First and Second Thessalonians
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Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture
SERIES EDITORS
Peter S. Williamson
Mary Healy
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Kevin Perrotta
CONSULTING EDITORS
Scott Hahn, Franciscan University of Steubenville
†Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, Weston Jesuit School of Theology
William S. Kurz, SJ, Marquette University
†Francis Martin, Dominican House of Studies
Frank J. Matera, Catholic University of America
George Montague, SM, St. Mary’s University
Terrence Prendergast, SJ, Archbishop of Ottawa
© 2019 by Nathan Eubank
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1966-1
Nihil obstat:
Reverend Monsignor Michael Heintz
Censor Librorum
October 22, 2018
Imprimatur:
Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades
Bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend
October 22, 2018
Except as otherwise specified, Scripture versification and quotations are from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America copyright © 1994, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica copyright © 1997, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—Libreria Editrice Vaticana.
For the seminarians
among my students.
Contents
Cover 1
Endorsements 2
Series Page 3
Title Page 4
Copyright Page 5
Dedication 6
Illustrations 9
Editors’ Preface 10
Abbreviations 13
Introduction to First and Second Thessalonians 16
Outline of First and Second Thessalonians 29
First Thessalonians
Thanksgiving for God’s Work in Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:1–10) 31
Paul’s Behavior in Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:1–8) 48
Continuing the Story of the Apostles in Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:9–20) 60
Paul’s Relief at the Return of Timothy (1 Thess 3:1–13) 73
Life Pleasing to God (1 Thess 4:1–12) 84
The Fate of Dead Christians and the Return of the Lord (1 Thess 4:13–18) 99
The Day of the Lord (1 Thess 5:1–11) 113
Final Admonitions (1 Thess 5:12–28) 123
Second Thessalonians
Thanksgiving for Endurance in the Midst of Suffering (2 Thess 1:1–12) 138
Events Presaging the Day of the Lord (2 Thess 2:1–17) 159
Rebuke of the Idle (2 Thess 3:1–18) 181
Suggested Resources 195
Glossary 197
Index of Pastoral Topics 198
Index of Sidebars 199
Back Cover 200
Illustrations
Figure 1. Map of the Aegean Sea 17
Figure 2. Saint Paul Writing His Epistles by Valentin de Boulogne (1591–1632) 32
Figure 3. St. Catherine of Siena by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 42
Figure 4. Divus (Divine) Julius Caesar with ΘEOC inscription and Octavian with ΘECCAΛO-NIKEΩN 45
Figure 5. Divus Julius Caesar with ΘEOC inscription 45
Figure 6. Divus Julius Caesar with ΘEOC inscription 45
Figure 7. First Thessalonians 2:7 in Codex Vaticanus 56
Figure 8. Octavian 116
Figure 9. The Last Judgement by William Butterfield 148
Figure 10. Sermon and Deeds of the Antichrist by Luca Signorelli 165
Editors’ Preface
The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord. . . . All the preaching of the Church should be nourished and governed by Sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the power and goodness in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons and daughters, the food of the soul, a pure and perennial fountain of spiritual life.
Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 21
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Were not our hearts burning [within us] while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?
Luke 24:32
The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture aims to serve the ministry of the Word of God in the life and mission of the Church. Since Vatican Council II, there has been an increasing hunger among Catholics to study Scripture in depth and in a way that reveals its relationship to liturgy, evangelization, catechesis, theology, and personal and communal life. This series responds to that desire by providing accessible yet substantive commentary on each book of the New Testament, drawn from the best of contemporary biblical scholarship as well as the rich treasury of the Church’s tradition. These volumes seek to offer scholarship illumined by faith, in the conviction that the ultimate aim of biblical interpretation is to discover what God has revealed and is still speaking through the sacred text. Central to our approach are the principles taught by Vatican II: first, the use of historical and literary methods to discern what the biblical authors intended to express; second, prayerful theological reflection to understand the sacred text “in accord with the same Spirit by whom it was written”—that is, in light of the content and unity of the whole Scripture, the living tradition of the Church, and the analogy of faith (Dei Verbum 12).
The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture is written for those engaged in or training for pastoral ministry and others interested in studying Scripture to understand their faith more deeply, to nourish their spiritual life, or to share the good news with others. With this in mind, the authors focus on the meaning of the text for faith and life rather than on the technical questions that occupy scholars, and they explain the Bible in ordinary language that does not require translation for preaching and catechesis. Although this series is written from the perspective of Catholic faith, its authors draw on the interpretation of Protestant and Orthodox scholars and hope these volumes will serve Christians of other traditions as well.
A variety of features are designed to make the commentary as useful as possible. Each volume includes the biblical text of the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), the translation approved for liturgical use in the United States. In order to serve readers who use other translations, the commentary notes and explains the most important differences between the NABRE and other widely used translations (e.g., RSV, NRSV, JB, NJB, and NIV). Each unit of the biblical text is followed by a list of references to relevant Scripture passages, Catechism sections, and uses in the Roman Lectionary. The exegesis that follows aims to explain in a clear and engaging way the meaning of the text in its original historical context as well as its perennial meaning for Christians. Reflection and Application sections help readers apply Scripture to Christian life today by responding to questions that the text raises, offering spiritual interpretations drawn from Christian tradition, or providing suggestions for the use of the biblical text in catechesis, preaching, or other forms of pastoral ministry.
