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INTRODUCTION TO
THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL
TO THE THESSALONIANS
Author Second Thessalonians is a genuine letter from the Apostle Paul. His name stands at the beginning of it (1:1); his personal signature stands at the end of it (3:17); and Christian tradition has universally accepted its authenticity from earliest times. Despite this, a surprising number of scholars have come to doubt or even deny the apostolic authorship of 2 Thessalonians. They claim instead that an admirer of Paul, hiding behind the name of the apostle, penned the epistle toward the end of the first century. Among other things, the argument is made (1) that 2 Thessalonians has a different perspective on the timing of Christ's return (still distant) from that of 1 Thessalonians (imminent) and (2) that the remarkable similarities between 1 and 2 Thessalonians raise suspicions that the second letter was written in conscious imitation of the first. Neither of these objections is sufficiently strong to topple the traditional view. On the timing of Christ's coming, it must be stressed that Paul never claimed in 1 Thessalonians that Jesus would return immediately, only that he would come suddenly (1 Thess 5:2). This, it would seem, is the very misunderstanding that Paul sets out to correct in 2 Thessalonians (2 Thess 2:1-3). On the similarities between the two epistles, it must be recognized that Paul's distinctive style is a blade that cuts both ways. In theory, similarities of expression could mean that someone was trying to imitate Paul; but it is far more natural to suppose that the apostle himself was simply writing in his usual style. Finally, it would be exceedingly odd for someone impersonating Paul to warn the Thessalonians not to accept fabricated letters purporting to come from the apostle (2 Thess 2:2). For the use of the plural "we" and "us" throughout this letter (2 Thess 1:3, 11; 2:1; 3:1; etc.), see the introduction to First Thessalonians: Author.
Date and Destination Scholars who hold the traditional view of Pauline authorship agree that 2 Thessalonians was written about the same time (A.D. 50 or 51) and probably from the same place (Corinth) as 1 Thessalonians. Reference is made to the first epistle in 2:15, but it is uncertain how much earlier it was sent off. The situation of the Church seems to be the same, and Paul's focus on the return of Jesus in both letters suggests the second could have been written within weeks or months of the first. In any case, both Thessalonian letters were sent to the same Church in Macedonia (northern Greece) that Paul and his coworkers had founded on his second missionary tour (Acts 17:19). See introduction to First Thessalonians: Destination.
Purpose and Themes Paul sent 2 Thessalonians as a follow-up letter to 1 Thessalonians, which was partly ignored and partly misunderstood by his readers. There was need now to correct the way certain believers were thinking and living in light of Christ's expected return. The letter addresses this twofold problem with doctrinal exposition and moral exhortation. (1) Doctrinal Exposition: As in his first letter, Paul gives readers an eschatological vision of things to come. This is necessary because some of the Thessalonians are shaken by an alarming idea, based on a misunderstanding of his first letter (1 Thess 4:13-5:12) and reinforced by another letter forged in Paul's name (2 Thess 2:2), that the end times have arrived and the Second Coming of Jesus is just around the corner. Paul considers this a deception (2:3) because Christ will not return in glory until a whole series of events have taken place first. Specifically, Paul insists that a nefarious "man of lawlessness", an agent of Satan, must first be allowed to spread confusion throughout the world and impress the wicked with signs and wonders of his power (2:3, 9-10). This villain has yet to arrive because a mysterious force restrains him from showing his face until the appointed time (2:7-8). Only after this period of turmoil and tribulation will Christ come again as the divine Warrior and Judge to slay the offender and condemn the ungodly (2:8). (2) Moral Exhortation: Confusion about the timing of Christ's coming has led certain believers into strange and disorderly conduct. We can infer from Paul's comments in 3:6-15 that some in Thessalonica were so convinced that Jesus would return at any moment that they had quit their jobs and stopped working for a living. Paul has nothing good to say about this behavior and seems annoyed that his readers have not heeded his earlier appeals to "work" diligently (1 Thess 4:11) and "admonish the idle" (1 Thess 5:14). The congregation is charged with addressing this problem decisively but charitably (2 Thess 3:14-15). In Paul's mind, these freeloaders who live on the charity of others will better prepare themselves for Christ's return by working than by sitting around waiting. «
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