Paul visited Thessalonica, as recording in Acts 17:1-10, during his second missionary journey, in the summer of 50 AD. After his imprisonment with Silas and miraculous release in Philippi, Paul moved on to Thessalonica. He was there only a brief period, before persecution by a portion of the synagogue began. As he journeyed to Athens, he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to see how this new community of believers fared, worried that possible persecution could crush their new faith. Paul eventually went on to Corinth, a much greater challenge than Thessalonica, where Timothy found him with the encouraging news of how well the young church was doing, as well as the persecution that they were facing. The visit of Timothy made Paul encourage them concerning their persecution and also counsel them concerning the Parousia. Paul wrote I Thessalonians in the winter of 50-51 AD. With Paul are Silvanus and Timothy. It certainly is one of the earliest Christian writings available to us today. Just a few months later Paul wrote II Thessalonians to clarify some points of eschatology. Paul wrote II Thessalonians in the spring of 51 AD from Corinth. With Paul are Silvanus and Timothy.
II Thessalonians 1:1-2 is the address of Paul to the church.[1] One can compare it with I Thessalonians 1:1. For some scholars, the additions made bring the address into line with other Pauline openings. The letter opens, as ancient letters typically do, with a salutation from the sender or senders (sometimes described with various attributes) to the recipient(s) (again, sometimes described with various attributes), with a benevolent wish. In the present Christianized example, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy are the senders of the letter, as all three had active roles in establishing the church at Thessalonica and are still traveling together as missionaries.
1Paul, Silvanus, the Latin form of the name more commonly found in the New Testament as Silas, which may be a Semitic form of the name or a Greek abbreviation. Silvanus/Silas is a leader of the Jerusalem church and Paul’s companion during his second missionary journey (Acts 15:22-18:5; cf. also II Corinthians 1:19; I Thessalonians 1:1). Apart from his connection with Paul, we know little about him. Timothy, the other sender of the letter, of whom we know more. He was a trusted and important coworker of Paul’s, as well as Paul’s emissary when the occasion demanded (I Corinthians 4:17; 16:10-11; Philippians 2:19-22; I Thessalonians 3:1-6). Timothy is also a co-sender of the epistles of Philippians, II Corinthians, I Thessalonians, Philemon, and Colossians.
To the church of the Thessalonians, as addressed in I Thessalonians, which is a slightly different formula than Paul customarily uses to address churches (which is cast in geographical, rather than ethnic, form, i.e., “to the church [saints, beloved, etc.] in Such-and-Such-a-Place”). The use of the genitive here (“of the Thessalonians”) and in I Thessalonians is unique. Thessalonica was in an important city — commercially and culturally — in the ancient Roman world. Located on the Gulf of Therme, it was the primary port city for all Macedonia.[2] When Paul came to this place and preached the gospel, he had a good reception (I Thessalonians 1:9). Those who embraced Paul’s message turned from the city’s many idols — present due to the city’s tolerance of religious expression — to serve the God whom Paul preached. In God our (a subtle difference, in I Thessalonians “the”) Father. This simple, inclusive note strikes a harmonious chord of kinship between Paul, his coworkers, and the Thessalonian Christians. Paul assumes a genuinely close relationship. And the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. In a city full of other gods and lords, including Caesar, this is a distinctive and potentially dangerous claim for this group.[3]
II Thessalonians 1:3-4, with the theme of thanksgiving, is the opening portion of the introduction. Note the similarity with I Thessalonians 1:2-3. 3 We must (ὀφείλομεν), interestingly, nowhere else in Paul’s letters does he express that he “must” always give thanks to God for the recipient of his letters (cf. Romans 1:8; I Corinthians 1:4; Philippians 1:3; Colossians 1:3; I Thessalonians 1:2; Philemon 4). The expression is stiff and not overflowing with grace. Paul's language here previously led some scholars to question the genuine nature of the apostle's continued delight in them. Paul appears to say that he feels an obligation to give thanks ("must always give thanks ... as is fitting") or "as is right." However, a more careful reading negates these doubts. Paul refers here not to some odious obligation but to what is simply an appropriate response in the face of laudatory behavior. We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right. Grammatical evidence indicates that Paul's addition of the "as is fitting" or "as is right" phrase is a liturgical expression for the necessity of properly offering thanks to God. Instead of seeing the "as is right" addition as a sign of doubt, it seems far more likely that the apostle is reacting appropriately to the good news he has received about their faith. Thus, they give thanks properly because your faith is growing abundantly. This reiterates Paul’s frequent notes of praise for their faith, seen throughout the Thessalonian correspondence (I Thessalonians 1:3, 8; 3:6, 7; II Thessalonians 1:3, 4). And the love of everyone of you for one another is increasing. Thus, many of the hopes and concerns voiced by Paul in his first letter have received a positive answer. It is not surprising, based on the words that follow about nonbelievers, that Paul does not mention love for those outside the community here. Paul praised this true and deep fellowship among them the first time he wrote, as well (I Thessalonians 1:3; 3:6). Timothy’s actions to increase their faith (I Timothy 3:2, 5) and Paul’s prayers for the increase of their love have borne fruit (I Thessalonians 3:12). The news received now is even more encouraging than in I Thessalonians. