For Karen

οὐκ ἐγκακεῖ καλοποιοῦσα She does not grow weary in doing good

2 Thes salo nians 3:13

ZONDERVAN

1 and 2 Thes salo nians Copyright © 2012 by Gary S. Shogren

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Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shogren, Gary Steven. 1 and 2 Thes salo nians / Gary S. Shogren. p. cm. — (Zondervan exegetical commentary series on the New Testament) Includes bibliographical references (pp. 41 – 47) and indexes. ISBN: 978-0-310-24396-0 (hardcover) 1. Bible N.T. 1 and 2 Thes salo nians — Commentaries. I. Title. BS2725.53.A76 2012 227'.81077 — dc23 2011044547

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Contents

Series Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Author’s Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Introduction to 1 and 2 Thes salo nians . . . . . . . . . 17

Select Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Theology of 1 and 2 Thes salo nians . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Scripture Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Other Ancient References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367

Subject Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368

Author Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

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1.SeeR.P.Martin,“Worship,”DPL,985. 2.ConsultWanamaker,Thessalonians,72–73.Withering-ton,1 and 2 Thes salo nians,52,chooses1:2–3.

1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10

Literary ContextLettershavealwaysfollowedconventionalforms;suchpredictabilityallowsthe

reader to grasp the message with less need for conscious interpretation . In this let-ter,Paul’sopeningaddresstothereaders(1:1)resemblesthestandardGreco-Romanform.Nevertheless,onecanalsospeakofaPaulinestyle—heamplifiesthestandardformwiththeologicalmeaning,thus“Christianizing”it.Thechurchexists“inGodtheFatherandtheLordJesusChrist”(1:1c).Asinmanylettersoftheday,theapos-tlegivesthemagreeting,butagain,heexpresseshimselfinfamiliargospelterms,“grace”and“peace”(1:1d).

Inthetroveofancientletterswenowpossess,theauthormightthengivebriefthankstothegodsbeforemovingon.Herein1:2–10,PaulshowsgratitudetoheavenpreciselybecauseoftheThessalonians’relationshiptoGodandbecauseofGod’sworking in them through Christ . The thanksgiving ceases to be a formality and re-veals itself at the very heart of the message .

This extended giving of thanks also functions as an exordium .1 In ancient rheto-ric,theexordium was a section of short to moderate length in which an author called to mind the positive aspects of their mutual relationship . In an age when time and distancemighthaveachillingeffectonafriendship,anauthordidwelltoreestab-lish the reality and the value of their attachment before going on to deal with new issues.InPaul’shands,thisexordiumnotonlysetsthetoneoftheletter(inthecaseof1 Thessalonians,gratitudeandappreciativeness),italsoforeshadowshowthenewdiscipleshaveabandonedtheirpreviousGentileconductandhowtheynowhopeintheLord’sreturn.Somedebateexistsovertheextentoftheexordiuminthisletter,whetheritis1:2–5or1:2–10.2Nevertheless,whatmattersfortoday’sreaderisthecontent of this exordium,notitspreciseboundaries.

MoresothaninthetypicalPaulineletter,1 Thessaloniansshouldberead“fromtheinsideout.”Thatis,themodernreadermaybeginwith2:17–3:13inordertodiscover the ground of the apostles’ overwhelming gratitude: “But just now Timothy

1

CH

AP

TE

R

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50 1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10

3.InaGreco-Romanletter,anauthormighthavechosentouse the rhetorical device known as narratio: the recounting of the events that led the author to write the letter . Paul uses that forminGal1:11–2:14.

4.SimilartoRom1:8;Eph1:15;Col1:4;Phlm4–7.

has come to us from you and has announced the good news of your faith and your love”(3:6).Theoriginalreaders,ofcourse,knewofTimothy’smissionbeforetheyfirstbrokethesealofthisletter.FirstThessaloniansisallthemoreeffectivebecausePaul omits a detailed retelling of the events that had led to this deep joy until several paragraphs into the body of the letter .3Thatis,inthewrittenversion,result(ourjoy)precedes cause(youhavesurvived).

Paul’sthanksgivinghereiseffusive:“allthetime,”“when,”“withoutfail.”Heisrepetitive,withtheartlessnessoftrueemotion,ashedescribestheireagernesstohurryintoGod’spresenceinordertogivethanks.Whythispassion?Andwhydoestheirgratitudeseemlessbreathlessinthesecondletter(2 Thess1:3–4)?Itisbecauseattheprecisepointofwritingthefirstletter,communicationwithThessalonicahadjust been reopened after weeks or months of silence . Their thankfulness is sharpened bythefearthatthingsmighthaveturnedout“invain”(1 Thess3:5)—butthankGod,theydidnot!

Inotherletters(e.g.,2 Thessalonians,Romans,Ephesians)Paulmovesdirectlyfromthanksgivingtothemaintheme.Andsoin1 Thessalonians,theexordium is abridgetoteachingabouttheapostolicteam(2:1–12).Butthanksgivingdoesnotend after 1 Thess 1 — a distinctive trait of this letter is that three times more Paul has recoursetogratefulwords(2:13;2:19–20;3:9–10;seealso5:16,18).

