of v. 33 will certainly be 
answered, for God is faithful. ‘‘This happens not from my pray- 
ers, he says, but from the purpose with which he called you”’ 
(Chrys.). This faithfulness of God has already been manifested 
when in keeping with his eternal choice (13) he called them (2:5) 
through the preaching of the gospel (II 2“). But if the caller is 
faithful, he may also (καί) be relied upon to perform the very 
thing involved in the call, namely, that for which Paul prayed, 
TO ἁγιάσαι καὶ TO τηρηθῆναι. 


In stating this assurance of faith (cf. 45-19) in the fewest words, Paul 
succeeds in putting in the forefront the main point, the faithfulness of 
God as caller and doer. It is to be observed that he does not even 
say that ὁ χαλῶν ὑμᾶς (the participle is timeless as in 2") is God, 
though that is self-evident without recourse to v. 33, or to the Pauline 
turn πιστὸς ὁ θεός (x Cor. 19 10% 2 Cor. 118; cf. κύριος 2 Thess. 3%); 
nor does he say for what (213 47) or through what (II 2") they are called; 
nor does he state the precise object of ποιήσει (cf. 2 Cor. 819 1. Ps. 368 
σα}, etc.). It is better, however, to supply the object from v. * (ΕἸ. 
Lft. and most) than to interpret generally: “will perform as surely as 
he calls, and everything promised or implied in the call” (Lillie, who 
notes Pelagius quod promisit and Cicumenius ἐφ᾽ ᾧ ἐχάλεσεν). Indeed 
some minuscules actually add from 2 Cor. 17 τὴν ἐλπίδα (ὑμῶν) βεβαίαν — 
(see Poole ad loc.). On the faithfulness of God, Grot. notes Is. 49" 
πιστός ἐστιν ὁ ἅγιος (τοῦ) ᾿Ισραῆλ, καὶ ἐλεξάμην σε (cf. Deut. 7° 324, etc.). 


ν, 237-26 215 


VI. FINAL REQUESTS (525-27), 


With an affectionate address (ἀδελφοί), Paul makes three 
more requests (note the triple exhortations in vv. !? except 
vv 1-20) before closing the letter with the customary invocation of 
the grace of Christ. First, he bids the brethren in their prayers 
(v. 17) for themselves and others to remember also himself and 
his associates (v. 7°). Next he bids them to greet for him all the 
brethren, with a tactful inclusion of the idlers (v. 2°). Finally, 
with an abrupt change to the first person, he adjures them to see 
to it that the letter be read to all the brethren, presumably a 
covert admonition of the idlers who had apparently threatened 
to pay no heed to the epistolary injunctions of Paul. 

Brothers, pray for us as well (as for yourselves and others). 
26Greet for us the brothers, all of them, with a holy kiss. 21] adjure 
you by the Lord that the present letter be read to the brothers, all of 
them. 

25. προσεύχεσθε καὶ περὶ ἡμῶν. When the brethren pray 
without ceasing (v. 1”), they are to bear in mind not only them- 
selves and others but Paul and his fellow-missionaries as well 
(καί) ,--ἃ human touch showing how heavily Paul leaned upon 
the sympathy of his converts (cf. II 3! Col. 4? ‘-). 


On requests for prayer (but without xa), cf. Rom. 1530 Eph. 61 
Phil. 119 and Heb. 131%. For περί (II 3! Col. 42; Gen. 207 Ps. 7115 
2 Mac. 1°), GFP read ὑπέρ (Col. 19 1 Reg. 127); on these prepositions, 
see Moult.I, 105. καί 15 read by BD*,'a few minuscules, Syr. (hl. pal.), 
Arm. Gothic, Orig. Chrys. Th. Mops.; but is omitted by SAD°EGFI 
KLP, Vulg. Pesh. Boh. Eth. Ambst. (Souter). Both Zim. and Dob. 
think that the xaf comes from Col. 45. Assuming xaé to be original, we 
must translate not “you also pray for us as we have just prayed for 
you”’ but “you pray for us as well as for yourselves and others,” the 
reference being not to v. 33 but to v.17 (Weiss, 111). Failure to see this 
reference accounts for the omission of xat (B. Weiss, ad loc.). I reads 


προσεύχεσθαι. 


20. ἀσπάσασθε κτλ. The second request takes the form of a 
salutation characteristic of contemporary epistolary literature. 
“Because being absent he could not greet them with the kiss, 


216 I THESSALONIANS 


he grects them through others, as when we say: Kiss him for 
me” (Chrys.). The fact that instead of the expected ἀλλήλους 
(Rom. 16'6 1 Cor. 16° 2 Cor. 1313; 1 Pet. 54) Paul writes τοὺς 
ἀδελφοὺς πάντας indicates not that he is turning from the 
brethren addressed in v. 2° to the workers who take the lead and 
admonish, but that he is tactfully including in the number of 
those to be greeted for him not only the workers, the faint- 
hearted, and the weak, but also the idlers (cf. Phil. 45: ἀσπά- 
σασθε πάντα ἅγιον without exception). The kiss is holy be- 
cause it is the expression not of romantic but of Christian love 
(ἐν φιλήματι ἀγάπης τ Pet. 5"), 


On the salutation in epistolary literature, sce the references given in 
the note on 14. Greetings (ἀσπάζεσθαι or ἀσπασμός or both) are found 
in all Paul’s letters except Gal. and Eph. In Rom. 1615 2 Cor. 131%, 
ἀλλήλους is parallel to of ἅγιοι πάντες, in x Cor. 162° to of ἀδελφοὶ πάν- 
τες. Over against De W. Liin. Ell. Find. Born. and others who find 
the leaders addressed, Hofmann, Wohl. Mill. Dob. Moff. rightly sce 
the brethren as a whole. 

φίλημα, apart from the passages noted above, occurs in the Gk. Bib. 
only Lk. 745 2248; Pr. 275 Cant. 12 (φιλήματα). “In the ancient world 
one kissed the hand, breast, knee, or foot of a superior, and the cheek 
of a friend. Herodotus (I, 134) mentions kissing the lips as a custom of 
the Persians. Possibly from them it came to the Jews” (Toy, JCC. on 
Pr. 24**—the only distinct reference to kissing the lips, since Gen. 4149 
(see Skinner, JCC. ad loc.) is doubtful). That the “holy kiss” is kissing 
the lips, or that the kiss was given promiscuously cannot be inferred 
from our verse (Cheyne in EB. 4254, who notes Neil, Kissing : Its Curious 
Bible Mentions, 1885, 27 ff., 78 f.). The Jewish and Christian attitude 
is probably expressed in that of Bunyan (Grace Abounding, 316): “Some 
indeed have urged the holy kiss, but then I have asked why they made 
baulks? Why did they salute the most handsome and let the ill-favoured 
go? Thus how laudable soever such things have been in the eyes of 
others, they have been unseemly in my sight.” Cheyne states that 
Conybeare (Exp. 1894, 461) “points out two passages in Philo’s 
quaestiones in Ex. preserved in Armenian, which seem to imply that 
the “kiss of peace” or “of concord” was a formal institution of the 
synagogue,”—an opinion which Schultze (article Friedenskuss in PRE! 
VI, 274 f.) thinks possible—This kiss is mentioned in Justin (A pol. 
I, 65), ἀλλήλους φιλήματι ἀσπαζόμεθα παυσάμενοι τῶν εὐχῶν. It came 
before the eucharistic prayer and after the other prayers (Tert. de 
oral, 18; the references in ad uxorem, ΠῚ, 4 (iam vero alicui fratrun: ad 


Vi 20-29 207 


osculum convenire) and in de virg. vel. 14 (inter amplexus et oscula assidua) 
are uncertain, but seem to point to the extension of the custom). It is 
probable (so Cheyne and Schultze) that the φίλημα was not originally 
promiscuous, and that the ordinances of the A postolical Constitutions 
(II, 57", VIII, 141) arose in view of the abuse. For the history of the 
custom in Christian worship, see, in addition to Cheyne and Schultze, 
the article Kiss in the Dictionary of Christian Antiquities and the 
note of Robertson and Plummer in JCC. on 1 Cor. 162°, 


27. ἐνορκίζω κτὰ. Had Paul written ποιήσατε ἵνα ἡ ἐπιστολὴ 
πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἀναγνωσθῇ (cf. Col. 419), it would have 
been natural to suppose that he intended simply to emphasise 
the importance of the present letter (τήν; Vulg. haec; cf. II 314 
Rom. 16” Col. 415) not only to the weak who by it might be sup- 
ported, and to the faint-hearted who by it might be encouraged, 
but also to the idlers who might by it be induced to heed the 
admonition (cf. Ephr.). The sudden change, however, from the 
second to the first person (but without ἐγώ; cf. 218 3°), and the 
introduction of the solemn adjuration directed to the group as a 
whole (ὑμᾶς) suggest the existence of a serious situation, namely, 
either that the leaders had intimated to Paul that they would not 
read his reply to all the brethren (cf. Th. Mops. Calv. B. Weiss) 
or, and more probably in the light of II3™, that they had informed 
Paul that the more recalcitrant of the idlers had asserted that 
they would pay no heed to the epistolary injunctions of Paul. 
Hence the solemn adjuration by the Lord Jesus that the brethren 
as a group see to it (cf. v. 1°) that all the brethren, including the 
idlers, hear this letter read. 


On the theory of Harnack, shared also by Lake (The Earlier Epistles of 
St. Paul, 1911, 89) that πᾶσιν here, like πάντας in v. 26, implies the ex- 
istence of a Jewish Christian church in Thessalonica between which and 
the Gentile Christian church addressed in I there was a line of cleavage, 
Ὁ. Supra, p. 53 f. From this verse, called forth by a particular need, it 
can neither be affirmed nor denied that Paul had written letters to com- 
munities visited (cf. Gal. 12!) or that the reading of his letters, if written, 
in the church had become a fixed custom.—Though ἀναγινώσχειν both 
in classics and in papyri (Mill.) may mean not only “read aloud” but 
also “read,” it is yet probable that the former sense, usual in classics, 
is always intended by Paul (2 Cor. 113 32: 15 Col. 416 Eph. 34; cf. 1 Mac. 
1419 ἐνώπιον ἐχχλησίας). Whether all the artisans in Thess. could read, 


218 I THESSALONIANS 


we do not know. The aor. infin. ἀναγνωσθῆναι (object of ἐνορχίζω; cf. 
BMT. 391) indicates “the being read” as an act without reference to 
its progress, repetition, or result.—évopxf{w (BADE, εἰ al.) is found 
elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only Neh. 1325 (A); the simple dexfCw (Neh. 1325 
(B) Mk. 57 Acts 19") is read by NGFP, εἰ al. (cf. δρκόω 4 Reg. 114; 
also ἐξορχίζω Mt. 26% Gen. 243 Judg. 172 (A) 3 Reg. 2215). These verbs 
are construed either with two accus. as here (Mk. 57 Acts 19" Gen. 24°) 
or with accus. and χατά with gen. (Mt. 26% 2 Ch. 36%; Hermas Sim. 
IX, τοῦ; see Deiss. BS. 28 ff.). On the infin. instead of ἵνα (Gen. 243 
Mt. 26% and the Hermas passage), cf. Joseph. Ant. VIII, 104: λέγειν 
αὐτῷ τ᾽ ἀληθὲς οὗτος ἐνωρχίσατο.---, omits thy ἐπιστολήν; ἁγίοις (S°AKLP, 
εἰ al.) is an insertion influenced by φιλήματι ἁγίῳ (Dob.), and though 
retained by Weiss (91) is probably to be omitted with S*BDEGF, et 
al. πάντες of ἅγιοι is common in Paul (Rom. 1615 2 Cor. 1! 13", etc.), 
but of ἅγιοι ἀδελφοί is unexpected and redundant. Moff. notes Apoc. 
Bar. 86!: “When therefore ye receive this my epistle, read it in your 
congregations with care.” 


VII. BENEDICTION (5%). 


28. ἡ χάρις κτὰ. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be (sc. 
ἔστω or εἴη; see 11) with you.” The place of the epistolary 
“farewell” (ἔρρωσο: ἔρρωσθε: cf. Acts 152%) is in Paul’s letters 
taken by the invocation of “grace” (Col. 415) or “the grace of 
(our) Lord Jesus (Christ).’”” 


ἡ χάρις μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν (Col. 418) is the shortest concluding benediction in 
Paul; with our verse cf. II 318 which inserts πάντων and Rom. τό. 
The ἀμήν (cf. 313), retained by SAEKLP, et al., is probably to be omitted 
with BDGF, εἰ al.—Like the inscription (see on 1°), the subscription 
ΠΡΟΣ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΟΝΙΚΕΙῚΣ A (NB), to which GF prefix ἐτελέσθη and 
to which AKL add ἐγράφη ἀπὸ ᾿Αθηνῶν, is late and forms no part of 
the original letter; see Sod. Schriflen des N. T. I, 296 ff. 


COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE 
TO THE THESSALONIANS. 


I. SUPERSCRIPTION (τι 


1Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the assembly of Thessalonians 
in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. *Grace to you and 
peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

1-2. The superscription differs from that of I 1! (g. v.) in 
adding after πατρί the ἡμῶν, thus expressing the sense of com- 
mon fellowship in the Father (cf. I 1°); and in adding after 
εἰρήνη the clause with ἀπό which makes explicit the source of 
the divine favour and spiritual prosperity, God the Father and 
the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The clause with ἀπό appears in all Pauline superscriptions except 
I; Col. 11, however, omits καὶ κυρίου I. X. Usually ἡμῶν (SA, οἱ al., omit) 
is found after πατρός (BD, ef al., here; NSA, ef al., in Gal. 15), except in 


Gal. 13 (BD, e¢ al.) where it is put after κυρίου. On the inscription 
πρὸς θεσσ. Β΄ (NBA, οἱ al.), see on I 11. 


Il. THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER (EY): 


Word has come to Paul, probably by letter, informing him of 
the increased discouragement of the faint-hearted (153-217) and 
the continued troublesomeness of the idlers (56:15), Cast down 
by the persistent persecution, worried by the assertion of some 
that the day of the Lord is present, and anxious lest they might 
not be deemed worthy of entrance into the kingdom, the faint- 
hearted had given utterance to their despair by saying that they 
were not entitled to the praise of their faith and love, and es- 
pecially of their endurance which Paul had generously given in 
his first epistle. To these utterances, reflected in the letter from 
Thessalonica, Paul replies at once in the Thanksgiving (vv. 1°) 
and Prayer (vv. 11-12) by insisting that he ought to thank God for 
them, as is most proper under the circumstances because their 

219 


220 2 THESSALONIANS 


growth in faith and brotherly love is steady (v. 3). In fact, con- 
trary to their expectations, he is boasting everywhere of their 
endurance and faith in the midst of persecution (v. 4). They 
need not worry about their future salvation, for their constant 
endurance springing from faith is positive proof that God the 
righteous Judge will, in keeping with his purpose, deem them 
worthy of entrance into the kingdom on behalf of which they as 
well as Paul are suffering (v. δ). It will not always be well with 
their persecutors, for God, since he is righteous in judgment, will 
recompense them with afiliction as he will recompense the con- 
verts with relief from the same, a relief which Paul also will share 
(vv. *7"). God will do so at the Great Assize (νν. 175-10) when the 
wicked, those, namely, who do not reverence God and do not 
obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus, will receive as their punish- 
ment separation forever from Christ, on the very day when the 
righteous in general, and, with an eye to the faint-hearted, all 
who became believers will be the ground of honour and admira- 
tion accorded to Christ by the retinue of angels. In order to 
reach this glorious consummation, however, the converts must 
be blameless in goodness and love; hence Paul prays as the con- 
verts were praying not only that God may deem them worthy of 
his call, that is, acquit them at the last day, but also, to insure 
this acquittal, that he may perfect them morally; in order that 
finally the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in virtue of 
what they are, and that they may be glorified in virtue of what 
the name of our Lord Jesus has accomplished. This glorifica- 
tion is in accordance with the divine favour of our God and the 
Lord Jesus Christ. 


That the purpose of 153-217 is the encouragement of the faint-hearted 
is evident from the emphasis put on the certainty of the readers’ sal- 
vation (1°12 213-17), and from the express statement, purposely added 
after the destruction of the Anomos, that the advent of the Anomes is 
intended not for believers, but for unbelievers who have doomed them- 
selves (25:3), That Paul is replying to a letter from Thessalonica is a 
hypothesis (not excluded by ἀχούομεν 3") which admirably accounts for 
the emphasis on ὀφείλομεν (ν." 21), χαθὼς ἄξιον (ν.3), αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς 
(ν. 2) and καί in εἰς ὃ καί (v."), and for the exegetical difficulties in 3'-*, 
See Bacon, Introd. 72. 


ἊΝ» 


I, 3 221 


3We ought, brothers, to thank God always for you, as it 1s proper, 
because your faith is growing exceedingly and the love for one 
another of each one of you all is increasing, ‘so that we ourselves 
are boasting of you in the assemblies of God, of your endurance and 
faith in all your persecutions and afflictions which you bear— 
5p: vof positive of the righteous judgment of God that you should be 
deemed worthy of the kingdom of God for which you too as well as 
we are suffering ;—righteous judgment of God, we say, ‘if indeed 
(as it certainly is) righteous in God’s sight to recompense affliction 
to those who afflict you; ‘and to you who are afflicted, relief with us, 
at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with his angels of 
power, *in fire of flame, rendering vengeance to those who know not 
God and to those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: *who 
shall be punished with eternal destruction from the face of the Lord 
and from the glory of his strength, when he shall come to be glorified 
in his saints and admired in all those who became believers (for our 
testimony to you was believed) in that day. "To which end we too, 
as well as you, pray always for you that our God may deem you 
worthy of the calling and may fulfil every resolve after goodness and 
work of faith in power; "in order that the name of our Lord Jesus 
may be glorified in you and you in it, according to the grace of our 
God, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

3. εὐχαριστεῖν ὀφείλομεν KT. “We ought, as is manifestly 
fitting, proper, worth while, in spite of your remonstrances, to 
thank God always for your growing faith and brotherly love.” 
To account for the emphasis on ὀφείλομεν, a word only here and 
23 in Paul’s thanksgivings, and on καθὼς ἄξιον which resumes it, 
it may be assumed that Paul is replying to the utterances of the 
faint-hearted, communicated to him in a letter from Thes- 
salonica, to the effect that they did not consider themselves 
worthy of the kingdom or entitled to the praise accorded them 
in the first epistle. 


Since χαθώς in Paul is slightly causal (BI. 78'), it cannot indicate the 
degree (Th. Mops.) or the manner (Wohl. who refers to 1 Cor. 82) of 
εὐχαριστεῖν, but must resume and explain ὀφείλομεν (Born. Dob.). If 
ὀφείλομεν stood alone, it might be interpreted as a general expression 
of personal obligation (Rom. 151) in view of the progress of the read- 


222 2 THESSALONIANS 


ers, or as a liturgical formula (1 Clem. 38; Barn. 53 ὀφείλομεν (ὑπερ) 
εὐχαριστεῖν). Similarly if we had had εὐχαριστοῦμεν and χαθὼς ἄξιόν 
ἐστιν, the latter clause might have expressed what was proper in view 
of the growth of the converts or have been purely liturgical (cf. 1 Mac. 
12" ὡς δέον ἐστὶν χαὶ πρέπον). The resumption, however, of ὀφείλομεν 
in χαθώς κτλ. reveals not liturgical tautology (Jowett) but an emphasis 
due to special circumstances.—That Paul is no slave of epistolary 
form is evident from the present thanksgiving. Here as in 1 Cor. 1 
Col. 1%, the πάντων of the common πάντοτε περὶ πάντων ἡμῶν (I 13) is 
omitted; the prayer which is usually associated with the thanksgiving 
(I 1%) is omitted here as in 1 Cor. 1‘; here as in Rom. 1" he passes 
directly from εὐχαρ. to ὅτι, while the prayer comes in Rom. 119 and here 
in v. ". In Phil. 1* Col. 13, the thanksgiving and prayer are closely 
united as in I 12, but a further προσεύχεσθαι is added in Phil. 1° Col. 19 
as in v." below. The address ἀδελφοί usually comes later (I 14 Gal. 1", 
etc.: it does not appear at all in Col. Eph.); its place here at the start 
betrays at once Paul’s affection for his converts.—Etog is rare in Paul, 
but common elsewhere in Gk. Bib.; on ἄξιον cf. 1 Cor. 164 4 Mac. 173. 
Th. Mops. takes it as = δίχαιον (Phil. 17); its presence here prepares the 
way for χαταξιωθῆναι (v.*) and ἀξιώσῃ (v. 11). 


ὅτι ὑπεραυξάνει κτλ. With causal ὅτε dependent on εὐχαρισ- 
τεῖν (I 1! 213), he gives the reason for the thanksgiving, namely, 
the very abundant growth (ὑπεραυξάνει) of the tree of religious 
life (πίστις), and the abundance (πλεονάζει) of the fruit of the 
same (cf. Phil. 417 Col. 1® 2°) in their ethical life as manifested in 
the brotherhood (ἡ ἀγάπη (sc. ἡ and cf. I 3%) εἰς ἀλλήλους, or 
φιλαδελφίαλ). 

This thanksgiving differs from that in I where “ work of faith,” 
“labour of love,” and ‘endurance of hope” are mentioned, and 
also from I 3° where faith and love (not φιλαδελφία) are referred 
to. In thus singling out brotherly love, Paul expresses his ap- 
preciation of the fact that love to brothers (I 4°) is abounding 
as he exhorted (I 419) and prayed (I 3") in his first letter. But 
in order to make plain that he includes in his praise each and 
every one of them, even the idlers who are troublesome (35:15), 
he adds to ἡ ἀγάπη εἰς ἀλλήλους not only the individualising 
ἑνὸς ἑκάστου ὑμῶν (1 2") but also πάντων, which precludes 
any exception. 

ὑπεραυξάνειν, only here in Gk. Bib., is classic. Paul is fond of com- 
pounds with ὑπέρ (see I 310); if he does not find them he coins them. 


1, 3-4 223 


On the simple αὐξάνειν (with πίστις), see 2 Cor. rol’; on πλεονάζειν, 
here as usual intransitive, see 13%; ΟΠ ἣ πίστις ὑμῶν, see 1 18 324-, 
αὐξάνειν and πλεονάζειν, only here in Gk. Bib., are in synonymous 
parallelism; cf. πλεονάζειν and περισσεύειν in I 312 (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5). 
Olshausen (apud Liin.) takes ὑπεραυξάνει as indicating that the con- 
verts were guilty of extravagance in their religious zeal, thus introducing 
a thought like that of Ps. Sol. 519 (cf. 5°) ἐὰν ὑπερπλεονάσῃ ἐξαμαρτάνει. 
Schrader and Pelt suggest that I 3% is in mind, and that the omission 
of xa εἰς πάντας shows that the converts do not love the Gentiles. 
Schmiedel and Holtzmann, on the assumption that 11 is a forgery, find 
here a literary reminiscence of I 2" (ἑνὸς ἑχάστου) and 31% Wrede (85) 
is less certain, but thinks that πάντων might easily come from 1 1? (so 
Schmiedel) —The emphasis on the progress of faith (ὑπεραυξάνει, not 
αὐξάνει, as Chrys. notes) is evidence that II is written after, not before 
(Grot. Ewald), I. 


4, ὥστε αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς κτλ. The consequence (ὥστε) of their 
progress in faith and brotherly love is that Paul and his associates 
(ἡμᾶς) can and do boast of them everywhere. We have, how- 
ever, not ἡμᾶς alone but αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς - a contrast is intended. 
In I 4°, αὐτοὶ ὑμεῖς finds its antithesis in ἡ μᾶς supplied from the 
subject of γράφειν: here no antithesis to αὐτοὺς ἡ μᾶς is distinctly 
stated, though ἐν ὑμῖν, the emphatically placed object of καυ- 
yao Gat, suggests the Thessalonians. Precisely what prompts the 
expression is uncertain; probably Paul has in mind the utter- 
ances of the faint-hearted to the effect that their faith and love, 
and especially their endurance (which, as ὑπέρ «TX. shows, is the 
main theme of Paul’s exultation) were not worthy of the praise 
bestowed by the Apostle in I. To these remonstrances he re- 
plies: “850 that we ourselves, contrary to your expectations, are 
boasting.” 


Had Paul written not αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς but xa? ἡμᾶς, the point would have 
been that the converts as well as Paul found the Thess. an object of 
boasting; or that Paul as well as others in general or in particular the 
αὐτοί of I 1° found the Thess. an object of boasting. But αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς 
indicates not a reciprocal relation but a contrast. Bacon (Jutrod. 
74) interprets differently: ‘‘The Thess. had written that they boasted 
of the apostles against the slanderers; cf. 2 Cor. 114.” In this “‘sig- 
nificant and inimitable ὥστε αὐτοὺς qua” χτλ. (Bacon), Wrede (cf. 
Schmiedel) finds an assertion of apostolic dignity (“if we boast of 
any one, that means more than if others do it’’), and also a literary rem- 


224 2 THESSALONIANS 


iniscence of I 15 ὥστε... Huds... αὐτοί.---Τὴ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς (BN, εἰ al.; 
of. αὐτὸς ἐγώ Rom. γ᾽5 9? 155 2 Cor. τοὶ 1213), αὐτούς gets the emphasis; 
in ἡμᾶς αὐτούς (ADGFKL, εἰ al.; cf. 1 Cor. 515 735 113 Rom. 16?) ἡμᾶς. 


ἐν ὑμῖν ἐνκαυχᾶσθαι κτὰ. The two clauses with ἐν specify 
respectively the object and the place of boasting. By putting the 
contrasted persons ἡ μᾶς and ἐν ὑμῖν side by side, and by choos- 
ing ἐνκαυχᾶσθαι instead of καυχᾶσθαι, he intensifies the point 
(cf. ὑπεραυξάνει). The place is described, as in x Cor. 11", 
without geographical limitations, as “the churches of God” 
(I 2"). To insist that every church founded up to this time has 
heard Paul boast, orally or in writing, of the Thessalonians, or to 
restrict the reference to the churches of God in Corinth and its 
vicinity (or more exactly to the church of God in Corinth and 
the brethren round about), is to forget the enthusiasm of Paul 
and the compliment which he is paying to his readers (cf. ἐν 
παντὶ τόπῳ 1 18), 
On this interpretation, see Dob. For ἐνχαυχᾶσθαι (BNA; ἐγχαυχᾶσθαι 
P), DEKL, et al., have καυχᾶσθαι, and GF χαυχήσασθαι. The compound 
is rare in Gk. Bib. (Ps. 513 734 οὐ τος; cf. 1 Clem. 21); it is always 
construed with ἐν of the object. Of the mainly Pauline words χαυχᾶσ- 
θαι, καταχαυχᾶσθαι, καύχημα and xabynots (I 21"), χαυχᾶσθαι is in Gk. 
Bib. usually construed with ἐν, rarely with ἐπί (Ps. 512 487 Sir. 30% Pr. 
25"); cf. Rom. 5? with 5°. Here, as in Gal. 613, the clause with ἐν pre- 
cedes the verb. Polycarp 11% has our verse in mind when he writes 
de vobis ctenim gloriatur in omnibus ecclesiis; cf. 11‘ οἱ non sicut inimicos 
lales existimetis with 315 of our letter. 


ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑπομονῆς κτλ. The clause with ὑπέρ resumes ἐν 
ὑμῖν, and specifies the qualities about which he boasted, namely, 
their endurance and faith manifested in persecutions. Though 
faith and persecution are inseparable, as the omission of the 
article before πέστεως reveals, the ethical (ὑπομονήν) takes prece- 
dence of the religious (πέστις) from which it springs and of which 
it is the fruit and evidence (Calvin). The selection not of faith 
and brotherly love (v.*) but of faith and endurance, and the 
position of ὑπομονή before πίστις (cf. Phile. 5) are probably due 
to the utterances of the faint-hearted who had remonstrated 
against Paul’s praise of their endurance and faith (I 1°) in his 
first epistle. 


Ι, 4 225 


Here ὑπέρ (contrast 2 Cor. 714 9? 1215) is equivalent to περί (2 Cor. 108; 
see below 2! and cf. I 51°). In view of the context and of the usage else- 
where in I, II, πίστις is “faith” not “faithfulness” (Bengel, Liin. 
Born.; cf. Gal. 522). Unnecessary is the assumption of a hendiadys 
whether fidez vestrae firmitatem (Th. Mops.) or ὑπομονὴ ἐν πίστει (Grot.). 


ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς διωγμοῖς κτλ. The fourth prepositional phrase 
in this verse (cf. I 37-8 for a similar heaping up of prepositions), 
namely, ἐν πᾶσιν ... ἀνέχεσθε, states the circumstances in which 
(I 3%) their endurance and faith were manifested: “in all your 
persecutions and afflictions that you are bearing.” The ὑμῶν 
binds together the virtually synonymous διωγμοῖς and θλίψεσιν 
(cf. I 29 τὸν κόπον ἡμῶν καὶ τὸν μόχθον); and the αἷς (attrac- 
tion for ὧν), which refers to both nouns, agrees in gender with 
the nearer. The πᾶσιν intimates that the persecutions have been 
repeated (“not in one but in all,” Ephr.); and the ἀνέχεσθε 
(cf. Gal. 24 τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἡμῶν ἣν ἔχομεν), that they are still 
going on; while the emphasis on both πᾶσιν and ἀνέχεσθε 
serves to convey rare praise for the unexceptional constancy of 
their endurance and faith. 


The construction assumed above is on the whole the simplest. Some 
commentators (6. g. Liin.), forgetting that the presence of ταῖς (which 
DGFP omit) does not prevent ὑμῶν from uniting the synonymous words 
(cf. I 29 where there is an article before μόχθον), attach πᾶσιν to διωγμοῖς 
alone (cf. 2 Cor. 87), making αἷς ἀνέχεσθε parallel to ὑμῶν (cf. Phile. 5, 
and Col. 14 thy πίστιν ὑμῶν χαὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχετε, where faith and 
love are not synonymous): “‘in all the persecutions you have and the 
afflictions which you are bearing.’’ On the other hand, Dob., who takes 
ἔνδειγμα as a predicate noun after αἷς ἀνέχεσθε, breaks the rhythm 
by putting a comma after θλίψεσιν, and is also led to understand 
ἀνέχεσθε of the necessity of enduring: ‘which you have to endure as 
a proof,” etc. In the Gk. Bib., διωγμός means usually not “pursuit” 
(2 Mac. 12?) but “persecution” (Lam. 319 Mk. 417 Mt. 1321 Rom. 8:5 
2 Cor. 121°), On the meaning of θλίψις, see 1 τό. The persecutions 
which marked the beginnings of Christianity in Thessalonica (I 1 2"4) 
and which were going on when Paul wrote I (33; cf. 214 5.) still continue, 
as the presents ἀνέχεσθε and πάσχετε show.—Since ἀνέχεσθαι in Gk. 
Bib., when not used absolutely, is construed not with dat. but either 
with gen. (Gen. 451 Is. 464 6315 2 Mac. 9% and N. T.) or with accus. 
(Job 6395 (where A has gen.) Is. 113 3 Mac. 122 4 Mac. 1327), αἷς is prob- 
ably not directly governed by ἀνέχεσθε (Fritzsche, who notes Eurip. 


15 


226 2 THESSALONIANS 


Androm. 081, Lft. Mill.) but is an attraction for ὧν, or less likely for 
ἅς. Cod. B gets rid of the difficulty of the unusual attraction by read- 
ing ἐνέχεσθε, a rare word in Gk. Bib. (with dat. Gal. 51 3 Mac. 61°; 
with ἐν and dat. Ezek. 14“ 7). But not even Weiss (35) accepts the 
reading of B. On the change of ἀν--- and év—, see Gal. 5! where D and 
a few minuscules read ἀνέχεσθε. With our passage, compare 1 Cor. 
413 διωχόμενο: ἀνεχόμεθα. The ἐν which K reads before alg comes from 
the preceding—ov (Zim.). 


5. ἔνδειγμα κτλ. The faint-hearted need not worry about 
their future salvation, for the fact of their unexceptional endur- 
ance and faith in all their persecutions is itself a “token,” ‘‘ guar- 
antee,” ‘‘positive evidence” of the righteous judgment of God 
(Rom. 2°), already in purpose and soon to be declared, that they 
be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they, and 
Paul too, are continually suffering. The εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναι 
expresses the purpose of δικαέας xpicews, 


Since the object of boasting specified in v. 4 is not suffering, but the 
constancy of their endurance and faith in the midst of persecution, ἔν- 
δειγμα is to be taken not with the idea of suffering alone, whether with 
ἀνέχεσθε or with ἐν πᾶσιν... ἀνέχεσθε (Calv. εἰ al.), but with the idea 
of endurance and faith in spite of persecutions, that is, with ὑπὲρ... 
ἀνέχεσθε (De W. Liin. Lillie, Ell. Lft. Mill. and others). ἔνδειγμα is 
probably an accus. in direct apposition with the preceding (cf. Rom. 
8 121); but it may be a nominative, in which case 6 ἐστιν is to be sup- 
plied on the analogy of Phil. 128. Ephr. and some minuscules read 
ἐνδείγματι; Theophylact and Codex 442 have εἰς ἔνδειγμα (cf. Rom. 
335); so similarly g, Vulg. Ambst. Syr. Arm. have in exemplum. The 
distinction between the passive ἔνδειγμα (only here in Gk. Bib., but 
classic; cf. Plato, Critias, 110 C) and the active ἔνδειξις (in Gk. Bib. 
confined to Paul; Rom. 3%*!- 2 Cor. 83: Phil. 128) is negligible; the mean- 
ing is demonstrationem (Th. Mops.), ostentamen (Tert. apud Swete). 
That εἰς τό χτλ. is to be connected not with ἀνέχεσθε (Bengel) leaving 
ἔνδειγμα ... θεοῦ as a parenthesis, or with ἔνδειγμα ... θεοῦ (Schott), 
or with ἔνδειγμα (Wohl.), but with διχαίας κρίσεως is usually admitted 
(De W. Liin. Lft. Vincent, Dob. εἰ al.). But εἰς τό, since the telic 
sense is not always evident in Paul (see I 213), might denote either the 
content of the judgment (Theophylact ὅπερ ἐστὶν χαταξιωθῆναι), or 
the “object to which it tended” (Ell.; Lillie), or the result conceived 
or actual (Liin.). In Paul, εἰς τό is most frequently of purpose (BMT. 
409); and this is the probable meaning here (so among others De W. 
Alford, Ewald, Dob.). χαταξιόω, only here in Paul (but frequent in 


1, 4-0 227 


Ignatius), means either “beseech” (2 Mac. 13%”) or, as elsewhere in Gk. 
Bib., “deem worthy” (Lk. 2035 Acts 5“ 4 Mac. 18°). It intensifies the 
simple ἀξιόω (a word used by Paul only in v. ", but found elsewhere 
in the N. T. and frequently in Lxx.). In the N. T. καταξιόω and ἀξιόω 
(except Acts 15%8 28% where the meaning is “beseech,” “command,” 
as regularly in the Lxx.) are to be rendered not “make worthy,” but 
“deem worthy” (cf. SH. 30 f.). Dalman (Worte Jesu, I, 97) observes 
that “to be worthy of the future 2on” is a common rabbinical ex- 
pression. On βασιλεία, see I 213, 


ὑπὲρ ἧς Kal πάσχετε. “For which you too (as well as we, that 
is, the writers) are suffering.” The present tense (πάσχετε; cf. 
v.4 ἀνέχεσθε) designates the sufferings as going on; ὑπὲρ ἧς 
makes plain that the motive or goal of suffering is none other 
than the future kingdom of God; καί implies a fellowship in 
present sufferings of readers (at home) and writers (in Corinth), 
and prepares the way for the significant ἄνεσιν μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν (ν. 1). 


It is probable that καί here and μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν (v. 7) are due to Paul’s ex- 
periences in Corinth (cf. 32); on xa, cf. I 213 35525 2 Cor.1% Most com- 
mentators, however, interpret καί (which F omits) as implying a cor- 
respondence not between Paul and his readers in reference to suffering, 
but between present suffering and future glory; so, for example, Lit., 
who compares 2 Tim. 213, and Ell. who notes Rom. 817 Acts 14” and says: 
“χαί with a species of consecutive force supplies a renewed hint of the 
connection between suffering and the καταξιωθῆναι xtA.” (cf. also Wohl. 
Dob. and others). In the phrase πάσχειν ὑπέρ (Phil. 129 τ Pet. 2% 
Acts 91°), ὑπέρ may indicate advantage (Lit.), “object for which” (EIl.), 
the motive or goal (“to gain which”; Liin. Schmiedel, Dob.); but it 
is probably equivalent to περί (cf. v. 421; also πάσχειν περί τ Pet. 318 
B and 221A). On the thought of v. 5, cf. especially Phil. 128-9, 


6.7". εἴπερ δίκαιον κτλ. The “righteous judgment of God” 
(v. 8) is not only positive, the salvation of the readers (v. *), but 
also (δίκαιον παρὰ θεῷ resuming τῆς δικαίας κρίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ) 
positive and negative, in keeping with the principle of recompense 
sharply stated as the ius talionis, namely, θλίψεις for your per- 
secutors and ἄνεσις for you who are persecuted (cf. Lk. 162°). 
The principle is put conditionally (εἴπερ), “not indeed as if 
there were the least doubt respecting the righteousness of any 
part of the divine procedure in judging the world. On the con- 


228 2 THESSALONIANS 


trary, it is the very certainty of that truth, as something alto- 
gether beyond cavil, that emboldens the writer, by a sort of 
logical meiosis, to argue from it conditionally” (Lillie; cf. Pela- 
gius: hic “si tamen”’ confirmantis sermo est, non dubitantis). 

ἄνεσιν μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν. As there is a present fellowship of readers 
and writers in suffering (καὶ πάσχετε ν. δ), so also will there be a 
future fellowship in “rest” or “relief” from suffering,—a genu- 
inely Pauline touch (cf. 1 Cor. 48 2 Cor. 1° *- Phil. 1°). 


On the positive side, ἄνεσις is entrance into the kingdom (v. ") and 
eternal fellowship with the Lord (v. 19 as contrasted with v. ®; cf. I 417 
πάντοτε σὺν χυρίῳ). θλίψις is, according to v. °, eternal separation from 
Christ, the precise opposite of I 4:7. The moral ground of ἄνεσις, not 
expressed at this point, is faith leading to endurance as v. ‘shows, the ὑμῖν 
who are persecuted being those who have exhibited an unusual endurance 
inspired by faith. The same stress on faith is seen in ν. 19, “all who 
became believers,’”’ and in the explanatory clause with ὅτι. The moral 
ground of θλίψις, not stated in our verse, is, in the light of v. 5, which de- 
scribes “those who do not reverence God and do not obey the gospel of 
our Lord Jesus,” the lack of faith and its moral expression. Though the 
ius talionis is here exhibited in its clearest form (Ell.), the persecutors of 
the readers are not the only ones who are to receive θλίψις, as is evident 
from Rom. 28 #- where the disobedient receive ὀργὴ χαὶ θυμός, θλίψις χαὶ 
στενοχωρία (cf. also I 45 Rom. 1219 2 Cor. 51° Col. 3345. etc.). In Rom. 
818 f. the believers are to get δόξα for their παθήματα; in 2 Cor. 4:7, 
δόξα for θλίψις. On the Mosaic lex talionis, see the notes of Charles 
on Jub. 4: 48" and Montefiore on Mt. 58 *-.—eYxep is found in Gk. 
Bib., apart from Paul, only Judith 6° Sus. (Th.) 54, 4 Mac. 117. The 
condition is of itself colourless, the truth or error of the assumption being 
found, if at all, in the context; here and elsewhere (unless 1 Cor. 85 
is excepted), the context implies the truth of the condition with εἴπερ 
(Rom. 339 8% 17 1 Cor. 1515 2 Cor. 53). Chrys. makes εἴπερ = ἐπείπερ.--- 
παρὰ θεῷ (x Cor. 7%) or παρὰ τῷ θεῷ (so A here; cf. Rom. 2"- 3 Gal. 3" 1 
Cor. 319) ΞΞ “in the eyes of,” iudice Deo; the day of judgment may here 
be in mind.—On 8fxatoy, cf. Phil. 17; on θλίβειν, I 34; on ἀνταποδιδόναι (I 
3°) as the expression of judicial recompense, cf. Rom. 1219 = Deut. 3235, 
also Is. 354 5918 637 66% ὁ Jer. 288 34. 56 {. Sir. 3211, etc.—dveots (2 Cor. 
213 76 813; Acts 24%; Lxx.) denotes a let up from restraint; hence “lib- 
erty,” “license,” or, as here and 2 Cor. 75 8", “relief” as opposed to 
θλίψις; cf. ἀνάψυξις Acts 3% ἡμῶν refers here not to all Christians 
(De W.), not to the saints in Israel (Bengel, Ewald), but, in view of the 
specific ὑμᾶς and ὑμῖν and of χαὶ πάσχετε, which balances μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν, to 
Paul and his two associates (Liin. Ell. Lft. Born. Mill. Dob.). In 


I, 6-10 229 


μεθ’ ἡμῶν as in αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς (v. 4), Schmiedel inclines to see the hand of 
a forger putting Paul in a position of apostolic eminence. On the other 
hand, Dob. remarks on μεθ᾽ ἡμῶν: “these two little words belong to the 
genuine Pauline touches for the sake of which no one, with any feeling 
for the way in which the mind of Paul works, can give up the authen- 
ticity of this brief epistle.” 


