2 thessalonians literary analysis
After completing this lesson, students should: demonstrate familiarity with the content and context of 1 and 2 Thessalonians; summarize the core arguments made in each of the letters; articulate literary, rhetorical, and sociocultural features of 1 and 2 Thessalonians and how such factors affect one's reading of the letters; and apply exegetical skills to the interpretation of a text. It is largely considered to be the earliest surviving letter written by Paul, and thus can provide a baseline for understanding at least some of his organizational strategies and theological ideas. Despite a few challenges to its authenticity, the letter is almost universally seen as a single composition, with perhaps one exception: the second "thanksgiving" section at — Not only is a second thanksgiving unusual both for Paul and in Greco-Roman letters generally, the largely negative view of the Judeans in this text is not consistent with what Paul writes elsewhere i.
About the letter
After completing this lesson, students should: demonstrate familiarity with the content and context of 1 and 2 Thessalonians; summarize the core arguments made in each of the letters; articulate literary, rhetorical, and sociocultural features of 1 and 2 Thessalonians and how such factors affect one's reading of the letters; and apply exegetical skills to the interpretation of a text.
It is largely considered to be the earliest surviving letter written by Paul, and thus can provide a baseline for understanding at least some of his organizational strategies and theological ideas.
Despite a few challenges to its authenticity, the letter is almost universally seen as a single composition, with perhaps one exception: the second "thanksgiving" section at — Not only is a second thanksgiving unusual both for Paul and in Greco-Roman letters generally, the largely negative view of the Judeans in this text is not consistent with what Paul writes elsewhere i.
In contrast, while 2 Thessalonians is viewed to have structural integrity, its very authorship is called into question by many again, but not all commentators. There is almost universal agreement that Paul's letters evidence ancient epistolary features —that is, they look and sound, in general, like other letters that an ancient reader might receive.
Whether or not the letters also evidence features of ancient rhetoric is, however, a matter of debate. On the one hand, there are clearly some standard rhetorical moves evident in the progression of Paul's letters. On the other hand, that there is little agreement among commentators as to where one rhetorical division ends and the next begins calls into question just how deliberately, and how obviously, Paul was using rhetorical structures that were typical of ancient speeches.
While commentators largely agree upon the rhetorical divisions of 1 Thessalonians, the overall rhetorical species of the letter is subject to much debate. Others take the letter to be epideictic, serving to praise the Thessalonians Christ adherents for the strength of their faith and their devotion to Paul. After traveling west along the Via Egnatia , the main Roman road across Macedonia , Paul and his coworkers, Timothy and Silvanus, proclaimed their message at Thessalonike while working at their trade to earn their keep 1 Thess The letters make no mention of any of these events and the narrative strategies of the writer means that there is limited historical value to Acts.
Thus, for determining the details behind the formation of the Christ group in Thessalonike, the letters are our most important sources. And in 1 Thessalonians Paul claims that the Thessalonians "turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God. Thus, from the letter itself we can conclude that the first Christ group at Thessalonike was largely, if not exclusively Gentiles cf.
Based on references to work, particularly manual labor , throughout 1 Thessalonians e. While there are a number theoretical models for understanding the origins of the group at Thessalonike several of which are not antithetical to the association model , there is a great deal of primary source evidence that supports the organization of the Thessalonian Christ group as similar to other occupational associations, many of which are attested at Thessalonike itself, as well as in the surrounding region see P.
Nigelis in Nasrallah, et al. Students interested in this type of group structure can examine a number of association inscriptions from Thessalonike and discuss some of the community characteristics they observe in these texts. Once the Christ group was formed, Paul and his companions continued to work "night and day" to support themselves Occasionally their earnings were supplemented by money sent from the Philippian Christ group Phil The overall tone of the letter is warm and affirmative about the existing relationships and the faithfulness of the audience in their service to "the living and true God" Given the history of apocalyptic thought, particularly in modern North America, students may gravitate toward the apocalyptic passages in one or both of these letters, attempting to reconcile them not only with one another but also with other Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts e.
This assignment aims to have students engage in a close reading of both letters while also constructing an argument around the authenticity and authorship of the letters. It also provides an opportunity to open up a discussion with students about authorship more broadly why it matters; ancient authorship versus contemporary authorship; etc. The exercise is lengthy and would take up the entire class period of sixty or ninety minutes.
