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A COMMENTARY ON ST. PAUL'S SECOND
EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS

V

By the Rev.
ALFRED PLUMMER, D.D.
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LONDON: ROBERT SCOTT

A COMMENTARY ON
ST. PAUL'S SECOND EPISTLE
TO THE
THESSALONIANS

By the Rev.
ALFRED PLUMMER, M.A., D.D.
Formerly Master of University College, Durham, and sometime Fellow
and Tutor of Trinity College, Oxford
Author of " An Exegetical Commentary on the Gospel
according to St. Matthew," etc.

Ergo latet ultimus dies,
ut observentur omnes dies.
St. Augustine.

LONDON: ROBERT SCOTT
ROXBURGHE HOUSE
PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C
M CMXVI II
AU rights reserved

INTRODUCTION

I. THESSALONICA

Under its modern name of Salonika, Thessalonica, owing
to the great war, has become far more widely known than
it was previously. Thousands of persons who had hitherto
scarcely heard of such a place, and certainly had very vague
ideas as to its geographical position, now know accurately
where to find it in the map and are aware of its importance
with regard to its pr ncipal surroundings. But beyond this
fact of its having become a very important city, both from
a military and from a political point of view, we are in no
better position for understanding the condition of the
place at the time when a portion of its inhabitants were a
community of the deepest interest to St. Paul and multi
tudes of other Christians. Nor are we likely to be in a
better position for so doing when the war is over. On the
contrary, we shall probably find that some of the features
which a few years ago were not so very different from what
they may have been in his day have been either entirely
obliterated or very seriously transformed and disfigured.
It is true that the war has added rather considerably to our
knowledge of the archaeology of the immediate neighbour
hood. Some of those who have been obliged through recent
events to take up their abode there for a time have used
this opportunity for making explorations in the interests
of antiquarian research ; and their labours have had con
siderable results. We are now learning a good deal more
about the early history of this interesting tract of country.
i — But it is about the doings of a people who lived there thou-

vi INTRODUCTION
sands of years before the coming of St. Paul. Barrows and
tombs are being discovered and excavated ; but they tell
of a race whose existence had been forgotten before the begin
ning of the Christian era. They throw no light whatever
on these earliest Christian writings, produced by mission
aries who had come from centres of Eastern civilization,
the best elements of which were to be found in Judaism,
to preach the Gospel in centres of Western civilization,
the best elements of which were to be found in Greek art
and literature, and in Roman organization and law.
The missionaries, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, had prob
ably planned to begin their enterprise at Philippi ; at any
rate they did so, and it had obvious advantages. It was a
Roman colony and its inhabitants, like Paul and Silvanus,
were Roman citizens. It was on the Via Egnatia, the high
road between East and West. And although it did not
possess a synagogue in which the missionaries could preach,
yet it had a settlement of Jews, and a fixed ' place of prayer '
by the river Gangites, and there the missionaries could begin.
Their success provoked violent opposition and outrageous
treatment from the mob and the praetors of Philippi, and
the missionaries followed the Lord's counsel (Mt. x. 23) and
example (Mt. xii. 15 ; Mk. iii. 7-12 ; Jn. x. 39) and went
along the great Egnatian road to Thessalonica. Here they
were at a seaport, which was a great commercial centre,
with a large settlement of Jews and a synagogue. The
details of their work there are sufficiently explained in the
commentary on the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. Only
an outline of it need be given here in order to understand
the meaning of the Second Epistle. See Lightfoot, Biblical
Essays, pp. 237 ff., 253 ff.
In the course of a few weeks of work in the synagogue
a few Jews were converted, many ' God-fearers ' (religious
heathen who attended the synagogue),* and a number of
* See Case, The Evolution of Early Christianity, p. 174 ; Lake,
The Earlier Epp. of St. Paul. pp. 37 ff., ; Schiirer, Gesch. d. Jiid.
Volhes, III. pp. 123 ff., 3 Auflage. Cf. Zech. vjii. 23,

INTRODUCTION vii
women belonging to the upper classes (Acts xvii. 4). After
that, the work took a wider range, and a considerable num
ber of heathen were converted, and this work probably
occupied several months (see notes on 1 Thess. i. 9, ii. 9,
iii. 12). At the end of it the large majority of the converts
were Gentiles. The unconverted Jews were furious at this
success among their own people, among the ' God-fearers,'
who might otherwise have become Jewish proselytes, and
among heathen, whom the Jews had been unable to influ
ence. They stirred up the heathen mob to denounce the
missionaries to the Politarchs as preachers of rebellion
against Caesar : the missionaries said that there was a
Messiah- King coming to found a new Kingdom. The
friends of the missionaries advised them to withdraw, and
they went to Beroea. Here again all went well at first,
till fanatical Jews came from Thessalonica and caused
trouble. Friends again advised withdrawal and escorted
the Apostle to Athens, leaving Silvanus and Timothy behind.
They rejoined him at Athens, and thence Timothy returned
to Thessalonica to learn all that he could and report to St.
Paul, who meanwhile went on to Corinth, which at that
period was socially, politically, and commercially the leading
city in Greece. Here all three missionaries were once
more united, and the First Epistle to the Thessalonians was
written and sent. It had two objects ; primarily to answer
charges and insinuations which had been urged against the
missionaries by their bitter opponents in Thessalonica ;
and secondly to encourage the converts to persevere and
make progress in the Christian life and to give them further
instruction in Christian doctrine. Before we consider the
occasion and purpose of the Second Epistle, it is necessary
to say something about its authenticity, with regard to
which doubts are still entertained by scholars whose opinions
are of weight.

viii - INTRODUCTION
II. AUTHENTICITY
Extreme views in both directions have been stated with
regard to this subject. Some forty years ago, when the
Pauline authorship of this Epistle was widely disputed and
denied, it was said that " the genuineness of this Letter,
like that of the First, is practically uncontro verted " (N. T.
Commentary for English Readers by Various Writers. Edited
by C. J. ElUcott, D.D. Cassels, n.d.). Even at the present
time, when doubts and denials are very much less general,
that would be a rather exaggerated statement. On the
other hand, so lately as 1912, Schweitzer declared that " the
Pastoral Epistles and the Second Letter to the Thessalon-
ians profess to be written by the Apostle, but contain not a
single thought which is characteristic of his teaching "
(Paul and his Interpreters, p. 80). That is a more surprising
statement than the other. One of the objections brought
against the Epistle is that it is too Pauline and looks like
the laboured production of an imitator. In these notes
passages are pointed out which are thoroughly characteristic
of the Apostle's teaching and manner of expressing himself :
and, although there are some things for which parallels
cannot be found in the other Epistles, yet there is nothing
which can be shown to be contradictiory of what is found
there. Between 1 and 2 Thessalonians " there is only
one very obvious difference, viz., 2 Thess. is far inferior
to 1 Thess. in freshness of emotion, in vividness of language,
and the winsome expression of friendly fellow-feeling "
(Zahn, Introd. to N.T., I. p. 244). This very obvious differ
ence is a strong mark of authenticity. The Apostle is no
longer under the influence of the intense feeling of relief
and joy, excited by the ' glad tidings ' of his converts'
' faith and love ' which Timothy had brought back from
Thessalonica (1 Thess. iii. 6). On the contrary, he had
been hearing of serious -misbelief and misconduct (2 Thess.
ii. 2, iii. 11), and it was necessary to write in terms of less
warm satisfaction and affection, and of increased authority
and sternness.

INTRODUCTION ix
The objections which have been urged against 2 Thess.
are modern. Till the end of the 18th century its genuine
ness was undisputed ; but, since Schmidt began the attack
in 1801, objections have been frequently urged ; and, al
though of late years objectors have greatly diminished in
number and influence, they still exist and are listened to
with respect. Some of the objections have been shown to
be baseless or trivial, and they ought not to be urged any
longer. But this is not the case with all of them. - Some are
real difficulties which cannot be solved with absolute cer
tainty ; suggestions as to possibilities are supplied in the
notes. The best general answer to the sum total of the
objections lies in this very substantial fact ; — the theory
that the Epistle is genuine presents far less serious difficulties
than the theory that it is not.
As regards external evidence the second letter is in a
better position than the first. The evidence of the second
century begins earlier and it is larger in amount. It begins
with Polycarp (c. a.d. 115), in whose letter (xi. 3, 4) we seem
to have clear references to 2 Thess. i. 4 and iii. 15. Possibly
Ignatius (Rom. x. 3) shows acquaintance with 2 Thess. iii. 5.
More certainly Justin Martyr (Try. no) shows knowledge
of 2 Thess. ii. 3. The Epistle is included in the canon of
the Syriac, of the Old Latin, of the Muratorian Fragment,
and of Marcion. Irenaeus and other writers at the close
of the second century quote it by name, and thenceforward
it is universally accepted as by St. Paul.
The internal evidence is less satisfactory. Here, along
with much which confirms the traditional view, we are
confronted with difficulties which are more serious than
those which have caused hesitation respecting the authen
ticity of the earlier letter. Even when allowed their full
cumulative effect, they leave a decided balance in favour
of Apostolic origin. They are sometimes exaggerated, but
they are not all unreal. The answers to them are adequate,
but they cannot in all cases be regarded as disproof. These
objections are based mainly on four things ; (1) the language
and style, (2) the resemblance, both in arrangement and in

x INTRODUCTION
wording, to much of the First Epistle, (3) the teaching respect
ing the Last Things, and (4) the warning against spurious
letters, combined with emphatic claim to authenticity
(ii. 2, iii. 17).
(1) It is often admitted now that arguments based upon
vocabulary, and even on phraseology, have been over-esti
mated : in some cases they prove very little. Julicher,
whose discussion of the genuineness of 2 Thess. is admirable,
says that in this case the arguments based on the phrase
ology are the least important, " for on the whole the style
is so thoroughly Pauline that one might indeed admire the
forger who could imitate it so ingeniously " (Introd. to N.T.,
p. 62). Reuss says that " the difference between 1 and 2
Cor. is greater than the difference between 1 and 2 Thess.
For every ' unpauline ' expression the concordance shows
ten Pauline, and no single Epistle has so few awa^ \ey6ueva "
{Hist, of N. T., p. 75). The occasional expressions for which
parallels cannot be found in other Epistles must not, on
that account, be regarded as expressions which the Apostle
could not have used. " The evidence of style and vocabulary
is found to present no insuperable difficulty " (Moffatt,
Lit. of the N.T., p. 81.) Suggestions that St. Paul may have
given general directions as to what was to be said, and may
have left the exact composition to Timothy, or (more
probably) to Silvanus, are worthy of consideration ; but
they are not required.
(2) This second objection is closely connected with the
first. On the whole, the resemblances of 2 Tliess. to 1 Tfiess.
tell more in favour of authenticity than of spuriousness.
They may look like imitations by a forger ; but they look
more like utterances from a man sending a second letter on
much the same subjects soon after an earlier letter, and
remembering, to a considerable extent, language which he
had previously used. That St. Paul had a rough copy of
1 Thess. is not an improbable hypothesis. " Cicero usually
treated his letters in this way. Busy as Paul was, and know
ing as he did his emotional temperament, nothing was more
natural in the circumstances than for him to read over

INTRODUCTION xi
again the"original copy of i Thess., if he had it, before dic
tating 2 Thess." (Zahn, Introd. to N.T., I., p. 250). But
the resemblances, which affect only about one-third of 2
Thess., are natural enough, if we regard them as simply
the result of memory. They are not greater than those
which occur between Ephesians and Colossians, or between
1 and 2 Timothy, or between modern letters written after
a brief interval to the same person on the same, subjects.*
(3) It is urged that the eschatology of 2 Thess. is in general
un-Pauline, and is in particular at variance with that of
1 Thess. ; also that ii. 3-12 exhibits the ideas of a speculator,
who wished to have the authority of the Apostle for these
ideas, and who, with 1 Thess. before him, rather clumsily
composed this letter in support of them. To this one replies
that 2 Thess. ii. 3-12 is not at variance with 1 Thess. — 1
Thess. says that the Lord will come suddenly ; and it im
plies that He may come very soon, for all are to be ever on
the watch. 2 Thess. says that the Day of the Return has
not yet dawned, that great events must happen first, and
that these events are evidently very near (ii. 7) ; therefore
2 Thess., like 1 Thess., implies that the Lord may come very
soon. It is true that the later Epistle contains details
which are not in the earlier one ; but there is nothing un-
Pauline in them. Baur himself admits that St. Paul might
express ideas about Antichrist such as the Jews of his day
derived from the prophecies of Daniel, and that such expres
sions, though they go beyond, do not contradict, the more
reserved statements in 1 Cor. xv. 23-28, 51, 52. He also
admits that the same writer, full of the thought of the
Return, as both 1 and 2 Thess. show, might, at different
moments, express himself in different ways (Life and Work

* " Apart from the formal agreements in the main epistolary out
line, the striking thing is not the slavish dependence of the author of
II on I, but the freedom with which he employs the reminiscences
from I and incorporates them in original ways into new settings "
(Frame, Thessalonians, p. 47). See also J. V. Bartlet, The Apostolic
Age, p. 111.

xii INTRODUCTION
of Paul, II. pp. 90, 93). These admissions leave little sub
stance in this third objection. In 2 Thess. ii. 3-12 the
Apostle, like Christ Himself, is adapting stereotyped Jewish
material (which may possibly have absorbed Babylonian
elements, as Gunkel supposes) to the purposes of his own
teaching. " The ' little apocalypse,' 2 Thess. ii. 3-12, is un-
Pauline in precisely the same way that the ' little apocalypse '
of Mt. xxiv. and parallels is un-Christian " (B. W. Bacon,
Introd. to N.T., p. 77). Both of them, in the mode of their
presentation, are Jewish. See also Swete, Revelation, pp.
lxxv. f., and Briggs, The Messiah of the Apostles, p. 84. The
Second Epistle contradicts a misapprehension of the escha-
tology of the First, but it does not contradict the eschatology
of the First.
(4) It is urged that 2 Thess. ii. 2 implies the existence
of a forged letter, and that it is most improbable that any
one would, in the Apostle's lifetime, forge a letter in his
name to a Church with which he was in such intimate
relations ; and that iii. 17 is a forger's device to ward off
suspicions as to his own production. Here again the objec
tors' premises are faulty. All that ii. 2 can be supposed
to imply is that St. Paul suspected the possibility of a for
gery. Mischievous teachers had assured the Thessalonians
that the Apostle had stated that the Day of the Lord had
come. He knew that he had never said so either by word
or by letter. Was it possible that a letter had been forged ? *
It is by no means certain that ii. 2 implies even as much as
this suspicion ; but that is the very most that it implies.
Improbable as such a forgery was, it was a possible explana
tion of the mischievous teaching. With regard to iii. 17,
the precaution is much more natural as originating with the
Apostle himself, as the notes on the passage indicate. The
improbability of forgery either during the Apostle's Hfe^
time or soon after his death adds considerably to our security
for the genuineness of 2 Thess. Some of those who still
dispute it see that it cannot be placed later than a.d. 70, and
* Lightfoot, Biblical Essays, p. 266.

INTRODUCTION xiii
they give a.d. 68-70 as the date of its composition. It is un
likely that any Christian, with whatever innocent motives,
would have adopted such a device so very soon after the
martyrdom of the Apostle. See Cohu, S. Paul in the Light
of Recent Research, p. 119.
In discussing the authenticity of 1 Thess., which is now
almost universally admitted, it seemed to be sufficient to
name twenty scholars, especially such as are not likely to
have been prejudiced in favour of traditional views, among
the many who accept it. In the case of 2 Thess., which has
been much more vigorously assailed, and about which
doubts, which cannot be condemned as unreasonable, still
exist, it may be worth while to give a longer, though by no
means a complete list of the scholars who have come to
the conclusion that the Early Church was justified in its
universal acceptance of this Epistle as a genuine work of
St. Paul. The following British and American scholars
adopt this view ; Adeney, Alexander, Allen and Grensted,
Alford, Askwith, Bacon, Bartlet, Beet, Briggs, Charles,
Chase, Conybeare and Howson, LI. Davies, Denney,
Dods, Drummond, Eadie, Ellicott, Farrar, Findlay, Frame,
Garrod, Headlam, Jowett, H. H. A. Kennedy, Knowling,
K. Lake, Lightfoot, Lillie, Lock, Mason, Milligan, Peake,
Salmon, Salmond, Sanday, Schaff, Swete, Vincent. The
following continental scholars do the same ; Bleek, Borne-
mann, Briinig, Clemen, Credner, Dobschiitz, Dollinger,
Ewald, Guericke, J. Grimm, Harnack, Heinrici, Heyden-
reich, Hofmann, Jacquier, Jiilicher, Klopper, Lueken,
Liinemann, Monnet, Nosgen, Reiche, Rcnan, Reuss, Schafer,
Schott, Vischer, B. Weiss, Wemle, Westrik, de Wette,
Wohlenberg, Zahn, Zoechler. Those who care to examine
the matter in detail for themselves will probably find that,
whatever difficulty they may experience in attributing the
Epistle to the Apostle, they will experience greater difficulty
in attributing it to any one else. See notes on i. 1, 3, ii. 2,
12, 14, 17, iii. 6, 13, 15, 17.

xiv INTRODUCTION

III. PLACE AND DATE

The place is undoubtedly Corinth, where Silvanus and
Timothy rejoined him, after his not very fruitful visit to
Athens, and where he stayed for about a year and a half
(Acts xvii. 15, xviii. 1, 5, n). It was in the earlier half of
this period that he wrote the First Epistle to the Thessa
lonians ; and the Second was sent not long afterwards, —
perhaps only two months later, and probably not more than
six. The existing evidence does not admit of exact dating.
Chronologers do not agree as to the dates for the leading
events in the life of St. Paul, and most of them allow uncer
tainty as to the date of this Epistle. Harnack says a.d.
' 48-50 ; Turner, 50-52 ; Ramsay, 51-53 ; Lightfoot and
Wiesler, 52-53 ; Milligan, 50-51 ; Lewin, 52. Perhaps
ad. 51 is the most probable date. That the eschatology
is partly based on the Book of Revelation, and that there
fore it was written in the second century, is a view which
is perhaps no longer maintained by any one. Even if it
were spurious, A.D. 70 would be the limit. Holtzmann,
after reciting various arguments for dating 2 Thess. as
^subsequent to Revelation, says "But to-day the question
is not, whether the letter is to be pushed down into the post-
apostolic period, but, whether it does not, on the contrary,
reach back into the lifetime of the Apostle, and therefore
must be genuine " (Einleilung in d. N.T., p. 216).

IV. INTEGRITY.
Closely connected with the questions of authenticity and
date is the question of the integrity of the Epistle. It
may safely be asserted that, whether genuine or spurious,
the whole of it was written at one and the same time. We
cannot admit the probability of interpolation. The letter
is consecutive and natural in arrangement and has no sus
picious breaks. That ii. 1-12 is a later insertion in an other-

INTRODUCTION xv
wise Pauline letter, or (conversely) that it is the only Pauline
portion, round which a forger has constructed the rest of
the letter, are conjectures which have neither probability
nor helpfulness to recommend them. The eschatological
portion of ch. i. cannot be separated from the similar por
tion in ch. ii., as is pointed out in the notes. Still less prob
able is the hypothesis that i. 5-10, with ii. 1-12, and some
portions of iii., belong to a Jewish apocalypse, which a
Christian named Paul, but not the Apostle, put together
in a Christian form with additions of his own. None of
these reconstructions has the smallest support from MSS.,
or Versions, or quotations in the Fathers ; nor does any one
of them commend itself by its intrinsic merit. They do
not repay serious examination.

V. OCCASION
The reasons for sending the Second Epistle can be gathered
from the Epistle itself. It is probable that the person who
carried the First Epistle to Thessalonica returned soon
afterwards and reported to St. Paul and his colleagues as
to the condition of the Thessalonian converts ; and it is
possible that he brought with him a letter from the Thessa
lonians, although there is very small evidence of this in the
second letter to them (see on i. 3, n, iii. 3). It is possible
also that travellers from Thessalonica to Corinth brought
information. It is certain that in some way or other infor
mation did reach the Apostle and his companions (iii. 11).
It was of a mixed character. On the one hand, the con
verts were enduring bitter persecution and affliction with
great fortitude, and were growing in brotherly love towards
one another (i. 3, 4). On the other hand, there had been
serious misapprehension, if not deliberate misrepresentation,
of the Apostle's teaching respecting the Second Advent
(ii. 2, 3), and it was necessary to correct this. Moreover
the brief warning against disorderly conduct (1 Thess. v. 14)

xvi INTRODUCTION
had had little or no effect ; the evil had seriously increased,
and it was necessary to give strict injunctions with a view
to putting a stop to it. These are the circumstances which
occasioned the Second Epistle, and they amply explain
its character. The Apostle gives generous praise to what
is satisfactory, makes clear his actual teaching about the
Second Advent, and with conscious authority deals firmly,
but not harshly, with the prevalent excitement and idleness.

VI. CONTENTS
(a) The letter follows the lines of letter- writing which
were usual at that period, and the topics follow in a natural
order, which to some extent may have been arranged before
hand.* There are three main divisions, one in each of the
three chapters. These divisions are preceded by the usual
Salutation and are followed by the usual Salutation and
Benediction.I. The Salutation, i. i, 2.
II. Historical and Doctrinal. Thanksgiving, Dottrine,
and Prayer, i. 3-12.
1. Thanksgiving for the Converts' Stedfastffess and
Progress, i. 3-4.
2. Doctrine of the Righteousness of God's Judgments,
i. 5-10.
3. Prayer for the Thessalonian Christians, i. n, 12.
IH. Doctrinal and Hortatory. Doctrine, Thanks
giving and Exhortation, and Prayer, ii. 1-17.
1. Doctrine concerning the Time of the Lord's Coming,
and the Revelation of the Lawless One, ii. 1-12.
* " These two letters (1 and 2 Thess.) are hardly equalled even by
those to the Galatians and Corinthians, in that direct, easy, conver
sational manner which is the peculiar quality of a genuine letter,
marking it off from the studied epistles " (Vernon Bartlet).

INTRODUCTION

xvu

2.3-
IV.

i.
2.3-

Thanksgiving and Exhortation, ii. 13-15.
Prayer for the Thessalonian Christians, ii. 16, 17.
Cheering and Commanding. Request, Encourage
ment, Reproofs, Instruction, and Prayers, iii. 1-16.
Request, Encouragement and Prayer, iii. 1-5.
Reproofs and Instructions, iii. 6-15.
Prayer for the Thessalonian Christians, iii. 16.
V. Concluding Salutation and Benediction, iii. 17, 18.
(b) Reminiscences of the Septuagint.
St. Paul's familiarity with the language of the LXX is
less conspicuous in this letter than in the earlier, not merely
because this letter is shorter (47 verses against 89), but
because the substance of it has less resemblance to passages
in the O.T. As in the First Epistle, there are no direct
quotations ; but there are a few in which he certainly had
passages in the LXX in his mind, and one or two more in
which he may have done so. These are almost entirely
confined to the two portions of his apocalypse, the introduc
tion in i. 6-12, and the main portion in ii. 3-12. Single
words, like avTairoSoviai (i. 6), do not count for much,
but in this case the Septuagint word is quickly followed by
language which comes direct from the LXX.

2 Thessalonians
i. 7 8. iv Trvpl qbXoyos, BiSov-
tos iK§iicno-iv TOt5 fir)
elS6o-i Oeovxal tol<s
/jlt] viraKovovaiv.

Septuagint
Exod. iii. 2. iv Trvpl </>\oyo?.
Is. lxvi. 15. airoBovvai iv
6v/iq> ixSiKvo-cv
avrov kcu airo-
o~KopaKio~p,bv av
rov iv abXoyl
TTV/OO?.
Jer. x. 25. eicyeov rbv dvfiov
gov eVt edvn to.
fifj elBora ere.
Ps.lxxviii.6 eVJ 'iOvn to, fir]
iireyvtoKoTa cre^
B

xvm

INTRODUCTION

1. 9, 10. a-rro irpoo-wirov rov
Kvpiov Kal airb rfjs
Sof-vs t% tV^vo? avrov,
orav eX6y evSofac-
Brpiai iv rot? dyioi?
avrov k. Oavfxao-Orjvai
iv iracnv rot? ttict-
revaaariv.

Is. ii. 10. airb rrpoavmov
rov<j)6f3ov Kvp lo v
Kal anrb t?}? So^ns
ttJs laj^vo^ av
rov, orav dvaary
Opavcrai rr)v yr\v.
Ps. lxvii. 36. 8avfiao-rb<; b 0eo?

ev roi<i bo~ioi<;

1. 10 ev rf) r)fiepa etceivv.

i. 12. ottw} iv8ofjao~6fj rb
bvofia rov Kvpiov.
ii. 2. r/fiepa rov Kvpiov.
ii. 3, 4. o avOpcoiroi; r. dvofiia<s
b avriKeifievos Kal
v7repaip6/J.evo<; eVt
wdvra Xeybfievov 8ebv
fj oe/3aa[ia wore avrov
eh rbv vabv rov 0eov
KaQlaai, diroheiKvvvra
eavrov on eariv C?eo?.

11.7.ii. 4.

eco<s eK fieo-ov yevvrai.
b vib<; rrjs cnroXetas.

ii. 8.

6 avofio<t.

Ps. lxxviii. 8. o 0eo? ivSoga-
go/ievo? iv fiovXfj
dyioiv.
Is. ii.,12; Joel iii. 18; Obad
8 -, Zech. ii. 11,
etc.
Is. Ixvi. 5. iva rb ovofia
Kvpiov So^aady.
Is. ii. 12 ; Ezek. iii. 5. f\fikpa
Kvpiov.
Dan. xi. 36, 37. rroiijaei Kara
t. diXryia avrov,
Kal vyfroi6,qaerai
67T4 rrdvra debv,
Kal cttI r. &ebv
t. OeStv efjaXXa
XaXtjaei, Kai ev-
ohoidrjaerai eoi<s
av o-vvreXeadfj
r) opyf) icai €iri
tou? 6eov<; r&v
Trarepoiv avrov
oi fir) trpovondy'
Srt, iv iravrl
vyfrwdrfaerai. ei?
avrov yh,p avv-
reXeia yiverai.
Ezek. iii. 18, iq, xviii. 21,
24, xxxiii. 8, etc.

INTRODUCTION

xix

ii. 8. dveXei ra irvevuari Is. xi. 4. irardf-et, rd> Xoym
rov arofiaro? avrov. rov arofiaros av
rov.
Job. iv. 9. drrb Trvevfiaro?
6/37779 avrov d<pa-
vio-Orjcrovrai.
ii. 13. nyairyfiivot virb Kv- Deut. xxxiii. 12. yy ann/ievo?
Pl°v- virb rov K.
Ecclus. xxxv. 1. yyarrnfiivo'i
virb ©eov.
Under this head a few words may be said respecting
the views which the writers evidently had- respecting the
relation between Christ and the Father.
As in the First Epistle, the Christology appears only
incidentally, and for that reason is all the more decisive.
The Father and Christ are placed together as equal in dignity,
i. 1, 2, 12, ii. 16. Kvpio?, which in the LXX represents
the ineffable ' Jehovah ' or ' Yahve,' is frequently trans
ferred to Christ ; see the last note on i. 1. In the apocalyp
tic passages, i. 7-10, ii. 3-12, imagery which in the O.T.
is used of God is transferred without scruple or explanation
to Christ. ' The Name of our Lord Jesus ' (i. 12) is used in a
sense parallel to ' the Name of the Lord ' in the O.T. In one
of the prayers (ii. 16, 17) Christ is placed before the Father,
and the verbs which follow are in the singular. Theodoret
(Ep. 146) calls attention to this, as " teaching that the order
of the Names does not indicate a distinction of dignity
and nature." Christ is spoken of as in Heaven, whence He
will come in great glory to punish the wicked and reward
the good, i. 6, 7, ii. 8, 14.
(c) The Man of Lawlessness or Man of Sin.
For the purposes of this commentary not much need be
added to what is said in the notes respecting this inter
minable, and (for some persons) very fascinating subject.
Those who desire to acquaint themselves with the main
views which have been held on the subject can find a great
deal of information in the commentaries on 2 Thessalonians

xx INTRODUCTION
by Alford, Findlay, Frame, Garrod, Jowett, and Milligan ;
on the Epistles of St. John by Brooke, Law, and Westcott ;
and on the Apocalypse of St. John by Simcox, Swete, and
many others. See also articles on ' Antichrist,' ' Man of
Sin,' ' False Christs,' and ' Eschatology ' in Biblical Dic
tionaries and Encyclopaedias. In all these places references
will be found to other literature on the subject, the amount
of which is enormous. A large portion of what has been
written may now be treated as obsolete, because in it inter
pretations are advocated which are generally admitted to
be no longer tenable. A very full and searching commen
tary on the Book of Revelation (Int. Crit. Comm.) is now in
the Press, and it contains an admirable Additional Note
on ch. xvii, of which, through the great kindness of the writer,
Canon R. H. Charles, I am allowed to make full use.
After tracing the independent development of the Anti
christ, Beliar, and Neronic myths, in which sometimes a
God-opposing individual, and sometimes a God-opposing
power or " collective Antichrist," is prominent, the writer
discusses the fusion of the Antichrist myth with that of
Beliar. "As a result of this fusion the Antichrist is regarded as
(a) a God-opposing man armed with miraculous powers —
this appears to have been effected on Christian soil before
50 a.d. ; (b) a purely Satanic power before 70 A.D.
"(a) 2 Thess. ii. 1- 12, according to the usual interpretation,
presents an indubitable instance of this fusion. Thus, on
the one hand, we have Beliar. ' The man of lawlessness '
(0 av8p(oiro<; rrji dvo/ilas) is all but certainly a translation
of Beliar ; for dvofivfia is the LXX rendering of it in Deut.
xv. 9, and dvofila in 2 Kings [2 Sam.] xxii. 5, and irapdvouo?
is frequently found as its equivalent, when it is used as an
epithet : Deut. xiii. 13 ; Judges xix. 22, xx. 13 ; 2 Kings
[2 Sam.] xvi. 7, etc.
" In the next place it is Beliar appearing as Antichrist ;
for the words ' he that opposeth himself . . . against all
that is called God ' form an excellent definition of the
Antichrist. Since 2 Thess. is now generally (and certainly

INTRODUCTION xxi
by the present writer) regarded as an authentic writing of
St. Paul, we have here the earliest evidence for the fusion
of these ideas (circ. 50 a.d.) and also for the humanization
of the Beliar myth through its fusion with that of the Anti
christ ; for hitherto Beliar had been conceived as a Satanic
or super-human being. The Antichrist thus comes to be
conceived as a God-opposing man armed with Satanic powers.
" We should next observe that in 2 Thess. ii. 1-12 the myth
appears to have a purely religious significance and not a
political one, as in Rev. xiii. 1-10, xvii. Thus in 2 Thess.
ii. 6, 7 the Roman Empire is referred to as the power which
checks the manifestation of the Antichrist, whereas in Rev.
xiii. 1-10 it is the Roman Empire which stands in the back
ground as the Antichrist, while the demonic Nero stands in
the foreground as this being. In no case could 2 Thess.
ii. 1- 12 have been written after 70 a.d. This section is
a Christian transformation of a current Judaistic myth."
To ask, as some are doing, whether St. Paul and St. John,
in their pictures of the Antichrist, were predicting the enor
mities committed by the German Emperor and his people
during the present war, is to ask a futile question. The
inspired writers were giving instruction, encouragement,
and warning to Christians of their own time. What help
would it have been to Christians of the first- two centuries to
have cryptic descriptions of horrors that were to take place in
the twentieth century ? And how could teachers who were
fully persuaded that Christ would return very soon, and
bring this world to a close, be supposed to foresee what
would be going on in this world many centuries later ?
What they did see was this ;— that any God-opposing power,
however successful for a time in making might prevail
against right, and however skilful in adapting miracles of
science to its own wicked purposes, must in the end fail,
and be destroyed by the righteous judgment of God. Moral
principles may be derided and reversed. " We ought, there
fore we can " may be transformed into " We can, therefore
we ought," so that the power to conquer is made to imply
the right to conquer : but sooner or later the mills of God

xxii INTRODUCTION
accomplish their inevitable work, and the monstrous rebel
is ground to powder.
'Oyjre ©eov dXiovai fivXoi, dXeovo-i Se Xetrrd.

VII. COMMENTARIES
Only a selection is given here. A very full list will be
found in the excellent commentary by Professor J. E.
Frame, who has had the advantage of coming last in a very
distinguished list. In the following summary foreign works
which have been translated into Enghsh are inserted in the
English list.
On the Greek Text.
Patristic.
Greek. Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia,* Theodoret,
Oecumenius.
Latin. Ambrosiaster, Pelagius. Reformers.
Latin. Calvin, Zwingli, Musculus. Modern.
Bengel, Gnomon N.T., 1742; tr. 1857, i860.
Webster and Wilkinson, 1855-1861.
Lillie, 1856 (American).
Alford, 1857, 5th ed. 1871.
Olshausen, 1830 ; tr. 1858.
Jowett, 1859.
C. Wordsworth, 1859.
Eadie, 1877.
Luneman, 1850 (in Meyer) ; tr. 1880.
Ellicott, 1880.
Garrod, 1900.
* See Swete's admirable edition of the Latin Version with the
Greek Fragments ; also (for information respecting all these writers)
his Patristic Study, and Hastings' D.B. vol V. art ' Patristic Com
mentaries ' by C. H. Turner. Swete's Theodore has been often used
for the notes in this volume.

INTRODUCTION

xxm

Lightfoot, 1895 (Posthumous, in Notes on the Epistles of
St. Paul).
Findlay, 1904 (Cambridge Greek Testament).
B. Weiss, 1902 ; tr. 1906.
Milligan, 1908.
Moffatt, 1910 (Expositor's Greek Testament).
Frame, 1912 (International Critical Commentary).

On the English Versions.
Mason (ElUcott' s Com. for English Readers).
Alexander, 1881 (Speaker's Commentary).
Marcus Dods, 1882 (Schaff's Popidar Com.).
Gloag, 1887- {Pulpit Commentary).
Findlay (1891) (Cambridge Bible).
Denney, 1892 (Expositor's Bible).
Bartlet, 1902 (Temple Bible).
Adeney (New Century Bible).
New Translations into English.
The Twentieth Century New Testament, 1900.
Weymouth, The N.T. in Modem Speech, 1905.
Way, The Letters of St. Paul, 2nd. ed. 1906.
Rutherford (Posthumous), Thessalonians and Corinthians,
1908.
Moffatt, The N.T.,a New Translation, 1913.
Cunnington, The New Covenant, 1914.
There are valuable articles on the Epistle in Smith's
D.B. by Lightfoot, 1863 ; Hastings' D.B. by Lock, 1902 ;
Cheyne's Enc. Bibl. by McGiffert, 1903 ; Murray's Illus
trated Bible Dictionary by Sinker. See also the article on
" Paul " in Hastings' D.C.G. vol. II., by Sanday.
Of German commentaries those by Schmiedel, 1892 (in
Holt mann), Bornemann, 1894 (in Meyer), Zoeckler, 1894,
Wohlenberg, 1903 (in Zahn), Lueken, 1908 (in J. Weiss),
and Dobschiitz, 1909 (in Meyer), will be found useful.

In the quotations from the A.V., italics signify that the word is
not expressed in the Greek.
In the paraphrase, italics signify that the word is emphatic. Para
phrase is necessary, because no mere translation, however accurate,
can convey the fulness of the Apostle's meaning to the English
reader.

