For though we have done much evil toward God and no good, God gave us not vengeance but repentance. Though we were ignorant of his name he did not neglect us but had mercy on us. Though we blasphemed he did not [punish] but had pity. And when we disbelieved him he did not bear a grudge. . . . He did not repay us but gave us repentance and abstinence from evil and exhorted us to come to him. (my translation)
For Paul, a life of thanksgiving and prayer did not mean walking around with the light feeling that accompanies good times, or plastering a smile over inner turmoil. Instead, he trusted that the Holy Spirit would enable Christians to give thanks to God regardless of the circumstances. Paul’s letter to the Philippians provides a good example of him putting his own teaching into practice. Writing from prison and expecting to be killed, he gives thanks to God (1:3–14) and asks the Philippians to do the same (4:4–6), not because he expects things to go well, but because he believes Christ will be exalted by his death or his life (1:20–21).
Reading 1 Thess 5:16–18 in a modern Bible, one could get the impression that Paul has turned from the question of how church members should treat one another to talk about individual piety. The original text was not divided into verses, however. The call to “rejoice” follows immediately after the preceding command to seek the good for all. Though standard English does not distinguish between the second-person singular and plural, the words “rejoice,” “pray,” and “give thanks” are plural imperatives in Greek. They are commands addressed to the entire congregation. This passage concludes with a solemn explanation: for this is the will of God for you [plural] in Christ Jesus.
[5:19–22]
Do not quench the Spirit, Paul warns. The word translated as “quench” is often used of fire, and of course the Spirit was associated with fire (e.g., Acts 2:3). Quenching the Spirit would mean “putting out” the fire of God’s presence. How could humans do such a thing? Paul does not think that people are able to harm God, but he does think that they can “quench” the Spirit’s work in the community’s life by opposing the Spirit’s gifts. One example of quenching the Spirit—perhaps the one that Paul was most concerned about—is the despising of prophetic utterances. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God inspired prophets to convict the people of sin, warn them of coming judgment, and comfort them with words of coming restoration. Jesus was widely recognized as a prophet (e.g., Mark 8:28), and the book of Acts teaches that after Jesus’s ascension the Holy Spirit gave prophetic gifts to the Church (e.g., Acts 2:14–18). In a later letter, Paul teaches that the gift of prophecy is for the “building up, encouragement, and solace” of the Church (1 Cor 14:3), though Paul takes it to be self-evident that not all Christians have this gift (1 Cor 12:29). Paul encourages the Thessalonians to use their prophetic gifts but also to subject supposed prophetic messages to critical scrutiny. They are not to despise prophecies, but to Test everything; retain what is good, and Refrain from every kind of evil. If a brother or sister claimed to speak prophetically, the congregation was not to assume the validity of such speech but instead to test the message in light of what they knew to be good and evil (see 1 Cor 14:29; 1 John 4:1). The prophet’s message needed to accord with the truth that had already been revealed (see commentary on 2 Thess 2:2). In later centuries this passage became the blueprint for how the Magisterium should deal with movements that emerge in the Church: the bishops must take care not to quench the Spirit by discouraging such movements, but they must be tested so that the good can be retained.13
The warning against quenching the Spirit (v. 19) should not be taken to refer only to the acceptance of prophecies (v. 20). Patristic commentators generally interpreted verse 19 as encouragement to fan the flame of the Spirit more generally, and with good reason: verses 19 and 20 are not linked grammatically, and the significance of the Spirit for Paul extends far beyond charismatic gifts. For Paul, the Spirit enables Christians to become more like Christ (1:6). Any behavior that works in the opposite direction would be an effort toward quenching the Spirit. For instance, in 4:3–8 Paul warned that through sexual immorality the Church could become “impure” and reject the Holy Spirit. Athanasius and John Chrysostom interpret this passage to be saying that people could quench the Spirit through unholy deeds.14 Gregory of Nazianzus links keeping the flame of the Spirit alive with being reconciled to God.15 According to Thomas Aquinas, one could quench the Spirit simply by stopping someone from performing a generous deed.16
Reflection and Application (5:14–22)
Over the centuries, many readers have wrestled with Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing” (5:17; see also Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; Luke 18:1). The nineteenth-century Russian text The Way of a Pilgrim begins when a mendicant attends the liturgy and hears 1 Thess 5:17:
I heard the following words: “Pray without ceasing.” This verse especially fixed itself in my mind, and I began to wonder how one could pray unceasingly, since each man must occupy himself with other matters as well, in order to make a living. . . . I thought about this for some time but was unable to understand it.17