7-10. The description of the advent unto judgment begins 
with a temporal phrase, ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει KTr., which is to be 
attached to ἀνταποδιδόναι κτλ. (vy. ὃ). First, with three prepo- 
sitional adjuncts (cf. I 415), the external features of the revela- 
tion are described; then the function of the person revealed is 
indicated, the punishment (διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν) of those who 
deserve it; then (v.°), with οἵτινες resuming τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσιν 
κτλ. and with δίκην ticovow resuming διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν, the 
character of the punishment is exhibited, eternal separation from 
Christ; and finally, with ὅταν ἔλθῃ (ν. 19), which is grammatically 
connected with Ticovow, the beginning of the eternal fellowship 
of the saints and all believers with their Lord is suggested, in 
that, because of what they are, honour and admiration are as- 
scribed to Christ. In writing πᾶσιν τοῖς πιστεύσασιν to balance 
τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, instead of τοῖς πιστεύουσιν, Paul passes 
purposely from the general to the specific, having in mind the 
faint-hearted, as the parenthetical clause with ὅτι which refers 
distinctly to the welcome accorded to the gospel demonstrates. 
The ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ which belongs with the infinitives is suspended 
temporarily by the parenthesis, only to take its place at the end 
with a solemn effectiveness. As in I 4!*17 so here it is Paul him- 
self who is responsible for the rhythmical description in which 
only such features are mentioned as serve both to bring out the 
value of the judgment and to inspire hope and assurance in the 
hearts of the faint-hearted. Though the description abounds in 
reminiscences from the Lxx., there is but one approximately exact 
citation, ἀπὸ προσώπου... ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ (Is. 219; cf. ὅταν ἔλθῃ 
219 and ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ 2"), 

The passage abounds in allusions to or reminiscences of the Lxx., 
but the only exact quotation is in v. 9, taken from the refrain of Is. 21° 


which is repeated in 219: 1: ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου χυρίου χαὶ ἀπὸ τῆς 
δόξης τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, ὅταν ἀναστῇ θραῦσαι τὴν γῆν; cf. ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ 


230 


2 THESSALONIANS 


ἐχείνῃ 2-17, Though the citation is evident, τοῦ φόβου is omitted. 
Furthermore in v.* there is an apparent allusion to Is. 66%: ἰδοὺ γὰρ 
χύριος ὡς πῦρ ἥξει χαὶ ὡς χαταιγὶς τὰ ἅρματα αὐτοῦ ἀποδοῦναι ἐν θυμῷ 
ἐχδίχησιν αὐτοῦ χαὶ ἀποσχοραχισμὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν φλογὶ πυρός. Paul, how- 
ever, is composing not copying, as the unique parallelism τοῖς μὴ εἰ- 
δόσιν θεὸν χαὶ τοῖς wh ὑπαχούουσιν χτλ. suggests. At the same time, 
such passages as Jer. 10% (cf. Ps. 78°): ἔχχεον τὸν θυμόν cou ἐπὶ ἔθνη τὰ 
μὴ εἰδότα ce χαὶ ἐπὶ γενεὰς af τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐπεχαλέσαντο and Is. 664: 
ὅτι ἐχάλεσα αὐτοὺς χαὶ οὐχ ὑπήχουσάν μου, ἐλάλησα χαὶ οὐχ ἤχουσαν 
(cf. Is. 65") may have been running in his mind. In v. 19, where ἐν- 
δοξασθῆναι and θαυμασθῆναι are in parallelism (cf. the description of God 
in Exod. 15"), there seems to be a reminiscence of Ps. 888: ὃ θεὸς év30- 
ξαζόμενος ἐν βουλῇ ἁγίων, μέγας καὶ φοβερὸς ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς περιχύχλῳ 
αὐτοῦ, and of Ps. 6735 (x): θαυμαστὸς ὃ θεὸς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ; cf. 
also Is. 49? and 665: εἴπατε, ἀδελφοὶ ἡμῶν, τοῖς μισοῦσιν ὑμᾶς χαὶ βδελυσ- 
σομένοις, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα χυρίου δοξασθῇ (cf. ν. "2 of our chapter) χαὶ ὀφθῇ 
ἐν τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐχεῖνοι αἰσχυνθήσονται. Other words and 
phrases suggest the influence of non-canonical Jewish literature; 6. g. 
ἀποχάλυψις (cf. Apoc. Bar. 29% with the note of Charles), ἀγγέλων 
δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ (cf. Test. xii, Jud. 3!° and Eth. En. 611° “the angels of 
power”), ὄλεθρος αἰώνιος (4 Mac. τοῖν (A); cf. Eth. En. 845 Ps. Sol. 235 
(cf. 3") ἀπώλεια αἰώνιος or (Gebhardt) αἰῶνος). On the other hand, 
τίνειν δίκην, aclassic expression, is not found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. 
(Lxx. uses with δίκην either ἀποδιδόναι or ἀνταποδιδόναι or ἐχδιχεῖν); so 
also the construction διδόναι ἐχδίχησίν τινι (Lxx. has, however, ἀποδιδόναι 
or ἀνταποδιδόναι; cf. Num. 318 Sir. 125 32%). The aorist πιστεύσασιν 
(v. 1°) instead of the present is due to the situation. It happens that 
“the gospel of our Lord Jesus” like “the gospel of his Son” in Rom. 1° 
is unique in Paul. 

While McGiffert (EB. 5054) throws out the hint that vv. *1° are a pos- 
sible interpolation, Born. (cf. Find. lvii and Moff. Introd. 80) suggests 
that in vv. &!% or vy. 7-1¢e Paul is citing or alluding to a Christian hymn. 
It has also been conjectured (cf. Encyc. Brit.4 XXVI, 841) that in 
vv. 7-10 Paul is adapting to his own purposes a fragment of a Jewish 
apocalypse or a psalm like one of the Psalms of Solomon. The adapta- 
tion would consist in the insertion of Τησοῦ (vv. 7: §) and of the parenthe- 
sis ὅτι... ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς (v. 1°); and in the substitution of εὐαγγελίῳ (v. 5) 
for, say, λόγῳ (cf. 2 Ch. 114 A), and of πᾶσιν and πιστεύσασιν (v. 1°) for, 
say, πιστεύουσιν (Is. 281° B). The insertion of "Iyjced would occur to 
any Christian; but the change from λόγῳ to εὐαγγελίῳ betrays the 
hand of Paul, for ὑπαχούειν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ is found elsewhere in N. T. 
only Rom. τοῦς (First Peter would have used not ὑπαχούειν but ἀπει- 
θεῖν); and the change from πιστεύουσιν to πᾶσιν πιστεύσασιν is, as the 
inserted clause with ὅτι demonstrates, due to one of the two main pur- 
poses of the epistle, the encouragement of the faint-hearted. Attrac- 





iz 231 


tive as the hypothesis is and accounting as it does excellently for the 
position of ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐχείνῃ, it is unnecessary (cf. Clemen, Paulus, I, 
119). For Paul himself, it must be remembered, is quite competent in 
the Spirit to produce a rhythmical psalm, apocalypse, or prophecy. The 
description is fragmentary; expected details such as the burning fire, 
the angels of punishment, the torture of the wicked in the fire of hell in 
the presence of the righteous are conspicuously absent. The external 
features of the revelation are few in number and are selected with a view 
to enhancing the dignity of the Judge. The reason why he executes judg- 
ment is clearly stated; the sentence is pronounced simply as eternal 
separation from Christ, with no details as to the manner of executing 
the sentence or the nature of theseparation. The reward of the righteous, 
the character of the future felicity is not dwelt upon; in fact, the reward 
is only intimated—in virtue of what the believers are, Christ receives 
glory and admiration. The concentration upon the essential and the 
sole interest in values which signalise the description point rather to 
the free composition of Paul, influenced by O. T. and later Jewish litera- 
ture, as is also the case in I 415-17, 


7. ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει KTA. With this clause, the time of the 
ἀνταποδοῦναι (v. 5) is indicated, “at the revelation of the Lord 
Jesus” = “when the Lord Jesus is revealed” (cf. v.1° ὅταν 
ἔλθῃ). “The advent is here conceived of not as a Parousia (cf. 
I 219 313 5%3 ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ) but as a revelation (so 1 Cor. 17; 
cf. Lk. 172°) of the Messiah, just as in the first epistle of Peter” 
(Briggs, Messiah of the Apostles, 90 ff.; of. 1 Pet. 17-™). 


Of the twenty-two instances of ἀποχάλυψις in the Gk. Bib., thirteen 
are in Paul. In the Lxx. the word is used literally of uncovering (1 Reg. 
2030) and metaphorically of disclosing works or secrets (Sir. 1127 22% 
42). In Paul, it denotes regularly a prophetic revelation in the Spirit; 
here, however, and in Cor. 1’, it is equivalent to παρουσία. Underlying 
this use of ἀποχάλυψις may be the idea that the Son of Man is hidden 
before God and that the elect, though they know him in the Spirit, do 
not behold him visibly until he comes to function as Messiah (cf. Eth. 
En. 48° 627; also revelabitur of the Messiah in 4 Ezra 13%? Apoc. Bar. 
397, etc.; see J. Weiss in Meyer on 1 Cor. 17). Mill., however, who 
discusses carefully (141-151) ἀποχάλυψις in connection with ἐπιφάνεια 
(28) and παρουσία concludes that ἐπιφάνεια or manifestation is also a 
“revelation of the divine plan and purpose which has run through all 
the ages, to find its consummation at length in the ‘one far-off divine 
event’ to which the whole creation is slowly moving.” 
Ἰησοῦς, see I 215; Lreads τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν “I, X. 


On 6 κύριος 


232 2 THESSALONIANS 


ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ κτλ. With three prepositional phrases (cf. I 415), 
the revelation is described in reference to the place “from 
heaven,” to the attendant retinue “with his angels of power,” 
and to the manner “in a fire of flame.” (1) The ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ 
seems to imply that the Messiah is hidden in heaven, concealed 
from the sight of men, though he operates in the souls of be- 
lievers; hence he must be revealed “from heaven” (cf. Rom. 1), 
namely, by coming down from heaven (I 415) either toward the 
earth and within the range of human vision, or to the earth. 
(2) The ἄγγελοι δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ suggests the ἄγγελος δυνάμεως 
(Test. xii, Jud. 319) and “all the angels of power and all the angels 
of principalities” (Eth. En. 611°); and invites the translation 
“his angels of power” (cf. αὐτοῦ in Rev. 13° Heb. 13 Col. 1:3). 
(3) The manner in which the revelation is pictured, ἐν πυρὶ φλο- 
yos, is in keeping with the descriptions of theophanies in the 
O. T., for example, Exod. 3? where the ἄγγελος κυρίου appears 
ἐν πυρὶ φλογὸς ἐκ τοῦ βάτου and Is. 661" κύριος ὡς πῦρ ἥξει 
(cf. Ps. 49%, etc.). 


Usually αὐτοῦ is taken solely with δυνάμεως and the gen. is explained 
as possessive: “which serves to mark that to which the ἄγγελοι apper- 
tained and of which they were the ministers; exponents and instruments 
of his power” (Ell.). Dob. regards “his power” as a periphrasis for 
“his.” Calv. observes: angelos potentiae vocat in quibus suam potestatem 
exseret (cf. Bengel and Schmiedel). Some Gk. fathers (e. g. Theophylact 
and (Ecumenius) and some moderns (e. g. Piscator, Flatt, Jowett) in- 
terpret with A. V. “his mighty angels.” Still others (see Lillie, ad Joc.), 
taking δύναμις = “host” (cf. Ps. 32° 4 Reg. 215, etc.), translate “the host 
of his angels” (cf. Pesh.). Hofmann avoids the difficulty but spoils the 
rhythm by joining αὐτοῦ with διδόντος. Since the position of αὐτοῦ 
allows it, it is simpler to take “angels of power” as a class and αὐτοῦ 
as a gen. poss. governing both ἄγγελοι and δυνάμεως. On ἄγγελοι, see 
on I 4:5 and Charles’s notes on Eth. En. 61° and Slav. En. 20':—The 
phrase ἐν πυρὶ φλογός (NAKLP, etc.) is found also in Sir. 81° 451 (+ αὐτοῦ) 
Exod. 3? (B) Ps. Sol. 125 Acts 73° (ACE); the easier reading ἐν φλογὶ 
πυρός (BDEGFP, et al.) occurs also in Is. 6615 Exod. 32 (AF) Acts 77° 
(SDB, et al.); compare the rather frequent φλὸξ πυρός (Is. 29° Dan. 7° Sir. 
21%, etc.). The reference is to the glorious brilliancy of the revelation. 
Some commentators however (see Lillie), because of the present con- 
nection with judgment, assume that the fire is a burning, purifying fire 
(of. the ποταμὸς πυρός in Dan. 7.9) as in 1 Cor. 3%; and join the ἐν closely 


ὙΠ 7 τὉ 233 


with διδόντος, thus specifying the manner or instrument of punishment. 
Still others (6. g. Lift. Dob.) are inclined to make the fire do double ser- 
vice. On the idea involved, see Bousset, Relig.? 320. 


8. διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν κτλ. The revelation of the Lord Jesus 
is further described by the loosely attached διδόντος (agreeing 
not with φλογός, which is feminine, but with τοῦ κυρίου ’Inaod) 
as a revelation unto judgment, resuming the thought of v.® but 
putting it generally. The objects of the divine justice are de- 
fined in a unique parallelism as “those who do not know (that 
is, respect and worship) God and those who do not obey the gos- 
pel of our Lord Jesus.” Since ἔθνεσιν does not appear in the 
first member (contrast I 45 Jer. 102° Ps, 78°), and since the repe- 
tition of the article is not incompatible with synonymous parallel- 
ism (cf. Ps. 351"), it is not certain, though the usage of Paul makes 
it probable, that the Gentiles are in mind in the first member 
(cf. I 43 Gal. 48 Rom. 128 Eph. 212) and the Jews in the second 
member (cf. especially Rom. τοῦθ). Though the statement is 
general, Paul may have had in mind distinctly τοῖς θλίβουσιν 
ὑμᾶς (v. 5) who were both Gentiles, the official persecutors and 
Jews, the instigators of persecution. 


The distinction, assumed above as probable, is made among others 
by Ephr. Grot. Liin. Lillie, Ell. Dob. On the other hand, since ἔθνεσιν 
is omitted and the article repeated in the second member is unob- 
jectionable, the parallelism may be synonymous (cf. ν. 19 ἁγίοις and 
πιστεύσασιν), and non-Christians, irrespective of race, may be meant 
(e. g. Calv. Vincent, Mill.); in fact, Paul refers to the disobedience of 
the Gentiles (Rom. 11°°); but does not, as the O. T. (e. g. Jer. 9°) does, 
speak of the Jews as not knowing God. Still other interpreters, while 
distinguishing two classes, take the first member as referring to the Gen- 
tiles with a distinct allusion to Jer. 105, and the second as referring to 
both Jews and Gentiles (6. g. Lit. Schmiedel, Born. Wohl.).—Though 
the first member of the parallelism may have been influenced uncon- 
sciously by Jer. 1025 and the second by Is. 664, yet the parallelism as a 
whole is unique and the second member distinctly Pauline; for ὃπ- 
αχούειν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ is not found in Lxx. Ps. Sol. Test. xii, or Apost. 
Fathers, and is found elsewhere in N. T. only Rom. 1o!*—The exact 
phrase “the gospel of our Lord Jesus” is, like “the gospel of his Son”’ 
in Rom. 19, unique in the N. T. The substitution of “our Lord Jesus” 
for “Christ” is natural in view of the divine name ὃ χύριος ἡμῶν ᾿Τησοῦς 
(see on I 219); and in Rom. 1° “the gospel of his Son” is natural in view 


234 2 THESSALONIANS 


of Rom. 1? τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. In our passage, SAGF add Χριστοῦ to Ἰησοῦ. 
—On διδόναι ἐχδίχησίν τινι, of. Num. 31° Sir. 12° (ἀποδιδόναι) and Deut. 
325 Sir. 3233 (ἀνταποδιδόναι); more frequent in Lxx. is ποιεῖν ἐχδίχησιν 
ἔν τινι (Exod. 1213 Num. 334 Ezek. 2517, etc.). On ἐχδίχησις (Rom. 12! 
2 Cor. 7"), see ἔχδιχος I 4°.—GF insert xat before ἐν πυρί; DGF read 
διδούς for διδόντος; Stephanus begins v. 8 with im flamma ignis; PL 
insert τόν before θεόν conforming to I 45.-,͵ῴὦπαχούειν (Rom. 613 5.) is 
common in Lxx. and construed usually with gen., sometimes with dat. 


(2 Ch. 114 (A) Jer. 3). 


9. οἵτινες δίκην etd. “Men who shall pay the penalty of 
eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord Jesus and from 
the glory of his strength.” With οἵτινες, designating a class, 
τοῖς μὴ εἰδόσιν . .. Inood (ν. 5) is resumed; similarly with 
δίκην τίσουσιν, the διδόντος ἐκδίκησιν (ν. 5) is resumed. An 
advance over v. ὃ is, however, made in that the penalty is an- 
nounced as an eternal banishment from Christ. 

ὄλεθρον αἰώνιον. This phrase, in apposition with δίκην, occurs 
elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only 4 Mac. ro! (A); it is equivalent 
(see I 5%) to ἀπώλεια αἰώνιος or αἰῶνος in Ps. Sol. 235 (cf. Eth. 
En. 845). The destruction resulting from the supernatural con- 
flict or as here from a forensic judgment involves for Paul not 
the annihilation of the wicked (for they exist after death even 
if they are not raised from the dead) but their separation from 
Christ, as the defining clause with ἀπό intimates. In the light 
of αἰώνιος, ὄλεθρος might mean the definitive supernatural act 
belonging to the age to come; but in view of ἀπό x7X., it must 
rather refer to the destruction whose consequences are age-long, 
that is, to Paul and to the N. T. in general, “eternal” (Mk. 339 
Mt. 2545; cf. Dan. 122). Beyond the statement of the fact of an 
eternal banishment and separation, Paul does not go; he says 
nothing of πῦρ αἰώνιον (Jude 7 Mt. 185 25"). 

ἀπὸ προσώπου κυρίου KT. The banishment from Christ is 
expressed in language drawn from the refrain of Is, 219-1%*; 
ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ φόβου τοῦ κυρίου Kal ἀπὸ τῆς δόξης τῆς 
ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ. In citing this passage, however, Paul omits τοῦ 
φύβου, leaving προσώπου (see I 217) to be explained as “face,” 
“presence,” and ἀπό as a preposition after an implied verb of 
separation. ‘Then in the second member of the virtually synony- 





I, 8-9 235 


mous parallelism, “face” becomes “glory,” the halo of majesty 
which lightens the face of the Lord; and “the Lord” becomes 
“his strength,” the fons οἱ origo of the glory (tayvos being a 
genitive of origin). Thus, with a concentration upon the es- 
sential, the θλέψες of ν. δ is defined as an eternal separation 
from the glorious presence of Christ, this penalty being the 
direct opposite of the reward of the believer (v. 19), namely, as 
I 417 states that reward, πάντοτε σὺν κυρίῳ. 


The classic distinction between ὅς and ὅστις (found in every letter 
of Paul except I and Phile.) is apparently observed by Paul (Bl. 501); 
hence quippe qui, ““men who” (Ell. Lft. Mill.; also SH. on Rom. 1°5). 
—dtxn, a classic word, rare in N. T. (Jude 7 Acts 284) but common in 
Lxx., means either “justice” (Sap. 18), “suit at law’ (Job 2915) or “ pun- 
ishment” (Sap. 181! 2 Mac. 8:1: 13 4 Mac. 628 9%). τίνειν is found else- 
where in Gk. Bib. only Pr. 20% 24%2- 44 2712 (τίειν); the phrase τίνειν 
δίκην is classic, but is not found elsewhere in Gk. Bib.; it is equivalent 
to τίνειν ζημίαν (Pr. 2712), or ζημιοῦν (x Cor. 31); cf. ἐχδιχεῖν δίκην 
(Lev. 262° Ezek. 2512); ἀποδιδόναι or ἀνταποδιδόναι δίκην (Deut. 3241: 4). 
—wWith the phrase ὄλεθρος αἰώνιος (see Vincent, ad loc.) is to be com- 
pared ζωὴ αἰώνιος (Rom. 27 52! 622 ἔ- Gal. 68), destruction being the op- 
posite of life. The adjective or its equivalent αἰῶνος is common in the 
Lxx. (6. g. Sir. 15° 1713 4515; Ps. Sol. 235); its meaning is to be deter- 
mined not from Greek etymology but from the usage of ony, that is, long 
duration whether looking forward or backward, to futurity or antiquity 
(BDB.). The exact duration intended depends upon the writer; in Eth. 
En. τοῦ! the ζωὴ αἰώνιος is five hundred years; in Daniel as in the N. T. 
the age to come is of unlimited duration; hence αἰώνιος “belonging to 
the age” means to Paul “eternal” and “everlasting.” A reads ὀλέθριον 
(f. 3 Reg. 21% Sap. 1815). On the duration of punishment in Jewish 
literature, see Bousset, Relig.? 320, Volz. Eschat. 286 ff., and Kennedy, 
Last Things, 316; on αἰών, see Dalman, Worte Jesu, 1, 120 ff.—That ἀπό 
is local, as in Gal. 54 Rom. 9? 2 Cor. 11°, is generally admitted (Piscator, 
Riggenbach, Liin. Ell. Lft. Born. Vincent, Mill. Dob. et al.). Gram- 
matically possible, however, is (1) the causal sense of ἀπό, frequent in Lxx., 
but infrequent in N. T. (Bl. 40°), ‘‘at the presence οἵ, the thought being 
that the very face of the Lord causes destruction. In this interpreta- 
tion, no hint is given that destruction consists in eternal separation. 
“Tt is sufficient that God comes and is seen and all are involved in pun- 
ishment and penalty” (Chrys. apud Ell.). (2) The ἀπό may indicate 
source,—‘‘the eternal destruction which proceeds from the face,” etc. 
(of. Acts 319; so apparently Grot. Schmiedel, Find. Wohl.). (3) Pos- 
sible also grammatically but “pointless in sense” (Find.) is the expla- 


236 2 THESSALONIANS 


nation of ἀπό as temporal, “from the time of the revelation of the Lord” 
(see Lillie for names). Much simpler is it to take ἀπό of separation. 
That Paul says not ἀπό but ἀπὸ προσώπου (only here in Paul; cof. Acts 
5* 748 Rev. 616 12% 20") χυρίου is due to the influence of Isa. 21°.—On 
δόξα, see I 2°; on ἰσχύς (Eph. 119 61°), rare in N. T. but common in Lxx., 
see especially 1 Ch. 1678 Ps. 1465—DGF omit τοῦ before χυρίου.---- 
In his references to the destruction of the wicked (vv. 65. 8-*), Paul re- 
frains from details, contenting himself with the fact of eternal separa- 
tion. Furthermore, since ἐν πυρὶ φλογός describes not the means of 
punishment but the manner of the Christophany, it is probable that 
“his angels of power” are not the angels of punishment (Eth. En. 
62" 1.) but the attendant retinue of angels who accord to Christ glory 
and admiration by reason of his saving work manifested in the saints 
and believers who stand before the βήμα Χριστοῦ (v. 19). 


10. ὅταν ἔλθῃ κτλ. With this relative conditional sentence 
designating the time of δίκην τίσουσιν, Paul resumes the point 
of vv. * 7 and indicates the beginning of the future salvation of 
the readers which is eternal fellowship with the Lord. This in- 
dication is put in a unique parallelism the language of which be- 
trays the influence of the Lxx.: “when he comes (ὅταν ἔλθῃ bal- 
ancing ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει τοῦ κυρίου ν. 7) to be glorified in his 
saints (that is, in virtue of what they are; cf. Gal. 2% ἐδόξαζον 
ἐν ἐμοὶ τὸν θεόν) and to be admired in all who became believers 

. in that day.” Though the parallelism is synonymous, the 
presence in the second member of πᾶσιν and of the aorist τοῖς 
πιστεύσασιν (instead of the expected present τοῖς πιστεύουσιν: 
cf. I 210. 18) indicates an advance from the general to the 
specific. Included in the number of the saints are particularly 
the faint-hearted Thessalonians who became believers when they 
welcomed the word (I 18 *- 2% #-); “for,” as the parenthetical 
clause with ὅτε (separating “in that day” from the infinitives 
to which it belongs) explains, “‘our witness (=our gospel) which 
was directed to you was believed” (ἐπιστεύθη being suggested 
by πιστεύσασιν). 


Both ὅταν and ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ (a phrase only here in Paul; cf. Lk. 10% 
17°! 2 Tim. 115 48) seem to have been influenced by Is. 2'°*-; on the 
other hand, the total phrase ἐνδοξασθῆναι. . . τοῖς πιστεύσασιν, though 
it shows traces of resemblance to Ps. 88% 67% (x) Is. 49% 665, is unique. 
The verb ἐνδοξάζεσθαι, here and v. 13 (cf. Is. 665), like ἐνχαυχᾶσθαι: (v. 4), 


I; Q=10 237 


‘is unclassic; it is found about thirteen times in the Lxx., usually with 
ἐν (cof. Exod. 15" δεδοξασμένος ἐν ὑμῖν, θαυμαστὸς ἐν δόξαις). This ἐν 
(which is also frequent with the more common δοξάζεσθαι) is in the Lxx. 
to be explained either as (x) of place where (Ps. 88% ἐνδοξαζόμενος ἐν 
βουλῇ ἁγίων; Ps. 67°6 (x) θαυμαστὸς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ; cf. τ Mac. 
314. 8); (2) of instrument (Is. 49% (Β); cf. δοξάζεσθαι ἐν Is. 515, etc.); 
or (3) of ground (Is. 4525 Sir 38%; cf. δοξάζεσθαι ἐν Sir. 484; θαυμάζεσθαι 
ἐν Is. 61° (B). The ἐν is not διά (Sir. 10%) or ὑπό (Sir. 32°)). Were Paul 
distinctly quoting Ps. 888 67%*, it would be natural to take ἐν of place 
where, “among” (Michaelis, Van Ess., and others noted by Lillie; so 
also Dob.), in spite of the fact that the local sense does not fit v. 13 
(ἐν αὐτῷ). This theory, however, does not compel us to assume that the 
persons who accord the glory and admiration are not “his angels of 
power” but Christians. On the other hand, since Paul is not quoting, 
and since his interest is not in the external features of the judgment but 
is in the character of the people (cf. v. 8) present, it is more probable that 
ἐν is to be understood not of place, or even of instrument (Chrys. Bengel; 
ἐν = διά with gen.), but of ground (τοί. Liin. Ell. Lillie, Lft. Schmie- 
del, Born. Find. Wohl. Mill. οἱ al.); cf. Pelagius: “he himself is to 
be glorified in his members which shall shine with the brightness of the 
sun” (on this ἐν, see Gal. 124 1 Cor. 62°). In virtue of what the saints 
and all believers are (by reason of the death and the indwelling of Christ), 
the attendant angels ascribe glory and admiration to Christ. This view 
of ἐν is also applicable to the ἐν of ν. 1. There is no hint that the glory 
which proceeds from the Lord has already entered into the Christians. 
—On θαυμάζεσθαι ἐν, cf. Sap. 8 (ἐν of place), Sir. 334 (8; ἐν of instru- 
ment), and Is. 61° (B; ἐν of ground).—ot ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ is In synonymous 
parallelism with πάντες ot πιστεύσαντες; both refer to Christians irre- 
spective of race—That ὅτι... ὑμᾶς is parenthetical was noted by Th. 
Mops. Zim. and Wohl. less naturally connect ὅτι with the preceding 
infinitives, “to be glorified and admired in the fact that our witness,” 
εἰς.---τὸ μαρτύριον (see I 15) = τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (ν. 5); τὸ μαρτύριον ἡμῶν 
(which is equivalent to τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν 2141 15 and τὸ χήρυγμα ἡμῶν 
1 Cor. 1513) is the witness, inspired by God (x Cor. 2!) or Christ (1 Cor. 
1°), which we preach. It is the witness which (sc. τό) is (not “against” 
you; Lk. οἱ Num. 3539 A; but) “over” you (1 Mac. 257 μαρτυρεῖ ἐφ᾽ 
ὑμᾶς 6 οὐρανὸς xal ἣ γῆ).--ἐπιστεύθη = “was believed,” as πιστεύσασιν 
suggests, the reference being to the welcome given to the gospel at the 
beginning. It is interesting that πιστεύεσθαι in this sense is used with 
an impersonal subject elsewhere in the N. T. only Rom. 10" (contrast 
τ Tim. 315. Lft. joins ἐπιστεύθη with ἐπί and paraphrases thus: 
“belief in our testimony directed itself to reach you.” Hort and Moff. 
accept Markland’s conjecture ἐπιστώθη (which Cod. 104 reads). Hort 
explains in connection with vv. * that “the Christian testimony had 
been confirmed and sealed upon the Thessalonians.” He compares 


238 2 THESSALONIANS 


1 Cor. τό Ps, 924 " and πιστοῦσθαι ἐπί τινα 1 Ch. 17% (which is doubt- 
ful) and 2 Ch. τ’. The conjecture, however, is unnecessary. 


11-12. Though the faint-hearted may thus be assured of their 
being deemed worthy of the kingdom, yet (cf. I 5° *-) they must 
be blameless (cf. I 31) in order to enter into the same. Since 
blamelessness is possible only through the power of God, Paul 
adds a prayer: “to which end (namely, the future salvation im- 
plied in ν. 19; cf. ἄνεσιν ν. 8 and εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναι ν. *), we 
too as well as you pray always that our God may deem you 
worthy (that is, acquit you at the judgment) of the calling (of 
God mediated by the preaching of our witness; cf. 215) and (that 
the acquittal may follow) bring to completion every resolve after 
goodness and every work inspired by faith in power” (that is, 
of the Spirit). This prayer for moral perfection is to the eventual 
end “that (ὅπως) the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in 
you (that is, as in v. 19, in virtue of what you are) and you may 
be glorified in it” (that is, in virtue of what his name accom- 
plishes). And this blessed consummation is “in accordance with 
the divine favour of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

11, εἰς ὃ καὶ προσευχόμεθα κτλ. Though εἰς ὅ is loosely at- 
tached to the preceding and refers to the idea of salvation im- 
plied in v. 19, it is yet tempting (with Lft.) to connect it directly 
with εἰς τὸ καταξιωθῆναι (ν. 5), the controlling idea of vv. 513 
being that the faint-hearted may be assured of their being deemed 
worthy of the kingdom. In this case, εἰς 6 denotes purpose “to 
which end,” and is resumed by ἵνα (likewise telic) ἀξιώσῃ (cf. 
ἄξιον y.*), The καί before προσευχόμεθα is interesting. In the 
letter from Thessalonica to Paul it appeared that the faint- 
hearted, though anxious about their salvation, were neverthe- 
less praying constantly that God would equip them with the 
Spirit whose presence guaranteed a blameless life and the ac- 
quittal at the last day. This prayer Paul reciprocates, “we too 
as well as you pray” (καί as in I 2"; cf. Col. 1°). 


That εἰς 6 indicates purpose is recognised by De W. Riggenbach, 
Lillie, Lft. Born. Vincent, Find. Mill. and others. The objection that 
it is logically impossible (6. g. Liin. Dob.) overlooks Paul’s recogni- 
tion of the facts of religious experience and his interest in righteousness 





1 230 


as essential unto future salvation (cf. I 313 58:9). To be sure salvation 
is assured to those who are in Christ, but the test of being in Christ is 
ethical. Those who deny the telic force of εἰς 6 take it of reference 
(Liin. Ell. Schmiedel, Dob. οἱ al.). On cig τοῦτο ἵνα, cf. Rom 149 
2 Cor. 2°; on ἵνα. .. εἰς ὃ χαί, cf. Col. 138 f; on εἰς 6, see further 
214 Phil. 3!°—Bacon sees the force of xa but interprets differently: 
“it is clear that they had assured him of their prayers in his behalf, as 
requested I 525” (Introd. 72). Others see in xat the intimation of a cor- 
respondence between prayer on the one hand and on the other hope 
(Ell.), witness (Find.), or thanksgiving (Riggenbach, Wohl. Dob. Moff.). 
—Influenced by I 525 D inserts a second xat before περὶ ὑμῶν. On πάν- 
cote, see I τὸ; on προσεύχεσθαι περί, see I 525. For the prayer at this 
point, cf. Phil. 19 Col. 1°. 


ἵνα ὑμᾶς ἀξιώσῃ κτλ. Since ἵνα resumes εἰς 4, it is to be taken 
not epexegetically as introducing the content of the prayer, but 
finally, “‘to which end, namely, that.” The ὑμᾶς, emphatically 
placed, resumes the specific ὑμᾶς of vv. 1-5 “The calling” 
(x Cor. 72° Eph. 41) is, in view of “our God,” to be interpreted 
not as “your calling” (1 Cor. 126 Eph. 4‘) but as “God’s calling” 
(Rom. 119 Phil. 3"; cf. Vulg. vocatione sua), the reference being 
to God’s act of calling in the past (I 213 47 532) mediated through 
the preaching of the gospel (2"), ἡ. e. “our witness to you” 
(v. 1°), ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, a characteristic phrase in our letters (see 
Ι 22), intimates that just as there is a common suffering of Paul 
and his readers (Kat πάσχετε v.*), and a common relief (μεθ᾽ 
ὑμῶν y.7), so also there is a common fellowship in God, the ulti- 
mate source of salvation. 


Many interpreters find difficulty in referring χλῆσις to the past, on the 
ground, apparently, that the historical call of God of itself involves future 
salvation. Paul, however, while practically certain that all believers will 
be acquitted at the βήμα Χριστοῦ because of the presence in them of 
Christ or the Spirit as the power unto righteousness, reckons with the 
possibility that believers may fall out of the realm of grace and disre- 
gard the promptings of the Spirit (cf. I 3% 58 5. Gal. 54 2 Cor. 61, and the 
implications of Phil. 2”). To avoid the supposed difficulty, κλῆσις, 
contrary to Paul’s usage, is understood of the future glory and blessed- 
ness (Th. Mops. wt dignos vos bonorum illorum exhibeat deus, in quorum 
et vocati estis fruitionem; cf. Calv. Riggenbach, ἘΠ]. Lft. Mill. οἱ al.) 
either on the analogy of Phil. 314, of ἐλπίς in Col. 15, or of the Synoptic 
“invitation” to the Messianic Supper (Mt. 22°: 8; cf. Chrys. Schmiedel, 


240 2 THESSALONIANS 


Wohl. ef al.). Others, contrary to usage, take ἀξιόω to mean “to make 
worthy” (Grot. Flatt, Dob. εἰ al.). Better Pelagius: “that ye may be 
found worthy of that to which you have been called” (cf. Ephr. Born, 
Find. εἰ al.). G reads τῆς χλήσεως ὑμῶν; KL ὁ θεὸς ὑμῶν. Outside of 
Paul, χλῆσις occurs infrequently in the Gk. Bib. (2 Tim. 1° Heb. 3! 
2 Pet. 11° Judith 12° (A) Jer. 38¢ 3 Mac. 5"). 


Kal πληρώσῃ KT. Since ἀξιώσῃ means not “make worthy” 
but “deem worthy,” πληρώσῃ is not synonymous with ἀξιώσῃ 
but rather, as Lillie remarks, “regards the process by which 
alone the object of the Apostle’s heart could be secured. Whom 
he counts worthy, he first makes worthy.” In order that God 
may acquit the believers at the judgment, he must by the power 
of the Spirit perfect in them every resolve after goodness and 
every work that faith inspires. 

πᾶσαν εὐδοκίαν ἀγαθωσύνης. The first of the parallel objects 
of πληρώσῃ touches the inner purpose, “every resolve (not ‘de- 
sire,’ as if with Cod. 17 ἐπιθυμίαν were read) that they have 
after goodness” (the genitive is objective). The phrase εὐδοκία 
ἀγαθωσύνης does not appear elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. In ev- 
δοκία as in εὐδοκεῖν (I 2°), the prominent thought is that of 
“will,” “resolve,” “consent.” “Goodness” (ἀγαθωσύνῃ, else- 
where in N. T. only Gal. 52 Rom. 15 Eph. 5°) is a fruit of the 
Spirit (Gal. 5%) akin to χρηστότης; over against κακία it de- 
notes singleness of heart (Sap. 1!; ο΄. Col. 3% Eph. 6°). 

καὶ ἔργον πίστεως. “And every (sc. πᾶν) work of faith.” 
This second of the parallel objects of πληρώσῃ refers to the ac- 
tivity inspired by faith, that is, not specifically endurance in per- 
secution (Chrys.), but generally, as the omission of the articles 
(in keeping with εὐδοκίαν ἀγαθωσύνης) suggests, love (cf. I 1°). 
Paul prays that God may perfect not only the resolve but the 
accomplishment of the same. 

ἐν δυνάμει. “In power,” that is, in the power of God (Ephr.). 
The phrase, which is to be construed with πληρώσῃ, puts the 
stress on the energy exercised by the divine (Rom. 1‘ Col. 1**). 
The δύναμις θεοῦ is Christ (x Cor. 133) or the Spirit (I 1°) with- 
out whose aid the resolve after goodness and the attainment of 
love would be impossible. 





1 11 τὰ 241 


ἀγαθωσύνη is quite frequent in Koheleth; cf. also Neh, 925 36, εὐδοχία, 
apart from Lk. 214 τοῦ Mt. 1126, is employed in N. T. only by Paul (of 
God Phil. 213 Eph. 15- 9; cf. Sir. 325 414; of men Rom. ro! Phil. 115); 
on its meaning, see SH. or Zahn on Rom. τοί, also Kennedy, Sources, 
131.—Since εὐδοχία need not refer to God’s good will, “goodness which 
is his good pleasure” (Grot.), “his good pleasure proceeding from his 
goodness” (Calv.), or “his good pleasure in the goodness of men” 
(Dob.), it is unnecessary, especially in a context in which moral excel- 
lence is in mind, to take ἔργον πίστεως = “work which is faith” (gen. of 
apposition), that is, God’s work of faith (Calv. Dob.). In fact most 
commentators rightly refer both εὐδοχία and ἔργον to the Thessalo- 
nians (De W. Liin. Ell. Lillie, Lft. Mill. and especially Schmiedel and 
Wohl. who note the progress from will (εὐδοχία) to deed (ἔργον)). 


12. ὅπως ἐνδοξασθῃ κτὰ. The clause with ὅπως (dependent 
on ἵνα v.") states the ultimate purpose of the prayer in lan- 
guage reminiscent of Is. 66°, and similar to but more specific 
than (not ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ but ἐν ὑμῖν) that of v. 19: “that 
the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,” that is, in 
virtue of (ἐν of ground as in v. 19) what you are at the last day, 
blameless in holiness. Following the usage of the O. T., ὄνομα 
signifies what is involved in the Christian estimate of Jesus, 
namely, his Lordship and Messiahship (κύριος and Χριστός, 
Acts 236 Phil. 29 #-), Here, however (contrast Phil. 2" 1 Cor. 12: 19 
6" Eph. 52°), only the Lordship is mentioned (AGP, e¢ al., add 
Χριστοῦ); the name is not simply Jesus, but “our Lord Jesus”’ 
(x Cor. 54; of. Col. 317). The idea underlying the clause with 
ὅπως seems to be that at the last judgment, at the beginning 
of the eternal fellowship with Christ, the name “our Lord Jesus” 
is named with loud acclaims (perhaps by the attendant angelic 
hosts), in virtue of the goodness and love of the Thessalonians 
perfected by God through the Spirit. What was in God’s pur- 
pose, “that they be deemed worthy of the kingdom of God” 
(v. 5), will then be realised. 

καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐν ad’t@. Advancing beyond ν. 19, Paul here states 
explicitly that the relation in glory between the Lord Jesus and 
his servants is reciprocal; they too are accorded honour and 
glory in virtue of what the name of our Lord Jesus has done for 
them: “and that you may be glorified in (€v of ground) it,” 


that is, the name. 
16 


242 2 THESSALONIANS 


κατὰ τὴν χάριν KTr. The glorification for which prayer is 
made is in accordance with the divine favour (I 11) of “our God” 
(v. #4) and the Lord Jesus Christ, just as it is with the purpose of 
God (v. ὃ). The statement is put positively; a contrast with 
human effort is not here indicated (contrast with Lft. Rom. 415 
115!. Eph. 2° 8). 