A COMMENTARY ON ST. PAUL'S
SECOND EPISTLE TO THE
THESSALONIANS
i. i, 2. THE SALUTATION
i.^1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus unto the Church of the
Thessalonians, in God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ :
2 Grace unto you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
The Salutation in 2 Thessalonians is longer than the
Salutation in the First Epistle in two respects ; it adds
' our ' (r)fiwv) to ' Father ' in v. 1, and it adds ' from God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ' to ' Grace unto you
and peace ' in v. 2. In both respects the addition is in
harmony with St. Paul's usage elsewhere. For ' our
Father ' see 1 Thess. i. 3 ; 2 Thess. ii. 16 ; Rom. i. 7 ;
1 and 2 Cor. i. 2 ; Eph. i. 2 ; Phil. i. 2 ; Col. i. 2 ; Philem.
2. Here ' our ' is wanting in some important authorities,
and it has perhaps been inserted because of the usage else
where. But the longer addition is certainly genuine here,
although not in 1 Thess. i. 1, where it has been inserted
in inferior authorities because of its presence in subsequent
Epistles. It intimates that the ultimate source of grace
and peace is the Father and Jesus Christ. As in all the
other Pauline Salutations in which these words occur,
the preposition iv is not repeated before ' the Lord Jesus
Christ,' and thus no distinction is made between the Father
and the Saviour, as if one was the source, and the other
merely the channel, of the grace and peace. Contrast Jn.
1

2 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. i
xx. 17, where ' my ' and ' your ' indicate the difference
between Christ and the disciples in their relation to the
Father and God. In Col. i. 2 the Father alone is mentioned.
In other respects the Salutation implies a great deal
more than at first sight appears, as the following para
phrase shows.
1 Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, well known to you as friends
and instructors, to the Assembly of Thessalonians who [like our
selves] have God as Father and Jesus Christ as Lord, and are thereby
united as children in one family and as members in one body : 2 We
send you the Christian and the Jewish greeting combined — grace,
the source of all spiritual blessings, and peace, the end and issue
of them all — desiring that you may receive them from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. In neither of these two Epistles, nor in Philippians,
does St. Paul begin by styling himself an Apostle. The
reason probably is that neither at Thessalonica nor at
Philippi had his authority as an Apostle been questioned.
All three letters are written in terms of affection and instruc
tion, rather than of official relation, although the voice
of authority is heard where it is needed. The omission
of ' Apostle ' is a mark of genuineness ; an imitator, with
a knowledge of St. Paul's usage elsewhere, would be likely
to insert it, all the more so with a wish to gain authority
for his own production.
Silvanus (1 Thess. i. 1 ¦ 2 Cor. i. 19 ; 1 Pet. v. 12) is the
same person as Silas (Acts xy. 22-xviii. 5). Three theories
may safely be rejected1; (1) that Silas and Silvanus are
different persons ; (2) that one of the two is to be identified
with Titus ; (3) that Silas, Silvanus and Titus are names
of one and the same person. Silas is probably the Jewish
name, of which Silvanus is the Latin equivalent denoting
Roman citizenship. The abbreviation of Silvanus would
be Silvas rather than Silas. Zahn, Intr. to the N.T., I.
p. 31. Silvanus was probably a Hellenistic Jew and a
Roman citizen. As one of the ' chief men among the
brethren ' (Acts xv. 22) and a " prophet ' (xv. 32), and senior
both in age and in service, he is placed before Timothy,
who was perhaps less known at Thessalonica. He is placed

i- i] THE SALUTATION 3
before Timothy Acts xvii. 14. He was entirely in sympathy
with St. Paul— more so perhaps than Barnabas, in the desire
to convert the Gentiles.
Timothy was probably converted by the Apostle himself
during the first journey in Asia Minor ; he is conspicuous
in all the Pauline Epistles, excepting Galatians, Colossians,
and Titus. Cf. Acts. xvi. 1 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 10 ; Phil. ii. 20, 22.
He is associated with the Apostle in the opening Salutation
in Epistles of three groups ; 1 and 2 Thess. ; 2 Cor. ; Phil.,
Col., Philem. In the fourth group two letters are addressed
to him. The A.V. wavers between ' Timotheus ' and
' Timothy,' even in the same chapter (2 Cor. i. 9. 19), with a
decided preference for ' Timotheus ' (Acts, Rom., 1 Cor.,
Phil., 1 and 2 Thess.) ; but with 'Timothy' fairly often
(1 and 2 Tim., Philem., Heb.).* It is possible that Timothy
stayed behind at Philippi for a short time after St. Paul
and Silvanus had gone on to Thessalonica ; for in Acts
(where only the first few weeks of the mission are mentioned)
,he is not mentioned as being at Thessalonica. It is clear
from ' they departed ' (not ' we departed ') in Acts xvi. 40
that Luke was left behind at Philippi (contrast ' us ' in xvi.
16) ; but we know from these two letters that, whether left
behind at Philippi or not, Timothy certainly did work at
Thessalonica with St. Paul and Silvanus. His being the
son of a Greek (Acts xvi. 1) may have helped him there.
The 1st person plural is used in both Epistles repeatedly ',
1 Thess. i. 2, 5, 6, ii. 4, 8, 13, 18-20 ; 2 Thess. i. 3, 11, ii. 1, iii.
passim ; and it is probable that this is not the official ' we '
of an author, but that it includes Silvanus and Timothy,
who had had a large share in the conversion of the Thessalon
ians, and in establishing the converts as a Christian Church.
Nevertheless it is not probable that Silvanus had much
share in the production of either letter. But Timothy may
have been the scribe to whom 1 Thessalonians was dic
tated ; and it is possible that he or Silvanus may have been
* ' Timotheus ' is, of course, a word of four syllables, one long
and three short. One often hears it read as a world of three long
syllables, which entirely obscures the derivation.

4 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. i
allowed to write a good deal of 2 Thessalonians from in
structions given him by the Apostle rather than from actual
dictation. This, however, is pure conjecture, to explain
the similarities and differences between the two Epistles.
A. S. Way turns the plurals into singulars throughout,
which is arbitary.
to the Assembly of Thessalonians] ' Assembly ' rather than
' Church,' because at the time when these letters were
written ecclesia had hardly become a distinctly Christian
term.* Both Jews and Greeks used ecclesia to denote their
assemblies, and as there were both Jews and Greeks in the
Apostolic Church, the Christian use of the term might have
come from either. It is probable, however, that the Jewish
use of it was the fact which chiefly influenced the Christian
use ; Hort, The Christian Ecclesia ; Swete, The Holy
Catholic Church. In Judith vi. 16 the A.V. has ' assembly,'
in Ecclus. xxiv. 2, 1. 13, and 1 Mace. ii. 56 ' congregation.'
In his later Epistles, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, and
Philippians, the Apostle does not address the " assembly "
or ' church,' but " the saints,' i.e. the Christians in each
place. In these two early letters the Apostle names the people,
the Thessalonians, not the city, Corinth, Rome, Philippi,
Colossae. In Galatians, which may be placed between
Thessalonians and Corinthians, he names the country,
Galatia. The addition ' in God . . . Jesus Christ ' distinguishes
the assembly which is addressed from the assemblies of
Gentiles and Jews with which the Thessalians were familiar.
Gentiles did not recognize God as Father, and neither Gen
tiles nor Jews recognized Jesus as Lord. This addition
is in both 1 and 2 Thessalonians, but in no other Epistle.
Inde colligendum est, non alibi quaerendum esse Ecclesiam,
nisi ubi praeest Deus, ubi Christus regnat (Calvin). Although
the heathen are generally ignorant of the fact, all men in
their highest aspect are " in God ' ; and, although . be-
* Tyndale and Cranmer have ' congregation ' here.

i- 2] THE SALUTATION 5
lie vers are often forgetful of the fact, all Christians are
' in Christ.' Rutherford here has ' inherent in.'
In this combination we have at once what is the most
marked feature in these two early Epistles,— the equal
emphasis on God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ;
cf. ii. 16 ; 1 Thess. iii. 11. In no Epistle is the Holy Spirit
mentioned in the Salutation, whereas the ' Lord Jesus
Christ ' is specially frequent at the beginning of Pauline
and other Epistles. It is unlikely that St. Paul originated
it ; more probably in this, as in many other expressions,
he used language which was already stereotyped. Whoever
was the first to employ it, it is very significant that the Greek
equivalent of the ineffable ' Jehovah ' should be welcomed
as a natural title of Jesus Christ. In 1 Thessalonians Christ
is called ' the Lord ' more than twenty times. In this
letter ' the Lord Jesus Christ ' occurs again vv. 2, 12, iii. 12 ;
' our Lord Jesus Christ ' ii. 2, 14, 16, 18 ; ' the Lord Jesus '
i. 7, ii. 8 ; ' our Lord Jesus ' i. 8, 12. Such expressions are
also very common in Philippians. There may be some
reason why Christ is so- often called ' the Lord ' in the letters
addressed to the Macedonian Churches.
In the LXX Kvpto<s is used for Jehovah as well as for
Adonai innumerable times. " The change of usage by Paul
in applying ' Lord ' so exclusively to Christ and in carefully
abstaining from using it for God the Father was a radical
change of an importance which it is hard for any one to
exaggerate. It involved the practical substitution of the
sovereignty of the Messiah for the sovereignty of God during
the Messianic age " (Briggs, The Messiah of the Apostles,
pp. 86, 87 ; see also Zahn, Introd. toN.T.,l. p. 254). Jesus
est le Seigneur, le Christ, un personage entierement surhumain,
non Dieu encore, mais bien pres de I'etre. On vit en lui, on
meurt en lui, on ressuscite en lui ; presque tout qu'on dit de
dieu, on le dit de lui (Renan, Saint Paul, p. 274).
2. We may perhaps say that it is also unlikely that St.
Paul was the first to use the combination ' grace and peace.'
It is found in 1 and 2 Peter, 2 John, and Revelation ; and
the fact that it is used by such different writers suggests

6 COMMENTARY ON '2 THESSALONIANS [i. 2
that the expression was current as a Christian password,
whoever may have originated it. See Charles on Rev. i. 4.
In the O.T. ' grace ' is rare in the Psalms and Prophets,
but is frequent, in the Wisdom Books. In the N.T. it is
found far more often in the Pauline Epistles than in all the
other Books together. In the Johannine writings it is rare.
From its original meaning of pleasingness and charm in
person and address, ' grace ' acquired the moral sense of
pleasingness in character, ' graciousness ' ; and when used
of God, as so often in Scripture, it expresses God's mercy
and favour to mankind. In the N.T. it is specially used
of God's favour as manifested in the life and work of His
incarnate Son ; and this is the meaning that is so common
in the PauUne Epistles, especially when combined with
' peace,' as here. The favour of God produces peace of mind,
because enmity to God has ceased, and reconciliation with
Him has been effected. In conversion from heathenism
(which is what had been the case with most of the Thessa
lonian Christians) the tormenting dread of offending this
or that god or goddess or daemon was extinguished. Poly
theism is fatal to peace of mind. Every detail of life is
supposed to be presided over by some unseen power, who
must be propitiated, or it will take vengeance. Moreover,
these unseen powers are believed to be jealous of one another ;
and to sacrifice to the wrong one may be more fatal than
neglecting to sacrifice to any. Tatian (Address to the Greeks,
xxix.) tells of the relief of being rescued from slavery to ten
thousand tyrants and taught to worship one benevolent
God. T. R. Glover, The Jesus of History, p. 206 ; Renan,
Hibbert Lectures 1880, p. 11. On the meanings of ' grace '
in the N.T. see Sanday and Headlam on Rom. i. 5 ; J. A.
Robinson, Ephesians, pp. 221 f. ; Findlay on 1 Thess. i. 1
and 2 Thess. i. 12.

i. 3] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL

i. 3—12. HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL
On the whole, the main divisions of the Epistle corre
spond to the divisions of the chapters ; but the same kinds
of subjects are found in more than one of the three divisions,
so that it is not easy, to give satisfactorily distinctive head
ings to each. There is Thanksgiving and Doctrine in both
the first and the second chapters ; there is Exhortation in
both the second and th& third ; and there is Prayer in all
three. All three of the main divisions end with prayer for
the Thessalonian Christians ; and this is one reason for
believing that the letter has three main divisions rather
than two. The personal element, which is so conspicuous
in the First Epistle, is almost entirely absent ; in this letter
the Apostle says very little about himself.

i. 3-12. THANKSGIVING, DOCTRINE, AND
PRAYER
The discovery of vast quantities of papyri has taught
Us that the Thanksgivings which are such a marked feature
in almost all the letters of St. Paul are in accordance with
what was customary in the ordinary correspondence of his
time. Expressions of gratitude to the gods were common
at the beginning of secular letters. Deissmann, Light from
the Ancient East, p. 169, quotes an interesting example from
the 2nd cent. a.d. " Apion to Epimachus his father and
lord, many greetings. Before all things I pray that thou
art in health, and that thou dost prosper and fare well
continually together with my sister and her daughter and
my brother. I thank the Lord Serapis that when I was ih
peril in the sea, he saved me immediately, etc." In the
letters of St. Paul, however, the Thanksgivings are no mere
followings of customary forms. They serve a serious pur
pose. They are intended to induce those to whom they
are addressed to listen attentively and sympathetically to

8 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 3, 4
the contents of the Epistle. The first two verses here (3, 4)
are really a commendation of the Thessalonians expressed
" in the form of a Thanksgiving on their behalf, in which,
as elsewhere, the power of expression falls short of the ful
ness of his heart " (Jowett). Thus in one sense the Thanks
giving in this Epistle is very brief, for it quickly shades off
into Doctrine (5-10), and thence passes into Prayer (11, 12).
There is scarcely room for a colon, and none for a full stop,
until the end of v. 10. Nevertheless, the transitions are so
easy that the whole chapter might be regarded as represent
ing the usual Thanksgiving, in which case it is not excep
tionally brief, but exceptionally long. The Thanksgiving
in Romans is in this respect somewhat similar. As in the
long Thanksgiving in 1 Thess. i. 2-10, we have a good example
of St. Paul's style, allowing his sentences to grow one out
of the other, like shoots from a vine stalk, as thoughts occur
to him, instead of keeping them distinct and balanced, as
we find them in the Epistle to the Hebrews. For conven
ience we may divide the remainder of the chapter into the
three sections indicated above.
i. 3, 4. Thanksgiving for the Converts' Sted-
fastness and Progress
The purpose of the Thanksgiving is to encourage the
fainthearted by praise of their faith and love and hopeful
endurance under persecution.
3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is
meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity
of every one of you all towards each other aboundeth : 4 So that we
ourselves glory in you in the Churches of God, for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure.
In expressing this thankfulness the Apostle seems to have
been influenced to a limited extent, either consciously or
unconsciously, by what had been said in the earlier letter,
especially in the transition (4, 5) from gratitude to God to
the thought of a judgment to come. But the two Thanks
givings are in the main quite independent. An imitator,
who was using the earlier one as a model, would be likely

i. 3] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 9
to produce far more resemblance. The full meaning is in
each case impressive.
3 We continually feel, and cannot help feeling, bound to give thanks
to the one and only God on all occasions for you, Brethren, and you
have fully deserved this by your conduct ; we feel bound, I say, be
cause your faith in Him and the Lord Jesus Christ continues to increase
more and yet more, and because the love which every single individual
among you all bears towards every other continues to be more and
more widely diffused. You yourselves' doubtless rejoice at this.
4 And it has its effect upon us also, for it prompts us naturally enough,
as being those who planted this faith and love in you, to glory about
you in the Christian congregations which God has raised elsewhere,
boasting of the strength of endurance and constancy of faith, which
has been and is maintained and manifested by you in all the persecu
tions and the afflictions which you are still enduring for the Gospel's
sake. 3. We continually feel] St. Paul often says that he does
give thanks to God, but only in this letter (i. 3, ii. 13) does
he speak of feeling bound to do so ; and the word which he
uses about this feeling is one which implies an obligation
that binds particular individuals (bqbelXofiev Rom. xv. 1, 27),
as distinct from one that is rooted in the nature of things
(Set 1 Cor. xv. 25, 53 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; etc.). The word for
' to thank ' (evxapiareiv) meant originally ' to do a good
turn to ' ; then ' to return a favour ' ; and hence ' to express
gratitude,' which is its Scriptural meaning. With St. Paul
most things are looked at from the point of view of personal
duty. Barnabas v. 3 has " we feel bound to be very thank
ful to the Lord," inrepevxapioreiv bqbelXofiev rm Kvpicp.
' We continually feel ' not ' I continually feel.' As already
stated, the 1st person plural prevails, and it almost cer
tainly includes Silvanus and Timothy. Contrast 1 Cor. i. 4,
where we have ' I thank,' although Sosthenes is coupled with
St. Paul in the Salutation ; and Phil. i. 3 and Philem. 4,
where we have ' I thank,' although Timothy is coupled with
St. Paul in the Salutation. In 2 Cor. i.-ix., as in 1 and 2
Thess., the 1st pers. plur. prevails. The present tense
indicates that the feeling of obligation is lasting. Contrast
gratiasque egi, ut debui, Cic. Ad Fam. xiv. 2 ; and compare

io COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 3
merito e vestro maximas vobis gratias omnes et agere et
habere debemus, Cic. Phil. iii. 10.
to the one and only God] In the Greek, ' to God ' has the
article, which may distinguish ' the God ' of the Christians
from the numerous deities of the heathen.
on all occasions] A stronger expression (rrdvrore) than
' always ' (del). It is late Greek and is equivalent to the
classical eKaarore. In the N.T. it has almost driven del
out of use. See on Bid rravrb<; iii. 16, and cf. ev wavrl
1 Thess. v. 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 18, vi. 4, vii. 5, 11, etc.
for you, Brethren] Vulg. pro vobis, Beza de vobis. Cf. v.
n, ii. 13, iii. 1. The omission of ' all ' and the insertion
of ' Brethren ' are probably not accidental. 1 Thess i. 2
we have rrepl irdvrojv vp.&v without dSeX<poi. There are
now disorderly persons (iii. 11) among the Thessalonians,
whose misconduct is one of the things which have evoked
this official and authoritative letter. But the severity
of the letter is mitigated by the insertion of ' Brethren ' at
the beginning of each of the three divisions, as well as else
where (ii. 13, 15, iii. 6, 13) ; yet it is not so frequent as in the
earlier and more affectionate letter.
You have fully deserved this] Lit. ' even as it is meet '
(Ka6(b<i a%ibv ea-riv). In the English Versions ' as it is
meet ' looks like a mere repetition of ' we are bound,' but
this is not the case. ' We are bound ' means ' conscience tells
us that it is a debt to God ' ; ' as is meet ' means ' it is
only fair to you.' Lueken regards it as a natural addition
in a Pauline letter ; ' we are bound, and it is a worthy thing
to do.' It is fanciful to suppose that this alludes to a letter
from the Thessalonians in which they said that they did
not deserve the praise given to them in 1 Thess. See on
iii. 3, and cf. Phil. i. 7 Kadois ianv BUaiov. Except in
1 Timothy, afto? is rare in Paul ; and elsewhere in N.T.
d^iov occurs only 1 Cor. xvi. 4.
we feel bound, I say] The insertion of these words is
necessary in order to make clear that ' because ' belongs
to ' feel bound to thank ' rather than to ' fair to you.'
faith . . . love] In 1 Thess. i. 3 all three of the great

i. 3] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL n
Christian virtues are commended, faith, love, and hope.
Here patient endurance (which is really hopeful endurance)
under persecution takes the place of hope.
continues to increase more and yet more] A strong com
pound verb (vwepavl-dvei) is used. It occurs nowhere
else in N.T., but is of a kind of which St. Paul is fond, viz.,
words compounded with virep, e.g. virepaipea-Oat, virepdvto,
virepftdXXw, virepftaXXovro)*;, vrrepeKirepia-o-ov, virepeKrelveiv,
vrrepevrvyxdveiv, {nrepe^etv, virep~hLav, virepviKav, vTrepire-
pio-aevetv, vireprrXeovd^eiv. It indicates ceaseless organic
growth, as of a healthy plant. These compounds perhaps
are, as Liinemann suggests, " an involuntary expression
of his overflowing feelings." Chrysostom and Oecumenius
call attention to the compound here.
love continues to be more and more widely diffused] This
increase in love St. Paul had prayed for in the earlier letter
(iii. 12), and he would be therefore all the more thankful
for its abundant manifestation. Here we have a slight
indication that 2 Thess. was written after 1 Thess., and not
before it, as Ewald and one or two other critics have thought.
Love was specially needed in a young Church which had
both Jews and Greeks among its members. ' Love ' (R.V.)
here and elsewhere is the better rendering of dydrrv. A.V.
wavers between ' charity ' and ' love ' (ii. 10, iii. 5 ; 1
Thess. v. 8, etc.). ' Love of the brethren ' (4>iXab'eX<pia)
abounded (iv. 10) ; but it is a less extensive term than
* love.' The verb for ' increase ' in this case (irXeovd^ei) is in
N.T. almost confined to the Pauline Epistles, but it is not
rare elsewhere. It indicates spreading, as of fire or water,
whether for good or for evil, rather than internal growth,
as of an organism. Christian love does not pick and choose,
refusing this or that person ; it overflows all, even the dis
orderly idlers.
You yourselves doubtless rejoice at this] This is implied
in the emphatic position of the pronouns which follow
(wo-re avrov<; rifia*) ; ' so that we on our part, we as well as
you, are affected.' The three missionaries were proud of

12 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 4
the behaviour of their converts, which was no doubt a
satisfaction to the converts themselves. All rejoiced to
gether. In laudandis Dei beneficiis semper respicienda est
Ecclesiae universitas (Calvin). Cf. the glowing words in
1 Thess. ii. 19.
4. to glory about you] As a rule, it was not expedient for
the Apostle to glory (2 Cor. xii. 1) about God's favours,
enabling him to win so many successes and endure so many
sufferings. But there were times when the needs of his
converts, or the criticisms of his enemies, drove him to do
so (2 Cor. viii. 1-7 ; xi. 17, 21). In the present case it would
be an encouragement to the Thessalonians to know that
the founders of their Church took so much pride in it, and
it would be a stimulus to other congregations to know what
progress the Thessalonians were making. The compound
evKavxdo-Qai is rare in Bibl. Greek.
in the Christian congregations] These would be chiefly
' the saints which are in the whole of Achaia ' (2 Cor. i. 1),
especially Corinth and the neighbouring towns. Of course
he does not mean all Christian congregations ; cf . 1 Cor.
xi. 16. There is little doubt that Polycarp had this pas
sage in his mind when he wrote to the PhiHppians (xi. 3)
about St. Paul "glorying in all the Churches." In xi. 4
he has an echo of 2 Thess. iii. 15. For ' the Churches of
God ' (at eKKXnolat rov ©eov) cf. I Thess. ii. 14 ; 1 Cor.
xi. 16. ' The Church of God ' (y iKKXycrla r. ©.) is very fre
quent (1 Cor. i. 2, x. 32, xv. g; 2 Cor. i. 1; Gal. i. 13;
cf. 1 Tim. iii. 5, 15), and both expressions are peculiar to
Paul. The genitive is possessive, and it is probable that
nowhere is it merely an otiose amplification. The point here
may be that Christian and not Jewish or Greek assemblies
are meant. The reading in Acts xx. 28 is rather uncertain,
for authorities there are somewhat evenly divided ; ' the
Church of the Lord ' (a unique expression) may there be
right. See Briggs, The Messiah of the Apostles, pp. 81, 82.
the strength of your endurance] Patient and hopeful
endurance (virofiovq) is a virtue on which great stress is laid
in the N.T. and in early Christian writings in times of perse-

i. 4] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 13
cution. The word is frequent in the Pauline Epistles and
in the Apocalypse, and what follows here has no parallel
in 1 Thess. i. In 1 Tim. vi. 11 ; 2 Tim. iii. 10 ; Tit. ii. 2
it is combined, as here, with love and faith ; and in Rom.
xv. 5 we have the remarkable expression ' the God of patient
endurance ' (0 @eo? rrj<: v-irofiovys). Calvin remarks that
endurance is the fruit and evidence of faith, and here both
are coupled under one article. Endurance is also closely
connected with hope. In the O.T. it commonly means
patient expectation ; so even in Ecclus. ii. 14, xvi. 13, xvii.
24, xli. 2. But in 4 Maccabees, which was written not long
before this Epistle, the N.T. signification occurs ; ry dvBpela.
Kal ry virofiovy i. n ; apery he Si' vTro/iovy? BoKiixd^ovaa
xvii. 12,. also xvii. 23. Perhaps throughout the N.T. it
implies an expectation that the suffering will prove a bless
ing, a hope that sorrow will be turned into joy. The word
is found in all groups of the Pauline Epistles, implying
manly endurance without cowardly shrinking. See Trench,
Syn. § liii. ; Ellicott on 1 Thess. i. 3 ; Cremer, Lexicon, p.
420 ; Abbott, Son of Man, p. 696.
in all the persecutions] These had been numerous and had
not ceased. Both Jews and heathen were actively hostile
(1 Thess. i. 6, ii. 14). The Jews followed the missionaries
after they had fled, and they incited the " more noble ' Jews
of Beroea to turn against them. See Lightfoot, Biblical
Essays, pp. 262 f . The fact that ' faith ' in v. 3 must mean
belief in God and in Christ forbids us from giving ' faith '
in v. 4 the sense of ' faithfulness ' or ' constancy,' although
that meaning would agree well with the idea of good conduct
under persecution. In Bibl. Grk. Buoyfj,6<; commonly means
' persecution,' not ' pursuit ' ; 2 Mace. xii. 23 inroielro Be
rbv Bitoyfibv evrovdorepov, of Judas Maccabeus pursuing his
enemies, is an exception.
the afflictions] A more general term than 'persecutions.'
We have the two words combined Mk. iv. 17 = Mt. xiii. 21,
yevofievns OXlyfreo)^ rj Bimyfiov. Cf. BtwKO/jievoi ave^o/ieda
1 Cor. iv. 12, and the Beatitude in Mt. v. 10. ©Xtyts (or
OXtyis) occurs in all the Pauline groups, except the Pastorals

14 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 4, 5
In class. Grk. it is perhaps not earlier than Aristotle, who
uses it only in the original sense of ' pressure ' or ' crushing.'
A.V. varies between ' tribulation ' and ' trouble ' and ' afflic
tion ' ; R.V. between ' tribulation ' and ' affliction ' and
(Jn. xvi. 21) ' anguish ' ; Vulg. between tribulatio and
pressura and (Col. i. 24) passio.
are still enduring] Persecution had probably continued
since 1 Thessalonians was written, and the converts cer
tainly had afflictions to endure. ' All your persecutions
and afflictions' implies repetition ; and the present tenses
(dvexeade, and Trdo~xeTe v. 5) imply that they continue ;
cf. 1 Thess. i. 6, ii. 14. On the apparent attraction to
OXlyjreaiv in ah dvexeo-ffe see A. T. Robertson, Grammar of
the Greek N.T., p. 716. The words are " not otiose, but
add weight and point to virofiovr}? " (Swete).
i. 5-10. Doctrine of the Righteousness of God's
Judgment
There is no real break between v. 4 and v. 5, although the
A.V. has a full stop. The semi-colon of the R.V. is almost
too much, for ' a manifest token ' is in apposition with the
sense of v. 4, viz. the Thessalonians' patient endurance
under persecution. A dash or line would express this better
than a stop, but the insertion of ' which is ' (A.V., R.V.)
is legitimate.
8 Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God,
that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which
ye also suffer ; 8 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recom
pense tribulation to them that trouble you : 7 And to you who are
troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from
heaven, with his mighty Angels, 8 In flaming fire, taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruc
tion from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power :
10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints, and to be admired
in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was
believed) in that day.
This long sentence of six verses must be broken up in

i. 5] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 15
paraphrasing. With the doctrine of Divine retribution
and reward as set forth in these verses cf . Rev. vi„ 10, xi.
18, xiii. 10, xvi. 4-7, xviii. 6-8. It constitutes the first
part of St. Paul's apocalypse and leads on naturally to the
second part in ii. 1-12. The contents of both are in the
main either a repetition of Christ's teaching on the subject,
or a deduction from it ; but there are one or two new ele
ments. We hardly do justice to the current of St. Paul's
thought if we isolate ii. 1-12, as if it were a needless intrusion.
sWe have mentioned our admiration of your patient endurance
and stedfast faith, because this conduct of yours is such a clear
demonstration that the Judge of all the earth is righteous in His
judgment, for it tends to show that all those who have suffered perse
cution for the truth's sake will be accounted by Him to be worthy
of His Kingdom, entrance into which is won by your heroic endur
ance of prolonged suffering for the Kingdom's sake. 6We assert
this, because we assume, what you will readily grant, that it is a
righteous thing in the court of God that in the life to come there should
be full compensation for the inequalities and injustices of this life ;
that the persecutors who afflict you for your righteousness should
themselves be made to suffer affliction for their iniquity' ; 7 and that you,
who are plainly on God's side, for it is He who has enabled you to
endure for the Gospel's sake, should have relief along With ourselves
— you and We have been alike in suffering, and We shall be alike in
being freed from it — through the great revealing of the Lord Jesus
Christ, when He comes from heaven, accompanied by the angels
who are the ministers of His power, 8 and surrounded by a blaze of
flame. Then He Will render full retribution to those who obstinately
refuse to recognize God in nature, and to those who have heard the
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and yet refuse to comply with its
demands, viz., faith in Him and obedience to His teaching. - 9 These
men are of such a character that they will have to pay a just penalty
which will be no less than eternal ruin, banishment from the presence
of the Lord and from the glory of His strength, 10 whenever He shall
have appeared again to the World, to be glorified in those holy ones
who in their characters are reflexions of His holiness, and to be mar
velled at in all those who believed the Gospel, and therefore in you,
because our testimony about the Gospel has been brought to you and
believed by you. But for all this We must wait patiently until He
comes again in that Day.
5. a clear demonstration] This term (evBeiypa) is found
here only in N.T. The Latin version of Theodore has

16 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 5
demonstrationcm, Tertullian ostentamen, Vulgate in exemplum.
In this late Greek it can hardly be distinguished from
evSeil-is (Rom. iii. 25, 26 ; 2 Cor. viii. 24 ; Phil. i. 28),
although the latter should mean the process of proving
rather than the proof. God's judgment is proved to be
righteous by the fact that those who are persecuted for the
Gospel's sake are rewarded hereafter, while those who per
secute them are punished. The article and the singular
number (1-779 BtKalas KpLo-eus) show that the final judg
ment is meant, not the partial judgments executed in this
world. Phil, i . 28 is similar. There the Philippians' sted-
f astness in facing the attacks of their persecutors is a clear
demonstration to their enemies that by their hostility they
are bringing spiritual ruin on themselves, while the perse
cuted receive salvation. Rev. xiuV 10 probably means that
those who persecute will suffer persecution. Cf. also
Dives and Lazarus, and Rom. ii. 5.
The construction is unimportant ; either as an accusative
or an elliptic nominative, evBeiytia is in apposition with
the previous statement. The persecutions ' attest the
equity of God ' (Rutherford). These awkward construc
tions, as Zahn points out (Intr. I. p. 253) are signs of genuine
ness. for it tends to show] With els rb of the result cf. 2 Cor.
viii. 6.
accounted worthy] See below on v. 11. The words here
seem almost like an echo of the words of Christ recorded
Lk. XX. 35, Kara^imdevres rov al&vos ixetvov rvx^lv Kat ttj?
dvaa-rdo-etos rr)s e'« veKpcov. ' To be worthy of the age to
come ' is a common expression with the Rabbis (Dalman,
The Words of Jesus, p. 119) ; and Christ and His Apostle may
be using current phraseology. Cf . delas fieplSos Kar^teodyo-av,
4 Mace, xviii. 3. H. A. A. Kennedy, St. Paul's Conceptions
of the Last Things, pp. 161, 287. Cf. St. Paul's hope 2 Tim.
iv. 8.
His Kingdom] " This kingdom is the rule of God, whether
in the human heart, or in society. It exists now, but it
has its full realization in eternity. Some have to seek and

i. 6] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 17
gain it. Those who have gained it have to labour to retain
it, and this retaining may be regarded as winning it. It is
to be noted that Christ never gave any definition of the
kingdom, and perhaps it is not wise for us to attempt to do-
so " (Plummer on Mt. iii. 1-12, p. 25 : see also A. Robert
son, Regnum Dei, Bampton Lectures 1901, pp. 75-77 ;
and for St. Paul's equivalent, Sanday in the Journal of
Theol. Stud., July 1900, p. 481.
for the Kingdom's sake] This is an important condition.
The mere endurance of suffering does not necessarily secure
entrance into the Kingdom. Confirmantur in spe aeternae
vitae dum pro ea militant (Calvin). It is a great help towards
the patient and hopeful endurance of suffering to be able
to perceive that suffering is a benefit to us. Cf . Lk. vi. 23.
6. we assume what you will readily grant] 'If so be '
(R.V.) is more accurate than ' Seeing it is ' (A.V.), but the
latter is legitimate, because the Apostle means that the
supposition is not likely to be disputed. The change from
' tribulation ' to ' trouble ' (A.V.) spoils the verbal effect of
' affliction to them that afflict,' rois 0Xtf3ovcnv OXlyfriv*
The Greeks had a proverb which is similar, but more com
prehensive, ' the doer must suffer,' Spdo-avn -n-adelv, what
ever a man sows he will reap. Cf . Mt. xxvii. 52 ; Rom. ii.
5 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Eph. vi. 8 ; Col. iii. 24, 25 ; Rev. xiii. 2.
In N.T. efaep is peculiar to Paul, and it is very rare in
LXX. See Sanday and Headlam, Romans, p. 96.
Suggestions that 6-10 is an interpolation (McGiffert,
Enc. Bibl. 5044), or an adaptation of a Christian hymn or
Jewish apocalypse (Moffatt, Literature of the N.T., p. 80,
Findlay, Way, etc.), are sufficiently answered by Frame.
They need not detain us. We have here " the free com
position of Paul, influenced by O.T. and later Jewish litera
ture." * Vulg. has tribulationem . . . tribulant, Beza afflictionem . . .
affligmit. The exactitude of the lex talionis as having Divine sanc
tion is often pointed out ; Gen. ix. 6 ; Exod. xxi. 12, 14 ; Lev. xxiv.
17 ; Is. Ixvi. 4; 14 f. ; especially in Wisdom xi. 16, xii. 23, xvi. 1,
xvi'ii. 4, 5. See Charles, Book of Jubilees, p. 42.