I. Introduction (1:1) II. Thanksgiving for God’s Saving Intervention (1:2 – 10) A. The apostolic team regularly gives thanks for them (1:2) B. The apostles gratefully affirm the Thessalonians’ salvation before God (1:3 – 5) C. The apostles recognize growth in the believers (1:6 – 10) III. The Apostolic Team as a Pattern for the Thessalonians (2:1 – 12)

Main IdeaPaul,Silas,andTimothygreettheThessaloniansandthendeclarethattheyregu-

larlyandferventlygivethankstoGodforthem.Theteam’sgratitudeisbasedontheirconfidencethatthenewdisciplesareamongtheelect,ajudgmentthatisbasedfirst on their own eyewitness testimony and second on the talk about their changed behaviorthathasspreadtoMacedonia,Achaia,and“everywhere.”4

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1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10 51

Translation(Seenexttwopages.)

StructureTheletterbeginswithanormalGreco-Romanintroduction:nameofthesender;

nameoftherecipient;greeting(seealso2 Thess1:1–2).Paul’sstyleisatitsmostsparse in this letter; in other letters his introductions give more detail .

“WegivethankstoGod”(1:2)setstheemotionaltonefortherestofchapter1.Pauldevelopsin1:2–3ahow they give thanks and pray.Firstistheadverb“allthetime”(πάντοτε);then“foreveryoneofyou”;thenin1:2danadverbialparticiple“withgratitudewespeakconcerningyou.”FollowingthepunctuationofNA27,weattachtheadverb(ἀδιαλείπτως)attheendof1:2totheparticiplein1:3:“withoutfailrememberingbeforeGod.”Thesyntaxisnottightlystructured,withtheresultthatthe thoughts seem to come all in a rush . It is this very flood of words that reflects the highemotionofPaul,Silvanus,andTimothy.

Paulthenmovesontothecontentoftheirprayers(1:3–5),doingsowithpar-ticiplesthatunpacktheinitial“wegivethanks,”asinEph1:16;Phlm4.Thefirst,“remembering”(1:3),leadstoadescriptionoftheThessalonians’threeChris tian activities in the now:work,hardlabor,andendurance,whichareinspiredbythethreedivinegracesoffaith,love,andhope.

With the other participle Paul turns his attention to God and his work in the Thes-salonian Chris tians:“weacknowledge”God’schoiceofthem(1:4).TheyareabletoperceiveGod’selectionforareason,“because”(causaluseofὅτι)ofwhattheyhaveseeninThessalonica.Pauluses,ashedoesin1 Cor4:20andelsewhere,therhetoricaldeviceknownasantithesis:thegospelcamenot(οὐκ)inwordonlybut(ἀλλά)withmiraclesand(καί)intheHolySpiritand(καί)inagreatsenseofcertainty.Thefinalclauseofthissetusesreminderlanguage(“andyouknow”)topointtothebehaviorofthemissionariesinThessalonica.HethusforeshadowsthetruththatGodwillnotworkthroughpeopleofwhomhedoesnotapprove(1 Thess2:4).

In1:6wehighlightPaul’schangeoffocustotheThessalonians,“inyourturn,you”(καὶ ὑμεῖς).Verse6outlinesthe initial effects of the gospel in Thessalonica: they became“imitators”ofPaulandoftheLordJesusandreceivedthemessageintribula-tionandwiththeSpirit’sjoy.Thenin1:7–10Paulshowshow,havingreceivedthemessage,theyhavequicklybecome the caliber of Chris tian that others could imitate; they “became the pattern” for other believers in the region . It was natural for the Thessalonianstobeexamplesofgospellife,oncetheyhadtrulyreceivedit,andtheclauseismarkedwith“asaresult”(ὥστε).

ButPaulisnotfinishedthere,fortheThessalonianshavealsosentforththegos-pelasevangelists.Withthemarkerofclarification“for”(γάρ)heexpandsonwhat

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52 1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10

1 Th

essa

loni

ans

1:1

– 10

1a

Send

er

Paul

, Silv

anus

, and

Tim

othy

,

1b

Reci

pien

t to

the

chur

ch o

f the

The

ssal

onia

ns,

1c

Iden

tific

atio

n

whi

ch is

in G

od th

e Fa

ther

and

the

Lord

Jesu

s Chr

ist:

1d

Gr

eetin

g gr

ace

to y

ou a

nd p

eace

.

2a

Pr

ayer

W

e gi

ve th

anks

to G

od

2b

Ti

me

al

l the

tim

e

2c

Re

fere

nce

fo

r eve

ry o

ne o

f you

;

2d

Rest

atem

ent

[with

gra

titud

e] w

e sp

eak

conc

erni

ng [y

ou]

2e

Sim

ulta

neou

s

whe

n w

e pr

ay,

3a

Cont

ent #

1 (o

f 2a,

c)

[1

] with

out f

ail r

emem

berin

g [b

efor

e Go

d]

3b

Li

st

[1

] you

r wor

k th

at a

rises

fro

m y

our b

elie

ving

, and

3c

List

[2] y

our h

ard

labo

r tha

t com

es

from

you

r lov

e [fo

r oth

ers]

, and

3d

List

[3] y

our e

ndur

ance

that

com

es

from

the

hope

you

hav

e,

3e

So

urce

[1] [

faith

, lov

e, a

nd h

ope]

in o

ur L

ord

Jesu

s Chr

ist,

3f

[2] [

as y

ou li

ve] i

n th

e pr

esen

ce o

f our

God

and

Fath

er.

