Before moving into a detailed look at these two letters, it is important to gather broad information about the sender, recipients, date of composition, and reason for the writings. This knowledge will be critical in our attempt to interpret properly and fully appreciate these texts.

Paul, the great apostle and preeminent New Testament missionary, is often named as the sender of thirteen letters that eventually made their way into the New Testament. Throughout the centuries, 1 and 2 Thessalonians have consistently been included in this list. Pauline scholars, however, have long suggested that among the thirteen letters connected with Paul, only seven seem to have unequivocally come from the pen of the infamous apostle. These seven commonly include Galatians, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon, and 1 Thessalonians. This group exhibits a similar theology, vocabulary, and syntax in keeping with what we know of Paul. Likewise, these letters can easily be connected to the historical travels of Paul as laid out by the book of Acts, where we find our most extensive account of Paul’s life.

The other six New Testament writings connected to Paul all possess various characteristics that call into question the possibility that he was actually their author. This group includes Ephesians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Thessalonians. In these letters, the vocabulary, grammatical style, and at times theology seem different from what we find in the aforementioned seven letters. So too, as seen most explicitly in 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, which we call the Pastoral Epistles, the author sometimes seems to address a period in the church’s history after the lifetime of Paul.

In the case of 2 Thessalonians, the argument against Paul as the author seems to hinge on two points. First, there is the sense that the second letter appears to be repetitious of the first letter at several points. Second, scholars voice a concern that 2 Thessalonians 1 contradicts the viewpoint of 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 in regard to the perspectives of the second coming in both letters. By far the most troubling issue is the second letter and the apparent contradictions related to Christ’s return.

In 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, Paul is adamant that Christ will return like “a thief in the night” (5:2). His emphasis is that the return will be sudden and without warning. However, in 2 Thessalonians 1, the author takes great pains to talk about the second coming in light of events that will clearly signal Christ’s arrival. In other words, 1 Thessalonians appears to advocate an attitude that Christ’s return cannot be predicted by world events, while 2 Thessalonians seems just as bent on the idea that definite signs will indicate that the return is close at hand. How could the same person have written both perspectives?

At the same time, it should be noted that there are many in the scholarly community who continue to favor Paul as author of 2 Thessalonians. When posed with the concerns mentioned, they generally respond by arguing that in 2 Thessalonians, Paul is merely developing further his thoughts and beliefs, which solves the redundancy issue. Likewise, in terms of the suggested contradiction regarding the second coming, they respond by offering the plausible perspective that the two letters actually complement one another, suggesting that in 2 Thessalonians, Paul says that while the return of Christ will definitely catch most off guard and be like a “thief,” there are still signs to watch for and to note.

In this book, I will speak of Paul when referring to the sender of 2 Thessalonians. This is not meant to affirm that Paul was definitely the author of the letter. Rather, it is merely a way to provide continuity within this look at the two letters.

Thessalonica was an interesting place to say the least. Situated on the Egnatian Road and a major port city, Thessalonica was at the heart of commerce in the ancient world as trade flowed between Rome and the East. Thessalonica was also the capital of the Macedonian Province within the Roman Empire and therefore a significant part of the governmental process. Suffice it to say, Thessalonica was a bustling city where important business took place and through which interesting characters from all over the empire passed.

According to Acts 17, the church at Thessalonica appears to have come to be as a result of the three weeks Paul spent preaching there in the city synagogue. After that period, the believers appear to have moved their meeting point to the home of Jason, an apparently wealthy Thessalonian citizen and one of Paul’s early converts in the city.

How long Paul remained in Thessalonica is uncertain. A strict reading of Acts 17 has led some to the assumption that Paul was only in the city for three weeks before being run out of town by the local officials. Others suggest that this text from Acts merely points out that Paul preached in the synagogue for three weeks. He likely spent further time there plying his trade and sharing about Christ during his daily labors as a tentmaker. This view can be supported by Paul’s own words in 1 Thessalonians 2:9ff.

Either way, it appears all but certain that Paul’s stay in the city was a short one. Rather quickly, be it after three weeks or a few months, the authorities ran Paul out of the city and he and his fellow missionaries headed west. Obviously, this left the young Thessalonians in a fragile state. New in their faith and already being persecuted by their fellow citizens, it is no wonder that their safety and the perseverance of their faith and congregation concerned Paul.

One other thing should be noted about the Thessalonian context. Like many of the other sites of early Christian congregations, Thessalonica was home to numerous other gods from both the citizens’ Greek heritage and Roman rule. Evidence suggests that the Thessalonian citizens, like others within the empire, also worshipped the Roman emperor and considered him to be a god. (Blevins, 909-10)

Among the Thessalonian pantheon was an interesting figure called Cabirus. The cult of Cabirus was centered in Macedonia and Thrace. It focused on a legendary young man who was murdered by his two brothers. It was said that Cabirus would return one day to aid the powerless of the city. His symbol was the hammer, and he easily became associated with and worshipped by the working class in Thessalonica. Although no one knows why, at some point the Cabirus cult was taken over by the ruling elite and included in the official cult. Since it was common belief in those days that the gods listened more attentively to the wealthy than to the poor, the powerless of Thessalonica felt as though their hope had been taken from them.