18 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 7
in the court of God] 'In His presence ' (irapd 0eeS), i.e.
before Him as Judge. Cf. Rom. ii. 11, 13, where we have
•n-apd in both verses.
full compensation] We again have a strong compound verb
(dvraTToBovvai). It and other words in the passage show
how full the Apostle's mind was of the language of the LXX.
The verb is used of requiting bad conduct, as here and Rom.
xii. 19, and also of requiting good, as 1 Thess. iii. 9 (see
note) and Rom. xi. 35 ; in both cases, of requiting in full.
7. relief] ' Release,'- slackening of pressure, especially
the pressure of affliction ; 2 Cor. ii. 12, vii. 5, viii. 13 ; Acts
xxiv. 23. As ' affliction ' (OXfyis) implies crushing or
constraint, so ' relief ' (dveo-is) implies loosening or liberty.
Beza has relaxatio, which is better than requies (Vulg.). In
Ecclus. xv. 20, xxvi. 10, and in Barnabas iv. 10, it means
freeing from wholesome restraint, hcence. Cf . the Beatitudes,
Mt. v. 10-12, also Job iii. 17 and Acts iii. 19. In Rev.
xiv. 11 ' rest ' (dvdiravais) has a similar meaning.
In Scripture there is no promise that in this world there
will ever be an abolition of suffering ; what is offered is the
alleviation which comes through our submission and Divine
consolation. The abolition comes at the great Day. See
Swete on Rev. vii. 17 and xxi. 4.
" This is the only passage in which Paul welcomes God's
vengeance on the enemies of the church as an element in
the recompense of Christians ... He consoles the Thessa
lonians by depicting the doom of their opponents " (Moffatt).
Cf. ' When the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it ' Ps.
xxxvii. 34. But the fact of God's requital of sinners is
frequently noted by St. Paul ; 1 Cor. iii. 17 ; 2 Cor. xi. 15 ;
Gal. v. 10 ; 2 Tim. iv. 14 ; etc. In 4 Ezra vii. 80-99 tne
seven miseries of the wicked in the intermediate state, and
the seven joys of the righteous are described. The second
joy of " those who have kept the ways of the Most High "
is that " they see the circuit in which the souls of the
ungodly wander, and the punishment that awaits them."
Nowhere is this horrible thought found in St. Paul. What
we have here is parallel to the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch

i. 7] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 19
lxxxii. 1, which may be of about the same date as our Epistle ;
" Therefore, my brethren, I have written to you, that ye
may comfort yourselves regarding the multitude of your
tribulations. For know ye that our Maker will assuredly
avenge us on all our enemies, according to all that they have
done to us, also that the consummation which the Most
High will make is very nigh, and His mercy that is coming,
and the consummation of His judgment is by no means
far off . " The Apostle speaks often about the future j oys of the
righteous, seldom about the future punishment of the wicked.
Cf. Apoc. of Baruch xv. 7, 8, xlviii. 48-50, li. 14, and esp.
Iii. 5-7, which is worthy of St. Paul ; " And as for the right
eous, what will ye do now ? Rejoice ye in the suffering
which ye now suffer : but why do ye look for the decline
of your enemies ? Make ready your soul for that which is
reserved for you, and prepare your souls for the reward
which is laid up for you." Cf. 2 Tim. iv. 8.
along with ourselves] St. Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy
knew what suffering for the Gospel was ; Rom. viii. 35 ;
2 Cor. xii. to ; and the Apostle often points out that such
suffering is rewarded by joy hereafter ; Rom. viii. 17 ;
2 Cor. i. 7 ; Phil. i. 28-30 ; 2 Tim. ii. 12. Rom. viii. 18
iraffyfiara are requited with abundant Bb^a, and 2 Cor. iv. 17
the same requital is promised for Oxtyis. Part of the future
joy is freedom from oppression. ' You, like ourselves, have
suffered ; you, like ourselves, will have rest.'
We often regard death as a time of release or rest ; but
here that is not the Apostle's idea. He and the Thessa
lonians hoped to live till the Lord appeared ; and to die
before that crisis would hardly be a relief. He did not wish
to be released from the body by death, but to have in ex
change a spiritual body, without dying. This would be true
release, and it would be granted when the Lord came again.
"These two little words (neff yfi&v) belong to the genuine
Pauline touches for the sake of which no one, with any feel
ing for the way in which the mind of Paul works, can give
up the authenticity of this brief epistle " (Von Dobschutz,
quoted with approval by Frame).

20 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 7
A rhythmical swing may be traced in what follows, and
A. S. Way calls it the " Hymn of the Second Coming,"
dividing it as such, and translating somewhat freely ; —
" The cleaving heavens shall disclose the Lord Jesus,
Attended by the angel-ministers of His power,
Encircled with glowing flame, etc."
But there is little evidence that St. Paul is quoting any
such hymn or is consciously composing one. See on 1 Thess.
iv. 17 ; also Ramsay, The First Christian Century, pp. 105-
107 ; Swete, The Life of the World to Come, pp. 28, 33, 112.
the great revealing of the Lord Jesus] Here and elsewhere
we may notice " the fearlessness with which the Apostle
applies the phenomena represented in the O.T. as symbols
of the Divine presence to the Appearing of our Lord "
(Lightfoot) : cf . 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17 ; 1 Cor. xv. 52.
In this he is following the example of Christ, who in His
teaching about the Second Advent (Mk. xiii. 24-27 ; Mt.
xxiv. 29-31 ; Lk. xxi. 25-27) uses freely the picturesque
symbolical language which was current among the Jews
at that time ; Is. xiii. 10, xxxiv. 4 ; Ezek. xxxii. 7, 8 ; Amos
viii. 9 ; Joel ii. 30, 31, iii. 15. See notes on 1 Thess. iv. 16 ;
also Charles, Revelation, pp. 3, 4.
' Revealing ' or ' revelation ' is mainly a Scriptural term,
and its use in the N.T. to denote the Second Advent no
doubt comes from our Lord's words as recorded Lk. xvii.
30, ' After the same manner shall it be in the day that the
Son of man is revealed ' (d-rroKaXvirrerai) , " where it is to
be noticed that the revelation is assigned to a Day, . . .
that is, the Day is a Divine manifestation, a Day of the
Lord . . . There is nothing in either this passage (1 Pet. i.
7) or others on the same subject, apart from the figurative
language of Thess., to show that the revelation here spoken
of is to be limited to a sudden preternatural theophany.
It may be a long and varying process, though ending in a
climax. Essentially it is simply the removal of the veils
which hide the unseen Lord, by whatever means they may
be withdrawn " (Hort on 1 Pet. i. 7, p. 44). See also Briggs,

i. 7, 8] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 21
The Messiah of the Apostles, pp. 90 f . The word occurs thirteen
times in the Pauline Epistles, and five times elsewhere ;
but only here and 1 Cor. i. 7 is it definitely used of the Second
Advent, although Rom. ii. 5 and viii. 19 refer to the same
event. See Westcott, Intr. to the Study of the Gospels,
7th ed. 1888, p. 9 note, and Ephesians, pp. 178 f. ' Revela
tion ' (diroKdXvtyis) is not found in the Pastoral Epistles,
where its place is taken by ' appearing ' or ' manifestation '
(eirupdveia) ; see on ii. 8. ' Second Advent ' is not found
in Scripture, but it occurs Justin Martyr Try. 40 ; cf. no,
121, and Apol. i. 52. See Milligan, Thessalonians, pp. 145 f.
' Revealing ' is more definite than ' Coming ' ; it implies
previous concealment, a mystery. In v. 4 we had iv thrice
with different shades of meaning ; here we have three differ
ent prepositions, air ovpavov (Rom. i. 18), fier dyyeXav
(Mk. viii. 38), and iv rrvpl <pXoybs (Exod. iii. 2).
accompanied by the angels who are ministers of His power]
' With his mighty angels ' (A.V.) is certainly wrong, although
it is advocated by Jowett. ' Angels of power ' might mean
' mighty angels,' on the analogy of the Hebraic or Oriental use
of the genitive in place of an adjective (Winer, p. 297),
like 'hearer of forgetfulness,' 'judges of evil thoughts'
(Jas. i. 25, ii. 4). But " angels of His power ' (dyyeXwv
Svvd/ieeos avrov) could not be thus used ; the ' His ' belongs
to ' power ' and not to ' angels.' ' His power ' means the
power of Jesus Christ, and the angels manifest it : angelos
potentiae vocal in quibus suam potentiam exseret (Calvin) ;
they are to execute His commands. In the Book of Enoch
lxi. 10 we have ' angels of power ' among the host of the
heavens, and in the Testaments of the XII Patriarchs,
Judah iii. 10, we have ' an angel of might.' In Christ's
revelation of the Last Things the angels gather the elect,
Mk. xiii. 27 ; Mt. xxiv. 31 .-.here they execute judgment on
the ungodly. But Christ had intimated both of these
duties ; Mt. xiii. 30, 41, xvi. 27.
8. surrounded by a blaze of flame] Lit. ' in a fire of flame '
(iv rrvpl <pXbyos), as in Exod. iii. 2, which the Apostle has
in his mind ; cf . Ecclus. viii. 10, xlv. 24. In Acts vii. 30,

22 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 8
we have ' in a flame of fire ' (ev (pXoyl irvpos) ; and qSXbl-
irvpbs prevails Rev. i. 14, ii. 18, xix. 12 ; also Ps. xxviii.
(xxix.) 7 <po>vy Kvpiov SiaKoirrovros fpXoya irvpbs. But
in some of these passages the readings vary. The lan
guage of the LXX has influenced 2 Thessalonians less
than 1 Thessalonians. There are apparent echoes in these
verses, but the clearest instances are in the description of
the Lawless One ii. 3-12 ; see also iii. 1. For theophanies
in a blaze of fire cf . Exod xix. 18, xxiv. 17 ; 2 Chron. vii. 1 ;
Ezek. i. 13, 27 ; Dan. vii. 9, 10 ; cf. Exod. xxxiv. 29 ; Num.
xiv. 14.
The division between the verses at this point, making * in
flaming fire ' part of v. 8, shows that those who made it
regarded the ' flaming fire ' as the instrument of vengeance
on those who know not God. It is very doubtful whether
this is meant even in a secondary degree. The primary
meaning certainly is that the ' blaze of flame ' is part of
the overwhelming glory of the Lord's presence, such as had
blinded the Apostle himself when he was on the way to
Damascus. As has been pointed out just above, in the
O.T. we often have fire as a symbol of the Divine Presence ;
there of Jehovah, as here of Christ. Clemen needlessly
suggests that St. Paul "here assumes that this world will
perish by burning " (Primitive Christianity and its non-
Jewish Sources, p. 161). See Deissmann, St. Paul, p. 191.
will render] Grammatically this cannot be taken with
flame, for the participle (BtBbvros) is masculine, and flame
(qbXoi- ) is feminine. Even if e'v <pXoyl irvpos were the right
reading, BIBovros must certainly be taken with rov Kvpiov
'Ino-ov. full retribution] This rather than ' vengeance ' (A.V.,
R.V.), which suggests vindictiveness and revenge, is the
meaning of eKBUno-is. But. ' vengeance ' is normal as a
rendering ; Lk. xviii. 7, 8, xxi. 22 ; Rom. xii. 19 ; 2 Cor.
vii. n ; 1 Pet. ii. 14. Here again we have, attributed to
Christ, what in Deut. xxxii. 35 (quoted Heb. x. 20) is said
to be reserved for Jehovah. " Inevitable retribution is
conspicuous in the epistles of Paul ; " cf. Rom. ii. 5, 7-10 ;

i. 8] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 23
also Acts xvii. 31, xxiv. 15, " the only references to the Second
Coming of Christ in Paul's recorded speeches " (Beet, Last
Things, pp. n, 48 ; see also Plummer on 2 Cor. v. 10). In
the Book of Enoch the ' Elect One ' or the ' Son of Man '
sits on the throne of His glory to judge ; lv. 4, lxii. 3, 5.
He has been placed there by the Lord of Spirits, and all
judgment has been committed to Him ; li. 3, lxii. 2, lxix.
27, 29. See Charles on xlv. 3.
It is of His own nature that God is a God of love ; it is
because of the existence of sin that He is also a God of
' vengeance ' ; Ps. xliii. 1 ; Nah. i. 2 ; Is. lix. 18. See St.
Bernard, In Nativ. Dom. Serm. v. 3.
those who . . . those who] It is not quite certain whether
we have here two distinct classes of persons, or the
same class described in two different ways. In strict
grammar the repetition of the article (rols fiy elBbat ®ebv
Kal rols fiy viraKovovo-iv) requires us to distinguish two
classes ; and these would be the heathen who had never
heard the Gospel and had ignored the truths of Natural
Religion (Acts xiv. 17), and the Jews and heathen who had
had the Gospel preached to them and had rejected it. But
the whole passage is very Hebraic in tone, and we may have
here an instance of the parallelism which is so characteristic
of Hebrew poetry and prophecy, where the same fact or
person or class is often described in two different ways ;
e.g. Pss. Ixiv., lxv., Ixvi. :, Jer. x. 25, xiv. 7-9, xvi. 5, xvii. 1 ;
etc. See esp. Ps. cxlix. 7 rov iroirjtrat iKBUyaiv ev rols
edveatv, eXey/iovs iv rols Xaols. On the whole, it is safest
to distinguish two classes, and regard the similar ex
pressions for the heathen in 1 Thess. iv. 5 and Gal. iv. 8
as parallel to the first expression here. Rom. i. 18-32
shows the consequences of refusing to recognize God in
His works. The A.V., by not repeating ' to them,' makes
only one class ; the R.V. repeats " to them,' and thus
seems to make two classes, but the second may be an
other description of the same class of sinners. The
participles, as usual in NT., have m and not oh : cf. iii. n.
.Winer, p. 596.

24 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [1.9
9. of such a character] The qualitative relative (o'Cnves)
may here have its full force, as often in the Pauline Epistles ;
Rom. i. 25, 32, ii. 15 ; 1 Cor. iii. 17, v. 1 ; 2 Cor. viii. 10 ;
Eph. iv. 19, etc. It is not merely ' who,' but " who are of
such a quality as. ' In late Greek this refinement is lost ;
but in N.T. there are many passages in which it still survives,
as here. See Lightfoot on Gal. iv. 27 and Phil. i. 28.
pay a just penalty] Or " suffer a just punishment ' (BUyv
rio-ovo-iv). The phrase is unique in N.T., but is frequent
in classical Greek. See abundant examples in Wetstein.
In N.T. the substantive is rare (Acts xxviii. 4 of Justice
personified, and Jude 7) and the verb does not occur. Cf.
Prov. xxvii. 12 d<ppoves Be frfitav riaovaiv.
AUy meant originally 'right as determined by custom,'
then ' right as determined by law ' ; hence ' legal process
for determining right,' ' lawsuit ' or ' trial ' ; finally the result
of such trial, ' satisfaction ' or ' penalty.' Other words for
' chastisement ' or ' punishment ; are rare in N.T. ; KoXaais
only Mt. xxv. 46 and 1 Jn. iv. 18 ; ri/xwpla only Heb. x. 29 ;
frl/iia only Acts xxvii. ior 21 ; Phil. iii. 7, 8.
eternal ruin] The expression (SXeOpov altbviov) is found
nowhere else in N.T., and nowhere else does St. Paul speak
of ' ruin ' or ' perdition ' as being ' eternal.' The expression
occurs 4 Mace. x. 15 of the future fate of the tyrant Antio-
chus. The two words (bXedpov Kal dirwXeiav) occur together
1 Tim. vi. 9. The Apostle does not say much about ' those
who are perishing ' (pi diroXXv/ievoi) : his chief interest is
in 'those who are being saved ' (01 o-o>t,bfievoi) . Hastings'
D.B., I. p. 755b. Few changes in the R.V. are more
important than the substitution of ' eternal ' for ' everlast
ing ; as the translation of alcbvios, which need not mean
more than ' age-long,' ' lasting for an age,' the length of the
age depending upon the context. In inscriptions and papyri
it often means ' lifelong,' especially in reference to the life
of a Caesar. In N.T., where it is commonly used in refer
ence to ' the age to come ' in contrast to ' this age, ' the render
ing ' eternal ' is specially appropriate. But that ' eternal '
necessarily means ' everlasting ' is more than we know or

i. 9] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 25
have the right to assert. ' Eternity,' though positive in
form, is negative in meaning ; it is something which cannot
be measured by clocks and calendars. It would be rash -to
say that in N.T. ' eternal ' never means ' endless,' ' lasting
for an infinite number of infinite ages,' but it would be still
more rash to say that it always means this, as the rendering
' everlasting ' implies. ' Eternal ruin ' is preferable to
' eternal destruction ' (R.V.), which might be supposed to
mean the annihilation of the obstinate unbelievers and the
wilfully disobedient, an idea which cannot be attributed
to St. Paul. Disastrous loss seems to be implied rather
than the extinction of existence. Swete points out that
Theodore, following Diodore of Tarsus, held the future
punishment of the wicked to be remissible on their repent
ance. But he may have regarded it as objectively eternal,
as it belongs to a life not measured by periods of time. See
Kennedy, St. Paul's Conceptions of the Last Things, pp.
314 f . ; Beet, Last Things, pp. 132 f .
banishment from the presence of the Lord] ' Banishment '
is not expressed in the Greek, and there is some doubt as to
the word which is understood. Some amplification is
necessary in thought, if not in language, for ' eternal ruin
from the presence of the Lord ' is ambiguous. Is. ii. 10,
19, 21 seems to be in the Apostle's mind, and in those verses
' from ' certainly means ' separation from.' This is a point
strongly in favour of taking ' from ' (drro) here in the local
sense of ' banishment from ' ; and this makes excellent
sense. It was the joy of the genuine believer to look for
ward to the Lord's Return as the beginning of the exquisite
experience of ' being for ever with the Lord ' (1 Thess. iv. 17*).
It would be the special misery of those who had refused to
believe, that they would be eternally banished from the
face of the Lord. Cf . ' The face of the Lord is against them
that do evil,' ' Who may stand in Thy sight when once
Thou art angry ? ' (Ps. xxxiv. 16, Ixxvi. 7), and ' Depart from
* Cf. Ps. xi. 7, xvii. 5 ; Mt. v. 8, xviii. 10 ; Heb. xii. 14 ; Rev.
xxii. 4. D

26 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 9, 10
Me, all ye workers of iniquity ' (Lk. xiii. 27 ; Mt. xxv. 41) ;
also ' the outer darkness ' (Mt. xxii. 13, xxv. 30). In ' the
Parables ' in the Book of Enoch (xxxvii.-lxxi.) the Righteous
One, or Elect One, or Son of Man, is seated on the throne
of His glory to judge men and angels ; xl. 1, lxii. 2-5, lxix.
27-29. This Jewish idea would be familiar to St. Paul,
who would see in it "a true and abiding idea, which, if
purified and vivified, must take its place in Christian escha-
tology " (Rostron, The Christology of St. Paul, p. 54).
Two other explanations of ' from ' (dirb) are possible. It
may mean ' proceeding from.' This would imply that the
full retribution rendered to the unbelieving and the disobed
ient proceeds from, and is produced by, the face of the Lord
and the glory of His strength. The mere revealing of the
Divine Presence and Power involves eternal ruin to those
who have hitherto persistently ignored the Presence and
resisted the Power. Both grammatically and intrinsically
this causal interpretation is less probable than the local
sense. But it is quite tenable, and some commentators
prefer it.
The third explanation of ' from ' is that it has a temporal
signification, — ' from the time of the Lord's Presence.'
This hardly fits the context ; and, if this had been meant,
some other word than ' face ' would have been used to
express the Divine Presence. This explanation may safely
be set on one side.
Not more than a comma must be placed at the end v. 9.
What follows is closely connected with v. 9, and grammati
cally it is part of the same sentence.
10. whenever He shall have appeared again] It is certain
that He will appear again, and that what has just been
stated will result from His appearing ; but the exact moment
is uncertain. Cf. Mk. xiv. 62 ; Acts. i. n ; Rev. i. 7 ; and
see on 1 Thess. iv. 16.
to be glorified] This is the object of His appearing. The
verb is a compound (irBogao-Orjvai) which occurs again in
v. 12, but nowhere else in N.T. In the LXX it is fairly
common, and the Apostle may be thinking of Ps. lxxxviii.

i. 10] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 37
(lxxxix.) 8, o Gebs ev8ol-a£bfievos iv ffovXfj dyimv, ' God is
very greatly to be feared in the council of the saints,'
or ' very terrible in the council of the holy ones.' In N.T.
' the saints ' (ol ayioi) commonly means those who as
Christians have been consecrated to God and are bound to
live holy lives ; and some make these, and these only, to be
the meaning here. The ' angels of His power ' are ministers
of wrath to punish the disobedient, and ' His saints ' are
the holy men and women who are the mirrors of His glory.
E. A. Abbott, The Son of Man, pp. 223, 293. But in LXX
and subsequent Jewish writings angels are often called
' the holy ones.' It is possible, therefore, that here, as in
1 Thess. iii. 13, they are to be included along with redeemed
men and women. This glorious company of angels and
good Christians is the sphere in which the glorifying of the
Lord takes place. Cf. ' I am glorified in them,' Jn. xvii. 1 ;
also xiii. 31, xiv. 13 ; Gal. i. 24 ; 1 Pet. iv. n. Their holi
ness has its source in His and reflects His, and thus it is a
glory to Him.
and to be marvelled at] An Hebraic parallel to the previous
statement. Cf. Ps. lxvii. 36 (lxviii. 35) Oav/iaarbs b @eo?
ev rols balots avrov, but there it is holy places, and not holy
persons, that are mentioned. ' Admired ' (A.V.) is one of
many words which has had its meaning modified since 161 1.
Originally it expressed astonishment and amazement, which
might be the reverse of admiration ; * and ' admired ' is now
too weak, even where the amazement does imply joyous
approbation. Wright, Bible Word Book, p. 12 ; Trench,
Select Glossary, p. 2 ; Davies, Bible English, p. 143. Here
earlier English Versions have ' made wondirful ' (Wiclif),
or ' made mavelous ' (Tyndale, Genevan, Rhemish) ; Vulg.,
admirabilis fieri. Cf. Wisd. viii n ; Ecclus. xxxviii. 3.
those who believed] This expression (01 iriarevo-avres)
occurs Heb. iv. 3 and Acts iv. 32 ; cf. 1 Cor. xv. 2. It
regards faith in its critical action at the time when the
Gospel was accepted. The more usual expressions are
* Thus Jeremy Taylor says that " in man there is nothing admir
able but his ignorance."

28 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 10
ireiria-revKores (Acts xviii. 27, xix. 18, xxi. 20, 25 ; Tit. iii. 8),
which includes the present result of the previous acceptance,
a,nd ol irio-revovres (1 Thess. i. 7, ii. 10, 13 ; Rom. iv. 24 ;
1 Cor. i. 25, xiv. 22 ; Eph. i. 19 ; etc.), which regards faith in
its continuous exercise. Westcott on Heb. iv. 3. All three
expressions point to a definite class. The A.V. here has
' believe,' following a false reading.
It is not likely that ' those who believed ' means ordinary
Christians, as distinct from ' His holy ones,' meaning excep
tionally holy ones, viz. angels and saints. This is against
the usage of St. Paul, who regards all Christians as ' called to
be saints.' It is, however, possible that the twofold expression
here is meant to be the antithesis of the twofold expression
in v. 8, ' His holy ones ' being the opposite of ' those who
refuse to recognize God ' and ' those who believed ' the
opposite of ' those who refuse to obey.' It is rols iriarevaaaiv
that suggests emo-revdy (or imaraQn) in what follows, just
as iriarts suggests marbs in iii. 2, 3.
because our testimony . . . believed by you] This is an
awkward parenthesis, interjected to show that the Thessa
lonians will have a share in the marvellous glory ; they of course
are included in 'all those who believed. ' The Greek construction
is not easy ; Winer, p. 326 ; AT. Robertson, Gr. of the Grk. N. T.,
p. 485. The sense is much the same whether we take ' unto
you ' (i<p' ypds) with the nominative (rb fiaprvpiov y/i&v) or
with the verb (iirio-revdn). Bengel's ' as far as you, who are
in the West ' has little point, and gives an unnatural meaning
to iirl. Westcott and Hort conjecture iirio~rmdy (found in
cursive 31) as possibly the right reading, — ' was confirmed
upon you,' or ' towards you.'
in that Day] The Vulgate here goes wrong with its unin
telligent punctuation ; so also Pelagius and his followers.
These words do not belong to the parenthesis respecting
the Thessalonians, in which they would be meaningless,
but to the clauses which precede the parenthesis ; " to be
glorified . . . and to be marvelled at ... in that Day.'
The words come at the end of the sentence with much
emphasis. ' That Day ' (y y/iepa ixelvy) is Pauline of the

i. 10, n] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 29
Day of Judgment (2 Tim. i. 12, 18, iv. 8), and apparently
comes from the Lord Himself ; Mk. xiii. 32, xiv. 25 ; Mt.
xxiv. 36 ; Lk. x. 12, xxi. 34. Cf. Joel iii. 18 ; Obad. 8 ;
Zeph. i. 10, 12 ; Zech. ii. n, etc. See Westcott on Heb. x. 25.
Here the long sentence which began at v. 3 comes to an
end ; and, like the two remaining divisions of the letter,
it ends with intercession for those to whom it is addressed.
The whole passage illustrates the joy which the first Christ
ians felt under persecution, owing to their glowing hopes
with regard to future reward. Les faits materiels des ori-
gines chretiennes sont presque tous dbscurs ; ce qui est clair,
c'est I'enthousiasme ardent, la hardiesse surhumaine, le sub
lime mepris de la realite, qui font de ce mouvement le plus
puissant effort vers Videal dont le souvenir ait ete conserve
(Renan, L'Antechrist, p. iii.). Ce qui est clair, ce qui explique
le succes inoui de la propagande chretienne, c'est I'esprit de
divouement, de haute moralite qui regnait dans ces petites
Eglises (Renan, Saint Paul, p. 256).
n, 12. Prayer for the Thessalonians
The frequency with which the Apostle's teaching passes
into prayer illuminates his charge to ' pray without ceasing '
(1 Thess. v. 17). He recognizes that his words will have
little effect unless ' God gives the increase ' (1 Cor. iii. 6) ;
and the Spirit of prayer is behind all that he says and does.
L". u Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would
count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of
his goodness, and the work of faith with power : 12 That the Name
of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, accord
ing to the grace of our God, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The way in which the opening Thanksgiving quickly
suggests prayer for the converts should be compared with
the similar transitions in Col. i. 9 and Phil. i. 9 ; see also
1 Thess. iii. 9-13 ; Eph. i. 16, 17.
11 And in order to promote your being pronounced by God to be
Worthy of His Kingdom and all its glories, We on all occasions add to
our thanksgivings our earnest prayers on your behalf, that He who is

30 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. n
both our God and yours may account you worthy of the calling into
His Kingdom, which He gave to you at your conversion, and Which
we trust will be repeated, in accordance with your hopes, when the
Lord Jesus returns. To this end may He fulfil in you every degree
of delight in Well-doing and every degree of activity as proof of your
faith. May He do this mightily ; 12 With the blessed result that the
excellence Which is implied in the Name of our Lord Jesus may be
glorified by being manifested in you, and ye may be glorified in Him,
in accordance with the gracious favour shown to us by our God and
by the Lord Jesus Christ.
n. And in order to] ' Wherefore ' (A.V.) is inadequate for
Els 6 : 'To which end ' (R.V.) is much better. Cf. et? rb
with the infinitive i. 5, ii. 2, 6, io, n, iii. g ; etc. As the thanks
giving on the Thessalonians' behalf was offered ' on all occa
sions ' (v. 3), so ' on all occasions ' intercession for them is
added. On the construction see A. T. Robertson, Gr. of
the Grk. N. T., p. 714. Note the alliteration with irt of which
St. Paul is fond, irpoo-evxbfieda irdvrore irepl ; cf . 2 Cor. ix.
5, 8, x. 6 ; Col. i. 3 ; etc.
both our God and yours] After ' on your behalf ' we might
have expected ' your God ' ; but by means of this change
the Apostle intimates once more how closely he is united
with his converts. Cf. 1 Thess. i. 9, 10, where after ' ye
turned ' we have ' delivered us ' ; iv. 6, where after ' each
one of you ' we have ' called us ' ; and v. 5, where after ' ye
are all ' we have ' we are.' ' Our God ' occurs 1 Thess. ii.
2, iii. 9. St. Paul more often says ' my God ' ; Rom. i. 8 ;
1 Cor. i. 4 ; 2 Cor. xii. 21 ; Phil. i. 3, iv. 19 ; Philem. 4.
add to our thanksgivings] This is implied in ' we also pray '
(ko.1 irpoa-evxbfieda). Others understand the Kal as mean
ing ' we too as well as you pray ' ; but this does not imply
that the Thessalonians had written to this effect : see on
1 Thess. ii. 13.
on your behalf] Lit. ' about you ' (irepl vfi&v), i.e. ' think
ing about you when we pray. ' See on 1 Thess. v. 10, 35 ;
there we have a similar use of irepl where i57rep might seem
to be more appropriate. See Lightfoot on Gal. i. 4 ; Winer,
pp. 466 f.
may account you worthy] The verb (<x|fioa>) never means

i. ii] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 31
' make worthy,' but always ' account worthy,' ' reckon or
treat as worthy ' ; and in N.T. it is commonly associated,
as here, with the thought of a benefit or requital ; Lk. vii. 7 ;
1 Tim. v. 17 ; Heb. iii. 3. In Heb. x. 29 the requital is
punishment. Cf. BtKaibw, which does not mean ' make
righteous,' but 'account righteous.' Material qualities
can be given ; Xevxbio ' I make white,' Xeioa ' I make
smooth,' irXypbea • I make full ' ; but moral qualities cannot
be bestowed. We can account a man to be honest and true,
and we can treat him as such ; but we cannot give him these
virtues. This distinction is of importance in determining
the meaning of ' calling.' Ante vocationem nulla dignitas
in nobis (Bengel). ' You ' is emphatic by position, ha v/ids
dguoo-y. On the genitive with dj-ibo) see A. T. Robertson,
Gr. of Grk. N.T., p. 511. ,
the calling] This term and its cognate verb (KXycris,
KaXim) are commonly used of the beginning of the Christian
life, of being admitted into Christ's fold and called to be
saints (Eph. iv. 1 ; 2 Tim. i. 9). That meaning may be
the exclusive meaning here. But something future seems
to be included, if not to prevail ; ' that ye may be found
worthy of that to which- ye have been called' (Pelagius).
The calling is the invitation to enter the Kingdom of God.
That Kingdom is partly present and partly future. The
domain in which God rules is partially realized in this world ;
and it will have its full development hereafter. St. Paul
may be merely praying that God may count the Thessa
lonians as being worthy of having received His invitation
to enter the fold. But the context appears to show that he
includes, or even primarily means, the invitation to enter
the kingdom which will be inaugurated when the Lord Jesus
is revealed in glory. The A.V., with ' this calling,' seems to
decide for the latter. But ' this ' is an exaggerated render
ing of the Greek article (rfjs KXyaeas), where ' the calling '
means ' the calling that is yours,' 'your calling ' (R.V.).*
* Exaggerated renderings of the article are rather common in the
A.V. ; ' that light,' Jn. i. 8 ; 'that prophet,' i. 21, 25, vi. 14 ; ' that
bread,' vi. 48 ; ' that Christ,' 69 ; ' this way,' Acts ix. 2 ; ' that way,'
xix. 9, 23, xxiv. 22 ; etc.

32 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. ii
The Greek article is often equivalent to a possessive pro
noun. See on iii. 14.
We must be content to leave it doubtful whether the
Apostle means the invitation to become Christians, or the
invitation to enter into Christ's glory, or both.
may He fulfil in you] We might say ' may He fill you to
the full with,' or ' may He bring to perfection ' ; but ' fulfil '
is the normal rendering of irXypbw, which is very frequent
in Gospels, Acts, and Pauline Epistles, and we need not
displace it.
every degree of delight in well doing] Here the A.V. differs
considerably from the R.V. It has ' all the good pleasure
of his goodness,' viz. God's goodness, the italics showing
that there is no ' his ' in the Greek, which is simply irdaav
evBodav dyadasavvys. The A.V. rendering is intelligible,
but it can hardly be right. It is true that ehBoKta is com
monly used of God's ' good pleasure ' or ' good-will ' towards
mankind (Lk. ii. 14 ; Eph. i. 5, 9 ; Phil. ii. 13), and at first
sight it seems natural to take it in that sense here ; cf. Ps.
CV. (evi.) 4, fivyaByri yp,£>v, Kvpie, iv ry evBoKla rov Xaov
o~ov. Hence the A.V. makes both the ' good pleasure '
and the ' goodness ' to be God's. But, for two reasons, this
seems to be untenable. The 'work of faith' (epyov iriareas),
i.e. the good work which is the fruit of faith and the evidence
that faith exists (Jas. ii. 17-26), must refer to the good
actions and genuine faith of the Thessalonian converts ;
and consequently the ' good pleasure of goodness,' or ' desire
of goodness ' (R.V.) must be theirs also. We have here the
progress of will (evBoda) to deed (epyov). See Sanday and
Headlam on Rom. x. 1, and Kennedy, Sources of N.T. Greek,
p. 131. Secondly, dyadwavvy (Rom. xv. 14; Gal. v. 22 ; Eph.
v. 9) seems always to be used of human goodness. One
sinner will destroy dyadcoavvyv iroXXyv Eccles. ix. 18. As
distinct from BiKaioavvn, it indicates the gentler side of the
Christian character. It is the virtue of the generous and
sympathetic man, whose chief desire is to be beneficent,
and who is willing to make allowances ; whereas the ' just '
man thinks only of what can in strict fairness be claimed.

i. n, 12] HISTORICAL AND DOCTRINAL 33
See Lightfoot on Rom. v. 7 and Gal. v. 22 ; also Trench,
Syn. § 63. It is possible to interpret the genitive differently,
' good-will which springs from goodness,' or ' is inspired by
goodness.' But the ' pleasure of good action,' or ' delight
in -well-doing ' is better ; cf . Rom. i. 32. Doing good is
better than doing nothing ; but to take delight in doing
good is best of all. ' God loveth a cheerful giver,' 2 Cor.
ix. 7.
every degree of activity] Although '_a.ll ' is feminine (irdaav
ehSoxlav) and is not repeated before ' activity ' (epyov),
yet it is to be understood ; cf. ii. 4, 9 ; Rom. i. 29, xv. 13 ;
and esp. Eph. iv. 31, where, as here and ii. 9, we have a
change of gender, iraaa irtKpia Kal Bvfibs.
as proof of your faith] The only proof of the reality of
faith is well-doing. ' Inspired by faith ' is another possible
rendering of the genitive. See on ii. 13. As in 1 Thess.
i. 3, ' faith ' here covers the whole life of the believer ; and
here, as in Gal. v. 6, St. Paul shows that he is at one with
St. James (ii. 18-26) as to the necessary connexion between
faith and works.
May He do this mightily] Like ' in that Day ' (v. 10),
' with power ' or ' mightily ' (eV Swdfiet) comes at the end
of a long sentence with special emphasis. But in English,
in order to show clearly, that the emphatic expression
belongs to ' fulfil,' and not to words that are nearer to it,
it is almost necessary to make a separate sentence. Col. i.
29 we have the same adverbial expression at the end of a
sentence. Cf. 1 Thess. i. 5 ; Rom. i. 4. Nee temere dicit
cum potentia : innttit enim fidei perfectionem rem esse
arduam et summae difficultatis (Calvin). Beza has potenter.
Rutherford takes iv Swdfiei with epyov irlarecos, ' a faith
achieving miracles,' which can hardly stand.
Findlay, followed by Milligan, quotes the Collect for Easter
Week as a commentary on v. 11 ; " That as by Thy special
grace preventing us Thou dost put into our minds good
desires, so by Thy continual help we may bring the same
to good effect."
12. With the blessed result] This explains the opening