In view of v. 19 and of ὅπως after ἵνα, it is all but certain that the ref- 
erence here is not to the present (Dob.) but to the future glorification 
(so most). In Paul, ὅπως is much less frequent than ἵνα; for the se- 
quence here, cf. 1 Cor. 127 #- 2 Cor. 8:3 !-.—On ὄνομα, of. Ps. 85% "3 
Is. 2415 4219 Mal. 1 Dan. 3, and see Deiss. BS. 35 7. 143 ff., NBS. 24 7.» 
and TLZ. 1904, 199 ff. The parallelism makes probable that αὐτῷ re- 
fers to ὄνομα (Hofmann, Liin. Schmiedel, Wohl. Dob.); the meaning 
would be the same were the reference to “our Lord Jesus.” Neither 
here nor in v. 19 is there a clear hint of δόξα entering into the believer.— 
GF omit χαὶ ὑμεῖς. . . Xptctod.—In the salutations ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς 
(ἡμῶν) χαὶ χυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, the article is omitted as the formule 
are fixed. The presence of tod here before θεοῦ has led some scholars 
to think that one person alone is meant, “Jesus Christ, our God and 
Lord.” Hofmann, Riggenbach, and Wohl. find the justification for 
Christ as God in Rom. 95 (cf. Tit. 213 Jn. 2078 2 Pet. 11: "); Dob. would 
delete χαὶ κυρίου Ἰ. X. asa gloss; Hilgenfeld sees in the phrase an evi- 
dence of the spuriousness of II. Inasmuch, however, as ὃ θεὸς ἡμῶν (not 
θεὸς ἡμῶν) is characteristic of our letters (see I 2%), and χύριος Ἰησοῦς 
Χριστός, without the article, is a fixed formula, it is probable that we 
should, with most interpreters, distinguish between “our God” and “the 
Lord Jesus Christ.” K omits τοῦ; the Latins naturally do not help. 


Ill. EXHORTATION (2'”), 


The discouragement of those converts who feared that they 
were not morally prepared for the day of judgment (15:15) was 
intensified by the assertion of some, perhaps the idle brethren, 
supported, it was alleged, by the authority of Paul, that the day 
of the Lord was actually present. Paul, who receives news of 
the situation orally or by letter, together with a request for infor- 
mation about the Parousia and Assembling, is at a loss to under- 
stand how anything he had said in the Spirit, orally, or in his 
previous epistle, could be misconstrued to imply that he was re- 
sponsible for the misleading assertion, “the day of the Lord is 





1 i2- Me i 243 


present.” Believing, however, that the statement has been inno- 
cently attributed to him, and feeling sure that a passing allusion 
to his original oral instruction concerning times and seasons will 
make plain the absurdity of the assertion, and at the same time 
quiet the agitation of the faint-hearted, he answers the request 
in words not of warning but of encouragement (cf. also vv. 1 1). 
“Do not be discouraged,” he says in effect, “for the day of the 
Lord, though not far distant, will not be actually present until 
first of all the Anomos comes; and again be not discouraged, for 
the advent of the Anomos is intended not for you believers, but 
solely for the unbelievers, and destruction sudden and definitive 
is in store both for him and for them.” 


The exhortation falls roughly into four parts (1) the object of the ex- 
hortation (vv. 12); (2) the reason why the day of the Lord is not present 
(vv. 88); (3) the triumph of the good over the evil in the destruction of 
the Anomos (v.8>-¢); and (4) the spiritual significance of the Parousia 
of the Anomos (vv. 2). There is no formal counterpart in I either of the 
exhortation or of the preceding prayer (111-12); furthermore the material 
of 21-1 like that of 15-12 is, compared with I, almost wholly new. 


1Now brothers, in reference to the coming of our Lord Jesus 
Christ and our gathering together to meet him, we ask you *not to be 
readily unsettled in your mind or to be nervously wrought up by the 
statement made by S‘pirit, orally, or by letter, as if we had made it, 
that the day of the Lord is present. 

3Let no one deceive you in any way whatever: for (the day of the 
Lord will not be present) unless first of all there comes the apostasy 
and there be revealed the man of lawlessness, the son of perdition, 
‘the one who opposes and exalts himself against every one called God 
or an object of worship so that he sits (or, attempts to sit) in the 
temple of God and proclaims (or, atiempts to proclaim) that he him- 
self 15 really God. *You remember, do you not, that when I was yet 
with you, I used to tell you these things? &And as to the present 
time, you know the spirit or power that detains him (or, is holding 
sway), in order that he (the lawless one) may be revealed in his ap- 
pointed time. ‘For, the secret of lawlessness has already been set in 
operation; only (the apostasy will not come and the Anomos will 
not be revealed) until the person who now detains him (or, is now 


244 2 THESSALONIANS 


holding sway) is put out of the way. *%And then will be revealed 
the Anomos whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his 
mouth and will destroy with the manifestation of his coming. 

*Whose coming, according to the energy of Saian, attended by all 
power and signs and wonders inspired by falsehood and by all 
deceit inspired by unrighteousness, is for those destined to destruc- 
tion; doomed because they had not welcomed the love for the truth 
unto their salvation. “And so for this reason, it is God that sends 
them an energy of delusion that they may believe the falsehood; 
“that (finally) all may be judged who have not believed the truth 
but have consented to that unrighteousness. 

1-2. First stating the theme as given him in their letter, ‘“con- 
cerning the advent and the assembling to meet him” (v. 1), Pauli 
exhorts the readers not to let their minds become easily unsettled, 
and not to be nervously wrought up by the assertion, however 
conveyed and by whatever means attributed to him, that the 
day of the Lord is actually present (v. 2). 

1. ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί. In this phrase (which = I 5"), 
δέ marks a transition from the thanksgiving and prayer (15:1) 
to a new epistolary section, the exhortation (vv. 13). But the 
same people are chiefly in mind here as in 1°”, the faint-hearted, 
though the converts as a whole are addressed, and that too affec- 
tionately, “brothers”’ (1°). 

ὑπὲρ τῆς παρουσίας κτλ. The prepositional phrase, introduced 
by ὑπέρ = περί (see 14 and I 3? 510), announces the two closely 
related subjects (note the single τῆς) about which the readers of 
I had solicited information, “the coming of our (B and Syr. omit 
ἡ μῶν) Lord Jesus” and “our assembling unto him.” The ad- 
dition of ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν intimates that not only the well-known 
muster (ἐπισυναγωγή) of the saints (cf. Mk. 1357 = Mt. 24%) 
that precedes the rapture (I 417) is meant, but also the sequel of 
the rapture (σὺν κυρίῳ εἶναι, I 417). 


Since ἐρωτάω is rare in Paul (see on I 4"), it is not strange that ἐρωτάω 
ὑπέρ is unique in Paul; he uses, however, παραχαλεῖν ὑπέρ (see on I 32) 
as well as παραχαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί (I 410 5%; of. Rom. 1539 1617 
1 Cor. 1° 16'*); cf. further οὐ θέλομεν ἀγνοεῖν περί (I 4% 1 Cor. 121, and 
2 Cor. 15 (SAC, εἰ al.) where BEL have ὑπέρ). On the exact phrase 





II, 1-2 245 


ἡ παρουσία χτλ., cf. 1 533.---ἐπισυναγωγή (elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only 2 Mac. 
27 Heb. 10%; cf. Deiss. Light, του ff.) refers to the constant hope of the 
Jews that their scattered brethren would be gathered together in Pales- 
tine (Is. 27:3 Sir. 36% 2 Mac. 218; of. the ἐπισυνάγειν under the leadership 
of the Messiah in Ps. Sol. 1728- ®°), a hope which passed over, with some 
changes, into Christian apocalyptic; see for details Schiirer, II, 626 /.; 
Bousset, Relig.2 271 ff.; and Volz. Eschat. 309 ff. Swete (on Mk. 137?) 
observes that ἐπισυναγωγή in Heb. 10% “is suggestively used for the 
ordinary gatherings of the church, which are anticipations of the great 
assembling at the Lord’s return.” On ἐπί for πρός, here due to the sub- 
stantive, cf. Gal. 4° and especially Hab. 25 (B; AQ have πρός). 


9. εἰς TO μὴ ταχέως KTA. The object (εἷς τὸ μή) of ἐρωτῶμεν 
is specified by two infinitives, one aorist σαλευθῆναι which looks 
at the action without reference to its progress or completion; 
the other present, θροεῖσθαι which defines the action as going 
on; hence, “we urge you not to be easily unsettled and not to be 
in aconstant state of nervous excitement.’ The phrase σαλευθῆς- 
ναι ἀπὸ τοῦ νοός, which is not found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib., 
suggests that the readers were driven from their sober sense like 
a ship from its moorings. The word νοῦς, frequent in Paul (¢/. 
Rom. 145), means here not “opinion” (Grot.) but, as elsewhere 
in the N. T., “mind,” the particular reference being not so much 
to the organ of thought as to the state of reasonableness, “their 
ordinary, sober, and normal state of mind” (EIl.). Thus driven 
from their mind, they fell into a state of alarm, agitation, ner- 
vous excitement which, as the present tense (θροεῖσθαι) shows, 
was continuous. 


On the analogy of παρακαλεῖν εἰς τό (I 2:2) or τὸ μιῇ (I 33) and δεῖσθαι 
ete τό (I 3%) or τὸ μή (2 Cor. τοῦ), ἐρωτῶμεν εἰς τὸ wh is natural, and 
that too as an object clause (BMT. 412). Parallel to this negative 
exhortation is the independent negative prohibition uw τις χτλ. (Vv. ὃ). 
Wohl., however, takes εἰς τὸ μιῇ as final and finds the content of the 
exhortation in μιῇ τις χτλ. a construction which is smoother and less 
Pauline.—caAebety, only here in Paul but common elsewhere in Gk. Bib., 
is used literally “of the motion produced by winds, storms, waves,” etc. 
(Thayer; cf. Ps. 178 and σάλος Lk. 2125), and figuratively of disturbance 
in general (Ps. 927 125; cf. especially Acts 17" of the Jews in Bercea). It 
is sometimes parallel to (Job οὐ Nah. 15 Hab. 21:5) or a variant of (Is. 337° 
t Mac. 913) σείειν; and it is construed with ἀπό in the sense of “at” 
(Ps. 328), “by” (1 Mac. 9:3 (A) Ps. Sol. 15°), or as here “from”. (cf. 1°); 


246 2 THESSALONIANS 


Vulg. has a vestro sensu (cf. 4 Reg. 218 = 2 Ch. 33" Dan. (Th.) 4"). DE 
add ὑμῶν after νοῦς; cf. τ Cor. 14:..-- θροεῖσθαι, indicating a state of 
alarm (cf. θροῦς Sap. 11° 1 Mac. 935), occurs elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only 
Cant. 5‘, and Mk. 13°? = Mt. 24, an apocalyptic word of the Lord which, 
so some surmise (Wohl. Mill. Dob.), Paul has here in mind. On θροεῖσ- 
θαι, see Kennedy, Sources, 126, and Wrede, 48 f—On ph... μηδέ, cf. 
Rom. 14%; EKLP, εἰ al., have μὑῆτε due probably to the following se- 
quence where D has μηδέ, μηδέ, μῆτε, and F μηδέ, μιῆτε (corrected to 
μηδέ), μηδέ. Though μήτε is common in Gk. Bib. (3 Reg. 3* Hos. 44, 
etc.), it occurs only here in Paul; see BI. 771°. 


διὰ πνεύματος KTA. The instrument or means (διά not ὑπο) 
by which the σαλευθῆναι and θροεῖσθαι are effected is specified 
in three parallel clauses standing together in negative correlation 
(the triple μήτε being due to μηδέ), διὰ πνεύματος, διὰ λόγου 
and δι᾽ ἐπιστολῆς. In the light of I ς"9, πνεῦμα (anarthrous as 
often in Paul) refers clearly to the operation of the Spirit in the 
charisma of prophecy; λόγος, in the light of ἐπιστολῆς, means 
probably an oral as contrasted with an epistolary utterance (v. 15 
Acts 152’); and ἐπιστολή is probably an allusion not to a forged 
or an anonymous letter, but to I. 


Chrys. apparently understands πνεῦμα either of the spirit of prophecy 
or of false prophets who deceive by persuasive words (διὰ λόγου; cf. 
Ephr.). λόγος is sometimes understood of the “reckoning” of times and 
seasons, or of a real or falsified λόγος χυρίου (see Liin.); but it is usually 
explained as an oral utterance inspired (= διδαχῇ 1 Cor. 14% 35; of. 
λόγος σοφίας and γνώσεως 1 Cor. 128) or uninspired. 


ὡς Ov ἡμῶν. “Asif said by us.” Since this clause is separated 
from the construction with the triple μήτε, it is not to be con- 
strued with the infinitives σαλευθῆναι and θροεῖσθαι; and since 
the three preceding phrases with διά are closely united in negative 
correlation, ὡς δι’ ἡμῶν is to be connected not with ἐπιστολῆς 
alone, not with both ἐπιστολῆς and λόγου, but with all three 
prepositional phrases. The reference is thus not to the unsettle- 
ment and agitation as such, and not to the instruments of the 
same, but to the unsettling and agitating cause conveyed by 
these instruments, the statement, namely, “that the day of the 
Lord is present.” While it is possible that some of the converts, 
perhaps the idle brethren, had themselves said in the Spirit, or 





II, 2 247 


in an address, that the day had actually dawned, and had sup- 
ported their assertion by a reference to an anonymous letter at- 
tributed innocently to Paul, it is probable, in view of the unity 
of the negative correlation with the triple μήτε, that an actual 
utterance of Paul in the Spirit, or in an address, or in his first 
epistle (cf. Jerome, Hammond, Kern and Dob.) had been mis- 
construed to imply that Paul himself had said that “the day of 
the Lord is present,” thus creating the unsettlement and ner- 
vous excitement. 


That the three instruments specified do not exhaust the number of 
actual instruments about which Paul was informed, or of possible in- 
struments which he thinks may have been employed, is a natural in- 
ference from v. ὃ: “let no one deceive you in any way,”’ the ways men- 
tioned or other possible ways. In writing ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν, Paul does not deny 
that he has used such instruments, or that he has expressed himself in 
reference to times and seasons; he disclaims simply all responsibility 
for the statement: “the day of the Lord is present.’”’ The context alone 
determines whether or not ὡς (1 Cor. 418 725 926 2 Cor. 529, etc.) indicates 
an erroneous opinion. 

That ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν is to_be joined with all three substantives is regarded 
as probable by Erasmus, Barnes, Lft. Mill. Dob. Harnack, Dibelius, 
οἱ al. (τ) Many scholars, however (from Tertullian to Moff.), restrict 
the phrase to ἐπιστολῆς, and interpret it as meaning ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν γεγραμ.- 
μένης (Thayer, 681), or ὡς ἡμῶν γεγραφότων αὐτήν (BI. 74%; P reads 
παρ᾽ ἡμῶν). According to this construction, some of the converts either 
(a) ἐν πνεύματι (or ex falsis visionibus quas ostendunt vobis, Ephr.), 
or (Ὁ) in an oral address (Chrys.; cf. Ephr. ex commentitiis sophis- 
mati verbis quae dicunt vobis) or in the charisma of διδαχή, or (c) ina 
forged letter (Chrys. Theodoret, Ell. and many others; cf. Ephr. per 
falsas epistolas minime a nobis scriptas tamquam per nos missas) asserted 
that the day is present. But while some of the converts might inno- 
cently make such an assertion in the Spirit or in an address, inspired or 
not, they could not innocently forge a letter. And if they had done so, 
Paul would scarcely have written as he now writes. Hence, many com- 
mentators content themselves with the supposition that an anonymous 
letter had been attributed, innocently or wilfully, to Paul; or that Paul 
suspected that a letter had been forged. (2) Still other scholars (Theo- 
doret, Grot. De W. Liin. Lillie, Ell. Schmiedel, Vincent, οἱ αἰ.), in- 
fluenced doubtless by v. 15, join ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν with both λόγου and ἐπιστολῆς. 
According to this view, πνεῦμα is understood of an utterance of some 
of the converts in the Spirit, λόγος of a pretended oral word of Paul, and 
ἐπιστολή of an anonymous or a forged letter. (3) A more recent theory 


248 2 THESSALONIANS 


(Dods, Askwith in his Zntrod. to Thess. Epistles, 1902, 92 ff.,and Wohl.) 
connects ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν closely with the infinitives, and explains that Paul 
is here disclaiming not the Spirit, or word, or letter, but simply the “re- 
sponsibility for the disturbance which has arisen”; and that ὡς δι᾽ ἡμῶν 
means “as if such disturbance came through us.” This attractive sug- 
gestion seems to overlook the evident detachment of ὡς δι᾿ ἡμῶν from 
the negative correlation with the triple μῆτε (cf. Dibelius). 


ὡς ὅτι ἐνέστηκεν KTA. The actual statement of some of the 
converts, based on a misconstruction of Paul’s utterance by 
Spirit, by word, or by his first epistle, is now given: “that the 
day of the Lord is present.” That this statement is not a word 
of Paul has already been indicated by ὡς δ’ ἡμῶν. The second 
ὡς may be separated from ὅτι, in which case the judgment of 
the first ὡς is reiterated, “as if we said that”; or ὡς ὅτι may be 
equivalent to a simple ὅτι “that,” in which case the utterance 
is quoted without further qualification: “to wit that the day of 
the Lord is present” (cf. 2 Cor. 5"). ἐνέστηκεν means not “is 
coming” (ἔρχεται I 5”), not “is at hand” (ἤγγικεν Rom. 13"), 
not “is near” (ἐγγύς ἐστιν Phil. 4°), but “has come,” “is on 
hand,” “15 present.”’ The period indicated by ἡμέρα has dawned 
and the Lord is expected from heaven at any moment. Paul of 
course had not expressed any such opinion; and it is with a trace 
of impatience that, after noting what first must come, he asks: 
“Do you not remember,” etc. (v. *). It is this misleading asser- 
tion that accounts both for the increased discouragement of the 
faint-hearted to encourage whom Paul writes 1°-2!7, and for 
the increased meddlesomeness of the idle brethren to warn 
whom Paul writes 3}. 


ὡς ὅτι occurs elsewhere in Gk. Bib. 2 Cor. 51° 11° 2 Reg. 1818 (A; B 
omits ὡς) Esther 4% (B; A omits ὡς); for other examples, mostly late 
(since recent editors no longer read ὡς ὅτι in Xen. Hellen. ITI, 2; Dion 
Hal. Antig. οὐ"; Josephus, A pion, I, 58), see Wetstein on 2 Cor. 51" 11%, 
In late Gk. ὡς ὅτι = ὅτι = “that” (Sophocles, Lex. sub voc.). Moulton 
(I, 212), however, urges that this usage appears “in the vernacular at a 
rather late stage” and so takes ὡς ὅτι = quasi with most interpreters. 
But while the sense “as if,” “on the ground that” would fit most of the 
instances in Gk. Bib., it does not fit 2 Cor. 51. Since ὡς ὅτι cannot 
mean “because,” and since the reading ὅτι (Baljon, Schmiedel) for 
ὡς ὅτι in 2 Cor. 5: is pure conjecture, there remains only the sense “to 





il, 2-6 249 


wit that” (so Dob. here, and Bernard, EGT. on 2 Cor. 519 11%1).—évi- 
otyut is used in N. T., apart from 2 Tim. 3! Heb. 9°, only by Paul; in 
Rom. 88 1 Cor. 3%, ἐνεστώς is contrasted with μέλλων. “The verb 
is very common in the papyri and inscriptions with reference to the 
current year” (Mill.; cf. Esther 3% τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος ἔτους). Lillie cites 
Josephus, Ant. XVI, 62 οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ ἐνεστῶτι χαιρῷ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ 
προγεγενημένῳ “where the former reference equally with the latter ex- 
cludes all idea of future time.” That ἐνέστηχεν = “is present” is recog- 
nised by many commentators (6. g. Cicumenius, Kern (jetz eben vor- 
handen), Riggenbach, Alford, Ell. Lillie, Find. Wohl. Mill.). Many 
other interpreters, however, perhaps “from the supposed necessity of the 
case rather than from any grammatical compulsion” (Lillie), are in- 
clined to explain “is present” to mean “‘is at hand.” Grot. notes that 
it is “common to announce as present what is obviously just at hand” 
and interprets, nempe hoc anno; Bengel defines by propinguitas; Schmie- 
del and Dob., on the assumption that the Thess. could not have meant 
‘is present,” understand ἐνέστηχεν of the future which is almost pres- 
ent. Against all ’such restrictions,’see Lillie’s exhaustive note in de- 
fence of the translation “‘is present.””—On ἣ ἡμέρα τοῦ χυρίου (τ Cor. 
55), see I 52; D omits 4 and GFP omit τοῦ; K, οἱ al., read Χριστοῦ for 
χυρίου. 


3-8". Allow no one, Paul continues, to delude you into such a 
belief whatever means may be employed (v. 33). Then, choosing 
to treat the question given him (v. !) solely with reference to the 
assertion (v. 2), and having in mind the discouragement of the 
faint-hearted, he selects from the whole of his previous oral teach- 
ing concerning times and seasons only such elements as serve to 
prove that the assertion (v. 2) is mistaken, and proceeds to remind 
them that the day of the Lord will not be present until first of all 
the apostasy comes and a definite and well-known figure, vari- 
ously described as the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, 
etc., is revealed,—allusions merely with which the readers are 
quite familiar, so familiar, indeed, that the Apostle can cut short 
the characterisation (v. 4), and appeal, with perhaps a trace of 
impatience at their forgetfulness, to the memory of the readers 
to complete the picture (v. 5). Then, turning from the future to 
the present, he explains why the apostasy and the revelation of 
the Anomos are delayed, and so why the day of the Lord is not 
yet present. To be sure, he intimates, the day of the Lord is not 
far distant, for there has already been set in operation the secret 


250 2 THESSALONIANS 


of lawlessness which is preparing the way for the apostasy and 
the concomitant revelation of the Anomos; but that day will 
not actually be present until the supernatural spirit which de- 
tains the Anomos (or, which is holding sway) for the very pur- 
pose that the Anomos may be revealed only at the time set him 
by God, or the supernatural person who is now detaining the 
Anomos (or, who is now holding sway), is put out of the way 
(vv. 57). And then there will be revealed the lawless one (v. *). 

3. ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθη. The ὅτι introduces the reason why the 
readers should not be alarmed or excited (v. 2), or, more directly, 
why they should not allow themselves to be deceived about the 
time of the day of the Lord in any way whatever, the ways men- 
tioned in ν. 2 or in any other way; and at the same time it starts 
the discussion of the theme (v. 1) “concerning the advent and the 
assembling unto him.”’ However, in the treatment of the theme, 
only such points are brought to the memory of the readers as 
make clear (1) that the Parousia will not be present until first 
of all there comes the apostasy and there be revealed the Anomos 
(vv. 4); (2) why the day of the Lord is not yet present (vv. *§); 
and (3) what the significance is of the advent of the Anomos,— 
points selected with a view to the encouragement of the faint- 
hearted. The clause with ὅτε remains unfinished; from v.? we 
may supply after ὅτι “the day of the Lord will not be present” 
(ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου οὐκ ἐνστήσεται). 

On the rare prohibitory subj. in the third person (1 Cor. 16"), see 
BMT. 166; in view of 1 Cor. 16" 2 Cor. 114, it is unnecessary to con- 
strue μή τίς with ἐρωτῶμεν, and to take εἰς τὸ μή (v. 3) as indicating 
purpose. The clause with μή τις is quite independent; it is not prob- 
ably parenthetical, although ὅτι χτλ. may be connected directly with 
vv. %.—As θροεῖσθαι (v. *) suggests the μὴ θροεῖσθε of Mk. 137 = Mt. 
245, so ἐξαπατήσῃ recalls the βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ Of Mk. 13" = 
Mt. 244. ἐξαπατάω, frequent in Lxx., is in the N. T. used chiefly by 
Paul.—On χατὰ μηδένα τρόπον, “evidently a current phrase” (Mill.), 
which strengthens μή τις, cf. 3 Mac. 4% 4 Mac. 4% 107; also χατὰ πάντα 
τρόπον Rom. 3%. Though xat& (v. " 1 3°) is common in Paul, it does 
not appear in I. 


ἡ ἀποστασία. The article suggests that “the apostasy” or 
“the religious revolt”’ is something well known to the readers; in 


3 251 


fact, instruction upon this and cognate points had already been 
given orally by Paul (vv. *#-15!). The term itself is at least as 
old as the time of Antiochus Epiphanes who was “enforcing the 
apostasy” (1 Mac. 215), that is, of Judaism to Hellenism; there- 
after, as one of the fearful signs of the end (cf. Eth. En. gr’), it 
became a fixed element in apocalyptic tradition (cf. Jub. 23" *- 
4 Ezra 5! #- Mt. 2419 #-). Paul, however, is probably thinking not 
of the apostasy of Jews from Moses, or of the Gentiles from the 
law in their hearts, or even of an apostasy of Christians from their 
Lord (for Paul expects not only the Thessalonians (I 5° IT 2155.) 
but all believers (z Cor. 315) to be saved), but of the apostasy of 
the non-Christians as a whole, of the sons of disobedience in 
whom the prince of the power of the air, the evil spirit, is now 
operating (cf. Eph. 22). This apostasy or religious revolt is not 
to be identified with “the mystery of lawlessness” (v. 7), for that 
mystery, already set in operation by Satan, precedes the apos- 
tasy and prepares the way for it; it is therefore something fu- 
ture, sudden, and final, like the revelation of the Anomos with 
which apparently it is associated essentially and chronologi- 
cally. Whether this definitive religious revolt on earth synchro- 
nises with the revolt of Satan (Rev. 127 *-) in heaven, Paul 
does not say. 


On the term, see Bousset, Antichrist, 76 ff.,and Volz. Eschat.179. That 
the revolt is not political, whether of all peoples (Iren. V, 25) or of Jews 
(Clericus, et al.) from Rome, and not both political and religious (see 
Poole, ad loc., and Wohl.), but solely religious, is probable both from the 
fact that elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. ἀποστασία is used of religious apos- 
tasy (Josh. 223 (B) 3 Reg. 201 (A) 2 Ch. 2919 3319 (A) Jer. 2191 Mac. 215 
Acts 2131), and from the fact that in vv. *12, as elsewhere in the apoca- 
lyptic utterances of Paul, there is no evident reference to political situ- 
ations. (It is not evident that τὸ κατέχον and ὃ xatéywy ἄρτι in vv. %7 
refer to Rome). Furthermore, it is unlikely (1) that heresy is in mind, 
since ‘the doomed” here (v. 1°) and elsewhere in Paul are outside the 
Christian group, “the saved” (Hammond and others (see Poole) find 
the prophecy fulfilled (cf. 1 Tim. 41 #-), while Cyril of Jerusalem (Cat. 
15°) sees the fulfilment in the heresies of his own day); or (2) that 4 
ἀποστασία -- ὃ ἀποστάτης (cf. Iren. V, 25 apostata, and Augustine, de civ. (οἱ, 
2071, refuga), the abstract for the concrete (so Chrys. and others); or (3) 
that Belial is meant, on the ground that this word is rendered once in 


252 2 THESSALONIANS 


Lxx. by ἀποστασία (3 Reg. 20% A) and several times in the later Aquila 
(c. g. Deut. 15° Judg. 19% 1 Reg. 213 τοῦ 25:7 Ps. τό Nah. 1),—Whether 

ρῶτον (without a following ἔπειτα I 417 or δεύτερον τ Cor. 1238) be- 
ie to both ἔλθῃ and ἀποχαλυφθῇ, indicating that the coming and 
revelation are contemporaneous,—‘ the day will not be present until, 
first of all, these two things happen together” (Schmiedel, Dob.); or 
whether xf is consecutive (Ell. Find. Mill.), pointing out the result 
of the coming, is uncertain (cf. Lft.). In any case, the two things are 
not identical, although they are apparently associated both essentially 
and chronologically. 


ἀποκαλυφθῇ. The Anomos, described in the following words, 
is indecd in existence, concealed, perhaps imprisoned, somewhere, 
as ἀποκαλυφθῇ intimates; but the place of concealment, whether 
in heaven (cf. Eph. 612), in the firmament, on earth, or in the abyss, 
is not stated. That he is influencing “the doomed” from his 
place of concealment is nowhere suggested; it is hinted only 
(vv. 5:7) that at present (that is, in the time of Paul) there is a 
supernatural spirit or person that directly by detaining him (or 
keeping him in detention) or indirectly (by holding sway until 
the appointed time of the coming of the Anomos) prevents his 
immediate revelation. This function of τὸ κατέχον or ὁ κατέχων 
ἄρτι is not, however, permanent; indeed, it is exercised for the 
purpose (God’s purpose) that the Anomos may be revealed in 
his proper time, the time, namely, that has been appointed by 
God. Not until then will the Asomos be revealed, then when 
the supernatural spirit or person is removed. 

Since Paul does not describe the place or conditions of concealment, 
it is impossible to ascertain precisely what he means. His interest is 
not in the portrayal of the movements of the Anomos but is in his char- 
acter (vy. *‘) and his significance for the unbelievers (vv. 5"). Paul 
uses φανερόω (Col. 3°) and ἀποχάλυψις (17 τ Cor. 17) of the advent of 
Christ, but not ἀποχαλύπτειν (contrast Lk. 179 4 Ezra 7° 133). The 
revelation or Parousia of the Anomos (v. 5) is perhaps intended as a 
counterpart of that of the Messiah (17); but whether Paul is responsi- 
ble for the idea or is reproducing earlier Christian or Jewish tradition is 
uncertain. In the later Asc. Isa. 415, the Beloved rebukes in wrath “all 
things wherein Beliar manifested himself and acted openly in this world.” 


ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας = ὁ ἄνομος (ν. δ), for ἄνθρωπος ἀνο- 
μίας like υἱὸς ἀνομίας (Ps. 883) is a Hebraism, designating a per- 





{2 253 


son as belonging to a lawless class or condition. This phrase, 
like ὁ vids τῆς ἀπωλείας, ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος KTH., 
and ὁ ἄνομος, is not a proper name but a characterisation of a 
person, and that too a definite person, as the article in each of 
the four phrases makes plain. It is evident that the figure in 
question is not Satan but a man, a unique man, however, in whom 
Satan dwells and operates. Chrys. observes: ‘‘Who is this per- 
son? Satan? Not at all; but ἄνθρωπός τις πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ de- 
χόμενος τὴν ἐνέργειαν." So complete is the control of Satan 
over his peculiar instrument that it is natural to hold with Th. 
Mops. that the parallel between the incarnation of Christ and 
the indwelling of Satan in the Azomos is all but complete. 


While (6) ἄνθρωπος (τοῦ) θεοῦ is quite frequent in the Lxx. (cf. also 

τ Tim. 6" 2 Tim. 317), ἄνθρωπος with an abstract gen. (Sir. 202° 3175 
Lk. 214) is less frequent than ἀνῆρ. For the equivalence of ἄνθρωπος, 
ἀνήρ, and υἱός in this construction, cf. ἄνθρωπος αἱμάτων (Sir. 3125) with 
ἀνὴρ αἱμάτων (2 Reg. 167f- and often in Psalms; see Briggs, JCC. on 
Ps. 57); and cf. υἱὸς θανάτου (τ Reg. 20%! 2 Reg. 125) with ἀνὴρ θανάτου 
(3 Reg. 226).—Instead of ἀνομίας (BN, Tert. ef al.), the majority of 
uncials (ADEGFKLP, εἰ al.) read ἁμαρτίας. In the Lxx., A frequently 
reads ἁμαρτία where B reads ἀνομία (6. g. Exod. 347 Is. 5312 Ezek. 16% 
2015); occasionally A has ἀνομία where B (Ezek. 361°) or δὶ (Ps. 10814) 
has ἁμαρτία. As these variants and the parallelism in Job 7% Ps. 315 
Is. 535 show, the two words are similar in meaning, ἁμαρτία being the 
more general (cf. 1 Jn. 32. Though common in Lxx., both ἀνομία 
(Rom. 47 619 2 Cor. 64) and ἄνομος (τ Cor. 92!) are rare in Paul. Unless 
ΒΝ revised in the light of vv. 7-8 (Weiss), or substituted ἀνομίας for 
ἁμαρτίας in the light of an exegesis which understood “the man of sin” 
to be Belial, the more specific ἀνομίας is the preferable reading.—It is 
tempting to identify the figure described in the four phrases with Belial 
(Beliar), though we cannot be sure (cf. Dob. Dibelius) that Paul would 
assent to this identification. This identification seems probable to 
Bousset (Antichrist, 1895, 99) and “all but certain” to Charles (Ascen- 
sion of Isaiah, 1900, Ixii; cf. also Mill. and Moff.). The origin and mean- 
ing of the word Belial are alike uncertain; Moore (ICC. on Judg. 1922) 
observes: “The oldest etymology of the word is found in Sanhedrin, 111 f. 
. ‘men who have thrown off the yoke of Heaven from their necks’ 
(ὧν + 9053). So also Jerome in a gloss in his translation of Judg. 19%: 
filit Belial, id est absque iugo”’; but the word is “without analogy in the 
language”’ (zbid.); see further, Cheyne in EB.525 ff. In the Hebrew O.T. 
Belial is not certainly a proper name, though in Ps. 185 = 2 Sam. 225 


254 


ὁ 
the 


2 THESSALONIANS 


“torrents of Belial” (Briggs) is parallel to “cords of Sheol” and “snares 
of Death.” In the Lxx. 5y»ba is rendered by υἱοὶ βελιάμ. (Judg. 20% A), 
ἀποστασία (3 Reg. 20% A; so frequently in the later Aquila), παράνομος 
(frequently; cf. Judg. 20% B, where A has βελιάμ; Judg. 19%, where 
Th. has βελιάλ), ἀνόμημα (Deut. 15°), ἀνομία (2 Reg. 225 Ps. 175, paral- 
lel with θάνατος and ἄδης), etc.; see Moore, loc. cit. In the Test. xii 
(see Charles on Reub. 21), Jub. (see Charles on 1.53} “sons of Beliar”’), 
and Asc. Isa. (see Charles on 18), Belial or Beliar is definitely a Satan or 
the Satan (cf. 2 Cor. 61°). 

Charles (Asc. Isa. xi ff.) not only identifies ‘the man of lawlessness” 
with Belial but elaborates an hypothesis to account for the Antichrist 
as he appears in Paul and in later N. T. literature. The Anomos of Paul, 
a god-opposing man, a human sovereign armed with miraculous power, 
is the resultant of a fusion of two separate and originally independent 
traditions,{that of the Antichrist and that of Beliar. The Antichrist 
is not, as Bousset supposes, originally the incarnate devil but a god- 
opposing being of human origin. The first historical person to be identi- 
fied with Antichrist is Antiochus Epiphanes; and the language applied 
to him “recalls, though it may be unconsciously, the old Babylonian 
saga of the Dragon’s assault on the gods of heaven.” Beliar, on the 
other hand, is a purely Satanic being. “It is through the Beliar con- 
stituent of the developed Antichrist myth that the old Dragon saga 
from Babylon gained an entrance into the eschatologies of Judaism 
and Christianity.” This fusion of Antichrist with Beliar “appears to 
have been effected on Christian soil before 50 A.p.,” and is attested by 
2 Thess. 21-1, The subsequent history of Antichrist was influenced by 
the incoming of the Neronic myths; for example, Rev. xiii betrays the 
fusion of the myth of Antichrist with that of Nero Redivivus; Sib. Orac. 
III, 63-74, reflects the incarnation of Beliar as Antichrist in Nero still 
conceived as living; and Asc. Isa. 42-4 (88-100 A.D.; Harnack and Bous- 
set put the passage much later) suggests the incarnation of Beliar as 
Antichrist in the form of the dead Nero: “Beliar . . . will descend 
from his firmament in the likeness of a man, a lawless king,” etc. 


υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας = ὁ ἀπολλύμενος, a Hebraism indicating 
one who belongs to the class destined to destruction (v. ' 


οἱ ἀπολλύμενοι) as opposed to the class destined to salvation 
(x Cor. 118 of σωζόμενοι). The same description is applied to 
Judas Iscariot in Jn. 17”. 


Abaddon is in Lxx. rendered by ἀπώλεια, and appears in parallelism 
with ἄδης (Job 265 Pr. 15"), θάνατος (Job 28%) and τάφος; cf. ἀνομία 
(Belial) with θάνατος and ἄδης in Ps. 17°. Bousset (Antichrist, 99) calls 
attention to the angel of the abyss in Rev. 9" whose name is ᾿Αβαδδών 





Il, 3-4 255 


in Hebrew and ’AxoAAdwy in Greek. The abyss is apparently “the abode 
of the ministers of torment from which they go forth to do hurt” (Taylor 
in ERE. I, 54). It is not, however, probable that ὃ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας 
refers to the demonic angel of the abyss, for (1) Paul’s usage of ἀπώλεια 
is against it (Rom. 92 Phil. 128 319; cf. Is. 574 τέχνα ἀπωλείας, σπέρμα 
ἄνομον; Pr. 24224 υἱὸς ἀπωλείας; Jub. τοῦ Apoc. Pet. 12); and (2) in 
Rey. 178, the beast that ascends from the abyss is to go off ultimately 
εἰς ἀπώλειαν. 


4. ὁ ἀντικείμενος κτλ. Τὴ the further characterisation of 
Satan’s peculiar instrument, three points are prominent (1) his 
impious character, “the one who opposes and uplifts himself 
against every one called God or an object of worship”; (2) the 
tendency of his spirit of opposition and self-exaltation, “‘so that 
he sits in the sanctuary of God’’; and (3) the blasphemous claim, 
intended by the session, “proclaiming that he himself is really 
God.” The words of the first clause are evidently reminiscent 
of a description already applied to Antiochus Epiphanes by 
Daniel (Th. 1196 #-): καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς καὶ μεγαλυν- 
θήσεται ἐπὶ πάντα θεόν, καὶ χαλήσει ὑπέρογκα (i. ὁ. ἐπὶ τὸν 
θεὸν τῶν θεῶν͵ Lxx.) . . . καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶν θεὸν οὐ συνήσει, ὅτι ἐπὶ 
πάντας μεγαλυνθήσεται. In alluding to this passage and in 
quoting ἐπὶ πάντα θεόν, Paul inserts λεγόμενον to prevent the 
possibility of putting the would-be gods on a level with the true 
God; but whether λεγόμενον refers solely to the would-be gods 
designated as such, “so-called” (cf. Iren. V, 25! super omne 
idolum, Wohl. Dob.), or whether it embraces both the would-be 
gods and the true God, “which is called God,” rightly or wrongly 
(so most interpreters), is uncertain. 


Since both ἀντιχείμενος and ὑπεραιρόμενος are united by one article, 
it is probable but not certain (De W. Liin. Ell.) that the former is not 
a substantive referring to Satan (1 Tim. 514 1 Clem. 51!) or ὃ διάβολος 
who stands at the right hand of Joshua in Zech. 3! τοῦ ἀντιχεῖσθαι αὐτῷ. 
—Apart from Paul (2 Cor. 127) ὑπεραίρεσθαι is found in Gk. Bib. Ps. 
374 7116 Pr. 3129 2 Ch. 3233 Sir. 4813 2 Mac. 528; the construction with ἐπί 
(only here in Gk. Bib.; cf. ὑπέρ in Ps. 7115 and the dat. in 2 Mac. 52) 
is due, perhaps, to the allusion in ἐπὶ πάντα Oeév.—Since ἀντιχεῖσθαι 
(common in Gk. Bib.; cf. the substantive participle in Is. 66% 1 Cor. 162 
Phil. 128) is regularly construed with the dative, a zeugma is here to be 
assumed, unless the possibility of ἀντικεῖσθαι ἐπί = “against”? be ad- 


256 2 THESSALONIANS 


mitted (Schmiedel, Dob.).—The rare σέβασμα (Acts 1733 Sap. 142° 1517 
Dan. (Th.) Bel 27; cf. Sap. 142° with 14% εἴδωλα, 14" εἰκών, and 14'* 
τὰ yAuxt&) indicates not a divinity (mwmen) but any sacred object of 
worship.—On λεγόμενος, of. τ Cor. 85 Col. 4% Eph. 2.—The omission 
by x* of χαὶ ὑπεραιρόμενος is not significant. 


ὥστε αὐτὸν καθισαι κτὰ. The session in the sanctuary of God 
is tantamount to the assumption of divine honours, “proclaim- 
ing that he himself is really (ἔστιν) God.” The attempt to sit 
in the sanctuary of God is made quite in the spirit of the king 
of Babylon (Is. 1412 *-) and the prince of Tyre (Ezek. 28%); 
but whether the attempt is successful or not (cf. Lk. 429 ὥστε 
κατακρημνίσαι αὐτόν) is not indicated certainly by ὥστε with 
the infinitive. 