He continues to wrestle with this for the remainder of the book, eventually learning continual “interior prayer” by reciting the “Jesus prayer” (“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me!”) without ceasing. St. Augustine admits that it is impossible to pray unceasingly if we restrict ourselves to formalized prayers that involve “bending the knee, prostrating the body, or lifting up our hands.” But there is, Augustine claims, “another inward kind of prayer without ceasing, which is the desire of the heart.” If you long for God, you do not cease to pray, for “the continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.”18 In other words, all of life can be done for God’s sake, recognizing that all good things are God’s gifts, and become in this way prayer and thanksgiving. Moreover, according to Augustine, God speaks back by shaping our desires, uniting our will to his.19
In his commentary on 1 Thessalonians, Thomas Aquinas gives his own answer to this question by drawing on the opinions of many who preceded him. He says that it is possible to pray without ceasing in three ways. First, we do so by praying at the appointed times during the day. Second, following Augustine, Thomas says that we pray when we desire God and God’s will. Third, drawing on the biblical idea that gifts for the poor are gifts for God (e.g., Phil 4:18), Thomas teaches that almsgiving sets off a cascade of prayer that continues unceasingly, because “the one who receives your gift prays for you even while you are asleep.”20
Prayer for Complete Sanctification (5:23–25)
23May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. 25Brothers, pray for us [too].
OT: Lev 19:1–2; Isa 6:1–7
NT: Matt 5:48
Catechism: grace, 1996–2005
[5:23–24]
As in a number of his other letters, Paul begins to conclude with a prayer for peace, often referring to God as the God of peace. It is striking that Paul would associate God with peace so soon after mocking those who erroneously think that there is peace (5:3). The implication is that not everything called “peace” deserves the name. The peace offered by the Roman Empire, obtained by violence, is fleeting and will be revealed as a sham on the day of the Lord (5:1–3). In contrast, the peace that Paul prays for is from God and is certain because it rests on God’s own faithfulness (5:24). This peace involves the renewal of creation and the total sanctification of those who belong to Christ.
Like the prayer in 3:11–13, this prayer summarizes many of the key ideas in the letter: the importance of the holiness of the Thessalonians, the coming of Jesus, and God’s faithfulness to them as they wait for this day. The prayer consists of two parallel parts that repeatedly stress the importance of complete holiness. First, Paul prays that God would sanctify the Thessalonian congregation perfectly, or completely. They are already holy because they are
recipients of the Holy Spirit (4:3–8), yet they need to progress to attain complete holiness (3:11–13; 4:3). Second, Paul prays that they would be preserved by God in sanctity, being kept blameless when Jesus returns. As in 3:11–13, Paul is presupposing a final judgment, assuming that when the Lord returns he will evaluate everyone’s deeds. But this judgment is not something to be feared but instead is to be anticipated in hope, because God will faithfully make the church ready for this day.21
The prayer states that “the God of peace himself” will do the sanctifying, and verse 24 assures the Thessalonians that the one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it. How could Paul be so confident that God would do this work for them after claiming earlier in the letter that they must learn to behave in way that is pleasing to God (e.g., 4:1–8)? It is often difficult for modern readers to grasp, but Paul saw no contradiction between saying that people must strive to be holy and saying that holiness is God’s gift. Paul states this in a pithy way in Phil 2:12–13: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for God is the one working in you” (my translation). God’s faithfulness provides hope because believers know that their fate does not rest in their own excellence. At the same time, God’s gift is the sanctification of believers, and for that sanctification to be real it must be lived. For this reason St. Basil the Great was right to cite 1 Thess 5:24 and then add, “provided we keep His commandments by the grace of Christ in the Holy Spirit.”22
Paul’s prayer is for complete sanctification, touching every part of a Christian’s life. Their holiness must be complete, extending to spirit, soul, and body. Some, such as St. Irenaeus and Origen, have interpreted the mention of spirit, soul, and body to mean that humans are made up of three different parts, but this is an overinterpretation.23 There is no hint in Paul’s other letters that he saw humans as being divided into three parts. Paul’s point here is very similar to the †Shema: one must love God “with all your heart, and soul, and strength” (Deut 6:5 [my translation]). This means loving God with your entire being, not that people are made up of three parts. The mention of the body is, however, a good reminder that salvation is not an escape from the body and material creation but rather the sanctification and redemption of it.