34 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [i. 12
words of v. 11. The " that ' in ' that He may account '
(v. 11) is the exceedingly frequent "va, which there, perhaps,
may have its original sense of ' in order that.' Here, pos
sibly to avoid a repetition of the same word, we have oirws,
which is not nearly so frequent elsewhere, and is very rare
in Paul. In 1 Cor. i. 29 oiras follows a threefold iva, and in
2 Cor. viii. 14 a twofold 'Cva. See A. T. Robertson, Gr., pp.
986 f ., on the use of orrms in NT., and cf. Jas. v. 16.
the Name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified] ' Christ '
after ' Jesus ' (A.V.) must be omitted as having no sufficient
authority . Here again, as in vv. 7, 9, we have what is said
in the O.T., of Jehovah transferred simply to Christ, as if
the transfer was natural and required no explanation. In
the O.T. ' the Name of The Lord ' means the character and
attributes of Jehovah so far as they have been made known.
Cf. esp. Is. Ixvi. 5 i'va rb ovofia Kvpiov Botjaodrj, and
Lev. xxiv. 11, 16, a misunderstanding of which made the
Jews avoid uttering the word ' Yahve ' or ' Jehovah.' See
Hastings'!). B. art. ' Name,' pp. 478 f. Here ' the Name of
our Lord Jesus ' is used in a similar way ; cf. Phil. ii. 9.
in you] Showing the close union which exists between
the Head and the members, between the Vine and the
branches. As in v. 10, His saints are the sphere in which
the Lord is glorified. This may refer either to the admiration
and joy which the progress of the Thessalonians excites in
other Christians, causing them to praise Eim, or possibly
to the glorification of Christ in His holy ones at the Second
Advent, or perhaps to both. Cf. Phil. i. 20 ; Jn. xxi. 19.
and ye may be glorified in Him] This reminds us of Jn.
xv. 4-8, xvii. 10, 21-26. ' In Christ ' occurs with great
frequency in the Pauline Epistles. See on 1 Thess. iv. 16,
and Sanday and Headlam on Rom. vi. 11. If iv ahrfi
means " in it,' viz. ' in the Name,' rather than ' in Him,'
the meaning is much the same. St. Paul's ' in Christ '
may have come from recollections of Christ's sayings ; Jn.
vi. 56, xiv. 20, xv. 4, 5, xvii. 21.
in accordance with the gracious favour] The Apostle is
anxious to preserve the Thessalonians from supposing that

ii. 1-17] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 35
their being glorified will be the result of their merits, as his
mention of their delight in well-doing and the activity of
their faith might lead them to think. It is all owing to the
bounteous grace of God ; ii. 16 ; Rom. iii. 24, v. 15, xi. 5, 6 ;
Eph. i. 5, 6, ii. 5-9 ; etc. For Kara cf. ii. 3, iii. 6. See J. A.
Robinson, Ephesians, p. 225.
shown to us by our God and by the Lord Jesus Christ]
There is little doubt that this is the meaning of rov
Geov yfi&v Kal Kvpiov 'Incrov Xpiarov : the gracious fa vour
is that of the Father and of the Son. But two other
renderings are possible. We may limit the source of grace
to the Father by making yfi&v and Kvpiov 'I. Xp. parallel
genitives after rov Geov, ' God of us and of the Lord Jesus
Christ ; cf . Jn. xx. 17. Or again, we may limit the source
of grace to the Son by making rov Geov yp,b~>v Kal Kvpiov
refer to one Person, there being no article before Kvpiov,
' our God and Lord Jesus Christ.' But the omission of the
article before Kvpiov does not show that this is intended,
for Kvpios without the article is often treated as a proper
name, and St. Paul commonly distinguishes the Father
from the Christ by calling the former @eo? and the latter
Kvpios, as i. 1 ; 1 Cor. i. 3 ; 2 Cor. i. 2 ; etc. ; Tit. ii. 13 is
similar, rov fieydXov Geov Kal a-eorrjpos yfi&v Xpiarov 'Iyaov,
and there A.V. and R.V. margin give two Persons, while
R.V. makes the whole refer to Jesus Christ. In 2 Pet. i. 11
there is no Geov, and both rov Kvpiov and o-a>rfjpos refer to
Jesus Christ. Winer pp. 154, 162. For ' our God ' see above
on v. 11.

ii. 1-17. DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY
It has been pointed out that a pious expression of thanks
to heaven was common, even in secular correspondence,
as a prelude to the special subject of a letter, and that a
more solemn and purposeful Thanksgiving is a general

36 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 1-17
feature at the beginning of the Epistles of St. Paul. His
Thanksgivings sometimes blossom out into a variety of
subjects, as thoughts occur to him, but such subjects cannot
be detached from the Thanksgiving ; and not until the whole
is completed are the subjects which are the reason for writing
reached. In both of these letters to the Thessalonians the
chief object of the writers is found in the second chapter,
immediately after the prolonged Thanksgiving ; and in
both letters the development of the Thanksgiving forms an
introduction to the leading topic which follows in the second
chapter. In the First Epistle one of the chief objects was
to show the character and conduct of the writers during the
work of converting the Thessalonians ; in this Epistle the
chief object of the writers is to explain their own teaching,
and correct the ideas of the Thessalonians, respecting the
Coming of Christ. But although the position of this chapter
is parallel to the position of the second chapter in the earlier
letter, the topic of which it treats is parallel to that in the
last chapter in the earlier letter, viz. the Time of the Coining
of the Lord in that Day. A great deal must happen first.*
The three missionaries had said so much about the duty
of preparing for the Coming that the converts had concluded
that it would happen almost at once ; and this belief , so
far from sobering all of them, and making them very cir
cumspect in their conduct, had excited many of them, and
made them think that it was not worth while to follow any
regular course of life. These errors had to be corrected ;
but the method of correcting the misapprehension as to the
Coming being immediate is surprising. Like the Lord's
' abomination of desolation standing where he ought not '
(Mk. xiv. 13), it is cryptic ; and, unlike that Saying, it is
elaborate, consisting of a number of details, each of which
is difficult for us to explain. The result is a passage which
is very unlike anything else in the Pauline Epistles. Per-
* That a catastrophe of incalculable intensity was impending,
and would be preceded by portents, was a common belief at this
period ; Suet., Nero, 36, 39 ; Tac, Hist. i. 3 ; Anii.xii. 43, 64, xiv.
12, 22, xv. 22. Renan, L'Antechrist, p. 35.

ii. 1-4] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 37
haps the nearest approach to it is 1 Cor. xv. 23-28 ; but the
difference between the two passages is great, and the resem
blance is small. Rev. xiii. would be nearer to it as a series
of symbolical hints. Owing to the oral teaching which the
Thessalonians had received, language which is very perplex
ing to us would be intelligible enough to them : in 2 Corinth
ians there is a great deal of detail that is of a similar character.
These remarks apply chiefly to the first twelve verses.
The remaining two sections of the chapter, 13-15 and 16, 17,
are free from the difficulties just mentioned ; they are
concerned with Thanksgiving leading on to Exhortation,
and with Prayer. The second chapter, like the first and
third, ends with Prayer.
ii. 1-12. Doctrine concerning the Time of the
Lord's Coming
The Revelation of the Lawless One
We divide the perplexing paragraph into three sections.
The first four verses are an earnest appeal to the Thessa
lonian Christians to refuse to listen to any teaching — from
whatever source it may seem to come — which asserts that
the Day of the Lord has already arrived. The Lawless
One must first be revealed. The next three verses (5-7)
correct the misunderstanding which has arisen respecting
the Apostle's own teaching on the subject ; the remaining
five (8-12) declare the terrible end of the Lawless One.
ii. 1-4. The Day of the Lord is not already Dawning.
These verses introduce the second and main part of the
Pauline Apocalypse. With regard to the uncertainty of
the time of the Advent, which is as great now as it was in
the first century, we may say with Augustine, Ergo latet
ultimus dies, ut observentur omnes dies.
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not
soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,
nor by letter, as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let

38 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. i
no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the
son of perdition, 4Who opposeth and exaltetb himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped : so that he as God, sitteth
in the Temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Kennedy (Last Things, pp. 55 f, 167 f.) regards Mt. xxiv.
as " the most instructive commentary " on these verses.
He compares ii. 1 with Mt. xxiv. 31 ; ii. 2 with Mt. xxiv. 6 ;
ii. 3 with Mt. xxiv. 12, 4 ; ii. 4 with Mt. xxiv. 15. It is
probable that the Apostle was familiar, not with our Gospels,
which were not yet written, but with the tradition of what
Christ had said. At a time when all Christians believed that
the Return was imminent, what He had said on the subject
would frequently be repeated with more or less accuracy,
and would be a conspicuous topic in the preaching of the
first teachers. It is probable that this tradition had become
somewhat confused, words which had referred to the destruc
tion of Jerusalem becoming mixed with those which referred
to the Last Day, before any of our Gospels were written.
St. Paul would learn this tradition from some of the Twelve
and possibly from others. His own words here are more
full of meaning than a perusal of them in an Enghsh Version
would lead one to suppose.
1 We must now turn to the difficult subj ect to which our Thanksgiving
has led us, respecting the Coming of our Lord Jesus in glory to inau
gurate the great Day in which we, the persecuted saints, shall be
gathered together to be united with Him. Accordingly as old friends
we entreat you, Brethren, in the interests of truth respecting that
Coming, 2not to allow yourselves to be hastily driven from the safe
anchorage of sober sense and sanity, nor yet — if you have for a time
lost your bearings — to allow yourselves to be permanently disturbed,
no matter What the apparent authority of the disturbing force may
be, — whether some spiritual revelation, or statement of what we are
reported to have said, or the production of a letter said to have come
from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord is already here. 3 Do
not let any one so entirely deceive you by these or any other methods.
Because the Coming will certainly not take place until the great
Apostasy has preceded, and until there has been a revelation of the
Man of Lawlessness, the inheritor of inevitable perdition. 4 He will
prove to be the great adversary, exalting himself exceedingly against

ii. i] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 39
every one that bears the name of God, or that is an object of worship,
proclaiming himself to the world and saying that he really is God.
1 . We must now turn] This is the effect of the connecting
particle 6e, which implies both connexion and contrast
with what has just been said ; less connexion than ' and '
(Kal). and less contrast than but (dXXd). Each of the three
words ' now,' ' and,' and ' but ' must at different times be
used according to the context. In 2 Thess. (ii. 1, 13, iii. 3,
4, 6, 12, 13, 14, 16), as in 1 Thess. (ii. 16, 17, iii. 6, 11, 12, etc.),
Be is very frequent.
respecting the Coming etc.] It is quite certain that the
A.V. is wrong'in translating ' by the coming ' and connecting
this with ' we beseech you.' In this it is led astray by the
Vulgate, Rogdmus autem vos, fratres, per adventum Domini.
The Greek (virep rrjs irapovalas) cannot be an adjuration ;
and it is unlikely that the Parousia would be used' as material
for an adjuration. The preposition combines the idea of
' concerning ' or ' respecting ' with that of ' on behalf of,'
i.e. in the interests of the truth respecting it, or stating the
truth concerning it. Cf. irapaKaXeaai virep 1 Thess. iii. 2.
Winer, p. 479. Wetstein quotes Aen. i. 750, Multa super
Priamo rogitans, super Hectare multa.
we shall be gathered together to be united with Him] Lit.
' our gathering together up to Him.' * The double com
pound (eiriavvaywyy) is a substantive derived from the verb
(iirio-wdy m) which is used by the Synoptists (Mk. xiii. 27 ;
Mt. xxiv. 31) of the gathering together of the elect at the
Lord's Coming. See also Lk. xiii. 34 of Christ's gathering
the children of Jerusalem together. The substantive may
have come to have a definite meaning in connexion with the
Parousia. In 2 Mace. ii. 7 it is used of the idea which was
* ' Our ' comes first with emphasis ; our movement is contrasted
with His. This reunion with Him is a frequent thought ; i Thess.
iv. 17, v. 10 ; 2 Cor. v. 8 ; Phil. i. 23 : cavendum ne quis excidat
(Bengel). That the reunion will come soon is also a frequent
thought ; Phil. iv. 5 ; Heb. x. 25, 37 ; 1 Pet. iv. 7 ; Jas. v. 8 ; 1 Jn.
ii. 18.

40 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. i, 2
current among the Jews after the return from the Captivity,
that God would ' gather His people again together ' from
the lands of the Dispersion and greatly increase the popula
tion of Judaea. Cf. 2 Mace. i. 27 ; Zech. viii. 7, 8, x. 10 ;
Heb. x. 25. So also in the Testaments of the XII. Patriarchs,
Naphtali viii. 3, " For through their tribes shall God appear
on earth to save Israel, and He shall gather together (iirto-v-
vd%ei) righteous ones from the Gentiles. Deissmann, Light
from the Ancient East, pp. 101 f., illustrates imavvaywyy
in the general signification of ' collection.' " The word is
rare. Rutherford has ' our summons to muster before
Him.' as old friends we entreat you] The verb (ipoor&fiev) in class.
Grk. never means ' ask a favour,' but always 'ask a ques
tion.' But a request often takes the form of a question, as
" Will you do this for me ? " Thus the transition from the
earlier use to the later is easy. Both uses are frequent in
NT., especially in Lk. and Jn. St. Paul has the verb four
times ; here, 1 Thess. iv. 1, v. 12, and Phil iv. 3, — always
in the sense of ' entreat,' ' request.' As distinct from other
verbs which mean ' entreat,' it implies familiarity and
equality with the person or persons addressed. The writers
put themselves on a level with their converts. They are
not commanding or exhorting as superiors (iii. 4, 6 10, 12),
but entreating as friends. The addition of 'Brethren,'
(i. 3) is again a mark of affectionate regard.
2. not to allow] With els rb here cf. 1 Thess. ii. 12, iii. 10.
hastily] The Thessalonians had readily and suddenly
(raxews) adopted this erroneous opinion, without giving
themselves time to consider ; the position had been rushed.
Cf. ' Lay hands suddenly (raxews) on no man,' 1 Tim. v. 22 ;
' I marvel that ye are so quickly (raxea>s) removing,' Gal.
i. 6. 'Be not readily set adrift ' (Rutherford).
driven from the safe anchorage] The verb (aaXevBfjvai)
is us^d of ships being forced from their moorings by the
pressure of a storm, and in the LXX it is frequent of the
movement produced by wind and weather ; also in the NT.,
Mt. xi. 7 ; Lk. vi. 48, vii. 24. It is also used, as here, in a

ii. 2] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 41
figurative sense, Oh fiy aaXevdm, Ps. ix. 27 (x. 6), xxix.
(xxx. 7). Cf. Acts xvii. 13 of the Thessalonian Jews driving
the multitude at Beroea to hostility ; and Epictetus, Diss.
iii. 26 fiy diroaaXeveaffat Bid aoa^ia-fidrmv ; also, Judith xii.
16 ; Ecclus. xiii. 21.
from . . . sober sense and sanity] ' Shaken in mind '
(A.V.) is certainly wrong ; ' shaken from your mind ' (R.V.)
is the meaning of o-aXevdfjvai ifids dirb rod vobs. The
aorist indicates the definite shock ; and we have diro
in a similar sense i. 9. ' Mind ' means their normal, sober
state of mind, quae in sana doctrina acquiescit (Calvin).
They are not to allow themselves to be ' swung round by
any wind of doctrine ' (Eph. iv. 14), so as to lose their mental
balance. Novs is frequent in Paul, but is rare elsewhere
in N.T. On the form vobs see A. T. Robertson, Gr. p. 261.
nor yet to allow yourselves to be permanently disturbed]
To be startled by what they were told might be unavoidable ;
but they must not give way and suffer themselves ' to be
troubled.' Cf. Mk. xiii. 7 and Mt. xxiv. 6, where the same
verb (dpoeladai) is used of the same kind of trouble. St.
Paul may have had the Saying in his mind. In all
three places we have the present tense of continued emo
tion. This ' troubling ' might be true of those who looked
forward to the Second Coming with dread, as well as of
those who looked forward to it with intense longing. For
' nor yet ' (iin^e) cf . Rom. xiv. 21 ; for QpoelaOai see Kennedy,
Sources of N. T. Greek, p. 126 ; for pyBe . . . fiyre, Winer,
p. 618.
V whether some spiritual revelation] Here we come upon a
series of brief expressions which the Thessalonians would
understand, but at the meaning of which we can only guess.
Three agencies which were possibly instrumental in pro
ducing unhealthy excitement are mentioned, '• spirit,'
' word,' and ' letter ' ; after which come the words ' as
from us,' implying that there had been, or it was feared
that there might have been, the production of evidence,
in which the Apostle and his colleagues were represented
as having stated that the Day of the Lord had come. All

42 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 2
such representations were false. It is clear that ' as from
us ' must apply to the ' letter ' ; the writers think that there
may have been a forged epistle. Is ' as from us ' to be
confined to the letter ? The R.V. implies this, for it omits
the comma after ' by epistle. ' It is difficult to believe that
there is not close connexion between ' by word ' and ' by
epistle,' the one referring to a verbal statement attributed
to the missionaries, the other to a written letter attributed
to them. In that case ' as from us ' must be extended to
' by word. ' But if that extension is admitted, must not
' as from us ' apply to ' by spirit ' also ? Yet St. Paul
makes such abrupt changes, as ideas occur to him while he
is dictating, that it is possible that ' as from us ' was not
in his mind when he said 'by spirit.' Each of the three
interpretations is tenable ; but on the whole it seems best
to confine ' as by us ' to ' by word ' and ' by letter.' That
it belongs to both of these seems probable from ii. 15.
With Si a here cf. 1 Cor. xiv. 9 ; 2 Cor. vi. 7 ; 3 Jn. 13.
' By spirit ' (Bid irvev/iaros) probably refers either to
ecstatic utterance by some who were believed to have the
gift of speaking in a Tongue, or to inspired utterance by
some who were believed to have the gift of Prophecy. Both
of these gifts were common in the Church of Corinth, and
they may have been common at Thessalonica (1 Thess. v. 19).
It is possible that some ecstatic utterance had been inter
preted to mean that the great Day had dawned, or preachers
who claimed to be inspired had declared that this was so.
Theodore understands it to mean a false prophet. A gift
for the discerning of spirits was a necessary charisma in the
primitive Church.
If ' as from us ' is carried back to this first suggestion,
the meaning will be that the advocates of the erroneous
teaching appealed to a revelation which they said had been
made by the Apostle or his companions. In any case the
^9 gives the statement a subjective character. Winer,
p. 770.
what we are reported to have said] ' By word ' (Bid Xbyov)
might refer to misinterpretation of what the missionaries

ii. 2] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 43
had said or (more probably) to invention of things which
they had not said. In any case it means intelligible dis
course, and not ecstatic utterance.
a letter said to have come from us] That there had been
error is stated, and that there had been deception is implied ;
but we are not sure as to the manner of the supposed decep
tion. The brevity and indefiniteness of the expression
might suggest that the writers had grave suspicions, but
were not quite certain about the facts. Are they alluding
to 1 Thessalonians, which the Apostle solemnly charged
the recipients to have read ' to all the brethren,' that there
might be no doubt as to the exact language used (v. 27) ?
Possibly this had not been properly done, and what had been
written respecting the Coming had been misrepresented^
e.g. iqbio-rarai (v. 3) interpreted as ivecrryKev. This
explanation is adopted by Paley, Horae Paulinae, X. iii. 3, 4.
But it is scarcely in harmony with the text, which says that
the epistle itself was in question rather than the meaning of
certain passages in it. No explanation of misunderstood
passages is here given, such as we have in 1 Cor. v. 9, 10.
There is no need to debate whether here there is allusion
to a letter which has been lost ; of any such letter from the
Apostle to the Thessalonians there is no trace. The alter
native to the First Epistle is suspicion of a forged letter ;
and of the existence of such a suspicion there seems to be
evidence in iii. 17, where St. Paul says that in this and
future letters the final salutation in his own handwriting
is to be a sign of authenticity. He suspects that a letter
as from him to the Thessalonians has been, or might be,
forged. Of course it is possible that he knew that there was
such a letter. But it is somewhat improbable that, while
he was still in touch with the Thessalonians, any person
would venture on such a device. On the other hand, when
doctrine was openly attributed to him which he knew that
he had never taught, he might wonder whether people
could be making use of a forged letter. This touch is
against 2 Thessalonians being itself a forgery. In Gal. i. 8,
9 we have a similar protestation.

44 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 2
to the effect that] The same expression (d>s on) occurs
2 Cor. v. 19, xi. 21. In xi. 21, as here, it helps to suggest
that the statement is not worthy of credit ; in v. 19 it does
not do so, and indeed differs little from art without »?.
Here the statement is discredited by the context ;' and »?,
' to the effect ' or ' representing ' agrees well with what
is quoted as a misstatement. See on 1 Thess. v. 1, 2 ;
also AT. Robertson, Gr., p. 1033.
the Day of the Lord] The A.V. has ' Christ ' for ' the Lord,'
following late authorities ; the oldest and best are decisive
for ' the Lord ' (R.V).
is already here] Here again the A.V. is at fault, not through
following a corrupt reading, but through a mistranslation
which mars the sense. The Apostle himself believed that
the Day ' is at hand ' (A.V.) , and he would not have criticized
so severely those who merely quoted this belief as certainly
true. ' Is at hand' might be yyy iKev (Rom. xiii. 2) or
iyyhs io-nv (Phil. iv. 5). The erroneous teachers declared
that the Day ' is now present ' (R.V.) ; the time is already
come. The verb (ivio-ryKev, perfect, with present meaning)
means more than ' is at hand ' or ' is imminent.' The Lord
had not yet manifested Himself in glory, but ' the Day '
in which He would do so had begun, had ' set in.' Cf. 1
Cor. iii. 22, vii. 26 ; Gal. i. 4 ; Heb. ix. 9, where the perfect
participle is used in the sense of being present ; also Rom.
viii. 38 and 1 Cor. iii. 22, where ' things present ' (ivear&ra)
axe expressly contrasted with ' things to come ' (fieXXovra).
In papyri the participle is used of the current year. ' The
Day of the Lord ' was not a solar day of twenty-four
hours, but a period of time, and St. Paul contradicts the
opinion that they were already living in that period. He
believed that it was near, but he never taught this belief as
a certainty, and he had never said that the' Day had
arrived. There is no real difficulty about the fact that richly in
spired persons were allowed for a time to hold the erroneous
belief that the Lord would return soon. Acts i. 6, 7 is
sufficient explanation of that. Even our Lord Himself,

ii. 3] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 45
in the time of His humiliation, was ignorant on that point ;
Mk. xiii. 32 ; Mt. xxiv. 36 (R.V.).
3. do not let any one so entirely deceive you] This is a
more explicit monition than v. 2. It states, not only that
they have troubled themselves with an erroneous idea, but
that there are deceitful teachers who have given them this
idea. The compound iijairarda> is more common in the
N.T. than the simple dirardca, and, excepting Jas. i. 26,
both are confined to the Pauline Epistles. Warnings
against such teachers are frequent ; Rom. xvi. 18 ; 1 Cor.
iii. 18 ; Eph. v. 6 ; Col. ii. 4, 8. In what follows here,
' by ahy means ' (A.V.) is preferable to ' in any wise ' (R.V.) ;
not merely the means just mentioned, but any others which
crafty teachers may devise ; cf. 3 Mace. iv. 13 ; 4 Mace. iv.
24; x. 7. With fiy ns and the 3rd. pers. aor. subj. cf. 1 Cor.
xvi. 11 ; 2 Cor. xi. 16.-
the Coming will certainly not take place] This is the ob
vious apodosis to the ' until ' clause, — so obvious that St.
Paul does not think it necessary to state it. But he may
have intended to state it after that clause, and in dictating
forgot to do so. Farrar thinks that he was unwilling to
insert such discouraging words and purposely suppressed
them. Cf. the unfinished sentence Rom. v. 12 and the
broken sentences Gal. ii. 4-7. Winer, p. 749.
until the great Apostasy has preceded] Or, ' unless the
great Apostasy come first. ' The definite article, y diroo-rao-'ia,
which is ignored in the A.V. (' a falling away '), implies
two things ; that ' the Apostasy ' is a matter of importance,
and that the Thessalonians know what it means. Winer,
p. 132. Doubtless the Apostle had instructed them on
the subject. It was a topic with which they were familiar ;
and therefore, unfortunately for us, he here gives little
explanation. He had told them that there would be two
comings, the coming of the Apostasy and the Coming of the
Lord. The interval between the two might be brief, but
the Apostasy would certainly precede. As this had not
yet taken place, it was a serious error to declare that the
Day of the Lord's Coming had arrived. Beet, Last Things,

46 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 3
p. 99. On the " supreme intensification of evil and sin "
which the N.T. indicates as a sign that the end of the world
is approaching, see Clemen, Primitive Christianity, pp.
117 f. Cf. 1 Cor. vii. 29 ; 2 Tim. iii. 1-9 ; Jude 17 f. ; Rev.
vi. 1 f. ; viii. 7 f., xvi. 1 f. ; 2 Esdras v. 1, 2 ; Enoch
xci. 7-9.
What is meant by the Apostasy ? The Greek word is a
late and not very common form of dirbo-rao-is , meaning
' defection,' ' revolt,' ' rebellion.' In the LXX and the
N.T. (here and Acts xxi. 21) it means religious revolt, from
the worship of God or the Law of Moses. Cf. Heb. iii. 12.
Here revolt from God is evidently meant, and those who are
guilty of it must be apostate Jews or apostate Christians.
The heathen are 'unbelievers,' 'aliens,' 'outsiders' (1
Thess. iv. 12 ; 1 Cor. v. 12, 13 ; Col. iv. 5 ; 1 Tim. iii. 7),
rather than apostates or revolters. Apostasiam vocat
Paulus perfidam a Deo defectionem (Calvin). Apostasia est
defectio a fide, dilucideque describitur, 1 Tim. iv. 1 (Bengel)
Cf . The Testaments of the XII Patriarchs, Dan. v. 4, 5. This
consideration clears the ground for us when we. come to
consider what is meant by ' the Man of Lawlessness.'
The Latins are not agreed as to the rendering of diroaraala.
Tertullian has abscessio, the Vulgate discessio, Ambrosiaster
defectio. Augustine makes it equivalent to diroardrys and
has refuga : like Chrysostom and other Greek Fathers, he
regards it as abstract for concrete. But we cannot safely
identify Antichrist with the Apostasy ; he seems rather
to be the chief outcome and promoter of it.
As we might suppose, our Lord's prediction of a great
apostasy (Mk. xiii. 21-23 ; Mt. xxiv. ro-12, 23, 24) made a
great impression on the first generation of Christians.
Briggs, The Messiah of the Gospels, pp. 143, 147. The dis
course in which it occurs seems to have been familiar to St.
Paul and to have been much in his mind while he was dic
tating these two letters. Cf. also Rom. xvi. 17, 18 ; Eph.
iv. 14 ; 1 Tim. iv. 1-3 ; 2 Tim. iii. 1-8, iv. 3, 4 ; Acts xx. 29.
The Johannine Books exhibit similar features. We are
not surprised, therefore, to find that St. Paul and his col-

ii. 3] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 47
leagues had implanted these ideas in the minds of the
Thessalonians. until there has been a revelation] This impressive word
(diroKaXvqbdfj) is placed first with emphasis, and may be kept
in front in translation. Its importance is shown by its
repetition in vv. 6 and 8. But there is nothing in the con
struction to show whether we have two events which are
to precede the Coming of the Lord Jesus, or only one ;
whether this ' revelation ' is an additional fact, or only the
great Apostasy described in detail. In any case two revela
tions seem to be placed in strong contrast, — a revelation of
immense and . mysterious wickedness, and a revelation of
immense and mysterious glory ; and the latter will vanquish
and consume the former, which must precede it (i. 7-10,
ii. 8). Revelation implies mystery beyond human experi
ence. See Hastings' D.C.G. art. ' Revelation.'
the Man of Lawlessness] The reading is somewhat uncer
tain. The two best uncials, with ten cursives, three import
ant versions, and two Latin Fathers support ' lawlessness '
(dvofiias), and their authority seems to outweigh that of
the majority of witnesses, which have ' sin ' (dfiaprlas).
R.V., however, has the latter. If vv. 7, 8 had preceded this
one, we might have supposed that an early copyist had
changed dfiaprlas to dvofiias to agree with dvofios there.
But such a change would be less likely in the existing arrange
ment ; and the witness of Tertullian and Ambrose consider
ably weakens the witness of the Latin versions. In 1 Jn.
iii. 4 sin is declared to be lawlessness and lawlessness to be
sin ; seeing that both words have the article, y dfiaprla
io-rlv y dvofiia, the two terms are convertible. Every
where in N.T. dvofiia, like ' lawlessness,' means not mere
absence of law, but violation of it, conscious and wilful
disregard of it, and such disregard is sin. As regards mean
ing, therefore, it makes little difference which reading we
adopt. In LXX dvofiia very often represents the Hebrew
for ' abomination,' and in Hebrew ' the man of abomina
tion ' might mean one who claimed worship as an idol.
E. A. Abbott, The Son of Man, p. 347. ' The man ' (R.V.)

48 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 3
is right ; ' that man ' (A.V.) is another exaggeration of the
Greek article ; see on i. 11. Cf. ' man of war ' Exod. xv. 3 ;
Josh. xvii. 1 ; 1 Sam. xvi. 18 ; ' man of Belial ' (worthless-
ness) 2 Sam. xvi. 7, xx. 1 ; ' man of blood ' 2 Sam. xvi. 7 ;
etc. Winer, p. 298.
This mysterious figure is a new development. It is con
nected with the false Christs predicted by our Lord, but it
is based on the Antichrist of Jewish apocalyptic, especially
on Daniel. It is remarkable that the LXX renders the
obscure word ' Belial ' by dvopla, 2 Sam. xxii. 5, by dvbfiy/ia,
Deut. xv. 9, and by diroo-raaia, 1 Kings xxi. 13 (3 Kings xx.
13 A text). Aquila also has diroarraala, 1 Sam. ii. 12, x. 27,
xxv. 17. This is in favour of identifying the Man of Law
lessness with Belial or Beliar. See Enc. Bibl., art, ' Belial.'
No recorded words of Christ tell of a single individual as a
I consummate opponent to the Messiah and to all that is good.
f St. Paul intimates that this last false Christ will be wel-
1 comed, not only by the heathen, but by the majority of the
I Jews. Christians must be prepared for this. It will be
I well to consider other details in the description of this
appalling being before trying to arrive at any conclusion
as to who or what is meant by the description.
the inheritor of inevitable perdition] This, like ' man of
lawlessness,' is a Hebraistic mode of expression, in which
the genitive of a substantive takes the place of an adjective.
It is specially ccmmcn with ' son ' or ' sons ' ; e.g. ' sons of
, thunder ' Mk. iii. 17 ; ' son of peace ' Lk. x. 6 ; ' sons of
| light ' Lk. xvi. 8 ; Jn. xii. 36 ; ' son of perdition ' Jn.
\xvii. 12. Cf. Eph. ii. 2, v. 6, and see on 1 Thess. v. 5. While
1' man of lawlessness ' indicates his character, ' son of perdi-
jtion,' vlbs rys dirwXeias, shows what is certain to be his end.
It does not mean that he will be the cause of perdition to
others ; that he ' exists to destroy ' ; that would be ' father
of perdition ' ; cf. Jn. viii. 44. Judas is called ' the son of
perdition,' of whom it is said that he fell away from his
apostleship, ' that he might go to his own place ' Acts. i. 25.
Cf. ' son of Gehenna ' Mt. xxiii. 15 ; ' son of stripes ' Deut.
xxv. 2 ; ' son of death ' 1 Sam, xx. 31 (R.V. marg.). The

ii. 4] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 49
nature of the subject has led St. Paul to adopt the language
and symbolism of Hebrew prophecy and apocalypse. In
the Book of Jubilees x. 3 those who perished in the Deluge
are ' sons of perdition ' ; Noah and his family were saved,
and they were lost. In Rev. xvii. 11 the Beast (Antichrist)
' goes into perdition. '
4. the great adversary] The opponent of Christ and His
Gospel, Antichrist. Ut Antichristum cognoscas, Christum
exdiametro illiopponere convenit (Calvin). Certainly Satan
is not meant, as is clear from v. 9 ; but, as Chrysostom re
marks, Satan inspires him with his own persistent activity
and astuteness. Possibly a parallel is meant between this
indwelling of Satan and the Incarnation (Theod. Mops.).
Some identify the Lawless one with Beliar or Belial, and
Charles regards this as almost certain (Asc. Isaiah, lxi. 1).
So also do Bousset (Der Antichrist ; Eng. tr. The Antichrist
Legend) and Friedlander. See Kennedy, St. Paul's Concep
tions of the Last Things, p. 209. In the Martyrdom of Isaiah
ii. 4 we have " For the angel of lawlessness, who is the ruler
of this world, is Beliar." The problem admits of no sure
solution. See Swete, Revelation, pp. lxxv. f. ; Thackeray,
Relation of St. Paul to Contemporary Jewish Thought, pp.
136 f.
exalting himself exceedingly] Another compound of virep :
see on i. 3. Elsewhere in NT. virepalpofiai occurs only
2 Cor. xii. 7.
against every one] This, rather than ' above all ' (A.V.),
is the meaning of iirl irdvra. The A.V. is here again misled
by the Vulgate, supra omne quod dicitur Deus. No doubt
supra and ' above ' partly represent the virep- in virepaipb-
fievos, but that means ' above measure,' 'exceedingly'; and
irdvra is masculine, not neuter. Although the two parti
ciples have only one article, iirl irdvra belongs to virepai-
pb/ievos alone, not to dvriKel/ievos also. Cf. Homo supra
mensuram humanae'superbiae tumens (Seneca, De Benef., v. 6).
that bears the name of God] ' Though there be that are
called gods ' 1 Cor. viii. 5. In Daniel xi. 36, which the
Apostle has in his mind, we have ' every god.' Here the

50 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 4
heathen divinities are included, and ' every god,' without
qualification, might seem to imply that the Christian God
was only the highest among many. The Thessalonians had
recently been polytheists, and the old ideas were still latent
in some of them. ' That bears the name of ' is confined to
' God ' ; it must not be carried on to ' an object of worship.'
The heathen deities had the name of God without the reality,
but their idols were really objects of worship. In spite of
the change of gender, irdvra is to be carried on to aeQaafia ;
see on i. 11. Zef3ao-/ia occurs elsewhere in N.T. Acts xvii.
23 only, and there in the plural, which the A.V. wrongly
renders 'devotions.' It is correctly rendered Wisd. xv. 17,
where the idolater is said to be ' better than the things
which he worshippeth,' Kpeirrwv r&v o-ef3ao-fidra>v avrov.
Bengel suggests an allusion to b 2e/3ao-To'?, the Roman
Emperor (Acts xxv. 21), which is not probable. Here Vulg.
has quod colitur, Acts xvii. 23 simulacra.
so that he even dares to seat himself] This is the result
actually reached by him, mcrre ahrbv . . . KaOiaai. We
have a similar construction with a similar consecutive force
1 Thess. i. 7. This is what his exalting himself ends in.
As generally in N.T., KaQlaai is here intransitive ; but
1 Cor. vi. 4 and Eph. i. 20 are exceptions, and Jn. xix. 13
is doubtful. The R.V. rightly omits * as God ' (A.V.) ;
the words are a gloss inserted in later and inferior authori
ties ; but Chrys. and Theodt. had it.
in the sanctuary of God] Literally ' into the sanctuary,'
els rbv vabv. He goes into it and seats himself there. We
often have els with a verb of rest ; Mk. x. 10, xiii. 16 ;
j Lk. xi. 7, xxi. 37 ; Acts viii. 40 ; etc. ; and conversely iv
after a verb of motion ; Mt. x. 16 ; Lk. ix. 46, x. 3 ; thus
both motion and the subsequent rest are expressed con
cisely. Winer, p. 514. In late Greek the difference between
"els and iv becomes somewhat blurred. Blass, Gram., §3 9, 3,
The ' sanctuary ' (vabs) is that part of the ' Temple ' (lepbv)
into which the priests alone entered. It was roofed, whereas
much of the Temple consisted of open courts. Excepting
I Cor. ix. 13, St. Paul never uses lepbv, and where he uses

ii. 4] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 51
vabs, ' the sanctuary of God,' the meaning is figurative ;
1 Cor. iii. 16-19 : 2 Cor. vi. 16 ; Eph. ii. 21. The meaning
is probably figurative here. We often have ' sitting ' used
in a figurative sense ; Col. iii. 1 ; Heb. i. 3, viii. 1, x. 12,
xii. 2 ; Rev. iii. 21, xx. 4. We must bear in mind that the
Apostle is alluding to what the Thessalonians had previously
been taught ; and he had of course taught them that a
Christian congregation, and indeed every Christian soul, is a
sanctuary of God. He is not here asserting that this ad
versary will actually enter the sanctuary of the Jewish
Temple or any Christian building. He is saying that this
adversary will claim the highest honours which man pays
to God. It is possible that the attempt of the mad Caligula
to get his own image set up in the Temple at Jerusalem,
some ten or twelve years before the date of this Epistle,
viz., a.d. 40, may have suggested this figure of speech.*
Chrysostom, Theodoret, and Theodore of Mopsuestia
interpret figuratively, and this is generally the modern
view; but Milligan follows Irenaeus.in adopting a literal
reference. Only if the Man of Lawlessness is a person, and
not a principle personified, can the literal view be held.
Moreover, if the person is regarded as a false Messiah, all
reference to Caligula or Nero is excluded. " We are not to
imagine a person suddenly coming forward and claiming
divine honours. The Apostle is speaking of a form of evil
springing out of the state of the world itself, to which
mankind are ready to give homage " (Jowett).
proclaiming himself to the world] Literally ' showing him
self off,' diroSeiKvvvra eavrbv. The verb is also used of

* Philo, Legatio ad Caium, § 16, M. 562, tells how the whole world,
men, women, cities, nations, flattered Caligula and increased his
inordinate pride. The Jews alone refused to take any part in the
blasphemy of making a mortal man into an eternal God. But he
would allow nothing on earth, not even this one Temple, left to God
the Lord, but insisted that everywhere his own divinity should be
worshipped. In reply to the deputation of Alexandrian Jews he
used words of blasphemy, which even to listen to, Philo says, was
sin. See Lewin, Fasti Sacri, a.d. 40.

