lays this injunction on the elders with the formula of adjuration,
dpicifa v\uis rbv Kvpiov, so emphatically, is certainly striking, and
points to a special reason to us unknown. If we look back to vers.
12, 13, we might think that at least slight traces of differences be-
tween the church in Thessalonica and its rulers might be discerned,
and that Paul, therefore, apprehended the rulers might not com-
municate the epistle to all. Michaelis proposed, with reference to
the fact that an epistle had been forged (2 Thess. ii. 2), to under-
stand dvayivuoKeiv of the recognition of the epistle as a genuine
production of the apostle by the entire church. But the term con-
stantly denotes in Paul, " to read, to read to," only. (See especially
Col. iv. 16.) Besides, surely Paul cannot possibly here take cogni-
zance of a fact that only happened later. ('Op/aiw, with a double
accusative in the meaning obtestari aliquem per, with vi\ to be sup-
plied, is found again in the New Testament at Mark v. 7 ; Acts xix.
13. Lachmann has, on the authority of A.B.D.E., preferred t-vop/uiju,
which, at all events, has the rareness of the form in its favour. The
same critic, supported by the authority of B.D.E.F.G., leaves out
dyioig, but the rareness of the term, " holy brethren," which is only
found at Col. i. 2 ; Heb. iii. 1, renders it more probable that it is
here the original form. The dp/v after the benediction is, like the
subscription, certainly spurious here.)
EXPOSITION
OP THE
SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.
1. THANKSGIVING FOR THE FAITH OF THE CHRISTIANS IN
THESSALONICA.
(i. 1-12.)
AFTER the salutation, which coincides literally with that of the
first epistle (see the explanation of 1 Thess. i. 1), Paul begins, just
as at 1 Thess. i. 2, to express his thanks to Grod on account of their
faith and love (ver. 3). This seems somewhat extraordinary, as he
had by no means, as chap. ii. shews, reason to be so well satisfied
with the then state of the church as at the time of the composi-
tion of the first epistle. In the short time which might separate
the dates of the two epistles circumstances had already greatly
changed, and the originally weak stirrings of enthusiasm were come
to their full development. Nevertheless, Paul might, in spite
of those aberrations, which he assails in chap. iii. with such em-
phatic denunciations, with a good conscience thankfully acknowl-
edge the faith and love of the Thessalonians, as those aberrations
proceeded not from unbelief, but rather from a too great eager-
ness of belief, to which only a clear judgment was wanting. This
excessive eagerness of belief Paul perhaps indulgently points to
by the expression virepavgdveiv, which can scarcely be regarded as
a mere intensification of the simple verb. (Ver. 3. The tcadug
at,6v KOTI is to be referred not so much to the greatness of the
thanks, as to their intrinsic necessity. It cannot be inferred from
the tvof KKaarov that absolutely no differences existed among the
Thessalonians ; chap. iii. shews the contrary. But Paul recognizes
even in these differences a foundation of love, which only mani-
fested itself in them in a perverted form of application ; they had
both faith and love, without being as yet able rightly to direct them
by wisdom.)
Ver. 4. Just as at 1 Thess. i, 7, ii. 19, Paul again describes the
Thessalonians with their powerful faith, which approved itself so
300 SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 5.
brilliantly in persecutions, as his glory before the churches of God.
n7TWf, as the more general idea, might be expected here to pre-
cede vnofiovrft. This in fact would have been requisite, if with Schott
we assumed a Hendiadys, making vnofiovrj /cat Triang stand for -niartg
imofjiivovaa a construction not to be admitted, even apart from the
fact that faith in the general sense is always to be conceived as
vTrofievovoa, and the construction therefore would involve a pleonasm.