Tov ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ. This is apparently the earliest extant 
reference to the session of the Antichrist in the temple of God 
(Bousset, Antichrist, 104 ff.). It is, however, quite uncertain 
whether the temple is to be sought in the church (on the analogy 
of τ Cor. 415 #- 619 2 Cor. 615), in Jerusalem (Ps. 5° 78! 137°), 
“in the high mountains toward the north” (Is. 14"), “in the 
heart of the sea” (Ezek. 28%), or in the holy heavenly temple 
where God sits enthroned; cf. Ps. 101 κύριος ἐν ναῷ ἁγίῳ αὐτοῦ, 
κύριος ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ (see Briggs, ad loc., and cf. Is. 
661 Mic. 12 Hab. 27° Ps. 177). If the reference is to the heavenly 
temple, then there is a reminiscence, quite unconscious, of traits 
appearing in the ancient saga of the Dragon that stormed the 
heavens, and (beginnings being transferred in apocalyptic to 
endings) is to storm the heavens at the end (cf. Bousset, Joc. cit.). 
In this case ὥστε with the infinitive will indicate either (x) 
that the tendency of the spirit of defiance and self-exaltation 
is toward self-deification, the reference to the temple not being 
pressed; or (2) that after his revelation or advent, the Anomos, 
like the Dragon, attempts an assault on the throne of God in 
his holy temple in heaven, but is destroyed in the act by the 
breath of the mouth of the Lord Jesus. 


Dibelius thinks that the original saga has been humanised by the 
insertion of the temple in Jerusalem, and compares Rev. 13 βλασ- 
φημῆσαι τὴν σχήνην. Other commentators who find here a reference to 





II, 4-5 257 


the temple in Jerusalem hold either that the prophecy has been (Grot.) 
or will be fulfilled (e. g. Iren. Ν, 25. 304; Hippolytus (Dan. 4° Anti- 
christ, 6) has the temple rebuilt; and Cyril of Jerusalem (Caf. 15°) has 
it rebuilt on the ruins of the old temple). When the significance of 
ὥστε with the infinitive is faced, it is held either (1) that the Anomos, 
when he comes, actually takes his seat in the temple, and exercises 
therefrom his demonic powers until his destruction, the exact manner 
in which ὥστε is realised being left indeterminate; or (2) that ὥστε in- 
dicates tendency or purpose not realised, the description being intended 
to set forth the trend of defiance and self-exaltation, and the reference 
to the temple not being forced. Still other commentators interpret the 
temple as equivalent to the church (Th. Mops. Chrys. Theodoret, 
Jerome, ef al.), an interpretation which makes easy the application to 
heresy (Calv.), or when necessary, by Protestants, to the Pope sitting 
in the cathedra Petri. 

The difficulty with the reference to the temple in Jerusalem is that 
the evidence adduced for this interpretation is not convincing. Neither 
Antiochus who erected a heathen altar on the altar of burnt-offering, 
and presumably placed thereon a statue of Zeus Olympios (cf. 1 Mac. 
14 Dan. 927 111 12% ; Mk. 13% Mt. 2415), nor Caligula who ordered 
Petronius to set up his statue in the temple (Josephus, Amt. 188) is con- 
ceived as sitting or attempting to sit in the sanctuary of God. Contrast 
our verse with Asc. Isa. 4": “He (Beliar) . . . will set up his image 
before him in every city.”” The temple then is probably to be sought 
in heaven; and there is in the allusion an unconscious survival of traits 
in the ancient tradition of the Dragon. On this saga, cf. Bousset, Amti- 
christ, 104 ff.; Gunkel, Schépfung und Chaos, 221 ff.; Cheyne in EB. 
1131 ff.; Mill. 163 f.; and Dob. or Dibelius, ad Joc.—x6 {Cet is intransitive; 
on εἰς (Exod. 1629 τ Reg. 51 2 Reg. 1525 (A) Lam. 210), see Bl. 39%. The 
γαὺς τοῦ θεοῦ (x Es. 5% Judith 518 Dan. (Th.) 5? Mt. 26%, etc.; or κυρίου 
Lk. 19 and often in Lxx.) is elsewhere in Paul used metaphorically; the 
Christians are the temple of God, or the body is the temple of the Spirit. 
—dnodetavuyt (τ Cor. 4°) may mean “exhibit,” “prove” (Acts 257), 
“appoint” (Acts 2%), or “designate” (a successor, 2 Mac. 1426 (A); ς΄. 
Polyb. V, 434, Josephus, At. 635 7338), The latter meaning in the sense 
of “nominate” or “proclaim” is here preferred by Lft. and Mill. The 
participle ἀποδειχνύντα (AGF, et al., read ἀποδειχνύοντα) denotes either 
purpose (Acts 38) or attendant circumstance (BMT. 449). Before 
χαθίσαι, KL, et al., put ὡς θεόν. 


5. ov μνημονεύετε κτλ. With an unfinished sentence behind 
him (vv. *4), Paul abruptly reminds his readers that they have 
already been instructed in the matter of the times and seasons, 
particularly the signs which must precede the Parousia of Christ 

I 


258 2 THESSALONIANS 


(ταῦτα referring strictly to vv. *“). With a trace of impatience 
it may be (contrast μνημονεύετε in I 2°) he asks: “Do you not 
remember that when I was yet with you, I was repeatedly tell- 
ing you these things ?” 


Paul is wont to appeal not only to the knowledge of his readers (cf. 
I 2', etc.), but also, and specifically, as Chrys. has seen, to his previous 
oral communications (3191 3‘).—On πρὸς ὑμᾶς εἶναι, of. 31° I 34—Even 
without πολλάκις (Phil. 315), ἔλεγον may denote customary or repeated 
action.—On the first person sing. without ἐγώ, cf. 3; with ἐγώ, I 215 35.— 
For ἔτι ὥν, DE have ἔτι ἐμοῦ ὄντος; so also Ambst. (Souter). On 
the view that ἔτι (a word found in the Major Epistles and Phil. 1°; 
cf. Lk. 24° 4“) excludes a reference to Paul’s visit and indicates a refer- 
ence to Timothy’s visit, and that therefore Timothy is here proclaim- 
ing himself that he is really the author of II (Spitta), see Mill. xc. 


6-8". In these verses, Paul is evidently explaining the delay 
of “the apostasy” and of the revelation or Parousia of the Ano- 
mos, and consequently the reason why the day of the Lord is not 
yet present. As the readers are not receiving new information, 
it is sufficient for Paul merely to allude to what they know 
already. Unfortunately, the allusions are so fragmentary and 
cryptic that it is at present impossible to determine precisely 
what Paul means. The conspicuous difficulty lies in the inter- 
pretation of τὸ κατέχον and ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι (v. infra). Since 
the reference is unknown, it is impossible to determine whether 
κατέχειν is to be translated “withhold” or “detain,” an object 
αὐτόν (= ἄνομον) being supplied; or, “hold sway” “rule” 
(κρατεῖν), κατέχειν being intransitive. It is worth noting, how- 
ever, that in vv. *” there is nothing obviously political. The 
thought runs in the sphere of the supramundane; the categories 
are concrete and realistic; and the interest, as in apocalyptic at 
its best, is religious and moral, the assertion of faith that the 
universe is moral, the justification of the ways of God to men. 
Though the Devil controls his own, his movements are directed 
by the purpose of God. Indeed, as vv. * make clear, God first 
of all endeavours through his Spirit to stir up within men the 
love for his truth unto their salvation. When they refuse to wel- 
come the heavenly visitor, then God as judge prepares them for 


II, 5-8 259 


the consequences cf their refusal. It is thus God himself who 
sends an “operation unto delusion” into the souls of those who 
have destroyed themselves by refusing to welcome the love for 
the truth unto their salvation. Since then there is no obvious 
reference in vv. δ to a political power, it is antecedently prob- 
able that τὸ κατέχον and ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι refer not to the Roman 
Empire and emperor as a restraining principle or person, but to 
a supernatural spirit or person conceived either as an unknown 
being who keeps the Azomos in detention as the Dragon of the 
saga is kept (cf. Dibelius), or as a well-known spirit or person, 
possibly the Devil himself who is in control of the forces of evil, 
the prince of the power of the air that operates in the sons of 
disobedience (cf. Schaefer). 


The Meaning of τὸ κατέχον and ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι. 


The sphere of conjectural interpretations of τὸ χατέχον and 6 xaré- 
χων ἄρτι seems to be limited by the following probabilities: (1) The pres- 
ence of ἄρτι with 6 χατέχων indicates that ὃ χατέχων (and similarly τὸ 
χατέχον, notwithstanding the fact that we do not have τὸ viv χατέχον 
or τὸ χατέχον νῦν) is not a proper name but a description of a definite 
and well-known figure whose activity in χατέχειν is in progress at the 
time of Paul; (2) the ἄρτι is “now” to Paul; the τότε is of his expec- 
tation, and is not a far-distant “then”; (3) χατέχειν has the same 
meaning in both participial phrases (so Boh. “that which layeth hold” 
(Horner) and Syr.), though the Vulg. (Th. Mops. Ambst.) renders the 
former quid detineat and the latter qui tenet nunc. Within the limits 
of these probabilities, two types of opinion may be briefly sketched, 
the one based on the “contemporary-historical,” the other on the 
“traditional-historical” method of interpretation. 

I. The usual conjecture finds a reference in both τὸ χατέχον and 6 χα- 
τέχων ἄρτι to the Roman Empire. The older expositors (e. g. Tert. de 
resur. 24, and Chrys.) stretch the limits of τότε and include in ἄρτι both 
their own and Paul’s present. Modern writers, following the example of 
Wetstein (who thinks of Nero), Whitby (who thinks of Claudius), and 
Hitzig (who unlocks the pun qui claudit), are inclined to adhere firmly 
to the contemporary reference. Bacon (nirod. 77; cf. Spitta, Zur Ge- 
schichte und Litteratur, 1893, 1, 146 ff. and Dob. ad loc.) states the prevail- 
ing conjecture cogently: “We need not assume with Hitzig a play upon 
the name Claudius, nor deny that ‘the restrainer’? may well be a pri- 
meval element of the Antichrist legend; but in the present application 
of the word, first neuter, then masculine, the reference is certainly to 


2 THESSALONIANS 


Paul’s unfailing refuge against Jewish malice and persecution, the usually 
incorruptible Roman magistracy (Rom. 13'-*) which at this very period 
was signally befriending him (Acts 18!-1").” The difficulty with this 
generally accepted interpretation is (1) that while the fall of Rome is 
one of the signs of the Messianic period (4 Ezra 5? Apoc. Bar. 397; ς΄. 
for the rabbinical literature Klausner, Die Messianischen Vorstellungen, 
etc. 1904, 39 ff. and Rabinsohn, Le Messianisme, etc. 1907, 63 ff.), the 
notion of Rome as a restrainer does not appear in Jewish apocalyptic 
literature (cf. Gunkel, Schépfung, etc. 223). To obviate this objection, 
it is assumed that the trait is due to Paul or to contemporary Christian- 
ity (cf. Dob.). (2) A second difficulty is the fact that Paul the Roman 
citizen, although he does not identify the Roman Empire or emperor 
with the Antichrist (contrast Rev.), is compelled with grim apocalyptic 
determinism to put the Roman emperor, if not also the empire, ἐκ μέσου 
when once he, if not also it, has performed his service as restrainer. 
Augustine, in his interesting review of conjectural explanations (de civ. 
dei, Xx, 19), notes the opinion of some that Paul “was unwilling to use 
language more explicit lest he should incur the calumnious charge of 
wishing ill to the empire which it was hoped would be eternal,” and con- 
cedes that “it is not absurd to believe” that Paul does thus refer to the 
empire as if it were said: “Only he who now reigneth, let him reign 
until he is taken out of the way.”’ But while the conjecture is not absurd, 
it creates the only political reference not simply in this passage but in 
Paul’s apocalyptic utterances as a whole. A theory which is not open 
to this objection would be distinctly preferable. 

II. Passing by other opinions, as, for example, that the Holy Spirit 
is meant (noted by Chrys.), or a friendly supernatural being (Hofmann 
thinks of the angel prince of Daniel), or Elijah (Ewald, who notes Mt. 
17" Rev. 11°), we turn to the distinctively “traditional-historical”’ in- 
terpretations. (1) Gunkel (Schépfung, 223 ff.) remarks that the heavenly 
or hellish powers who are to appear at the end are already in existence, 
and that the natural query why they have not yet manifested them- 
selves is answered by the reflection that there must be something some- 
where that holds them back for the time. The idea of xatéywy is origi- 
nally mythical. Gunkel thinks that to Paul the xatéywy is probably a 
heavenly being, Elijah. (2) Dibelius in his Geisterwelt im Glauben des 
Paulus, 1909, 58 ff. and in his commentary (1911) on our passage at- 
taches himself to Gunkel’s method, and makes the acute suggestion, sup- 
ported by such passages as Job 713} Rev. 13! Apoc. Bar. 294 4 Ezra 6% 
and by instances from mythology and folk-lore, that τὸ xatéyov or ὃ 
χατέχων is the something somewhere (Paul does not know who or what 
it is exactly, and therefore shifts easily from neuter to masculine) which 
keeps the Anomos in detention until the time appointed by God for his 
advent. The trait is thus mythical, as Gunkel suspected. It is of in- 
terest to observe that while Gunkel takes χατέχειν in the sense of χωλύειν 





‘Il, 6-7 261 


(so most from Chrys. on), Dibelius understands it in the equally admis- 
sible sense (see on I 5%) of χρατεῖν, confirming the meaning by an apt 
quotation from the Acia Pilati, 223, where Christ, in delivering Satan to 
Hades, says: λαβὼν αὐτὸν χάτεχε (“in Banden halte”) ἀσφαλῶς ἄχρι τῆς 
δευτέρας μου παρουσίας. (3) Schaefer in his commentary (1800) agrees 
with Déllinger in taking χατέχειν intransitively and in translating it 
“‘herrschen,” “rule,” “hold sway.” In his exegesis of the passage he 
comes to the conclusion not only that τὸ xatéyov is the mystery of law- 
lessness and that αὐτόν (v. 5) is Christ, but also that 6 χατέχων is Satan. 
This indentification of ὃ χατέχων with Satan, original apparently with 
the Roman Catholic scholar, has the advantage of fitting admirably into 
Paul’s thinking both here and elsewhere. Assuming Schaefer’s identifi- 
cation as a working hypothesis and applying it in our own way, we sug- 
gest first of all that just as Christ is to Paul both the exalted Lord and 
the Spirit operating in believers, so Satan is both (1) “the god ef this 
age’”’ (2 Cor. 42), “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 22), the (tem- 
porary) ruler (ὃ χατέχων ἄρτι) of the spiritual hosts of wickedness, and 
(2) the evil spirit (τὸ xetéyov) that energises in the soas of disobedience 
(Eph. 22). The effect of the operation of Satan, the spirit or person who 
is now holding sway, is characterised as “the mystery of lawlessness,” 
that is, the lawlessness which is secretly growing in unbelievers under 
the spell of Satan. This control of Satan is in accordance with the divine 
purpose, for it prepares the way for the revelation of the Anomos in 
the time set him by God and not before, the reason being that the mys- 
tery of lawlessness, which Satan sets in operation, is to culminate in a 
definitive apostasy on earth which is the signal for the advent of Satan’s 
instrument, the Anomos. But this apostasy will not come, and the Ano- 
mos will not be revealed until Satan, who is now holding sway, is put 
out of the way. The notion that a limit has been set to the authority of 
Satan has recently received fresh confirmation in a manuscript of the 
Freer collection (cf. Gregory, Das Freer Logion, 1908), where between 
Mk. 164 and 165 we read: “This age of lawlessness (ἀνομίας) is under 
Satan who (which) does not permit τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων ἀκάθαρτα 
to understand the true power of God’”’; and further, in words attributed 
to Christ: πεπλήρωται ὃ ὅρος τῶν ἐτῶν τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ Natave ἀλλὰ 
ἐγγίζει ἄλλα δεινά. But the unsolved difficulty in our passage is the 
reference intended by ἐκ μέσου γένηται. It is just possible that Paul 
is alluding to the war in heaven (Rev. 127 #-), the religious revolt led 
by Satan, which is the signal for the sudden apostasy on earth. In this 
case, ἐχ μέσου refers to Satan’s expulsion from heaven to earth. Though 
he is thus removed, he makes use of his peculiar instrument, the A7o- 
mos, who now issues forth from his place of concealment, and gives him 
all his power, just as the Dragon (Rev. 132) gives the beast his power, 
his throne, and great authority. Equipped with this power, the Ano- 
mos, whose advent is for the doomed alone, gathers his forces for war 


262 2 THESSALONIANS 


against Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15** 5.), attempts the assault on the throne of 
God in his holy temple in heaven, but is slain in the attempt by the Lord 
Jesus with the breath of his mouth and is destroyed with the manifes- 
tation of his advent. To this conjecture, based on Schaefer’s identifi- 
cation of 6 xatéywy with Satan, it may be objected not that Satan is 
described in reference to his function of xatéyetv, for Paul calls Satan 
ὃ πειράζων (I 3°), but that (1) Paul might not subscribe either to the 
identification or to the deductions therefrom indicated above, and (2) 
that éx μέσου, which to be sure designates only the fact not the manner 
(forced or voluntary) of the removal, does not at first blush suggest an 
ἐχβάλλεσθαι εἰς τὴν γῆν (Rev. 12°). 

This brief review of conjectures only serves to emphasise the fact 
that we do not know what Paul had in mind, whether the Roman Em- 
pire, or a supernatural being that keeps the Anomos in detention, or 
Satan who is temporarily in control of the forces of evil, or something 
else quite different. Grimm (1861), for example, thinks of the Anomos 
himself and Beyer (1824) of Paul; see other conjectures in Liin. (ed. 
Gloag, 222-238). It is better, perhaps, to go with Augustine who says 
on v. δ: “Since he said that they (the Thessalonians) know, he was 
unwilling to say this openly. And thus we, who do not know what they 
knew, desire and yet are unable even cum labore to get at what the 
Apostle meant, especially as the things which he adds (namely, vv. *-®) 
make his meaning still more obscure”; and to confess with him: ego 
prorsus quid dixerit me fateor ignorare (de civ. det, xx, 19). 


6. καὶ νῦν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε. “And as to the present, you 
know that which restrains him”’ (if the reference is to the Ro- 
man Empire), or “detains him” (if the reference is to a super- 
natural being that keeps the Azomos in detention), or “is hold- 
ing sway”’ (if the reference is to Satan). From things to come 
(vy. %-4), Paul turns with καὶ νῦν to things present (vv. *7); and 
then, having indicated the reason for the delay of the advent of 
the Anomos and so of Christ, he reverts in v. § with τότε to the 
future. The νῦν (cf. I 3°) is not logical but temporal, calling at- 
tention to what is going on in the present in contrast not with 
the past (v. °) but with the future (vv. **; cf. the next clause 
ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ καιρῷ and Kal τότε ν. ὃ). τὸ κατέχον is not a title, 
but the description of a supernatural being (or the Roman Em- 
pire) that is functioning as κατέχον in Paul’s present. 

Some commentators (especially Liin.) explains νῦν in the temporal 


sense: “and now to pass to a further point.” This explanation puts so 
great a stress on the new point as such as to demand voy δέ (cf. 1 Cor. 





I, 6:7: 263 


1220, one of the few instances of logical νῦν ἴῃ Paul). Since, however, the 
readers have already been instructed (Liin.) and need only to be re- 
minded again of the point, and that too allusively, it is more likely that 
the emphasis is laid not on the new point as such but on the present 
situation involved in χατέχον as contrasted with the future situation 
when 6 χατέχων ἄρτι will be removed, and the prophecy of v. 5 will be 
realised; and that therefore νῦν is temporal (so most). But to seek the 
contrast in ἔτι (v. 5) is to be forced to assume that the readers had never 
heard of τὸ χατέχον until now, and that from the cryptic utterances of 
vv. &-8a they could divine, without previous knowledge, Paul’s meaning. 
Dob. asks too much of the readers when he remarks: “ Paulus muss 
seiner Sache in dieser Hinsicht sehr sicher gewesen, dass er sich mit dieser 
Andeutung begniigt—The x2 νῦν is detached and emphatic (cf. Jn. 415), 
“und fiir jetzt” (Dibelius)—If κατέχειν = “restrain” or “detain,” 
αὖτόν = ἄνομον is to be supplied here and in ν. 7; if it means “hold 
sway” “rule,” it is intransitive. 


εἰς TO ἀποκαλυφθῆναι κτὰ. The divine purpose (εἰς τό; cf. 
1) of the present action designated by τὸ κατέχον is “that he 
(namely, the Anomos; cf. ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι vy.*- 8) may be re- 
vealed in his time,” that is, the time set him by God, and not 
before. It is already evident (as ν. Τ᾿ explains) that the terminus 
of the function indicated by τὸ κατέχον is the apostasy and the 
concomitant revelation of the Anomos. 

The emphatically placed αὐτοῦ (SAKP, οὐ al.) is misunderstood by 
BDEGEL, οἱ al., and changed to ἑαυτοῦ (Zim.; cf. Rom. 375). The χαιρός 
(of. I 2!7 51) is a day γνωστὴ τῷ χυρίῳ (Zech. 147; cf. Ps. Sol. 17%).—It 
is to be observed that we have εἰς τὸ ἀποχαλυφθῆναι χτλ., not τὸ μῇ 
or τοῦ μὴ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι πρὸ τοῦ καιροῦ αὐτοῦ (cf. Lk. 4%) or ἕως αὐτὸς 
ἀποχαλυφθῇ ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ χαιρῷ. 

7. τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον κτλ. “For” (yap), to explain the con- 
nection between the present action intimated in τὸ κατέχον and 
the future revelation of the Anomos, “the secret, namely, of law- 
lessness has already been set in operation” (by Satan), and is 
preparing the way for the definitive apostasy on earth and its 
concomitant, the revelation of the Anomos (v.*). “Only,” that 
apostasy will not come and the Anomos will not be revealed, 
“yatil he who is now holding sway (or, detains or restrains him) 
is put out of the way; and then will be revealed the Anomos.” 
The phrase τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας, the secret whose content 
is lawlessness, or “the mystery of which the characterising feat- 


264 ‘2 THESSALONIANS 


ure, or, so to say, the active principle is ἀνομία" (Ell.), is unique 
in the Gk. Bib. The exact meaning cannot at present be made 
out; but with some probability it may be referred not to the 
ἀποστασία (y.*) itself, but to the secretly developing lawlessness 
which is to culminate in the definitive apostasy on earth (cf. 
Dob.). As ἐνεργεῖται suggests, an evil power sets in operation 
“the secret of lawlessness’; and since it is improbable that 
ἀνομίας = ἀνόμου, this evil power is not the Anomos (the instru- 
ment of Satan) operating from his place of concealment, but 
Satan himself (cf. Schaefer), or more precisely, if we may identify 
τὸ κατέχον with Satan, τὸ κατέχον, the spirit that holds sway, 
energising in the sons of disobedience. In this case, τὸ κατέχον 
(present participle) and τὸ μυστήριον (note the ἤδη) are con- 
nected both essentially and temporally. 

In the light of I 213 ἐνεργεῖται may be middle “is already operating,” 
or passive “has already been set in operation.” In the latter case, the 
present tense with the adverb is to be rendered by the English perfect; 
cf. I 3° ἔχετε πάντοτε and BMT. 17.—It is to be observed in passing 
that in vv. *-7 Paul not only exposes the absurdity of the allegation that 
the day is present (v. *) but also intimates (ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται) that that 
day is not far distant—On μυστήριον, which may have been suggested 
by ἀποχαλυφθῆναι, of. τ Cor. 21, etc. (with τοῦ θεοῦ), Col. 43, etc. (with 
τοῦ Χριστοῦ), Eph. 1° (with θελήματος; cf. Judith 2? with βουλῆς), and 
Eph. 6! (with εὐαγγελίου); also ἀποχαλύπτειν μυστήρια Sap. 6% Sir. 318 
2716. Dan. (Lxx.) 228f- (Th.) 219. 30.47, See further, Hatch, Essays, 57 ff.; 
SH. on Rom. 11*5; Lft. on Col. 135; Swete on Mk. 44; and Robinson, 
Ephesians, 235 ff. 

μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι KT. There is an ellipsis here; and since 
the clause with μόνον is evidently the link between the present 
action implied in τὸ κατέχον and the terminus of that action at 
the revelation of the Anomos, it is natural to supply not only 
“that apostasy, which is the culmination of the secret of lawless- 
ness, will not come,” but also, in the light of vv. ° and 85, “the 
Anomos will not be revealed.”” Both the ellipsis and the position 
of ἕως have a striking parallel in Gal. 2": μόνον τῶν πτωχῶν ἵνα 
μνημονεύωμεν. 

On the probable meaning of these obscure words, 2. supra, pp. 250 f.— 
Since Gal. 219 explains satisfactorily both the ellipsis and the inverted 
order of the words, it is unnecessary to resort to other expedients, as, 





Ti, 7-36 265 


for example, that of the Vulgate: tantm ut qui tenet nunc, teneat, donec 
de medio fiat. Many commentators think it needless “to supply defi- 
nitely any verb to complete the ellipsis. The μόνον belongs to ἕως, and 
simply states the limitation involved in the present working of the 
wuothotoy τῆς ἀνομίας; it is working already, but only with unconcentrated 
action until the obstacle be removed and Antichrist be revealed.” (EIl.). 
—The conjunction ἕως occurs in Paul only here and 1 Cor. 4° (ἕως ἄν; 
so GF in our passage; cf. BMT. 323).—éx μέσου is rather frequent in 
Gk. Bib. with αἴρειν (Col. 21 Is. 572, ἐκ μέσου being absolute in both 
instances), ἐξολευθρεύειν (Exod. 3114 with λαοῦ), and ἁρπάζειν (Acts 
2319 with αὐτῶν); but ἐκ μέσου with γίνεσθαι occurs only here in the 
Gk. Bib. Wetstein notes Plut. Timol. 238 B: ἔγνω ζῆν καθ’ ἑαυτὸν ἐκ 
μέσου γενόμενος. The fact not the manner of the removal (cf. Fulford) 
is indicated: “to be put out of the way.’”’ See further, Soph. Lex. sub 
μέσος and Steph. Thesaurus, 6087. 


8. καὶ τότε... ὁ ἄνομος." With καὶ τότε (cf. τ Cor. 45 Mk. 
1321: 36 1.) balancing καὶ νῦν (ν. °), Paul turns from the present 
(vv. 5:7) to the future, to the fulfilment of the condition stated 
in vv. *4, The words “and then will be revealed the Anomos”’ 
(note ὁ ἄνομος = the Hebraistic ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας ν. 3) 
close the argument of vv. *7 and open the way for two important 
points, the description of the destruction of the Amomos intro- 
duced by ὅν (v.8»-°) and the estimate of the significance of the 
advent of the Anomos introduced by the parallel οὗ (vv. 9:2). 
In passing directly from the revelation to the destruction of the 
Anomos without pausing to describe the Parousia of the Lord 
Jesus, Paul creates the impression that he is interested not in 
external details (e. g. the description of the advent of Christ, of 
the conflict apparently involved in the destruction of the Ano- 
mos, and of the action of the Anomos intimated in ὥστε κτλ. v.*) 
but in spiritual values, the triumph of apocalyptic faith in the 
victory of the good over evil. 

dv κύριος ἀνελεῖ κτλ. The description of the destruction 
moves in synonymous parallelism. The first member may be 
an allusion to Is. ττ΄: καὶ πατάξει γῆν TO λόγῳ τοῦ στόματος 
αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πνεύματι διὰ χειλέων ἀνελεῖ ἀσεβῆ. Paul’s phrase, 
however, τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ, unique in the Ν. T., 
is probably an unconscious reminiscence of Ps. 32° where the 
same phrase balances the creative word of God (τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ 


266 2 THESSALONIANS 


κυρίου). The second member is synonymous but not quite iden- 
tical with the first, for instead of “ breath of his mouth” we have 
“manifestation of his Parousia.” The words ἐπιφάνεια and, 
παρουσία are ultimately synonymous, the former being the 
Hellenistic technical term for the appearance of a god, and the 
latter (see I 2195), the Christian technical term for the expected 
coming of Christ. If any distinction between the terms is in- 
tended, the former will emphasise the presence, the latter, the 
arrival. The point is that the manifest presence itself is suffi- 
cient to destroy the Anomos; cf. Chrys. ἀρκεῖ παρεῖναι αὐτόν. 


In the phrase “with the breath of his mouth” (cf. Is. 278 Sap. 1119! 
Job 4°), the means of destruction is not the word (cf. Eth. En. 62? Ps. 
Sol. 1727; also Eth. En. 14? 84) but the breath itself. Dibelius sees in 
the phrase traces of the primitive conception of the magical power of 
the breath and refers to a passage in Lucian (The Liar, 12) where the 
Babylonian magician gathered together all the snakes from an estate 
and blew upon them (ἐνεφύσησε), “and straightway every one of them 
was burnt up by the breathing” (χατεχαύθη ὑπὸ τῷ φυσήματι).---Αραϊηϑὲ 
the majority of witnesses (SAD*G, et al., the versions and most of the 
fathers), BD°K, εἰ al., omit Ἰησοῦς after κύριος (so Weiss (84) who thinks 
Ἰησοῦς is added to explain xdgtos; cf. B in τ Cor. 55 11**).—The reading 
ἀνελεῖ (BAP) is, according to Dob., supported by ἀνέλοι (DGF), an 
impossible word from which arose ἀναλοῖ (Ν᾿ and Orig. in three-fourths 
of the quotations). Thereupon this present (derived from ἀναλόω = 
ἀναλίσχω), in view of the future χαταργῆσει, became ἀναλώσει (DSEKL, 
εἰ al.). Weiss (40) thinks that 8 knew the emendation ἀναλώσει, and 
formed ἀναλοῖ to approximate to the original ἀνελεῖ. Zim. observes 
that ἀνέλοι points not to ἀνελεῖ, for the interchange of οἱ and et is 
without parallel, but either to ἀναλοῖ or to a fusion of ἀναλοῖ and ἀν- 
eet; and he concludes that the present ἀναλοῖ, the harder reading, 
is original (so Lft. Find.). On ἀναιρεῖν (Lxx. and Lk. Acts) = “re- 
move,” “slay,” a word only here in Paul (if ἀνελεῖ is read), see Plummer, 
ICC. on Lk. 22%. On ἀναλόω = ἀναλίσχω, “consume,” which is rarer in 
Gk. Bib. than ἀναιρεῖν, cf. Gal. 515 Lk. 9%.—xatapyetv, a favourite 
word of Paul, occurs rarely elsewhere in Gk. Bib. (2 Tim. 11° Lk. 137 
Heb. 2%; cf. Barn. 2° 5% of 155 (χαταργήσει τὸν χαιρὸν τοῦ ἀνόμου) 16%; 
Ign. Eph. 13* where it is parallel with χαθαιρεῖν and λύειν); it denotes 
in Paul “annul,” “abolish” (6. g. νόμον), “destroy,” etc., (1 Cor. 15%. 39 
of the evil powers including death; cf. 2 Tim. 1'° Barn. 5*).—In the 
N. T. ἐπιφάνεια appears elsewhere only in the Pastorals, where the 
Christian παρουσία is supplanted by the Hellenistic ἐπιφάνεια; in 
the Lxx. (mainly 2, 3 Mac.), it is used of the manifestation of God from 





ΠῚ ὃ 12 267 


the sky; 6. g. } τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιφάνεια (2 Mac. 152” Ven.); of. ὁ ἐπιφανὴς 
χύριος (2 Mac. 15%), and ὃ ἐπιφανὴς θεός (3 Mac. 525; cf. also Driver’s 
Daniel, 191 f. for coins inscribed “of King Antiochus, god manifest”). 
Mill. (x51) remarks: “ἐπιφάνεια draws attention to the ‘presence’ as 
the result of a sublime manifestation of the power and love of God, 
coming to his people’s help.”” Deissmann (Light, 374, 378) notes a third- 
century (B.C) inscription which records a cure at the temple of Asclepius 
at Epidaurus: τάν te παρουσίαν τὰν αὐτοῦ παρενεφάνιξε ὃ ᾿Λσχλάπιος, 
“and Asclepius manifested his Parousia.” In view of the equivalence 
of ἐπιφάνεια and παρουσία, the former does not mean “brightness,” 
illustratio (Vulg.); cf. Bengel: “Sometimes the apparitio is spoken of, 
sometimes, and in the same sense, adventus (v. 1); but here the apparitio 
adventus is prior to the coming itself, or at least is the first gleam of the 
advent, as ἐπιφάνεια τῆς ἡμέρας (quoted by Lillie who renders our 
phrase, “with the appearing of his coming or presence”). 


9-12. Careless of chronological order but careful of spiritual 
values (cf. v. 8), Paul reverts in vv. *” to the Parousia of the 
Anomos. The section, introduced by οὗ parallel to ὅν (v. 8), is 
intended both as a justification of the universe as moral and as 
an encouragement (cf. vv. 3- 13. 3.) of the disheartened among the 
readers. Concerned primarily in the description with the char- 
acter of the advent of the Amomos, he assures the faint-hearted 
that his Parousia, inspired by Satan and attended by outward 
signs and inward deceit prompted by falsehood and unrighteous- 
ness, is intended not for believers but for unbelievers, “the des- 
tined to destruction” like “the son of destruction himself 
(vv. 94%), Then justifying the ways of God to men, he observes 
that the advent of the Anomos is for “the doomed” because they 
have already put themselves into this class by refusing to wel- 
come the heavenly visitor, the influence of the Spirit designed 
to awaken within them the love for the truth of God which is 
essential to their salvation (v. τοῦ). As a consequence of their 
refusal, God as righteous judge is himself bound (for he, not 
Satan or the Anomos, is in control of the universe) to send them 
‘“‘an inward working to delude them” into believing the false- 
hood of the Anomos (v. 1), in order that, at the day of judgment, 
they might be condemned, all of them, on the moral ground that 
they believed not the truth of God but consented to the unright- 
eousness of the Anomos (ν. 15). 


268 2 THESSALONIANS 


9. ob ἐστιν ἡ παρουσία κτὰ. Instead of ἡ ἀποκάλυψις (17), 
which in view of ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι (vy.*-*- 8) might have been ex- 
pected, we have Paul’s regular word παρουσία, its use here being 
due doubtless to association of ideas (τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ ν. ὃ). 
The collocation of οὗ, which resumes ὅν (v.8 = τὸν ἄνομον), with 
αὐτοῦ is more difficult to the eye than to the ear. The ἐστίν does 
not describe something in the process of happening (γίνεται), 
but, like πέμπει (ν. 11), looks upon the “is to be” as “is” (¢f. 
ἔρχεται I 52 and ἀποκαλύπτεται τ Cor. 3"). This advent is first 
described as being “in accordance with, in virtue of (κατα), the 
energy, that is, the inward operation of the indwelling spirit of 
Satan,” daemone in eo omnia operante (Th. Mops.), the parallel 
between the Spirit of holiness in Christ (Rom. 1‘) and the in- 
dwelling of Satan in the Anomos being thus strikingly close (¢. 
Th. Mops.) 


The grammatical arrangement of the clauses following παρουσία is 
uncertain. Many commentators (e. g. Liin. Riggenbach, Born. Dob.) 
“connect ἐστίν closely with ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει χτλ. for the predicate and 
treat χατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ Σατανᾶ as a mere explanatory appendage; but 
with no advantage either to the grammar or the sense”’ (Lillie). In the 
light of the succession of dative clauses in such passages as Rom. 1518 ὅ- 
Col. 1, etc., it is natural to construe ἐστίν with each of the dative 
clauses, the καί before the second ἐν (ν. 19) serving to unite the parallel 
clauses with ἐν (ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει χτλ. v. " and ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ “tA. v. 1); 
or we may take ἐστίν with τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις for the predicate, leaving 
the three prepositional phrases under the government of an unexpressed 
article after the subject παρουσία: “the Parousia, which is κατά, ἐν, and 
ἐν, is for the doomed.” But the arrangement is uncertain (see Wohl.). 
Logically, however, the advent of the Anomos is for the doomed, and the 
ἐνέργεια manifests itself both in outward wonders and in inward deceit. 
—In the N. T. ἐνέργεια appears only in Paul; it denotes the inward oper- 
ation (see on ἐνεργεῖν I 2:5) of God (Eph. 119 37 with χατά) and of Christ 
(Col. 129 Phil. 32° with xat&). This single instance of ἐνέργεια in ref- 
erence to Satanic activity is in keeping with the usage of ἐνεργεῖν in 
v.7and Eph. 2%. In the Lxx. ἐνέργεια is found only in Sap. and 2, 3 Mac.; 
it indicates among other things the operation of God (Sap. 72* 2 Mac. 3*° 
3 Mac. 4% 5" *). ἐνέργεια differs from δύναμις with which it is some- 
times associated (as here and Sap. 13‘ Eph. 37), as “operative power” 
from “potential power” (Mill.); cf. Reitzenstein, Poimandres, 352, |. 24: 
δαίμονος γάρ οὐσία ἐνέργεια. On Satan, see I 213, 





II, 9 269 


ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει κτλ. The advent of the Anomos is further 
described in a second prepositional clause as being “in (that is, 
‘clothed with,’ ‘attended by’) all power and signs and portents 
that originate in falsehood.” Paul co-ordinates δύναμις, the 
abstract potential power, with σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα, the concrete 
signs and portents, intending no doubt by δύναμις the specific 
power to perform miracles. Since he seems to feel no difficulty 
with this co-ordination, we need not hesitate to construe πάσῃ 
both with δυνάμει and (by zeugma) with σημείοις καὶ τέρασιν 
(a common phrase in the Gk. Bib.). It follows that ψεύδους is 
likewise to be taken with all three substantives (cf. v. 2 ὡς δι 
ἡμῶν). The reality of the capacity and of its expression in 
outward forms is not denied; but the origin is stigmatised as 
falsehood. 


While many expositors connect πάσῃ and ψεύδους with all three nouns 
(6. g. Liin. Ell. Lillie, Lft. Schmiedel, Wohl. Mill.), some (e. g. Calv. 
Find. Dob.), feeling troubled it may be by the abstract δύναμις, restrict 
πάσῃ to the first and ψεύδους to the last two nouns, “in all power—both 
signs and wonders of falsehood” (cf. Vulg.).—The ἐν is variously under- 
stood, “in the sphere or domain of” (Ell. Mill. οἱ a/.), “consisting in” 
(Born. Dob.), or “verbunden mit’? (Wohl.). The gen. ψεύδους is in- 
terpreted as of “origin” (Dob.), “quality”? (Chrys. Find. Mill.), “ob- 
ject” (Ambst. Grot. De W. Liin. EIl.), or “reference” in the widest 
sense (6. g. Riggenbach, Alford, Wohl.).—As all Christians are empow- 
ered ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει (Col. 1), and as the indwelling Christ works in 
Paul ἐν δυνάμει σημείων χαὶ τεράτων (Rom. 1519), so Satan operates in 
the Anomos with the result that his advent is attended by all power 
to work wonders. Since elsewhere in Paul we have not the singular “a 
power” (Mk. 65 939) but the plural δυνάμεις (2 Cor. 1212; of. Acts 2% 
Heb. 24) in reference to miracles, the rendering “with every form of 
external power” is evidently excluded. The phrase σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα 
is common in the Gk. Bib. (Exod. 73 119, etc.; Rom. 1519 2 Cor. 12” 
Heb. 24, etc.), σημεῖα suggesting more clearly than τέρατα (which in N. T. 
appears only with σημεῖα) that the marvellous manifestations of power 
are indications of the presence of a supramundane being, good or evil. 
edocs, a rare word in Paul, is opposed to ἀλήθεια (vv. 4-12 Rom. 125 
Eph. 42) and parallel with ἀδιχία (vv. 1° 12).—Paul is quite content with 
a general description of the circumstances attending the advent of the 
Anomos; but later descriptions of the Antichrist delight in the details, 
e. g. Rev. 13% Asc. Isa. 54 Sib. Orac. 3% f- 2187 #-; see Bousset, Antichrist, 
115 ff. and Charles on Asc. Isa. 5%. 


270 2 THESSALONIANS 


10. καὶ ἐν πάσῃ ἀπάτῃ ἀδικίας. “And with all deceit that 
originates in unrighteousness.”’ While the preceding clause with 
ἐν (v. 19) directed attention to the accompaniment of the advent 
of the Anomos mainly on the objective side, this closely related 
clause, united to the former by καί, directs attention to the sub- 
jective side. Hand in hand with the external signs and wonders 
prompted by falsehood goes deceit, the purpose to deceive, 
inspired by unrighteousness; cf. Rev. 13%! «al ποιεῖ σημεῖα 
μεγάλα... καὶ πλανᾷ. 

τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις. Finally the class is designated for whom 
alone the Parousia, with its attendant outward signs and inward 
deceit, is intended ‘“‘the perishing,” those whose end (Phil. 3%) 
like that of “the son of destruction” is ἀπώλεια. The tacit oppo- 
site of of ἀπολλύμενοι (a Pauline expression; cf. 1 Cor. 118 2 Cor. 
215 43) is of σωζόμενοι (τ Cor. 118 2 Cor. 215; cf. Lk. 13% Acts 24), 
a phrase that characterises the remnant in Is. 37% (cf. 452° Tobit 
14’). As “the saved” are the believers so “the doomed” are 
the unbelievers irrespective of nationality. 


The phrase ἀπάτη ἀδιχίας (DKLP prefix τῆς) is unique in the Gk. 
Bib. For ἀπάτη, in the active sense of “deceit,” cf. Col. 25 Eph. 4% 
Eccl. 9° 4 Mac. 188; for the genitive, cf. Mk. 41° Heb. 3" and contrast 
Test. xii, Reub. 55. ἀδιχία is a common word in Gk. Bib.; in Paul 
it is sometimes opposed to ἀλήθεια (v. 153 Rom. 18 281 Cor. 13°).—The 
present participle ἀπολλυμένοις is general, indicating a class; a time- 
less aorist might have been used (cf. οἱ σωθέντες Is. τοῖο Neh. 1°). 
Bousset (Antichrist, 13) restricts ‘the doomed” to the Jews, a restric- 
tion which is “permitted neither by the expression nor by the context” 
(Dob.). The ἐν (before τοῖς) inserted by KLP, et al., may have been in- 
fluenced by 2 Cor. 215 4%. In the light of Mt. 24% 2 Cor. 4", Lillie is dis- 
posed to take τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις not with ἐστίν but with ἀπάτη ἀδιχίας:; 
so also Dob. on the ground that the deceit is only for unbelievers while 
the miracles could be seen by both believers (but without injury to 
them) and unbelievers. 


ἀνθ᾽ ὧν τὴν ἀγάπην κτὰ. That the advent of the Anomos is 
for “the doomed” (vy. 9.105) is their own fault “because (ἀνθ᾽ 
ὧν) they had not welcomed the love for the truth intended for 
their salvation.” The phrase τὴν ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας, only 
here in the Gk. Bib., suggests that God had sent them the divine 





II, ΤΟ ΤΙ 271 


power (Christ or the Spirit) to create in them a love for the truth 
of God (Rom. 125), or Christ (2 Cor. 111°; hence DE add here 
Χριστοῦ), or the gospel (Gal. 2°: 1. Col. 1°); and that they had 
refused to welcome the heavenly visitor. Having thus refused 
the help designed (εἰς τό) for their salvation, they must take 
upon themselves the consequences of their refusal as stated in 
VV. 11-12) 


ἀνθ᾽ ὧν, very common in Lxx. (cf. Amos 511), is used elsewhere in the 
N. T. only by Luke; it means regularly “because,” but occasionally 
“wherefore” (Lk. 12%); cf. Bl. 40.—In Paul, ἣ ἀλήθεια, which is often 
used absolutely (vv. 2-3 Rom. 118 28- 20 τ Cor. 13°, etc.), means not 
“truthfulness,” or “the truth” in general, but specifically the truth of 
God, of Christ, or of the gospel preached by Paul as contrasted with 
the falsehood of the Anomos (v. “; cf. Rom. 125 37). In the light of 
πιστεύειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ (ν. 12, ἀληθείας is genitive of the object. Else- 
where in Paul ἣ ἀγάπη is used with the gen. (subjective) of the person, 
θεοῦ (so Lk. 11%), Χριστοῦ, πνεύματος (Rom. 1539), to denote the divine 
love for men. Chrys. explains “‘ the love of truth” as equivalent to 
Christ; Primasius takes ἀληθείας as = Christ (cf. Jn. 5** 14°). The phrase, 
however, is natural in view of the use of ἀγαπᾷν with various impersonal 
objects (Eph. 525; cf. 2 Tim. 4%: 1° Heb. 19 = Ps. 448 Jn. 319; also ἀγαπᾷν 
ἀλήθειαν Ps. 508 8312 Zech. 819). The divine offer, made through Christ 
or the Spirit, is not simply the gospel which might be intellectually ap- 
prehended, but the more difficult love for it, interest in it; contrast 
this refusal with the welcome which the readers gave to the gospel 
(δέχεσθαι I τό 2:3).---εἰς τό (I 2”) may indicate purpose (ἵνα σωθῶσιν 
T 216) or intended result (εἰς τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν; cf. ὥστε v. 4). On 
the variant ἐξεδέξαντο, cf. Sir. 6%. 


11. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει. “And for this reason (because they 
did not welcome the love for the truth), God sends (is to send) 
them an inward working of delusion.” The «a/ may be consecu- 
tive, “and so,” or it may designate the correspondence of guilt 
and punishment. The πέμπει refers not to the time previous 
to the revelation of the Anomos (ἐνεργεῖται v.7) but, as ἐστίν 
(v. 9) intimates, to the time when the apostasy comes and the 
Anomos is revealed. 

ὁ θεὸς ἐνέργειαν πλάνης κτλ. The position of ὁ θεός is em- 
phatic. In appearance, Satan is responsible for the future suc- 
cess of the Anomos with “the doomed”; in reality it is God 


272 2 THESSALONIANS 


who is in supreme control, working out his moral purposes 
through the agencies of evil. Since the divine influence designed 
to stir up a love for the gospel is unwelcome, God sends another 
visitor, the ἐνέργεια πλάνης, whose function it is, as a servant 
of the divine purpose, to prepare the way for final judgment 
(v. 122 by first deluding the minds of “the doomed”’ into be- 
lieving the falsehood of the Anomos. 


τῷ ψεύδει balances τῆς ἀληθείας (ν. 10) and εἰς τό introduces the 
primary purpose of πέμπει. In the striking phrase ἐνέργεια πλάνης, 
only here in Gk. Bib., πλάνης is a genitive of the object, and denotes the 
goal of the active inward energy, namely, “delusion,” the state of being 
deceived (see on I 2°): “an energy unto delusion.” On διὰ τοῦτο, sce 
I 213, for πέμπειν τινί, of. τ Cor. 417 Phil. 219. D omits xat; GF, εἰ al., 
omit αὐτούς; F omits τῷ; KLP, εἰ al., forgetting ἐστίν (v. 9) read πέμψει. 
On διὰ τοῦτο πέμπει, cf. Rom. 1%4- 3. διὸ παρέδωχεν. 


12. ἵνα κριθῶσιν κτλ. The ultimate purpose of πέμπει is 
contingent upon the fulfilment of the initial purpose in εἰς τὸ 
πιστεῦσαι; hence ἵνα depends on εἰς τό. Wishing to insist that 
the basis of judgment (cf. 1°1°) is “believing the falsehood,” 
Paul repeats the thought in a parallelism which designates “the 
doomed” negatively as “all who have not believed the truth” 
of Christ, and positively, “who have consented to the unright- 
eousness” of the Anomos (cf. ἀδικίας ν. 10). The antithesis of 
“truth” and “unrighteousness” (cf. Rom. 28 1 Cor. 13°) inti- 
mates that “truth” is regarded more on the moral than on the 
purely intellectual side, the truth of God, Christ, or the gos- 
pel as preached by Paul; and the parallelism of πιστεύειν and 
εὐδοκεῖν hints that in believing the will is an important factor. 


The phrases πιστεύειν τῷ ψεύδει (v.") and τῇ ἀληθείᾳ do not occur 
elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. πιστεύειν with dative is employed elsewhere 
by Paul only in citations (Rom. 43 τῷ θεῷ; Rom. τοῦθ τῇ ἀχοῇ; of. the 
accus. 1 Cor. 137 πάντα πιστεύει). For the impersonal object, cf. πίστις 
with εὐαγγελίου (Phil. 137) and ἐνεργείας (Col. 21). The construction 
εὐδοχεῖν τιν! (1 Esd. 419 Sir. 18% (A) 1 Mac. 19) does not appear else- 
where in N. T.; Paul construes εὐδοχεῖν elsewhere with the infinitive 
(see I 25) and with ἐν and dative (1 Cor. 105 2 Cor. 1215; so here AEKLP, 
et al.).—xptvecbat (opposed to σώζεσθαι v. 1°) gets here by context the 
meaning χαταχρίνεσθαι (cf. Heb. 13‘); κρίνειν is common in Gk. Bib. 





Wy ΤΠ 0240382 273 


(Rom. 213 37 Is. 6615, etc.).—Exegetically it is unimportant whether 
πάντες (BDEKLP, εἰ al.) or ἅπαντες (SAGF, οἱ al.) is read (cf. Gal. 322); 
WH. read ἅπας but once in Paul (Eph. 61). The expression ἅπας 6 or 
ὃ ἅπας is chiefly Lukan (also Mt. 28% Mk. 1615 τ Tim. 118; cf. Gen. 194, 
etc.); on πάντες οἱ πιστεύοντες (which K reads here), see I 17; on 
πάντες οἱ πιστεύσαντες, cf. 11°.—On the contrast between ἀλήθεια and 
ἀδιχία, cf. Rom. 28 τ Cor. 13%; on the thought of vv. "”, cf. Born. ad 
loc. and Rom. 118-32, 


The Origin and Significance of the Anomos. 


On the basis of what has been said above on vv. *’, a general 
word may be added as to the origin of the Anomos and the sig- 
nificance of the same to Paul. The name “ Antichrist,’ com- 
monly employed to designate the being variously described by 
Paul as “the man of lawlessness” = “the lawless one,” “the son 
of destruction,” ‘‘the one who opposes and exalts himself against 
every one called God,” etc., does not appear in extant literature 
before First John (21% 3 43; cf. 2 Jn. 7). In that epistle, the 
Antichrist, who is assumed to be a familiar figure, is both the 
definite being who is to come and the spirit already in the world 
(κόσμος), possessing men so that they are themselves called 
“ Antichrists” (218), and leading them both to deny that Jesus 
is the Christ, Son of God, come in the flesh (4?) and to sepa- 
rate themselves from their fellow-Christians (219). Whether the 
name was coined by the Ephesian school is unknown. 
~. But while the designation “Antichrist” is later than Paul, the 
idea for which it stands is evidently pre-Christian. On the one 
hand, the opponent of Israel and so of God is identified with a 
heathen ruler, for example, with Antiochus Epiphanes by Daniel 
(the earliest instance; cf. Pompey in Ps. Sol., and “the last 
leader of that time’ in Apoc. Bar. 40!); on the other hand, the 
opponent of God is conceived as a Satanic being, Beliar (6. g. 
Jub. and Test. xii). But the Anomos of Paul is neither a heathen 
tyrant, nor a political ruler, nor a Zealotic false-Messiah (Mk. 
132 = Mt. 24% and possibly Jn. 5“*), but is an extraordinary man 
controlled completely by Satan,—a non-political conception that 
suggests the original influence of the Babylonian myth of Tia- 


mat, the sea-monster that opposes Marduk and is vanquished, 
18 


274 2 THESSALONIANS 


but who at the end is to revolt only to be destroyed. In fact, 
due to the researches of such scholars as Gunkel, Bousset, 
Charles, and Gressmann, it is not infrequently held that traces 
of that primeval myth, however applied, are discoverable in the 
O. T. (cf. Daniel’s description of Antiochus), in subsequent Jew- 
ish apocalyptic, and in the apocalyptic utterances in the N. T.; 
and it is confidently expected by some that from the same source 
light may shine upon the hitherto inexplicable technical terms 
of apocalyptic. The precise question, however, whether the 
Anomos of Paul is the indirect result of the conception of the 
Antichrist as originally a humanised devil (Bousset) or is the 
direct result of the fusion of the Antichrist conceived as purely 
human and of Belial conceived as purely Satanic (Charles, whose 
sketch of the development of the idea of Antichrist, especially 
in the period subsequent to Paul when the figure of Antichrist 
is further affected by the Neronic myths, is particularly attrac- 
tive) may perhaps be regarded as still open. 

In estimating the significance of apocalyptic in general, it is 
to be remembered that actual experiences of suffering compelled 
the Jews, a people singularly sensitive to spiritual values, to 
attempt to reconcile these experiences with the ineradicable con- 
viction that the Lord is righteous and that they are his elect, and 
that the apocalyptic category, whatever may have been the 
origin of its component elements, is the means by which the 
assertion of their religious faith is expressed. The Book of 
Daniel, for example, is considered as a classic instance not only 
of apocalyptic form but also of the venture of faith in the triumph 
of righteousness,—a judgment sustained by the immediate effect 
of that “tract for the times,’ and by its subsequent influence 
not only on apocalyptic writers in general but also on the Master 
himself. The literary successors of Daniel are not to be reckoned 
as purely imitators; they adhere indeed closely, sometimes slav- 
ishly, to the classic tradition; but they also proclaim, each in 
his way, their originality by what they retain, omit, or insert, 
and by what they emphasise or fail to emphasise; and still fur- 
ther, they keep alive the old religious faith, even if they differ 
widely from one another in spiritual insight. 





i, 3-02 275 


Into the apocalyptic and eschatological tradition and faith of 
late Judaism, Paul entered as did the Master before him. But 
Paul, to refer only to him, brought to his inheritance not only 
his own personal equation but also his religious experience in 
Jesus the Christ. Through that experience, his world became 
enlarged and his sympathies broadened. To him, Christianity 
was a universal religion in which Jesus the Messiah was not a na- 
tional political factor but the world-redeeming power and wisdom 
of God. While holding to the traditional conceptualism of apoca- 
lyptic and to the essence of its faith, he demonstrates the original- 
ity of his religious insight in his attitude to the traditional forms. 
This scribe who had been made a disciple to the kingdom knows 
how to bring forth out of his treasures things new and old. The 
political traits of the Antichrist being uncongenial, he reverts, 
quite unconsciously, in the attempted session of the Azomos in 
the heavenly temple of God, to elements of the non-political 
primeval myth; and equips the Anomos with Satanic power 
not for political purposes, but to deceive the doomed (cf. the 
false. prophet in Rev. 16" 192° 201°), On the other hand, his 
mystical experience in Christ leads him to make the parallel be- 
tween the Spirit of holiness in Christ and the operation of the 
spirit of Satan in the Anomos almost complete. This fusion of the 
old and new in the mind of the Christian Paul gives an original 
turn to the conception of the Antichrist. With a supreme dis- 
regard for externals and with a keen sense for the relevant, he 
succeeds in making pre-eminent his faith that God is Abba, that 
the world is moral, that righteousness triumphs; and his confi- 
dence is immovable that a day will come when the sway of the 
sovereign Father of the Lord Jesus Christ will be recognised, for 
obstacles will be removed and the believer will be delivered from 
the evil one. And Paul is at pains to observe that even Satan 
and his peculiar instrument, the Anomos, are under the control 
of the divine purpose; that “the destined to destruction” de- 
stroy themselves by refusing to welcome the heavenly influence 
which makes for their salvation; and that therefore it is really 
God himself who on the ground of their refusal sends to the 
doomed an ἐνέργεια πλάνης. “It must have been a great, 


276 2 THESSALONIANS 


deeply religious spirit who created this conception, one proof 
more for the genuinely Pauline origin of our epistle’’ (Dob. 296). 


The literature of the subject is enormous. Of especial importance are 
Schiirer; Bousset, Relig.2; Charles, Eschai. (together with his editions 
of apocalyptic literature and his articles in EB. and Ency. Brit.“); 
Séderblom, La Vie Future d’aprés le Mazdéisme, 1901; Volz. Eschat.; 
Gunkel, Zum religionsgeschichtlichen Verstindniss des N. T. 1903; 
Klausner, Die Messianischen Vorstellungen des jiidischen Volkes im 
Zeitalter der Tannaiten, 1904; Gressmann, Der Ursprung der Israel 
itschen-jiidischen Eschatologie, 1905; Mathews, The Messianic Hope in 
the N. T. 1905; Bousset’s commentary on Revelation in Meyer, 1906; 
J. H. Gardiner, The Bible as English Literature, 1906, 250.7.; Rabinsohn, 
Le Messianisme dans le Talmud et les Midraschim, 1907; O¢csterley, 
Evolution of the Messianic Idea, 1908; Clemen, Religionsgeschichiliche 
Erklérung des N. T. 1909; Dibelius, Die Geisterwelt im Glauben des 
Paulus, 1909; and Moffatt’s commentary on Revelation in EGT. 1910. 
Likewise of special importance are such specific works as Gunkel’s 
Schipfung und Chaos, 1895; Bousset’s Antichrist, 1895 (in English, 
1896; cf. his articles on Antichrist in EB. ERE. and Ency. Brit.™); 
Wadstein’s Eschatologische Ideengruppe: Antichrist, etc., 1896; Charles’s 
Ascension of Isaiah, 1900, li ff.; Friedlinder’s Der Antichrist in den 
vorchristlichen jiidischen Quellen, 1901; the articles on Antichrist by 
Louis Ginsberg in the Jewish Ency., and by Sieffert in PRE.; and the 
discussions by Briggs in his Messiah of the Apostles, and by Born. Find. 
Schmiedel, Wohl. Mill. Dob. and Dibelius in their respective commen- 
taries. For the later history of the Antichrist, see, in addition to Bousset’s 
monograph, Preuss, Die Vorstellung vom Antichrist im spéteren Mittelalter, 
bei Luther, etc. 1906 (and Kohler’s review in TLZ. 1907, 356 ff.). For 
the history of the interpretation of 2’, see the commentaries of Liin. 
Born. and Wohl.; Mill. (166-173) gives an excellent sketch. 


IV. THANKSGIVING, COMMAND, AND 
PRAYER (2!*1’), 


Like the thanksgiving and prayer (13:12) and the exhortation 
(vv. 1%), this new section (vv. 13:17), though addressed to the 
converts as a whole, is intended especially for the encourage- 
ment of the faint-hearted whose assurance of salvation was wa- 
vering, and who had become agitated by the assertion (v. *) that 
the day of the Lord was actually present. With a purposed rep- 
etition of 1°, Paul emphasises his obligation to thank God for 





I, 3-12; 13 fF 277 


them notwithstanding their discouraged utterances, because, as 
was said in the first epistle (I 14 *-), they are beloved and elect, 
chosen of God from everlasting, and destined to obtain the glory 
of Christ (vv. %™). Thus beloved and elect, they should have 
no fear about the future and no disquietude by reason of the 
assertion that the day is present; on the contrary, remembering 
the instructions received both orally and in the first epistle, 
they should stand firm and hold to those deliverances (v. "). 
Aware, however, that only the divine power can make effectual 
his appeal, and aware that righteousness, guaranteed by the 
Spirit, is indispensable to salvation, Paul prays that Christ and 
God who in virtue of their grace had already commended their 
love to Christians in the death of Christ and had granted them 
through the Spirit inward assurance of salvation and hope for 
the ultimate acquisition of the glory of Christ, may vouchsafe 
also to the faint-hearted readers that same assurance of salva- 
tion, and strengthen them in works and words of righteousness. 


This section differs from 1°, and from I 213-313 which it resembles 
closely in arrangement (cf. αὐτὸς δέ vv. 1°17 with I 34, and the repeated 
thanksgiving v. 15 with I 2"), in having the command (v. 15). 


BNow we ought to thank God always for you, brothers beloved by 
the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning of time to be 
saved by consecration of the Spirit and by faith in the truth; “and 
to this end he called you by the gospel which we preach, namely, to 
the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1580. then, 
brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the instructions that you have 
been taught whether we delivered them orally or by letter. '*Now 
may our Lord, Jesus Christ himself and God, our Father, who loved 
us (Christians) and gave us, in virtue of grace, eternal encourage- 
ment and good hope, “encourage your hearts, and make you steady 
in every good work you do and word you utter. 

13. ἡμεῖς δὲ ὀφείλομεν KT. The similarity in thought and 
language between the first clause of this verse and that of 1° sug- 
gests of itself a purposed return to the obligation there expressed 
“to give thanks to God always for you, brothers”; and the dif- 
ferences observable in our verse, the order of ὀφείλομεν εὐχαρισ- 


278 2 THESSALONIANS 


τεῖν and the insertion of ἡμεῖς, tend to confirm the suggestion. 
By putting ὀφείλομεν first, Paul lays stress on the obligation 
and at the same time, by the very emphasis, intimates that the 
repetition of 1° is intentional. By inserting ἡμεῖς (i. 6. Paul, 
Silvanus, and Timothy as in I 2™- 1”) he reiterates emphatically 
what was implied in 1° that he and his fellow-writers are morally 
bound to thank God, notwithstanding the fact that the readers, 
voicing the discouragement of the faint-hearted, had declared to 
Paul by letter that they were not worthy of salvation and that 
therefore Paul ought not to thank God for them as he had done 
in his former epistle. If this is the case, δέ is not adversative, 
contrasting in some manner with vv. *!*, but introduces, as in 
v. 1, a new point. 


That δέ introduces a resumption of 1° is frequently admitted (B. 
Weiss, Dob. Dibelius, ef a/.). Usually, however, a contrast is discovered 
between ἡμεῖς and the doomed in v. 19 (6. g. Liin. Ell. Lft.), a contrast 
which is pertinent only if ἡμεῖς referred to the Thessalonians or all 
Christians. To obviate this difficulty, ἡμεῖς is put over against God 
who sends the energy of delusion; or over against the Anomos; or over 
against the mystery of lawlessness (Hofmann, Riggenbach, Denney, εἰ 
al.); but these interpretations are, as Wrede insists (21), somewhat 
forced. On the other hand, the contention of Wrede (and Schmiedel) 
that ἡμεῖς is taken over mechanically from I 213 arises from the neces- 
sity of explaining the workings of the falsarius. A similar resumption 
of the thanksgiving occurs in I 213 (from 12; cf. 3°); but in I 218 we have 
χαί not δέ, and the main point of I 21? is resumed as well as the thanks- 
giving of τ. Contrast with our verse I 2:7 (ἡμεῖς δέ) where δέ is adver- 
sative: “we apostles” over against the Jews who insinuated that we 
did not wish to return. 


ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ Kupiov. Thereaders are addressed not simply 
as brothers (1? 21) but as brothers “beloved by the Lord,” that 
is, “whom Christ loved and loves.” The phrase ἠγαπημένοι 
ὑπὸ κυρίου does not appear in τ "-, though the idea of election 
is there implied in the statement that the endurance and faith 
of the readers is evidence of Ged’s purpose to deem them worthy 
of the kingdom. In I τ᾿, however, where Paul openly draws the 
conclusion that the readers are elect from the fact that the Spirit 
is at work not simply in him (1°) but especially in the Thessa- 








1.13 270 


lonians who welcomed the gospel (110), the same estimate is 
given: ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ. The repetition here 
of these words of appreciation which recall the love of Christ 
(ν. 16) who died for them (I 5!°) and who as Spirit quickens 
within them the sense of the divine love (3°), and which sug- 
gest (cf. Rom. 17 Col. 3!) that as beloved they are elect (I 1‘), 
is evidently designed for the purpose of encouraging the faint- 
hearted with the assurance of salvation, and of awakening 
within them, as elect and beloved, the obligation to fulfil their 
Christian duty (v.15 apa οὖν). 


On the phrase, cf. Test. xii, Iss. 11 (v. 1.) ἠγαπημένοι ὑπὸ κυρίου and 
Deut. 33"; and see note on I 14. On the perfect participle “implying a 
past action and affirming an existing result,” cf. BMT. 154 and éxxé- 
yutat Rom. 5°.—(é) κύριος is used frequently in Paul of the Lord Jesus; 
but it is especially characteristic of the Macedonian letters, fourteen 
times in I, eight times in II, and ten times in Phil. In our letters it 
appears in reminiscences from the Lxx. (I 4511 1° 213); in such phrases 
as ὃ λόγος τοῦ χυρίου (1 τ8 415 IT 31), ἐν χυρίῳ (I 38512; cf. Gal. 51° Rom. 
τό". and eight times in Phil.), and ἡμέρα χυρίου (I 52 II 25; cf. 1 Cor. 
5°); in prayers (I 3% II 351%); and in other connections (I τὸ 415-17 
527 II 35). In the light of this usage, χύριος here (contrast I 14) and 318 
(contrast I 525) is natural; cf. παρὰ θεῷ 11 16 with ἔχδιχος χύριος I 48 
in the light of βήμα θεοῦ (Rom. 141°) or Χριστοῦ (2 Cor. 51°). On the use 
of 6 χύριος, see especially Mill. 136 ff. and Zahn, Introd. I, 254.—D cor- 
rects to θεοῦ; NA, οἱ al., read τοῦ χυρίου. 


ὅτι εἵλατο ὑμᾶς κτλ. In advancing the reason why (ὅτι = 
“because” as in I 2% II 1°) he ought to thank God always for 
them, Paul lets his religious imagination range from everlasting 
to everlasting,—from the choice of God unto salvation before 
the foundation of the world, to the divine invitation in time ex- 
tended to the readers through the preaching of the gospel, and 
to the consummation in the age to come, the acquiring of the 
glory which Christ possesses and which he will share with those 
who are consecrated to God by the Spirit and have faith in the 
truth of the gospel. The purpose of this pregnant summary of 
Paul’s religious convictions (cf. Rom. 828-380) is the encourage- 
ment of the faint-hearted. Not only are they chosen, they are 
chosen from all eternity (ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς); not only are they chosen, 


280. 2 THESSALONIANS 


they are also called; and not only are they called, they are also 
destined to acquire the fulness of salvation in eternity. 


The order of words, εἵλατο ὑμᾶς ὃ θεός (cf. I 5%) not ὑμᾶς εἵλατο, 
tells against the suggestion that the readers are contrasted with “the 
doomed” (v.*°). K reads εἵλετο (cf. προείπομεν (AKL) in I 4°, and 
see, for mixed aorists, Bl. 211). For ὑμᾶς (BAGFP, εἰ al.), SD, εἰ al., read 
ἡμᾶς; so also for ὑμᾶς after ἐχάλεσεν in v. 1", BAD read ἡμᾶς, a reading 
which takes the nerve out of Paul’s intention and which in v. ™ leads to 
the impossible.—atpetcOar (Phil. 122 Heb. 11%), like ἐχλέγεσθαι (τ Cor. 
v7. Eph. 14), προγινώσχειν (Rom. 8:9 11%) and προορίζειν (Rom. 
85:91. x Cor. 27 πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων; Eph. 1° "), is used of God’s election 
as in Deut. 2613 (cf. προαιρεῖσθαι Deut. 7°! rot); cf. τιθέναι I 5%, 
χαταξιοῦν II 15, and ἀξιοῦν 14%. The idea of election is constant, but 
the words expressing it vary,—a consideration that accounts for the 
fact that elsewhere in the N. T. αἱρεῖσθαι is not used of the divine elec- 
tion—The reading ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς (NDEKL, Pesh. Arm. Eth. Chrys. Th. 
Mops. Ambst. ef al.) suits Paul’s purpose of encouraging the faint- 
hearted better than ἀπαρχὴν (BGP, Vulg. Boh. Didymus, Ambrose, 
et al.). The former reading is harder in that elsewhere Paul uses not 
an’ ἀρχῆς but πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων (1 Cor. 27), ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων (Col. 12¢) or 
πρὸ χαταβολῆς χόσμου (Eph. 14) to express the idea “from eternity,” 
while ἀπαρχή, apart from Jas. 118 Rev. 14", is found in the N. Τ᾿ only 
in Paul (seven times; it is common in Lxx., especially in Ezek.). Most 
commentators prefer ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς and interpret it as = ἀπ᾽ αἰῶνος (cf. Ps. 
892); a few, however (so recently Wohl.), seek to refer ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς to the be- 
ginnings of Christianity either as such or in Thessalonica, a view possible 
in itself (cf. τ Jn. 27- 32, though more appropriate to a later period in 
Paul’s career, but not probable in Paul who, when he refers to ἐν ἀρχῇ 
(Phil. 41°) adds not only τοῦ εὐαγγελίου (cf. 1 Clem. 47%) but also ὅτε 
ἐξῆλθον ἀπὸ τῆς Maxedoviac. As already indicated, ax’ ἀρχῆς does not 
occur elsewhere in Paul; it is, however, common in the Gk. Bib. asa 
designation of beginnings whether in eternity or in time (cf. Is. 6315 Sir. 
24° 1 Jn. 2% Mt. 104, etc.; also 2 Reg. 719 Ps. 73? Lk. 1%, etc.). Apart 
from our passage and Phil. 415, ἀρχῇ denotes in Paul “power” or, in 
plural, “powers.”—The reading ἀπαρχὴν which, under the influence of 
the Vulg. primitias (Wiclif: “the first fruytis”), was current in Latin 
exegesis (Dob.), implies that “believers have been, as it were, set aside 
for a sacred offering, by a metaphor taken from the ancient custom of 
the law” (Calvin, who, however, prefers ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς “ which almost all the 
Gk. Mss. have’’). The reference in ἀπαρχὴ is (1) to the Thessalonians 
as first-fruits consecrated to God in opposition to the mass of “the 
doomed”? (Hofmann, who notes Rev. 14‘; but see Swete on that pas- 
sage); (2) to the Thessalonians or Macedonians as first-fruits “con- 





ἘΠ 13 281 


trasted with others yet to follow” (Moff., dxaeyq here as in τ Cor. 1529 
implying others to come); or (3), combining an estimate of worth with 
the idea of historical priority, to the fact that the Thessalonians are 
consecrated for a possession (Jas. 118 Rev. 14‘), and are, along with 
the Philippians and others, especially a first-fruit from paganism (B 
Weiss).—It is noteworthy, however, that, apart from Rom. 1115 where 
the reference to the cult (Num. τ 5191.) is obvious, Paul elsewhere qual- 
ifies ἀπαρχή with a genitive as in Rom. 165 τ Cor. 1615 (cf. Rom. 8% 
1 Cor. 152°: 28; and 1 Clem. 241). The absence of the qualifying genitive 
in this passage suggests either that the Thessalonians are first in value, 
achoice fruit, which is improbable; or that they are the first in time, 
which is impossible, for they are not even the first-fruits of Macedonia. 
Grot. obviates the difficulty by supposing that our letter was written as 
early as 38 A.D., that is, before Paul came to Thessalonica, and was ad- 
dressed to Jason and other Jewish Christians who had come thither 
from Palestine. Harnack likewise (v. szpra, p. 53 f.) thinks that our letter 
was addressed to Jewish Christians in Thessalonica, a group of believers 
that formed a kind of annex to the larger Gentile Christian church, 
and interprets ἀπαρχὴν as referring specifically to the Jews who were 
the first-fruits of Thessalonica (Acts 17‘). But apart from the fact 
that, in a section written for the encouragement of those who were los- 
ing the assurance of salvation, ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς (cf. Sir. 24°) is more appro- 
priate than ἀπαρχήν, it is difficult to understand, on Harnack’s theory, 
the omission of the expected τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης or the τῶν Θεσσαλονιχέων, 
for in the letter to Corinth, a city in which two distinct groups of Chris- 
tians, Jewish and Gentile, are unknown, the familia of Stephanas is 
called not simply ἀπαρχὴῆ but ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ᾿Αχαίας (1 Cor. 1615)—In 
passing it is to be noted not only that D in Rom. 16 and δὶ in Rey. 
144 change the forceful ἀπαρχῇ to the meaningless ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, but also 
that in Sir. 249 (BN), πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος dn’ ἀρχῆς ἔχτισέν we, A changes 

an’ ἀρχῆς to ἀπαρχῆν. 
εἰς σωτηρίαν KTX. The eternal choice of God includes not 
only the salvation (I 5°) of the readers (εἰς σωτηρίαν = εἰς 
τὸ σωθῆναι ὑμᾶς- cf. v. 191 215), but also the means by which 
(ἐν = διά, Chrys.) or the state in which (cf. I 4°) salvation is 
realised (Denney). The ἁγιασμὸς πνεύματος designates the total 
consecration of the individual, soul and body, to God, a consecra- 
tion which is inspired by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and which, 
as the readers would recall (I 48 5%), is not only religious but 
ethical. The phrase πίστις ἀληθείας, “faith in the truth” of 
the gospel, is prompted by πιστεύειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ (ν. 3). Faith 
is man’s part; but behind the will to believe is the consecrating 


282 2 THESSALONIANS 


Spirit of God (τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ το ἅγιον I 45). Tobe sure, man 
may refuse to welcome the heavenly influence designed for his 
salvation; but, if he does, he takes upon himself the conse- 
quences of his choice (vv. 11:12). A similar interaction of the di- 
vine and human in salvation is referred to in another Macedonian 
letter (Phil. 2! !-). The fact that the means or state of salvation 
is included in the eternal choice, and that it is mentioned before 
the calling (when the means or state is historically manifested) 
suggests that Paul is choosing his words with a view to the en- 
couragement of the faint-hearted. To know that they are elect 
from everlasting, and hence destined to the future salvation to 
which they were called, they have only to ask themselves whether 
the consecrating Spirit is in them and whether they have faith 
in the truth of the gospel. By the same token, Paul, inI 1 4 *-, 
expresses the conviction that the readers are elected, namely, by 
the presence of the Spirit in the readers who heard him and wel- 
comed his gospel. “We find in ourselves a satisfactory proof (of 
election) if he has sanctified us by his Spirit, if he has enlight- 
ened us in the faith of his gospel” (Calvin). 


Grammatically ἐν ἁγιασμῷ χτλ. is to be construed not with εἵλατο 
alone (Wohl.), or with σωτηρίαν alone (Riggenbach, Schmiedel, Born.), 
but with εἵλατο els ᾽σωτηρίαν (Liin. Ell. Lft. Dob. ef a/.). In the 
light of I 5%, πνεύματος is not the human (Schott. Find. Moff. et al.) 
but the divine Spirit (Calv. Grot. and most); and the gen. is not of the 
object but of the author. The phrase ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύματος in τ Pet. 1? 
“probably comes from 2 Thess. 2°” (Hort). On ἁγιασμός, see I 4°1-; 
on πίστις ἀληθείας, see vv. 1°12 and cf. Phil. 127 Col. 2". 


14, εἰς ὃ ἐκάλεσεν κτὰ. “To which end,” “whereunto” (1), 
that is, “‘to be saved in consecration by the Spirit and faith in 
the truth.” The eternal purpose is historically manifested in 
God’s call (καλεῖν I 213 47 5%; κλῆσις II 111}, an invitation ex- 
tended through the gospel which Paul (cf. Rom. τοῦ" 5.) and his 
associates preach (ἡμῶν; cf.1 1°). That is, ods δὲ προώρισεν 
τούτους Kal ἐκάλεσεν (Rom. 839). 

εἰς περιποίησιν δόξης κτὰ. With this clause, standing in 
apposition to εἰς 6, Paul proceeds to the final consummation of 
the purpose of God in election and calling, explaining εἰς σωτη- 





ΠῚ ΠΟΤ 283 


ρίαν as the acquisition of divine glory, “to the obtaining of the 
glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The “glory of Christ” (1°), 
like the glory of God (to which he calls in I 2"), is the glory which 
Christ possesses, and which he shares (cf. Rom. 817) with “the 
beloved of the Lord.” In other words, ovs ἐκάλεσεν . . . τού- 
Tous καὶ ἐδόξασεν (Rom. 8*°), The repetition, in this apposi- 
tional explanation, of a part of the language of I 59 (εἰς περιποίη- 
ow σωτηρίας διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ) where the 
faint-hearted are likewise encouraged is undoubtedly purposed. 


Lillie properly remarks: “There is no reason for restricting εἰς 6 to 
any one (σωτηρίαν, as Piscator, Bengel, οὐ al.; or πίστει, as Aretius, 
Cocceius, ef al.), or any two (ἁγιασμῷ ... χαὶ πίστει, as Grotius, Flatt, 
Schott, de Wette, Hofmann, et a/.), of the three; though, inasmuch as 
salvation is the leading idea and ultimate end, this is repeated and 
defined in the latter clause of the verse, cig περιποίησιν χτλ.᾽ Most 
commentators agree with the above in referring εἰς 6 to σωτηρίαν ἐν 
ἁγιασμῷ .. . πίστει (Theophylact, Liin. Ell. Lft. Find. εἰ al.); but 
B. Weiss refers it to εἵλατο “with reference to which election” (cf. 
εἰς ὅ in 11! which resumes εἰς τὸ χαταξιωθῆναι 1°)—A few codices read 
εἰς ὃ xat (NPGF, Vulg.), the x«f coming probably from 1" (but see 
Weiss, 112); cf. 1 48 τὸν καὶ διδόντα (SDGF, Vulg. et al.), and contrast 
the simple εἰς 6 in Phil. 31°—On διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, cf. Eph. 35 τ Cor. 
41,—In vv. 3-4 (on which see especially Denney in Expositor’s Bible, 
1892), which are “a system of theology in miniature” (Denney), nothing 
is expressly said of the death and resurrection of Christ, or of the specific 
hope of believers for a redeemed and spiritual body conformed τῷ σώματι 
τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ (Phil. 3; 1 Cor. 15%#-; Rom. 83!-), But these essen- 
tial convictions of Paul, who is already a Christian of over seventeen 
years’ standing, are given in the very words “our gospel.” 


15. ἄρα οὖν κτὰ. With his characteristic dpa οὖν (I 5°), to 
which an affectionate ἀδελφοί is added (as in Rom. 8:2), Paul 
commands the brethren to fulfil their Christian duty, their good 
work and word. This imperative is based on the fact that they 
are beloved of Christ and elected and called of God to obtain 
the glory of Christ, and is expressed (1) in στήκετε (a word of 
Paul; see I 38), “stand firm” and (2) in κρατεῖτε τὰς παραδόσεις, 
“hold to the deliverances or instructions which you have been 
taught by us whether by our word or by our letter,” ἡμῶν being 
construed with both substantives. Since ἐδιδάχθητε has in 


284 2 THESSALONIANS 


mind instructions hitherto conveyed by Paul, Silvanus, and 
Timothy (ἡμῶν; cf. v.™) to the Thessalonians, λόγος refers to 
the oral teaching during the first visit; and “our letter” (not 
δι᾿ ἐπιστολῶν “our letters’’) refers specifically to the first epis- 
tle. While these instructions comprehend the various elements, 
religious and moral, communicated by Paul and his associates 
to the Thessalonians orally or by letter up to the time of the 
writing of II (ἐδιδάχθητε), the presence of στήκετε, recalling the 
σαλευθῆναι of v.2, goes to show that Paul has in mind not only 
generally “‘our gospel”’ as outlined in vv. 15:1. but also specifically 
the instructions concerning the Parousia which he had given 
orally (I 55 II 2°) and had touched upon in the first epistle 
(51 which has the faint-hearted in mind). Knowing, as they 
should remember (v. 3), that the day is not actually present, and 
aware that, as elect and beloved (I 14 *-), they are put not for 
wrath but for the acquiring of salvation (I 5°), they should not 
be agitated and nervously wrought up (v. 2), but should stand 
firm and stick to the deliverances that they had been taught, 
“whether we conveyed them by word of mouth when we were 
yet with you or by our letter,” that is, the first epistle (sive 
per verbum praesentes sive et absentes per litteras Th. Mops.; cf. 
also Theodoret: λόγους ods Kal πάροντες ὑμῖν ἐκηρύξαμεν Kat 
ἄποντες ἐγράψαμεν). 


As Dob. (ad loc.) and J. Weiss (in Meyer on 1 Cor. 113) have pointed 
out, the use of παράδοσις betrays the Jewish training of Paul who as a 
Pharisee outstripped many of his comrades in his zeal for τῶν πατρικῶν 
μου παραδόσεων (Gal. 1%). Here, as in 1 Cor. 11? (ὅτι χαθὼς παρέδωχα 
ὑμῖν τὰς παραδόσεις xatéyete), the deliverances are not defined; con- 
trast the single tradition below 35 which is stated in 3°; and note <lso 
the comprehensive ἣ παράδοσις τῶν ἀνθρώπων (Col. 2&8; cf. Mk. 75) 
which is antithetical to Christ. In our passage, Paul might have said 
τὴν διδαχὴν ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐμάθετε (Rom. 1617; cf. Phil. 49 Col. 17 26- Eph. 
455; also 1 Cor. 417); or, on the analogy of I 4? 1 Cor. 7°, τὰς παραγ- 
γελίας ἃς ἐδώχαμεν ὑμῖν. The thought is constant, but the language 
varies. Paul is 6 διδούς, ὃ παραδιδούς, ὃ διδάσχων, 6 παραγγέλλων, and 
ὃ γνωρίζων (1 Cor. 151); and the readers or hearers receive (xapa- 
λαμβάνειν Gal. 191 Cor. 15! Phil. 49 Col. 2° I 41 IT 35), learn (μανθάνειν 
Phil. 42 Rom. 16!7 Col. 17 Eph. 42°), and are taught (διδάσχεσθαι Col. 
2? Eph. 4"; cf. Gal. 1"); and they likewise “hold fast to the instruc- 


eT τις 


ΠῚ ἘΠ if 285 


tions” (here and 1 Cor. 117; cf. 152). While the source of these words, 
deliverances, teaching, commands, etc., is for Paul the indwelling Christ, 
and may thus be opposed to human authority (Gal. 1") or his own opin- 
ion (1 Cor. 71° #-), still they are historically mediated by the O. T., say- 
ings of Jesus, and the traditions of primitive Christianity (x Cor. 15°). 
—xeatetvy is used elsewhere by Paul only Col. 2” (χεφαλήν); cf. Mk. 
7* 8 χρατεῖν τὴν παράδοσιν; but παράδοσις, apart from Paul, appears 
in Gk. Bib. only Mk. 7?#- = Mt. 1524-, and in 2 Es. 726 Jer. 394 41? of 
“delivering up” a city—The construction διδάσχεσθαί τι is found else- 
where in Gk. Bib. 1 Ch. 518 Cant. 38 Sap. 619 (but cf. Gal. 12); on δι- 
δάσχειν, cf. τ Cor. 417 Col. 27 Eph. 42.—The implication of this specifi- 
cation of alternative modes of conveying instruction, διὰ λόγου and δι᾽ 
ἐπιστολῆς (εἴτε being disjunctive as in I 51°), is that each is equally 
authoritative; οἱ par in utrogue auctoritas (Grot.). Paul had previously 
referred to both these modes (vv. 3: § I 52: 37; but the reminder here 
may imply an intentional contrast both with the erroneous inferences 
drawn by some from Paul’s oral utterances (inspired or not) and from 
his first epistle (v. 2), and (probably) with the statement implied in 
I 527 that some of the brothers (presumably “the idlers”) would give 
no heed to the letters of Paul (cf. below 5:2).---ἐπιστολή with an article 
may refer to “this” present letter (I 527 II 34 Rom. 16% Col. 415; cf. 
P. Oxy. 2938! (A.D. 27) τῷ δὲ φέροντί σοι τὴν ἐπιστολήν), or to a pre- 
vious letter, “that” letter (x Cor. 59 2 Cor. 78), the context determin- 
ing in each instance the reference. The plural ἐπιστολαί indicates with 
the article previous past letters in 2 Cor. 10%-!9; and without the arti- 
cle, either letters to be written (1 Cor. 16%) or the epistolary method 
(2 Cor. 10%), 


16-17. αὐτὸς δέ κτλ. The δέ, which introduces a new point 
(cf. 1 3% 5% II 32°), is here, as in I 5%3, slightly adversative. ‘We 
have commanded you to stand firm and hold to the instructions 
which you have received, and we have based our imperative 
on the fact that you are beloved and elect; but after all (δέ), the 
only power that can make the appeal effective, that can en- 
courage your purposes and strengthen them in the sphere of 
righteousness, is Christ and God, to whom consequently we ad- 
dress our prayer for you.” As in I 3",so here the divine names 
are united and governed by a verb in the singular; there, how- 
ever, God, as usual, takes the precedence; here (as in Gal. 1! 
2 Cor. 131%) Christ is named first, perhaps because the good hope 
is pictured as the sharing of the glory of Christ (v. 4). Due 
to the position of the name of Christ, the arrangement of the 


286 2 THESSALONIANS 


divine names is chiastic, “Our Lord, Jesus Christ,” and “God, 
our Father” (the phrase ὁ θεὸς ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν being unique; 
see on 1). 

ὁ ἀγαπήσας ἡμᾶς καὶ δούς. “Who loved us (Christians; con- 
trast ὑμῶν v.17) and so gave us (sc. ἡμῖν) eternal encouragement 
and good hope in virtue of grace” (both the love and the gift 
arising from the divine favour (I 11) of God and Christ unto sal- 
vation; cf. κατὰ τὴν χάριν 1? and ἐν δυνάμει τ), On the anal- 
ogy of I 3, it is evident that ὁ ἀγαπήσας καὶ δούς is to be re- 
ferred to both Christ and God (contrast Gal. 11, “through Jesus 
Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead,” 
where ἐγείραντος logically excludes the double reference). Since 
the aorists look upon the past event simply as an event with- 
out reference to its progress or existing result (BMT. 38), it 
is probable (1) that ὁ ἀγαπήσας alludes chiefly to the love of 
God (Rom. 58) or Christ (Gal. 239) manifested in his sufferings 
and death, though the aorist does not exclude the idea of the con- 
tinued love of God and Christ (“who has loved us”; cf. I 14 
II 213 ἠγαπημένοι, and Rom. 835 5.); and (2) that the δούς, which 
is closely attached to ἀγαπήσας under the governance of one 
article, refers to the initial gift of the Spirit (I 48 Gal. 45 Rom. 5°), 
though the aorist does not exclude the idea of the permanent 
possession of the gift (“and has given us”). 

παράκλησιν αἰωνίαν καὶ ἐλπίδα ἀγαθήν. In choosing these 
phrases (which are evidently unique in the Gk. Bib.), Paul, 
though speaking of Christians in general, has especially in mind 
the needs of the faint-hearted who had been losing confidence 
and hope. παράκλησις is the courageous confidence, inspired by 
the Spirit, that nothing, whether persecutions (τ΄ I 3°) or dis- 
quieting utterances touching the time of the Parousia (vv. *) 
can prevent the beloved and elect from sharing the future glory 
of Christ. This “encouragement” is αἰωνίαν, not because it 
belongs to this present zon (ὁ αἰὼν οὗτος), but because it holds 
good for and reaches into the won which is to come (ὁ αἰὼν ὁ 
μέλλων), a present and lasting encouragement. The “good 
hope” springs from the “eternal encouragement” (cf. Rom. 
5! *-), and is likewise a present possession (cf. Rom. 833) due to 





TO "7 287 


the Spirit. It is “good” not only negatively in contrast with 
the empty hope of non-Christians (I 4!) but also positively in 
that it is genuine and victorious (Rom. 5°), certain to be re- 
alised in the future kingdom of God. 

17. παρακαλέσαι . . . καὶ στηρίξαι κτλ. Having named 
the divine persons and recalled their gracious love and gift to 
all Christians (v. 1°), Paul petitions Christ and God (the two 
persons being united here as in I 3" by the singular optatives) 
first of all (1) to “encourage” the inward purposes or will of the 
faint-hearted among the readers (ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας as 551 315; 
note the change from the general ἡμᾶς (v. 1°) to the specific 
ὑμῶν), that is, to put into their hearts the confident assurance 
of salvation, the “eternal encouragement” of which he had just 
spoken (παρακαλέσαι resuming παράκλησιν). Then (2), recog- 
nising still the needs of the faint-hearted and gently reminding 
them that the future salvation, though it is assured by the in- 
dwelling Spirit, is contingent upon righteousness (cf. 17? I 38 
56; Rom. 142° 2 Cor. 51° 1 Cor. 3! *- Phil. 1°), he petitions 
further (as in 1" I 3!) Christ and God to “establish (στηρίξαι; 
cf. I 3% 8 and στήκετε above ν. 15) their hearts (sc. ὑμῶν Tas 
καρδίας. KL, εἰ al., insert ὑμᾶς) in every good work that they 
do (contrast περιεργάζεσθαι 3") and in every good word that 
they speak”’ (contrast v. 2). 


On αὐτὸς δέ, see 31° I 3% 5%. Most codices have Ἰησοῦς Χριστός; but 
A reads Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, and B Χριστὸς ᾿Τησοῦς (cf. Rom. 1625 Eph. 52°; 
also D in 1! above). The unique 6 θεὸς 6 πατὴρ ἡμῶν is given by NGF; 
BD omit ὃ before θεός, yielding an equally unusual phrase; θεός (K) 
or ὃ θεός (APL) καὶ πατὴρ ἡμῶν (AKLP) is conformation to Paul’s reg- 
ular usage.—Paul speaks elsewhere of the love of God (35 Rom. 55 839 
2 Cor. 13%) and of the love of Christ (Rom. 855: 7 2 Cor. 514); of God as 
the author of παράκλησις (Rom. 155 2 Cor. 1%) and of Christ as the inspi- 
ration of the same (Phil. 21); of God as the author of hope (Rom. 15°) 
and of Christ in us the hope of glory (Col. 127); and of the grace both of 
God and of Christ (see I 11). There is no intrinsic difficulty therefore 
in referring ὃ ἀγαπήσας xat δούς to both Christ and God.—In the present 
context, παράχλησις, which anticipates παρακαλέσαι in v.17, means not 
“consolation” but “encouragement” (Find.; cf. I 32).—On the femi- 
nine ending αἰωνία instead of the common αἰώνιος (which GF have here; 
cf. 1°), of. Heb. 9% Num. 25" Jer. 201’, etc.—For ἐλπὶς ἀγαθή (which, 


288 2 THESSALONIANS 


like παράχλησις αἰωνία, is unique in the Gk. Bib.), see Goodwin’s note 
on Demosthenes, de cor. 258. On διδόναι ἐλπίδα, cf. Job 68 Sir. 13°; 
on ἀγαθός, see I 35 and on ἐλπίς I τ". Is. 57!8may be cited: παρεχάλεσα 
αὐτὸν χαὶ ἔδωχα αὐτῷ παράχλησιν ἀληθινήν.--- Το adverbial expression 
ἐν χάριτι (cf. 11 ἐν δυνάμει) is to be construed not with παραχαλέσαι 
(B. Weiss), and not with δούς alone, but with the two closely united 
participles 6 ἀγαπήσας χαὶ δούς (De W. Liin. Lft. et al.). The ἐν in- 
dicates the sphere or more precisely the ground of the divine love and 
gift (cf. 11% 15 Rom. 515 Gal. 1° 2 Cor. 112).—Why Paul writes not “word 
and work” (so GFK, et al.; cf. Col. 317 Rom. 15!8 2 Cor. 10") but “ work 
and word” (not elsewhere in Paul; but cf. Lk. 2419), and adds ἀγαθῷ 
(which, like παντί, is to be connected with both ἔργῳ ἀπαϊλόγῳ) is quite 
unknown.—On the analogy of I 24 (τὰς χαρδίας ἡμῶν), SA put ἡμῶν 
after xapdlac. For the phrase παραχαλεῖν τὰς xapdlac, of. Col. 48 
Eph. 6% Sir. 307.—Ell. notes Chrys. on στηρίξαι: βεβαιώσαι, ὥστε μὴ 
σαλεύεσθαι μηδὲ παραχλίνεσθαι. 


V. FINALLY (ς-ἢ. 


This section, as τὸ λοιπόν and ἀδελφοί make clear, is new, and 
serves not as a conclusion of the foregoing (213-17) but as an intro- 
duction to the following discussion (3.15), as παραγγέλλομεν 
(v.4 and νν. 19. 1) and ποιήσετε intimate; in other words, 
vv. 1-ὃ form a transition (analogous to I 4!-*) from the first to the 
second main point of the epistle, from the faint-hearted (1°-2!") 
to the idle brethren (3°°), The structure is abrupt (cf. δέ in 
vv. *- 4. 5) more so than in I 5"; and the transitions, based 
on association of ideas (πίστις to πιστός and, less obviously, 
to πεποίθαμεν), do not quite succeed either in relieving the ab- 
ruptness or in making definite the underlying connection of 
thought. The situation may best be explained on the assumption 
not that a forger is at work (Wrede), or that in 215-35 considerable 
material has been deleted (Harnack), but that Paul is replying 
informally to remarks made by his converts in their letter to him. 

Wishing to get their willing obedience to the command of 
vv. 15, he seeks their sympathy in requesting their prayers for 
him and his cause, and delicately commends their faith (vv. 1:3). 
Finding, it may be, in the letter from the converts that the idle 
brethren are disposed to excuse their idleness on the ground that 
the Tempter is too strong for them, Paul bids them to remember 





WI, 17-11, 1 ff. 289 


that Christ is really to be depended on to give them strength 
sufficient to resist temptation (ν. 5). Still wishing to get their 
willing obedience, Paul in the same Christ avows tactfully his 
faith in them that they will be glad to do what he commands, 
as indeed they are even now doing (v. ἢ). But as a stimulus to 
obedience, they need especially a vivid sense of God’s love for 
them, and the reminder that Christ can give them an endurance 
adequate to the situation. Accordingly, Paul addresses a prayer 
for them to Christ the source of power (v. °). 

Finally, pray, brothers, for us, asking that the word of the Lord 
may run us race and be crowned with glory, as it does with you; 
2and that we may be delivered from those unrighteous and evil men, 
—for not for all is the Christian faith. *Faithful, however, the Lord 
really 15, and he will make you firm and guard you from the evil 
one. ‘Moreover, prompted by the Lord, we have faith in you that 
the things which we command, you both are doing and will continue 
to do. *However, may the Lord incline your hearts to a sense of 
God’s love and to the endurance that Christ alone inspires. 

1. τὸ λοιπόν. Though τὸ λοιπόν, like λοιπόν (I 41 and GF 
here), is often found at the end of a letter intimating that it is 
drawing to a close (2 Cor. 13"; contrast 1 Cor. 116 4? 72°), yet 
it does not of necessity imply that ‘what remains to be said” is 
of secondary importance, as the instances in the other Mace- 
donian letters demonstrate (I 4! Phil. 3! 48). In fact, just as 
I 41? paves the way for the important exhortations in 1 43-5” 
(which are placed, like vv. 115 here, between two prayers, αὐτὸς 
dé T 3113 523 and IT 2117 31°) so vv. ©, introduced as I 412 by 
(τὸ) λοιπόν and the affectionate ἀδελφοί, serve as a tactful 
introduction to the important injunction in vv. ©15, 

προσεύχεσθε κτὰ. This appeal for the prayers of the readers 
is characteristic of Paul (1! I 525 Rom. 15%° f- Col. 42: 18 Phile. 22; 
also 2 Cor. 1!! Phil. 119); it is inspired here by the circumstances 
in which he is writing, namely, as καὶ πάσχετε (1) has already 
intimated, by persecutions, and that too at the instigation of 
Jews, as οὐ yap πάντων ἡ πίστις in the light of I 215-16 suggests, 
and as the typical instances narrated in Acts (18° 5.) corroborate. 
This appeal for sympathy is intended not to remind the readers 

19 


290 2 THESSALONIANS 


that they are not the only victims of Jewish opposition, but, as 
the tacit praise of their faith (καθὼς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς) suggests, 
to stir up within them such love for him that they will obey with 
alacrity the command which he is about to give (vv. 5:5). 

iva ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου κτλ. The prayer requested is not so 
much for Paul and his companions personally (περὶ ἡμῶν) as 
for them as preachers of the gospel (2!) and as sufferers in the 
common cause of the kingdom of God (1*). Hence the object of 
the prayer (ἵνα being here not, as in 1", of the purpose, but of 
the object as in Phil. 1° Col. 1°; cf. v. 13 below and I 4! 2 Cor. 8°) 
is both (1) that the word of the Lord (I 1%) may run its race un- 
hindered by the weight of opposition, and be crowned with glory; 
and (2) that the missionaries of the gospel of Christ may be de- 
livered from those well-known unrighteous and evil men. In each 
of the clauses with ἵνα there is an additional remark (qa) in ref- 
erence to the faith of the readers, καθὼς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς: and (0) 
in reference to the adversaries common to Paul and the readers, 
the Jews whose hearts are hardened, οὐ yap πάντων ἡ πίστις. 


On Paul’s prayers and requests for prayer, see especially E. von der 
Goltz, Das Gebet in der dltesten Christenhcit, 1901, 112 ff. The language 
here (προσεύχεσθε ἀδελφοὶ περὶ ἡμῶν) is natural enough in itself (Heb. 
1318) and is quite Pauline (Col. 42); but the phrase as a whole reminds 
one of I 525 (ἀδελφοὶ προσεύχεσθε χαὶ περὶ ἡμῶν). The agreement be- 
tweea our phrase and that of I 5*5 is not, however, exact. The x2! of Lis 
not present here, a fact that makes the usual reference to 21%? less dis- 
tinct (Chrys. Gcumenius: “above he prayed for them, now he asks 
prayer from them’’). Furthermore the position of ἀδελφοί is different; 
from I 575 (cf. I 41 2 Cor. 13" Phil. 3! 48), we should expect it to precede 
(as GF, et al.) not to follow (SBA, et al.) προσεύχεσθε (cf. DE, εἰ al., which 
put ἀδελφοί after ἡμῶν). Finally, unlike I 5°5, the object of the prayer 
is here stated. The significance, if there is any, of the emphatic posi- 
tion of προσεύχεσθε is unknown. Since “those unrighteous and wicked 
men” (vy. 3) are evidently well known to the readers, it is not improbable 
that in their letter to him they had prayed for him in Corinth. If this 
surmise be correct, the present imperative (which, however, is regularly 
used in the Macedonian letters, the only aorists being ἀσπάσασθε I 528 
Phil. 43: and πληρώσατε Phil. 2%) with which Paul replies may perhaps 
be rendered: “Keep on praying as you are, brethren, for us.” 


τρέχῃ καὶ δοξάξζηται. “That the word of the Lord may run 
and be glorified.” This, the first object of the prayer, expressed 


? 
i 
: 


ἘΠῚ Τ 201 


in ἃ collocation (τρέχειν καὶ δοξάζεσθαι) which is not found else- 
where in the Gk. Bib., is to the general effect that the gospel of 
Christ ““may have a triumphant career” (Lft.). The word τρέ 
xe (used absolutely here as elsewhere in Paul) is, in the light 
οὔτ Cor. 9% *- (cf. Rom. g!® Gal. 2? 57 Phil. 215), probably a meta- 
phor derived from the races in the stadium. The word of the 
Lord is ὁ τρέχων (Rom. 915), competing for the βραβεῖον (τ Cor. 
9%) or στέφανος (I 219 τ Cor. 95), that is, for the acceptance of 
the gospel as the power of God unto salvation. But to indicate 
the victory of the runner, Paul adds, not, as we should expect, 
στεφανῶται (cf. 2 Tim. 2°), or λαμβάνῃ στέφανον (τ Cor. 9°), 
but, with a turn to the religious, δοξάξζηται “be glorified,” that 
is, “crowned with glory” (compare the kingly crown in Ps. 8° 
Heb. 27: 3). But while the general point of the metaphor is clear, 
the exact force of it is uncertain. In the light of v. 2, however, it 
is probable that τρέχῃ means not “to fulfil its course swiftly 
(Ps. 1474 ἕως τάχους) and without hindrance” (so Riggenbach 
and many others); not “to run, that is, unhindered, and make 
its way quickly through the world” (Dob., who notes the 
hope expressed in Mk. 13!° Mt. 24"); but to run its race un- 
encumbered by obstacles (not self-imposed (cf. Heb. 121) but) 
superimposed by adversaries, in this context, the Jews (¢. 
Theodoret ἀκωλύτως). 

In view of the unique collocation, τρέχειν χαὶ δοξάζεσθαι, and of 
Paul’s fondness for metaphors from the race-course, it is unnecessary 
to see here a literary allusion either to “the faithful and expeditious 
messenger” (Briggs) of Ps. 1474, or to Ps. 185 ὡς γίγας δραμεῖν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ 
where “the path of the sun in the heavens is conceived as a race-course” 
(Briggs), or to Is. 55. In this phrase, evidently coined by Paul, the 
present tenses (contrast in v. ? ῥυσθῶμεν) regard the race and victory as 
in constant progress. Each person or group of persons is constantly 
recognising the gospel at its true worth and welcoming it as the word not 
of man but of God. The transition to the complimentary χαθώς xt. 


is thus easily made.—On 6 λόγος τοῦ χυρίου, see I 18 where δὶ has τοῦ 
θεοῦ (cf. I 2:2) as do GFP, εἰ al., here. On δοξάζεσθαι, see τ10- 12, 


καθὼς καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς. “As it is running and is being glorified 
with you”; or succinctly, “as it does in your case.” The praise 
implied in the prayer that the gospel may succeed with all as it 


292 2 THESSALONIANS 


succeeds with the readers is designed probably as an incentive 
not to their prayers for him but to their obedience to the com- 
mand in mind (v. 5). Sympathy for Paul is to create a willing 
compliance; if they love him, they will keep his commands. 
πρὸς (I 32) is to be construed with both τρέχῃ and δοξάζηται. 

2. καὶ iva ῥυσθῶμεν. The ἵνα (parallel to ἵνα in v. 1) intro- 
duces the second object of προσεύχεσθε: “that we may be de- 
livered.” The aorist (contrast the present tenses in v. 1) regards 
the action of deliverance simply as an event in the past without 
reference to progress. Asin 2 Cor. 1 where the prayer requested 
is for deliverance (ῥύεσθαι) from the danger of death, and as 
in Rom. 1580 5. where it is for deliverance from those that are 
disobedient in Judea (iva ῥυσθῶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπειθούντων), so 
here person and cause are inseparable. 

τῶν ἀτόπων Kal πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων. “From those unright- 
eous and evil men.” The τῶν points to a definite class of ad- 
versaries (cf. Rom. 15°!) and well known to the readers. That 
persecutions in Corinth are here referred to is likewise sug- 
gested by καὶ πάσχετε in 14; and that the Jews are the insti- 
gators of persecution is the natural inference both from οὐ γὰρ 
πάντων ἡ πίστις when compared with I 215-15, and from the 
typical instances recorded in Acts 18° 5: 

ov yap πάντων ἡ πίστις. “For not for all is the faith”; “it 
is not everybody who is attracted by the faith” (Rutherford). 
“The faith” (Gal. 133) is not “the word of the Lord” (v. 1), “the 
truth”’ (210. 12), or “the gospel” (cf. 2"), but the faith which the 
gospel demands, the faith without which the gospel is not effec- 
tive as the power of God unto salvation. The γάρ explains not 
the prayer for deliverance, as if “only deliverance from them is — 
to be requested since their conversion is hopeless”’ (Schmiedel), 
but the reason why those unrighteous and evil men exist. ΤῊ 
explanation is set forth not in terms of historical fact, “for not 
all have believed” (cf. Rom, 10! οὐ πάντες ὑπήκουσαν τῷ evary- 
γελίῳν, but in terms of a general principle based on observation 
(ἐστίν, which GF, et al., read, is to be supplied here as often else- 
where in Paul), “for not for all is the faith” (πάντων being either 
an objective or a possessive genitive; cf. Acts 17 2 Cor. 2° 





ΠΠπΠὴ τ 203 


Heb. 5"). In view of the fact that under similar circumstances 
Paul had expressed himself similarly as regards the conversion 
of the Jews (I 25:10) it is quite likely that here too, in spite of 
πάντων, he has in mind the obstinacy of the Jews. It was their 
rejection of Jesus as the Messiah that raised a serious problem 
not only for Paul (Rom. 9-11) but for others (Mk. 41° Acts 
2825 #. Jn, 1237 #-), Here, however, the mystery alone, not its 
solution, is stated. 


ἄτοπος is used of persons only here in the Gk. Bib.; elsewhere, chiefly 
in Lk. Acts, Job, it is neuter; 6. g. πράσσειν ἄτοπα (Job 275 36%) or 
ἄτοπον (Pr. 2455 2 Mac. 14%; cf. Lk. 231) and ποιεῖν ἄτοπα (Job 34%; 
cf. Polyc. Phil. 5°). “From its original meaning ‘out of place,’ ‘unbecom- 
ing,’ ἄτοπος came in late Greek to be used ethically = ‘improper,’ ‘un- 
righteous’; and it is in this sense that, with the exception of Acts 28°, 
it is always used in the Lxx. and N. T.” (Milligan, Greek Papyri, 72). 
For other instances of the word, see Wetstein and Loesner, ad loc., 
and on Lk. 2341, and the former on Acts 28%. The prevailing ethical 
meaning makes unlikely the rendering “unbelieving” which the context 
might suggest (cf.I 215 θεῷ μὴ ἀρεσχόντων). For a conspectus of pro- 
posed translations such as “unreasonable,” “perverse,” “unrighteous” 
(Thayer), etc., see Lillie’s note; compare also Hatch-Redpath, Con- 
cordance, where under ἄτοπος in Job 36% both ἄδικα and ἄνομα are noted 
as variants of &ctomx.—On πονηρός, see I 5%; D in Lk. 234 reads πονηρόν 
for ἄτοπον. On ῥύεσθαι ἀπό, see I 11°—Born. (533), whom Wrede 
follows, finds an almost verbal dependence on Is. 254: ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπων 
ῥύσῃ αὐτούς. But Ps. 139! would serve as well: ἐξελοῦ με χύριε ἐξ ἀν- 
θρώπου πονηροῦ, ἀπὸ ἀνδρὸς ἀδίκου ῥῦσαί με. Dob. (cf. Harnack, op. 
cit.) sees a reference to 1 Mac. 1414 where Simon ἐξῆρεν πάντα ἄνομον 
χαὶ πονηρόν; cf. Is. 917 πάντες ἄνομοι χαὶ πονηροί. However this may 
be, it is evident both that Paul read the Lxx. and that the collocation 
ἄτοπος χαὶ πονηρός is not found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. 


8. motos δέ ἐστιν ὁ κύριος κτλ. “The Lord (Christ) is 
really (22) faithful (cf. Rom. 3%), and as faithful will surely 
strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” Prompted 
it may be by a passage in their letter to him saying that some of 
the converts, probably the idlers, were disposed to excuse their 
conduct on the ground that the Tempter was too strong for 
them, and being “more anxious about others than about him- 
self” (Calvin), Paul turns somewhat abruptly (δέ) from the sit- 
uation in Corinth and his own trials to the similar situation, so 


204 2 THESSALONIANS 


far as persecution is concerned (1*), in Thessalonica, and the 
moral dangers to which the devil exposed the readers (ὑμᾶς, 
not ἡμᾶς which Bentley and Baljon conjecture). With πιστός, 
here naturally suggested by πίστις (ν. 3), and with an emphatic 
ἐστίν (which is unexpected in the phrase πιστὸς ὁ θεός or κύριος), 
Paul reminds them that Christ is really to be depended on 
to give them strength sufficient to resist the enticement of the 
devil. Paul assures them not that they will be delivered from 
persecution (cf. I 34) but rather that they will be strengthened 
both in faith (I 3%) and conduct (I 3" IT 217), and thus be shielded 
from the power of Satan (I 218 II 2°), that is, from the ethical 
aberrations, perhaps specifically the idleness and meddlesome- 
ness to which the Tempter (I 3%), by means of persecution, en- 
tices some of them. The similarity of 1 Cor. 10" has not escaped 
Calvin’s notice: There hath no temptation taken you but such 
as man can bear; πιστὸς δὲ ὁ θεός, ὃς οὐκ ἐάσει κτλ. 


The usual phrase in Paul is not πιστὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ χύριος but simply 
πιστὸς 6 θεός (1 Cor. 19 10! 2 Cor. 118; cf. I ς᾽. The change from θεός 
to χύριος = Christ (v.*) is in keeping with the tendency of II already 
mentioned (v. 2"). In fact, the frequency of 6 κύριος in vv.1-5 (four 
times) has an interesting parallel in another Macedonian letter, Phil. 
4'-5 (where ὃ χύριος occurs four times). The unexpected ἐστίν (G, εἰ al., 
omit, conforming to Paul’s usage), which emphasises the reality of the 
faithfulness of Christ, may be due simply to the contrast with the faith- 
lessness of the Jews; or it may intimate, as said, that in a letter to 
Paul the converts, perhaps specifically not the faint-hearted (217) but 
the idle brothers, had expressed the feeling that the evil one was too 
strong for them, thus accounting for their yielding to temptation. Paul’s 
reply, emphasising the faithfulness of Christ who is stronger than the 
devil, serves both as a reminder that persecutions are not an excuse for 
idleness and as an incentive to do what Paul is about to command 
(vv. 34: 6-1°).—@ χύριος stands in victorious antithesis to 6 πονηρός; for, 
although grammatically τοῦ πονηροῦ may be either masculine (Eph. 619) 
or neuter (Rom. 12°), yet the masculine, in view not only of I 215 35 
II 2° but also of Paul’s conception in general of the evil world (cf. 2 Cor. 
615), is the more probable gender (so Calv. and most modern expositors). 
For supposed allusions in this passage to the Lord’s Prayer, see on the 
one side Lft. and Chase (The Lord’s Prayer in the Early Church, 1891), 
and on the other Dibelius, ad loc.—On στηρίζειν, see I 3%. Elsewhere in 
the N. T. the future is στηρίξει (as SADP, εἰ al., here); in the Lxx. it is 
regularly στηριῶ, The reading of B (στηρίσει) has a parallel in Jer. 


Ti, 3-4 205 


178; that of GF (τηρήσει) is due either to a previous στηρήσει (cf. B 
in Sir. 3832) or to an approximation to φυλάξει (Dob.); cf. Sir. 429 
συντήρησον χαιρὸν καὶ φύλαξαι ἀπὸ πονηροῦ.---φυλάσσειν is found apart 
from the Pastorals but twice elsewhere in Paul, Gal. 613 Rom. 226 (used 
in reference to the law). On the construction here, cf. Ps. 1207. The 
collocation στηρίζειν and φυλάσσειν is without a parallel in Gk. Bib. 


4, πεποίθαμεν δέ κτλ. With δέ again, introducing a new 
point, and with the Pauline phrase πεποίθαμεν ἐν κυρίῳ (Gal. 
510 Phil. 23: Rom. 14", but not in I), Paul, who is still intent on 
gaining the willing obedience of the converts, avows with tact 
his faith that what he commands they will do as they are doing. 
This confidence is defined as inspired by the indwelling Christ 
(ἐν κυρίῳ), and as directed to the readers (ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς; cf. 2 Cor. 
23; also εἰς ὑμᾶς Gal. 51°). The insertion of ποιεῖτε (cf. I 5") 
tactfully prepares for ποιήσετε, as καθὼς καὶ περιπατεῖτε (I 41) 
prepares for περισσεύητε μᾶλλον (I 41). Though the words 
are general, “what (that is, guae not qguaecumque) we com- 
mand, both you are doing and will continue to do”’ (the future 
being progressive; BMT. 60), yet it is natural in view both 
of παραγγέλλομεν (cf. vv. © 2) and ποιήσετε to find a specific 
reference, namely, not to the faint-hearted (as if vv. “ἢ were a 
doublet of 21517), and not to the request for prayer (vv. bias) 
but to the command in wv. 515 (Calvin). 


The underlying connection between v.‘ and v. 3 15 not evident. In- 
deed, πεποίθαμεν is less obviously dictated by πιστός than πιστός is 
by πίστις. The connecting idea may be that since Christ is really faith- 
ful and will surely protect the readers from the wiles of the devil, Paul 
may dare to express his faith in them, prompted by Christ, that they 
(probably the idlers) will no longer seek to excuse their idleness but will 
be willing, as they are able (v. *), to do what he commands. Or it may 
be that v. 4 is suggested by something else said in the letter to Paul. 
In any case, v. ὁ prepares for vv. 15, as most admit (Liin. Riggenbach, 
Ell. Wohl. Mill. et al.; so Find. who, however, refers ποιεῖτε to vv. '), 
-- πείθειν is characteristic of Paul, though the word is not confined to 
his writings; the perfect tense here denotes the existing state, “I am 
confident.” The specifically Pauline ἐν χυρίῳ (see I 38) does not always 
appear in this phrase (πέποιθα ἐπί or εἰς). While v. * hints that the 
readers are “in the Lord,” the position of ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς intimates only that 
Paul is in the Lord, the one who inspires his confidence in the converts; 
contrast Gal. 51°, πέποιθα εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐν κυρίῳ. πείθειν is construed with 


206 2 THESSALONIANS 


ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς (2 Cor. 2" Mt. 275" and often in Lxx.), with εἰς (Gal. 51° Sap. 
16%) with ἐν (Phil. 3°), and with ἐπί and dative (2 Cor. 14, etc.).—The 
expected ὑμῖν after παραγγέλλομεν (I 4"; cf. below, vv. * 1°) is inserted 
by AGFKLP, et al.; but SBD, εἰ al.,omit. On ὅτι, cf. Gal. 51° Phil. 2% 
2 Cor. 2%, etc.; on παραγγέλλειν, see I 42.—xal ποιεῖτε χαὶ ποιήσετε 
is read by P and Vulg. and (without the first xf) by SAD; GF have 
war ἐποιήσατε χαὶ ποιεῖτε; B alone is comprehensive with χαὶ ἐποιήσατε 
χαὶ ποιεῖτε χαὶ ποιήσετε. Either B is original with its unexpected aorist 
after the present παραγγέλλομεν, or the seat of the trouble is the itacism 
ποιήσατε which D preserves. 


5. ὁ δὲ κύριος κτλ. The new point, introduced by δέ, 
is slightly adversative. Although Paul has confidence in the 
Lord that they will do what he commands (v. ὅ looks not to 
ποιεῖτε hut to ποιήσετε), yet he is certain that the help of the 
Lord is indispensable to incline their hearts to keep his com- 
mand. What they need especially is a sense of God’s love to 
them and a reminder that Christ can give them an endurance 
adequate to face the persecutions. Hence the prayer: “May 
the Lord (=Christ) direct (I 3") your hearts (I 3% II 217) unto 
the love of God and the endurance of Christ.” 


In Paul, ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ (Rom. 5° 839 2 Cor. 13") means not our love 
to God but God’s love to us, the thought here being that their inner 
life may be directed to a sense of the divine love (see SH. on Rom. 5°). 
With an appreciation of the meaning of God’s love, there would be no 
temptation to infringe upon φιλαδελφία by the continuance of idle habits 
(cf. I 4%-1*).—Since elsewhere in Paul ὑπομονή = “endurance,” the ren- 
dering patientem exspectationem (Beza), “patient waiting’? (AV), which 
demands the objective genitive, is here improbable (see Vincent); 
see, however, Lit. Schmiedel, and Dob. and compare Ign. Rom. το", ἐν 
ὑπομονῇ "Incod Χριστοῦ, an expression which is “probably derived from 
St. Paul” (Lft.). Taking ὑπομονή = “endurance,” Χριστοῦ may mean 
either the endurance which Christ possesses and shares (cf. δόξα τοῦ 
χυρίου in 214), or which is characteristic of him, and hence an object 
of imitation as in Polyc. Phil. 83; or it may mean the endurance which 
Christ inspires, as 6 θεὸς τῆς ὑπομονῆς (Rom. 15°) suggests (cf. Moff.).— 
ὃ Χριστός is not found elsewhere in II; cf., however, I 25 3% 415, and see 
Mill. 136. The total phrase ἣ ὑπομονὴ τοῦ Χριστοῦ appears to be found 
only here in the Gk. ,Bib——The phrase xatevOdverv (or εὐθύνειν) τὰς 
χαρδίας (or τὴν χαρδίαν) occurs frequently in the Lxx. (1 Ch. 20:5 
2 Ch. 12 τοῦ 20% Pr. 212, etc.); on εἰς (cf. πρός in I 3"), see Sir. 517° 
Judith 12%. DE, Vulg. have τὰς καρδίας ὑμῶν (I 2‘); but ὑμῶν referring 
to ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς in v. 4 is emphatic (B. Weiss). 


Il, 4-5; 6 ff. 207 


VI. COMMAND AND EXHORTATION (6:5. 


This section contains the second main point of the letter, pre- 
pared for in vv. 1°, “the case of the idlers” (Find.). Word 
has come to Paul (v. 1) orally and by letter to the effect that the 
idle minority, in spite of his oral (v. 1° I 4") and written (I 411: 
5“) instructions are still begging and meddlesome, some of them 
still refusing to obey his epistolary injunctions (I 5?” and be- 
low, v.14). The case having become acute, Paul orders the ma- 
jority to take severer measures against the idle minority, to 
add to νουθετεῖν (v.15 1 514), στέλλεσθαι (ν. 5) and μὴ συνανα- 
μίγνυσθαι (ν. 1). Insisting, however, that the delinquents are 
brothers (vv. ὅδ: 15), and surmising that the majority have not 
always dealt tactfully with the excited idlers (vv. 15: 15), Paul is 
careful to explain just why he gives the command (vy. 7”) and 
to have it understood that the discipline, being intended for ref- 
ormation, is to be administered in love (vv. 1.15). In fact, his 
attitude throughout is not that of an apostle exercising his apos- 
tolic authority but that of a brother appealing to brothers in 
the name of a common authority, the Lord Jesus Christ. He 
believes that his word will suffice; but he contemplates the prob- 
ability that a few of the idlers will persist in being recalcitrant. 


The connection of thought is clear, the divisions being marked by δέ 
(vv. % 2 18. 14) and γάρ (vv. 7 1"), Though the brethren as a whole 
are addressed throughout the section (even in ν. 15), it is really the ma- 
jority whom Paul has in mind and upon whom he places the responsi- 
bility for the peace of the brotherhood. 


‘Vow we command you, brothers, using the name of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother who walks in idleness 
and not in accordance with the instruction which you received from 
us. ‘For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, for we 
were not idle among you, nor did we receive the means of support 
from any one without paying for it; *but in toil and hardship, night 
and day we kept at our work in order that we might not put on any 
of you the burden of our maintenance,—not because we have no 
right to free support, but that we might give in ourselves an example 


208 2 THESSALONIANS 


for you to imitate. '°For also, when we were with you, this we used to 
command you: “ΠῚ any one refuses lo work, neither let him eat.” 
For we are informed that some among you are walking in idleness, 
not working themselves but being busybodies. “Now such as these 
we command and exhort, prompted by the Lord Jesus Christ, that 
with tranquillity of mind they work and earn their own living. 
Now as for you, brothers, do not grow tired of doing the right 
thing. “In case, however, any one is not for obeying our word ex- 
pressed in this letter, designate that man; let there be no intimate 
association with him; in order that he may be put to shame; and 
so count him not as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. 

6. παραγγέλλομεν δὲ ὑμῖν κτλ. With a particle of transition 
(δέν), the point prepared for in νν. 1-ῦ (especially παραγγέλλομεν 
and ποιήσετε vy. 4) is introduced, the responsibility of the ma- 
jority in reference to the case of the idlers. The command (I 4" 
and 4°) is addressed by a brother to brothers, and is based on 
the authority not of Paul but of Christ. The phrase “in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ” differs from “in the Lord Jesus 
Christ” (with which the idlers are indirectly commanded and 
exhorted in v. 12), and from ‘“‘through the Lord Jesus” (I 4°), 
in that it is not subjective “prompted by the indwelling name 
or person of the Lord Jesus Christ,”’ but objective, “with,” that 
is, “using” that name. By the actual naming of the name, Paul 
draws attention not only to the authoritative source of his in- 
junction, but also to the responsibility which the recognition of 
that supreme authority entails. 
᾿ στέλλεσθαι ὑμᾶς KTA. Thesubstance of the command is “that 
you hold aloof from (cf. I 43 ἀπέχεσθαι ὑμᾶς ἀπο) every brother 
who walks idly (or, with Rutherford, ‘“‘not to be intimate with 
any of your number who is a loafer’’) and not according to the 
deliverance which you have received from us.’’ The persons to 
be avoided are not enemies but brothers (v. 1°). Their fault lies 
in the realm of conduct; they “walk” (cf. I 213 41. 3), that is, 
“live” (Chrys.), “behave themselves”’ as idlers (ἀτάκτως). The 
reference in περιπατεῖν ἀτάκτως 15 to the refusal, on the part of 
a small fraction of the converts (ν. 11 τινάς) to work and earn 
their own living, and to the resultant idleness, want, and meddle- 


III, 6 299 


some demand for support from the church, which are mentioned 
in I 44"? and warned against in I 5! (νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους. 
cf. below, v. 1°). As the adverbial clause μὴ κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν 
κτλ. parallel to and explanatory of ἀτάκτως, intimates, this dis- 
obedient idleness was contrary to the express instruction given 
when Paul was with them (ν. 19 and I 4" καθὼς παρηγγείλαμεν) 
and reiterated in the first epistle (4"-”; cf. 514). 


