2 Thessalonians
A follow-up to a church that is suffering and unsettled: God will set things right, so don't be shaken, and keep working.
Who wrote it
The letter names Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy (1:1) and claims Paul's own handwriting (3:17), and the church has long accepted it as Paul's. A number of modern scholars question it, pointing to its similarity to 1 Thessalonians, a somewhat more formal tone, and a different picture of the end; others point out that similar wording is natural when the same author writes soon after, to the same people, about related matters. The letter itself warns about letters falsely said to come from Paul (2:2; 3:17).
Who it was for
Written to the same church as 1 Thessalonians. Persecution had continued (1:4-7), and some had been told that "the day of the Lord has already come" (2:2). Some members had also stopped working and become dependent on others (3:6-12).
When it happens
If Paul wrote it, the letter was sent soon after the first, since the same three men are named and the situation is similar. Corinth is the likely place, based on Acts 18:1-18, but the letter does not say where it was written. If it was written by someone else, the date is uncertain and might be later.
How to read it
A short pastoral letter with a firm, corrective tone. It includes thanks and a prayer, an encouragement for the persecuted, a correction about the timing of the Lord's coming (using symbolic, apocalyptic language), and a command about work.
Map: Thessalonica and Corinth
Open mapThe letter is addressed to Thessalonica; Corinth is the likely place from which Paul wrote.
Timeline
Open timelineIn order, not to scale.
God will set things right when Christ returns, giving relief to the afflicted and judgment to those who oppose him; so do not be shaken by claims that the day has come, stand firm in what you were taught, and keep doing good, including honest work.
- God's justice and relief for the persecuted
- The day of the Lord and the "man of lawlessness"
- Standing firm in what was taught
- Work and idleness
- Prayer and the faithful Lord
Who’s who
Paul
The apostle (in the traditional view), writing with Silvanus and Timothy and signing in his own hand (3:17).
- Chapters: 1, 3
Silvanus
Paul's co-worker (Silas), named in the greeting.
- Chapters: 1
Timothy
Paul's younger co-worker, named in the greeting.
- Parents: Eunice
- Chapters: 1
The believers in Thessalonica
Faithful under persecution, but unsettled by a rumor and by some who had stopped working.
The man of lawlessness
A figure who will rebel against God and exalt himself before the Lord comes (2:3-9); who or what he is has been debated for centuries.
The Lord Jesus
Who will be revealed from heaven and give relief to the afflicted.
- Parents: Joseph, Mary
- Siblings: James, Joses, Jude, Simon
- Chapters: 1, 2, 3
Family links and chapters: Theographic Bible Metadata, CC BY-SA 4.0. About our sources