Introduction
Overview
The second letter to the Thessalonians was written to address similar matters to the first letter, though some items are expanded upon. Paul addresses in further detail the “day of the Lord” and certain events that will precede the return of Christ, and thus the letter is quite eschatologically oriented. Paul also addresses an ethical problem of idleness.
Occasion, Purpose, and Content
We do not know who carried the first letter to the Thessalonian church, nor do we have any indication regarding how Paul received further news about the congregation. Given the similarity of the themes in the two letters to the Thessalonians, we may assume that Paul wrote this second letter not long after the first, during his eighteen-month stay in Corinth (Ac 18:11) on his second missionary journey.
While 2 Thessalonians does not echo all the concerns that motivated Paul to write the first epistle, such as the apostolic defense (1 Th 2:1–3:13) and the admonishment regarding sexual immorality (1 Th 4:3–8), it does betray a heightened concern regarding other major issues previously addressed. After relating his thanks for and boasting about the church (2 Th 1:3–5; 3:6–8), Paul returns to the issue of the believers’ suffering (1 Th 1:6; 2:14; 3:3–4). The persecution continued to be severe (2 Th 1:4–5; 2:14). He explains that their sufferings are intended to prove them “worthy of God’s kingdom” (1:5). Here, as in 1:10, he reminds them of the final destiny and vindication of the believers. He graphically describes the severity of the final judgment for unbelievers (1:8–9). In contrast, the Thessalonian Christians will be vindicated “because our testimony among you was believed” (1:10). The great event that separates those who believe from those who do not is the revelation and coming of our Lord Jesus (1:7, 10), which heralds the day of the Lord (2:1–3, 8).
Second Thessalonians also addresses the church’s understanding of the last things, or eschatology (as 1 Th 1:10; 3:13; 4:13–5:11, 23). A false and destabilizing teaching had infiltrated the church: the day of the Lord, some were saying, had already come or was at hand (2 Th 2:2). This deception (2:3) found fertile soil in the Thessalonian church because of their concerns about this day (1 Th 5:1–11) and the persecutions they endured (2 Th 1:5–12). Paul and his associates remind them that two events will precede the day of the Lord: (1) the rebellion and (2) the revelation of the “man of lawlessness” (2:3). Paul presents an extensive discourse about the coming of this figure and God’s judgment on him and his followers (2:4–12). While Paul’s argument was quite comprehensible to them due to this prior teaching (2:5), the middle section of chapter 2 remains difficult for us to interpret. What is the “apostasy,” who is this lawless one (2:3), what force “holds it back,” and who will be taken “out of the way” so that the “lawless one” may be revealed (2:7–8)? What is clear to us is that the revelation of Christ will come soon after the revealing of the lawless one, and Christ will destroy him.
The third chapter begins with a request for prayer (3:1–2) and the assurance that God will strengthen and guard them from the evil one, Satan himself (3:3–5). After this, Paul takes up the third major issue, regarding the conduct of certain disorderly members, a topic previously addressed (1 Th 4:11–12; 5:14). On the one hand, he warns those who are not working and have remained dependent clients of their patrons (2 Th 3:6–15). On the other hand, he calls the Thessalonians to continue practicing benefaction toward those who are in need (3:13). The problem surrounding work does not appear to be tied to their eschatological concerns, as some have supposed. [Work and the Thessalonian Christians]
Authorship
The first verse of 2 Thessalonians names Paul as the author, along with Silvanus and Timothy. Paul includes a final greeting at the end, written in his own hand (3:17), a common practice when an author employed the services of a scribe. However, first-person-plural verbs dominate throughout the letter (singular verbs appear in 2:5; 3:17). Paul wrote the letter in collaboration with his associates, though he is the principal author.
The evidence from the ancient church for the authenticity of this letter is even stronger than for 1 Thessalonians. Some contemporary scholars, however, have questioned the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians. For example, they point to the similarity of the vocabulary and style of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, saying this betrays the hand of a copyist. But why not understand this similarity as a mark of authenticity? In the same way, the form of the heading in 1 and 2 Thessalonians is nearly identical, something not found in other Pauline Letters. But could not Paul use the same opening in two letters written near the same time? The eschatology of the two letters appears distinct, since the joy and expectancy found in 1 Thessalonians are absent from the second letter. But the solemn tone of 2 Thessalonians is due to the acute persecution the Thessalonians were suffering (1:5–12) and the error that had entered the church regarding the day of the Lord. Major commentators on these letters discuss the arguments against authenticity, but many do not find them convincing.
Date
We do not have the same historical markers for dating 2 Thessalonians as we do for 1 Thessalonians (see “Date” in the introduction to 1 Thessalonians). The problems addressed in this letter are similar to those addressed in that earlier letter, which suggests that the second letter was written not long after the first. Taking into account the time needed to carry the first correspondence to Thessalonica and the travel time for news to arrive from Thessalonica to Corinth, the date of the letter might be as early as late AD 50.
Outline
1. Epistolary Salutation (1:1–2)
2. Thanksgiving and Prayers for the Faith, Love, and Steadfastness of the Persecuted Thessalonians (1:3–12)
A. The First Thanksgiving (1:3–5)
B. The Destiny of the Persecutors (1:6–10)
C. The Remembrance of Prayers (1:11–12)
3. The Body of the Letter (2:1–3:15)
A. The Time of the Day of the Lord (2:1–17)
B. The Final Instructions (3:1–15)
4. The Third Prayer and Final Greetings (3:16–18)