4a

Cont

ent #

2 (o

f 2a,

c)

[2

] We

ackn

owle

dge

[bef

ore

God]

, bro

ther

s and

sist

ers w

hom

God

love

s,

4b

Co

nten

t

that

you

wer

e ch

osen

,

5a

Ca

use

(of 4

c)

be

caus

e th

e go

spel

that

we

brou

ght c

ame

to y

ou

not s

impl

y

5b

M

anne

r/ L

ist

[1

] as w

ords

[tha

t we

spok

e],

but a

lso

5c

Li

st

[2

] with

mira

cles

and

5d

List

[3] i

n [th

e op

erat

ion

of] t

he H

oly

Spiri

t, an

d

5e

Li

st

[4

] in

the

grea

t sen

se o

f cer

tain

ty [w

e ha

d in

the

gosp

el].

5f

Rem

inde

r lan

guag

e

[5] A

nd yo

u kn

ow h

ow w

e w

ere

amon

g yo

u fo

r you

r sak

e.

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1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10 53

6a

Com

paris

on (w

ith 5

g)

In

you

r tur

n,

6b

Asse

rtio

n yo

u be

cam

e im

itato

rs o

f the

pat

tern

6c

List

Sou

rce

[1

] giv

en

by u

s and

6d

List

[2]

by th

e Lo

rd [J

esus

].

6e

M

anne

r (of

6b)

You

rece

ived

the

mes

sage

6f

Circ

umst

ance

/ List

[1] i

n hi

ghly

dist

ress

ing

circ

umst

ance

s,

6g

Ci

rcum

stan

ce

[2

] [ye

t] w

ith th

e jo

y th

at co

mes

from

the

Holy

Spi

rit.

7a

Resu

lt (o

f 6e-

g)

As

a re

sult

you

[in y

our t

urn]

bec

ame

the

patt

ern

7b

Adva

ntag

e

for a

ll th

e be

lieve

rs in

Mac

edon

ia a

nd in

Ach

aia.

8a

Ex

plan

atio

n Fo

r you

see,

from

you

th

e w

ord

of th

e Lo

rd h

as so

unde

d fo

rth,

8b

Plac

e/ L

ist

[1

] not

onl

y in

Mac

edon

ia a

nd in

Ach

aia,

8c

Plac

e/ L

ist

[2

] but

eve

ryw

here

,

8d

Expl

anat

ion

ne

ws o

f you

r fai

th in

God

has

gon

e ou

t,

8e

Re

sult

so

that

we

have

no

need

to sa

y an

ythi

ng [a

bout

you

].

9a

Expl

anat

ion

That

’s be

caus

e th

ey th

emse

lves

are

talk

ing

ab

out u

s,

9b

Co

nten

t/ L

ist

[1

] abo

ut

wha

t kin

d of

wel

com

e w

e ha

d fro

m y

ou, a

nd

9c

Co

nten

t

[2]

how

you

turn

ed a

way

from

idol

s to

God

9d

Resu

lt/ L

ist

[1

] to

serv

e th

e Go

d w

ho is

livi

ng a

nd tr

ue a

nd

10a

Re

sult

[2

] to

awai

t his

Son

from

hea

ven,

10b

Des

crip

tion

he

who

m [G

od] r

aise

d fro

m th

e de

ad,

10

c

Appo

sitio

n

Jesu

s our

Sav

ior

10d

from

[God

’s] co

min

g w

rath

.

0310243963_zecnt_thes_01_fnl_int_cs5.indd 53 8/8/12 5:46 pm

54 1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10

hesaidin1:7.Iwillarguethattheapostlesexpectedtheirdisciplestobeevangelistic,and that that is precisely what the Thessalonians were doing . Paul begins to conclude thesectionwitharesultclause,“sothat[ὥστε]wehavenoneedtosayanything.”

Paulgoesontodevelopfurtherwhytheapostlesdon’thavetosayanything,rein-forcedbyamarker“for,because”(γάρ):theyaresayingwhatkindofanentrancetheapostleshadandhowtheThessaloniansreacted.TheyturnedtoGod—theircon-versionrepresentedbytwoinfinitives,“serve”Godand“await”hisSonfromheaven.The apostle goes beyond the mere description of their conversion: he recounts the apostolickerygma,emphasizingitschristologicalandeschatologicalelementsinaway that anticipates the teaching of the rest of the letters .

Exegetical Outline

I. Introduction (1:1) II. Thanksgiving for God’s Saving Intervention (1:2 – 10) A. The apostolic team regularly gives thanks for them (1:2). B. The apostles gratefully affirm their salvation before God (1:3 – 5). 1. Their faith, love and hope are manifested in their behavior (1:3). 2. The gospel was not simply words but the medium for God’s power (1:4a). 3. God’s love and election are witnessed by the Spirit’s miracles and the apostles’ confidence

in the gospel (1:5c-e). 4. The believers have the apostolic team as an example (1:5f). C. The apostles recognize growth in the believers (1:6 – 10). 1. They have become imitators of the apostolic team (1:6). 2. They have become a model for the gospel (1:7 – 10). a. In every place people are talking about them (1:7 – 9a). b. Their conversion is exemplary (1:9b – 10). i. They welcomed the apostolic team (1:9b). ii. They turned away from paganism (1:9c). iii. They turned to the true God and now await the eschatological salvation (1:10).

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1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10 55

5.Malherbe,Letters to the Thessalonians,86–89.Ontheotherhand,Bruce,1 & 2 Thes salo nians,11,believesthatthe“we” refers to the three senders .

6.SeeFee,Thessalonians,4.

Explanation of the Text1:1  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, which is in God the Fa-ther and the Lord Jesus Christ: grace to you and peace (Παῦλος καὶ Σιλουανὸς καὶ Τιμόθεος τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεσσαλονικέων ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη).Paulfollowsthe common formula of naming the sender (inthenominativecase),namingtherecipient(dativecase),andthenofferingablessingorgreeting.PaulandSilvanuswereRomancitizens(Acts16:37–38)andboreLatinnamesthatservedastheequiva-lentsoftheirHebrewnames,SaulandSilas.Silva-nus was a prophet and a leading member of the Jerusalemchurch(Acts15:27,30,32,40).TimothywasamemberofthechurchatLystraandprob-ably came to faith in Christ during Paul’s first mis-sionaryjourney.FromthemomenthejoinedPaulandSilas(Acts16:1–3),TimothybecamearegularfixtureinActsandthePaulineletters(thoughnotinGalatiansorEphesians),nottomentioninHeb13:23: “I want you to know that our brother Timo-thy has been released .”

It is not unusual for Paul to mention others as sendersofaletter,withoutmeaningtoimplythattheywerecoauthors.Nevertheless,thefirstpersonplural“we,”“us,”and“our”willbefoundinanun-usually high frequency throughout this first letter (thoughnote2:18;3:5;5:27;inthefirsttwo,Paulisreferringtohisindividualreactiontoevents).Pauloscillatesbetween“we”and“I”in2:17–3:6,“we”beingheandSilas(notTimothy;seecomments).

AccordingtoMalherbe,Paulisusingan“edi-torialwe,”andPaulalonemustbeconsideredtheauthor .5 But this theory does not satisfactorily ex-plainhow“I”canalsomeanPaul.Heusesthe“we”

ashedoesinColossians(1:3,4,9;4:8),tospeakconcretely of himself and other associates . Silvanus and Timothy are present with him in Corinth and are true cosenders of the message . We cannot now determinetowhatextentSilas(orTimothy)hasa hand in the letter’s composition .6 The facts that Paul speaks of “I” and gives his signature in the sec-ond letter show that his voice is the dominant one in their composition .

Usually Paul refers to “the church/saints in such-and-such a city .” Only here and in 2 Thess 1:1doeshe speakof the people (“the churchoftheThessalonians”)ratherthanthecity(thoseinRome,thoseinColossae).Paulremarksthattheyare “in [ἐν]God the Father and the Lord JesusChrist,”whichdenotestherelationshipinwhichthe church dwells .

“Grace to youandpeace” is the stereotypicalPaulinegreeting,thepairfoundinallhisepistlesexcept1–2 Timothy (whichhave “grace,mercyand peace,” as does 2  John 3). Divine “grace”(χάρις)isaHellenisticconcept,andPaulmayhaveadopted the term from his pagan environment . ForthatreasonmanyhavesuggestedthathehascombinedaGreektermwiththeHebrewšālôm . But this explanation does not do justice to the evi-dence . The closer parallel to Paul’s greeting is the GreekrenderingoftheHebrewh≥ esed(“kindness,loving-kindness”;seeExod34:6,Yahwehaboundsin“loveandfaithfulness”).Thatis,“grace”toohasitsrootsintheOT.ForPaulandtheotherChris-tianauthors,aprayerforGod’sgraceistypicallyfoundattheendoflettersaswell(allPaulinelet-ters;Heb13:25;1 Clem.65.2;alsoRev22:21).

Thegreeting“peace”comesfromtheHebrew

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56 1 Thes salo nians 1:1 – 10

7.For a technical analysisofPauline thanksgivings, seePeter Arzt-Grabner, “Paul’s Letter Thanksgivings,” in Paul and the Ancient Letter Form(ed.StanleyE.PorterandSeanA.Adams;PaulineStudies6;Leiden:Brill,2010),129–58.

8.Theverbwaswell-knowninHellenismandinthedeutero-canonicalbooksoftheLXX;nevertheless,intheLXXoftheca-nonicalbooks,synonymssuchas“givethanks”(ἐξομολεγέομαι)predominate. See theparallel in2Macc1:11: “HavingbeensavedbyGodoutofgravedangerswethankhimgreatly....”

9.Litotesisafigureofspeechwherebyapositivetruthisexpressedbythenegationofitsopposite,sometimesforthesakeofirony.InEnglish:“Notbad!”;“Itwasnopicnic!”ItisafavoritedeviceofActs,e.g.,in20:12(NKJV):“theybroughttheyoungmaninalive,andtheywerenot a little comforted .”

10.SoWanamaker,Thessalonians,73–74,citinganotherparallel,1 Cor1:4.Likewise,Rigaux,Thessaloniciens,359.

greeting(1 Sam1:17;foundinGreekJewishlitera-ture,e.g.,inJdt8:35,“goinpeace”).Theprophetshad also announced the coming “good news . . . [of]peace”(Isa52:7;Nah1:15).“Graceandpeace”came to greater prominence as part of the stock vocabularyof theearliestChristianchurch(see,e.g.,1 Pet1:2;2 Pet1:2;Rev1:4;1 Clement inscr . — “MaygraceandpeacefromalmightyGodthroughJesusChristbeyoursinabundance”).

TheTextusReceptus andhence theKJVadd“fromGodourFather,andtheLordJesusChrist”after “peace .” The clause has some manuscript sup-port,butitisbestexplainedasanadditionbysomeearly scribe who was thinking of 2 Thess 1:2 .

1:2  We give thanks to God all the time for every one of you; [with gratitude] we speak concern-ing [you] when we pray(Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ θεῷ πάντοτε περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν, μνείαν ποιούμενοι ἐπὶ τῶν προσευχῶν ἡμῶν). Paul, Silas, andTimothyprayregularlyfortheThessaloniansandgiveGodthanks for them . This prayer report is not polite religiousjargon,suchasChristianstendtofallinto(“I’llbeprayingforyou!”).Rather,itisarealisticand powerful description of how they speak when theyenter thepresenceofGod.7 The Chris tian’s prayerisefficaciousbecausethereisalivingGodwho hears prayers and responds . It is frequent because it is proper to offer him regular thanks for what he has done and to pray for his further intervention .

Thelanguageof1:2issimilarto2 Thess1:3(thelatterdoesnothave“everyone,”πάντων).Thisis

the first of several thanksgivings in 1 Thes salo nians thatarebasedon“togive thanks” (εὐχαριστέω),a verb common in Paul’s letters .8 While the verb couldmean “to pray,” Paul’s orientation here isthankfulness forGod’spastandpresentwork intheThessalonians.“Allthetime”(πάντοτε)isthefirst of many references to time in the two letters . It expresses positively the same truth that is com-municated by the litotes “without fail” at the end of 1:2 .9

The prepositional phrase “for every one of you” (περὶ πάντων ὑμῶν)goeswith“wegive thanks.”Alternately itcouldbeattachedtowhat follows,yielding a meaning like “concerning every one of youwespeak,wheneverwepray.”Therearetworeasons why the first option — “we give thanks for everyoneofyou”—isthebetter.First,manyman-uscriptsinsert“you”after“remembering”(μνείαν);whileitmaynothavebeenpartoftheoriginaltext,nevertheless “for every one of you” was thought by koinē speakers to go more naturally with “we give thanks.”Second,theparallelin2 Thess1:3suggeststhat the former option is correct .10

The plural “you” does not indicate “you as a group” but “all of you individually .” The thanksgiv-inginRom1:8closelyparallelsoursection:“First,IthankmyGodthroughJesusChristforallofyou,because your faith is being reported all over the world .” That letter was addressed to a city where many of his Chris tians friends were known indi-vidually(Rom16:3–15)andcouldbeprayedforby name .

“Wespeakconcerningyou”(μνείαν ποιούμενοι)

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11.SeeBDAG,μνεία 2.AlsoBDAG,ποιέω 7 .12.BDAG,ἐπί18.a.,markeroftemporalassociations.Itis

possible,butunlikely,thatPaulisreferringtoregularoccasionsofprayer;e.g.,theapostlesPeterandJohnkeptthetraditionalJewish daily cycle in Acts 3:1; 10:9 . That alternate rendering would be “at our prayer times .”

13.SoWanamaker,Thessalonians,74;Fee,Thessalonians,21;Green,Thessalonians,87.

14.SoBruce,1 & 2 Thes salo nians,11–12.Itisperhapsare-lief to see that even the koinē preacher Chrysostom was puzzled by the sentence’s syntax; see Homilies on First Thessalonians 1 (NPNF113:324).