On the phrase ἐν ὀνόματι, cf. τ Cor. 54 61: Col. 317 Eph. 52° Acts 1618 
Ign. Polyc. 51; also 1 Cor. 11° (διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος); on the meaning 
of the phrase, see Heitmiiller, Jm Namen Jesu, 1903, 73.—hudv after 
χυρίου is to be omitted with BD, et al., “as a likely interpolation” (EIl.). 
-στέλλεσθαι is found several times in the Lxx. but only once elsewhere 
in the N. T. (2 Cor. 839). From the root meaning “set,” the further idea, 
“set one’s self for,” “prepare” (Sap. 74 141 2 Mac. 53), or “set one’s 
self from,” “withdraw” (cf. 3 Mac. 119 44, and especially Mal. 25 ἀπὸ 
προσώπου ὀνόματός μου στέλλεσθαι αὐτόν in parallelism with φοβεῖσθαι), 
is easily derived. The meaning, which is somewhat uncertain in 2 
Cor. 829, is clear here, “withdraw one’s self from,’’ “hold aloof from” 
= χωρίζεσθαι (Theodoret), or ἀπέχεσθαι (which is parallel to στέλλεσθαι 
in Hippocrates, Vet. Med. 10, as quoted by Liddeli and Scott); it differs 
little from ὑποστέλλειν ἑαυτόν (Gal. 2:2) and ὑποστέλλεσθαι (cf. GF 
in 2 Cor. 82°). On the word, see Loesner, ad loc., and Wetstein on 2 Cor. 
820; also Mill on our passage. For the subject accusative ὑμᾶς resuming 
ὑμῖν, see Bl. 72°.—It has already been stated (see I 514) that ἀτάκτως 
may be either general “disorderly” or specific “idly.”” That the specific 
sense is intended is evident from vv. 7° where ἣ παράδοσις is indirectly 
explained by the reference to Paul’s habitual industry (ἐργαζόμενοι); 
from v. 19 where ἣ πάραδοσις as orally communicated by Paul is quoted: 
“if any one refuses to work (ἐργάζεσθαι), he shall not eat”; and from 
v. 12 where ἀτάχτως is defined as μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους. The fault is not 
idleness but deliberate, disobedient idleness. What was probable in 
I 41-12 514 now becomes certain; the second epistle explains the first. 
D, οἱ al., by reading περιπατοῦντος ἀτάχτως (as in ν. 11) blunt the em- 
phasis on the adverb. On μή, see BMT. 485.—Precisely how much is 
involved in the command to the majority “to hold aloof from” the idle 
brethren is uncertain, even in the light of the further specifications in 
vv. 115, The idlers are deprived to some extent of freedom of associa- 
tion with the rest of the believers, though to μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι (v. 14) 
there is not added, as is the case with the incestuous person in 1 Cor. 5", 
apydé συνεσθίειν. It is not Paul’s intention to exclude the idlers from 
the brotherhood, for he insists that the admonitions even to the recalci- 
trant among the idlers, being designed to make them ashamed of them- 


300 2 THESSALONIANS 


selves and return to their work, be tempered with love (cf. Chrys.). 
Furthermore, the fact that στέλλεσθαι, as interpreted in vv. 1515, is 
an advance over νουθετεῖν (v. 15 I 514) and calls for a slightly severer 
attitude to the delinquents suggests that, in the interval between I and 
II, the idlers, influenced both by the belief that the day of the Lord was 
near and by the severity of the persecutions (vv. 1.5), had become more 
meddlesome and contumacious than at the time of writing I (see note 
on πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια I 4"). It is evident that some of them persist 
in refusing to obey Paul’s orders as conveyed by letter (v. 11 527); and 
it is not improbable that some of the more excited idlers were responsible 
for the disquieting assertion that the day of the Lord is present (2*).— 
Most recent editors prefer the excellently attested reading παρελάβοσαν 
(SA), which is supported by ἐλάβοσαν (D), and, with corrected orthog- 
raphy, by παρέλαβον (EKLP). On the other hand, this reading puts 
an emphasis upon the idlers which would lead one to expect in the sequel 
not οἴδατε (ν. 7) but οἴδασιν. Hence παρελάβετε (BG, εἰ al.), which fits 
both ὑμᾶς and οἴδατε, is the preferable reading, leaving παρελάβοσαν 
(on the ending, see Bl. 21°) to be explained either (1) as an emendation 
(Weiss, 57) in accord with the adjacent παντὸς ἀδελφοῦ (Pesh. ef al. have 
παρέλαβε), or (2) as ascribal error arising from “an ocular confusion with 
—osty (παράδοσιν) in the corresponding place of the line above” (WII. 
App.2172). For παρ᾽ ἡμῶν, B reads ἀφ᾽ ἡμῶν (1 Cor. 11%); of. ἃ in I 2", 


7-11. In these verses, Paul gives the reasons why he com- 
mands the readers to hold aloof from the idle brethren among 
them, the separate points being introduced respectively by yap 
(v. 7), καὶ yap (v.1°), and yap (v.4). (1) First with yap (v. 7), 
he reminds them of himself as an example of industry, how he 
worked to support himself when he was with them, so as to free 
them from any financial burden on his account, strengthening 
the reminder by referring to the fact that though he, as an apos- 
tle, was entitled to a stipend, yet he waived that right in order 
that his self-sacrificing labour might serve as an example to them 
of industry (vv.7-°). (2) Next with καὶ γάρ (v.1°), he justifies the 
present command (vy. °) by stating that the instruction to the 
idlers referred to in v. ὃ (ἡ παράδοσις) is but a repetition of what 
he had repeatedly commanded when he was with them, namely, 
“if any one refuses to work, neither let him eat” (v. 19). (3) Fi- 
nally with γάρ (v."), he wishes it to be understood distinctly 
that he issues the command because he is informed that some 
among them are idle and meddlesome. 





ἅπ| 0-7 301 


In reminding the converts both of himself as a visible example of in- 
dustry (vv. 7») and of his repeated oral teaching in reference to idleness 
(v. 1°), it would appear that Paul intends not only to arouse the majority 
to a sense of their own responsibility in the matter, but also to furnish 
them with arguments that would have weight even with those who 
might persist in refusing to obey this command as conveyed by letter 
(v. 41 527). At all events, this latter consideration helps to explain why 
Paul refers them not to what he had written in I, but to what he had 
said and done when he was yet with them. To be sure v. 8 is an exact 
reminiscence of I 2°, and v. 13 recalls what was written in I 4"-12; but 
both the example of Paul (vv. 7°) and the precept in ν. 19 (cf. καθὼς 
παρηγγείλαμιεν, I 41) hark back to the time of the first visit. 


7. αὐτοὶ yap οἴδατε κτλ. With an appeal to the knowledge of 
the readers quite in the manner of I (2! 33 52; cf. 15 25. 5, etc.), 
Paul advances the first reason (γάρ) for commanding the readers 
to hold aloof from every brother who walks idly and not in ac- 
cordance with the specific instruction received. The reason is 
that they themselves know, without his telling them, the man- 
ner in which they ought to imitate him, namely, by working and 
supporting themselves. Though addressed to all, the appeal is 
intended for the idlers. On the analogy of I 41, we expect 
πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν ὥστε μιμεῖσθαι ἡμᾶς (Lit.); but the 
abridged expression puts an “emphasis on μιμεῖσθαι and gives 
the whole appeal more point and force”’ (EIl.). 

OTL οὐκ ἠτακτήσαμεν ... οὐδέ κτλ. The ὅτι is not “that” 
(I 33) resuming πῶς, but “for,” explaining why they know how 
to imitate Paul. The explanation is stated (1) negatively, and 
in two co-ordinated clauses (οὐκ. . . οὐδέ), namely, (a) “be- 
cause we were no loafers when we lived among you” (Ruther- 
ford), and (6) because ‘‘ we did not receive our maintenance from 
any one for nothing’’; and (2) positively (v. 8), “but we worked 
toiling and moiling night and day rather than become a burden 
to any of you” (Rutherford). That ἀτακτεῖν (only here in the 
Gk. Bib.) is not general ‘“‘to be disorderly”’ but specific “to be 
idle,” “to be a loafer” (Rutherford) has already been pointed 
out (see on τοὺς ἀτάκτους in 1 51), ἐσθίειν ἄρτον is apparently 
a Hebraism for ἐσθίειν (ν. 10). In view of παρά τινος (not τινί 
as in Tobit 82° δ), it means not “take a meal,” and not simply 


302 2 THESSALONIANS 


“get food,” but more broadly “receive the means of support,” 
“get a living.” Paul received maintenance, lodging probably 
with Jason; but unlike the idle brothers who were begging sup- 
port from the church, he did not receive it “gratis,” that is, 
without paying for it (cf. 2 Cor. 117%; also Exod. 21" δωρεὰν 
ἄνευ ἀργυρίου). 


On πῶς Sei, cf. I 41, and Col. 45 εἰδέναι πῶς δεῖ ὑμᾶς; μιμεῖσθαι, here 
and ν.9 in Paul, is rare in Gk. Bib. (Heb. 137 3 Jn. 11 4 Mac. 9, etc.); 
on μιμητῆς, a word found chiefly in Paul, see I 1°—The phrase ἐσθίειν 
ἄρτον, only here and v. 13 in Paul (cf. Mk. 32°75, etc., and Lxx. passim), 
represents the Hebrew ond 52x (see BDB. sub voc. and Briggs, ICC. on 
Ps. 144), which, like the simple 2x, denotes “take a meal,” “get food,” 
and, by a further extension of meaning “to spend one’s life” (or, “to 
earn a livelihood”; see Skinner, JCC. on Gen. 31); so Amos 7 where 
Lxx. has χαταβιοῦν. But the total phrase ἐσθίειν ἄρτον παρά τινος 
seems to be unique in Gk. Bib., Lev. 10" (A) Lk. τοῦ Phil. 415 not being 
exact parallels. A few minuscules, bothered with ἐφάγομεν παρά, read 
ἐλάβομεν xaek.—For the adverbial accusative δωρεάν, which is common 
in Lxx., cf. inN. T. Rom. 3% Gal. 2. For odx ... οὐδέ. .. ἀλλά, 
see I 23,—The fact that Paul states not only that he was not idle but also 
that he did not beg is doubtless due to the consideration that the idlers 
were begging support from the church (cf. the emphatic ἑαυτῶν in v. *); 
the reference in I 513 to μηδενὸς χρείαν now becomes definite. 


8. ἀλλ᾽ ἐν κόπῳ κτὰ. “We were not idle (οὐκ), and we did not 
receive support from any one without paying for it (οὐδέν), but 
on the contrary (ἀλλά, this strong adversative being antithetical 
here as in I δ᾽ to both the negative clauses) we were working,” 
etc. But instead of proceeding “working in order that we might 
give ourselves as an example for you to imitate us” (v. %), and 
thus coming directly to the point introduced by μιμεῖσθαι (ν. *), 
Paul interjects two considerations designed to increase enor- 
mously the value of his example. (1) First, he calls attention to 
the fact, with which the readers are already acquainted and to 
which he had alluded in another connection in his first epistle 
(2°), that his labour was (a) exacting, “in toil and hardship,” (0) 
incessant, “by night and by day,” and (c) solely in their inter- 
ests, ‘‘so as not to put on any one of you a financial burden”’; 
and secondly (2), he observes characteristically that he worked 





ΠῚ, 7-9 3903 


to support himself, not because he had no right to demand, as 
an apostle of Christ, support from the church, but worked, waiv- 
ing his right to maintenance, in order that he might give in him- 
self a visible and constant example of self-sacrificing industry 
for them to imitate. 


The participle ἐργαζόμενοι is loosely attached to both ἠταχτήσαμεν 
and ἐφάγομεν, a construction not uncommon in Paul (see I 2" 2 Cor. 7°). 
—Some expositors separate the adverbial clauses, putting ἐν κόπῳ xat 
u.6x0m in sharp opposition to δωρεάν, and taking νυχτὸς... ἐργα- 
ζόμενοι as an explanatory parallel of ἐν κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, “more remotely 
dependent on the foregoing ἐφάγομεν’ (EIl.; so also De W. Wohl. 
Schmiedel, ef al.). But as Lillie, who inclines to the separation, re- 
marks: “Grammatically, however, the words ἐν xém . . . ἐργαζόμενοι 
may just as well be taken together in one antithetical clause,” antithet- 
ical we may repeat, in the light of I 23, to both οὐκ ἠταχτήσαμεν and 
οὐδὲ éokyouev.—The reference to the manner and purpose of his work 
is evidently advised.~ But whether the reminiscence of I 2°, which is 
almost verbal (except that ἐν χόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ is closer to 2 Cor. 11] 
than to I 29), is likewise conscious is not certain NBG read here vuxtb¢ 
χαὶ ἡμέρας as in I 2°; ADEKLP, ef al., emphasise the duration of the 
labour by reading the accusative. On the repeated phrase as a whole, sce 
on I 2°. 


9. οὐχ ὅτι κτλ. Using a common ellipsis (οὐχ ὅτι... ἀλλα), 
Paul qualifies the preceding statement with a view not simply 
to asserting his apostolic right to support from the church, but 
also to strengthening the force of his example by reminding the 
readers that he waived that right. Both the assertion and the 
waiving of rights are characteristic of Paul, especially as regards 
the right to receive remuneration for his missionary labour. In 
t Cor. 9", he fortifies his contention by quoting the point of a 
word of the Lord (Mt. 10!°=Lk. τοῦ). The language in which he 
expresses here his right differs from that in I (2°; see notes on 
2°8. 9) where the same claim is made and waived, and agrees 
with that in 1 Cor. οἱ #- μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν φαγεῖν καὶ 
πεῖν; μὴ οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν ἀδελφὴν γυναῖκα περιάγειν 
(even the wives of missionaries being entitled to support), and 
especially ἢ μόνος ἐγὼ καὶ Βαρνάβας οὐκ ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν μὴ 
ἐργάζεσθαι. In the light of the latter citation, we may supply 
here after the absolute ἐξουσίαν a μὴ ἐργάζεσθαι. 


304 2 THESSALONIANS 


ἀλλ᾽ iva κτλ. “But (we worked, waiving our rights) in order 
that we might give ourselves as an example to you with a view to 
your imitating us.” Since Paul says not σχῆτε (cf. Phil. 317 
ἔχετε τύπον ἡμᾶς) but δῶμεν ὑμῖν, it is likely that he intends to 
emphasise the self-sacrifice involved in this waiving of his rights, 
an emphasis which is conspicuous in a similar connection in 
the first epistle (28 μεταδοῦναι... Tas ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς). The 
ἑαυτούς here is likewise more emphatic than the ἡμᾶς just cited 
from Phil. 3!7; Paul gives not simply the command to work 
(v. 1°), but also himself as an example of industry. 


On the ellipsis οὐχ ὅτι (cf. 2 Cor. 1% 35 7% Phil. 417), whose origin is 
forgotten in usage (cf. Phil. 4"), see Bl. 81'; and on the ellipsis after 
ἀλλά, see BI. 771%. In the first case we may supply “we worked,” in 
the second, “we worked, waiving the right,” or simply “we did it.” 
For ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα, cf. 2 Cor. 24 137 Eph. 5"1.--ἐξουσίαν is here not potestatem 
but ius, not “liberty of action” but moral “right” or authority; see 
Mill. and cf. ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν in Rom. 9% 1 Cor. 77 o* rx!°.—On τύπον, 
see 1 17; on the use of διδόναι here, cf. Eph. 4" 5- 


10. καὶ yap ὅτε κτλ. “For also when we were with you (¢. 
I 3 Π 2°) this (that follows, τοῦτο being resumed by the ὅτε 
recitative as in I 41°) we were wont to command you (7apny- 
γέλλομεν; contrast παρηγγείλαμεν in I 4"), namely,” etc. The 
γάρ is parallel to γάρ in v. 7, and the καί co-ordinates the first 
reason for the command of v. ὅ, that is, the example of industry 
(vv. 7-°), with the second reason, namely, the oral precept re- 
peatedly given when he was with them (v. 19). The παράδοσις 
of ν. δ, which is now stated (εἴ τις οὐ θέλει κτλ.), is not ἃ truism: 
“if any one does not work, he has nothing to eat,” but an ethical 
imperative: “if any one refuses to work, he shall not eat”; 
“nolle vitium est”? (Bengel). In characterising as Christian this 
“olden rule of labour” (Dob.), Paul is true to the traditions of 
his Jewish teachers and to the example of the Master himself 
(Mk. 6°). The very phrase itself may well be the coinage of Paul, 
for the Thessalonians were mainly working people. 


Many parallels to this word of Paul, both Jewish and Greek, have 
been suggested (see Wetstein); but the closest is that found in Bereshith 
Rabba on Gen. 1? (a midrash “redacted according to Zunz in Palestine 





ΠΡ Ὸ ΣΤ΄ 305 


in the sixth century”; see Schiirer, I, 140): “if they do not work, they 
have nothing to eat.” But, as Dob. rightly urges, both in the passage 
cited and in other parallels that have been adduced, “the full valuation 
of labour as a moral duty” (Dob.), which is the point of Paul’s words, 
is absent. Deissmann would have it (Light, 318) that Paul was “ prob- 
ably borrowing a bit of good old workshop morality, a maxim coined 
perhaps by some industrious workman as he forbade his lazy apprentice 
to sit down to dinner.” Be that as it may, it is the industrious workman 
Paul who introduces this phrase, with its significant emphasis on θέλει, 
into the realm of Christian ethics. On the imperative in the apodosis, 
cf. τ Cor. 318 712, etc. For οὐ which negates θέλει, instead of yy (which 
D reads) in conditional sentences, see BMT. 370 f. The presence of 
μηδέ instead of μή (1 Cor. 712) is due to οὐ (cf. τ Cor. 107 f- Eph. 53, and 
BI. 77!°). B* and s* read ἐργάζεσθε; L reads θέλῃ. 


11. ἀκούομεν yap κτὰ. With γάρ (parallel to γάρ in vv.7-"), 
Paul explains (just why we do not know) that he is giving the 
command of v. δ on the basis of information received orally or 
by letter, or both. “For we are informed that some among you 
are living in idleness.” In saying “some (τινάς) among them” 
(ἐν ὑμῖν, not ὑμῶν ν. 8, or ἐξ ὑμῶν; cf. Rom. 11), Paul speaks 
indefinitely (cf. Gal. 17 2” 2 Cor. 10?- 15, etc.); but he has in mind 
definite persons whose names may have been known to him from 
his source of information. Idleness is an affair of the brother- 
hood (I 4°” 5124), and the brethren as a whole are responsible 
for the few among them who “do nothing but fetch frisks and 
vagaries” (Leigh). 

μηδὲν ἐργαζομένους ἀλλὰ περιεργαζομένους. In a paronoma- 
sia elegans (Wetstein), common to both Greek and Roman writ- 
ers, Paul defines περιπατεῖν ἀτάκτως (cf. v. 5) both negatively 
“working not at all,’ and positively “being busybodies.” The 
point is not simply that some of the brethren are living in idle- 
ness, but also that these idlers, instead of minding their own 
business (I 411), are meddling in the affairs of the brotherhood 
(ἐν ὑμῖν), seeking in their poverty and want to exact funds from 
the treasury of the group (see on πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια Τ 4"), instead 
of working to support themselves as they are able and as they 
ought to do. 

The present tense ἀχούομεν (cf. τ Cor. 1118, and contrast the aorist 


in Col. 14 Eph. 115) indicates not “we have just heard,” but either “we 
20 


306 2 THESSALONIANS 


keep hearing,”’ a progressive present, or “we hear, are told, are informed,” 
a present for the perfect (BMT. 16; Vulg. has audivimus). ἀχούειν 
may refer to hearsay (Find. Dob.; cf. 1 Cor. 5! 1118); but it may just 
as well indicate information received by letter, by word of mouth, or 
both (cf. Lk. 4% Acts 71 3 Jn. 4); note in P. Oxy. 294 ἀντιφώνησις of 
a “reply” toa letter, and ἀχούειν φάσιν, “to get word” by letter.—If 
there is a distinction (cf. Bl. 73°) between ἀχούειν with an infinitive 
(1 Cor. 1118) and ἀχούειν with the participle, the former construction 
will refer simply to the fact that they walk, the latter, to the continuous 
state of walking.—In the light of ἠταχτήσαμεν ἐν ὑμῖν (v. 1), the περι- 
πατοῦντας ἀτάχτως may be joined directly with ἐν ὑμῖν; since, however, 
Paul does not elsewhere use περιπατεῖν ἐν in the sense of “walk among,” 
it may be better to connect ἐν ὑμῖν with τινας, the separation being 
emphatic; cf. 1 Cor. τοῦτ (possibly also 318 151), and Schmiedel, Moff. 
Dob. Rutherford. D, et al., obscure the emphasis by reading τινὰς ἐν 
ὑμῖν περιπατοῦντας; Vulg. has inter vos quosdam ambulare——To illus- 
trate the “elegant paronomasia,’’ commentators refer among others to 
Demosthenes (Phil. IV, 72) ἐργάζῃ καὶ περιεργάζῃ, and to Quintilian 
(VI, 3°) non agere dixit sed satagere. Various translations have been at- 
tempted (see Lillie); 6. g. “keine Arbeit treibexd sondern sich herum- 
ircibend” (Ewald); “doing nothing, but overdoing; not busy in work, 
but busybodies” (Edward Robinson, Lex. 1850); “working at no bus- 
iness, but being busybodies” (Ell.). For other instances in Paul of 
this play on words, Lft. refers to Phil. 33 1 Cor. 7°! 2 Cor. 113 3? 610 10%; 
see also Bl. 82“.---περιεργάζεσθαι is found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only 
Sir. 3% (cf. Sap. 8° 8); cf. Test. xii, Reub. 31° and Hermas, Sim. IX, 27; 
it is sometimes equivalent to πολυπραγμονεῖν (2 Mac. 239), See fur- 
ther, Deissmann, VBS. 52, and cf. περίεργος in 1 Tim. 51, 


12. τοῖς δὲ τοιούτοις κτλ. Having explained in vv. 7 why 
he commands the brothers to hold aloof from every brother who 
lives in idleness, Paul now turns (δέ) to command the idlers to 
work and earn their own living in tranquillity of mind, the τοῖς 
τοιούτοις being in contrast with ὑμῖν (v. ὃ). Paul, however, says 
not “we command you idlers,”’ or even “those idlers,” but in- 
directly and impersonally “‘such as these.” Furthermore, though 
he uses παραγγέλλομεν as in v. δ, he adds to it a παρακαλοῦμεν, 
tempering the command with an exhortation. And still further, 
wishing it to be understood that he speaks on the authority not 
of himself but of the indwelling Christ, he adds “in the Lord 
Jesus Christ.” The tone of the verse is obviously tactful. Paul 
speaks as one of them, not as an apostle but as a babe (I 27); 


1 
1 
| 
| 





Lats 307 


and he is confident that this word from him will suffice for most 
of the idlers, though in v. ™ he faces the contingency that a.few 
of them will continue to be disobedient (I 57). 

iva μετὰ ἡσυχίας KTA. Not without reference to his own ex- 
ample, Paul commands and exhorts them (‘va introducing the 
object) to work and earn their own living, and that too with 
tranquillity of spirit. They are to depend for their maintenance 
not upon others (I 412) but upon their own exertions (Chrys. notes 
the emphatic ἑαυτῶν). In the light of ἡσυχάζειν (I 4" σ. υ.), 
μετὰ ἡσυχίας is to be understood as the opposite not of περίερ- 
yateo Oat, as if “without meddlesomeness” were meant, but of 
the feverish excitement of mind stimulated by the belief that 
the Parousia was at hand, or, in its new and erroneous form 
(22), was actually present, a belief which together with the per- 
secutions (vv. 5) accounts for the increase of idleness and 
meddlesomeness since the writing of I. 


On τοιοῦτοι, which defines the τινάς with reference to them indi- 
vidually or as a class, see Bl. 479 and cf. Rom. 1618 1 Cor. 161° #., etc. 
- παραγγέλλειν (I 4") and παραχαλεῖν (I 21) are not combined else- 
where in Paul; on the ἵνα with παρακαλεῖν, cf. I 44; with παραγγέλλειν 
Paul elsewhere employs the infinitive (v. °z Cor. 71°; contrast τ Tim. 57). 
After παρακαλοῦμεν, supply αὐτούς or τοὺς τοιούτους.---Οπ the divine 
name with ἐν, see I τ; P omits Χριστῷ; KL, ef al., read the logically 
synonymous διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν "I. X. with Rom. 15%° (see on I 4?).— 
On ἡσυχία, cf. Acts 22? τ Tim. 2" ἴ- Sir. 2815; μετά marks the quality 
of mind with which working and earning their own living are to be 
‘associated.—On ἐσθίειν ἄρτον, see v. 8. 


13. ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί κτλ. “O brothers, do not tire of doing 
the right” (Rutherford). With δέ and an affectionate ἀδελφοί, 
Paul turns from the idlers (v. 12) to the brethren addressed in 
v. 6. The new point, general in form (since καλοποιεῖν is 
applicable to all) but specific in reference (as v. ™ intimates), is 
8. direct hint to the majority, perhaps definitely to “those that 
labour among you” (I 5%), that they keep on trying to do the 
right thing for the delinquents. The words may imply that in 
warning the idlers (I 5") the brethren had become impatient 
and. tactless. 


308 2 THESSALONIANS 


Chrys., however, thinks that the majority are here reminded that they 
are not to permit the idlers to perish with hunger. Calv., taking the 
words generally, interprets Paul as fearing that their experience of the 
abuse of liberality will tend to make the leaders uncharitable, even to 
the deserving members of the church.—With the exception of Lk. 18", the 
verb ἐνχαχεῖν is found elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only in Paul; cf. Gal. ὁ», 
τὸ δὲ χαλὸν ποιοῦντες μὴ ἐνχαχῶμεν. On the spelling ἐνχαχεῖν (BD), 
ἐγχαχεῖν (ΝΑ; cf. Sym. Pr. 311 Is. 715, etc.), or ἐχχαχεῖν (GFKLP; cf. 
Sym. Jer. 183), see WH. App.? 157 f. From the literal meaning “to be- 
have badly in” (Thayer), ἐνχαχεῖν comes to mean also “flag,” “falter,” 
“tire,” “be weary.” On the μή here, see BMT. 162.—xahoxotety, a 
word found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only Lev. 5 (F), is equivalent to 
χαλῶς ποιεῖν (Lev. 54 τ Cor. 727 !- Phil. 4", etc.); it means probably 
not “to confer benefits” (Chrys. Calv. Dob. εἰ al.) but, as most take 
it, “to do the right.” Elsewhere Paul uses not χαλὸν ποιεῖν (GF; cf. 
Jas. 417) but τὸ καλὸν ποιεῖν (Gal. 69 Rom. 77! 2 Cor. 137). 


14, εἰ δέ τις κτλ. Anticipating the probability (cf. I 52”) 
that some of the idlers would refuse to obey his evangelic utter- 
ance (τῷ λόγῳ ἡ μῶν referring especially to ν. 12) expressed in this 
letter, he orders the brethren, if the case should arise, to proceed 
to discipline, not with a view to excluding the disobedient among 
the idlers from the brotherhood, but in the hope of inducing them 
to repent and amend their idle ways. (1) First of all, he com- 
mands: σημειοῦσθε, “designate that man.” Just how they are 
to note him, whether in writing or by naming him publicly at 
a meeting, is not explained. (2) Then with an infinitive for an 
imperative (Rom. 121° Phil. 315), he continues, interpreting the 
στέλλεσθαι of ν. ὃ: μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι αὐτῷ, “let there be no 
intimate association with him.” The advance from νουθετεῖν 
(I 5"*) to “hold aloof from,” “do not associate with,” is necessary, 
and the severer measures are justified. It wiil be remembered 
that Paul had given orders to the idlers when he was present 
(v. 1901 4"), had repeated them in the first epistle (I 4"; cf. 
514), and has just reiterated them in a conciliatory manner in 
vv. 513 (cf. vv. 1-5), hinting at the same time (v. 13) that the ma- 
jority must be tactful in their treatment of their delinquent 
brothers. If, however (εἰ δέ), in spite of all this, some of the idle 
brothers persist in disobeying his orders as conveyed by letter 
(I 5°’), then they must be deprived of intimate association with 





ἘΠ Oe a 309 


the rest of their fellows (cf. 1 Cor. 59: 1), But even so, absolute 
separation from the companionship of the brethren is not in 
mind; for Paul does not add here, as he does in r Cor. 5", the 
μηδὲ συνεσθίειν: and above all he does add here the significant 
v.15, (3) Finally, the purpose of the discipline is explicitly men- 
tioned, ἵνα ἐντραπῇ “that he may be shamed.” Reformation, 
not exclusion from the brotherhood, is intended. 


ὃ λόγος ἡμῶν (2 Cor. 118) could be the equivalent of τὸ εὐαγγέλιον 
ἡμῶν (21); here, however, it refers most probably to that element of the 
message of the gospel which is specified in v. %. The obedience required 
(cf. Phil. 22) is not to Paul’s word as such but to his word as inspired by 
Christ (ἐν κυρίῳ ν. 1). B, οἱ al., read ὑμῶν for ἡμῶν; cf. BN in 2 Cor. 6% 
(καρδία ὑμῶν).--διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς refers naturally to the present letter 
(so most from Chrys. and Th. Mops. to Dob.); but the presence of the 
article (τῆς) is not conclusive for this interpretation, as 1 Cor. 51° shows. 
However, were Paul alluding to a letter that the converts are to send 
him (Erasmus, Calv. Grot. et al.), there would be no point in specifying 
the procedure to be followed (Liin.); and furthermore in that case we 
should expect σημειοῦσθε τοῦτον δι᾽ ἐπιστολῆς (GF omit τῆς). The 
phrase διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολῆς is to be joined closely with τῷ λόγῳ ἡμῶν, the 
article τῷ being supplied on the analogy of I 11 ἐχχλησίᾳ (τῇ) ἐν θεῷ.--- 
On εἰ δέ τις, cf. v. 9; for the condition, see BMT. 242.---σημειοῦσθαι 
(BA have the imperative; SDGFP the infinitive) is found elsewhere in 
Gk. Bib. only Ps. 47; it occurs in Polybius and Philo; and frequently 
in papyri, of the signature in writing (6. 5. P. Oxy. 42, 5% (A.D. 323) 
σεσημείωμαι ἐμῇ χειρί. See further, 1 Clem. 431, and Sophocles, Lex. 
sub voc.—suvavautyvucbat is found elsewhere in the Gk. Bib. only 
τ Cor. 5% 1 Hos. 78 (A) Ezek. 2018 (A). The command is not direct 
“don’t you associate,” but indirect “let there be no intimate associa- 
tion with him.” BWA, ef al., read the infinitive (not of purpose, but 
equivalent to an imperative); EKLP, ef al., have the imperative. 
To relieve the asyndeton, GFKLP, εἰ al., insert καί before μιῇ. In Hos. 78 
Ezek. 2018, B has the imperative, AQ the infinitive-—évtpéxety occurs 
in Gk Bib. only τ Cor. 4%; the more common ἐντρέπεσθαι is used 
either absolutely or with the accus. (Mk. 12° Lk. 18? Sap. 21° 7%, etc.); 
for the passive here, compare the refrain in Ps. 344 69? (3915) αἰσχυν- 
θεΐξησαν χαὶ ἐντραπείησαν. 


15. καὶ μὴ ὡς ἐχθρόν κτλ. Even the disobedient idler is a 
brother, and to do the right thing (v. 1) for him means that the 
warning is to be administered in the spirit not of hate but of love. 
“And so” (Kad), that is, “that the moral result aimed at (iva 


310 2 THESSALONIANS 


ἐντραπῇ) may not be hindered, this of course must be the spirit 
and style of your discipline” (Lillie), “regard him not as an 
enemy, but on the contrary warn him as a brother” (cf. I 5" 
νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους). This significant sentence is so 
formed that the stress is laid not on the νουθετεῖτε but on the 
ἡγεῖσθε, as if the majority needed a warning as well as the mi- 
nority. Evidently Paul wishes the majority to see as he sees 
that the idlers, even the recalcitrant among them, are brothers, 
not enemies; and to have a care that the discipline be adminis- 
tered in love and with the sole purpose of repentance and reform. 
Furthermore, it now becomes clear that “to keep away from” 
(v. °), and “not to associate with” (v. 1) are far from suggesting 
the removal of the disobedient idlers from the influence of their 
brothers. It isnmoteworthy that the last word is not στέλλεσθαι 
and συναναμίγνυσθαι, but νουθετεῖτε as in 1 5", the advance 
here being in the words ἡγεῖσθε ὡς ἀδελφόν, a point which the 
brethren appear to have been in danger of forgetting (v. 13; sce 
on εἰρηνεύέτε 1 515), 


Chrys., who sees the fatherly heart of Paul manifested in vv. 13-15, is 
inclined to suppose that the admonition is to be given not publicly but 
privately. On ἡγεῖσθαι, see I 5%; on ἐχθρός, cf. Rom. 1235. The ὡς, if 
not a Hebraism (Bl. 345; cf. Job 19" ἡγήσατο δέ we ὥσπερ ἐχθρόν, 33° 
41%), is at least pleonastic, marking “the aspect in which he is not to 
be regarded” (Ell.). D, οἱ al., omit the xat before μή. 


VII. PRAYER (319. 


‘Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace continually, 
in every circumstance. The Lord be with you all. 

16. αὐτὸς δέ κτλ. The prayer for peace addressed to Christ, 
the Lord of peace, is prompted by the situation which the com- 
mand (vv. 5:15) is designed to meet. The command alone, how- 
ever, without the assistance of the indwelling Christ, will not 
suffice to restore harmony within the brotherhood; hence, to 
insure this concord, the Lord of peace himself must give them 
a sense of inward religious peace, and that too continually, in 
every circumstance of life. In the added prayer: “May the 


eS χα ee le 


ey 


i ee ee a ee 


= Se 


ee oe ne oe 


. sq) 


III, 15-17 211 


Lord (=Christ) be (sc. ἔστω or εἴη) with you all,” the πάντων 
may be intentional (cf. I 535 II 1°. 10 318; but note also Rom. 15%); 
both the majority and the idlers need the personal presence as 
well as the peace of Christ as a surety for harmony and concord 
within the brotherhood. 
A similar situation evokes a similar prayer to the God of peace in 
I 52-4, following the exhortations of 41-52%. On εἰρήνη, see I 11 and 5%; 
on χύριος = Christ, see 2%. GFL, et al., read θεός conforming to Paul’s 
regular usage (see on I 5%). On δώῃ, cf. Rom. 155 and the note of SH.; 
on διδόναι εἰρήνην, cof. Num. 626 Is. 2613.--διὰ παντός occurs elsewhere 
in Paul only Rom. 111° = Ps. 68%; it is equivalent to ἀδιαλείπτως, ἀεί, 
πάντοτε, ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ (cf. the parallelism in Ps. 332); see on I 516 £., 
—éy παντὶ τρόπῳ (SBEKLP, et al.) is used elsewhere in Gk. Bib. only 
3 Mac. 78 (A); cf. παντὶ τρόπῳ (Phil. 118 1 Mac. 1435) and χατὰ πάντα 
τρόπον (Rom. 3? Num. 18”). As Ven. in 3 Mac. 78,so ADGF, the Latins, 
Chrys. and Ambst. here have the more common expression ἐν παντὶ 
τόπῳ (I 18). 


VIII. SALUTATION (1). 


The greeting by the hand of me Paui; this fact is a token of genu- 
ineness in every letter; this is the way I write. 

17. ὁ ἀσπασμός κτλ. It would appear that Paul, like his con- 
temporaries, occasionally wrote (Phil. 19) but regularly dictated 
(Rom. 16”) his letters; and that, again like his contemporaries, 
he was in the habit of adding to every dictated letter a few 
concluding words in his own handwriting. Sometimes, and for 
varying reasons, he calls attention to the autographic conclusion, 
thus purposely authenticating his letter; so for example in 1 
Cor. 162 Col. 418 where as here we have ὁ ἀσπτασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ 
Παύλου (the genitive being in apposition with ἐμοῦ implied in 
ἐμῇ); see also Gal. 6" = Phile. 19 ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ χειρί, It is 
not at all necessary to assume in any of these instances that a 
particular suspicion of forgery prompted the summons to atten- 
tion, though it is not inconceivable in our passage that men- 
tion is made of the autographic conclusion in view of the fact 
that some of the idle brethren (I 52” If 215) may have excused 
their intention to disregard Paul’s epistolary injunctions on the 
score that the letter to be read was not genuine. 


312 2 THESSALONIANS 


6 ἐστιν σημεῖον κτλ. “Not ‘which salutation,’ nor ‘which 
hand,’ as if 6 were attracted by σημεῖον. but ‘which auto- 
graphic way of giving the salutation’ ” (Lillie). The σημεῖον = 
“token” refers to what Paul has written in his own hand; it is 
a proof of authenticity. In view of the ancient habit of writing, 
or at least of signing a letter, just as we sign with our pen a letter 
written or typewritten by the stenographer, it is quite unneces- 
sary to limit the scope of the phrase “in every letter.” The 
οὕτως γράφω refers not to the fact but to the manner of the 
autographic conclusion; ‘‘mark the handwriting” (Rutherford). 
The Thessalonians had already received a letter from Paul, in 
which, according to epistolary custom, he had himself written 
a few closing words (I 578 or 36:38), His handwriting, which was 
characteristic (Gal. 6"), is assumed to be known. In case of 
necessity, the majority could direct the attention of the recalci- 
trant among the idlers to the same hand in I and II. 


Deissmann (Light, 153, 158f.) calls attention to ancient procedure in 
the matter of writing autographic conclusions in evidence of authen- 
ticity, and properly urges that it is a begging of the question to assume 
that Paul “only finished off with his own hand those letters in which he 
expressly says that he did.” In a very brief letter from Mystarion to a 
priest, dated September 13, 50 (BGU, 37), a reproduction of which is 
given by Deissmann (ibid, 157), the ἔρρωσο and the date are written in 
another hand, that is, ‘in Mystarion’s own hand,” a circumstance that 
“proves that somebody at that date (about the time of our letter) closed 
a letter in his own hand without expressly saying so.’”’ In the Passa- 
lacqua papyrus (Deissmann, BS. 212 f., Witk. 35), a σύμβολον = σημεῖον 
is given, as a token of genuineness, to the messenger along with the letter: 
ἀπεδόθη τάδ᾽ αὐτῷ χαὶ τὸ σύμβολον τῶν ἐγ. (Deissmann, ἐμῶν); on the 
other hand, there is no parallel for ἃ σύμβολον = σημεῖον as contained 
in the letter itself. The extent of the autographic writing here and else- 
where is uncertain, naturally enough, for we do not possess the original. 
In our passage, Th. Mops. Chrys. Wohl. and others restrict it to ν. '8; 
Ell. Lft. Mill. and others include vv. 17-18; Schmiedel, Dob. and others 
include vv. 16:18. and Dibelius includes both v. 18 and the date now lost. 





ΠΠΠ| πὴ Τὼ 313 


IX. BENEDICTION (3}8). 


18. ἡ χάρις TA. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
you all.” The benediction is the same as I 5* with the exception 
that πάντων is inserted, as in v. 19, to include “the censured as 
well as the steady members” (Moffatt). 


Most codices add a liturgical ἀμὴν after ὑμῶν; BN and a few others 
omit.—The subscription πρὸς θεσσαλονιχεῖς β (SB), to which GF pre- 
fix ἐτελέσθη, and to which AKL, εἰ al., add ἐγράφη ἀπὸ ᾿Αθηνῶν, is late, 
and forms no part of the original letter; see on I 538, 





INDEXES. 


I. SUBJECTS AND AUTHORS. 


ΑΒΒΟΤΊ, T. K., 98. 

Achaia, 85. 

Agrapha, 171, 183, 209. 

Ambrosiaster, 58 f., 65, 82, and 
passim. 

Angels, 139, 174, 232. 

Anomos, origin and significance of 
the, 273. 

Antichrist; see Anomos. 

Apostasy, the, 250. 

Apostle, 68, 99. 

Aquila and Priscilla (Prisca), 69. 

Aristarchus, 5. 

Askwith, E. H., 42, 172, 248. 

Auberlen and Riggenbach, 42, 63 jf. 

Augustine, 60, 260, 262. 

Authenticity of the epistles, 37-54. 


Bacon, B. W., 9, 27, 42, and passim. 

Baur Ε΄. ...37,.49; 25. 

Belial, 253. 

Bengel, 62 f., 65, 92, and passim. 

Bernard, J. H., 240. 

Bercea, 8, 84, 110. 

Beza, 61, 81, and passim. 

Bigg, C., 149. 

Blass, 72, 74, and passim. 

Bornemann, W., 40, 42, 59 f., 63, 
65, 74, and passim. 

Bousset, 41, 42, 70, and passim. 

Briggs, C. A., 42, 44, 45, 60 ff., 90, 
140, 175, 197, 205, 231, 253 7.» 250, 
276, 291, 302. 

Brother, 78. 


Burkitt, F. C., 58, 115, 116. 
Burton, E. D., 2, 96, and passim. 


CABIRI, 95 f., 167. 

Call of God, 105, 154, 214, 282. 

Calvin, 60 f., 65, 77, and passim. 

Charles, R. H., 41 f., 115, and passim. 

Chrysostom, 59, 65, 69, and passim. 

Church, 4 ff., 109, 224. 

@lemen; €., 7; 10,°42, 45, 115, and 
passim. 

Commentaries on the epistles, 59- 
65. 

Consecration, 138, 145 ff., 281. 

Contents of the epistles, 12-17, 20- 
24. 

Conybeare, F. C., 58, 116, 119, 216. 


DatMan, G., 225, 235. 