But ma-nq in the definite reference to persecutions is to be taken
here not in the general, but in the special sense, as in Rom. xiv.,
viz., solely of the irrefragable fixedness of conviction which allows
itself to be perplexed by no combats, without reference to the ob
ject of faith. In ver. 3, on the contrary, nia~i<; is to be taken in the
comprehensive sense, therefore also with reference to the contents of
the gospel which are believed. (The alg dve%eo6e explains more
nearly the diuynols vp&v. Alf stands, by the well-known law of at-
traction, for of. The present indicates the continuance of the per-
secutions when Paul wrote.)
Ver. 5. Now Paul finds in this approving of their patience and
faith in every combat an evidence of the just judgment of God, that
they may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which they
suffer. The words tvtieiyna TT/? tiinaias Kpioeu$ TOV Qeov unite them-
selves very strictly with the preceding idea of the sufferings en-
dured with patience and faith ; so that it stands for fig Kvdetyfia or
ivdeiypaTi, which some MSS. also read by a facilitating correction.
(Hesychius interprets tvdeiypa by aTiodtifa. At Phil. i. 28 the form
gvdeifa is found for it, in the same meaning, " evidence, proof.")
The language is commonly so explained as to refer diitaia Kpimg to
the future judging of the world ; but how can the present, pa-
tiently endured suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God be an
evidence of the future righteous judgment of God ? It is said, in so
far as God will in his future judgment reward those who have suf-
fered for the sake of the good, and punish the persecutors. But it
is not seen by the present that God rewards the good ; to take their
patience as reward might certainly be too bold ; hence it is also in-
apposite to make the present an evidence for the future. The pas-
sage becomes clear only as we conceive the present sufferings even
already as an expression of the present righteous judgment of God.
The parallel passage 1 Pet. iv. 17, 18, sheds light upon this idea.
The sufferings of the church are there called TO Kpifia TOV olnov TOV
Qeov, the judgment of the house of God; the judging of the world
begins with the faithful ; and their sufferings are represented as a
means of perfection for the faithful. In like manner Paul too here
(comp. at 1 Thess. iii. 4) contemplates their sufferings as a testi-
mony that God is executing his just judgment on them, not how-
ever to destroy them, but to perfect them, and so make them
, SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 6, 7. 301
worthy of God's kingdom. By this kingdom is of course, from the
historical connexion of the two epistles, to be understood the king-
dom of God on earth expected as quite near at hand. Even for
that reason alone the diicaia npiaig cannot be the universal judg-
ment of the world, because that will not take place till after the
kingdom of God on earth. "Tnep fa KOL Trao^ere, /or which also ye
suffer, of course implies no purchasing the kingdom of God by suf-
ferings as meritorious ; as vmp here denotes only the object of the
suffering, " for the sake of which ye also suffer, which ye therefore
represent, in that ye bear it in you, and to which ye, accordingly,
must also at some time outwardly belong." (The compound nara-
giudTjvai does not differ in meaning from the simple verb. See Luke
xx. 35, xxi. 36 ; Acts v. 41.)
Vers. 6, 7. And now the judicial action of God is described in
detail, as it manifests itself in Christ's advent (vers. 6-10). This
detail does not connect itself with Kvday^a diKaiag Kpiaeus, but by
etnep dittaiov with the words elg TO KaTat-tudrjvai, K. r. A. Suffering
here below in the cause of what is good supposes also, in conformity
with God's justice, the receiving the reward of fidelity. As in the
whole course of the world's history, so also in the coming of Christ,
God manifests himself as the just One, who weighs out reward and
punishment by an unalterable law. This, however, is not yet the
Kpioi$ co%ar77, which does not take place till the general resurrection
after the kingdom of God. (See on Matth. xxv. 1, xxiv. 31 ; Kev.