Interspersed throughout the commentary are Biblical Background sidebars that present historical, literary, or theological information, and Living Tradition sidebars that offer pertinent material from the postbiblical Christian tradition, including quotations from Church documents and from the writings of saints and Church Fathers. The Biblical Background sidebars are indicated by a photo of urns that were excavated in Jerusalem, signifying the importance of historical study in understanding the sacred text. The Living Tradition sidebars are indicated by an image of Eadwine, a twelfth-century monk and scribe, signifying the growth in the Church’s understanding that comes by the grace of the Holy Spirit as believers study and ponder the Word of God in their hearts (see Dei Verbum 8).
Maps and a glossary are included in each volume for easy reference. The glossary explains key terms from the biblical text as well as theological or exegetical terms, which are marked in the commentary with a cross (†). A list of suggested resources, an index of pastoral topics, and an index of sidebars are included to enhance the usefulness of these volumes. Further resources, including questions for reflection or discussion, can be found at the series website, www.CatholicScriptureCommentary.com.
It is our desire and prayer that these volumes be of service so that more and more “the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified” (2 Thess 3:1) in the Church and throughout the world.
Peter S. Williamson
Mary Healy
Kevin Perrotta
Note to Readers
The New American Bible, Revised Edition differs slightly from most English translations in its verse numbering of Psalms and certain other parts of the Old Testament. For instance, Ps 51:4 in the NABRE is Ps 51:2 in other translations; Mal 3:19 in the NABRE is Mal 4:1 in other translations. Readers who use different translations are advised to keep this in mind when looking up Old Testament cross-references given in the commentary.
Abbreviations
† Indicates that a definition of a term appears in the glossary
// Indicates where a parallel account can be found in other Gospels
AB Anchor Bible
ACCS Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament
ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
BBC Blackwell’s Bible Commentaries
BDAG Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000)
BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
ca. circa, around
Catechism Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (New York: Doubleday, 2003)
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CCSS Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture
CEB Common English Bible
EBib Etudes bibliques
ESV English Standard Version
ET English translation
FC Fathers of the Church
HTR Harvard Theological Review
IBC Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching
ICG Inscriptiones Christianae Graecae, edited by Cilliers Breytenbach et al. (Berlin: Edition Topoi, 2016)
IG Inscriptiones Graecae, Editio Minor (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1924–)
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament
JSPHL Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters
JTS Journal of Theological Studies
KJV King James Version
LEC Library of Early Christianity
Lectionary The Lectionary for Mass (1998/2002 USA edition)
LNTS Library of New Testament Studies
LSJ Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, and Henry Stuart Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon, 9th ed. with revised supplement (Oxford: Clarendon, 1996)
LXX Septuagint
MM J. H. Moulton and G. Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (London, 1930; reprint, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1997)
NABRE New American Bible (Revised Edition, 2011)
NCBC New Century Bible Commentary
NCC New Covenant Commentary
NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament
NIV New International Version
NovT Novum Testamentum
NPNF1 Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series 1
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
NTL New Testament Library
NTS New Testament Studies
PG Patrologia Graeca [= Patrologiae Cursus Completus: Series Graeca], edited by J.-P. Migne, 162 vols. (Paris, 1857–86)
RIChrM Recueil des inscriptions chrétienne de Macédoine, du IIIe au VIe siècle, by Denis Feissel (Paris: Boccard, 1983)
RSV Revised Standard Version
SP Sacra Pagina
SPNPT Studies in Platonism, Neoplatonism, and the Platonic Tradition
StPatr Studia Patristica
; TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich, translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, 10 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974–2006)
TS Theological Studies
TynBul Tyndale Bulletin
v(v). verse(s)
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
ZNW Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche
Books of the Old Testament
Gen Genesis
Exod Exodus
Lev Leviticus
Num Numbers
Deut Deuteronomy
Josh Joshua
Judg Judges
Ruth Ruth
1 Sam 1 Samuel
2 Sam 2 Samuel
1 Kings 1 Kings
2 Kings 2 Kings
1 Chron 1 Chronicles
2 Chron 2 Chronicles
Ezra Ezra
Neh Nehemiah
Tob Tobit
Jdt Judith
Esther Esther
1 Macc 1 Maccabees
2 Macc 2 Maccabees
Job Job
Ps Psalm/Psalms
Prov Proverbs
Eccles Ecclesiastes
Song Song of Songs
Wis Wisdom
Sir Sirach
Isa Isaiah
Jer Jeremiah
Lam Lamentations
Bar Baruch
Ezek Ezekiel
Dan Daniel
Hosea Hosea
Joel Joel
Amos Amos
Obad Obadiah
Jon Jonah
Mic Micah
Nah Nahum
Hab Habakkuk
Zeph Zephaniah
Hag Haggai
Zech Zechariah
Mal Malachi
Books of the New Testament
Matt Matthew
Mark Mark
Luke Luke
John John
Acts Acts
Rom Romans
1 Cor 1 Corinthians
2 Cor 2 Corinthians
Gal Galatians
Eph Ephesians
Phil Philippians
Col Colossians
1 Thess 1 Thessalonians
2 Thess 2 Thessalonians
1 Tim 1 Timothy
2 Tim 2 Timothy