Date of the epistles, 9, 19-20. 

Day of the Lord, 77, 180 ff., 236, 
248. 

Death of Christ, 111, 168 f., 189, 
286. 

Deissmann, A., 9, 43, 53, 67, 70, and 
passim. 

Demas, 5. 

Denney, James, 64 f., 173, 278, 281, 
283. 

Destruction, 182, 234, 270. 

De Wette, 40, 63, 65,94, and passim. 

Dibelius, M., 42, 54, 63, 75, and 
passim. 

Dichotomy and trichotomy, 212 f. 


315 


316 


Disposition of the epistles, 17, 27- 
28. 

Dobschiitz, E. von, 7, 38, 42, 45, 47, 
55, 59, 63, 65, 68, 71, and passim. 

Drummond, James, 39, 63, 99, 171. 


ELECTION, 77 f., 279. 

Ellicott, 63, 65, 79, and passim. 

Endurance, 76, 110, 224, 296. 

Ephraem, Syrus, 59, 75, and passim. 

Epictetus, 141, 155, 163, 200, 202. 

Epistolary literature, 67. 

Eschatology, 43 f., 88 f., 122 f., 139, 
163 f., 178 ff., 243 f- 

Estius, 61 f., 140, 160, 210. 

Everling, 121 f., 175. 

Ewald, P., 121. 


Farra, 76, 86, 131, 168, 187, 222, 236, 
240, 292. 

Findlay, G. G., 42, 45, 55, 63 f-, 75, 
and passim. 

Flatt, 62, 99, and passim. 


GALLIO, 9. 

Gardner, Percy, 70. 

Gilbert, G. H., 50. 

Glory, 105, 236, 241, 282, 201. 

Good, the, 200. 

Goodwin, W. W., 89, 125, 152, 288. 

Gospel of God, 79 f. 

Grace, 71, 218 f., 242, 286. 

Gregory, C. R., 55 ff., 69, 261. 

Gressmann, H., 276. 

Grotius, 43, 61f., 65, 99, and passim. 

Gunkel, 41, 70, 105, 205, 250, 260, 
270. 


Hammonp, H., 61 f., 65, 81, and 
passim. 

Harnack, 42 f., 53 f., 78, and passim. 

Harris, Rendel, 67, 87, 107. 

Hatch, E., 86, 213, 264. 

Heart, 96, 118, 138, 287. 


INDEXES 


Heaven, 89, 174, 232. 

Heitmiiller, 299. 

Hollmann, 41 f., 45, 52. 

Holtzmann, H. J., 37, 40 f., 45, 63, 
64, 109, and passim. 

Hope, 76, 167 f., 187, 286. 

Howson, J. S., 2. 


IDLENESS, 159 ff., 197, 297 f- 
Impurity, 11, 95, 145 f. 


JASON, 4 ff. 

Jesus Christ, death of, 111, 168 f., 
189, 286; resurrection of, 168 f.; 
indwelling of, 69 f., 144 f., 169, 
188. 

Jews, the, 73, 90, 105 ff., 117 ff., 292. 

Jowett, B., 63, 151, 213, 222, 232. 

Joy, 83, 123, 133f., 201. 

Judea, τος ff. 

Judgment, the final, 89, 113 ff., 188, 
228, 233 ff., 272. 

Jiilicher, 37, 42. 


KABISCH, 121, 174, 176. 

χατέχων ἄρτι, 6, the meaning of, 259. 

Kennedy, H. A. A., 58, 102, and 
passim. 

Kern, 40 ff., 52, 247, 249. 

Kingdom of God, 105, 226 f. 

Kiss, the holy, 216. 

Klausner, J., 260, 276. 

Knowling, R. J., 4, 42. 


LAKE, K., 7, 27, 42, and passim. 

Language of the epistles, 28-34. 

Lex talionis, 227 ff. 

Lightfoot, J. B., 
and passim. 

Lillie, John, 42, 59, 64 f., 76, and 
passim. 

Literary resemblances between IL 
and I, 45-51. 

Lock, W., 42, 116. 


2, 47, 63, 65, 76, 





INDEXES 


Lord= Christ, 279. 

Lord Jesus Christ, significance of the 
name, 71. 

Love, 76, 131, 137, 157 f., 187, 195, 
τοῦ ff., 222, 270, 296, 300. 

Lueken, 43, 63, 175. 

Liinemann, 37 f., 42, 63, 65, 85, and 
passim. 


MaceponiA, 86, 157. 

McGiffert, 8, 27, 38, 42 f., 43, 45; 
52, 68, 100, 107, 121, 145, 159, 193, 
205, 230. 

Man of lawlessness; see Anomos. 

Mathews, S., 5, 172, 276. 

Mayor, J. B., 108, 122. 

Michael, 174 f. 

Milligan, George, 42 f., 45, 63, 65, 
67 f., and passim. 

Moffatt, James, 37 ff., 42 f., 45, 53, 
64, 67 f., and passim. 

Moore, G. F., 88, 189, 253, 254. 

Moulton, J. H., 75, and passim. 

Mystery of lawlessness, 263. 


NAGELI, 32. 
Name of Christ, in the, 208 f. 
Nestle, 58, 72, 128. 


CECUMENIUS, 60, 142, 214, 232, 240. 
290. 


Parousia, of Christ, 88, 122 f., 130, 
173, 212, 231, 244; of the Anomos, 
265, 268 ff. 

PEACE ΠΤ ΤΩΡ, 21, 210; 210: 

Pelagius, 59 f., 142, 212, 214, 228, 
237, 240. 

Pelt, 50, 62, 99, and passim. 

Persecutions, 82, 108 ff., 127 ff., 225, 
204. 

Personal equation of the epistles, 
34-37. 

Pfleiderer, 37, 40, 


ST] 


Place of writing of the epistles, 9, 
19-20. 

Plummer, A., 116. 

Plural, epistolary, 68. 

Politarchs, 2, 4, 121. 

Poole, M., ὅτ f., 65, 115, and passim. 

Prayer, 75, 134 ff., 201, 209 ἢ, 215, 
238) ἢ 285 ff-5 280) ἢ -5 200 ΤΠ 
310. 

Priority of II, 38-39. 

Prophesying, gift of, 204 ff. 


RABINSOEN, M., 260, 276. 

Ramsay, W. M., 2f., 121. 

Reinach, Th., 112. 

Reitzenstein, R., 70, 208, 268. 

Religious convictions of II, 24-27. 

Resch, A., 172, 209. 

Resurrection of Christ, 168 f.; of 
believers, 168 f. 

Retaliation, 200, 227 ff. 

Robinson, J. A., 67, 72, and passim. 

Ropes, J. H., 172, 189, 209. 

Rutherford, W. G., 93, and passim. 


SALVATION, 112, 188, 270, 281. 

Sanday and Headlam, 58, 71, and 
passim. 

Sanders, H. A., 56. 

Satan;,121 f-, 127 ff., 208, 203 fs 

Schaefer, A., 64, 261 ff. 

Schettler, A., 145, 170. 

Schmiedel, 37, 39 ff-, 45, 63, 65, 68, 
85, and passim. 

Schott, 62, 137, 161, 195, 226, 282 f. 

Schiirer, 245, 276, 305. 

Schweitzer, A., 70. 

Secundus, 5. 

Silvanus, 68, 210. 

Soden, H. von, 40, 55, 67, 69, and 
passim. 

Séderblom, N., 276. 

Sophocles, E. A., 94, 99, and passim. 

Souter, A., 55 f., and passim. 


318 


Spirit, the Holy, 81, 83, 155 f., 203,f7., 
246. 

Spitta, F., 43, 45, 126, 148, 258 f. 

Swete, H. B., 59, 64, 80, and pas- 
sim. 


Synagogue, 109. 


TAFEL, 2. 

Teichmann, E., 174. 

Temple of God, 256. 

Text of the epistles, 55-58. 

Thackeray, H. St. John, ror, 114. 

Thayer, J. H., 245, 247, 293, 308. 

Theodore of Mopsuestia, 59, 65, 108, 
and passim. 

Theodoret, 59, 99, and passim. 

Theophylact, 60, 93, and passim. 

Thessalonians, founding of the 
Church of the, 1-5; character of 
the Church of the, 5-7. 

Thessalonica, the city of, 2. 

Timothy, 68, 126, 131, 210. 

Tischendorf, 55 ff., 82, and passim. 

Titius, A., 172. 

Toy, C. ἘΠῚ, τοῦ, 216. 

Tradition, 143, 284, 304. 

Tomer, CoH. Ὁ; bo%) 1735 


INDEXES 


VERSIONS, 58. 

Vincent, M. R., 42, 140, 148 f., 153, 
208, 226, 233, 235, 238, 245, 296. 

Viteau, τοι. 

Volz, P., 70, 166, and passim. 

Vorstius, 62, 147, 163. 

Vos, 178. 


WEIsS, B., 42, 55, 63, 78, and passim. 

Weiss, J., 38, 81, 122, 205, 231, 284. 

Weizsiicker, 40 f., 52. 

Wendland, P., 88. 

Wernle, P., 42, 45. 

Westcott and Hort, 28, 55, 82, and 
passim. 

Wetstein, 62, ror, and passim. 

Will of God, 146, 202. 

Witkowski, S., 67, 72, and passim. 

Wohlenberg, G., 42, 63, 65, 75, and 
passim. 

Work, 102, 162, 191 ff., 392 ff. 

Wrath, 80 f., 113 ff., 188. 

Wrede, W., 40, and passim. 


ZAHN, TH., 27, 42, 45, 53, 68, 71, and 
passim. 
Zimmer, F., 55, 82, and passim. 





II. GREEK WORDS AND PHRASES. 


ἀγαθός, I 3511 215. 17; τὸ ἀγαθόν, T 535, 

ἀγαθωσύνῃ, IT 1. 

ἀγαπᾷν, 4911 2:5; ἀδελφοὶ ἠγαπη- 
μένοι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ (I 14), κυρίου 
(II 21). 

ἀγάπη, I τ 35 58-13; εἰς ἀλλήλους, I 
3211 13; τῆς ἀληθείας, IL 2; τοῦ 
θεοῦ, IT 35. 

ἀγαπητοί, 1 28. 

ἄγγελοι δυνάμεως, IL τῇ, 

ἄγειν, 1 414. 

ἁγιάζειν, 1 533, 

ἁγιασμός, I 45.4.1; 
ματος, IT 213, 

ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ, I 513 IL 1°; ἅγιον with 
«νεῦμα, 1 τῦ- 5.48; with φίλημα, I 555, 

ἁγιωσύνη, I 33. 

ἀγνοεῖν, οὐ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς, I 413, 

ἀγών, 1 23. 

ἀδελφός, I 32 and passim; ἀδελφοί, I 
τ΄ and passim. 

ἀδιαλείπτως, 1 13 218 517, 

ἀδικία, IT 219- 12, 

ano, I 4". 

ἀθετεῖν, I 48. 

᾿Αθῆναι, I 31. 

αἱρεῖσθαι, IT 213, 

αἰφνίδιος, I 53. 

αἰώνιος, ὄλεθρος, IL 19; παράχλησις 
αἰωνία, IT 216, 

ἀκαθαρσία, I 23 47. 

axons, λόγος, I 238. 

ἀκούειν, IT 34. 

ἀκριβῶς, I 52. 

ἀλήθεια, H, IL 213, ἡ ἀγάπη τῆς ἀλη- 
θείας, IL 2; πίστις ἀληθείας, IT 213. 

ἀληθινός, θεός, I 19. 


ἐν ἁγιασμῷ πνεύ- 


319 


ἀληθῶς, I 4213, 

ἀλλά,1 18 and passim; ἀλλὰ χαί, I 
18 281 

ἀλλήλους, I 49-18 511; εἰς ἀλλήλους 
IT 3% 55 IT τὸ, 

ἄλλοι, I 25. 

ἅμα aby, 411 510, 

ἁμαρτίας, τάς, I 4215, 

ἄμεμπτος, I 5:3, 

ἀμέμπτως, 1 219 523, 

ἀναγινώσχειν, 1 527, 

ἀνάγκη, 31. 

ἀναιρεῖν τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος, 
ΠῚ 28. 

ἀναμένειν, 1 11°. 

ἀναπληροῦν, I 216, 

ἄνεσις, 11 17. 

ἀνέχεσθαι, 11 τ΄. 

ἄνθρωπος, I 24 and passim; ὃ ἄνθρω- 
πος τῆς ἀνομίας, 11 23. 

ἀνιστάναι, 1 414: 15. 

ἀνομία, IT 23-7. 

ἄνομος, ὃ, IL 28. 

ἀνταποδιδόναι, L 39 IT 18 

ἀντέχεσθαι, I 54. 

ἀντί, I 515; ἀνθ’ ὧν, IT 210, 

ἀντιχείμενος, IT 24. 

ἄξιόν ἐστιν, IT 13. 

ἀξιοῦν, IT 1. 

ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ, περιπατεῖν, I 213. 

ἀπαγγέλλειν, I 1°. 

ἀπάντησιν, εἰς, 1 41. 

ἅπαξ καὶ δίς, I 218; cf. Phil. 415. 

ἀπάτη ἀδικίας, IL 215, 

ἀπέχεσθαι ἀπό, 1 45 5%. 

ἀπό, 1 τ8 and passim; ἀπὸ προσώπου, 
II 1%. 


320 


ἀποδειχνύναι, IT 24, 

ἀποδιδόναι, 1 515, 

ἀποθνήσχειν, I 41" 51°, of Christ. 

ἀποχαλύπτεσθαι, II 23-68 of the 
Anomos. 

ἀποχάλυψις, ἡ, Π 17, of Christ. 

ἀποχτείνειν, I 21, 

ἀπολλύμενοι, οἱ, IT 219, 

ἀπορφανίζεσθαι ἀπό, I 217, 

ἀποστασία, ἣ, IT 23. 

ἀπόστολοι Χριστοῦ, i 25. 

ἀπωλείας, ὃ υἱὸς τῆς, IT 23, 

ἄρα οὖν, I ς5 11 215, 

ἀρέσχειν θεῷ, I 21 15 41; ἀνθρώποις, 
Tat 

ἁρπάζεσθαι, I 417. 

ἄρτι, I 3° IT 27, 

ἄρτον, ἐσθίειν, ΤΙ 38. 12, 

ἀρχάγγελος,Ι 415. 

ἀρχῆς, ἀπ᾽, 11 215, 

ἀσθενεῖς, οἱ, I 514. 

ἀσπάζεσθαι ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ, I 526. 

ἀσπασμὸς τῇ ἐμῇ χειρὶ Παύλου, II 3”. 

ἀσφάλεια, I 53. 

ἀταχτεῖν, 11 37. 

ἄταχτοι, ot, I 514, 

ἀτάχτως, περιπατεῖν, IT 35. 1, 

ἄτοποι χαὶ πονηροί, IT 33. 

αὐτός, passim; αὐτὸς δὲ 6 θεός, I 531: 
5%; & χύριος, IT 216 316; cf. I 415, 
τὰ αὐτὰ καθώς, I 214, 


᾽Αχαία, I 17-8, 


βάρει εἶναι, ἐν, I 28, 
βασιλεία, ἣ ἑαυτοῦ, I 213; ἡἣ βασιλεία 
τοῦ θεοῦ, IT τῦ. 


γάρ,1 18 and passim; αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἵ- 
date, I 21 23 5211 37; χαὶ γάρ, 410; 
χαὶ γὰρ ὅτε, I 34 IT 410, 

γαστρί, ἔχειν ἐν, I 53, 

χίνεσθαι, passim; with dat. I 15-7 
25. 10. with els, 1 15 35; with éx μέ- 
σου, 11 27, 


Ae ee eS ESE πὰρ SESE Se eS 55:5 - Ξε ΟΣ Ξ ΤΕΣ ΞΞΕΣ 


INDEXES 


γινώσχειν, I 35. 
γράφειν, I 4° 51 IT 3%. 
γρηγορεῖν, I 56. 10, 


δέ, I 215 and passim. 

δεῖ, πῶς, I 41 IL 37. 

δεῖσθαι εἰς τό, I 319, 

δέχεσθαι (τὸν) λόγον, 1 16 213, τὴν 
ἀγάπην τῆς ἀληθείας, II 21:0, 

διά with gen., I 317 and passim; τοῦ 
Ἰησοῦ,1 41"; τοῦ χυρίου Ἰησοῦ,1 42; 
τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν “I. X., I 59; πνεύ- 
ματος, II 2323, With accus., I 15 3? 
533; διὰ τοῦτο, 1 213 35-7 IT att, 

διαμαρτύρεσθαι, I 45. 

διδάσχεσθαί τι, IT 215, 

διδόναι, 1 42 TT 18 216 49.16. εἴς τινα, 
I 43. 

δικαία χρίσις, IL τό; δίκαιον, IT 18, 

διχαίως, I 219, 

δίχην, τίνειν, IT 19. 

διό, 1 31 5". 

διότι, 1 28 18 48, 

διωγμοὶ χαὶ θλίψεις, IT τ΄, 

διώχειν τὸ ἀγαθόν, I ς"Ὁ, 

δοχιμάζειν, 1 24 521, 

δόλῳ, ἐν, I 23. 

δόξα, I 25. 2%; 1 213, of God; II 2%, 
of Christ; τῆς ἰσχύος αὐτοῦ, II 
ube 

δοξάζεσθαι, IT 531. 

δουλεύειν θεῷ, I 1% 

δύναμις, IL 17 2% ἐν δυνάμει, I 18 
II 1, 

δύνασθαι, 25 35. 

δωρεάν, IT 38. 


ἐάν, 28; with μή, II 25; with indic., 
ΤῊΣ 

ἑαυτοῦ, I 27 and passim. 

ἐγείρειν éx τῶν vexody, I 11%, 

ἐγώ,1 218, 

ἔθνη, τά, I 215 45. 

εἰ, 1 4"; εἴ τις οὐ, IT 31% 14, 





INDEXES 


εἶδον, I 38; τὸ πρόσωπον, I 21? 319, 

εἶδος, 1 52%. 

εἴδωλα, tx, 19. 

εἶναι, I 213 and passim. 

εἴπερ, IT 18. 

εἰρηνεύειν, I 513. 

εἰρήνη, I 53 IL 318; with χάρις, τ' 
II 12; 6 θεὸς (ὃ κύριος) τῆς εἰρήνης, 
Τ 533 II 318, 

εἰς, 1 τὸ and passim; εἰς 6, II 111. 14. 
εἰς τό with infin., I 212 16 32. δ. 10. 13 
43 11 15 22. 6. 10. 11 39, 

εἷς ἕχαστος, I 2% 11 13; εἷς τὸν ἕνα, 
T 5. 

εἴσοδος, I 19 21. 

εἴτε, 1 59 IT 235, 

ἐχ, 1 119 23.6; ἐχ μέσου γίνεσθαι, IT 27. 

ἕχαστος, 1 44; with εἷς, I 211 11 13. 

ἐχδίκησίν τινι, διδόναι, IT 18. 

ἔχδιχος χύριος, 1 45. 

ἐχδιώχειν, 1 215, 

ἐχείνῃ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, 11 11°. 

ἐχχλησία Θεσσαλονιχέων, ἣ, I τ1 IT 13; 
αἱ ἐχχλησίαι τοῦ θεοῦ, I 2:4 IT 14. 

ἐχλογὴ ὑμῶν, ἣ, 1 τ΄. 

ἐχφεύγειν, I 53. 

ἐλπίς, 1 13 219 413 58 TI 216, 

ἐμός, IT 317. 

ἔμιπροσθεν, with God 1 13 3° 8; with 
Christ, I 21°. 

ἐν, passim; ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ (ἡμῶν), τ: 
II τι; ἐν τῷ θεῷ ἡμῶν, I 22; ἐν 
χυρίῳ, I 38 532; ἐν χυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ 
(χριστῷ), I 41; I rt ID τῦ 3; ἐν 
Χριστῷ (Ἰησοῦ), 1 415; 21 518; ἐν 
πνεύματι ἁγίῳ, 1 τῦ; ἐν δυνάμει, 
1 1511 το, 

ἐναντίος, I 4215, 

ἔνδειγμα, IT 15. 

ἐνδοξάζεσθαι, 11 110. 12, 

ἐνδύεσθαι, I 58. 

ἐνέργεια τοῦ Matava, 11 29; πλάνης, 
II 21. 

ἐνεργεῖσθαι, 1 213 IT 27, 


21 


321 


évéotyxey ἣ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου, II 22. 
ἐνχαχεῖν, IT 313, 

ἐνχαυχᾶσθαι, IT 14, 

ἐνχόπτειν, 1 218, 

ἐνορχίζω ὑμᾶς τὸν χύριον, 1 527, 
ἐντρέπεσθαι, IT 3:4. 

ἐξαπατᾶν, IT 23, 

ἐξέρχεσθαι, I 18. 

ἐξηχεῖσθαι, I 18. 

ἐξουθενεῖν, 1 520, 

ἐξουσίαν, ἔχειν, IT 439, 


ἔπειτα, I 411. 

ἐπί with gen., I 12; with dat., I 37-9 
4’; with accus., I 215 II 110 21. 4 34, 

ἐπιβαρῇσαί τινα ὑμῶν, πρὸς τὸ wn, I 29 
II 58, 

ἐπιθυμία, I 211 45. 

ἐπιποθεῖν ἰδεῖν, I 55. 

ἐπιστολή, 1 527 11 22-15 314. 17, 

ἐπιστρέφειν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, I 19. 

ἐπισυναγωγὴ πρὸς αὐτόν, ἣ ἡμῶν, IT 21. 

ἐπιφάνεια τῆς παρουσίας, H, IT 23, 

ἐργάζεσθαι, Τ 29 411, Il 38 10. 11. 12, 

ἔργον, 513; (τὸ) ἔργον (τῆς) πίστεως, 
1 1511] 14; ἔργῳ xa λόγῳ, IT 211. 

ἔρχεσθαι, I 119 218 and passim. 

ἐρωτῶμεν χαὶ παραχαλοῦμεν, 1 4}; 
ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀδελφοί, I 52 
I 21. 

ἐσθίειν, IL 31°; with ἄρτον, IL 38: 22. 

ἔτι, IL 25. 

εὐαγγελίζεσθαί τι, 1 45. 

εὐαγγέλιον, τό, I 21; with ἡμῶν, I τό 
II 2:1: with τοῦ θεοῦ, I 25- 8:9; with 
τοῦ χυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Τησοῦ, IT 18; with 
τοῦ Χριστοῦ I 52. 

εὐδοχεῖν, with infin., I 28 31; with 
dat., II 212. 

εὐδοχία ἀγαθωσύνης, IT 11. 

εὐσχημόνως, I 412. 

εὐχαριστεῖν, 1 12 213 518; with dgefAo- 
μεν, IT 13 213, 

εὐχαριστία, I 3°. 


322 


ἐφιστάναι, 1 53. 

ἔχειν, I 19 35 413 5517 3°; with χρείαν, 
118 45. 33 51, 

ἐχθρός, IT 3%. 

ἕως (conj.), II 27. 


ζῇν, 119 3851; ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες, I 415- 17, 


ζητεῖν, I 25. 


4, I 2 II 24, 

ἡγεῖσθαι, I 5%; with ὡς, IT 3:5, 

ἤδη, Π 27. 

ἡμέρα, I 55; ἡ ἡμέρα, I 54; ἐχείνη, 
II 1; τοῦ χυρίου, I 5? II 25; υἱοὶ 
ἡμέρας, I 5%; γυχτὸς χαὶ ἡμέρας, 
I 29 319 IL 3%. 

ἡσυχάζειν, 4 

ἡσυχία, IT 313, 


θάλπειν, I 27, 

θαυμάζεσθαι, IT 3110, 

θέλει», 1 218 413 IT 310, 

θέλημα (τοῦ) θεοῦ, I 43 518, 

θεοδίδαχτος, I 4°. 

θεός, passim; θεὸς ζῶν, I 1°; ὁ θεὸς 
ἡμῶν, 21 39 IT 1-12; θεὸς πατήρ, 
Ix! IT 18 (11); ὁ θεὸς χαὶ πατὴρ 
ἡμῶν, I 1? 311.12 (IT 216). ἐν θεῷ 
πατρὶ (ἡμῶν), 1 11 11 τι; ἐν τῷ θεῷ 
ἡμῶν, I 23. 

Θεσσαλονιχεύς, I 11 IT 11. 

θλίβειν, 3411 18-7, 

θλίψις, I 16 33-7 IT 14-8, 

Odea, I 5%. 


ἴδιος, I 214 4", 

Ἰησοῦς, I το 4%; (6) χύριος (ἡμῶν) 
Ἰησοῦς, I 215 4.1.3 IT 17 28. 1 21 
3.3. 12 IT 18125 ὁ χύριος (ἡμῶν) ᾿Ιη- 
σοῦς Χριστός, I 1! IT τ|- 3. 12 36. 12, 
I 2 5% 23-28 17 421. 14. 16 418, ἐν 
Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, I 21:4 518, 

ἵνα, 215 and passim. 


Ιουδαία, I 2", 


INDEXES 


Ἰουδαῖοι, I 214, 
ἰσχύς, IT 19. 


χαθάπερ,Ι 211; with χαί, I 3¢ 13 45, 

χαθεύδειν, I 5% 7. 19, 

χαθίζειν εἰς, IT 24, 

χαθώς, I 1’ and often in I; IT τ"; 
χαθὼς xal, I 21 34 4). 6. 15 5 II 3}. 

nal, passim; xa yao, I 34 4? IT 3%. 

χαιρός, II 2%; χαιροί, 1 51; πρὸς χαι- 
ρὸν ὥρας, I 211. 

χαχὸν ἀντὶ χαχοῦ, I 518, 

χαλεῖν, of God, I 213 47 5% IT 2:4. 

χαλοποιεῖν, IT 313, 

χαλόν, τό, 1 521, 

χαρδία, I 24-17; ὑμῶν τὰς χαρδίας, 
1 313 II 211 35. 

κατά with accus., II 113 23-9 44, 

χαταβαίνειν ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ, I 41, 

χαταλαμβάνειν, I 54, 

χαταλείπεσθαι, I 31. 

χαταξιοῦσθαι, IT 15. 

χαταργεῖν, IT 28, 

χαταρτίζειν, 1 310, 

χατευθύνειν τὴν ὁδὸν πρός, Ι 3"; τὰς 
χαρδίας εἷς, IT 35. 

χατέχειν, 1 5%; & χατέχων ἄρτι, II 27; 
τὸ χατέχον, IT 25. 

χαυχήσεως, στέφανος, I 219, 

χεῖσθαι εἷς, I 33. 

χέλευσμα,Ι 4.5. 

χενγός, 1 21; γίνεσθαι εἰς χενόν, I 45. 

χηρύσσειν εἰς ὑμᾶς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ 
θεοῦ, I 2% 

χλέπτης, I 52: 4, 

χλῆσις, Π 14. 

χοιμηθέντες, of, I 415; διὰ τοῦ ᾿Τησοῦ, 
Ι4:.; οἱ χοιμώμενοι, I 4:5. 

χολαχία, 1 25. 

χοπιῶντες ἐν ὑμῖν, ot, I 512, 

χόπος,1 35; ὃ χόπος τῆς ἀγάπης, 13; 
χόπος χαὶ μόχθος, I 2° IT 35. 

χρατεῖν τὰς παραδόσεις, II 215, 

χρίνειν, IT 212, 





INDEXES 323 


χρίσις τοῦ θεοῦ, ἣ δικαία, 11 15. 

χτᾶσθαι, I 41. 

χύριος, I 10. 8 48:12 46 15.16.17 52. 12. 27 
TI 19 22-13 31. 3.4.5 316, See also 
above under ἐν and ’Insoic. 

χωλύειν, I 218, 


λαλεῖν, I 18 24-16; with εὐαγγέλιον, 
I 22, 

λέγειν, 415 5311 25; λεγόμενος, 11 24. 

λόγος, IT τῦ 25. 13 418 II 22-15. 11. ὃ 
λόγος, I τὸ IT 3% (ἡμῶν); λόγος 
axons, 1 212,9 ὃ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ, 
I 213: τοῦ κυρίου, 1 τ8 (415) IT 31. 

λοιπὸν ἀδελφοί, (τό), I 4! 11 33; ot 
λοιποί, I 413 58. 

λυπεῖσθαι, I 413. 


Μακεδονία, I 17-8 410, 

μαχροθυμεῖν πρός,] 514, 

μᾶλλον, περισσεύειν, 1 4:- 19, 

μαρτύρεσθαι, 1 4213, 

μαρτύριον ἡμῶν, τό, IT 119. 

μάρτυς, θεός, I 25- 19, 

μεθύειν, 1 57. 

μεθυσχόμενοι, ot, I 57. 

μέλλειν, I 34. 

μέν, 1 218, 

μέσου, γίνεσθαι éx, IL 27: ἐν μέσῳ 
ὑμῶν, I 27. 

μετά with gen., I 16 3% 573 IT 17 
313. 16. 18, 

μεταδιδόναι, 1 28. 

wh, 1 18 and passim; οὐ μή, I 4% 53; 
yn πως, 35. 

μηδέ, IT 2? 4: 

undets, I 43 412 11 23 3% 

μηχέτι, I 32-5, 

μήτε, Π 23. 

μιμεῖσθαι, IT 37-% 

piuntys, I τὸ 214, 

μνεία, I 12 35. 

μνημονεύειν, 1 13 29 IT 28, 

μόνον, 1 15-8 28 IT 27, 


μόνος, I 33. 
μόχθος, κόπος xat, I 29 IT 53, 
μυστήριον τῆς ἀνομίας, τό, 11 27. 


γαὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, 6, IT 24. 

γεχρός, I 11°; οἱ γεχροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ, 
Ι 415, 

γεφέλη,Ι 411. 

νήπιοι, I 27. 

γήφειν, I 56. 8. 

γουθετεῖν, I 532-14 TT 318, 

γοῦς, 11 2°. 

vov, I 55 II 25. 

γύξ, 1 29 410 52- 5.7 IL 38. 


ὁδός, J 311. 

οἶδα, I 14; εἰδέναι = ‘appreciate,’ 
Ι 415%; εἰδέναι θεόν, I 45 11 13; οἵ- 
date, I 42 IL 25; αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἴδατε, 
I 2! 33 5? ΤΠ 37; χαθάπερ οἴδατε, 
I 211: χαθὼς οἴδατε, 1 22-5 34; τ, 

οἰχοδομεῖν, I 511, 

οἷος, 1 15. 

ὄλεθρος, αἰφνίδιος, I 53; αἰώνιος, IL 
τος 

ὀλιγόψυχοι, οἱ, 1 514. 

ὁλόκληρος, I 533, 

ὅλος, I 419. 

ὁλοτελήῆς, I 523. 

ὀμείρεσθαι, I 28. 

ὄνομα, of Christ, II 12 45, 

ὁποῖος, I 19, 

ὅπως, 11 112, 

ὁρᾶν, 1 5:5, 

Gorn, E 19 216 5. 

dc, I 1° and passim. 

ὁσίως, 1 219, 

ὅστις, IT 19. 

ὅταν, 1 53 II τ, 

ὅτε, I 34 IT 5:0 

οὐδέ, I 23 5511 38. 

ὅτι, 1 τῦ and passim; ὡς ὅτι, IT 23. 

οὗ, I 15 and passim. 

οὖν, ἄρα, 1 5911 210, 


᾽ 


324 


obpavér, of, I 1; ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ, I 4" 
II x7. 

οὔτε, I 25. 5, 

οὗτος, passim. 

οὕτως, Ι 24-8 4.4.1 52 II 3". 

οὐχί, I 215. 

ὀφείλειν with εὐχαριστεῖν, ΠῚ 13 213, 


πάθος, I 45. 

πάντοτε, I 12 216 38 411 515-16 II 13-4 
233, 

“παρά with gen., I 2138 4111 3° 8; παρὰ 
θεῷ, ΠῚ 1°. 

παραγγελία,1 43. 

παραγγέλλειν, I 411 IT 34- 6. 10. 12, 

παράδοσις, II 215 38. 

παραχαλεῖν, I 2u 32-7 41. 10.18 gil. 14 
IL 217 313, 

παράχλησις, I 23 IT 216, 

παραλαμβάνειν, I 213 4111 38, 

παραμυθεῖσθαι, I 211 514, 

παρουσία, ἣ, of Christ, I 219 313 415 523 
II 2!-*; of the Anomos, II 2°. 

παρρησιάζεσθαι, I 23. 

nas, 11 and passim; ἐν παντί,1 518; 
ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, 1 18; ἐν παντὶ τρόπῳ, 
II 315; διὰ παντός, IT 5315, 

πάσχειν, 1 24 11 1°, 

πατήρ, of God, I 11-3 311-12 TT τ΄- 5 
218, figuratively of Paul, I 2". 

Παῦλος, 1! 218 IT 11 37. 

πειράζειν, I 35; ὃ πειράζων, 35; of. 
Mt. 43. 

πέμπειν,1 3% 5 TT 211, 

πεποίθαμεν ἐν χυρίῳ, IT 34. 

περί with gen., I 13 and passim. 

περιεργάζεσθαι, II 3:1, 

περιχεφαλαία, I 5%. 

περιλειπόμενοι, ot, I 417; εἰς, I 4%. 

περιπατεῖν, 1 41; ἀξίως τοῦ θεοῦ, I 2'%; 
ἀτάχτως, IL 3%; εὐσχημόνως, 
4.5, 

περιποίησις δόξης, IL 2:4; σωτηρίας, 
I 5°. 


INDEXES 


περισσεύειν, I 312; μᾶλλον, I 41: 19, 

περισσοτέρως, I 217, 

πιστεύειν τῷ ψεύδει, IT 2%; τῇ ἀλη- 
θείᾳ, ΠῚ 2132; with ὅτι, I 4"; οἱ πισ- 
τεύοντες, I 17 219. 12. οἱ πιστεύσαντες, 
II 1% πιστεύεσθαι, I 24 IT 1:9, 

πίστις, ἡ, IL 32; ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν, I 15 
(ἣ πρὸς τὸν θεόν) 32:5: 6.7. 10 II τ" 4; 
πίστις ἀληθείας, IT 218; (τὸ) ἔργον 
(τῆς) πίστεως, I 13 IT 1:1; πίστις 
χαὶ ἀγάπη, 1 35 55; ὑπομογὴ χαὶ 
πίστις, II 14. 

πιστὸς ὁ χαλῶν ὑμᾶς Oc, I 5%; πιστὸς 
δέ ἐστιν ὃ χύριος ὅς, IT 533, 

πλάνη, I 2311 211, 

πλεονάζειν, I 32 IT 13. 

πλεονεχτεῖν, I 45. 

πλεονεξία, 1 25. 

πληροφορία, I 15. 

πληροῦν, IL 1", 

πνεῦμα ἅγιον, I 15-8 τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ 
τὸ ἅγιον, I 45; τὸ πνεῦμα, I 51%; 
πνεῦμα, ID πνεῦμα, Ψυχή, 
σῶμα, I 533; τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ στόμ.- 
ατος αὐτοῦ, II 2%. 

ποιεῖν, I 1" 419 511. 24 TT 34; 

πολλῇ, ἐν, 1 15% 5 217; ἐν πολλῷ, I 
ΠΗ 

πονηρός, I 5% II 3%; ὁ πονηρός, IT 45. 

πορνεία, ἡ, I 43. 

ποτέ, I 25. 

πρᾶγμα, τό,1 45. 

πράσσειν τὰ ἴδια, I 411. 


2. 12. 
- ᾽ 


προεῖπον, I 45. 

προϊστάμενοι ὑμῶν, of, I 51. 

προλέγειν, I 34. 

προπάσχειν, I 23. 

πρός with accus., I 15 and passim; 
πρὸς τὸ wx with infin., I 2° IT 35. 

προσευχαί, at, 1 13. 

προσεύχεσθαι, I 517 IT 14; I 5% IT 3%. 

πρόσωπον, I 2'7; ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπον 
ὑμῶν, I 2117 410. ἀπὸ προσώπου χυ- 
ρίου, IT 1°, 





INDEXES 


πρόφασις, I 25, 

προφητεῖαι, 1 52% 

προφῆται, I 215, 

πρῶτον, I 415 11 23. 

πυρὶ φλογός, ἐν, IT τ8, 

πῶς, 1 19; (τὸ) πῶς δεῖ, I 41 IT 537. 


ῥύεσθαι éx, 1 11°; ἀπό, IT 533, 


σαίνεσθαι, 1 33. 

σαλεύεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ νοός, IT 2°. 

σάλπιγξ θεοῦ, I 4:5. 

Σατανᾶς, 6, I 218 II 29. 

σβεννύναι, I 51%. 

σέβασμα, 11 24. 

σημεῖα χαὶ τέρατα, IL 29; σημεῖον, 
II 32”. 

σημειοῦσθαι, IT 214, 

Σιλουανός, I 1: II 11. 

σχεῦος, t6, 1 44. 

σχότος, 1 54-5. 

σπουδάζειν, 1 2:7, 

στέγειν, I 31-5, 

στέλλεσθαι, 11 38. 

στέφανος χαυχήσεως, I 219, 

στήχειν, II 215; ἐν χυρίῳ, I 38. 

στηρίζειν καρδίας, I 313 (II 217); στηρί- 
ἵειν with παραχαλεῖν, I 32 IL 217; 
with φυλάσσειν, II 33. 

στόμα, 11 28. 

συμφυλέτης, I 214. 

σὺν αὐτῷ, 414; σὺν κυρίῳ, I 411; ἅμα 
σύν, 1 41 «το 

συναναμίγνυσθαι, IT 414, 

συνεργὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, I 53. 

σώζεσθαι, I 216 IT 219, 

σῶμα, I 5°. 

σωτηρία, 1 58-9 IL 213, 


ταχέως, 1 23. 
τέχνα, 1 27-11, 
τέλος, εἰς, I 215, 
τέρατα, σημεῖα xat, IT 29. 
τηρεῖν, I 523. 
aa 


325 


τιθέναι εἷς, I 5% 

τιμή, 1 4. 

Τιμόθεος, I 11 32-6 IT τι, 
τίνειν δίκην, 11 19. 

«τίς, I 4"; τίς γάρ, I 219 49, 
τις, 1 18 29 515 JT 23 38. 10. 11. 14, 
τοιγαροῦν, 1 48. 

τοιοῦτος, IT 312, 

τόπος, 1 18, 

τότε, I 53 IT 28, 

τρέχειν χαὶ δοξάζεσθαι, IT 31. 
τρόπος, 11 28 315, 

«τροφός, 27. 

τύπος, I 17 IT 39. 


ὑβρίζεσθαι, I 23. 

υἱὸς αὐτοῦ, ὃ, 1 113 ὃ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπ- 
ωὡλείας, IT 23; υἱοὶ ἡμέρας, φωτός, 
I fe 

ὑπαχούειν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ, II 18; τῷ 
λόγῳ ἡμῶν, IT 414, 

ὑπέρ with gen., I 3211 145 21, 

ὑπεραίρεσθαι, IT 24. 

ὑπεραυξάνειν, 11 13. 

ὑπερβαίνειν, I 45. 

ὑπερεχπερισσοῦ, I 310 513, 

ὑπό with gen., I 14 24-4 IT 213, 

ὑπομονὴ τῆς ἐλπίδος, H, I 13; ὗπο- 
μονὴ χαὶ πίστις, IT τ΄; ἣ ὑπομονὴ 
τοῦ Χριστοῦ, IT 35. 

ὑστερήματα, τά, 1 33% 


φθάνειν, I 215 415, 
φιλαδελφία,1 49. 
φιλήματι ἁγίῳ, ἐν, I 535, 
φίλιπποι, I 23, 
φιλοτιμεῖσθαι, 1 411. 
φλογός, ἐν πυρί, IT τ8, 
φυλάσσειν ἀπό, 11 33. 
φωνὴ ἀρχαγγέλου, I 4.3. 
φωτός, υἱοί, I 5ὅ. 


χαίρειν, I 39 518. 
χαρά, I 16 219. 20 39, 


326 INDEXES 


χάρις,Ι τ 538 IT 1.13 216 318, 

χείρ, I 4}}11 35, 

χρείαν, ἔχειν, I 18 4% 13 51, 

Χριστός, I 11 and passim; see under 
Ἰησοῦς; ἐν Χριστῷ, 415; ἐν Χριστῷ 
Ἰησοῦ, I 2% 518; ἐν χυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ 
Χριστῷ, IT 3:3, 

χρόνοι χαὶ καιροί, I 5%. 


ψεῦδος, IT 29- 1 
ψυχή, ἡ, I 5%; ψυχαί,1 28, 


ὠδίν, I 53. 

ὥρας, πρὸς καιρόν, I 217, 

ὡς, I 24-6. 7-1 ΤΙ 23 415 

ὡς, conj., I 219.11. ὡς ὅτι, IT 25. 
ὥσπερ, I 53. 

ote, I 418; with infin., I 17-* II 16 24, 





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