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Greetings (1–3). The Apostle thanks God for the growth of faith and increase of love among the Thessalonians (4) and exhortations to them to be patient in persecution with the hope of the righteous Judgment of God at the second coming of Christ (5-12). 2 Sol.1:1. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy - to the church of Thessalonica in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Sol.1:2. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. These verses contain a greeting to the Church of F. on behalf of all three evangelists, although the message itself contains rather the thoughts of Ap. Paul than his colleagues (see 2 Thessalonians 2:5). The combination of the same names is important for dating the message; Silouan and Timofey were no longer with Ap. Paul after his second Apostolic journey. This clearly indicates the time to which we must date the writing of our epistle. Greeting 1st century differs from 1 Thessalonians 1:1 only by the addition of the word “our” (ημών), the more strongly the idea is emphasized that this refers more to the relationship of God as a father to people, and not to Christ 2 v. The Textus Receptus reads ημών after από Θεού πατρός, following the Codex Sinaiticus and Alexandria. “Both nouns “from God the Father” and “I. Christ" are dependent on the same preposition από, and therefore any distinction between them, as the "source" and "mediating" principle of grace and peace, is completely inappropriate here" (Milligan, op. cit. p. 85). 2 Sol.1:3. It is always right that we should thank God for you, brethren, because your faith increases, and the love of each one of you increases among you all, This contains the thanksgiving and prayer of the Ap. behind F. church. Ap. thanks God for the progress in faith and love made by F., and says that he boasts of them in the churches of God. Mention of the persecution of F. is given by the case of Ap. say a few words about the salutary significance of suffering and the punishment of those who “offend.” The entire section ends with the prayer of Ap. for f. Christian. Εύχαριστειν οφείλομεν – “we must give thanks” (2 Thess. 2:13). ΟφείΛω indicates a “special, personal obligation” (Westcott, The Epistles of. St. John, p. 50. 1902), a debt from outside. Ap. thanks God for the spiritual growth of his followers. Καθώς άξιον έστιν - “as it is worthy to eat.” There is no tautology here. “We can say, writes Lightfoot, that οφείΛομεν indicates the divine, and καθώς άξιον έστιν the non-human side of obligation. We can rephrase this passage as follows: it is not only a duty towards God that our conscience dictates to us, but it (thanksgiving) is also deserved by your behavior” (Lightfoot, Notes, p. 97). Further, only two Christians are mentioned here. virtues - faith and love. In the first letter (1 Thess. 3:10) Ap. expressed concern about “what faith was missing” F; here he thanks God for the fact that their faith “increases.” The words “the love of each one for each other among you all” shows how well Ap. knew personally all the members of the F. community (1 Thess. 2:11), and as was reported in detail by Ap. regarding the state of the church in F-ke. 2 Sol.1:4. so that we ourselves boast in you in the churches of God, in your patience and faith in all the persecutions and sorrows you endure Ap. so pleased with F.’s progress of faith and love that he boasts of them “in the churches of God” - the churches, one must think, of all Achaia. Ap. wrote a letter from Corinth, but we must assume that the Word of the Lord spread at this time to other places near Corinth. See 2 Cor 1:1. Unexpectedly, there is a combination of words “by faith in all persecutions and tribulations,” where faith has a passive meaning, which is very rare in the New Testament in general. “Persecution and tribulation and” - the first refers to external oppression from the enemies of the Gospel, and the second refers to suffering of all kinds in general. “You already accept” (present tense) indicates, b. perhaps for a new outbreak of persecution, which could have stopped only for the time when 1 Ph. was written (1 Thess. 1:6 and 1 Thess. 2:14). 2 Thessalonians 1:5. as proof that there will be a righteous judgment of God, so that you will be worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you suffer. Here is Ap's thought. the fact that enduring all their persecutions and sorrows with patience and faith serves as proof that the time will come when all the suffering f. will receive reward, and their persecutors will be punished. God gave them the strength to endure persecution and sorrow, and He will also give them a reward for everything they have endured. The word ένδειγμα is found in the New Testament only here; by analogy with names ending in “μα”, and formed from the past. p. voice, it should have a passive meaning - “something proven.” The expression δικαίας κρίσεως is also found in Apostle P. only here (cf. Rom 2:6). It includes, and precisely mainly, the law of retribution, according to which the suffering in this world they must receive joy hereafter, and the persecutors here must suffer there (Lightfoot, op. cit. p. 100). The Kingdom of God is a new order of life established by Christ, which must, however, be completed in the future. Ap., apparently, spoke especially a lot to F. about the coming of the Kingdom of God; this idea must have occupied the most important place in his preaching among f. (Acts 17:7). 