In the light of the Cabirus cult, it is easy to understand how Paul’s preaching of Jesus could have easily gained traction in Thessalonica. After all, Jesus himself, like Cabirus, was a young man wrongly murdered who had indeed risen from the dead to bring good news to the poor and downtrodden. (Murphy-O’Connor, 74-75)

Many biblical scholars consider the Thessalonian correspondence to be our oldest writings in the New Testament. The sense is that Paul sent Timothy back to Thessalonica shortly after the initial visit there in order to check on the congregation. When Timothy returned with his report, Paul appears to have decided to write to the congregation in order to encourage them further and to deal with questions and issues raised to Timothy during his return visit. The best guess is that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians while in Corinth around ad 50 only a few months after the original visit. Many feel that 2 Thessalonians followed shortly afterward and that it was likely composed in Corinth too. (Blevins, 909)

It is also interesting to note that no one knows for certain that 1 Thessalonians was written first and 2 Thessalonians second. While this is a good possibility, when the New Testament books were put together, correspondence to the same congregation was simply ordered from longest to shortest with the longest letter being labeled as “first” and so forth in descending order. (Efird, 105)

As with all biblical books, numerous themes are addressed over the course of the chapters and verses of the two letters to which we refer as 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Three overarching issues, however, seem to be at the center of the correspondence and provide at least partial basis for a majority of the sessions within this book. These three aspects are at the heart of what Paul had to say.

Encouragement. Due to reports he was obviously receiving from the church at Thessalonica, Paul wanted to encourage the young believers and infant congregation to stay committed to Christ and their newfound faith. It is evident that in light of their apparent persecution, Paul felt that he needed to help his friends in the Thessalonian church to know he loved them, supported them, and was proud of the great strides they were making for the gospel’s sake. Paul longed to visit Thessalonica, but, if a personal visit was not a possibility, Paul chose the only other means available for expressing his feelings—a personal letter.

In this same vein, Paul also wanted the Thessalonians to understand that he was encouraged by their hard work and the obvious fruits of their faith. Not all of the early Pauline congregations had faired as well as the Thessalonians. Not all of Paul’s teachings had been received as heartily or put into practice so faithfully. This reality meant that just as Paul wanted to encourage the Thessalonians, he also wanted them to know that the faith and practice they exhibited on a daily basis encouraged him. Through them, he had been reminded that his work was not in vain and that at least in some places it was most definitely taking root.

Sacrifice. Not only were the Thessalonians being persecuted for the faith, but they were also confused as to what this persecution signified. Evidently, many in the church feared that the difficulties befalling them signified that their faith was deficient. In other words, persecution signified a faith riddled with problems that needed attention.

In these letters, Paul takes great pains to communicate to the Thessalonians that nothing could be further from the truth. Paul desperately wanted them to recognize that suffering and sacrifice as a result of Christ was a sure sign that one’s faith was vibrant, healthy, and alive. To suffer was merely a part of discipleship. When there was no suffering, this was the point at which one should question the health and well-being of their spiritual walk, not vice versa.

Questions Regarding the End. The apocalyptic strand within Judaism influenced Paul. This meant that part of his Jewish heritage was the belief that the coming of the Messiah would also signal the end of the age. After the Damascus Road experience, Paul simply imported this belief into his faith in Christ. In short, his acceptance of Christ as Messiah meant that he also now believed the end of time was right around the corner and would certainly occur within his lifetime. Therefore, when Paul ushered in the church planter movement, he offered these teachings about the impending end of the age as a bedrock of proper theology (Ehrman, 118-19).

After Paul had moved on from Thessalonica to other places of ministry, the congregation left behind began to have numerous questions about this aspect of their beliefs. After all, days were stretching into months and years and they were still around. Likewise, members of the church were dying and countless uncertainties loomed as to how the deceased figured into the end of all things. There was even the suggestion present that the return of Christ had already taken place. Further still, it appears that members of the church were using the impending end as a reason to sit around waiting and watching the skies rather than working and contributing to the well-being of the body.

Paul’s reflections on the end of all things are included in both letters. His comments attempt to address the numerous issues swirling within the Thessalonian community. In relatively short space, Paul provides guidance on waiting and watching for the return, perspective regarding those who have died and how they will figure into the end, a dismissal of the notion that the end had already occurred, and sharp criticism of those who appear to be using Christ’s imminent return as an excuse for living as first-century freeloaders by not working. Interestingly, Paul’s response to the Thessalonians regarding end times was not only valuable guidance for early believers, but these words also continue to shape our own theology of the end. In fact, these two letters provide some of the longest and most direct teaching within the entire New Testament on the subject.