xx. 12, seq.) Justice is here conceived quite in its strict form, as
jus talionis; the afflicters are requited with affliction, the afflicted
rewarded with rest (dveatg'). It need not be mentioned that the
affliction, as such, is not here represented as giving a title to peace
and comfort in the kingdom of God, without looking at the dispo-
sition with which it is undergone, but that the patient, believing
endurance of it must be supplied as described in ver. 4. Just as
little does the Micaiov form an antithesis with the Divine grace ;
Paul does not mean to say God must grant the eternal happiness of
the believing sufferers it can be demanded of him. The point of
view is, as at Rom. ii. 5, 6, one of purely judicial retribution, without
denying the applicability of another principle also which Paul de-
clares at Eom. xi. 35, according to which the worthiness of man at the
tribunal of God is itself God's work. (Ver. 6. As to efrrcp, siquidem,
see Eom. viii. 9, 17 ; 1 Pet. ii. 3. It is not, however, here to be trans-
lated " provided only," but " if, that is to say," with an assumption
of the certainty that it is so, whereas " provided only" admits the pos-
sibility of the contrary.' Tiapd = \:eV. 'Avra-rrodovvai, see Luke xiv.
14 ; Eom. xii. 19 ; 1 Thess. iii. 9. Ver. 7. On dveaig see 2 Cor. vii.
5, viii. 13. It is = dvd^vfa, Acts iii. 19, which is equally used of
the kingdom of God also. The peO' ffti&v is to be referred to Paul
302 SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 8.
and his companions. Of these, after their election by grace, the
attainment of eternal happiness in the kingdom of God is so confi-
dently assumed, that the others are designated as uniting themselves
to them, who constitute the flower of the inhabitants of the kingdom.
of God. The dnoicd^v^ig <nr' ovpavov = Karaftaiveiv an' ovpavov de-
scribed 1 Thess. iv. 16.)
Ver. 8. Christ's coming is now again described (comp. 1 Thess.
iii. 13, iv. 16), as accompanied by angels. As, however, the article
is wanting, we can only suppose some angels, not the whole count-
less army of angels, as has been already remarked at the passages
cited. As dvvafug stands after ayytAwv, it cannot, of course, be
taken, with Michaelis, in the meaning " army," but designates, con-
joined with ayyeAof, the angels as servants and executors of the power
of Christ. A new feature in the picture of the advent, as Paul
sketches it, which did not occur at 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17, is Iv nvpl
0Aoyo$-, for which Lachmann, after important authorities, has adopted
ev </>/loyt Trvpdf. But this reading is easily explained by the endea-
vour to bring the phrase nearer the usual mode of expression, which
speaks of a flame of fire, i. e., fire-flame, indeed, but not of a fire
of flame. But here the latter is the more appropriate. For the
reference here is not to a single fire-flame, but to a flaming, glow-
ing fire, in opposition to a low fire not breaking out into bright
flames. This is here named as the element which consumes all
that resists, and lends at the same time its fearful brightness to the
appearance of the divinity. (Compare Ex. iii. 2, seq.; Dan. vii. 9,
seq.) It stands, therefore, = to KV ry 66%q avrov, Matth. xxv. 31, or
to the hri roJv ve0eAo5> TOV ovoavov, ibid. xxvi. 64, by which, as has
already been remarked at 1 Thess. iv. 17, bright clouds are to be
understood. The description at Rev. xix. 12, where Christ is rep-
resented in his advent as sitting on a white horse, and with eyes &s
0Ao Trvpof, is, according to the analysis of the figurative language
of the Apocalypse, also parallel to this passage. The punitive aspect
of Christ's coming is here now particularly treated of, not cer-
tainly that the Thessalonians might feast to their heart's content
on the future punishment of their persecutors, but as a warning to
deter them from falling away. For the Scriptures know no such
pretended divestment of all egoism, that man needs as motives
neither fear nor hope, whether of damnation or eternal happiness ;
and rightly, for it exhibits itself either as a fanatical error, as in
Madame Guyon, or, which is doubtless the most common, as indif-
ference and torpidity. The repetition of the article before vrranovovoi
certainly countenances the idea that Paul means to name two
classes of persons who will not escape punishment at Christ's coming.