2 Sol.1:6. For it is right before God to repay those who insult you with sorrow, The idea of retribution in the coming century again returns to Ap. to the thought of parousia and its consequences, which he describes with all the wealth of apocalyptic data taken from the V.Z. “Ashche slaughter” - είπερ - “supposing that” is an intense form of expression found in the N.Z. only in the epistles of Ap. P., which, without containing doubts regarding the truth of the supposed condition, nevertheless places some emphasis on it as a condition. This condition here is the manifestation of the incorruptible justice of God, considered as “jus talionis” (Milligan, op. cit. p. 89). 2 Sol.1:7. and to you who are insulted, you will be gladdened together with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven, with His mighty angels, Otrada - άνεσις - literally weakening, and is always used by Ap. Paul in contrast to θλύψις. - “With us”, i.e. with Ap. P. and his companions. The expression “in revelation” – έν τη αποκαλύψει – is taken here instead of the expression “parousia” (cf. 1 Cor 1:7; 1 Peter 1:7, 13, 4:13. In the pastoral letters of Apostle P. the expression επιφάνεια is used). As for the meaning of these two terms, it can be briefly expressed as follows: parousia emphasizes the “presence” of the Lord with his followers, which is to be finally perfected at his coming; “Apocalypse” indicates that the “appearance” of Christ will at the same time be a “revelation” of the Divine plan and goals of the universe, towards the embodiment of which the entire world system is slowly moving. “With the angels of His power” - with the angels who are the ministers of His power. Here we must pay attention to the dispassion with which Ap. Paul adds to the appearance of our Lord all those phenomena that in the Old Testament are represented as symbols of the presence of God, such as ministering angels (Ps 67:17) and flames of fire (Ex 3:2, 19:18, etc.). In some cases, Ap., speaking about Christ, applies to Him exactly the same expressions that are used by the Hebrew prophets in application to God (Lightfoot, op. cit. 102.). This circumstance has enormous apological significance and shows how early the idea of ​​​​the deity of Christ appeared, and His equality with God. 2 Thessalonians 1:8. in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Vengeance” – έκδίκησις – complete and complete retribution. Here again a role is assigned to Christ, which in the Old Testament is given to God Himself, who carries out judgment. The words, “those who do not know God and do not submit,” indicate two classes of people, namely, those who, not being able to hear the word of the Gospel, yet reject the light of natural religion, which in a sense reveals God to them; points also to those who, whether they be pagans or Jews, having heard the words of the Gospel, still refuse to accept It” (Lightfoot, op. cit. p. 103.). 2 Sol.1:9. who will suffer punishment, eternal destruction, from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, “Eternal destruction”... Since we will keep in mind the teaching of the Ap. Π. about the coming age, which must completely take the place of “this age,” then destruction, of course, will be eternal. The word “from before” here has a local meaning, and indicates an eternal distance from the face of God. 2 Sol.1:10. when He comes to be glorified in His saints and to appear marvelous on that day among all who have believed, just as you have believed our testimony. “To be glorified in the saints,” not through them, and not among them, but precisely in (έν) them, for they serve as a mirror in which His infinite perfections are reflected. The same can be said about the words “in (έν) all who believed” (Textus Receptus reads πιστεύουσιν instead of W-Η. πιστεόσασιν). The end of the verse can be rendered as follows: He will appear wonderful in all who believe, and therefore in you, since you believed our testimony. 2 Sol.1:11. For this reason we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of the title and accomplish every good pleasure of goodness and work of faith with power, 2 Sol.1:12. may the name of our Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in you, and you in Him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The chapter ends with a reference to Ap. P. to the fact that he always prays for f. so that God would consider them worthy of being called into the kingdom of His Glory. “Call” - here the thought is directed to the heads. way to the future, although the word κλήσις indicates first and foremost the initial act of salvation. The favor of goodness is pleasure in doing good; It’s already good if a person does good; but he reaches the highest degree of perfection if he finds pleasure in doing good. “A matter of faith” - our faith should not be a dead beginning; it must be fruitful (James 2:26). The expression “name of the Lord” is used in the Old Testament in relation to God, and denotes greatness, power, dignity (cf. Lev. 24:11; Deut. 28:58). Ap. Paul transfers this expression, denoting the glory of Jehovah, to the Person of I. Christ. “By grace” - Ap. Π. with these words he strives to emphasize the source from which all praise flows, as well as to eliminate any thought about human merit. The grace of God operates everywhere and everywhere. You might be interested in: