1° The occasion and purpose of the letter— Some time after sending his first letter, Saint Paul received news, either in writing or orally, from the Church in Thessalonica. The general condition of the new converts was much the same as when he had previously written to them. Persecution continued to rage against them with renewed violence; but they still bore it courageously (cf. 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4). They had also made real progress in Christian virtues. Nevertheless, once again, and for much the same reasons, certain points left something to be desired. The question of the Second Coming of Our Lord had continued to cause confusion (2 Thessalonians 2:1ff.). Undoubtedly, the apostle's earlier explanations had seemed entirely satisfactory; But, since they had not determined the time of the return of Jesus Christ, people continued to worry about this particular fact. Many Christians expected it in the very near future, and several having confirmed this belief with the help of false prophecies, and even a supposed letter of the apostle, forged for the occasion (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:2), the agitation soon reached its peak; thus the abuse already mentioned in the first letter, namely, the abandonment of work and idleness, had sadly increased (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3, 6 and following). The reception of this news, good or bad, was the occasion for the second letter to the Thessalonians.
The author's aim is clearly indicated by this. It consists of: 1° to praise the faithful again for their courage and progress; 2° to refute, by restoring the truth of the facts, the illusions which still reigned in Thessalonica about the end of the world, and this was the main point; 3° to attack again, with more vigor and severity, the idle life of certain Christians.
2° The date and place of composition. — Commentators agree that this letter must have followed quite closely, by a few weeks or at most a few months, the one we have just studied: this was already Theodoret's opinion. The two letters, in fact, deal with a nearly identical subject and presuppose the same external and internal situation, and consequently the same period. The simultaneous mention of Silas and Timothy in the greeting (2 Thessalonians 1:1) leads to a similar conclusion, since these two disciples remained with Paul for only a short time. This mention proves that the second letter was likewise written from Corinth, and not from Athens, as has sometimes been claimed (again, at the end of the letter in some Greek manuscripts, we read: "It was written from Athens." These kinds of notes, added later, have very limited value). The likely date is therefore the end of 53 or the beginning of 54.
It is strange to see that some exegetes or critics have reversed the order of the two letters to the Thessalonians, assigning first place to the one we call the second, and vice versa. The apostle himself refuted this in advance, mentioning his first letter in the second (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14). Moreover, when one reads them carefully, it is evident that they truly occupy their natural place, for the second clearly complements the teaching of the first. The latter possesses another infallible mark of anteriority in its personal and historical aspects: the freshness of the impressions proves that Saint Paul had recently left his readers, while here he is more composed in his expressions of affection.
3° The subject and outline of the letter. — For authenticity, see the General Introduction. It was attacked quite vigorously in the 19th century by rationalists, using their usual intrinsic arguments, which serious criticism declares unfounded. According to them, our letter is the work of a forger who appropriated the theme of the second coming of Jesus Christ for his own purposes, in order to develop it further.
The content is essentially the same as that of the first letter, and it had to be so, since the two writings were composed in almost identical circumstances, at very close times.
After a relatively long preamble (1:1-12), in which the apostle inserts the customary greeting, thanksgiving, and prayer, we find two parts: one dogmatic (2:1-16) and the other moral (3:1-15), followed by a very brief conclusion (3:16-18). The doctrinal section emphasizes that the second coming of Christ cannot occur immediately, as it must be preceded by the appearance of the Antichrist and an extraordinary unfolding of evil in all its forms. The moral section contains several urgent recommendations.
We have already pointed out the best Catholic commentaries in the Introduction to the Letters of Saint Paul.
2 Thessalonians 1
1 Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians, united in God our Father and in Jesus Christ the Lord, 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing more and more and your love for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves in the churches of God take pride in you because of your steadfastness and faithfulness in the midst of all the persecutions and tribulations that you have to endure. 5 They are proof of God's just judgment, that you will be judged worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6 Is it not indeed just before God to repay affliction to those who afflict you? 7 and to give rest to you who are afflicted, along with us, on the day when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with the angels of its power, 8 in the midst of a flame of fire, to bring justice to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal damnation, far from the presence of the Lord and from the splendor of his power, 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his saints and to be praised by all who have believed. For you, you have believed the testimony we gave you. 11 In the meantime, we pray constantly for you, that God may make you worthy of his calling and that he may effectively fulfill all your good intentions and the exercise of your faith., 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in him, through the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 2
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be easily shaken in your feelings, nor alarmed, either by any spirit, or by any word or letter supposed to come from us, as if the day of the Lord were imminent. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for before that will come the apostasy, and the man of lawlessness will be revealed, the son of destruction., 4 the adversary who rises up against everything that is called God or honored with worship, so that he sits in the sanctuary of God and presents himself as God. 5 Don't you remember me telling you these things when I was still living with you? 6 And now you know what is holding him back from manifesting in his own time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity is already at work, but only until he who now restrains it is made known. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will exterminate with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. 9 In his appearance, this lawless one will be accompanied by all kinds of miracles, signs, and lying wonders, by the power of Satan., 10 with all the deceptions of iniquity, for those who are perishing, because they did not open their hearts to the love of the truth and so saved them. 11 That is why God sends them powerful illusions that will make them believe the lie., 12 so that all those who have rejected their faith in the truth and have instead taken pleasure in injustice will fall under his judgment. 13 For our part, we must continually give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning to be saved through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 This is what he called you to through our preaching of the gospel, to obtain for you the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings you received, whether by word of mouth or by our letter. 16 May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope, 17 console your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and good word.
2 Thessalonians 3
1 Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it is with you. 2 and so that we may be delivered from wicked and perverse men, for faith is not shared by all. 3 But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and protect you from evil. 4 We have confidence in you in the Lord that you are doing and will do what we command you. 5 May the Lord direct your hearts in the love of God and patience of Christ. 6 We command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to separate yourselves from every brother who is living in a disorderly way and not according to the instructions received from us. 7 You yourselves know what you must do to imitate us because we have had nothing disordered among you. 8 We did not eat anyone's bread for free, but we worked night and day, in fatigue and toil, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It's not that we didn't have the right, but we wanted to give you an example to follow in ourselves. 10 Likewise, when we were at your house, we told you that if someone doesn't want to work, they shouldn't eat either. 11 However, we hear that there are some among you who are disorderly, who do not work but are only occupied with vain things. 12 We invite them and urge them, through the Lord Jesus Christ, to work peacefully so that they may eat bread that belongs to them. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary of doing good. 14 And if anyone does not obey the order given in this letter, make a note of him, and, to confound him, do not associate with him anymore. 15Do not consider him an enemy, but warn him as a brother. 16 May the Lord of peace gives it to you peace at all times and in every way. May the Lord be with all. 17 The greeting is in my own hand, Paul's; this is my signature in all letters, this is how I write. 18 May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Notes on the Second Letter to the Thessalonians
1.1 Silvain, the Silas of the Acts. See Acts of the Apostles, 15, 22.
1.5 proof of God's just judgment (...) deemed worthy of the kingdom. Thomas Aquinas. For as it is said in St. Matthew (11:12): The kingdom of heaven is carried off by force, and the violent take possession of it. And (Romans 8, 17): “But provided that we suffer with him, so that we may also be glorified with him.” That is why St. Paul says for which you suffer, for the tribulation one suffers for God makes one worthy of the kingdom of God (Matthew 5, 10): “Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
1.9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal damnation., Thomas Aquinas, They will suffer the penalty of eternal damnation. 1) Insofar as there is a double punishment: the punishment of meaning and that of damnation. The punishment of meaning can be explained in this way: They will suffer, that is to say, they will suffer eternal punishments, which will never end, and this punishment will take place at death, for they will always die. Indeed, these punishments differ from those of life. Here below, the more cruel the punishments, the more limited they are in time, because they are exhausted, but the punishments of the afterlife are very heavy, because they are the punishments of death, and they have no end. This is why it is said that they will be forever as in death; (Ps. 46:15): «death will consume them»; (Isaiah 66:24): «Their worm will not die.» The pain of damnation is twofold: First, the deprivation of the vision of God. This is why the Apostle says: far from the face of the Lord, That is to say, far from him; (Job 13:16): «No hypocrite will dare to appear before his eyes.» Then the deprivation of the glorious vision enjoyed by the saints; (Isaiah 66:20): «Let the wicked be removed from my presence, and let them not see the glory of the saints, etc.»
2.2 by some spirit, or by some word or letter supposed to come from us «The day of the Lord often signifies in Scripture the end of the world, the universal judgment, when the Lord will reveal himself in his supreme grandeur, power, and justice; but the sacred authors also sometimes use this term to designate the great events in which divine majesty is manifested in a striking way, and which are like images of the final catastrophe. Saint Paul warns the faithful of Thessalonica not to be troubled by those who announce that this day is near, citing in this regard certain revelations that they claim to have received directly from heaven or that they attribute to the Apostle, if not to the Savior himself. Far from confirming these predictions, Saint Paul teaches that one should not expect to see the fulfillment of divine prophecies so soon.« He asserts that the apostasy of Christian peoples, who will separate themselves from the Church, must first occur, followed by the appearance of the "son of perdition," the man of sin, this enemy of the true God, who will claim divine honors for himself. What led the Apostle to give this warning to his disciples was not merely the desire to spare them unfounded anxiety, but above all the foresight of the peril to which their faith would be exposed by the deceptions that would result from such illusions. It is the same reason that led the Church to forbid, under pain of excommunication, the announcement of the coming of the Antichrist or the Day of Judgment for a specific time.
2.3 See Ephesians 5:6. ― This apostasy is the revolt of all nations against the Catholic Church, a revolt which has begun, and which will become more general in the days of the Antichrist, at the end of times.
2.4 In the temple of Jerusalem which some believe he will rebuild, or in the Christian churches which he will dedicate to his worship, as Muhammad did with the churches of the East.
2.7 the one who holds him, God restrains the Antichrist through the Holy Mass. The abolition of the Mass will allow the Antichrist to reveal himself to the world. Some exegetes believe that the end of the world cannot come until the Gospel has been proclaimed to the whole world or until the Jews have become Christians.
2.8 See Isaiah 11:4.
2.10 the seductions of iniquity. God will allow them to be humbled and deceived by false wonders, as punishment for what they have not opened their hearts to the love of truth. Conscience chooses to close its eyes to the truth, then it runs headfirst into the wall. The wall is not to blame.
2.14 The Apostle here gives the same authority to what he taught, whether orally or in writing. This is why the Church receives with equal reverence the truths contained in Scripture and those that have come down from the Apostles to us through tradition. The Word of God is transmitted in writing—this is the Bible—and orally—this is Tradition.
3.1 See Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3.
3.2 Faith is not something everyone shares., Although God grants everyone the means to believe, not everyone benefits from them.
3.3 will protect you from harm, We have three enemies: our flesh inclined to evil since original sin, the world, and Satan.
3.8 See Acts of the Apostles20:34; 1 Corinthians 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:9. — Saint Paul earned his living by making tents. See Acts of the Apostles, 18, 3.
3.13 See Galatians 6:9.