15 . It is the sense we might have gotten from a parallel usage of the adjective in a first-century BC inscription that refers to an incessantcough(MM,9).Aninterestingusageisfound in the pseudepigraphal T. Levi13.2(ed.Charlesworth):“Teachyourchildrenlettersalso,sothattheymighthaveun-derstanding throughout all their lives as they ceaselessly read thelawofGod.”Thatis,theliteratesonwillbeabletoreadthelawthroughouthislifetime,regularlyandoften,butofcoursenot uninterruptedly . If T. Levi providesa trueparallel, thentheChristian’sprayershouldberegular,butnotnecessarilyperpetual .

in our expanded translation is a well-attested use of themiddlevoiceoftheverb“todo,make”(ποιέω).The reader might be tempted to translate this hy-perliterally,renderingitsomethinglike“tomakeremembrance for oneself.”Nevertheless, in thiscaseusagedeterminesmeaning, and thephraseshould be smoothed out as “to remember some-one” to a third party; even better is “to mention someone” or “to speak to someone concerning another .” The NT has several examples where this constructionisusedasprayerlanguage(seeRom1:9;Eph1:16;Phlm4).11

Wesupply“withgratitude”inthesecondclause,since the verbal participles (e.g., “we speak,”ποιούμενοι)areconnectedwiththe“givethanks”(εὐχαριστοῦμεν)andfurtherdevelopit.TheGreekcalls for stronger language than the “make men-tion”thatisfoundinmosttranslations,arenderingthat might leave the reader with the idea that the apostles speak casually about them . As an example of how this phrase is appropriate for describing passionateprayer,1 Clem. 56 .1 says that the Cor-inthians are to pray fervently for the repentance of therebelliousChristian.“When”(ἐπί)inthiscon-textreferstothetime(s)oftheirprayers.12

1:[2e] – 3a    Without fail remembering [before God] (ἀδιαλείπτως μνημονεύοντες).Pauldescribeshow he and his company pray concerning the Thessalonians; gratitude is an overarching theme of their ministry to the church . Some interpreters

attach“withoutfail”(theadverbἀδιαλείπτως) to “wespeak”(μνείαν ποιούμενοι)in1:2(“wespeakconcerning[you]withoutfailwhenwepray”).13 It is better to follow the NA27text,whichlinksitwith“remembering”(μνημονεύοντες)in1:3.First,theparallel in Rom 1:9 suggests that Paul favored plac-ingtheadverbbeforetheverb.Second,therhythmoftheGreekissmootheriftheadverbisattachedto1:3 .14 This is the view we adopt in our translation .

InEnglish,1:3and5:17are traditionallyren-dered “pray without ceasing .” But can this really mean perpetual intercession,given thedemandsof daily life? Should prayer claim the sum total of one’swakinghours?Fortunately there are someancient Jewish and Chris tian parallels that help to unlockitsspecificmeaning.In3Macc6:33thereis a banquet during which there is uninterrupted thanksgiving to heaven .15Inthiscase,theauthorcould be referring to long hours of prayer . This would lead to an understanding of 1:2e-3a as “we pray often and heedless of the time .”

Paul’s letters themselves hint at this mean-ing here. Especially noteworthy is 2 Cor 11:28,which many commentators take to be a reference to prayer: “I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches .” Even more clear are Col 2:1 and4:12,wherePaul’sprayerforthebelieversisafightorstruggle.HowwonderfullythismirrorstheprayersofourLord,whowasknowntoarisebe-foredawntopray(Mark1:35)ortopraylongintothenight(Matt14:23).Hetaughthisfollowersto

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16.Spicq,“ἀδιαλείπτως,”TLNT,1:34.Wereitnotanuncom-monword,IwouldhavesuggestedthatPaulprayedassiduously.

17 . 1 Tim 5:5; Ign . Eph . 10 .1; Pol . Phil . 4 .3 .

prayandnevergiveup(Luke18:1).BesurealsotostudytheexampleofMoses,whotoldIsraelhow“Ilay prostrate before the Lord those forty days and forty nights because the Lord had said he would destroyyou”(Deut9:25).

Praying “night and day” also has a pedigree in thePsalms,wherethephrasedoesnotmean“eve-ningandmorningprayers”butdesperate,unend-ingintercessionforGod’shelp:“Lord,youaretheGodwhosavesme;dayandnightIcryouttoyou.Maymyprayercomebeforeyou;turnyoureartomycry”(Ps88:1–2).DuringtheMaccabeanrevoltthepeopleweresummonedtocallontheLorddayandnight(2Macc13:10–12),whichaddeduptothreestraightdaysofprayer,weepingandfasting“without ceasing .”

Hereiswheretheimmediatepostapostoliclit-eraturecanalsoshedsomelight,sinceitpurportsto be faithful to the apostolic practice of the first century.Inthosebooks,“prayerwithoutceasing”bears a close resemblance to the uninterrupted prayerofthanksgivingin3Macc6:33.Ign.Eph . 10 .1 seems to quote 1  Thess 5:17 and applies it to a regular ministry of prayer . Ignatius and also Polycarp in Pol . Phil . 4 .3 use the adverb “cease-lessly”(ἀδιαλείπτως);yettheydonotgivespecificsastoprayer’sduration.Furtheralonginthesec-ondcentury,however,Herm.Sim.9.11.7,“with-outceasing”(ἀδιαλείπτως)refers toanall-nightprayer vigil . Ign . Pol. 1 .3 likewise refers to losing sleep . Polycarp for his part did “nothing else night and day except praying for everyone and for the churches throughout theworld, for thiswashisconstanthabit”(Mart. Pol.5.1).Evenonthevergeof arrest Polycarp prayed two full hours for “ev-eryonewhohadevercomeintocontactwithhim,bothsmallandgreat,knownandunknown,andalltheuniversalchurchthroughouttheworld”(Mart.