But the supposition that the class " who knew not God" are the
Gentiles, and " those who obey not the gospel" the Jews, is refuted
SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 9. 303
even by the fact that many Gentiles did not receive the gospel
offered to them, and, on the other hand, many Jews did not know
God, that is to say in reality (John viii. 54, seq., xv. 21, seq.) ; for
a merely outward knowledge of the existence of God cannot surely
be meant here ; only the true Kmyvoiaig rov Qeov is everlasting life
(John xvii. 3). The two phrases denote not classes of nations, but
moral conditions ; those among the Jews and the Gentiles who
knew not God in the sense pointed out, and were not obedient to the
gospel which was preached unto them, and whose Divine power
touched their hearts meet with their recompense in the day of the
Lord (see 2 Thess. ii. 11). There is, indeed, also couched in them,
that not all the so-called Gentiles are rejected as suck, but only those
who were not true to the light that shone even for them too, but
by actual sins augmented their original sin to the complete blind-
ing of the spiritual eye. Comp. on Bom. i. 19, 20, ii. 14, 15, 26.
('EadiKT/aiv dtdovat or TTOIEIV = eicdiKelv. Comp. Luke xviii. 7, seq.;
Acts vii. 24.)
Yer. 9. "O/teflpo? aluviog, everlasting destruction, is named as the
punishment which the reprobate (by which, according to ii. 8, Anti-
christ with his followers is to be understood), at the coming of
Christ have to suffer. This is the only passage in Paul's epistles
in which everlasting damnation is openly declared, whereas not
a few occur in which a restoration of all the lost is apparently
assumed as possible. (See at 1 Cor. xv. 25-28.) For, although
little can be inferred from aluvios considered in itself, as it might
also denote merely an uncommonly long time, yet it is not to be
disputed that a comparison with the formula ?? ai&vioq does not
permit us to interpret the phrase o/U0po$- atuvtos otherwise than
of everlasting damnation. For the supposition that Paul did in-
deed in this earliest of his epistles still teach everlasting damnation,
but subsequently relinquished it, there exists no sufficient founda-
tion, because the restoration is nowhere freely and openly declared.
This alone admits of being maintained : that among the writers of
the New Testament Paul throws the doctrine of everlasting damna-
tion most into the shade, and affords the defenders of the Apoca-
tastasis the most plausible support. (The formula diicTjv, fypiav
rieiv } so common in the profane writers, is found in the New Tes-
tament here alone. "Otedpos is used in the New Testament by
Paul alone, 1 Cor. v. 5 ; 1 Thess. v. 3 ; 1 Tim. vi. 9. In the
last passage it stands beside dmo/Urn, which is elsewhere commonly
used as an antithesis to tram/pta.) It is very difficult to decide
how ttTTo is to be taken in the concluding words of ver. 9. For
it may merely denote the source of the punishment, or the sep-
aration of the reprobate from the face of the Lord. Flatt, Storr,
and Pelt, among others, advocate the former, either taking rrpda-
304 SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 10.
unov Kvptov as a mere circumlocution for the person of the Lord, or
understanding -rrpoaw-nov emphatically of the threatening, avenging
countenance. The latter interpretation is defended by Beza, Mi-
chaelis, Koppe, and Schott. The decision is very difficult, be-
cause the two parallel members of the sentence, d-nb Ttpoau-xov rov
Kvpiov and d-nb ~fj<; dofy? rfc loxvoc avrov, seem to favour the two
different interpretations. The words " from the face of the Lord"
argue for the idea of separation, because the looking on the face
of the Lord is used to denote the presence of God and eternal hap-
piness, but the phrase " from the glory of his power" seems rather
to favour the other acceptation, viz., that dno denotes the point of
departure of the punishment. The mention of power does not ac-
cord well with the idea of separation, cutting off from God. We
should be influenced by this latter important point to conceive the
idea thus : " they will receive their punishment from the face of
God as its source," so that the latter is imagined as menacing (the
eyes like flames of fire. Rev. xix. 12), the rather that it is somewhat
harsh to interpret d^6 alone of the separation, unless the comparison
of Isaiah ii. 10, 19 made it more than probable that Paul had that
passage, which accurately coincides with this of Thessalonians, be-
fore his eyes. But in the prophet dno is sufficiently explained by
Kpv-rrreodai preceding, and accordingly we have to acknowledge a
pregnant construction here, in which Paul assumed the allusion to
the passage of the Old Testament as well known.
