Pauline Epistles · New Testament
2 Thessalonians
c. AD 51
- Section
- Pauline Epistles · New Testament
- Events span
- c. AD 51
- Written
- c. AD 51, from Corinth (in modern-day Greece)
- Author
- Paul the Apostle
Paul writes again to steady the Thessalonians, who are shaken by a claim that the day of the Lord has already come. He assures them of God's justice, explains that a rebellion and a “man of sin” must come first, and warns the idle to get back to work.
Historical setting: The young church at Thessalonica under pressure; the Second Temple still standing, Judea under Roman rule.
Key themes
- The day of the Lord
- The man of sin
- Standing firm
- God's justice
- Work and discipline
The letter's message
- God will bring relief to the persecuted and just judgment on their persecutors
- The day of the Lord has not yet come; the rebellion and the man of sin must appear first
- Stand firm and hold to the teachings you were taught
- A warning against idleness: "if any would not work, neither should he eat"
Key lessons
- God’s justice is sure; he will finally set every wrong right, giving relief to the persecuted and repaying those who oppress them. 2 Thess 1:6–7
- Do not be shaken by sensational claims about the end; believers are to stand firm in what they were taught rather than chase every alarm. 2 Thess 2:1–2
- Faith is no excuse for idleness; those able to work should do so, for “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thess 3:10
“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.”
Critical scholarship view
Where mainstream critical scholarship dates or attributes this book differently from the traditional view above.
- Written
- Disputed; possibly a later disciple, c. AD 80–100
- Author
- Paul or a later disciple (authorship disputed)