http://www.humanreligions.info/2_thessalonians.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2012
Included as holy:
Protestant Bibles
Title: 2 Thessalonians
Section: New Testament
Prev: 1 Thessalonians
Next: 1 Timothy
Catholic Bible
Title: 2 Thessalonians
Section: New Testament
Prev: 1 Thessalonians
Next: 1 Timothy
Eastern Orthodox Bibles
Title: 2 Thessalonians
Section: New Testament
Prev: 1 Thessalonians
Next: 1 Timothy
Rejected by:
Jewish Tanakh
As a result of 1 Thessalonians, many Christians thought that the end of the world was so imminent that they don't need to work for a living or prepare for the future1. As time went on and nothing happened, this harmed the fledgling church. This epistle was written after Paul died2 to tell Christians to continue with ordinary life - getting jobs, getting married, etc - and it added a series of future events that must happen before the end of the world2. Fundamentalists and some moderates still considered this book genuine, whilst some moderates and almost all academic scholars since 1890 have found the text to be a forgery3.
“1 Thessalonians warns sternly about the imminent coming of Christ, something which Paul expected to occur in his own lifetime, and within the lifetime of many of those to whom he wrote. 2 Thessalonians, however, says the opposite: it warns that the end is not imminent. There [is] irony here... this forgery was of course right: the end was not about to come. In 1 Thessalonians, the end will be a surprise (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3), and there is no time to do things like get married. But people came to neglect their daily lives and duties (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12). So in 2 Thessalonians, written after Paul died, the expectation of the end of the world had to be managed more sensibly, and predictable events were now said to precede the end - the Antichrist will sit in the Jewish temple at Jerusalem, for example. The predictability mean that until then, life can continue as normal.”
#bible #christianity #gnosticism #mithraism #new_testament #paul
13 of the books of the Christian New Testament are the epistles (letters) of St. Paul, which form the oldest text in the New Testament4. Seven were probably written by Paul himself and six others have been written in his name by (anonymous) followers, some up to 80 years after his death. By the time the official Bible canon was produced, no-one knew that only some were genuine. The historical Paul probably did write 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Philemon and Romans. Letters forged in the name of Paul are 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians.5,6,7,8. Paul was born in Tarsus as "Saul" and adopted the name of Paul after converting to what is now Christianity. He was an early leader of the growing Christian churches around the Roman Empire, and the writings of St. Paul are the earliest existing Christian writings known to historians. Despite this, Paul never met Jesus and appears to rely mostly on Greek myths and legends, many of which he copied, placing Jesus at the center of them instead of their original heroes.
For more, see:
“2 Thessalonians is a forgery written in the name of St Paul. 1 Thessalonians warns sternly about the imminent coming of Christ, [expected to occur within that generation]. 2 Thessalonians, however, says the... end is not imminent. There are two elements of irony here. Firstly, the letter itself warns against forgeries (a very common trick employed by forgers in that era). The other irony is that this forgery was of course right: the end was not about to come. [...] 2 Thessalonians [was] written after Paul died.”
The forger used to try and convince readers that it was genuine. At the end it says 'I Paul write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write' (2 Thessalonians 3:17). It says that Paul always does this; but it's all a lie, and his other letters don't have this element. Because of this, it could be anyone's handwriting at all. This text however, was very useful in keeping the Church together, and it was made part of the official canon of the New Testament by the 4th century. It was only with scholarly rigor and textual analysis by modern academia that it was found to be a forgery.
“Second Thessalonians was first attacked by Schmidt in 1801, followed by a number of scholars [...]. Second Thessalonians is still almost unanimously rejected by negative critics, and even by some moderates, while First Thessalonians has regained the support of many of the former (e.g. Hilgenfeld, Weizsäcker, and even Holtzmann), and is entirely rejected by comparatively few critics”
Rev. Arthur Cushman McGiffert & Earnest Cushing Richardson (1890)3
| KJV | YLT | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: | Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, to the assembly of 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. | Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ! | |
| 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 toward each other aboundeth; | We ought to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because increase greatly doth your faith, and abound doth the love of each one of you all, to one another; | |
| 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: | so that we ourselves do glory in you in the assemblies of God, for your endurance and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye bear; | |
| 5 | 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: | a token of the righteous judgment of God, for your being counted worthy of the reign of God, for which also ye suffer, | |
| 6 | Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; | since `it is' a righteous thing with God to give back to those troubling you -- trouble, | |
| 7 | And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, | and to you who are troubled -- rest with us in the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with messengers of his power, | |
| 8 | In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: | in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ; | |
| 9 | Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; | who shall suffer justice -- destruction age-during -- from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of his strength, | |
| 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. | when He may come to be glorified in his saints, and to be wondered at in all those believing -- because our testimony was believed among you -- in that day; | |
| 11 | 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: | for which also we do pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and may fulfil all the good pleasure of goodness, and the work of the faith in power, | |
| 12 | That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. | that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. |
| KJV | YLT | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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: | As to the rest, pray ye, brethren, concerning us, that the word of the Lord may run and may be glorified, as also with you, | For more on 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 see 1 Thessalonians - The 1st Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 is referenced on this page in a different section 2 Thessalonians 3:17 is referenced on this page in 2. A Forgery |
| 2 | And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. | and that we may be delivered from the unreasonable and evil men, for the faith `is' not of all; | |
| 3 | But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. | and stedfast is the Lord, who shall establish you, and shall guard `you' from the evil; | |
| 4 | And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. | and we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that the things that we command you ye both do and will do; | |
| 5 | And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. | and the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God, and to the endurance of the Christ. | |
| 6 | 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 of us. | And we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw yourselves from every brother disorderly walking, and not after the deliverance that ye received from us, | |
| 7 | For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; | for yourselves have known how it behoveth `you' to imitate us, because we did not act disorderly among you; | |
| 8 | Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: | nor for nought did we eat bread of any one, but in labour and in travail, night and day working, not to be chargeable to any of you; | |
| 9 | Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. | not because we have not authority, but that ourselves a pattern we might give to you, to imitate us; | |
| 10 | For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. | for even when we were with you, this we did command you, that if any one is not willing to work, neither let him eat, | |
| 11 | For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. | for we hear of certain walking among you disorderly, nothing working, but over working, | |
| 12 | Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. | and such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness working, their own bread they may eat; | |
| 13 | But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing. | and ye, brethren, may ye not be weary doing well, | |
| 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. | and if any one do not obey our word through the letter, this one note ye, 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. | and as an enemy count `him' not, but admonish ye `him' as a brother; | |
| 16 | Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. | and may the Lord of the peace Himself give to you the peace always in every way; the Lord `is' with you all! | |
| 17 | The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write. | The salutation by the hand of me, Paul, which is a sign in every letter; thus I write; | |
| 18 | The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. | the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ `is' with you all! Amen. |