The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (233 page)

5:14 admonish the idle:
Paul has no sympathy for freeloaders who expect to eat but are unwilling to work. This is an embarrassing problem in Thessalonica and needs to be addressed firmly by the congregation (2Thess 3:6-13).
See note on 1 Thess 4:11
. 
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5:15 evil for evil:
The gospel forbids personal retaliation (Mt 5:38-42; Rom 12:17-19). 
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5:17 pray constantly:
I.e., pray regularly, but we should also allow the spirit of prayer and praise to envelop our work and daily activities (Eph 6:18). Whatever we do can be done for the greater glory of God (Col 3:17) (CCC 1174, 2743). 
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5:19 Do not quench the Spirit:
I.e., by resisting the movement of the Spirit and the exercise of his gifts (1 Cor 12:4-11). Paul's only proviso is that they test prophesies and alleged revelations to make sure they line up with the truths of the gospel (Rom 12:6; 1 Cor 14:29) (CCC 696, 799-801). • When a person is moved by the Spirit to do something generous, and someone else impedes him, the one who impedes quenches the Spirit. Also, when someone commits mortal sin, the Spirit ceases to abide in him. A third way to quench the Spirit is to conceal our gifts instead of using them for the benefit of others (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Commentary on 1 Thessalonians
5, 2). 
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5:23 spirit and soul and body:
Paul is emphasizing the wholeness of the person without intending to make precise distinctions between his component parts. A certain distinction can be made, however, if we understand the
body
as the material frame, the
soul
as its immaterial principle of life, and the
spirit
as the human capacity for prayer and worship (Rom 1:9; 1 Cor 14:15; CCC 367). 
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5:26 a holy kiss:
An outward sign of fraternal affection (Rom 16:16; 1 Pet 5:14). 
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5:27 I adjure you:
Paul is putting his readers under oath to ensure that his written instructions are made known to every member of the Church. The eucharistic liturgy was the most suitable context for a public reading of the letter (1 Tim 4:13). 
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INTRODUCTION TO

Author
 Second Thessalonians is a genuine letter from the Apostle Paul. His name stands at the beginning of it (1:1); his personal signature stands at the end of it (3:17); and Christian tradition has universally accepted its authenticity from earliest times. Despite this, a surprising number of scholars have come to doubt or even deny the apostolic authorship of 2 Thessalonians. They claim instead that an admirer of Paul, hiding behind the name of the apostle, penned the epistle toward the end of the first century. Among other things, the argument is made
(1)
that 2 Thessalonians has a different perspective on the timing of Christ's return (still distant) from that of 1 Thessalonians (imminent) and
(2)
that the remarkable similarities between 1 and 2 Thessalonians raise suspicions that the second letter was written in conscious imitation of the first. Neither of these objections is sufficiently strong to topple the traditional view. On the timing of Christ's coming, it must be stressed that Paul never claimed in 1 Thessalonians that Jesus would return immediately, only that he would come suddenly (1 Thess 5:2). This, it would seem, is the very misunderstanding that Paul sets out to correct in 2 Thessalonians (2 Thess 2:1-3). On the similarities between the two epistles, it must be recognized that Paul's distinctive style is a blade that cuts both ways. In theory, similarities of expression could mean that someone was trying to imitate Paul; but it is far more natural to suppose that the apostle himself was simply writing in his usual style. Finally, it would be exceedingly odd for someone impersonating Paul to warn the Thessalonians not to accept fabricated letters purporting to come from the apostle (2 Thess 2:2). For the use of the plural "we" and "us" throughout this letter (2 Thess 1:3, 11; 2:1; 3:1; etc.), see the introduction to First Thessalonians:
Author.

Date and Destination
 Scholars who hold the traditional view of Pauline authorship agree that 2 Thessalonians was written about the same time (
A.D.
50 or 51) and probably from the same place (Corinth) as 1 Thessalonians. Reference is made to the first epistle in 2:15, but it is uncertain how much earlier it was sent off. The situation of the Church seems to be the same, and Paul's focus on the return of Jesus in both letters suggests the second could have been written within weeks or months of the first. In any case, both Thessalonian letters were sent to the same Church in Macedonia (northern Greece) that Paul and his coworkers had founded on his second missionary tour (Acts 17:19). See introduction to First Thessalonians:
Destination.

