Authorship
The majority of commentators on the Thessalonian correspondence accept both letters as genuinely from Paul. Some scholars have questioned the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians because it sometimes features different aspects of the end-time scenario than those found in 1 Thessalonians. These differences, however, are no wider than those found in apocalyptic works that often drew on multiple motifs. In both letters, Paul draws on Jesus’ teachings about the end (see “Jesus’ Teachings as Background in 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12”). Moreover, most pseudepigraphic letters were written long after the death of the author they name, but it seems very difficult to date 2 Thessalonians so late. Paul died sometime around AD 64; Jerusalem’s temple was destroyed in AD 70, and the entire empire knew of it. It strains credibility to suggest that a forger after that date would be so inept as to pen 2:4, showing no knowledge of the temple’s destruction.
Although the matter is debated, 2 Thessalonians was probably written after 1 Thessalonians. Apparently some Thessalonians appreciated Paul’s comfort about the coming time of God’s kingdom but have reinterpreted it in light of their Greek understanding. Greeks did not expect a future end to the age or a dramatic transformation at some point in the future; consequently some may have understood only the present aspect of the kingdom (2:1–2). Although Paul sometimes addressed multiple issues in a letter, some scholars also associate the failure of some to work (3:6–12) with such confusion about the end (but cf. 1Th 4:11). ◆
Quick Glance
Author:
The apostle Paul
Audience:
The church at Thessalonica
Date:
About AD 51 or 52
Theme:
Paul writes to correct a misunderstanding concerning the Lord’s return and to exhort the Thessalonian believers to be steadfast and to work for a living.