Page 40 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

Study Section 8: Introductory Matters for 2 Thessalonians
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8.1. Connect.

Try playing this game. Have your entire family sit down in a room and whisper the
following short story in the first person’s ear: “The dark brown haired boy wearing a
red shirt ran over to the group of 15 people and started doing summer salts on the
grass. 10 of the people started copying him but seven of them got dizzy and sick to
their stomachs. Four of them went home. The boy’s mother got angry with him for
making all those people sick and sent him home.” After whispering this story into the first person’s
ear, have the first person whisper it in a second person’s ear, then have that person pass it on to a
third person. Repeat passing it on to several people the same way. Have the last person tell the
whole group what was whispered to him/her. You probably will find that the short story has
changed considerably.

Paul wrote this letter very shortly after writing the 1 letter to the Church located in Thessalonica.
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Some of the information that Paul had sent was being confused and got changed around a bit, so
Paul needed to clarify a few things. Let’s see the occasion for writing this book….

8.2. Objective

1. As we get down through this section, we will look at five “W,” that is, who, when, where, for
who? And we will look at the occasion, and purpose for the 2 Thessalonians.
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2. We will dwell on the disputed sequence between the 1 and the 2 Thessalonians.

3. Then, we will draw up our conclusion based on our findings from the internal and external
evidences.

8.3. Importance of Learning Introductory Matters for 2 Thessalonians.
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Author
Most contemporary scholars maintain that Paul is the author of 2 Thessalonians.
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The use of first-person singular pronouns “I” in 2 Thessalonians 2:5; “Don’t you
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remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?” and 2
Thessalonians 3:17; “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the
distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write,” are strong and
insurmountable internal evidences for the ascription of authorship to Paul. Even though those two
appearances of first-person singular pronouns are insurmountable, especially the second one, they
are outnumbered by the appearances of the first-person plural pronouns “we” (1 Thess. 2:18; 3:5;
5:27). Perhaps Silas and Timothy were involved with Paul as he wrote the letter. Green argues that
“we should most likely understand the process as one of collaboration but in which Paul gave the
group’s thoughts their final form, as is suggested by the Pauline style and vocabulary of this
document.” He adds, “Whatever conclusions may be reached concerning the participation of Silas
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66 Green, The Letters to the Thessalonians: The Pillar New Testament Commentary, 59.

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