52 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 4
appointing or nominating a person to be a general or other
official. It is also used of proclaiming a king on his acces
sion ; so in Josephus and Philo. Wetstein gives illustrations.
Any one of these three meanings makes good sense here.
Contrast what is said of Christ, Acts ii. 22, that He is
diroBeSety/ievov diro rov Geov. Cf. the Ascension of Isaiah
iv. 6, where we read of Beliar that "he [will do and]
will speak like the Beloved, and he will say, It is I who am
the Lord, and before me there was none " (Tisseraut, p. 118).
that he really is God] The eanv is emphatic! His pro
clamation of himself is actually to that effect. It is possible
that the deification of the Roman Emperor may have sug
gested this detail, but the passage in Daniel would suffice,
without further suggestion ; and that Daniel is in the
Apostle's mind is beyond a doubt, when his words and
Dan. xi. 36, 37 are placed side by side. But we must not
think that the interpretation of Daniel's words will help us
to interpret the language of St. Paul. While the picturesque
imagery remains the same, because it is the traditional
vehicle of prophetic and apocalyptic utterance, it may be a
very misleading guide as to interpretation. We must
interpret St. Paul, not by what O.T. Prophets meant when
they used similar language, but by what he himself meant
in other places in which he describes the present features
and immediate prospects of his own age. Jowett, I. pp.
182-188. On Rev. xiii. 6 Charles quotes the Ascension of
Isaiah iv. 6 (before 100 a.d.), "He will say; I am God,
and before me there has been none " : the Sibylline Oracles,
v. 33. 34 (before 130 a.d.), "Then he shall return,
making himself equal to God." Of Caligula Philo writes
(Leg. ad Caium 23), " Not merely saying, but also thinking,
that he is God."
The R.V. is used in making this comparison between
Daniel and St. Paul. See also p. xviii.

ii. 4]

DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY

53

Daniel xi. 36, 37.
The king shall do according
to his will ;
and he shall exalt himself,
and magnify -himself above
every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against
the God of gods ; and he
shall prosper till the indig
nation be accomplished ; for
that which is determined
shall be done.
Neither shall he regard the
gods of his fathers, nor re
gard any god : for he shall
magnify himself above all.

2 Thess. ii. 3-12.
The man of lawlessness,
he that opposeth and exalt-
eth himself against all that
is called God or that is
worshipped ; so that he sit
teth in the temple of God,
setting himself forth as God,
the son of perdition, whom
the Lord shall slay and
destroy. And exajteth him
self against all that is called
God or that is worshipped ;
setting himself forth as God.

The prophecy in Daniel refers primarily, and perhaps exclu
sively, to Antiochus Epiphanes, who assumed divine honours,
as his later coins show : see Driver ad loc. Antiochus may
be regarded as a type of Antichrist ; but there is no doubt
that these two verses, like those which precede them (21-35)
refer to Antiochus. There is no abrupt change of reference.
It will be worth while to look also at Dan. vii. 25, 26 and
compare what is said there with some of the Apostle's words.
He may have had that passage also in his mind.

Daniel vii. 25, 26.
He shall speak words
against the Most High and
he shall think to change the
times and the law.
But the judgment shall
sit, and they shall take away
his dominion, to consume
and to destroy it unto the
end.

2 Thess. ii. 3-12.
he that opposeth and exalt-
eth himself against God.
the lawless one.
that they all might be
judged, the son of perdition,
whom the Lord Jesus shall
slay and destroy.

54 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 5-7
The person to whom this passage in Daniel refers is a
matter that is greatly disputed, but it need not be discussed
here. All that concerns us is to consider whether the lan
guage in Daniel has influenced the language in our Epistle.
That Dan. xi. 36, 37 has done so is beyond doubt ; and this
earlier passage may have done so also. See Garrod ad loc,
who makes the above comparisons.
The first section of this second chapter ends very abruptly.
Winer, p. 749.
ii. 5-7. Reminder respecting the Apostle's Oral
Teaching.
The Apostle seems to feel that he need not continue these
details, with which the Thessalonians have been made
familiar. He breaks off suddenly and appeals to their
recollection of his words. Cf. the appeal in 1 Thess. ii. 9.
Here, however, his language is so allusive, that, although
the Thessalonians doubtless understood it, we are reduced
to guessing ; and we cannot be certain that any one of the
various conjectures is correct.
6 Remember ye not, that when I was yet with you, I told you
these things ? 6 And now ye know what withholdeth, that he might
be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work : only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the
way. Like our Lord (Mk. viii. 18 ; Jn. xiv. 9, xv. 20), the
Apostle appeals to the experience which his converts have
had of his teaching. Cf. Acts xx. 31. The words are a gentle
rebuke ; they ought to have remembered. The subject
was so important, and the time since they were told about
it was so short. Cf. Acts xx. 31 and the rebuke to the
Corinthians for forcing him to praise himself 2 Cor. xii. 11.
5 You surely must remember, how that, while I was still living
among you, I used habitually to instruct you respecting the Coming
of the Lord Jesus on the great Day, and used to tell you how that the
Lawless One must appear first. 6 And for the present time, you already

ii. 5] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 55
know from your own experience the power which restrains him from
appearing, so that he may not be fully revealed until the season
divinely appointed to him for his revelation has arrived. 7 1 say
fully revealed rather tham come into existence, for, as a matter of
fact, this mysterious principle of lawlessness is already set to do its
evil Work ; only it does this Work in secret, without being revealed,
until he who for the present is restraining it from appearing be taken
out of the way.
5. You surely must remember] The verb (fivyfiovevto)
in St. Paul always means ' remember ' (1 Thess. i. 3, ii. 9 ;
Gal. ii. 10 ; Eph. ii. 11 ; Col. iv. 18), and never ' make men
tion of ' or "' remind ' (Heb. xi. 22). So also generally in
LXX. St. John in like manner reminds his little children
that they have already been instructed about the coming
of Antichrist. " The subject formed part of the general
apostolic teaching " (Brooke on 1 Jn. ii. 18).
while I was still living among you] Or, ' when I was at
home with you ' (irpbs vfids) ; cf. iii. 10 ; 1 Thess. iii. 4 ;
1 Cor. xvi. 7 ; Gal. i. 18 ; Philem. 13 ; etc.
I used habitually] Imperfect tense (eXeyov) ; oral instruc
tion is evidently meant. It is not the brief and somewhat
indistinct teaching given in the First Epistle (iv. 13-18,
v. 1-11) that is alluded to here. He had given them full
and clear instruction about these matters by word of mouth.
In 1 Thess.^v.*^ he says that they ' know perfectly ' about
the Day of the Lord, and this implies much previous teach
ing : the hostile Jews knew that he taught that Jesus is
alive and reigning (Acts xvii. 7). It is evident that the
coming of the Lawless One was a leading topic in his preach
ing ; he had told them of the existing signs of his appearing
and of the cause of his delay.
Here for the first and only time, until just at the end
(iii. 17), does St. Paul use the 1st person singular. He does
not appeal to what his colleagues have done. But he knows
very well what he said himself ; and he spoke so frequently
and fully on these subjects that the Thessalonians ought
not to have allowed themselves to be so entirely misled by
other teachers. Contrast ' we say ' 1 Thess. iv. 15.

56 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 6
6. And for the present time] There is some uncertainty
as to how the two Greek words (nal vvv) should be rendered.
We have choice of three interpretations. The words are
possibly argumentative ; ' I taught you : well then, your own
experience has confirmed the teaching.' ' Well then '
would mean ' to pass on to a further point.' This argument
ative vvv is frequent in i Cor. (v. ii, vii. 14, xii. 18, 20,
xiv. 6), but always vvv Be, not Kal vvv. And we have this
argumentative vvv with ' know ' following, Acts. iii. 17.
See also Acts iii. 17, x. 5, xiii. 11, xx. 25, xxii. 16 ; 1 Jn. ii. 28 ;
2 Jn. 5. But ' And now ' may also be temporal, and that
in two ways. It may refer to the time of writing in con
trast to the time when he was with them ; ' I taught you a
great deal then ; and now your own experience has taught
you more.' But (perhaps best of all) it may refer to the
time of writing in contrast to the appointed season which
is yet to come. Some commentators suggest taking vvv
with rb Karexov, ' that which at present restrains ' ; but
this would require rb vvv Karexov.
you already know] This must not be watered down into
meaning ' you know what is the power which restrains,' or
' you know something about the power.' It means that
the Thessalonians have personal acquaintance with it ;
they have had experience of its operation, and they will
understand what is meant. In subjects such as these,
cryptic expressions are usual ; and to speak more plainly
might in this case be dangerous, for the power which re
strains would resent the prediction that it is to be taken out
of the way. Hence the indefinite expression, neuter here
and masculine in the next verse. Cf. Lk. i. 35, where we
have first the neuter participle and then a masculine sub
stantive of the unborn Christ.
the power which restrains] ' The withholding thing,' ' that
which holds fast ' and keeps in check the Lawless One, so
that he cannot as yet be fully revealed. Cf. Lk. iv. 42,
where the same verb (Karex<») is used in the same sense.
' Holding fast ' may have two very different purposes ;
to prevent a precious thing from being lost or injured, and

ii. 7] Doctrinal and hortatory 57
to prevent a dangerous thing from doing harm. We have
the one idea i Thess. v. 21 and 1 Cor. xi. 2, the other here.
It is not likely that the Apostle means ' that which prevents
me from speaking plainly.'
so that he may not be fully revealed] This is the end or
purpose which Providence has in view in causing the re
straining power to keep the great Adversary for the present
in check. " We have the same construction (els rb with
the infinitive) v. 11 and 1 Thess. ii. 12. The Thessalonians
do not as yet know the Lawless One, although they have
felt some of the effects of his baleful activity ; but they do
know the power which restrains him from being manifested
in all his terrible characteristics.
until the season for his revelation has arrived] The Man of
Lawlessness has his season (eV rw avrov KaipS, 1 Thess. v. 1),
appointed by the authority of the Father (Acts i. 7), and
his hour is not yet come, although it is near. ' His ' is
emphatic by position. The hour of the Lord's Passion
was an hour of Lawlessness, in which darkness got the upper
hand. But a worse hour is impending (1 Tim. iv. 1 ; 2 Tim.
iii. 1, iv. 3 ; 2 Pet. iii. 3 ; Jude 18 f.), of which the Apostle
goes on to speak. For the present, however, God is using
some earthly power to prevent the outburst of evil from
being manifested before its time.
7. for this mysterious principle is already set to do its
evil work] It is made to develop its malign energy. ' For '
explains why the Apostle has used such an expression as
' revealed.' With him a ' mystery ' is something which has
been kept secret from mankind, until it pleased God to
reveal it. Then it becomes a marvellous paradox, — a
secret which everybody knows. ' Mystery ' and ' revela
tion,' therefore, are with him closely related terms. If
there has been a mystery, there has been, or will be, a revela
tion ; and if there is never any revelation, it is futile to talk
of a mystery ; Rom. xvi. 25 ; 1 Cor. ii. 7, 10 ; Eph. iii. 3, 9,
10 ; Col. i. 26. ' For ' (yap) is less frequent in this letter
than in 1 Thess. ; but, where it does occur, it is equally
important to see what it implies, and this is shown in the

58 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 7
paraphrase, iii. 2, 7, 10, 11. ' Already ' (yBn) is in contrast
to the season appointed for the revelation, which has not
yet come, but is believed to be near, as ' already ' indicates.*
This shows that no real contradiction (as is sometimes
asserted) between 1 and 2 Thessalonians can be said to
exist. In both Epistles it is intimated that the Day of the
Lord is near, and that the exact time is uncertain. In
this Epistle additional information is given. Certain signs
will precede the Day, and the signs have already begun to
work. ' Set to do ' is perhaps more accurate than ' is
doing ' or ' doth work,' for the verb (ivepyelrai) is probably
passive rather than middle (J. A. Robinson, Ephesians,
pp. 246 f.). It is Satan who sets the evil influence in opera
tion. Cf. ' There shall be delay no longer.' Rev. x. 6 ;
see Swete and Charles ad loc. ' There shall be time no
longer ' is misleading.
only . . . until he who for the present is restraining it]
The Greek sentence, like that in v. 3, seems to be somewhat
incoherent, and we may supply what appears to be meant,
but which St. Paul does not state. All that he gives us is
' only he who for the present is restraining, until he be taken
out of the way.' We may supply ' is there ' (R.V.) or ' is
also at work,' which is less violent than ' will let ' (A.V.).
But with Alford, B. Weiss and others we need supply no
thing ; o Karexov dpri is placed before ewsiK fieaov yevyra'
for emphasis ; ' only until he who now hinders is removed.
See Lightfoot on Gal. ii. 10 and Plummer on 2 Cor. ii. 4,
where we have similar inversions for the sake of emphasis.
The general sense is the same, however we explain the
construction. The evil is already secretly in operation,
and he who is a check on its being made manifest is also

* In construction tj)s avofilas is probably a genitive of apposition,
and is an afterthought to define to fivo-rrjpiov. On (axrrypiov see
Hatch, Essays in Bibl. Grk. pp. 57 f. ; Lightfoot on Col. i. 26 ; J. A.
Robinson, Ephesians, pp. 234 f . We must keep the word ' mystery '
( ' obscure force ' or ' secret force ' is no improvement) and ' the
mystery ' is by position very emphatic.

ii. 7] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 59
for the moment in operation : but the one who checks will
be removed, and then the full manifestation of the evil
will take place.
The A.V. is here very unsatisfactory. It has ' with-
holdeth ' and then ' letteth,' the Greek verb being the same
(Karexa>), and the same power or person being meant. The
Vulgate has quid detineat and qui tenet. We have three
different Greek words expressing different shades of mean
ing with regard to present time; vvv 'now,' yBy 'already,'
and aprt 'for the present.' The A.V. has 'now,' 'already,'
' now ' ; the Vulgate nunc, jam, nunc. Again, ' the
mystery of lawlessness ' (t^9 dvofiias) has the closest con
nexion with ' the lawless one ' (b dvop,os) in v. 8, the same
power or person being meant. The A.V. has ' the mystery
of iniquity ' and ' that wicked,' where " that ' is another
example of exaggeration in rendering the Greek article :
see on ' this calling ' (i. 11) and ' that man ' (ii. 3). The
Vulgate here has ille iniquus ; more often it has hie to re
present the Greek article ; 1 Cor. i. 20, iii. 19, iv. 13 ;
2 Cor. v. 1 ; etc. Cf . the unfortunate change from ' life '
to ' soul ' Mt. xvi. 25, 26 ; from ' children ' to ' sons ' Mt.
xx. 20 ; from ' rule ' to ' line ' 2 Cor. x. 15, 16 ; etc., etc.
be taken out of the way] Literally, ' out of the midst '
(e'/e fieaov), as in 1 Cor. v. 2 ; in Col. ii. 14 we have e'w rod
fieo-ov. E medio or de medio is similarly used ; Vulg. has
de medio here. It is clear from this that rb Karexov cannot
be the will of God, for in that case b Karex°>v would be' God
Himself, who cannot be taken out of the way.
St. Paul does not say how the restrainer will be removed,
and perhaps he had no conviction on the subject. But he
is convinced that the removal will take place, and the way
be left clear for the revelation of the great mystery of evil.
The context gives the impression that there will not be much
delay. ¦ It is probably this utterance, that the restraining
power will certainly be taken out of the way, and perhaps
very soon, which caused him to use a cryptic description
rather than a simple name. This the representatives of
the power would understand and resent, and they would

60 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 7
perhaps visit their resentment on both teachers and taught.*
' As Augustine says (De Civ. Dei, XX. xix. 2), these words
" show that he was unwilling to speak openly, because he
said that the Thessalonians knew. And therefore we, who
do not know what the Thessalonians knew, would be glad
even at the cost of much labour to arrive at the Apostle's
meaning, but we cannot do it-; all the less so, because what
he goes on to say makes his meaning still more obscure. I
^frankly confess that I do not know what he means."
It is probable that much of the obscurity which besets
our knowledge of the first ages of the Church is the result
of Christians being unwilling to risk committing things
plainly to writing. Silence and symbols were common
devices. There is, however, far less difficulty about the meaning of
' that which restraineth ' and ' he that restraineth ' than
about the meaning of ' the Man of Lawlessness ' and ' the
Mystery of Lawlessness.' The change from the neuter
to the masculine, from rb Karexov to b Karexov, suggests
the direction in which to look for an explanation. It sug
gests a power or principle of wide influence, which can either
be readily personified, or be represented by some individual
who possesses or symbolizes some of the leading character
istics. We have this at once in the Roman Empire and the
Roman Emperor. This explanation fits the two expres
sions and their context so well, that it is almost a waste of
time to look for any other ; all the more so, because the
large majority of commentators and critics, from Tertul-
lian down to our own day, have accepted this interpreta
tion as the right one. Tertullian, Apol. 32, says, " There is
also another great necessity for us to pray for the Emper
ors, even for the whole state of the Empire and the fortunes
of Rome, seeing that we know that the mighty force which
* We may compare the reticence of Josephus (Ant., X. x. 4) about
the interpretation of the ' stone ' which was to destroy the Roman
Empire, in Dan. ii. 35, 46 ; he can explain the past, but he does not
venture to pry into the future. People must study Daniel for them
selves, he says.

ii. 7] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 61
is menacing the whole world is being delayed by the respite
allowed to the Roman Empire." See also De Res. Cam., 24.
Chrysostom and Jerome both suggest that St. Paul uses this
circumlocution because the declaration that the Empire
was to be abolished might provoke Roman magistrates to
persecute. Harnack says that by rb Karexov we must
understand the Roman Empire, which, so far from being
the opponent of the Church, was at that time keeping in
check the terrible evils which threatened it (The Expansion
of Christianity, I. p. 258). The natural restrainer of lawless
ness is the law, and in the first century the great organizer
and executor of the law was the Roman Empire. Christ
Himself had taught this ; ' Whose is this image and super
scription ? ' Mk. xii. 16, 17 ; Mt. xxii. 21, 22 ; Lk. xx. 24,
25. St. Paul had followed Him ; Rom. xiii. 1-7. Both
he and Silvanus were Roman citizens, a condition which
they knew to be both an honour and a protection. At
Thessalonica the politarchs had paid little attention to the
unsupported accusations of the fanatical Jews, and had let
the accused go free (Acts xvii. 8) ; and at Corinth, where
this letter was written, Gallio, the Roman proconsul, pro
tected the Apostle from the attacks of his Jewish persecutors
in that city. It was precisely this Roman power, the merits
of which Christ and St. Paul upheld, that the Jews were
feverishly eager to overthrow ; and they would regard no
one as the Messiah who could not or would not overthrow it.
The probabilities are altogether in favour of the theory
that the restraining power which St. Paul has here in his
mind is the Roman Empire as the great upholder of human
law in its best forms. History has shown us that although
each Roman ruler was destined to fall, and the Roman
Empire itself to be overrun by barbaric conquerors, yet
Roman Law has survived all shocks. It has joined with the
Gospel in producing large departments of Christian legisla
tion designed for the restraining of evil. See Renan,
Hibbert Lectures, pp. 185 f., for St. Luke's view.
Those who reject this interpretation of the power that
restrains suggest, among other conjectures, the Holy Spirit,

62 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 8
or a powerful angel, or Elijah (Mt. xvii. n), or St. Paul him
self, or the prayers of Christians, or Satan as ' the god of
this age ' (2 Cor. iv. 4). We need not discuss any of them.
Nor is there any need, with regard to ' he who for the present
is restraining,' to fix on any particular Emperor ; and it is
difficult to think of such rulers as Caligula and Nero in the
character of checks upon evil-doing. But we know that St.
Paul could regard the position which they held, and the
system which they maintained, as ' a terror to the evil work '
and ' an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil ' '(Rom.
xiii. 3, 4). See Frame ad loc. for a summary of views.
8-12. The Terrible End of the Lawless One.
8 And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of his coming : 9 Even him whose coming is after the work
ing of Satan, with all power and signs, and lying wonders, 10And
with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, in them that perish :
because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. u And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie : 12 That they all might be damned who
believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The Apostle passes from the present condition of things
(vv. 6, 7) which he does not care to describe in detail, because
the Thessalonians know it from their own experience, and
passes on to the future, with regard to which they had been
seriously misled.
8 And then, and not till then, the Lawless One will be revealed,
whose dominion will.be brief, for the Lord Jesus will slay him with
the breath of His mouth, and will bring him to nought by the very
manifestation of His own Presence at His Coming, the Lord's Pres
ence utterly bringing to nought that of him 9 whose Presence at his
coming is in full accordance with the working of Satan. For he
will imitate the Lord with every kind of supernatural power, and of
miraculous signs, and of bewildering Wonders, for the purpose of
deluding men. 10 And he will Work with every kind of wicked device
for the deceiving of those who are already on the road to perdition,
seeing that they refused to welcome the love of truth which Was
offered to them With a view to their salvation. u So, because of this
fatal refusal, God sends them (this is their certain doom) an inward

ii. 8] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 63
predilection for error, leading them to choose to believe what is false ;
13 and He does this to bring a judgment on all those who refused to
believe the truth, but on the contrary took pleasure in unrighteousness.
8. And then] When the restraining power has been
removed. ' Then ' is in contrast to the preceding " now,'
' already,' ' for the present ' ; cf. 1 Cor. iv. 5 ; Mk. xiii. 26,
27. As already pointed out, the A.V. obliterates the ob
vious connexion between ' the mystery of lawlessness '
(rb fivaryptov rys dvofiias) and ' the lawless one ' (0 dvofios).
Both expressions indicate the consummate rebellion against
all law and authority. The Apostle has a good deal more
to say about its methods and success (9-12), but he lessens
the horror of this announcement by first foretelling its
utter failure and destruction. Cf. Assumption of Moses, X.
7-9 ; Apocalypse of Baruch, XL. 1-3.
the Lord Jesus] The A.V. follows some good authorities
in omitting ' Jesus ' ; but the balance is in favour of retain
ing it. It is absent of course from Is. xi. 4, which St. Paul
is here adapting with a change of wording ; and this may
have led to its omission here.
slay him] The A.V. has ' consume,' the translation of a
reading (dvaXmaei) which is probably false. The R.V. has
' slay ' (dveXel), which has far greater authority ; see Plum-
mer on Lk. xxii. 2. But both readings may be variants
from a third (dvaXol). Something depends upon the inter
pretation of ' with the breath of His mouth ' ; — ' breath '
(R.V.) rather ' spirit ' (A.V.). In Is. xi. ' with the breath
of His lips' seems to mean that a single utterance will suffice
to slay the wicked. So Theodore, Chrysostom, and Theo-
doret understand it, while Athanasius seems to have under
stood it of the Holy Spirit. The phrase is said to have been
a current Jewish periphrasis. Thus Ps. xxxii. (xxxiii.) 6
the stars are said to be made tw irvevfiari rov arb/iaros
avrov : Enoch lxii. 2 " the word of his mouth (the Messiah's)
slew all the sinners " : Ps. of Solomon xvii. 27, " He shall
destroy the ungodly nations with the word of his mouth "
(again of the Messiah). But St. Paul seems to mean that
the Lord's breath is to be an instrument of destruction,

64 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 8
sweeping away like a hurricane, or killing like the blast from
a furnace. If ' with a word ,' is the meaning, ' consume '
is not very suitable ; but ' slay ' agrees with either inter
pretation. Swete on Rev. ii. 16 remarks that " the glorified
Christ is in this book a warrior, who fights with the sharp
sword of the word " ; cf . xix. 13 ; Eph. vi. 17; Heb. iv. 12.
Charles on Rev. i. 16, " The sword that proceeds from the
mouth of the Son of Man is simply a symbol of his judicial
authority," Cf. 4 Ezra xiii. 10, 38.
bring him to nought] Literally, 'render him inoperative,'
" put him out of action ' (Karapyew). The verb is eminently
Pauline. It occurs 27 times in N.T., and 25 of these are in
the writings of St. Paul, especially in the four great Epistles.
The A.V. is marvellously capricious. No single English
word would suffice ; but we do not need 15 or more different
renderings; 'cumber,' 'make without effect,' "make
void,' ' make of none effect,' 'destroy,' 'loose,' 'bring to
nought,' "' do away,' ' put away,' put down,' and (for the
passive) ' come to nought,' ' fail,' ' vanish away,' ' abolished,'
' fallen away.' We need a strong word here ; ' disarm '
is almost a bathos after ' destroy.' See Schiirer, The
Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ, Div. II., vol. ii.,
pp. 164 ff. on the last attack, and the destruction, of the
hostile powers.
by the very manifestation of His own Presence] Literally,
' by the Epiphany of His Presence,' or ' His Coming '
(ry eiri(f>aveia rfjs irapovolas avroii) ; see on V. I for
rrapovala. ' Epiphany ' in LXX is often used of manifesta
tions of the glory of God. This use is specially common in
2 Maccabees. In pagan inscriptions it is usual of the appari
tion of a god. But, as Clemen remarks (Primitive Christianity,
pp. 341, 371), if we have here " a pagan mode of speech,
it is only the expression that is borrowed, not the idea."
For the combination of iirc<paveia with rrapovala see Deiss-
mann, Light from the Ancient East, pp. 374, 378. Alford,
followed by Bishop Alexander, quotes Milton's " Far off
His Coming shone " (Par. Lost, vi. 768).
Excepting the present passage, the word is found in N.T.

ii. 8, 9] DOCTRINAL AND. HORTATORY 65
in the Pastoral Epistles only, and there it occurs five times.
In 2 Tim. i. 10 it is used of the First Advent of Christ, and
there we also have Karapyim of the abolition of death. In
the other passages it is used, as here, of the Second Advent ;
1 Tim. vi. 14 ; 2 Tim. iv. 1, 8 ; Titus ii. 13, Here the A.V.
has ' brightness.' Vulg. has illustratio here, and illumina-
tio 2 Tim. i. 10. Other renderings are apparentia and
apparitio. The meaning possibly may be that, just as the
' light from heaven above the brightness of the sun ' (Acts
xxvi. 13) reduced to impotence Saul the persecutor of the
Lord, so the brightness of the Second Advent will reduce
to impotence the great adversary of Christ. St. Paul's
own experience may have suggested the idea of the Lawless
One being sent to nothingness by the glory of the mani
festation. Christum suis radiis, quos ante adventum suum
emittet, tenebras Antichristi profligaturum (Calvin).
9. Whose Presence is] We might have had diroKdXvyjns
here in harmony with diroKaXvirreaOai above (vv. 3, 6, 8) ;
yet we have rrapovala, less for the sake of variety than to
emphasize the parallel with Christ. Note ' is ' (ianv) of
what is the essential character.
in full accordance with the activity of Satan] This is con
clusive against the view that the great adversary is Satan,
a view which is found in the Apostolical Constitutions, vii. 32.
He has diabolical malignity and power ; he is Satan's ally
and supreme agent ; but he is not the evil one himself.
That St. Paul believed in Satan as a personal agent of evil
is beyond a doubt ; and ' Satan ' is always a proper name ;
1 Thess. ii. 18 ; Rom. xvi. 20 ; 1 Cor. v. 5, vii. 5 ; 2 Cor. ii.
11, xi. 14 ; 1 Tim. i. 20, v. 15. Elsewhere he calls him ' the
tempter,' 1 Thess. iii. 5 ; ' the serpent,' 2 Cor. xi. 3 ; ' the
god of this age,' 2 Cor. iv. 4 ; ' the devil,' Eph. iv. 27, etc. ;
' the evil one,' Eph. vi. 16.
' Activity ' or ' working ' (ivepyeia) is a neutral word and
may be used of the worst, as well as of the best, of operations.
Excepting here and v. 11, it is always used in N.T. of the
Divine activity ; Eph. i. 19, iii. 7, iv. 16 ; Phil. iii. 21 ; Col. i.
29, ii. 12 ;— all instances being in the Epistles of St. Paul,

66 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 9
and in all, excepting Col. ii. 12, we have Kara ryv ivkpyeiav
or Kar' ivepyeiav, as here. On the use of Kara in such ex
pressions, which are very frequent in Paul, see Westcott,
Ephesians, pp. 12, 30, 195. ' After ' (A.V.) is ambiguous,
and might be misunderstood ; ' according to ' (R.V.) is
better. That an expression commonly used of Divine
activity is here used of what is Satanic is probably not
accidental ; it is part of the parallel which throughout
this passage is drawn between Divine and diabolical opera
tions. with every kind of power . . . signs . . . wonders] This
threefold description of what we call ' miracles ' is found
Acts ii. 22 ; Rom. xv. 19 ; 2 Cor. xii. 12 ; Heb. ii. 4 ; but
' power ' is often plural, ' mighty works ' (Swdp.eis), and
is used in Mt. and Mk. of the miracles wrought by Christ.
St. John calls them ' signs ' (ayfiela), a word which he uses
17 times ; he never calls them " powers.' Miracles are
signs of Christ's Divine mission, and are symbolical of
spiritual truths. Nowhere in the N.T. are they called simply
' wonders ' (repara) ; they are not regarded as mere pro
digies to excite astonishment. Wherever ' wonders ' is
used it is always combined, as here, with ' signs,' and the
usual combination is ' signs and wonders,' not ' wonders and
signs. ' ' Signs ' is the word most frequently found in Scrip
ture, with or without another synonymous term. It is
hardly necessary to point out that miracles imply power,
and experience teaches that they excite wonder. It is
because wonder is so obvious that ' miracle ' has become
the current term. It has the disadvantage of expressing
what is only a secondary characteristic, but the advantage
of committing us to nothing but what is certainly true.
For signs wrought by evil powers to deceive mankind see
Rev. xiii. 13, 14, xvi. 14, xix. 20. See Charles on Rev. xiii. 13.
Although ' all ' or ' every kind of ' (irday) agrees in gender
with ' power ' (Bwdfiei) only, yet it is undoubtedly to be
carried on to both ' signs ' and ' wonders.' Similarly, the
characterizing genitive (yjrevBovs), ' for the purpose of delud
ing,' does not belong to ' wonders ' only, as A.V. and R.V.

ii. 9, id] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 67
might lead us to suppose, but looks back to ' signs ' and
' power ' also. All three are ' lying,' not in the sense that
they are shams, but that they are wrought to induce people
to believe what is false. Theodore and Theodoret and
Jerome seem to understand that they were sham miracles.
Chrysostom and Augustine (De Civ. Dei, xx. 19) leave the
question open. But these signs and wonders are real mir
acles. ; they cannot be explained by any known laws ;
and they are manifested " that they may lead astray, if
possible, the elect ' (Mk. xiii. 22 ; Mt. xxiv. 24). L'epou-
vante devint ainsi un element de toute apocalypse ; il fut
admis que le mal, pres de finir, allait redoubler de rage et
faire preuve d'un art savant pour exterminer les saints (Renan,
L'Antechrist, p. 330). Consummate deceit, making evil
look like good, is of the very nature of the devil ; Jn. viii.
44 ; Rev. xii. 9, xx. 3, 8, 10 ; cf . xiii. 13, 14.
10. with every kind of wicked device] The same construc
tion as before (eV irday dirdry dBmlas) ; ' of wickedness '
or ' of unrighteousness ' being a characterizing genitive
equivalent to an "adjective, as in 'man of lawlessness'
v. 3. ' Deceivableness ' (A.V.) is quite wrong : ' deceit '
(Eph. iv. 22 ; Col. ii. 8) or ' deceitfulness ' (Heb. iii. 13) is
the meaning. But these terrific powers are not irresistible ;
only those who are already predisposed fall victims. " Paul
is quite content with a general description of the circum
stances attending the advent of the Anomos ; but later
descriptions of the Antichrist delight in the details, e.g.
Rev. xiii. 13 ; Asc. Isa. v. 4 ; Sib. Orac. iii. 63, ii. 167 ; see
Bousset, Antichrist, 115 ff., and Charles on Asc. Isa. v. 4 "
(Frame, Thessalonians, p. 269).
are already on the road to perdition] the present participle
rols diroXXvfievois) implies that perishing has already
begun, not that perdition has already taken place. Never
theless, the classification is made in accordance with their
present position : and, although there is no idea of pre
destination to perdition, yet that end is regarded for the
moment as certain. It is important in translation to pre
serve the connexion between ' son of perdition ' (dirooXeias)

68 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 10
and ' those who are on the way to perdition ' (ol diroXXv-
fievoi). Abbott, Son of Man, p. 350. We must also care
fully compare 1 Cor. i. 18 and 2 Cor. ii. 15, where ' those who
are perishing ' are the antithesis to ' those who are being
saved ' or ' are on the road to salvation ' (ol aw^bfievoi) ;
cf . Lk. xiii. 23 ; Acts ii. 47. The two classes indicate the
issues of faith and of unbelief, of obedience and of rebellion.
St. Paul nowhere defines ' perishing,' and it is rash for us
to do so as meaning ' annihilation,' or ' endless torment.'
He calls the end of unbelievers ' death ' (Rom. vi. 23, viii. 6),
' corruption ' (Gal. vi. 8), and ' wrath ' (1 Thess. i. 10, v. 9).
But he has much less to say about this class than about
those who by believing can secure salvation. Those will be
seduced who deserve to be seduced (Augustine) and who
would have remained in disobedience, if the great adver
sary had not appeared (Chrysostom). See Leo the Great,
Ep. 129, on the way in which statements made for salvation
may, by a subtle change, be turned to destruction.
seeing that] Or, ' for the reason that,' 'because ' (dv6" &v) ;
frequent in LXX, but elsewhere in N.T. in Lk. and Acts
only. We might say ' in requital for their refusal.'
to welcome] Cf . 1 Thess. i. 6, ii. 13, where the same verb
(Bexofiai) is used of receiving with joy, accepting willingly.
This meaning is frequent ; 1 Cor. ii. 14 ; 2 Cor. viii. 17 ;
Gal. iv. 14 ; Col. iv. 10 ; etc.
the love of the truth] Mere rejection of the truth might
be the result of blindness or ignorance ; but these sinners
would not cultivate any affection for the truth and did not
desire to obtain it. They were already grievously astray ;
and so ' they loved the darkness rather than the light '
(Jn. iii. 19). Here, as in 1 Cor. xiii. 6 and 2 Cor. xiii. 8,
' the truth ' is used in its widest sense ; truth as opposed
to unrighteousness (Rom. ii. 8), and therefore as equivalent
to goodness ; cf. Jn. iii. 21 ; 1 Jn. i. 6. In Ps. 1. (Ii.) 8
and lxxxiii. (lxxxiv.) 12 God is said dXyOeiav dyairav.
with a view to] The same construction is in v. 6 and 1
Thess. ii. 12.
their salvation] The opposite of the perdition which is the

ii. n] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 69
end of their present course. It includes deliverance from
sin in this world and from condemnation in the next. It
is offered to all men ; but they are left free to accept it or
reject it.
11. So because of this] Kal is here consecutive, intro
ducing a result of what has just been stated ; we use ' so '
in a similar way. ' Because of this ' looks back to ' seeing
that ' (dvu" mv) in v. 10.
God sends them] ' God ' is emphatic ; even Satanic power
works under His control. God establishes laws which have
their natural course. The eye that lives in the dark becomes
blind ; the limb that is never moved loses the power of
movement ; in morals, the will that never chooses good
loses the power to choose it, and thus sin is punished by sin.
The present tense is often used of what is predicted with
confidence. Some copyists, not understanding the predict
ive present, changed rrifirrei to irefiyjrei, and this reading
of some inferior authorities is followed in A.V., ' shall send.'
Theodoret, Jerome, and Augustine water this down to
meaning that God will allow this to happen.
an inward predilection for error] This seems to be the
meaning of ' a working of error ' (ivepyeiav irXdvys). After
allowing themselves to be led astray through their indiffer
ence to truth, they become active propagators of what is
grievously wrong. ' Strong delusion ' (A.V.) is misleading ;
it comes from Tyndale through the Genevan Version. The
Vulgate has operatio erroris, Beza Efficacia deceptionis.
Cf. Is. Ixiii. 17, and Bid rovro iKepaaev avrols b Gebs
rrvevfia irXavyaews Ps. of Solomon viii. 15. There are these
stages in their downward course. They refuse to receive
the truth. They have no wish to attain to it, but prefer
unrighteousness. God sends them as a punishment a pre
dilection for error.
believe what is false] Not merely ' a lie,' but ' the lie '
(rb ¦fevBos), the opposite of ' the truth ' (v. 10), and there
fore that which is morally evil. Persistent defiance of
conscience deprives it of discernment and power. Do what
you know to be wrong once or twice, and you will then think

