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1 and 2 Thessalonians Through the Centuries
This unique commentary on Paul’s early letters, by an outstanding New Testament specialist, provides a broad range of original perspectives of how people have interpreted and been influenced by Paul’s first two letters.
Addresses questions concerning the content, setting, and authenticity of the two Thessalonian letters, drawing on responses from leading scholars, poets, hymn writers, preachers, theologians, and biblical scholars throughout the ages
Offers new insights into issues they raise concerning feminist biblical interpretation
Provides a history of two-way influences, as exemplified by Ulrich Luz, Hans Robert Jauss, and Hans-Georg Gadamer
Written by Anthony Thiselton, a leading commentator on the Greek New Testament.
Addresses questions concerning the content, setting, and authenticity of the two Thessalonian letters, drawing on responses from leading scholars, poets, hymn writers, preachers, theologians, and biblical scholars throughout the ages
Offers new insights into issues they raise concerning feminist biblical interpretation
Provides a history of two-way influences, as exemplified by Ulrich Luz, Hans Robert Jauss, and Hans-Georg Gadamer
Written by Anthony Thiselton, a leading commentator on the Greek New Testament.
MP3 CD
First published December 1, 2010
7 people want to read
About the author
Anthony C. Thiselton
53 books23 followersAnthony Charles Thiselton is emeritus professor of Christian theology at the University of Nottingham and a fellow of the British Academy. His recent publications include Approaching Philosophy of Religion, Discovering Romans, Systematic Theology, The Holy Spirit, and The Last Things.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 21, 2022
I read this commentary because I wanted to learn how 2 Thessalonians 2 has been interpreted through various times in the church. Thiselton's comparative study did not disappoint me, and I thought it had a reasonable variety of writers and thinkers within each historical period. He argues from reception theory to engage not only what is typically thought of as theological writing but also religious poetry and hymnody. While the writing is clumsy at times and some evidence is repeated in consecutive chapters and passages, the commentary is worth considering in a study of Thessalonians.
February 23, 2017
A well researched and somewhat unique commentary on a difficult letter(s).
Thiselton engages in a study of "reception history" moving us from perceptions of the orginal text to, not simply the ensuing growth and development of thought and argument surrounding the text over the years, but also embedding us in the poems, songs and writings that flowed out of these thoughts (in the context of a practiced Christian faith and piety). In this way, Thiselton helps to shed light on how interpretations of the text influenced the way people lived the text in a practical sense. It's a process that helps the reader contrast Paul's early context (as the most widely accepted author) with that application of the letters into later Christian communities, and thus sheds some light on how we can best apply it in our own circumstances as well.
Along the way, Thiselton provides some helpful exegesis surrounding certain themes, the most difficult being the apocalyptic nature of the 2nd letter.
Some things of interest for my own life and study:
1. The notion of "faith, hope and love" as interconnected works of the spirit. We encounter these terms in the beginning of chapter 1 (of the first letter), and the theme flows through the letter, giving notable force to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 (and it's description of a life pleasing to God).
2. The concept of waiting, and the practice of waiting, becomes a prominent part of Paul's exhortation. The more we uncover (in the pages of the letter) about the early recipients, the more noted this concept of waiting becomes. There is something both unfamiliar and familiar about the challenge that this community faced in making sense of Christ's promised return and the reality of their everyday lives.
3. There is some fascinating argumentation in the two letters that attempts to deal with the role of God's providential work in the midst of this waiting. As faith, hope and love remain interconnected, the letter helps to remind it's original readers (and us today) that how we view God, the promises of God, and God's active participation in our waiting is hugely important. In the realm of reception history, this of course leads us into further difficult discussions of predestination and questions of God's "hardening of hearts", but in it's original context Paul seems intent on showing that, even if we cannot understand the ways, we can trust that God is still at work in the waiting.
4. The mystery, and embracing this mystery of God's providential work, also becomes a part of the discussion, particularly in the more difficult apocalyptic language of the second letter. Here we contrast harsher terms (like judgment) with the growing Pauline imagery of the unsearchable ways of God (Romans 11:33), making sense of God's sense of justice (an eye for an eye in chapter 1), and the mystery of how lawlessness (some see, some don't; some hear, some don't; some recieve, some don't) connects with God's grace (2:7).
5. Pray without ceasing. Prayer is the action that brings about our works of faith, that expects God's justice. I never expected prayer to play such a prominant role in the two letters, so this notion came as a bit of a surprise.
6. Paul is insistant on distinguishing between man's word and God's word. Not only does he go out of the way to note this throughout the letters, but in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, we find a focus on God's word versus human words. They are not the same, nor do they hold the same power. God's Word has the power to move ahead of us, to move before us and to enact the change the promise of faith expects. Human words are limited in this respect, and thus, in the integration of faith, hope and love, when one increases so does the other, and as all three increase, the practice of waiting (for the promise of God to be fulfilled) becomes that much more meaningful.
7. Closely connected to distinguishing between man's word and God's word, is the duality and distinguishability of body and spirit. In the two letters, the larger movement of God forms both the physical and practical role of the body (or the person) along with the development and encouragement of the spirit (as the activity of God through the person). This is particularly important as Paul moves back and forth from human responsibility to trust in God's providential work. This is a part of the mystery that Paul is speaking to, the movement of the spirit as God moving ahead of us and the active participation in what the spirit is doing.
8. The connection between how we view the world around us in the waiting process, and the act of actually living in the waiting process is an interesting theme that comes out in the letters. For some reason it would see that, as the community in Thessalonica confused Christ's return (Did He return? Did they miss His return? And if they did, what does this mean for them in a world where the promised restoration hasn't yet arrived), they also confused what it meant to participate in their faith. It would seem, for as well meaning as they were and for as faithful as they were staying to Jesus, that they had adopted an attitude and posture that had removed them for the everydayness of life. Rather than working they were depending on the collective finances of the rich to carry them through to the Day of the Lord. Rather than establishing their lives in their community (despite the tough circumstances that surrounded them), they were acting as if the world would end tomorrow (which also caused them to be rather aggressive in their relationships with each-other and with others). Paul's admonisions carefully encourages them towards a healthier approach to waiting, a waiting which is defined by a Day that is not ours to know and a restoration that will happen in God's timing not ours. The prominant theme of the paraousia comes out in this as well, as much of their anxiety seemed to stem from making sense of whether those who had died (before seeing the return of Christ) would still have the opportunity to be with Christ. Paul does much work here to show God's work of restoration as reaching beyond the physical forces of death.
To this end, here is a final learning that I had from this commentary:
"... aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.."
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11
As I continue to work through an exposition of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, I find myself stuck on this verse:
1. Paul is encouraging his audience towards holiness, a word that for him involves both (physical) body and spirit.
2. Holiness for Paul is three fold- avoid doing wrong by our brothers and sisters (4:6), avoid disregard for God (4:8), and to love one another (4:9). These three things describe a "life pleasing to God".
Doing wrong by our brothers and sisters is defined also as "disregarding God" (whoever disregards this disregards God), and likewise those who love one another also show love to God.
3. The coming of Christ is a theme referenced in every chapter of the first letter. Paul, Timothy and Silas preached to a synagogue in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4) about the Resurrection of Christ and His expected return before politics forced them to leave.
4. The Church carried forward, and Paul's letter reflects a community that is struggling to make sense of their faith amidst the promised return and restoration of Christ. Hardship and loss in the community is challenging their ability to remain hopeful in the midst of suffering.
5. Paul's words of encouragement offers them a way forward:
First, he reminds them that love, or "brotherly love", is something that we all instinctively know and understand. Second, the thing we need to hear is often not what to do, but a reminder to "keep" doing it. Third, a helpful way to "keep" in love is to live quietly, mind our own affairs and work with our hands.
6. We live quietly to ensure that the Gospel and Christian theology is not ours to control, but rather to receive, to ponder and to live.
We mind our own affairs because as we ponder the Gospel's place in our life and learn to live it out, we can rest in the truth that the life of others is not ours to judge and circumstances are not ours to control, but rather we are simply meant to love.
We work with our hands so as to allow this love to remain honest, to keep dependent on God and God alone, and to ensure that our love is more than mere words.
Thiselton engages in a study of "reception history" moving us from perceptions of the orginal text to, not simply the ensuing growth and development of thought and argument surrounding the text over the years, but also embedding us in the poems, songs and writings that flowed out of these thoughts (in the context of a practiced Christian faith and piety). In this way, Thiselton helps to shed light on how interpretations of the text influenced the way people lived the text in a practical sense. It's a process that helps the reader contrast Paul's early context (as the most widely accepted author) with that application of the letters into later Christian communities, and thus sheds some light on how we can best apply it in our own circumstances as well.
Along the way, Thiselton provides some helpful exegesis surrounding certain themes, the most difficult being the apocalyptic nature of the 2nd letter.
Some things of interest for my own life and study:
1. The notion of "faith, hope and love" as interconnected works of the spirit. We encounter these terms in the beginning of chapter 1 (of the first letter), and the theme flows through the letter, giving notable force to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 (and it's description of a life pleasing to God).
2. The concept of waiting, and the practice of waiting, becomes a prominent part of Paul's exhortation. The more we uncover (in the pages of the letter) about the early recipients, the more noted this concept of waiting becomes. There is something both unfamiliar and familiar about the challenge that this community faced in making sense of Christ's promised return and the reality of their everyday lives.
3. There is some fascinating argumentation in the two letters that attempts to deal with the role of God's providential work in the midst of this waiting. As faith, hope and love remain interconnected, the letter helps to remind it's original readers (and us today) that how we view God, the promises of God, and God's active participation in our waiting is hugely important. In the realm of reception history, this of course leads us into further difficult discussions of predestination and questions of God's "hardening of hearts", but in it's original context Paul seems intent on showing that, even if we cannot understand the ways, we can trust that God is still at work in the waiting.
4. The mystery, and embracing this mystery of God's providential work, also becomes a part of the discussion, particularly in the more difficult apocalyptic language of the second letter. Here we contrast harsher terms (like judgment) with the growing Pauline imagery of the unsearchable ways of God (Romans 11:33), making sense of God's sense of justice (an eye for an eye in chapter 1), and the mystery of how lawlessness (some see, some don't; some hear, some don't; some recieve, some don't) connects with God's grace (2:7).
5. Pray without ceasing. Prayer is the action that brings about our works of faith, that expects God's justice. I never expected prayer to play such a prominant role in the two letters, so this notion came as a bit of a surprise.
6. Paul is insistant on distinguishing between man's word and God's word. Not only does he go out of the way to note this throughout the letters, but in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, we find a focus on God's word versus human words. They are not the same, nor do they hold the same power. God's Word has the power to move ahead of us, to move before us and to enact the change the promise of faith expects. Human words are limited in this respect, and thus, in the integration of faith, hope and love, when one increases so does the other, and as all three increase, the practice of waiting (for the promise of God to be fulfilled) becomes that much more meaningful.
7. Closely connected to distinguishing between man's word and God's word, is the duality and distinguishability of body and spirit. In the two letters, the larger movement of God forms both the physical and practical role of the body (or the person) along with the development and encouragement of the spirit (as the activity of God through the person). This is particularly important as Paul moves back and forth from human responsibility to trust in God's providential work. This is a part of the mystery that Paul is speaking to, the movement of the spirit as God moving ahead of us and the active participation in what the spirit is doing.
8. The connection between how we view the world around us in the waiting process, and the act of actually living in the waiting process is an interesting theme that comes out in the letters. For some reason it would see that, as the community in Thessalonica confused Christ's return (Did He return? Did they miss His return? And if they did, what does this mean for them in a world where the promised restoration hasn't yet arrived), they also confused what it meant to participate in their faith. It would seem, for as well meaning as they were and for as faithful as they were staying to Jesus, that they had adopted an attitude and posture that had removed them for the everydayness of life. Rather than working they were depending on the collective finances of the rich to carry them through to the Day of the Lord. Rather than establishing their lives in their community (despite the tough circumstances that surrounded them), they were acting as if the world would end tomorrow (which also caused them to be rather aggressive in their relationships with each-other and with others). Paul's admonisions carefully encourages them towards a healthier approach to waiting, a waiting which is defined by a Day that is not ours to know and a restoration that will happen in God's timing not ours. The prominant theme of the paraousia comes out in this as well, as much of their anxiety seemed to stem from making sense of whether those who had died (before seeing the return of Christ) would still have the opportunity to be with Christ. Paul does much work here to show God's work of restoration as reaching beyond the physical forces of death.
To this end, here is a final learning that I had from this commentary:
"... aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands.."
- 1 Thessalonians 4:11
As I continue to work through an exposition of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, I find myself stuck on this verse:
1. Paul is encouraging his audience towards holiness, a word that for him involves both (physical) body and spirit.
2. Holiness for Paul is three fold- avoid doing wrong by our brothers and sisters (4:6), avoid disregard for God (4:8), and to love one another (4:9). These three things describe a "life pleasing to God".
Doing wrong by our brothers and sisters is defined also as "disregarding God" (whoever disregards this disregards God), and likewise those who love one another also show love to God.
3. The coming of Christ is a theme referenced in every chapter of the first letter. Paul, Timothy and Silas preached to a synagogue in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4) about the Resurrection of Christ and His expected return before politics forced them to leave.
4. The Church carried forward, and Paul's letter reflects a community that is struggling to make sense of their faith amidst the promised return and restoration of Christ. Hardship and loss in the community is challenging their ability to remain hopeful in the midst of suffering.
5. Paul's words of encouragement offers them a way forward:
First, he reminds them that love, or "brotherly love", is something that we all instinctively know and understand. Second, the thing we need to hear is often not what to do, but a reminder to "keep" doing it. Third, a helpful way to "keep" in love is to live quietly, mind our own affairs and work with our hands.
6. We live quietly to ensure that the Gospel and Christian theology is not ours to control, but rather to receive, to ponder and to live.
We mind our own affairs because as we ponder the Gospel's place in our life and learn to live it out, we can rest in the truth that the life of others is not ours to judge and circumstances are not ours to control, but rather we are simply meant to love.
We work with our hands so as to allow this love to remain honest, to keep dependent on God and God alone, and to ensure that our love is more than mere words.
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