Pol.7.3–8.1).Inotherwords,theapostolicfathersbelieved that Chris tians should pray daily and for extendedperiodsof time, and that thispracticehad been learned from the apostles .

It seems best to conclude that Paul and team engaged in regular, extended, and strenuous prayer . “Itwouldnotbeadequatetomakeanequation[ofprayingwithoutceasing]withwhatwecalltoday‘thespiritofprayer,’ a readiness toplaceoneselfinthepresenceofGod.”16 In no fashion does un-ceasing prayer transgress the Lord’s command,“whenyoupray,donotkeeponbabblinglikepa-gans”(Matt6:7).TheGentilesinJesus’dayviewedprayer as efficacious to the extent that it repeated largequantitiesof “power”words,whichwouldsomehow effect change in the cosmos . Chris tian prayer,bycontrast,ispowerfulinthatitisdirectedtoapowerfulGod.TodaythereareChristianswhoreason that repeated prayer somehow reflects a person’slackoffaith.Ihaveheardtoomanytimes,fromthepulpitorinconversation,thattheChris-tianshouldlearntospeaktoGodonceandforallabout somenecessity, and then simply “leave itwithhim.”Yes,surelyinsomeextraordinarycasethe Spirit might lead in that direction . Neverthe-less,thispracticehasnobasisinthedoctrineofprayerastaughtbytheOT,Jesus,theapostles,orthe earliest church fathers .

Forallthis,wetranslate“withoutfail”inanat-tempt to capture the regimen of their intercession andthanksgiving.TheNLTalsodoeswellwith“we...prayforyouconstantly”(seealso1 Thess2:13;Rom1:9;2 Tim1:3).SincePauldirects thathisreadersfollowthesamedisciplinein5:17,hemusthave regarded it as practicable for a nonapostle to obey.Inothertexts,Paul,Ignatius,andPolycarpthought it a reasonable standard for bishops and widows as well as for the laity .17

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18.SeeDanielB.Wallace,Greek Grammar Beyond the Ba-sics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament(GrandRapids:Zondervan,1996),640–45;Green,Thessalonians,87.

19.Thereisafineanalysisofthe“gospeloffaith,hopeandlove”inKarlP.DonfriedandI.HowardMarshall,The Theol-ogy of the Shorter Pauline Epistles(NewTestamentTheology;Cambridge:CambridgeUniv.Press,1993),53–58.

20.SeeWallace,Grammar,86–88.21.Wallace, Grammar, 104–6. Exegetes who label the

three as subjective genitives are pointing in the same direc-tionasWallace;nevertheless,Wallacedistinguishesbetweenthe genitive of production/producer and the subjective geni-tive:Wallace,Grammar,105,n.89—“Withasubjectivegen.,the head noun is transformed into a verb; with a gen . of pro-

ducer,theheadnounistransformedintothedirectobjectoftheverb‘whoproduces.’”Attributivegenitivesandgenitivesofproduction/producer(or,assomewouldprefer,subjectivegenitives)arenottheonlytwooptions.Rigaux,Thessaloniciens,362–63,forexample,wouldliketorenderthefirstphraseasanepexegeticalgenitive,somethinglike“theactofhavingfaithinChrist.”Hisinterpretationdoesnotyieldanaturalunderstand-ing;forexample,“laborthatislove”wouldnotsuggestitselftothe reader as the obvious sense of “labor of love .”

22. See Chrysostom, Homilies on First Thessalonians 1 (NPNF113:324).Likewise:LeonMorris,The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians (NICNT;rev.ed.;GrandRapids:Eerdmans,1991),39–43.

Theverb “remembering” (μνημονεύοντες) re-fers to prayer in Ign . Magn. 14.1, “Remembermeinyourprayers.”Aswith“wespeak”(μνείαν ποιούμενοι)in1:2,aparticipleunpackstheprevi-ous verb “we give thanks .” This verbal participle couldbecausal(“becauseweremember”)ortem-poral (“when[ever] we remember”). Yet, sincethere is nothing that demands either of these in-terpretations,itisbesttofollowtheruleofleavingitanattendantcircumstance,thus:“wegivethanksand we remember .”18

1:3b-d    Your work that arises from your be-lieving, and your hard labor that comes from your love [for others], and your endurance that comes from the hope you have(ὑμῶν τοῦ ἔργου τῆς πίστεως καὶ τοῦ κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος).TheThessaloniandisciplesare carrying out activities that confirm the inner changestheyhaveexperienced.Hereisoneofthe“triads” (patterns of three; sometimesPaul usesdyads,patternsoftwo)thataresprinkledthrough-out the two letters . The dyads and triads have the effect of communicating Paul’s effusiveness as he reflects on Thessalonians’ response to an appalling situation.Thethreevirtuesoffaith,love,andhopearegivenasfundamentalsin1 Thess3:5–6;5:8;and then in 1 Cor 13:13 .19

Eachvirtue—faith,love,hope—isinthegeni-

tive case . Translators have tried to capture Paul’s meaning,giventhevariousoptionsfortranslatingthesegenitivewords.Amongthesolutions,thetwomost viable are attributive genitives: “your faithful work,yourlovingdeeds,andtheenduringhopeyouhave”(NLT).20Meanwhile, theNIVoffersagenitive of production/producer:21 “your work producedbyfaith,your laborpromptedbylove,and your endurance inspired by hope .”