70 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 12
that it is not so very wrong. Do it many times, and you
will cease to think that it is wrong at all. This may often
be observed with regard to untruthfulness and dishonesty ;
but it holds good in other forms of sin also.
12. to bring a judgment] That the judgment will be a
condemnation is shown by the context, but this does not
justify such a translation as ' be damned.' The Greek verb
(Kplvoy) is neutral and may be used of a favourable judg
ment ; Acts iii. 13, xv. 19, xvi. 15, xxi. 25. Even the
compound, which implies condemnation (KaraKplvw), does
not justify ' damn,' which is now commonly understood as
meaning condemning to hell, although in the seventeenth
and earlier centuries it was by no means restricted to this
meaning. See the A.V. of [Mk.] xvi. 16 and Rom. xiv. 23.
Similarly, Kpl/ia, ' judgment,' is rendered ' damnation,'
Rom. xiii. 2 and 1 Cor. xi. 29. This unfortunate translation
has cost the Anglican Church multitudes of communicants,
for the exhortation in the Prayer Book contains the Apostle's
warning against communicating unworthily in this disas
trously repellent form. People doubt whether they are
worthy, and, in fear of condemning themselves to hell,
abstain from communicating. Lightfoot, On a Fresh
Revision, p. 72 ; Wright, Bible Word-Book, p. 181 ; Davies,
-Bible English, p. 96. Here Rutherford and Moffatt have
' be doomed.'
on all those] The ' all ' comes after the verb with emphasis
and perhaps we ought to read the strong form diravres,
' all of them together,' ' every one of them,' rather than the
simple irdvres, ' all.' The diabolical campaign has been
grievously successful, and the evil is widespread. Late et
diu et vehementer grassatur error ille (Bengel). The point
that is certain, and on which the Apostle lays stress, is this.
A judgment of condemnation is among the purposes of God ;
and not one of those who have incurred it by their deliber
ate conduct will escape. What form the condemnation will
take he does not attempt to define.
refused to believe the truth] This looks back to v. 10.
They rejected what they recognized, or might readily have

ii. 12] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 71
recognized, as morally good. And that was not the whole
of their revolt ; ' on the contrary ' (dXXd).
took pleasure in unrighteousness] This also looks back to
v. 10, where we are told that it was a ' device of unrighteous
ness,' a wicked and deceitful plan, to which they surrendered
themselves. They not only had no love for what was right,
they had good-will towards the very opposite. Chrysostom
takes ' unrighteousness ' to mean the Antichrist.
Now, with such details — sufficient for the Thessalonians —
as the Apostle gives before us, we are in a better position to
examine the question whether he describes a person or a
principle of evil. We have seen that ' that which restraineth '
(to Karexov) is almost certainly the Roman Empire, which
may be personified as ' he who restraineth ' (b Karexov), any
Emperor being regarded as a representative of the organiza
tion. It is therefore possible that ' the Man of Lawlessness,
may be a personification also, a personification of the ' many
Antichrists ' which were at work .when St. John wrote his
Epistle, 1 Jn. ii. 8. St. Paul in like manner says that ' the
mystery of lawlessness ' is already working, although the
moving cause has not yet been revealed.
But the two cases are not quite parallel. In the case of
the restraint on lawlessness the impersonal expression,
' that which restraineth,' is used first, as if this was the propet
designation, and the personal form is not repeated. In the
case of the evil power which for the present is held in check
the personal expression comes first, and it is repeated again
and again ; ' the man of lawlessness,' ' the son of perdition,'
' he that opposeth and exalteth himself,' ' setting him forth
as God,' " the lawless one whom,' etc. Only once have we
an impersonal expression, ' the mystery of lawlessness. '
Nor is this all. From first to last this appalling being
is represented as a parallel, or parody, — one might almost
say an impious caricature, of the position and work of Christ.
The Apostle seems to have felt " a kind of necessity that
Christ and Antichrist should alternate with one another,"
the latter being a sorte de messie de Satan . . . L 'inverse
exact de Jesus, comme une sorte de Christ de L'enfer (Renan,

72 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 12
Saint Paul, p. 253). As Christ is the emissary and agent
and representative of God, so this monstrous being is the
emissary and agent and representative of Satan. The
Coming of both was matter of prophecy, for the Apostle's
description is partly inspired by visions in Daniel. Both
have a revelation, and both have an influence in the world
before the revelation takes place. Just as the First Coming
of Christ caused a crisis, a separation of the lovers of fight
from the lovers of darkness (Jn. iii. 10), so this Coming of
the great adversary separates those who love the truth from
those who take pleasure in unrighteousness. As Christ
does mighty works and signs and wonders for the instruc
tion and salvation of mankind, so also does he for their
deception and ruin. As Christ came to seek and to save those
who were lost, so this rival comes to complete the perdition
of those who are perishing. Christ proclaimed Himself
to be the Son of God and one with the Father ; this opponent
exalts himself above everything that is worshipped, and
proclaims to the world that he himself is God. " It must
have been a great, deeply religious spirit who created this
conception, one proof more of the genuine Pauline origin
of our Epistle." (Dobschutz, p. 296, quoted by Frame.)
See Charles on Rev. xiii. 13 ; Ramsay, Letters to the Seven
-Churches, pp. 101 f.
All this seems to point to an individual, of superhuman
power and craftiness, and with a supremely evil will ; and
we cannot wonder that such was the almost universal belief
of the early Church. It was held that, before the Second
Advent, a false Christ would establish on earth a reign of
extraordinary wickedness, which, however, would soon be
ended by the Return of the true Christ in glory.
It does not, of course, follow from this that the theory
of a personal Antichrist is the right theory. That the whole
is a picturesque personification of the manifold powers of
evil is an explanation which may seem to be improbable,
but which cannot be disproved. "St. Paul may have seen
in some actual adversary of the Gospel a type of the anti-
christian spirit and working ; and this may have facilitated

ii. 12, 13] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 73
the personification " (Lightfoot). Jowett regards the Man
of Sin as " the impersonation of sin . . . the image of self-
destroying evil. . . . There is no reason to suppose that
the description refers to an individual. ... As Christ is a
person, so evil is impersonated as his antagonist." En
face de Jesus, se dresse un monstre qui est I'ideal du mal, de
mime que Jesus est I'ideal du bien (Renan, L'Antechrist,
p.. ii.).
A summary and estimate of Chrysostom's treatment of
the whole passage (3-12) is given by Chase, Chrysostom, a
Study in Biblical Interpretation, pp. 168 f . Cyril of Jerusalem
(Catech., xv. 11) makes the enemy a false Messiah (Mt. xxiv.
24): "shall falsely style himself Christ." Theodoret,
" calling himself Christ and God." Jerome, " showing
himself off as if he himself were Christ and the Son of God."
We may conclude with the words of Augustine ; Melius
est dubitare de rebus occultis, quam litigare de incertis.
ii. 13-15. Thanksgiving and Exhortation
13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren,
beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation, through sanctification of the spirit, and belief of
the truth, u Whereunto he called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining
of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1B Therefore, brethren, stand
fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether
by word or our Epistle.
The writers have said enough about this sorrowful prospect
of the ruin of many. They gladly turn away from it, to
give thanks to God that their beloved Thessalonians are
among the elect who are in the way of salvation, and to
exhort them to secure this blessed result by following the
instructions given to them. These faithful converts form
a refreshing contrast to the unhappy victims of the Anti
christ ; and those who converted them are bound to give
thanks for them, and to endeavour to help them onwards
in the good way which by God's grace they have chosen.
This contrast should be compared with that in 1 Thess.
ii. 12— iii. 13, which is similar in arrangement, and also v.
" g "~

74 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 13
2-8, where the mention of the Day of the Lord suggests the
difference which it will make between the sons of light and
the sons of darkness, and leads on to an exhortation to be
sober and spiritually minded. But the exhortation in
v. 15 has no parallel in the First. Epistle.
13 But we, when we think of this terrible result of persisting in
wickedness, continually feel bound, and cannot help feeling bound,
to give thanks to the one and only God on all occasions for you,
Brethren, who have been and are so dearly beloved, not only by us
but by the Lord Jesus, because God chose you from all eternity to
have the offer of salvation, an offer which has become effectual through
the sanctifying influence of His Holy Spirit and your acceptance and
retention of the truth. 14 It Was to this state of salvation that He
called you by means of the Gospel of good tidings which We preach
to the World, with a view to the securing by you of glory, viz., a share
in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Seeing therefore, Brethren,
that such is God's gracious purpose respecting you, and such your
realization of it, you must of course continue to stand stedfast and
firm, and to hold fast and fully all the heaven-sent instruction in
faith and conduct that We handed on to you, whether by word of
mouth while we were with you, or by letter since we left.
13. But we] ' But ' marks the contrast between the
writers' horror of what has just been described and their
thankfulness for their converts' escape from such ruin.
The emphatic_lwe_' (Vr1^ $e btpelXo/iev) , which is absent
in i . 3, links the happiness of the writers with that of their
converts. They might quite naturally have said ' But
you,' in contrast with ' those who are perishing.'
continually feel bound] See notes on i. 3. Here 6<pelXofiev
comes first with much emphasis, and hence the repetition
__pf ' feel bound ' in the paraphrase.
beloved by the Lord] In 1 Thess. i. 4 we have, at a similar
point in the Thanksgiving, ' beloved by God,' a unique
expression in the N.T. In Deut. xxxiii. 12 Benjamin is
called ' beloved by the Lord,' which of course means by
Jehovah. In Ecclus. xiv. 1 Moses is said to be ' beloved'
by God and men.' In the Testaments, Issachar i. 1, we
have ' beloved by the Lord ' applied to either Issachar, or
his sons, or his words (readings vary). The change here

ii. 13] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 75
from ' beloved by God ' to ' beloved by the Lord ' is re
markable, because, according to Pauline usage (see on 1
Thess. i. 6, iii. 12, iv. 15, 16, v. 2), ' the Lord ' means ' the
Lord Jesus Christ,' and the two expressions seem to be
treated as equivalent. TMtJJh^XorjIJJjeie means Christ
is the more certain because 'XLod ,'- preeedes^anlTTolTows ;
the change of word suggests a change of Person. The
yperfect participle (yyarryfievoi) implies present result of
past action (Burton, N. T. Moods and Tenses, § 154) ; hence
' have been and are so dearly beloved.' This affectionate
and impressive address is calculated to calm and recover
the excited and disorderly members.
chose you] The verb (e'CXaro) is rare in Bibl. Grk., and is
not used elsewhere in N.T. of election (i/cXeyeadai) by God.
In Deut. xxvi. 18 it occurs of God's choosing Israel as a
peculiar people. Deut. vii. 6, 7, x. 15 we have irpoeiXaro.
There is no emphasis on you, and therefore no special con
trast with ' those who are perishing.' The reading ' us ' may
safely be rejected. Confusion between vp,els and y/iels in
MSS. is very common ; 2 Cor. i. 11, iii. 2, v. 12, vi. 16, vii. 12
J&is), etc.
^ from all eternity] The reading is uncertain. This rendering
follows that which has the better authority, air dpxys. If
it is right, there is little doubt that ' from the beginning '
means from ' from all eternity,' equivalent to ' before the
foundation of the world ' (Eph. i. 4 ; 1 Pet. i. 20 ; Jn. xvii.
24) and ' before the ages ' (1 Cor. ii. 7). See Hort. on 1
Pet. i. 20 and Westcott on Eph. i. 4. But ' as the firstfruits,'
drrapxyv (R.V. marg.), has strong support, makes good sense,
and is more in harmony with St. Paul's style ; 1 Cor. xv.
20, 23, xvi. 15 ; also Rom. viii. 23, xi. 16, and xvi. 5, where
the readings vary as they do here. The Philippians and the
Thessalonians were converted during the same mission,
and were firstfruits of the West ; 1 Thess. i. 7.
If ' chose you from all eternity ' is right, it does not imply
predestination to final salvation. The Apostle warns them
that they may lose what God has willed to offer them.
They must secure it, not merely by closing with His offer,

76 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 13
as they did when they accepted the Gospel, but also by
being stedfast in belief and conduct, in accordance with
teaching already received. They are not predestined to
glory, but invited to win it for themselves by a holy life ;
Phil. ii. 12.
to have the offer of salvation] God placed them in the way
of being saved when the missionaries preached to them and
He gave them grace to listen. The final confirmation of
His gracious purpose comes at the Last Day. " Paul lets
his religious imagination range from everlasting to everlast
ing, — from the choice of God before the foundation of the
world to the consummation in the age to come. . . . The
purpose of this pregnant summary of Paul's religious con
victions (cf. Rom. viii. 28-30) is the encouragement of the
faint-hearted " (Frame, p. 279).
through the sanctifying influence of the Holy Spirit] The
phrase (eV dyiaafim irvevfiaros) is ambiguous. We have
the same words 1 Pet. J^jgj which is probably based on this
passage. There the order of the words, ' God the Father,
Spirit, Jesus Christ ' is decisive for Holy Spirit rather than
human spirit. Here the order points in the same direction ;
first the Divine influence, then the faith of the persons
influenced. , In both passages ' Holy ' is omitted as super
fluous after ' sanctification ' (aylov after dyiaa/iw). The
absence of the article before ' Spirit ' proves nothing. There
are several passages in the Epistles, especially in the phrase
eV -n-vevfiari, in which we are in doubt whether the Holy
Spirit or man's spirit is meant. " The believer is separated
by so thin a film from the Spirit of God that the operation
of the one is often in Scripture transferred to the other, and
language wavers in meaning between the two or seems to
comprehend both " (Jowett on i. 11). See Hort on 1 Pet.
, i. 2 and Westcott on Eph. iii. 6. With most commentators
I] we may decide for the higher meaning here. Thus we have
; | all three Persons of the Trinity ; Thanks to the Father for
'those who are beloved by the Son and sanctified by the
1 Spirit. From this passage, combined with Mt. xxviii. 19 ;
2 Cor. xiii. 14 ; 1 Pet. i. 1, 2 ; Jude 20, 21, it is evident that

ii. 13, 14] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 77
" the naming of the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the Spirit
together must have been frequent " (Clemen, Primitive
Christianity, p. 204). See Plummer, S. Matthew, pp. 431 f.,
and 2 Corinthians, p. 384. The term dyiaa/ios implies a
process of sanctification, and in N.T. it is chiefly Pauline ;
1 Thess. iv. 3, 7 ; Rom. vi. 19, 22 ; 1 Cor. i. 30 ; 1 Tim. ii. 15.
This is the Divine side ; the human side follows, and we see
from their combination under one preposition (eV, Winer,
p. 519) that growth in sanctification and true knowledge is
regarded as simultaneous (Chadwick, Pastoral Teaching of
St. Paul, pp. 157 f.). See Charles on Rev. vii. 3, pp. 196,
205, 206.
your acceptance and retention of the truth] This is implied
in eV irlarei dXydeias, which looks back to ' those who
^refused to believe the truth ' (v. 12). The writers are deeply
thankful that the Thessalonians were among those who
readily accepted it and have retained it. Cf. the joy
expressed in Col. ii. 5.
The genitives in this verse illustrate Deissmann's remark
(St. Paul, pp. 140 f.) that the Apostle's use of the genitive
is sometimes very peculiar and transcends all rules about
subjective and objective. He suggests " mystic genitive "
for him. A. T. Robertson, Gr. of Grk. N. T., p. 501. Cf. ii. n.
14. to this state of salvation] The neuter pronoun (els °)
shows that the whole of the previous statement is to be
understood. He called you] God is the great Inviter (0 xaXuv, 1 Thess.
ii. 12, v. 24). Here we have the aorist (iKaXeaev) in har
mony with ' chose ' (e'iXaro) in v. 13. The choice was made
f from all eternity ; the invitation to realize it was given
I when the missionaries began to preach at Thessalonica.
Cf. 1 Thess. iv. 7 ; Rom. viii. 30. This use of KaXelv is
thoroughly Pauline ; it occurs in all four groups, and
especially in Romans, 1 Corinthians, Galatians, and Ephe
sians. We may safely retain the reading vnds, although
^ rjfids has considerable support.
which we preach to the world] Literally, ' our Gospel '
— *>(rb' ehayyiXiov rjfimv) : cf. I Thess. i. 5, ii. 9. ' Our ' refers

78 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 14, 15

y

to the senders of the letter, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
ust as in 2 Cor. iv. 3 ' our ' refers to Paul and Timothy. "
In Rom. ii. 16, xvi. 25 and 2 Tim. ii. 8 we have ' my Gospel,'
' that which I preach,' for in sending those two letters the
Apostle names no colleague. See on i. 3 and 1 Thess. i. 2,
ii. 13. Neither here nor there is there any reference to a
written Gospel. St. Paul may possibly have known ' Q,'
the document used by both Mt. and Lk., but it is not likely
that even the earliest of our four Gospels was in existence
when St. Paul wrote. Irenaeus (III. ii. 8) is apparently
the earliest writer who uses ehayyeXiov of a written Gospel.
.See McGiffert on Eus. H.E. III. iv. 8.
^"with a view to the securing] We have the same phrase,
els irepiirolyaiv 1 Thess. v. 9 and Heb. x. 39, and the
meaning is the same in all three places, — in acquisitionem
IVulg.). glory of our Lord Jesus Christ] That which He possesses
as Lord and which He will exhibit in the Day of the Lord.
It is an entrancing element in the salvation then won.
This eschatological sense of 'glory,' as denoting the final
state of the redeemed, is characteristic of St. Paul (1 Cor.
ii. 7, xv. 43 ; Rom. v. 2 ; Phil. iii. 21 ; 1 Thess. ii. 12 ; etc.)
and, excepting Heb. ii. 10 and 1 Pet. v. 1, 10, is almost
peculiar to him. Cf . 2 Tim. ii. 10. ' Glory ' is a contrast
to ' wrath,' as 'salvation' to 'perdition': all four are
eschatological terms. Kennedy, St. Paul's Conception of
the Last Things, pp. 299 f.
15. Seeing therefore] The connecting particles (Apa ovv)
introduce the practical conclusion of what has just been
stated respecting the blessed condition of the Thessalonian
converts ; they must strive earnestly not to fall from it by
misconduct. God's gracious election and calling do not
act magically or irresistibly ; those who receive must co
operate ; Heb. iii. 14 ; 2 Pet. i. 10.
continue to stand stedfast and firm] Present imperative
cf the strong form aryKon, which is frequent in St. Paul,
especially in exhortations ; 1 Cor. xvi. 13 ; Gal. v. 1 ;
Phil. i. 27, iv. 1, See on 1 Thess. iii, 8. The fact that God

ii. 15] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 79
has chosen and invited them must not lead to presumptuous
slackness ; it ought to constrain them to respond to it with
a loyal stedfastness, — the very opposite of aaXevOfjvai
(v. 2).
hold fast and fully all . . . that we handed on to you]
The verb is very rare in the Epistles ; only here and Col. ii.
19 with the accusative ; Heb. iv. 14, vi. 18 with the genitive.
With the ace. it means keeping firm hold of the whole which
is possessed or is to be possessed, as here, xparelre rds
irapaBbo-eis. Cf. Rev. ii. 13, 25, iii. 11. With the gen. it
means laying hold of a part, attaching oneself to, when
there is no full possession ; e.g. rys %et/>o? Mk. v. 41, ix. 27 ;
Mt. ix. 25 ; Lk. viii. 54. See Westcott on Kpar&fiev rys
b/ioXoylas Heb. iv. 14. The ace. is much more common.
Vulg. has state et tenete ; Beza perstate et retinete, which
is better. The Thessalians possessed the instructions
handed on to them ; they must take care to keep them in
their entirety, nil addentes, nil detrahentes. Traditio est
ingens possessio (Bengel). Karexetv is more often used in
this sense than xparelv ; 1 Cor. xi. 2 ; 1 Thess. v. 21.
The Apostle habitually uses irapaBbaeis and irapaBiBbvai
of his teaching, which is not his own invention. He re
ceived it directly or indirectly from God (1 Cor. xi. 2, 23,
xv. 3), and he passes it on to others. Cf. irapayyeXXofiev
iii. 4, 6, 10, 12. Conversely, his hearers are said irapaXafi-
fidveiv what he passes on to them ; iii. 6, 1 Thess. ii. 13,
iv. 1 ; 1 Cor. xv. 1, 2 ; Phil. iv. 9.
whether by word of mouth ... or by letter] The A.V. is
misleading. ' Our ' (yp-G>v) belongs to both substantives,
' whether by our word or by our letter.' The converts are
to regard letters from their instructors as of equal authority
with their oral teaching. Lightfoot points out that this
passage is fatal to the distinction which in later times gained
currency, between the written word and oral tradition.
" Tradition in the scriptural sense may be either written
or oral."
With this appeal to tradition compare 1 Cor. xi. 23, xv. 3 ;
Rom. vi. 17 ; 2 Tim. i. 13. In view of such passages as

80 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 16
these, "it is gratuitous," as Moffatt remarks, to read any
second-century passion for oral apostolic tradition into
these words or into those of iii. 6.

16, 17. Prayer for the Thessalonians
The combination of thanksgiving with prayer is natural
and frequent ; cf. 1 Thess. i. 2 ; Rom. i. 8 f. ; Phil. i. 3 f. ;
Col. i. 3 ; Ephes. i. 16.
16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God even our Father,
which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation, and
good hope through grace, 17 Comfort your hearts, and stablish you
in every good word and work.
As in i. 11, 12 and 1 Thess. iii. 11, 12, v. 23, 24, exhortation
to the converts passes into prayer for them. This, as Chry
sostom points out, is real help. And there is again the
emphasis thrown upon the need of Divine assistance.
Exhortation and teaching will have little effect, unless they
have the support of our Lord and our heavenly Father.
Satis innuit quam parum valeant exhortationes, nisi Dens
corda intus moveat et efficiat (Calvin).
16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father
who loved us in sending His Son to redeem us, and gave us immeasur
able comfort and encouragement for the present moment and good
hope for the future, all which was pure grace without merit of ours,
17 comfort your hearts and stablish them in every good work that you
do and every good word that you say.
16. Now may . . . Himself] As in 1 Thess. iii. n and
v. 23, the prayer begins with an emphatic pronoun and a
particle which is mainly one of transition to a new subject, -
but partly one of contrast to what has just been said, Ahrbs
Be". The contrast i9 with ' our word or letter ' ; we may
plant, but it is God alone Who gives the increase. Four
times in these two letters the missionaries call attention to
this supreme fact ; 1 Thess. iii. 11, v. 23 ; 2 Thess. ii. 16,
iii. 16. As in 1 Thess. iii. 11, both the Father and the Son
are mentioned as the source of benefits, and there the usual
order 'of the two Persons is observed. Here, as in 2 Cor.

ii. 16] DOCTRINAL AND HORTATORY 81
xiii. 13, the Son is placed first. The reason here may be
that the Apostle is still thinking of ' the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ ' (v. 14). In any case, he seems to see no
incongruity in mentioning Christ before the Father. The
expression Gebs b rraryp yfi&v occurs nowhere else.
who loved us] This probably refers to the Father only
(cf. Gal. i. 1), but the singular (6 dyairyaas yp.as) does not
prove this. See E. A. Abbott, Johannine Vocabulary, p. 260.
The aorist clearly refers to some great manifestation in the
past with which Christians are familiar, and the work of
redemption is almost certainly meant. Cf. Jn. iii. 16, where
loving and giving are combined ; also Rom. v. 8, viii. 37-39 ;
Gal. ii. 20 ; Eph. v. 2, 25. ' Loveth us and loosed us ' is a
similar combination Rev. i. 5.
immeasurable comfort and encouragement] The expression
is remarkable, — irapaKXyaiv aleovlav, which the A.V. ren
ders ' everlasting consolation,' and the R.V. ' eternal com
fort.' The A.V. wavers in its renderings of almvoos between
' everlasting ' and ' eternal ' ; the R.V. is constant with
' eternal,' which is much to be preferred. ' Eternal ' is
the opposite of ' temporal ' ; and ' temporal ' means what
can be measured by periods of time, while ' eternal ' means
what cannot be so measured. See on i. 9. But ' eternal "
is not quite suitable here, for the point seems to be that the
/Divine irapaKXyais utterly transcends the consolations of
/ this world ^ our transitory afflictions cannot exhaust it.
tyl It is never insufficient. It turns sorrow into joy. Neither
\ ' consolation ' nor ' comfort 'is quite adequate. It includes
, the ideas of comfort and encouragement, and .we need both
words. See on 1 Thess. iii. 2, 7 and iv. 18.
It is seldom that adjectives in -10s have a feminine ter
mination, and, excepting here and Heb. ix. 12, alwvtos in
N.T. has only two terminations. Num. xxv. 13 we have
SiadyKi) alcovla, and Jer. xx. 17, avXXyyjreois aloovias.
good hope] ' Good ' both here and in the next verse is too
vague for dyaObs, but it is difficult to find a better word that
will fit both places. Perhaps " solid ' might serve ; ' solid
hope,' ' solid deeds and words.' The hope is not baseless

82 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [ii. 17
or deceptive ; it is sound in itself and beneficial in its effects.
Cf . 1 Thess. iii. 6, iv. 13, v. 15 ; Jas. i. 17. ' The hope of
good things to come ' (Theodoret) is not the meaning.
' Good hope ' is a set expression both in English and in
Greek. pure grace] The addition eV x^Pirt belongs to the whole
sentence, ' who loved us, etc' We have no deserts to plead
as a claim on God's love and benefits ; they are free gifts,
not payments. See on i. 12.
17. comfort your hearts] Give them calm after the
unhealthy excitement respecting the Advent. As in 1
Thess. iii. 11, although both the Son and the Father are
nominatives, the verb is singular, 3rd pers. aor. opt.
" There is probably no instance in St. Paul of a plural adjec
tive or verb, where the two Persons of the Godhead are
mentioned" (Lightfoot). The 'heart' in Scripture in
cludes the moral elements as well as the emotional ; it is
' the hidden man,' as seen by God, and the sphere of religious
experience ; 1 Thess. ii. 4, iii. 13 ; Col. ii. 2 ; Eph. vi. 22 ;
1 Pet. iii. 4. It is precisely there that we receive consola
tion and encouragement. Hastings' D.C.G. and D.A.C., art.
' Heart.' ' Your ' is emphatic.
and stablish them] ' Them ' is not expressed in the true
text. Some inferior authorities, followed by A.V., insert
' you.' But ' your hearts ' is the ace. after both ' comfort '
and ' stablish.' ' Stablish ' (arypl^ai), ' strengthen,' or
' confirm,' means make you secure against being ' shaken '
or ' troubled ' (v. 2), and thus made to fall away from holi
ness. In these two verbs we have the true optative, ex
pressing a wish, as also in iii. 5, 16. In N.T. it is almost
always in the 3rd. pers. sing. The one exception is Philem.
20. Burton § 175, 176.
We have the same verb 1 Thess. iii. 2, 13 ; Rom. i. ii,
xvi. 25 ; and the same idea expressed by f3e/3aiovv 1 Cor.
i. 8 ; 2 Cor. i. 21 ; Qe/ieXiovv Eph. iii. 17 ; Col. i. 23 ;
adevovv 1 Pet. v. 10. " This frequent reference to the need
of arypiyfibs in Christian communities planted in the heart
of a heathen population will readily explain itself to those

iii. i] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 83
who are famihar with the history of Missions " (Swete on
Rev. iii. 2). '
With arypii-ai cf. orypil-ei iii. 3 : in Lk. xxii. 32 and
Rev. iii. 2 we have arypiaov, cf. Jer. xvii. 5 ; Ezek. xx. 46 ;
1 Mace. xiv. 14.
in every good work and every good word] The A.V. is cer
tainly wrong with ' every good word and work.' Such is
the usual order of these two substantives (Rom. xv. 18 ;
2 Cor. x. 11 ; Col. iii. 17), and inferior authorities have the
usual order here. Cf. Lk. xxiii. 51, xxiv. 19. The point
here is ' not only in acts, which are all-important, but also
in words, which are less so.' ' Every ' and ' good ' belong
to both substantives. Chrysostom and Calvin are obviously
in error in interpreting ' good word ' as ' sound doctrine.' It
means every kind and beneficent word, for which there is
opportunity daily and hourly for soothing and aiding others.
The whole of this passage breathes the Pauline spirit,
as we find it Rom. viii. 17, 29, 37-39 ; Gal. ii. 20. It also
illustrates the spirit of these primitive Churches in their
infancy. Tout cela etait spontane, sans contrainte, et
pourtant des petites associations etaient solides comme le fer
(Renan, Saint Paul, p. 237).

iii. 1-16. CHEERING AND COMMANDING
This third main division of the Epistle consists of three
unequal sections, between which there is a manifest pause,
1-5, 6-15, and 16. In the first two we have Exhortation,
in the last Prayer. But, as was stated at the outset, it is
not easy to find accurately appropriate headings for each
portion of this Epistle.
iii. 1-5. Request, Encouragement, and Prayer
The exhortation in this section differs considerably from
that in the next. Its object is, not to admonish the Thessa-

84 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. i
lonians respecting evils which exist among them, but to
ask them to remember the writers in their prayers. This
request had been made in the earlier letter (v. 25). It is
now repeated with a statement as to the direction which
the intercessions should take. Just as the request in ii. 1, 2
forms an introduction to the instructions respecting the
Day of the Lord, so these first two verses form an introduc
tion to the instructions respecting the disorderly.
iii. 1, 2. Request.
1 Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have
free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you : a And that we may
be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men : for all men have
not faith.
The Apostle, like his Master, prays for himself and his
disciples ; and he charges them to pray for themselves and
for others. But he also does, what Christ nowhere does ;
he asks them to pray for himself. This difference is not
pointed out in Scripture, but it is significant ; the Lord
needs no man's intercessions. Here, after praying for
the Thessalonians, it is natural that he and his fellow-
workers should ask the Thessalonians to pray for them.
There is a similar sequence in 1 Thess. v. 23-25, and in each
case the request is accompanied by the affectionate address,
' Brethren.' St. Paul often desires the prayers of those to
whom he writes ; Rom. xv. 30, 31 ; Eph. vi. 19 ; Col. iv. 3 ;
cf. 2 Cor. i. 11 ; Phil. i. 19 ; Philem. 22.
1 We have something more to add to our prayers for you : we beg
that you, Brethren, will make us the subject of your prayers. In
particular, ask that the word of the Lord may run the very same swift
course and have the very same glorious reception in the case of other
hearers as has already been the case in reference to yourselves.
And, that this may be so, ask that we may be delivered from those
perverse and evil men, who are even now at work against us. And
it must be so, for alas I by no means all share our faith.
1. We have something more to add] Like 1 Thess. iv. 1,
this new division opens with an expression (to, Xombv)

iii. i] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 85
which implies that, although the writer has his conclusion
in sight, yet it has not been reached. There is perhaps no
appreciable difference between Xoiirbv (i* Thess. iv. 1 ;
1 Cor. i. 16; 2 Cor. xiii. 11) and rb Xoiirbv (2 Thess. iii. 1 ; Phil.
iii. 1) : but possibly Xoiirbv is rather more colloquial. A.V. and
R.V. have ' Finally ' for both forms, and the Vulgate nearly
always has de caetero for both. ' Finally ' is not quite satis
factory, because in 1 Thess. iv. 1 and Phil. iii. 1 the expres
sion is distant from the actual conclusion of the Epistle.
This is so completely the case in 1 Cor. i. 16 that both A.V.
and R.V. have ' Besides ' instead of ' Finally.' ' For the
rest ' might serve here and elsewhere. In no case does the
expression intimate that what follows is comparatively
of slight importance. The very reverse is the fact here.
This chapter contains one of the chief objects of the letter.
make us the subject of your prayers] Here irpoaevxeade
precedes dBeXqbol, and therefore is more emphatic than in
1 Thess. v. 25 ; ' not merely hold fast our doctrine (ii. 15),
but pray for us.' In both cases, as in Col. iv. 3, we have
the indefinite irepl, instead of the more usual and more
expressive virep. Possibly ' think of us in your prayers '
seemed to be a more modest way of putting the request
than ' pray on our behalf.' See Lightfoot on Gal. i. 4.
Elsewhere we have virep ; Phil, i 4 ; Col. i. 9, iv. 12 ; 1 Tim.
ii. 2 ; cf . Mt. v. 44 ; Acts viii. 24.
. In particular] The details are twofold ; that their preach
ing of the Gospel may have a rapid and triumphant course,
and that the Apostle and his colleagues may be preserved
from their outrageous opponents. Theodoret remarks that
the request is only apparently twofold, because it is by the
defeat of the evil men that the Gospel has a free course.
That, however, was not the only reason for desiring deliver
ance from such men. Each detail has an appendix, the
one respecting the reception of the faith by the Thessalon
ians, the other respecting its rejection by others.
ask that] For 'iva after verbs of praying and asking cf.
i. 11 and 1 Thess. iv. 1, and see Lightfoot on Phil. i. 9 and
Col. i. 9. In such cases the idea of purpose is almost lost

86 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. I
in that of purport. Here both the verbs which follow are
in the present tense ; the rapid progress and the glorious
fruit are to be lasting.
the word of the Lord may run the very same swift course]
This is possibly a reminiscence of Ps. cxlvii. 15, ' His word
runneth very swiftly. ' Reminiscence of the Psalms are prob
able enough ; their liturgical use in the synagogues made
them familiar. But St. Paul is so fond of metaphors
taken from athletic sports, that there is no need to look for
a parallel in the O.T. Cf. Rom. ix. 16 ; 1 Cor. ix. 24-26 ;
Gal. ii. 2, v. 7 ; Phil. ii. 16. See Deissmann, St. Paul, p. 214.
' The word of the Lord ' is Christ's message of Good-tid
ings. That ' the Lord ' here means Christ, as usually with
St. Paul, is evident from vv. 3, 4, 5. This is another illustra
tion, and a remarkable one, of the facility with which the
first Christians transferred to Christ what is said in the O.T.
of God. See on 1 Thess. iv. 15.
the very same] Not simply a>9, but Kadms, as in i. 3 and
very often in 1 Thess.*
glorious reception] ' Be glorified ' (Bogd&rai) means be
glorified as the Gentiles of Pisidian Antioch glorified it
(Acts xiii. 48), by receiving it joyfully, believing it, and
living in accordance with it. Such converts ' adorn the
doctrine of God our Saviour,' Tit. ii. 10 ; cf. Phil. ii. 15, 16.
See Sanday and Headlam on Rom. i. 21.
in reference to yourselves] This is not quite the same use of
irpbs vfids as in ii. 5, iii. 10, and 1 Thess. iii. 4. There it
has reference to residence among the Thessalonians ; here
it indicates the influence of the word of the Lord in relation
to them. Its influence over them had been rapid and
triumphant, and the Apostle tactfully reminds them of
this. But his meaning is not, ' Do not think that the word
has been as triumphant as it has been with you ' (Bengel),
but, ' Having begun well, be all the more careful against
slackness and backsliding.'
* The clause Ka6i!)<s ko.1 shows that ' run ' means ' move swiftly,'
rather than ' unencumbered by obstacles superimposed by adver
saries/ The word had had swift course at Thessalonica, but it had
been bitterly opposed ; it had not been ' untrammelled ' (Way).

iii. 2] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 87
2. that we may be delivered etc.] Of course if the outrage
ous enemies of the three preachers were victorious, there
would be grievous hindrance to the spread of the Gospel.
But there may be more in the request than that. The bitter
hostility which had driven them from Philippi, Thessaloni
ca, and Beroea was now rendering life in Corinth almost
intolerable. The change from the present tenses in v. 1
to the aorist (pvad&pev) here indicates a definite persecution.
See Rom. xv. 31 ; Acts xx. 3, 22, 23, xxi. 11. Even inde
pendently of the hindrance to their work as preachers,
they would long to be freed from this trouble and danger ;
and they might well ask their converts to pray for their
deliverance, especially converts who knew from experience
the affliction caused by malignant persecution. ' Delivered
from ' (drrb) is as in the Lord's Prayer ; in 1 Thess. i. 10 we
have ' out of ' (e'«). ' Rescue ' might in most places be a
better rendering of pveaffai (Rom. vii. 24 ; 2 Cor. i. 10 ;
Col. i. 13) ; but it is important to preserve the resemblance
to the Lord's Prayer.
those perverse and evil men] For ' perverse ' (drbirwv)
A.V. and R.V. have ' unreasonable,' which is inadequate.
The word means ' out-of -place,' ' out-of-the question,' and
so ' outrageous,' whether of persons or things. Elsewhere
in N.T. it is used of things ; Lk. xxiii. 41 ; Acts xxv. 5,
xxviii. 6 ; and in each case A.V. has a different rendering, —
' something amiss,' ' wickedness,' ' harm.' * In O.T. also
it is neuter ; Job xxvii. 6, xxxvi. 2 (v. I. aSiKa and dvofia) ;
etc. See Wetstein here, Lk. xxiii. 41, 2, and Acts
xxviii. 6. Both adjectives are words of strong meaning,
and the article (ra>v drbirwv Kal irovyp&v dvOpdnrotv) shows
that some definite group of assailants is meant : they are
there and are at work.
for alas !] The ' for ' (yap) indicates how natural it is that
Christian missionaries should be virulently opposed at
Corinth : there are many fanatical Jews there, and to them
* Vulg. has importuni here, malum and crimen in Lk. and Acts.
That ' out-of-place ' means ' homeless vagabonds^' is a curious sug
gestion, accepted now by no one.