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast, possibly ad hoc, limited to those churches he was visiting while writing to the Thessalonians (quite probably the Corinthian churches). His "boasting" could also be more intentional, broadcast to as wide a number of Christian communities as he could reach through messenger or letter. They boast of you among the churches of God, turning his praise outward, telling others of what he has heard, for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.In other letters (e.g., in I Corinthians 15:31; II Corinthians 1:14; 7:4), Paul speaks of boasting of the members of a Christian church, as he does here, for the steadfastness and faith displayed under persecution. The Thessalonians demonstrated that their qualities of "steadfastness" or "endurance" were not mere qualities of static "hanging on." Instead, they were actively adapting and thriving in all circumstances. Paul had one more element in the Thessalonians' lives that made their faith and love so worthy of Paul's pride and pleasure. Their faith and love grew even while enduring "persecutions" and "afflictions." We see how early church communities faced the persistent possibility that they might suddenly find themselves part of Rome's permanent Christian "witness relocation" program. In periodic fits of pluralistic ethno-religious cleansing, various emperors ordered (or simply "allowed") cruel and violent purges of philosophically annoying religious sects, especially one particularly peculiar sect called "Christians." In addition, since he does not specify the persecutions and afflictions, it is quite possible that they involved opposition to the Christian message by the Jews among whose synagogues Paul, Timothy and Silvanus/Silas attempted to spread the gospel (cf. I Thessalonians 2:14). If we take the accounts in Acts at face value (e.g., 17:17; 18:4, 19; 19:8; etc.), the missionary work of Paul and his fellow workers concentrated on the synagogues in Asia Minor, and only secondarily in public arenas and lecture halls (Acts 17:17; 19:9). Paul’s primary ministry directed itself toward the conversion of his fellow Jews to “the Way” (Acts 19:23), and only after the failure of that ministry did, he refashion himself as the apostle to the Gentiles. The disruptions Paul and other Christian missionaries caused in Jewish houses of worship provoked verbal opposition, lashings, fines, expulsion and imprisonment, and it is likely these that the writer refers to collectively as “persecutions” and “afflictions.”
II Thessalonians 1:11-12, with the theme of prayer, is the conclusion to the thanksgiving portion of the introduction. 11 To this end we always pray for you. They back up their boasting by keeping them ever before God in daily intercessory prayer. Note the ethical thrust of the prayer connects with the eschatological prospect just mentioned. Asking that our God will make you worthy. Better, as in other places, "to deem worthy." This implies that God will "deem" the Thessalonians worthy because God observes their faith. God will deem them worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, revealing the content and purpose of his prayer. Of course, God may "deem" them worthy only because God alone has the power to bring all of this into reality. 12 So that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you will be glorified in him. Here is the greatest fulfillment of a Christian life, that of becoming an incarnated witness in daily work and life. Paul makes a remarkable revelation here in that just as the true glory of the believer is only in Christ, so, too, Christ enjoys great glory in the lives of others. John has Jesus articulating the possibility of this kind of “reciprocal glory.” John reveals the "he in you/you in him" relationship as part of Jesus' special teachings to his disciples. In both John 17:10 and 17:22, Jesus specifically proclaims that glory is magnified as it is mirrored. The enjoyment of this kind of reciprocal glory is that for which Paul and his companions pray daily. Such reciprocal glory is according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul writes to a congregation going through persecution and affliction. However, because their faith is growing abundantly and their love for each other increases, Paul gives thanks for them. He also offers an intercession for them that relates to their life as a congregation reflecting the calling of God in such a way that God will provide the power for them to fulfill every good resolve and work of faith. The purpose is that their lives will glorify Christ and that they will have glory as they live their lives in Christ.
In other words, this congregation is on the mind and heart of Paul, in part because of they are going through some dark times, and in part because of their response of faith and love through it all. In his case, given the distance between them, his thinking about them and his prayers for them led him to write a letter to them. His thinking about them and his prayers for them led him to act. His reflections and prayers pushed him to view what is happening from the view of those directly affected. Paul is seeing beyond the horizon of his life in order to walk in the shoes of someone else. His prayer for them led him to act in the form of sending the letter with part of his missionary team.
Prayer and action have a profound unity. If not, prayer becomes fruitless and incomplete. To cry out to God in the form of petition is an expression of helplessness and humility. Given the daunting situation we face in fulfilling our vocation as Christians, our prayer unites us in solidarity with God, with the people of God, and with the world that God loves. I am suggesting that prayer in any form is an event in our relationship with God and with those for whom we pray. Granted, it may not be a decisive event. However, it may well be a new element in the situation that will bring a new awareness of fulfilling the calling of God and of increasing faith, hope, and love.
Love for God and neighbor expressed in prayer becomes how the power of God flows through our finite lives, acting upon other persons and situations. Such prayer unites us with the liberating, healing, and guiding Spirit of God. Put from another perspective, our work in the world needs the penetrating accompaniment of prayer if our work is to fulfill our vocation and glorify the purposes of God. Such a union of prayer and work is the supreme expression of the spiritual life on earth, moving us from the horizon of our lives to include the horizon of other lives and circumstances, and ultimately, to connect with the mission of God and the people of God in the world. We allow God to weave our lives into the fabric of the body of Christ and the work of Christ in the world.[4]
[1] Many New Testament interpreters cite its literary, historical and theological dissonance with other Pauline letters as causes for their belief of its pseudonimity (see Victor Paul Furnish, 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians [ANTC; Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2007], 132-34).
[2] (Charles A. Wanamaker, The Epistle to the Thessalonians: A Commentary on the Greek Text [NIGTC; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990], 3)
[3] (Ben Witherington, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2006], 184)
[4] Inspired by Evelyn Underhill, “Spiritual Life,” in Mixed Pasture: Twelve Essays and Addresses (Wipf and Stock reprint, 2015), 56-57.
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