Isoneoptionmorecrediblethantheothers?Yes,especially if one begins by looking at all three geni-tives(“faith,”“love,”and“hope”) togetherratherthan one at a time . While there is no rule of gram-mar that demands that all genitives in a triad must beofthesametype,itisthelogicalplacetostart.“Enduranceofhope”(τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῆς ἐλπίδος)makesbestsenseif“hope”(ἐλπίδος)isagenitiveof production/producer: “your endurance that is produced by your hope .” It then yields a smooth reading to make the other two this same type of genitive,asdoestheNIV.Thisisalsotheinterpre-tation given by John Chrysostom in his homily to a koinē-speaking congregation .22 It is the view re-flected in our translation .

“Faith,”“love,”and“hope”arenotsomeinvisiblequalities that bear no relationship to the real world . They are vibrant realities that express themselves visibly. “Faith” (πίστεως) in thiscontext isnotacreed but the action of believing that produces

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23.Green,Thessalonians,90.24.SoCEV,GNB,NIV,NJB;Witherington,1 and 2 Thes-

salo nians,59;Bruce,1 & 2 Thes salo nians,12.

25.SeetheanalysisinWanamaker,Thessalonians,76,whorelates“God’spresence”toprayer.

hardwork (see comments on 1:8; see also 3:5).Likewise,lovemanifestsitselfin“yourhardlabor,”orasGreenputsit,“hard,strenuous,andexhaust-ing labor .”23But,towhomistheir lovedirected?Although“faith”and“hope”areGodward,“love”in this verse seems to be the love between people . Forexample,Paulregularlyspeaksofloveoneforanother(3:12;4:9–10;5:13),anditseemstobethismutualloveinwhichtheyareflourishing(3:6;also2 Thess1:3).

The Thessalonians passed through extraordi-narytesting,evenwhilePaulwasstillpresentinthe city (Acts 17:5–9). Jason andothershad topost bail as guarantee against further disturbances . If they forfeited the bond or lost their income be-causeoftheircommitmenttoChrist,someofthebelievers would be laboring simply to survive .

Loveisathemerepeatedthroughoutthisletter,and for good reason: Paul bases his teaching on the OlivetDiscourse(seeIntroduction).Althoughwehear little preaching today about a particular sign oftheend,oneisthat“theloveofmanywillgrowcold”(Matt24:12;seealsotheprophecyin2 Tim3:2–3,thatpeoplewillbecome“withoutlove”).Ihavetranslateditas“loveforothers,”sinceitmayhave extended beyond the Chris tian family and in-cluded the love that leads to evangelism .

“The endurance of hope” is a common NT motif; likewise,“theonewhostands firmto theendwillbesaved,”asJesussaid(Mark13:13).In2 Thess 1:4 the traits of faith and endurance are thrownintosharperreliefduringtribulation(seealso2 Thess3:5;2 Cor1:6).ThesameholdstrueinRevelation,whereEphesusisnotedforitsendur-ance(Rev2:2–3;seealso3:10;13:10).In2 Thess3:5 Paul prays that the Thessalonians might en-dure,since theyknowwhat the futureholds.By

contrast,thepagansareknownasthosewhohaveno hope in the resurrection (see comments on1 Thess4:13)andthusgrievepiteouslyatthedeathof their friends .

1:3e-f  [Faith, love, and hope] in our Lord Jesus Christ, [as you live] in the presence of our God and Father (τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς ἡμῶν).TheThes-salonians are to define themselves with reference to theFatherandtheSonand(in1:5)withreferenceto the Spirit . There are two ways to connect this clausewiththeprecedingcontext:(1)itrefersonlytothethirdpartofthetriad,hope;24(2)itreferstoeach of the three parts . Some versions purposely leave it vague . The second option is preferable; sincePaulisspeakingintriads, it isnaturalthathe follows a triad with language that qualifies all threeparts(therearetwofurtherexamplesoftri-adsdoingsoin2:10and12).Forthisreasonweinclude the triad in brackets . All three have their sourcein“ourLordJesusChrist.”

Thephrase “in thepresence of ourGod andFather” isnot immediatelyclear.FirstThessalo-niansofferssomeparallels:(1)perhapsthephraseis prayer language, as in3:9.Thismight suggestthat“thepresenceofGod” iswheretheapostlesareprayingandgivingthanks,andPaul is look-ing ahead to 1:4. (2)Perhaps it is eschatological language, referring tobeing inChrist’sorGod’spresenceafter theparousia in2:19and3:13. (3)The best interpretation is that it is relational lan-guage,asshownbywhatimmediatelyprecedesit,“ourLordJesusChrist.”PauldescribesthesphereinwhichtheThessaloniansexperiencefaith,love,andhopeinChrist,thatis,inthepresenceofthegraciousGod.25

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