88 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 2, 3
the Gospel is anathema. Sunagogas Judaeorum fontes perse-
cutionum (Tert. Scorp. 10). See on ii. 7 and iii. 7 for yap.
by no means all share our faith] A mournful under
statement, with perhaps a touch of irony ; oh yap irdvrtov
y rrians. Wetstein quotes the well-known proverb, Oh
iravrbs dvBpbs is KbpivObv iaO' b irXovs, Non cuivis homini
contingit adire Corinthum. Cf . rb yvStvai eavrbv xaXeirbv n,
Kal ohxi iravrbs, Plato, Alcib. p. 429 A. For similar under
statements cf. Rom. i. 28, x. 16 ; 1 Cor. xi. 22 ; Philem. 11.
Certainly not here, and very rarely elsewhere, does irlaris
mean ' faithfulness ' or ' fidelity,' and iriarbs in v. 3 is no
evidence that it does. ' The faith ' has the same meaning
here as in Acts vi. 7 and Rom. xi. 20 and Eph. iv. 13. See
Robertson and Plummer on 1 Cor. xvi. 13. Those who do
not possess it are not faithless Christians but rank unbe
lievers ; this is the common meaning of d-maroi in 1 and
2 Cor. For the possessive genitive cf. 2 Cor. ii. 3 and Heb.
v. 14. 3, 4. Encouragement.
From the depressing want of faith in so many among
mankind we pass to the absolute faithfulness of Christ, and
this is a very cheering thought.
3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you
from evil. 4And we have confidence in the Lord touching you,
that ye both do, and will do the things which we command you.
St. Paul is fond of playing upon words, whether through
different shades of meaning or similarity of sound, — in
particular, alliteration with the letter ir. See Plummer
on 2 Cor. iv. 15, ix. 8, x. 6, 13. Here niaris suggests
iriarbs. In much the same way in 2 Tim. ii. 13 diriarovfiev,
of man's unbelief with regard to God, suggests iriarbs, of
God's faithfulness with regard to man. See on i. 10, where
Tot9 iriarevaaaiv is followed by an awkward parenthesis
introducing iirtarevOy.
3 But, although there are many who reject the Christian faith,

iii. 3] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 89
yet assuredly the Lord Jesus Christ is always found faithful. He
will not only establish you in a sure place, but will keep you safe
from the assaults of the evil one. 4 But it is not because We think
that you are failing that we assure you of the Divine protection ;
it is because We are so certain that the Lord Jesus is with you that
We rely upon you, confident that you are acting, and will continue
to act, in accordance with the charges that we give.
3. The Lord] As usual, this means Christ ; see on v. 1.
Some witnesses have ' God ' for ' Lord.' Similar con
fusion is found in v. 16.
is always found faithful] He is always exhibiting fidelity
to His word and office ; He is to be trusted. The otherwise
superfluous ianv (1 Cor. i. 9, x. 13 ; 2 Cor. i. 18) is inserted
for emphasis. Fidelity to His word is in O.T. a special
attribute of God ; Deut. vii. 8, 9 ; Is. xlix. 7 ; and it is here
transferred to Christ.
There is no need to suppose that this alludes to a letter
from the Thessalonians in which they excused their mis
conduct on the ground that the Tempter was too strong
for them. See on i. 3, 11.
establish you] See on ii. 17. The use of the verb there
may have suggested its use here, as Theodore of Mopsuestia
seems to have thought.
will keep you safe from] The same verb and construction
(fyvXdaaeiv dirb) occurs Lk. xii. 15 ; 1 Jn. v. 21 ; Ps. cxl.
(cxli.) 9. Our Lord speaks of His action in this respect
in His High-Priestly prayer Jn. xvii. 12. This verse, like
1 Thess. v. 24, has the ring of a magnificent confidence.
the assaults of the evil one] There will always be discussion
as to the exact meaning of the words here and in the Lord's
Prayer, of which these words are possibly an echo, dirb rov
irovvpov. Is the adjective masculine or neuter ? ' evil
one ' or ' evil ' ? The A.V. has ' evil ' here and Mt. vi. 13 ;
also Lk. xi. 4, where the clause is an interpolation. The
R.V. has ' evil one ' here and Mt. vi. 13, with ' evil ' in the
margin. The overwhelming weight of modern scholarship
is in favour of the masculine in the Lord's Prayer and there
fore here. In the N.T. there are only two absolutely certain
instances of the neuter (Lk. vi. 45 ; Rom. xii. 9) against

90 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 3, 4
ten certain instances of the masculine (Mt. v. 37, xiii. 19,
38, 49 ; Eph. vi. 16 ; 1 Jn. ii. 13, 14, iii. 12, v. 18, 19).
Jewish formularies favour the masculine, and the Greek
Fathers unanimously adopt the masculine in the Lord's
Prayer. Even without the high probability derived from
the parallel in the Prayer, there is good reason for believing
that ' the evil one ' is right here. Satan has been men
tioned as the inspirer of the wickedness and deceit connected
with the Lawless One (ii. 9), and the Thessalonians have
just been asked to pray that their teachers may be delivered
from the evil men. It is probable therefore that we here
have a reference to him who is the inspirer of such men
and their leader, — improborum caput, as Calvin calls him.
Moreover, ' the evil one ' is the appropriate antithesis of
' the Lord.' As to St. Paul's usage elsewhere, there is Eph.
vi. 16, where rov irovypov must mean ' the evil one' It is
unconvincing to urge that ' establish you and keep you safe
from the evil ' corresponds with ' establish you in every good
word and work,' and that, as ' word and work ' are imper
sonal, ' evil ' must be impersonal. Nevertheless, neither
rendering can be proved to be correct, and the question
remains open. See Lightfoot ad loc. and On a Fresh Revi
sion, pp. 269 ff. ; also F. H. Chase, The Lord's Prayer in
the Early Church, Texts and Studies, I. 3, pp. 70 ff. ,
4. But] The Be implies that the writers have no distrust
of the loyalty of their converts.
that the Lord Jesus is with you] It is ' in the Lord ' (1
Thess. iii. 8, iv. 1, v. 12 ; Rom. xiv. 14, etc.), that is, ' in
Christ,' that the writers hold their confident reliance upon
the fidelity of the Thessalonians. He inspires the trust. All
that the Apostle thinks or does has for him a religious aspect.
It is all ' in the Lord ' or ' in Christ.' This Epistle and
Titus are the only letters in which the expression ' in Christ '
does not occur : but we here have its equivalent. The
accusative (ireiroldafiev i<p' vfids)"is unusual ; but cf. 2 Cor.
ii. 3 and Gal. v. 10 ; also ol ireiroiBbres iirl Kvpiov Ps.
cxxiv. (cxxv.) 1. Elsewhere we have the more classical
dative.

iii. 4, 5] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 91
the charges that we give] Or, ' the things which we com
mand.' It is words of command from persons in authority
that the writers issue, not mere requests or suggestions.
Such is the meaning of irapayyeXXopev. See on 1 Thess. iv.
2, n. Some commentators take the verb here as antici
pating the same word in v. 6. This is unlikely, for vv. 6-14
refer to evils which are harming the Thessalonians, and which
they are charged to remedy. The Apostle could hardly
say with express reference to these evils that the converts
are doing (iroielre) what they are charged to do. Others
take irapayyeXXo/iev here as meaning the charge just given ;
'Pray for us. But we are sure that you do pray for us, and
will do so.' This is less unlikely. But it seems better to
make the reference quite general, covering all charges which
have been given or may be given. With his usual tact and
tenderness the Apostle desires to give the Thessalonians
full credit for their good conduct and good-will, and he does
this before finding fault and giving fresh charges. Cf. 1
Thess. i. 3-9, ii. 13, iii. 6-9, iv. 1, 9, 10, v. 11. Vulg. has
praecipio here, but in 6, 10, 12 denuntio.
Owing to the doubt as to the charges to which irapayyeX-
Xofiev refers, the text has become confused. Among other
variations Kal iwotyaare has been interpolated before Kal
7roielre Kal iroiyaere, — ' ye have done, and are doing, and
will do the things which we command. The original reading
seems to be Kal iroielre Kal iroiyaere. The first Kal, if
genuine, must not be joined to the protasis — ' that what
we command and ye do, ye will continue to do. ' ' That
what we command, ye both do and will continue to do '
is the meaning. 5. Prayer.
5 And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into
the patient waiting for Christ.
Before laying any further commands upon the converts
the writers pray for them once more. The Divine blessing
is needed to secure the desired result.

92 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 5
5 Yes, we have full confidence in you ; but may the Lord Jesus
direct your hearts into the love which has been manifested towards
us by God, and into the hopeful endurance which has been manifested
by the Christ.
5. But may the Lord] The Se is 'But,' rather than
' And ' ; it looks back to ireiroldapev. ' We confidently
rely on your good intentions ; but we pray that the Lord
may guide you.' ' The Lord ' has the usual Pauline mean
ing of Christ. Basil (De Spir. Sanct., 21) and other Greek
commentators think that the Holy Spirit is meant ; but
that would be against all N.T. usage.
direct your hearts] Remove all that might hinder them
from this movement. Cf. 1 Thess. iii. 11 and Lk. i. 79, the
only other passages in N.T. in which KarevQvveiv occurs,
and always with the meaning of Divine Providence guiding
human action. In LXX it is very frequent in this sense.
E. A. Abbott, Johannine Grammar, p. 84. ' Your ' looks
back to ' rely upon you ' in v. 4, and is emphatic.
into the love] So as to absorb it and exhibit it in word and
work. It is difficult to decide whether ' the love of God '
(17 dydiry rov Geov) here means His love for us or our love
for Him ; and it does not settle this question to notice that
' the patience of Christ ' must mean the endurance which
He exhibited in His life and in His death. The one genitive
may be subjective and the other objective. In 2 Cor. xiii. 13,
although the first is subjective, the second or the third or
both may be objective. It is probable that here hoth are
of one kind, and both subjective ; but this is not certain.
Bengel makes both objective. Lightfoot, in his very full
note, thinks that in both cases both meanings are combined.
See last note on ii. 13. See Deissmann on " the mystic
genitive," St. Paul, p. 141.
The meaning of viropovy is not doubtful ; it is uniform in
N.T. Here it is neither ' patient waiting for Christ ' (A.V.),
nor ' stedfastness for His sake,' but ' His hopeful endurance
of opposition.' The prayer is that the converts may endure
patiently and hopefully as He did. In LXX viropovy is

iii. 6] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 93
the rendering of Hebrew words denoting hope, which is the
basis of pious endurance, viz. the sure hope that God will
make the trouble fruitful. See on i. 4. Cf. Rev. iii. 10,
rys viropovys fiov, • the endurance practised by Me ' ;
xiii. 10, xiv. 12, ' the endurance practised by the Saints ' ;
Ign. Rom. x. 3, eppwaQe els reXos iv virofiovfj T. Xpiarov.
This is an introduction to what follows. Those who admin
ister discipline must have love and patience.
The article before Xpiarov must be noted ; ' the patient
Christ,' ' the suffering Servant ' of Jehovah (Is. liii.).

6-15. Reproof and Instruction
This hortatory paragraph deals with one of the two main
subjects of the letter, the purpose of which is two-fold;
first and foremost, to correct erroneous ideas about the
Second Advent ; secondly, to correct certain evil habits
which probably were largely the result of these erroneous
ideas. This second object is the subject of these ten verses.
The exhortation is of two kinds ; reproof of the idle and
disorderly members (6-12), and instruction to the loyal
members as to dealing with disobedience, if it should occur
(13-15)- These verses give us clearer ideas as to the situation in
Thessalonica when 1 Thess. was written than we get from
1 Thess. They reflect " an intimate and firsthand acquaint
ance with the situation pre-supposed by 1 Thess. iv. 11,
12, v. 14 " (Frame). This does not look like the work of a
forger. See the excellent remarks of Cassian in Book X.
of the Institutes, vii.-xvi., Of the Spirit of Accidie, on the
difference of tone between 1 and 2 Thess., as illustrated by
these verses.
The paragraph is also " important as bearing on the degree
of authority which the Apostle exercised. It seems to have
been partly official and partly moral, springing from what
the Apostle had done for the Church, yet also claimed by
him as a right. In any voluntary society the enforcement
of such an authority must have depended on feeling and

94 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 6
opinion. There was no way of enforcement in the last
resort but the separation of the society itself from the
individual " (Jowett).
6-12. Reproof of the Idle and Disorderly.
* Now we command you, brethren, in the Name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh
disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received from us.
' For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us : for we behaved
not ourselves disorderly among you, 8 Neither did we eat any man's
bread for nought : but we wrought with labour and travail night
and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you. 9 Not
because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto
you to follow us. 10 For even when we were with you, this we com
manded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly,
working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such,
we command, and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quiet
ness they work, and eat their own bread.
Souvent Paul etait imperieux, et faisait sentir son autorite
avec un ascendant qui nous choque. II commande, il blame
durement ; il parle de lui-meme avec assurance et se propose
de modile sans hesiter . . . Le mobile de son zeh etait un
amour des dmes en quelque sorte infini (Renan, Saint Paul,
pp. 236 i).
6 Now, with a view to the fulfilment of this prayer, Brethren, We
issue a Word of command to you, which We give not only on our
own authority, but on that of our Lord Jesus Christy — and as being
brethren and His subjects you are bound to be united in obedience.
You must keep yourselves from associating with any brother who is
leading a disorderly life and not one that is in accordance with the
Divine rule which was transmitted by us and received from us by you.
7 You see the reasonableness of this command, for out of your own
experience you know in what manner you ought to live so as to
imitate us. You know this, because there was nothing disorderly
in our life when we Were among you. 8 Nor yet were we idle ; for
we did not get from any one the bread that we ate, without earning
it. On the contrary, in toil and travail, night and day, we worked
so as not to lay an unnecessary burden on any of you. 9 We did this,
not because we have no right to maintenance ; but we did it in order
to give ourselves to you as an example in which you might imitate us.

iii. 6] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 95
10 And besides giving you an example, you know that, when We were
with you, we repeatedly gave you a command to this effect, If any
one does not choose to work, neither let him eat. u We repeat this
now, for reports are reaching us that there are certain persons leading
among you disorderly lives, who work not at all at their own business,
but are busily employed in doing nothing. 12 Now it is people of this
kind that We command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that
with quietness working at their business they eat the bread which
they have earned.
6. Now, with a view to the fulfilment of this prayer]
The Be marks the transition to a new topic, which is slightly
in contrast to what precedes. ' And ' would give no con
trast ; ' But ' would make it too strong. See on ii. 1 and
16. Evidently the Apostle does not expect to revisit them
soon. Brethren] This softens the severity of what is coming
(ii. 1, 15 ; 1 Thess. iv. 1, 13), and may serve to remind them
that in a congregation of brethren these differences and
disorders ought not to occur. Moreover, the missionaries
are writing as brothers to brothers in the authority of One
who is above both.
we issue a word of command] This is the opening word of
the paragraph — irapayyeXXofiev. See above on v. 4. What
was there said of the preachers' words in, general is now
repeated of the special precepts which follow. See on 1
Thess. iv. 2.
to you] To the sober majority, who are not idle busybodies.
on that of the Lord Jesus] The writers have sufficient author
ity of their own, but it is not claimed on personal grounds ;
and they can appeal to something much higher. This
statement, placed in advance of the commands, prepares
us for a matter of grave import. Cf. 1 Thess. iv. 2 and see
Robertson and Plummer on 1 Cor. v. 4. Like ' Brethren,'
it may serve to remind the recipients of what is required
of those who have Christ as their Lord. Again we have
an expression (iv bvbpan rov Kvpiov) which in the O.T.
is used of Jehovah (Exod. v. 23 ; Lev. xix. 12 ; Deut.
xviii. 22 ; Jei;. xi. 21 ; etc) transferred readily to Christ

96 COMMENTARY . ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 6
(i Cor. vi. ii ; Eph. v. 20 ; Col. iii. 17, etc.). See on i. 12
and 1 Thess. iv. 1.
The injunctions which follow are more definite and
stringent than those in 1 Thess. The need for them has
become more urgent. All this is natural and in favour of
genuineness. You must keep yourselves from] The phrase is remarkable ;
are\Xea6ai vpas dirb. Both areXXeiv and areXXeadai are
used of girding up one's robe ; and it is possible that areX-
XeaBai comes to mean ' draw back ' because gathering
one's dress closely to one sometimes expresses disgust or
displeasure. In any case areXXco ' I tighten ' easily becomes
' I check,' and areXXo/iai ' I check myself ' easily becomes
' I draw back. ' See Wetstein on 2 Cor. viii. 20, the only
other passage in N.T. in which the verb occurs. In Wisd.
xiv. 1 and 2 Mace. v. 1 it is used of ' setting sail,' ' starting.'
But the meaning is certain, in whatever way it may be
reached. ' You must withdraw from,' ' keep aloof from ' ;
subtrahatis vos (Vulg. here ; in 2 Cor. viii. 20 devitantes).
Ambrosiaster has secerni vos. In De singul. cleric. 36 (Har-
tel's Cyprian, II. p. 212), ut separetis vos. See Lightfoot on
vireareXXe Gal. ii. 12. See Westcott on Heb. x. 38.
any brother] There are to be no exceptions even in the
case of those who in other respects seem to be living cor
rectly ; iravros is emphatic. The case is similar to the one
in 1 Cor. v. 11 ; but there ' who bears the name of a brother '
implies that such grave offenders have forfeited the name of
Christian. Here the condemnation is less stern. The dis
orderly people are to be left severely alone, partly that they
may realize how serious their misbehaviour is, and partly
to prevent other Christians from being corrupted. Ordo
mendicantium non est ordo, sed gravat rempublicam ipsam
(Bengel). Nothing is said about excommunication, but
the strict observance of this command would involve exclu
sion from the Lord's Supper.
leading a disorderly life] The evil had been touched upon
1 Thess. v. 14 ; ' admonish the disorderly,' rovs drdnrovs,
those who do not keep the ranks, but are lax, slovenly, and

iii. 6] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 97
addicted to deliberate loafing. Here there are people
whose general life is of this character, druKrcos rrepirrarovvres.
The common view that this disorderly idleness was the
result of the belief that the end of the world had begun is
probable enough, as experience in later ages has shown.
But the connexion is neither stated nor clearly implied in
the letter. Lightfoot quotes the concluding words of Ger-
manicus to his troops respecting the mutiny of two legions
(Tac. Ann. i. 43) ; " Stand aloof from contamination, and
separate the mutinous (turbidos) from among you. That
will be a pledge for repentance ; that will be a guarantee of
your loyalty." Milligan quotes papyri in which draKrelv
is used of playing truant and being idle. Frame, in Essays
in Modern Theology (dedicated to C. A. Briggs on his 70th
birthday, 1911), pp. 191-206, argues strongly in favour of
Rutherford's rendering of ol draxroi and draKrelv as
' the loafers ' and ' to loaf. ' In letters addressed to a
Church which consisted largely of working men the words
are not inappropriate. Nevertheless ' disorderly ' is ety-
mologically closer to the Greek word, and is free from all
flavour of slang.
transmitted by us and received from us by you] TlapdBo-
aiv implies that it did not originate with the writers. It
was a ' tradition ' which they themselves had received from
above and had handed on. See on ii. 15. ' Received by
you ' ought possibly to be ' received by them.' The reading
is uncertain. There are five variations. ' He received '
(A.V.) has little claim to consideration ; but two other
readings are well attested ; ' ye received ' (irapeXdf3ere) and
' they received ' (irapeXdf3oaav). No copyist would deliber
ately alter irapeXdfiere into irapeXd^oaav, which is less easy
and is also an unusual and rare form ; * the converse altera
tion might be made. But irapeXdfSoaav might be caused
by accidental confusion. If ' they received ' be adopted,
* Cf. eivoo-ov Jn. xv. 22, 24 ; eSoXtovo-av Rom. iii. 13 from the
LXX ; yXdoaav Ps. lxxviii. 1. Here and 1 Thess. ii. 13, iv. 1,
we haveiropa repeated after a verb compounded with irapd, and this
is rare. A. T. Robertson, Gr., pp. 335 f •- 56°-

98 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 7, 8
' they ' refers to ' every brother.' For ' walking ' or ' living
in accordance with ' (irepirrarelv Kara) cf. Rom. viii. 4,
xiv. 15 ; 1 Cor. iii. 3 ; 2 Cor. x. 2. The metaphor is a
frequent Hebraism.
Chrysostom can hardly be right in limiting the ' tradi
tion ' to meaning the example set by the writers. It may
include that, but it means chiefly their teaching as to Chris
tian life whether by word of mouth or by letter. Cf. v. 10
and 1 Thess. iv. 11.
The next three verses (7-9) are similar to 1 Cor. ix. 12, 15
and 2 Cor. xi. 7-9.
7. for] The ydp implies that what follows explains what
precedes ; their knowledge explains the charge to keep
aloof from the idlers. Such a charge was needed, for dis
orderly conduct is so unlike the pattern which the mission
aries had set before them. Three reasons for the charge
are given ; one here, another in v. 10 (*al ydp), and a third
in v. 11 (ydp).
you know] Again and again in 1 Thess. the writers appeal
to their converts' own experience ; 1 Thess. i. 5, ii. 1, 2, 5,
etc. Here ahro'i is emphatic as in 1 Thess. ii. 1, iii. 3, v. 2.
They do not need to be informed.
in what manner you ought to live in order to imitate us]
The Greek is condensed ; ' how you ought to imitate us,'
irSis Bel pipelaBat y/ids, where ' how ' refers to ' imitate '
and not to 'ought.' It indicates the direction which the
imitation must take, not the ground of the obligation.
' To follow us ' (A.V.) is too vague, and ' follow ' is required
for aKoXovdelv, which is frequent in N.T.
because there was nothing disorderly] They know, because
they saw the way in which the missionaries lived, for they
lived in their midst. We have here another understatement,
not mournful, as in v. 2, but modest.
8. Nor yet] There was another thing besides undisci
plined behaviour from which the missionaries abstained,
viz. sponging upon other people for their daily bread. They
' did not eat bread gratis (Beopedv) at the hands of any one,'
' did not take free meals from -any one ' (Moffatt). 'Eat

iii. 8] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 99
any man's bread ' (A.V.) is inaccurate. Ampedv occurs Mt.
x. 8 ; Rom. iii. 24 ; 2 Cor. xi. 7 ; Rev. xxi. 6, xxii. 17, and
is frequent in LXX. From ' gratis, for nothing ' we easily
pass to ' without cause ' and ' uselessly ' ; Jn. xv. 25 ; Gal.
ii. 21. ' Eat bread ' means more than an occasional meal ;
it implies sustenance generally. See Briggs on Ps. xiv. 4
and Skinner on Gen. iii. 19.
On the contrary] As in ii. 12. For ovk . . . ohBe . . .
dXXd cf. 1 Thess. ii. 3, 4.
in toil and travail] We have the same combination (koitos
and pox^os) 1 Thess. ii. 9 and 2 Cor. xi. 27, and it is not
necessary to distinguish the two words any more than to
distinguish ' toil ' from ' travail.' In LXX we commonly
have koitos Kal irbvos, sing, or plur. Cf. " toil and trouble,'
' toil and moil.' So far from living on others, the preachers
worked hard to maintain themselves. Acts xviii. 3 leaves
us in doubt about St. Paul's handicraft. Did he weave
material for tent making ? or only cut it out and stitch it
together ? And what was the material ? Cloth (cilicium)
or leather ? About the way in which Silvanus and Timothy
maintained themselves we know nothing. His enemies said,
that like other impostors, the Apostle preached to fill his
pockets. It was important to give no handle for this, but
be independent of his converts. He was not afraid of being
tempted to shape his preaching with a view to profit. While
in Thessalonica he accepted help from the Philippians (Phil.
iv. 16). That did not endanger his independence at Thessa
lonica. See on 2 Cor. xi. 9.
The similarity of this verse to 1 Thess. ii. 9 is regarded
by some as evidence that this letter is a forgery, partly
based on 1 Thess. But the writer of 1 Thess., when dis
cussing the same subject a few months later, „ would be
likely to use similar language.
night and day] Paul's usual order ; 1 Thess. ii. 9, iii. 10 ;
1 Tim. v. 5 ; 2 Tim. i. 3. It has no connexion with the
custom of counting days from evening to morning. ' Day
and night ' is frequent in both O.T. and N.T. The mission
aries worked hard, and often worked at night. This is the

ioo -COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 9
contrast to ' without earning it,' ipyagbpevoi as opposed to
Boipedv. 9. not because we have no right] The -ellipse, whether in
English or in Greek (ovx on) is very intelligible ; ' I do
not say this because,' or ' I do not mean that.' Vulg. has
non quasi, which would require ohx <*>? : non quia (Aug.) is
right. Their working hard was not meant as a protest
against the principle that ministers have a claim to main
tenance ; that principle is just ; 1 Cor. ix. 3-14 ; 1 Tim.
v. 18. But ministers are not bound to press that claim ;
and St. Paul habitually protested against its being made in
favour of himself. It was a right which he declined to use.
' Right ' is a late meaning of igovala, which originally
meant ' freedom to act.' When this freedom was confirmed
by law it became '' authority " or ' right ' ; e.g. 'In virtue of
what kind of '' authority," of what kind of right, doest thou
these things ? ' Mk. xi. 28 and parallels. The A.V. here
has ' power ' instead of ' right,' following potestatem in the
Vulgate. See Robertson and Plummer on 1 Cor. ix. 4, 14.
The Didache (xiii. 1) says that " every genuine prophet is
worthy of his maintenance." *
Apparently the waiving of the right had given an opening
to the enemy. They said that he did not dare to claim
maintenance, because he knew that he was not really an
Apostle. So he states what the true reason for refusing
maintenance was.
but we did it in order to] The Greek is again elliptical : it
gives simply ' but in order to,' dXX' I'va. We may supply
either ' we did it,' or ' we waived this right.' The former is
simpler, but 1 Cor. ix. 15 rather favours the latter. See
notes on the somewhat similar ellipse in ii. 3 and 7.
* It gives explicit directions about maintenance ; " let every one
that comes in the Name of the Lord be received, and then by testing
him ye shall know. ... If he wishes to settle among you, being a
craftsman, let him work and eat. But if he has no handicraft, pro
vide according to your common sense that no Christian shall live
with idleness. But if he refuses (ov OiXei) to act thus, he is" a Christ-
monger (xpioreju,7repos, making gain out of his Christian profession) .
Beware of such people " (xii. 1-5). Cf. Ignatius, Eph. vii. 1.

iii. 9, 10] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 101
to give ourselves to you as an example] Both A.V. and
R.V. have ' make ourselves an ensample ' ; but it is better
to retain ' give ' (BStpev). There was self-sacrifice in setting
this example of working to maintain themselves, when they
might justly have claimed maintenance. Cf . i Thess. ii. 8. As
in I Thess. i. 7 we have ivrrov, not rvrrovs. It was the mission
aries collectively that gave the example. The metaphor is
taken from sculpture ; a rviros is a model roughly chipped out ;
Rom. v. 14 ; Phil. iii. 17 ; 1 Tim. iv. 12 ; Tit. ii. 7. Thus
there are here two reasons why the Apostle and his colleagues
worked at a handicraft ; to save their converts from ex
pense, and to set a good example. There was also a third ;
to have something to bestow on others (Acts xx. 34). " The
new religion did not teach ' the dignity of labour.' What it
inculcated was just the duty of work " (Harnack, Expansion,
I. pp. 173-5). 'Ourselves' (eavrovs) is -placed first with
emphasis. imitate us] The A.V. again has the inadequate ' follow us.'
It was a pattern for them to copy that was given.
10. And besides] The conjunctions (Kal ydp) introduce
an additional reason, as in 1 Thess. iii. 4, iv. 10 ; 1 Cor. v. 7,
viii. 5, etc. The first reason is in v. 7.
when we were with you] See on ii. 5 ; irpbs with the ace.
after a verb of rest is the dominant use in N.T. ; ii. 5 ; 1
Thess. iii. 4 ; Gal. iv. 18, 20 ; etc.
we repeatedly gave you] Imperfect tense, irapyyyeXXo/iev.
Evidently there were loafers among the first converts.
to this effect] ' This ' is emphatic by position, as in 1 Thess.
iV. 3.
does not choose to work] ' Would not work ' (R.V.)
is not quite so forcible as oh BeXei ipyd^eaOai, which
implies refusal ; cf. ohx vrramvei, v. 14. As Bengel points
out, unwillingness in such a case is a vice, nolle vitium est.
In each place the negative is part of the verb, ' is unwilling,'
'is disobedient'; hence oh, not- py, which would mean
'unless.' Burton, Moods and Tenses, § 469. See on 1
Cor. vii. 9.
neither let him eat] The Jews recognized this principle,

102 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 10, n
deducing it from Gen. iii. 19, ' In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread. ' " Let not him who would not labour before
the Sabbath eat on the Sabbath." Cf. Eccles. i. 13, iii. 10,
' travail that God hath given to the sons of men to be
exercised therewith.' Wetstein quotes Rabbinical passages,
but they belong to the fourth century, and they may be
derived from this Epistle, and they do not declare so clearly
as the Apostle does the moral obligation to work. See
Deissmann, Light from the Anc. East, pp. 317 f. As Hesiod
says, "Epyov B' ohBev bveiBos, depyly Be r' oveiBos, and Thales,
'Apybs ay ia$i, fiyB' dv irXovrys. This apostolic principle
(which is often quoted by Jerome and by Cassian) indi
cates that inherited wealth does not absolve a man from
the duty of work. Wealth is a trust, and to administer
it rightly involves much thought and labour. Calvin uses
the charge as a stone to throw at monks, qui nihil agendo
large saginantur ; nisi qui taedii fallandi causa in templis
cantillant. With pyBe iadieras (strong negative) cf. p.yBe bvofiai,ea6a)
Eph. v. 3. The Vulg. has nee in both places ; ne quidem
would be better. Note the change from oh of the fact to
fiyBe of the charge ; also on introducing an imperative, as
in Jn. ix. 11. Simcox, Language of the N.T. pp. 117, 122.
The present tenses imply persistence.
11. for reports are reaching us] See on v. 7. Since the
First Epistle was written the missionaries have been hearing,
probably by letter, about these unsatisfactory converts :
it is now necessary to deal with them ; cf . 1 Cor. xi. 18. The
Vulg. inaccurately has audivimus, but Fuld. and Am. have

certain persons] ' That there are some which ' (A.V.,
Vulg. quosdam) is not exact. The nvas (aKovofiev yap rivas)
intimates that they are known to the writers, ' we hear of
some that ' (R.V.). For th'69 used of persons known, but
not named, see 1 Cor. iv. 18, xv. 12 ; 2 Cor. iii. 1, x. 2 ;
Gal. i. 7 ; 1 Tim. i. 3, 19, etc.
leading among you disorderly lives] The same expression
as in v. 6. ' Among you,' looks back to v. 7 ; 'when we

iii. n, 12] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 103
were among you we did not behave in this way ' ; eV vp.lv
in both places.
who work not at all at their own business, but are busily
engaged in doing nothing] This is an attempt to reproduce a
play upon words, such as St. Paul is fond of making,
fiyBev ipya&pevovs dXXd irepiepya£opevov<; : 'Busybodies who
do.no business ' (Conybeare and Howson), ' doing no busi
ness but being busybodies ' (Ellicott), ' busy only with what
is not their own business' (Jowett), 'minding everybody's
business sooner than their own ' (Rutherford), nihil oper-
antes, sed curiose agentes (Vulg.), nihil operis agentes, sed
curiose satagentes (Calvin). Liinemann quotes from Quin-
tilian, non agere dixit sed satagere. Jowett quotes from
Demosthenes, ipyd^y xal irepiepyd^y robs haxdrovs bvras
KtvSvvovs. Excepting Ecclus. iii. 23, irepiepya^eadai occurs
nowhere else in Bibl. Grk.*
Other instances of play between a simple and a compound
are (ppovelv and virep<ppovelv Rom. xii. 3, xpo>lievoi an<^
Karaxpd>pevoi 1 Cor. vii. 31, Xapfidvei and KaraXd/3yre 1 Cor.
ix. 24, 25, yivwaKofievy and dvayivojaKOfiivy 2 Cor. iii. 2,
diropovfievoi and igairopovfievoi 2 Cor. iv. 8, exovres and
Karexovres 2 Cor. vi. 10. Also between two compounds,
dvayivwaKere and iiriyivdtaxere 2 Cor. i. 13, ivKplvai and
avvKplvai 2 Cor. X. 12, Kararofiy and irepirofiy Phil. iii. 3 ;
and there are other variations.
12. Now it is people of this kind] Cf. Rom. xvi. 18 ; 1
Cor. v. 11 ; 2 Cor. xi. 13 ; Phil. ii. 29. In. v. 6 the well-
conducted majority are told how to treat the offenders ;
here the offenders themselves are addressed, the ireplepyoi
(1 Tim. v. 13).
we command and exhort] The alliteration of irapayyeXXo/iev
Kal irapaKaXov/iev cannot be reproduced in English without
spoiling the meaning, for here the second verb does not mean
'console' or 'comfort.' "Counsel' perhaps might serve,
* Gregory Nazianzen (Orat. xxvi.) says, " I would rather be an
unduly idle body than a busybody " (dpyos y Trepupyos). Plato
(Rep., IV. 433 A) defines Justice as to to lavrov wpdrreiv Kal p.y
TToXvTrpay /xoytiv.