That said, the exercise and discussions would allow for the critical issues in the letters to be discussed as they arise naturally from a reading of the text that is, this assignment is meant to replace a lecture with an extended discussion format in which mini-lectures can complement the work the students are doing. To begin with, the instructor distributes a photocopy of the texts of 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Students are asked to work in groups of two to four and use colored markers to highlight words and phrases that are the same or similar between the two letters. Students may need some initial guidance or an example or two from the instructor; for example, the opening verses of the two letters have considerable overlap in wording or a chart showing the overall structure of the letters. Once the students have spent some time working on the charts, the instructor can open up the classroom for plenary discussion, perhaps beginning by asking what kinds of information can be gleaned from the highlighting of words and the similarities and differences noted between the two letters.
Students will initially want to list the things that they have discovered, but as more similarities and differences are unveiled the instructor can start guiding them toward the more interesting and more critical methodological issues. It is important to note that ancient literary forms such as letters followed certain templates. Thus, students might be asked how significant it might be that both letters contain a thanksgiving?
Or is it the content or style of the thanksgiving that is important? The students might also be asked why word choice matters? Or whether there is something more we can tell from word choice, not necessarily about single words, but about patterns of words strung together? After the class has had the opportunity to share and discuss their initial findings, they can be asked to return to their small groups.
In this second round, students are asked to decide whether the evidence for similarity and differences between the letters indicates that a Paul is the writer of both letters or b one of the letters "borrows" from the other what today we would call "plagiarism" or c they are so dissimilar that they bear no relation to one another and in fact are written by different authors. Students must determine two or three key arguments that support their conclusion, which they can put on the board or on newsprint.
The class then returns to a plenary format in which each group briefly outlines their conclusion and the evidence supporting it. Once again there is an opportunity for the instructor to highlight for students what types of evidence "count" when scholars try to determine questions of authenticity and authorship of biblical texts. If students have already discussed the Synoptic Problem prior to this lesson if this is a NT Introduction course , then there is also an opportunity for cross-pollination in building student observational skills and raising questions of authorship.
If the Synoptic Problem has not yet been discussed then this exercise can anticipate that latter topic. Similarly, if students have already discussed the Book of Acts prior to this lesson, there is an opportunity to compare the stories of the founding of the group cf. Using either 1 or 2 Thessalonians as assigned by the instructor , in groups of three or four identify what is Paul's main argument and where you can find it in the letter—that is, what is Paul's "thesis statement"?
Why does Paul use this structure to make this argument? Once students have spent some time working on this assignment, the instructor can take up their findings in a plenary discussion. If different thesis statements are identified among the groups then the instructor should try to navigate why the epistolary and rhetorical features of the letter support one identification over another.
As a final exercise, the instructor can pose the broad question of genre —what can letters do that other types of writing cannot do? Consideration might be given as to why Paul uses letters rather than, for example, diatribes , narratives, or philosophical treatises. The objective of this assignment is to move students beyond a close reading of the text to identify structural features that play a part in the writers' argumentation through an exercise in rhetorical analysis.
It is also an opportunity for students to consider the significance of genre. Finally, using a "parallel process" see Ascough b , the instructor can reflect on how arguments are made, and the differences between augmentation in letter format and the types of argumentation that students might be asked to present in an academic paper.
When letters are embedded in the biblical canon it is sometimes easy to forget that they were conversational documents written to real communities. The objective of the following assignment is for students to identify that there is a living community "behind" the text that would look to 1 or 2 Thessalonians for guidance on how to engage with one another at meetings and beyond.
Using one of the following options, students are divided into groups of four to six depending on class size and asked to mirror-read the texts to uncover core features of the Thessalonian community structure, organization, and behavior, such as the social status of members, leadership structure, and interaction with outsiders. Students should be made to feel like some imagination and creativity is necessary here, since there are no "right" answers, only more plausible ones.
If the class is WiFi enhanced, students are encouraged to search online for background information about life in a Roman city. Students are told they are detectives perhaps Sherlock Holmes and Dr. The letters are documents that hold "clues" to the nature of the Christ groups, and it is the students' task to use these clues to develop a composite picture of that community.
Given the list of traits they find in either 1 or 2 Thessalonians, students must list the character traits of the Thessalonian community as a whole. In groups of three or four use the Concise Concordance to the NRSV to trace Paul's use the following three terms in his "genuine" letters : faith; hope; love.
List the different ways that Paul is using each of these terms by looking at their contexts and note where he uses two or three of these terms together in one place including in 1 Thessalonians. Determine why these three terms are central to Paul's theology —what role do they play for Paul in determining how a Christ adherent should live her or his life? The objective of this assignment is to have students summarize how key words are used in the Thessalonian letters and beyond, and to analyze their role in Paul's theology.
Students will, of course, quickly discover the triad in 1 Corinthians 13 , so the instructor should be prepared in the follow-up plenary discussion to have students confront the different nuances these words have in the Thessalonian letters.