Purpose and Themes
 Paul sent 2 Thessalonians as a follow-up letter to 1 Thessalonians, which was partly ignored and partly misunderstood by his readers. There was need now to correct the way certain believers were thinking and living in light of Christ's expected return. The letter addresses this twofold problem with doctrinal exposition and moral exhortation.
(1)
Doctrinal Exposition:
As in his first letter, Paul gives readers an eschatological vision of things to come. This is necessary because some of the Thessalonians are shaken by an alarming idea, based on a misunderstanding of his first letter (1 Thess 4:13-5:12) and reinforced by another letter forged in Paul's name (2 Thess 2:2), that the end times have arrived and the Second Coming of Jesus is just around the corner. Paul considers this a deception (2:3) because Christ will not return in glory until a whole series of events have taken place first. Specifically, Paul insists that a nefarious "man of lawlessness", an agent of Satan, must first be allowed to spread confusion throughout the world and impress the wicked with signs and wonders of his power (2:3, 9-10). This villain has yet to arrive because a mysterious force restrains him from showing his face until the appointed time (2:7-8). Only after this period of turmoil and tribulation will Christ come again as the divine Warrior and Judge to slay the offender and condemn the ungodly (2:8).
(2)
Moral Exhortation:
Confusion about the timing of Christ's coming has led certain believers into strange and disorderly conduct. We can infer from Paul's comments in 3:6-15 that some in Thessalonica were so convinced that Jesus would return at any moment that they had quit their jobs and stopped working for a living. Paul has nothing good to say about this behavior and seems annoyed that his readers have not heeded his earlier appeals to "work" diligently (1 Thess 4:11) and "admonish the idle" (1 Thess 5:14). The congregation is charged with addressing this problem decisively but charitably (2 Thess 3:14-15). In Paul's mind, these freeloaders who live on the charity of others will better prepare themselves for Christ's return by working than by sitting around waiting. «

OUTLINE OF THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS

1. Opening Address (
1:1-2
)

2. Personal Encouragement from Paul (
1:3-12
)

   A. Thanksgiving (
1:3-4
)

   B. The Day of Judgment (
1:5-10
)

   C. Prayer for Spiritual Progress (
1:11-12
)

3. The Coming Day of the Lord (
2:1-17
)

   A. The Rebellion Comes First (
2:1-12
)

   B. Thanksgiving and Appeal (
2:13-15
)

   C. Prayer for Comfort (
2:16-17
)

4. Exhortations to Love and Labor (
3:1-15
)

   A. Prayers for and from Paul (
3:1-5
)

   B. Admonishing the Idle (
3:6-15
)

5. Conclusion (
3:16-18
)

THE SECOND LETTER OF SAINT PAUL TO THE

Chapters

1
2
3

Salutation

1
 
Paul, Silva'nus, and Timothy
,

   To
the Church
of the Thessalo'nians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2
 
Grace to you and peace
from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

3
 We are bound to
give thanks
to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing.
⁴
Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all
your persecutions
and in the afflictions which you are enduring.

The Judgment at Christ's Coming

5
 
This is evidence
of the righteous
judgment
of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering—
⁶
since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
⁷
and to grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in
flaming fire
,
⁸
inflicting vengeance
upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
⁹
They shall suffer the punishment of
eternal destruction
and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
¹⁰
when he comes on
that day
to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
¹¹
To this end
we always pray
for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
¹²
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of
our God and the Lord Jesus Christ
.

The Man of Lawlessness

2
  
Now
concerning
the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren,
²
not to be quickly
shaken in mind or excited
, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
 
*
³
Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless
the rebellion
comes first, and the man of lawlessness
^a
 
*
is revealed, the son of perdition,
⁴
who opposes and
exalts himself
against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
⁵
Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this?
⁶
And you know what is
restraining
him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
⁷
For the mystery of
lawlessness
is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
 
*
⁸
And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord
Jesus will slay him
with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.
⁹
The coming of the lawless one by the
activity of Satan
will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders,
¹⁰
and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
¹¹
Therefore God sends upon them
a strong delusion
, to make them believe what is false,
¹²
so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Chosen for Salvation

13
 But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because
God chose you
from the beginning
^b
to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit
^c
and belief in the truth.
¹⁴
To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
¹⁵
So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to
the traditions
which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.