104 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 12, 13
• but ' exhort ' (A.V., R.V.) is better. ' Exhort ' may be added
in order to soften the sternness of ' command.' See on 1
Thess. iv. 1, where, as here, ' in the Lord Jesus ' is added
to ' exhort,' meaning ' in His Name,' as His ambassadors.
' By our Lord Jesus Christ ' (A.V.) is based on an inferior
reading, Bid rov K. yp&v T. Xn.
with quietness] This is the opposite of being busybodies.
It implies freedom from internal excitement and external
fussiness ; 1 Thess. iv. 11 ; 1 Tim. ii. 11, 12 ; Ecclus. xxviii.
16. They are to be sober and cease from meddling. Vulg.
has cum silentio : cum tranquillitate would be better.
the bread which they have earned] Literally, ' their own
bread, ' rbv eavr&v dprov, not that which others have earned,
and which the idlers get for nothing ; Cf . rd dXXbrpia
Belrrveiv, cibus alienus, and Ut bona summa putes aliena
vivere quadra, Juv. v. 2. " It needs to be proclaimed aloud
that for the idle man' there is no place in this England of
ours. He that will not work, and save according to his
means, let him go elsewhither ; let him know that by the
Law of Nature he is doomed either to quit these habits, or
miserably be extruded from this Earth, which is made on
principles different from these " (Carlyle, Chartism, ch. iii.).
13-15. Instruction to the Loyal.
13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. 14 And if any
man obey not our word, by this Epistle note that man, and have
no company with him, that he may be ashamed, 15 Yet count him
not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
These directions, Uke those in vv. 6-10, are worthy of the
Apostle, alike in their wisdom, their firmness, and their
tenderness. It is difficult to attribute so apostolic a spirit
to a mere imitator. " One of our greatest temptations is
not to rebuke at all. No authority from St. Paul can be
quoted for such a treatment either of sin or of the sinner. He
is far too conscious of the destructiveness of sin and of its
infectiousness " (Chadwick, Pastoral Teaching of St. Paul,
p. 237 ; see also pp. 319, 321).

iii. 13] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 105
13 But with regard to all you who are not offending in this way
we exhort you, Brethren, not to falter in your noble course. u But,
in order to maintain it, if any one is refusing to obey the charge which
we have given in our letter, set a mark on this person, to the effect
that you are not in any way to associate with him, that he may be
put to shame. ls And of course do this in a loving spirit. Do not
in any way regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.
13. But with regard to all you] From the rebuke to the
disorderly the writers return to the instructions which they
have to give to the sober-minded majority. In some cases
the rebuke may fail, and the loyal majority must know how
to deal with such misbehaviour. The contrast between
the loyal and the others is marked by an emphatic pro
noun and an expressive particle, 'Tpels Be. See on 1 Thess.
v. 4, where we have a similar transition ; also Jude 17, 20.
not to falter] Not to take refuge in feeble inactivity. The
verb (iyKaKeiv) indicates the timidity which shrinks from
speaking out and risking criticism and opposition. In
Eph. iii. 13 f-y eyKaKelv follows a mention of ' boldness '
(irappyala) of which this faltering is the opposite.
Excepting Lk. xviii. 1, the verb in N.T. is exclusively Paul
ine ; 2 Cor. iv. 1, 16 ; Gal. vi. 9. ' Be not weary ' (A.V,
R.V.) misses the point both here and Gal. vi. 9. See on
Lk. xviii. 1 and 2 Cor. iv. 1. In all six places 6/c/mik. occurs
as a various reading. The verb is not found in LXX.
in your noble course]' ' In well-doing ' is perhaps too
indefinite. ' Well-doing ' implies general good conduct
and benevolence in particular. And indeed Chrysostom,
Theodoret, Calvin and Ewald interpret it of charitable
action ; as if it meant ' Do not abstain from being benevo
lent because unworthy people have abused your benevo
lence.' As Lightfoot points out, this restricted meaning
would be possible with dyadoiroielv , but not with KaXoiroielv,
which occurs nowhere else in Bibl. Grk. We have rb koXov
iroielv Rom. vii. 21 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 7 ; Gal. vi. 9 ; and dyado
iroielv Mk. iii. 4 ; Lk. vi. 33, 35.
There may here be another play upon words, for fiy
iyKaxyayre KaXoiroiovvres suggests the opposition between

106 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 14
kaKos and KaXbs, between what is cowardly and what is
noble and brave.
14. But] Seeing that the Thessalonians had been warned
about this evil (1 Thess. iv. 11, v. 13, 14), and that it had
evidently increased, therefore, so far from letting things
slide and shirking unpleasantness, the loyal majority must
be firm. ' Do not falter, but be strict.'
the charge which we have given in our letter] Doubtless
this is the right connexion ; ' in ' or " through our letter '
belongs to what precedes, and rw Xbyai yp.mv Bid rfjs imaroXys
is all one phrase, meaning ' our word as sent in the letter
which we are writing,' noslro per epistohm sermoni (Beza).
The article (rys), as often, is equivalent to a possessive
pronoun. Cf. ryv irriaroXyv 1 Thess. v. 27 and Rom. xvi.
22, y iiriaroXy Col. iv. 16 ; also ryv avvaytoyyv Lk. vii. 5.
set a mark on this person] Some commentators connect
* through the letter' with this command ; ' By means of
the letter brand him as an offender.' Assuming this to be
correct, it may be understood in two ways ; either ' Use
this letter for the purpose of convicting him,' or ' By means
of your letter to us report him as a marked man.' Both of
these interpretations are objectionable, because they lay an
emphasis on the letter which is unnatural ; the important
point is that a rebel of this kind is to be noted and disgraced.
The second interpretation is open to the further objection
that it assumes that the loyal Thessalonians are to write
back to the Apostle, about which no hint is given elsewhere.
If this were meant, it would be more clearly expressed.
Moreover, how improbable it is that there was to be a letter
to Corinth and a letter back to Thessalonica before the
matter was settled ! The proposed connexion is wrong ;
' our word conveyed through this letter ' is the true connex
ion. The Thessalonians had the injunction in black and
white, and that sufficed. How the mark is to be set on the
rebellious person is not specified ; probably by censure in
the congregation.
not in any way to associate with him] Literally, ' not to
mix yourselves up together with him,' py owavafilywaBai

iii. 14, 15} CHEERING AND COMMANDING 107
ahrm. The double compound expresses combination (avv)
and interchange (dvd). It occurs in a similar connexion
1 Cor. v. 9, 11, and in the A text of. Ezek. xx. 18 and Hos.
vii. 8. Here again the method is not specified. Intimacy
is prohibited ; intercourse for remonstrance (which Chry
sostom thinks was to be in private) is enjoined. Calvin
remarks that contumacy is worse than disorderly behaviour,
and therefore excommunication must be meant. He adds
that the object of excommunication is not alienation but
recovery. that he may be put to shame] The object is remedial, not
vindictive. Pressure must be put upon the rebel to induce
him to cease to be a scandal to the Church. The verb
ivrpiireiv occurs in the same sense 1 Cor. iv. 14 and 2
Chron. xii. 7 ; cf . ivrpoiry 1 Cor. vi. 5, xv. 34. The root-
meaning is uncertain ; perhaps to make a person ' hang his
head ' as a sign either of reverence (Tit. ii. 8 and Heb. xii. 9)
or of shame (Ps. xxxiv. 4, lxix. 2).
15. And] We might have expected ' But,' dXXd rather
than Kal. The A.V. has ' Yet,' and the R.V. 'And yet,'
the italics showing that ' yet ' is not in the Greek. ' Yet '
is neither expressed nor implied. There is no contrast, but
a continuation of the kindly intent. It is assumed that the
man will be ashamed and will repent ; so of course he must
be treated gently. The writers, while insisting on firmness,
make clear that there must be no needless severity ; so soon
as the prescribed remedy has had the desired effect severity
must cease.
as an enemy] This might be fatal, provoking the man to
be still more obstinate in resisting. The Didache (xv. 3)
again has a similar injunction ; '' Reprove one another, not
in wrath, but in peace, as ye have it in the Gospel." Poly-
carp (xi. 4) reproduces the Apostle's words : " Hold not
such as enemies, but restore them as frail and erring mem
bers, that you may save the whole body of you.'- Cf.
Job xix. II 'iyyaaro Be fie as ix^pov.
admonish] Literally, ' put in mind ' (vovOerelre), but
alwaj^s of putting a person in mind of his duty, calling atten-

108 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 16
tion to failings, i Thess. v. 14 ; Rom. xv. 14 ; 1 Cor. iv. 14 ;
Col. i. 28, iii. 16. The only other place in which the verb
occurs in N.T. is in St. Paul's speech at Miletus, Acts xx. 31.
Cf . Job. iv. 3 ; Wisd. xi. 11, xii. 2, 26 ; and vovQeaia Tit.
iii. 10. See Trench, Syn., § xxxii. ; Cremer, Lexicon, p. 441.
The Apostle's instructions in 2 Cor. ii. 6, 7 respecting the
great offender, who is certainly not to be identified with the
incestuous person in 1 Cor. v., should be compared. Our
Lord's instructions (Mt. xviii. 15-17) are not quite parallel.
They can be transferred to Christians, but they were addressed
to Jews, and the iKKXyala or ' Assembly ' means a Jewish
Assembly, and probably the local synagogue. In all these
instances, if the offender yields, he is to be forgiven and
restored.
16. Prayer for the Thessalonians
16 Now the Lord of peace himself give peace always, by all means.
The Lord be with you all.
The letter draws rapidly to a close. Like the first and
second main divisions of it, the third division ends with a
prayer for the converts ; i. n, 12-ii. 16, 17— iii. 16.
16 But enough of this subject. May the Lord who is the Prince of
Peace Himself give you the peace that is His through all vicissitudes
and in all ways. May the Lord be with you all.
16. But] In two ways there is something of contrast with
what precedes. The writers turn with relief from the duty
of enforcing discipline to that of intercession ; and there
is the thought that discipline will be useless unless it is
blessed by the Lord. See above on ii. 16, where, as here,
the transition is made by Ahros Be.
the Lord] Here, as in v. 1, the question is raised whether
1 the Lord ' means Christ or the Father, and in both places
it is safer to hold to Pauline usage and interpret it as mean
ing Christ. Thus, as inii. 16, we have a prayer directed to
Christ. In 1 Thess. v. 23, which is parallel to this verse,
we have Ahrbs Be b Gebs rfjs elpyvys : see the notes there

iii. 16] CHEERING AND COMMANDING 109
and also on 1 Thess. iii. 11. ' The God of peace ' is a fre
quent expression ; Rom. xv. 33, xvi. 20 ; Phil. iv. 9 ; cf.
1 Cor xiv. 33 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 11 ; Heb. xiii. 20 ; Testaments,
Dan. v. 2. ' The Lord of peace ' occurs nowhere else, and
some Latin authorities have Deus here, probably from 1
Thess. v. 23. We may suppose that the difference of ex
pression indicates a difference of meaning. Here peace from
unhealthy excitement and consequent dissension is chiefly
meant. See Rostron, Christology of St. Paul, p. 48.
give] Note Bmy, the true optative, as in Rom. xv. 5, and
2 Tim. i. 16, 18 ; not Bmy, which would be the subjunctive,
as in Eph. i. 17 : Bmy is a late form of Boly. A. T. Robert
son, Grammar, p. 938 ; Moulton, p. 194 ; Burton, § 175-177.
through all vicissitudes] The exact meaning of Bid iravrbs
is uncertain, but neither ' always "(A.V.) nor ' at all times '
(R.V.) seems to be right. ' Always ' would be del, which
St. Paul rarely uses (2 Cor. iv. 11, vi. 10), and ' at all times '
would be irdvrore, which is very frequent (see note on
iravrore i. 3). A.V. and R.V. have ' alway ' for Bid iravrbs
in Acts x. 2, and ' continually ' in Heb. xiii. 15 : in Heb.
ix. 6 A.V. has ' always,' and R.V. ' continually.' Why not
' continually ' in all places ? While irdvrore points to
every separate occasion, Bid iravrbs points to a continual
habit, without break. The latter is what is prayed for
here. Whatever happens, may there be no break in the
flow of Christ's peace, — ryv elprjvyv, the peace which it is
specially His to give, Jn. xiv.- 27, xvi. 33 ; Col. iii. 15.
in all ways] ' Whatever may befall you.' Weymouth sug
gests ' in every sense.' We may safely adopt rpbiroj rather
than rbirq> as the original reading ; cf. ii. 3 ; Phil. i. 18 ;
Rom. iii. 2. When Bid iravrbs is interpreted to mean ' at
every time,' then it is, natural to have iv iravrl roira to
follow ; ' at every time and every place.' Moreover eV iravrl
rbirm occurs 1 Thess. i. 8 ; 1 Cor. i. 2 ; 2 Cor. ii. 14 ; 1 Tim.
ii. 8. Copyists would be likely to change the less easy and
less usual phrase into the more easy and more familiar one.
The Lord be with you all] The Lord who is Himself our
peace, Eph. ii. 14. ' All ' is exceptional in these concluding

no COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 17
benedictions, but we have it 1 Cor. xvi. 24 and 2 Cor. xiii. 13.
In all these three Epistles St. Paul has had to say some severe
things respecting unsatisfactory members of the commun
ity : but none are excluded from the sweep of the Apostle's
prayer for their spiritual progress and perfection. The
final benediction in 1 Pet. v. 14 has ' peace ' instead of the
usual ' grace,' and also has ' all,' as here. See Bigg ad loc.
Cf . Judg. vi. 12 ; Ruth ii. 4.

iii. 17, 18. CONCLUDING SALUTATION AND
BENEDICTION
17 The salutation of Paul, with mine own hand, which is the token
in every Epistle : so I write. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all, Amen.
In the Epistles these concluding words take the place of
the conventional ' Fare ye well ' (eppaaOe, Acts xv. 29) in
ordinary correspondence.
17 I, Paul, add the salutation with my own hand, and my doing
so is a token by which every letter that comes from me may be known.
This is my own handwriting. 18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
be with you all.
17. the salutation with my own hand] ' The salutation '
which is usual. The statement that it is written with his
own hand is added 1 Cor. xvi. 21 and Col. iv. 18, as also is
the name Paul, — ry ifiy ^eipl IlavXov, the name being in
the genitive in agreement with ipy, which is equivalent to a
genitive. A. T. Robertson, Grammar, p. 493. Silvanus and
Timothy are not included here ; nor is Sosthenes or Timothy
in the other cases. Writing the salutation with his own
hand is the token. Some take the insertion of these words
to be the token ; but that cannot be correct, as the words
are found only in 1 Corinthians and Colossians.
a token] A sign (ayfielov) of the genuineness of the Epistle,
that it really comes from the Apostle Paul. Gal. vi. n

iii. 17] SALUTATION AND BENEDICTION in
tells us that he wrote in large characters, which could easily
be read and recognized as his. He dictated his letters (Rom.
xvi. 22). But near the end he added something in his own
handwriting, — always the concluding Salutation, and some
times a little more. In Galatians the last eight verses were
written by himself ; and it is probable that the whole of the
private letters to Philemon (v. 19) was written by himself.
The four cases in which he mentions the fact that he is writ
ing with his own hand are certainly not the only cases in
which he does so. His reason for doing so in this place is
that he thought it possible that a letter had been forged ;
see on ii. 2. In the other three cases we do not know his
motive, but no doubt he had one. We cannot be sure that
the concluding words of 1 Thessalonians were written by
the Apostle himself. It may be that the idea did not occur
to him until he found that he and his colleagues were being
quoted as having said what they had not said.*
Deissmann (Light, p. 153) remarks that " the hundreds of
autograph signatures to papyrus letters are greatly in need
of investigation. A study of them would lead to a better
appreciation of that extremely important passage in 2
Thess. iii. 17, which some most strangely regard as a mark
of spuriousness." See also p. 158.
This is my handwriting] This seems to be the meaning of
' So I write,' ovrcos ypd<pu>. In Gal. vi. n he calls attention
to the size of his handwriting. Rutherford translates,
'Mark the handwriting.' If this is correct, it almost im
plies that the conclusion of 1 Thessalonians was written by
himself. It seems to imply that the recipients would know
the look of his handwriting, and if any one questioned the
authenticity of 2 Thessalonians, they would show him the
two conclusions as being evidently in the same hand. In
any case, this precaution comes more naturally in a second
letter than in a first, and is against the theory, now perhaps
extinct, that 2 Thess. was written before 1 Thess.
* Cicero writes to Atticus (VIII. i. 1). In ea Pompeii epistola erat
in extremo, ipsius manu : Tu, censeo, Luceriam venias, nusquam
eris tutius

H2 COMMENTARY ON 2 THESSALONIANS [iii. 18
Some understand ' So I write ' as meaning ' Writing the
concluding salutation with my own hand is my habitual
practice.' The words can hardly mean ' This is the formula,
without which no letter is, genuine.' Any imitator could
adopt a formula ; and such a meaning would be differently
expressed. The suggestion that ' so I write ' refers to some
peculiar flourish is grotesque.
r 18. The grace of our Lord] See on i Thess. v. 28. The
addition of ' all ' is the only difference.
As in 1 Thess. and in most places in the NT., the conclud
ing ' Amen ' is a later addition taken from the liturgies.

Indexes
INDEX I. GENERAL

Abbott, E. A., 13, 27, 47, 68, 81, 92
Achaia, 12
Advent, Second, 20, 36, 39, 64
Adversary, the great, 49, 57
Affliction, 13, 18
Alexander, Bishop, xiii, xxiii, 64
Alford, xiii, xxii, 58, 64
Alliteration, 30, 88, 103
Ambrose, 47
Ambrosiaster, xxii, 46, 96
Analysis of the Epistle, xvi, xvii
Angels, 21, 27
Antichrist, 48, 71, 72
Antiochus Epiphanes, 53
Apocalypse ofBaruch, 18, 19, 63
Apocalypse, Pauline, 15, 37
Apostasy, 45, 46
Apostle, Title of, 1
Apostolic Constitutions, 65
Aquila, 48
Article, Force of the, 16, 32, 106
Non-repetition of the, 49
Repetition of the, 23
Misrendering of the, 31, 69
Ascension of Isaiah, 52, 67
Assembly, 4, 108
Assumption of Moses, 63
Athanasius, 63
Augustine, 37, 46, 60, 67, 68, 69,
73. 100
Authenticity of 2 Thessalonians,
viii-xiii, 2, 43, 58, 93
Authority, The Apostles', 93, 95
A.V., Defects in the, 14, 17, 21, 30,
31, 32, 39. 44. 49, 5°. 59. 63,
64, 67, 87, 98, 101, 105, 107, 109
Bacon, B. W., xii, xiii
Barnabas, 9, 18
Bartlet, J. V., xi, xxiii
Basil, 92
Beet, 23, 25, 45
Beliar or Belial, xx, 48, 49, 52
Benediction, 112

Bengel, 28, 31, 39, 46, 50, 70, 79,
86, 96, 101
Bernard, Saint, 23
Beroea, vii, 41
Beza, 17, 18, 33, 69, 79, 106
Bigg, C, no
Bornemann, xiii, xxiii
Bousset, 49, 67
Brethren, 10, 40, 95
Briggs, C. A., xii, xiii, 5, 12, 20,
46, 99
Brooke, A. E., 55
Burton, E. de W., 75, 82, 101, 109

Caligula, 51, 62
Calling, 31, 77
Calvin, 4, 12, 13, 17, 33, 41, 46, 49,
65, 80, 83, 90, 102, 103, 105
Carlyle, 104
Case, S. J., vi
Cassian, 93, 102
Chadwick, 77, 104
Characterizing genitive, 67
Charles, R. H., xiii, xx, 17,20, 49,
52, 58, 64, 66, 67, 77
Chase, F. H., xiii, 73, go
' Chastisement,' Words for, 24
Christology, xix, 5, 34, 35, 75, 81,
86, 108
Christ, The Warrior, 64
Chrysostom, xxii, n, 46, 49, 50, 51,
63, 67, 68, 71, 73, 83, 98, 105
Churches of God, 12
Cicero, x, 9, 10, in
Clemen, xiii, 46, 64, 77
Cohu, xiii
Commentaries, xxii, xxiii
Constructions, Doubtful, 16, 28, 42,
45. 58
Conybeare and Howson, xiii, 103
Corinth, xiv, 42
Cremer, 13, 108
Cyril of Jerusalem, 73

113

ii4

INDEX

Dalman, 16
Daniel, Echoes of the Book of,
xviii, 53
Date of the Epistle, xiv, xxi
Davies, 27, 70
Day of the Lord, 44
Death, St. Paul's idea of, 19
Deissmann, 7, 22, 40, 77, 86, 102,
in
Demonstration, 15
Demosthenes, 103
Didache, 100, 107
Diodore of Tarsus, 25
Dobschutz, Von, xiii, xxiii, 1 g, 72
Double compound worde, 18, 3g,
107
Doubtful constructions, 16, 28, 42,
45, 58
Doubtful readings, 91, 97
Election, 75
Ellicott, xiii, 13, 103
Ellipse, 100
Emphatic pronouns, n, 31, 39, 57,
74, 80, 82, 101, 105
Encouragement, 76, 81
Endurance, 12, 92
Enoch, Book of, 21, 23, 26, 46, 63
Epictetus, 41
Epiphany or manifestation, 21, 64
Eschatology, xi, 55-78
Eternal, 24, 73, 81
Ewald, xiii, 11, 105
Excommunication, 96, 107
Faith, 88
Farrar, xiii, 45
Findlay, xiii, xxiii, 6, 1 7, 33
Fire, symbolical, 22
First person plural, 3, 84
First person singular, 55, no
Firstfruits, 75
Forged letter. Question of a, xii, 43,
in
Frame, J. E., xi, xiii, xxii, 17, 19,
62, 67, 76, 93, 97
Friedlander, 49
Garrod, xiii, xx, xxii, 54
Genevan Version, 27, 69
Genitive, Characterizing, 67
' Mystic,' 77, 92
Germanicus, 97
Glorify, 26, 34
Glorying, 12
Glover, T. R., 6
Grace, 5, 6, 34, 82, 112

Gregory Nazianzen, 103
Gunkel, xii
Handicraft, St. Paul's, 98
Handwriting, St. Paul's, 1 1 1
Harnack, xiii, xiv, 61, 101
' Heart ' in Scripture, 82
Hebrew apocalyptic, 49
Hesiod, 102
Holtzmann, xiv
Holy ones, 27, 28
Hort, 4, 20, 76
Imperfect tense, Force of the, 55,
101
Increase, 11
Integrity of 2 Thessalonians, xiv, 17
Inversions for emphasis, 58
Irenaeus, ix, 51, 78
Jerome, 67, 69, 73, 102
Jewish prophecy adopted, 52, 53
Josephus, 52, 60
Jowett, xiii, xxii, 8, 21, 51, 73, 76,
94. io3
Jubilees, Book of, 49
Judgment, 70
Jiilicher, x, xiii
Justin Martyr, ix, 2 1
Juvenal, 104
Kennedy, H. A. A., xiii, 16, 25, 32,
38, 41, 49, 78
Kingdom of God, 16, 31
Knowledge, Appeals to personal,
55. 56, 98
Lake, K, vi
Lawlessness, Man of, 47, 51, 57, 71
Leo the Great, 68
Letter from the Thessalonians,
Theory of a, xv, io, 30, 89, 106
Lewin, xiv, 51
Lex talionis, 17
Lightfoot, vi, xii, xiii, xiv, xxiii, 20,
3°. 33. 58> 73. 79. 82, go, 96,
97. i°5
Lock, W., xxiii
* Lord, The ' (of Christ), 5, 25, 44,
75, 86, 89, 92, 108
Lord's Prayer, 87
Lost letter, Theory of a, 43
' Love ' or ' charity,' 1 1
' Love of God,' g2
' Love of the brethren,' 11
Lueken, xiii, xxiii, 10
Liinemann, xiii, n, 103

INDEX

H5

4 Maccabees, 13, 45
McGiffert, xxiii, 17, 78
Man of Sin, xix-xxi, 47, 60, 73
A parody of Christ, 71, 72
Marcion, ix
Mark, Gospel of, unknown to St.
Paul, 78
Martyrdom of Isaiah, 4g
Metaphors from athletic sports, 86
Middle or passive, 58
Miletus, Speech at, 108
Milligan, xiii, xiv, xxiii, 21, 33, 51,
97
Milton, 64
Mission at Thessalonica, Duration of
the, vii, 55, g8
Moffatt, x, xxiii, 17, 18, 70, 80, g8
Moulton, iog
Muratorian Fragment, ix
' Mystery,' Meaning of, 57
' Name of the Lord,' 34, g5
Nearness of the Advent, 44, 55, 5g,
63
Negative, Strong form of the, 102
Nero, xxi, 51, 62
Night and day, gg
Occasion and object of the Epistle,
xv, 36, g3
Oecumenius, xxii, 1 1
O.T., Echoes of the, xvii-xix, 22,
27, 2g, 34, 48, 52, 64, 86
Paley, 43
Papyri, 7, 24, 44, g7, 1 1 1
Parousia, 3g, 64, 65
Pelagius, xxii, 28, 31
Penalty, 24
Perdition, 48
Perfect, Force of the Greek, 28, 44
Persecution, xv, 13, 16, 87
Philippi, a good starting point, vi
Philo, 51, 52
Plato, 103
Play upon words, 88, 103, 105
Politarchs, vii, 61
Polycarp, ix, 12, 107
Prayer, 2g, 80, 84, 91, 108
Predestination not implied, 75
Present tense, Force of the, 9, 14,
28, 69, 102
Proclaiming, 51
Pronouns, Emphatic, 11, 31, 39. 57.
74, 80, 82, 101, 105
Prophecy, Gift of, 42
Psalms of Solomon, 63, 6g

Punctuation, Questions of, 14, 22,
28, 42
Qualitative relative, 24
Quintillian, 103
Ramsay, xiv, 20, 72
Readings, Doubtful, gi, g7
Renan, xiii, 6, 2g, 36, 61, 67, 71, 73,
83. 94
Retribution, 15, 18,22, 24
Reuss, x, xiii
Revelation, 20, 57
Right to maintenance, 100
Robertson, A., 17
Robertson and Plummer, 88, g5,
100
Robertson, A. T., 14, 28, 30, 31, 34,
41, 44, 77, g6, log, no
Robinson, J. A., 6, 35, 58
Roman Empire restraining evil,
60-62
Rostron, 26, log
Ruin, Eternal, 24
Rutherford, xxiii, 5, 16, 33, 40,^70,
g7, 103, in
R.V., Defects in the, 14, 105, 107,
iog
Saints, 27, 28
Salutations, 1-6, no
Salvation not predestined, 75
Sanctuary, 50
Sanday, xiii, xxiii, 17
Sanday and Headlam, 6, 17, 32, 34,
86
Satan, St. Paul's belief about,
65. 9o
other names for, 65
Schmidt, ix
Schiirer, vi, 64
Schweitzer, viii
Seneca, 49
Septuagint, Reminiscences of the,
xvii-xix, 22, 27, 29, 34, 48, 52,
64, 86
Sibylline Oracles, 52, 56
Sign or token, no
Signs and wonders, 66
Silvanus, vi, vii, x, 19, 79
Identity with Silas, 2
Simcox, W., 102
Sinker, xxiii
Skinner, J., gg
Solomon, Psalms of, 63, 69
' Son of perdition,' 48
* Spirit,' Ambiguity of, 42, 76

n6

INDEX

Suetonius, 36
Swete, xii, xiii, xxii, 4, 1 8, 20, 25,
48. 58, 83
Symbolism, 22, 4g
Tacitus, 36, g7
Tatian, 6
Taylor, Jeremy, 27
Tertullian, 16, 46, 47, 60, 88
Testaments of the XII Patriarchs,
21, 40, 46, 74, 109
Thackeray, 49
Thales, 102
Thanksgivings, 7-g, 35, 73
' That Day,' 28
Theodore of Mopsuestia, xxii, 15,
25. 42. 49. 51. 63, 67, 8g
Theodoret, xix, xxii, 50, 51, 63, 67,
69. 73. 82, 105
Thessalonica, v-vii, 61, 86, 93
Thessalonians, First Epistle to the,
vii, 36, 43, 73, 74, gg
Timothy, vi, xiv, 3, ig, 78
Tisseraut, 52
Titus, not to be identified with Sil
vanus, 2
Tradition, 7g, g7
Trench, 13, 27, 33, 108

Trinitarian doctrine, 76
Turner, C. H., xiv, xxii
Tyndale, 4, 27, 69
Via Egnatia, vi
Virgil, 39
Vulgate, 16, 17, 27, 46, 50, 59, 69,
78, 79, 96
Defects in, 14, 28, 39, 4g, 59, 65,
87, 100, 102, 104
Way, A. S., xxiii, 4, 17, 20, 86
Weiss, B., xiii, 58
Westcott, 21, 28, 29, 66, 75, 76, 79,
96
Westcott and Hort, 28
Wetstein, 24, 39, 52, 87, 88, 96, 102
Weymouth, xxiii
Wiclif, 27
Wiesler, xiv
Winer, 21, 23, 28, 30, 35, 39, 41, 42,
50
Wohlenberg, xiii, xxiii
• Word of the Lord,' 86
Work, Moral obligation to, 102
Wright, 27, 70
Zahn, viii, xi, xiii, 5

INDEX II. GREEK

ayaSSs, 8 1
iynBuaiv-q, 32
Ayiirn, it, 92
ayatr^a-as, 6, 81
&yye\oi, 21
ayuuriws, 76, 77
&yioi 27
dSeX^of, 10
del, IO
alumos, 24, 25, 81
dXijfleia, 68, 77
dXXd, 71, 99, 100
ifiaprla, 47
avairatieis, 18
&ve<ris, 18
arixeeffc, 14
&v0po>iros, xx. 47
dv0' Si., 68, 69
aro/j-rjiia., 48
ivopla, 47, 48
dvo/tos, 47, 59
dyraTTodoOi.at, 18
ofiOK, 10
dfi6w, 30
aVowres, 70
dirapxi}, 75
oiritrroi, 88
ds-6, xviii., 25, 26, 87, 96
airodelnvv/M, 5 1
diro(caXu00i/, 47
airoKdXvij/ts, 20, 21
diroWtf/iej'oi, 0!, 67
¦airoaravta, 45, 46,^48
dVwXefa, 24, 48
apa oSv, 78
dpn, 59
apjWS, "', 75
aroKTOt, 96
croiros, 87
en/ros 84, 80, 108
fieflcuow, 82
-ydp, 57, 87, 98, 102
Si, 39, 74, 80, 90, 92, 95, 105
Seiy 9, 98
Sid, 42
Sib. \6yov, 42

5id 7raj.ro' s, 10, 109
SiKavia, 31
SiKr), 24
Siwyfids, 13
5ofdh<r*ai, 86
Swi/iei, iv, 33, 66
Suvd/xeis, 66
Sip?;, 109
SQfiev, 10 1
Swptav, 99
ev/ca/ceip, 105
rfXa/ro, 75
ef7rcp, 17
et's, 50
tis 6', 77
eh t6, 16, 40
els Tepiirolijffiv, 78
enaffTore, 10
eVSfoijim, xvii., 22
iKK\t)nla, 4, 12
iKheyetrBtu, 75
hSeiy/ia, 15
ivSo^affdrjvai, 26
ivi<xri)Ktv, 44
ivepryda, 65, 69
ivepyeirai, 58
evuavxaadai, 12
eV iravrl, 10
ivrpiiruv, 106
^foTraTdu, 45
efowf'a, 100
^tt£ irdvra, 49
eirurvvaywytf, 39
iintpavtla, 64
ipy&froSai, 100, 101
*[P7<w. 33
epwrw/Aep, 40
eVrij', 65, 89
€15077^X101., 77, 78
eidoula, 32
ei/xap'OTe?!,, 9
fr/da, 24
7J7a7n)/ueVos, xix., 75
jJSt;, s8
T>/ue)>a eKelvij, rj, xviii., 28

SaUjUaoros, 27

117

Ii8

INDEX

4£\ci, oi5, 101
6ep.e\lovv, 82
¦6edi 6 irarijp ijiiCiv, 8 1
©eAs tt)s {iironov9js,' 13
flXtyis, 13, 1 6, 18
¦dpoeurffai, 41
("epov, 50
^a, 34, 85, 100
xaSiaat, 50
Kaffiis, 10, 86
»ta/, 69, 91
k-ai yip, IOI
Kal vCj,, 56
xatpos, 57
KaXoTroieic, 105
icard, 66, 98
koto|ioii>, 16
Karapyia, 64
xarcvdiveiv, 92
«aWx". 56, 59. 60, 71, 79
*Xt)o"ii, 31
KoXturts, 24
*67ros, 99
-Kparetv, 79
Kplvw, 70
K pi ens, 16
Ki5pios, xix., 5, 35
X070U, Sid, 42
\oi7r6>., to, 84
ixeaov, in, 59
A"7, 23, IOI
jutJSc, 41, 102
MiJ «j, 45
jUfieitrBai, 98
/ivrjiioveia, 55
Mxe°s< 99
//.verfpiov, 58
ca6s, 50
cout'ereic, 107
j.oCs, 41
w, 56
¦olVii'es, 24
t\e8pos, 24
^)7rfcjj, 34
Ol', IOI, 102
«i5x "Tt, i°°
i^tlXo/uv, 9, 74
irapi, 18, 97
7ropa77^XXai, 79, 91
7rapaSo<reis, 79, 97
7rapaKaX^<u, 1 03

7rapa/cX^(rts, 8l
irapaXa/ipavu, 79
irapdvopuis, xx.
irape\if}oirav, 97
irapovula, 39
ireirotBaiiev, 90
irtirurTevKires, ol, 28
7repi, 30, 85
irepiepyafifievoL, 103
irepiiratit<rtv, els, 79
TrioTetfo-airres, ol, 27
ttIotij, 77, 88
ttio-t-oi, 88
7rXdi.7]j, ivipyeia., 69
irXr;poa>, 32
irvevfia rov oto^o-tos, 63
jr^etf/HiToj, Sid, 42
"V**5, 55. 86, 101
irpoaeixeaSe, 85
Trupl 0X0705, xvii., 21
7rc5s, 98
pvraSai, 87
ffaXeuffrjvot, 40
etpaapja., 50
cijpeia, 66
v,]fj.(iop, no
effevoiv, 82
o-re'XXeo-p'ai, 96
CTTipl^ai, 82
cvvavaptiyvvffdtu, 106
(ruij"d,ue>/oi. oi, 68
raxews, 40
ripara, 66
Ti/iupia, 24
nyes, 102
rlcu, 24
Tpoiros, 109
TU7T0S, IOI
vioj 717s dVuXefas, 48
vrratrotfci, oiix, 101
*»*/>> II, 39. 85
iirtpalpopat, 49
Curepaufdeei, n
ir7ro/to>.i), 12, 92
0i\aoc\0i'a, II
0wXdff<reo> diri, 89
Xdpis, 6, 34, 82
^eCSos, 69
101, 107
his Art, 45
Sort, 50

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THE PRESENT RELATIONS OF SCIENCE AND RELIGION
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ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
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