Ver. 10. The other phase of the advent, the rewarding of the
faithful, is denoted only indirectly, viz., so that Christ himself is
represented as glorified and as an object of admiration by the recog-
nition of them. It declares plainly the greatness of the recompense
which is given to the faithful ; while yet the recognition of them
is referred not to them but to Christ as the author of it. In Rom.
ix. 23 Paul utters the same idea. In like manner it is also ex-
pressed in Psalm Ixxxix. 8. As everything serves the end of mani-
festing the glory of God, so do especially the great events of the
ovvreXeia rov a/wvof, in which the justice and mercy of God will
beam forth in the brightest splendour. As to the rest, the f.v must
be translated strictly "in," for Christ is represented as glorified
in the faithful by his indwelling in them. (See details at ver.
12.) Again, it certainly is not stated here expressly that Christ
comes witli his saints, ns it was said at ver. 7 that he comes with the
angels, but, according to the doctrine of the Kmavvayuj-i'i of the
faithful with Christ in heaven (1 Thess. iv. 17 ; 2 Thess. ii. 1), this
must here too be necessarily assumed. (The compound ti'6o!;d&a6ai
is found in the New Testament only here and at ver. 12. In the
Old Testament it occurs Ex. xix. 4 ; Ezek. xxviii. 22, for 1=2".)
Lastly, as to the concluding words of ver. 10, the connexion : on
SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 11.
TO \wQrvpiov T]\I&V t'0' v\iaq tv -y ^fispct KKELV^ is inadmissible,
because the aorist cannot possibly have the meaning of the future.
Besides, the acceptation of the words as, "my testimony as to you,
i. e., the testimony which I bear to your faith (ver. 4) will be estab-
lished on that day," which the defenders of that connexion, Gro-
tius, Bengel, Koppe, and Flatt, urge, is not without harshness.
For, on the one hand, paprvpiov generally refers to the testimony of
Christ, the K^vj^ia T% dtyddag ; on the other, Emarevdr], in accord-
ance with the moTsvaaai which precedes, is also to be taken in the
meaning " to believe." Therefore OTI eniaTevdr] TO naprvpiov r]n&v g0'
v^ag, can only be taken as a parenthesis, in the sense, " ye have
truly believed our testimony unto you, i. e., received the gospel
preached unto you by us." The t-v rf/ r^epa indvq, on the contrary,
belongs to the former half of ver. 10, orav t/Ufy, K. r A. (niarevoaoi
is, on the authority of the MSS., to be preferred to TTIOTSVOVGI, the
reading of the text. rec. Their faith is represented as completed, as
they on that day have passed into seeing (the face of God).