Methodologically, students should understand that exegetes should not simplistically import latter configurations e. One way to get at this issue is to ask students to consider why in 1 Thessalonians the triad faith. The objective of this assignment is to have students analyze the developmental sequence of Paul's eschatological thinking and reconcile any inconsistencies. It deliberately asks students to take a clear position and defend it rather than recite the arguments of others, which for many of them may be challenging but has also proven in our experience to be exciting for the students.
It is important to urge students to have a clear thesis statement. Equally important is for the instructor to make it clear at the outset that the instructor is not looking for them to choose a "right" answer.
Rather, they will be evaluated on their ability to articulate a position and defend it using evidence taken from the letters themselves rather than drawing on other biblical texts or secondary sources. For example, drawing on the words of Jesus in the gospels is not considered valid argumentation unless the student can demonstrate that Paul knew these words, since the gospels postdate Paul's letters.
Key issues for discussion could include but are not limited to the order of the resurrection of the dead, where the dead are "located" prior to Christ's return, whether or not Paul thinks he will live to see the return of Christ, or the nature of signs preceding the events.
Be sure to explain the socio-historical, literary, and theological aspects of the text. Note that this is to be an academic paper and not a sermon or Bible study—that is, it should focus on the first two steps in the exegetical process observation and interpretation.
The objective of this assignment is to introduce students to the basics of the exegetical method while they explore in some detail part of the Pauline corpus. Students should be guided to producing a plausible not just a "possible" interpretation of the text based on a close reading of the evidence.
This assignment presumes that at some point during the course or their program students have been taught how to exegete texts. It would also help for the instructor to model the exegetical process step-by-step in class, drawing students' attention to each exegetical move and explaining how it might all be brought together in an academic paper.
Ascough, Richard S. New York and Mahwah, N. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix Press. Republished: London and New York: Bloomsbury, Esler, Philip F. Malherbe, Abraham J. Philadelphia: Fortress. Nasrallah, Laura, et al.
Harvard Theological Studies Cambridge, Mass. All Rights Reserved. Subscriber Services Contact Us Help. Outline of Lesson Plan I. Pre-class Student Reading II. Background Orientation 1. Authorship and Authenticity 2.
come yet. A free Bible Commentary on 2 Thessalonians in EasyEnglish. They called God 'our Father', meaning the father of the Thessalonians and of the writers. They all The prayer is that this character may be in them as well. So then. Shmoop Bible guide: Thessalonians analysis of literary devices by PhD students from Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley.
It is traditionally attributed to Paul the Apostle , with Timothy as a co-author. Modern biblical scholarship is divided on whether the epistle was written by Paul; many scholars reject its authenticity based on what they see as differences in style and theology between this and the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. Scholars who support its authenticity view it as having been written around 51—52 AD, shortly after the First Epistle. The authenticity of this epistle is still in widespread dispute. The structures of the two letters to which Best refers include opening greetings 1 Thess.
Like 1 Thessalonians, this letter is from Paul, Silas and Timothy. The writer of this letter used the same style as 1 Thessalonians and other letters that Paul wrote.
There is then no limit to what can happen as God works in us and through us to impact our world. How is your perspective?
Second Epistle to the Thessalonians
JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians are exactly what they say they are: epistles. That's just a fancy word meaning letters. So essentially, we're sorting through some really old mail.
Special Topics Related to 1 and 2 Thessalonians
Two letters that Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica are preserved in the New Testament. The first letter — 1 Thessalonians — was written to a community of believers who had been Christians for only a short period of time, probably no more than a few months. We learn from the Book of Acts that during Paul's stay in the city of Thessalonica, he preached in a Jewish synagogue on three successive Sabbath days. He evidently stayed in the city for some time thereafter and continued his work among the Gentiles. Although his ministry was successful to the extent that he won converts to Christianity from both Jews and Gentiles, he did encounter opposition, especially from Jews who resented very much that he was able to win Jewish followers. Because of this opposition, Paul wisely left the city for fear that the newly formed Christian community would be persecuted as he had been. He regretted that he must leave the Christians before they were well established in the faith, but he hoped that he might visit them again in the near future. When sickness prevented him from returning, he sent his colleague Timothy to strengthen the group and then report back to Paul on the progress that had been made. When Timothy returned to Paul with the good news that the members of the church were standing firm in their new faith, Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. Paul congratulates the Thessalonians on their fidelity to the gospel that he had proclaimed while among them and urges them to remain steadfast in the faith.
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Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him : Paul here addressed questions raised by his first letter, where he instructed the Thessalonians about the catching away of the church to be with Jesus 1 Thessalonians Yet the ideas are clear enough if carefully pieced together. Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him : Paul clearly wrote of the return of Jesus, but the wording here implies a difference between the coming and our gathering.