Ver. 11. To this is then subjoined the remark that Paul re-
members his readers in praying for them that God may perfect them
in their life of faith. (Rig o is our " for this purpose, to the end,"
viz., " that Christ at his coming may be glorified through you," as
ver. 12 shews. 'A^ovv rrjg K^ijaeug might in itself mean, " to favour
with the call," i. e., " to hold worthy to be called." But, as the
Thessalonians were already called, the context requires, " to make
worthy of the call which has already taken place," viz., by fidelity
and zeal in sanctification. These would, therefore, not be looked
upon as a work of man, but as God's work in man's soul, which he
may, however, hinder through unfaithfulness. The concluding words,
Kal nAi]puoq KV dwdfjiEi describe more in detail the process of the
d^iovv. RvdoKia dyaduavvrjg might in itself, like the corresponding,
Hebrew, ro'.tsf.rn, be referred to God's goodness, which he manifests
unto man according to his good pleasure, for dyaduavvr] is only the
abstract form of dyaQov, and receives its closer definiteness only
from the context. But the epyov mareug, word of faith, which,
stands parallel with it, requires that evdoicia dyaduavv-rig also be re-
ferred to the condition of the Thessalonians, so that the sense is,
*' God fill you with all the good which is well-pleasing to him, i. e.,
may he fill you with all the good which is well-pleasing to him in
you." The phrase tpyov niaTEwg is not put merely for mang it-
self, nor does it mark here the independent activity of man in
the fight of faith, as at 1 Thess. i. 3, because the discourse is of
God's work, and not of man's ; Kpyov Tuarewf rather denotes here
faith as God's work in the souls of men, which is capable of a con-
tinued development in respect to its discernment and depth. 'Ev
dvvdaei, in power, refers to the whole clause " that he may fulfil,
VOL. V 20
306 SECOND THESSALONIANS I. 12 II. 1-17.
etc., and is to be taken adverbially, " in a powerful, efficacious
manner." As to the rest, the construction of Trtypovv with a
double accusative is altogether unusual ; it is usually joined with
the accusative. and the genitive or the dative, -rrXrjpovv rivd, nv6(; or
rivl. [Compare Acts ii. 28, xiii. 52 ; Rom. i. 29 ; 2 Cor. vii. 4.] If
we do not choose to regard evdonfav and tpyov as accusatives abso-
lute, we might from what precedes refer merely iva without v[id$ to
irA.T)puoy } and supply tv i-^lv with the accusatives evdox-av and KQJOV.
But this construction too is clearly so harsh that the former ac-
ceptation may yet be worthy of the preference. It is true at Eph.
v. 18 TT^tjpovodai is found joined with t-v, but there it is put with the
thing, not the person, which latter would hardly be found.)
Ver. 12. In conclusion, Paul applies the idea pronounced in
ver. 10 generally of all believers to the Thessalonians themselves.
Instead of the Lord, his ovofia only is named here as the object of
glorification, but ovop,a stands, like ay, for the very essence of his per-
son, as already remarked at Matth. xviii. 19, 20 ; John xiv. ll,seq.
But then, with the essence the glory of Christ himself is at the
same time necessarily contained in the expression <5vo/ia, as Phil. ii.
9, 10, on which see the Comm., especially shews. Now the addition
v/ieZf tv avroi clearly points to the inference, that the iv vfilv, as has
been already remarked on ver. 10, is not to be taken merely in an
outward sense, but in an inward one, of the indwelling of Christ in
the souls of the faithful. For this admits of being conceived con-
versely as a being of the faithful in Christ, and the rfte'ig fv avrti
brings forward this other phase. As to the rest, this passage has in
ideas and expression a tinge quite in the style of John. (See the
Comm. on John xiii. 31, xvii. 1, 21, 26, also further Rev. iii. 20.)
But all this is only the operation of the grace of God and of
Christ, not of one's own strength and exertion. The juxtaposition
of the Father and Son here again is to be explained by the remark
on 1 Thess. iii. 11.
2. OF THE CONDITIONS OF CHRIST'S ADVENT.
(ii. 1-17.)
After this introduction acknowledging his readers' state of faith,
Paul uow comes directly to the chief point of his epistle, to the
question with regard to Christ's coining again, as to which fresh
errors had developed themselves in Thessalonica after the first epis-
tle was sent off. In a properly prophetic communication Paul de-
livers himself on the point of what must precede the coming of
Christ, and imparts on this occasion extremely important in forma-
SECOND THESSALONIANS II. 1-17. 307
tion as to the nature of Antichrist, the mode of his operation, and
what still hinders his being revealed. The first two points, the
nature of Antichrist and the mode of his operation, are, it is true,
circumstantially described in Revelation also, so that we here learn