The Thessalonians are already holy inasmuch as they have received the Holy Spirit and are called to live in sanctity and purity (4:3–8). Nevertheless, Paul sees the coming presence of the Lord as the decisive moment when complete sanctity will be required. His thinking here is not unlike Isaiah’s vision of God in the temple. The fiery seraphim hail God as “holy, holy, holy,” and Isaiah panics, realizing that he is a sinner unfit to be in God’s presence: “Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (6:5). In response, one of the seraphim takes an ember from the altar and touches Isaiah’s mouth, saying, “Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged” (6:7). Similarly, Paul prays for the Thessalonians’ complete sanctification in preparation for the presence of Jesus, knowing that it is not possible to dwell with God, the all-holy One, while remaining in sin and impurity.
In his commentary on this passage, Thomas Aquinas suggests that Paul prays that they will be kept “blameless” instead of “without sin” because only Christ can be sinless. Blamelessness, Thomas says, “may describe those who may commit venial sins, but nevertheless do not commit grave sins by which their neighbors would be led to sin.”24 Thomas then cites Luke 1:6, which speaks of Zechariah and Elizabeth living “blamelessly” according to God’s commands. Thomas is certainly correct that the word “blameless” (amemptōs) was not used to mean utter perfection. Shortly after being called blameless, Zechariah was chastised by the angel Gabriel for his lack of faith in God’s promise (Luke 1:18–20). Paul himself says that prior to being called by Jesus he was “blameless” in the righteousness of the Torah (Phil 3:6), and Paul is the first to admit that he was not without sin in those days. The word translated as “blameless” (amemptōs) appears frequently on pagan inscriptions, where it suggests not utter perfection but a life lived well in service of the city.25 Thomas’s suggestion is, therefore, a good reminder that human “blamelessness” cannot mean complete sinlessness in this life.
LIVING TRADITION
St. Augustine on the Mutual Prayer of the Bishop and the People
In a sermon St. Augustine explains why he needs the congregation to pray for him.
Let us always look forward with longing toward our everlasting joy; let us always pray for fortitude in our temporal labors and trials; let us offer prayers for one another; let my prayers be offered for you, and yours for me. And, brethren, do not think that you need my prayers, but that I have no need of yours. We have mutual need of one another’s prayers, for those reciprocal prayers are enkindled by charity and—like a sacrifice offered on the altar of piety—are fragrant, and pleasing to the Lord. If the Apostles used to ask for prayers on their own behalf, how much the more does it behoove me to do so? For I am far from being their equal, although I long to follow their footsteps as closely as possible; but I have neither the wisdom to know nor the rashness to say what progress I have made. Those men, with all their greatness, were anxious to have prayers offered by the Church in their behalf. They used to say: “We are your glory, as you also will be ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” They used to pray mutually for one another in anticipation of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ; for on that day there will be glory, but until that day there will be weakness. Let us pray in weakness, that we may rejoice in glory.a
a. Commentary on the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount with Seventeen Related Sermons, trans. Denis J. Kavanagh, FC 11 (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1951), 354–55.
[5:25]
Just after praying for the Thessalonians, Paul asks that they pray for him, as he does of the recipients in most of his letters (Rom 15:30–33; 2 Cor 1:11; Phil 1:19; Philem 1:22). He does not indicate what he wants them to pray for, though a careful reader of the letter would be likely to pray for Paul’s sanctification (1 Thess 5:23) and that God would make it possible for him to visit Thessalonica again (2:18; 3:10–11). Since Paul is the authority figure in the relationship, asking for their prayer also contains an implicit lesson, as Theodoret of Cyrus recognizes: “He asks them to pray, not only so he will have the help of their prayer, but also so he may teach them how to behave.”26 By asking for their prayer, he shows that he too needs to progress on the path of sanctification (Phil 3:12–14) and that their intercession is significant.
Conclusion (5:26–28)
26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers. 28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
[5:26]
Paul frequently ends his letters by instructing the church members to greet one another with a holy kiss (Rom 16:16; 1 Cor 16:20; 2 Cor 13:12). The holy kiss was also practiced beyond Paul’s churches (1 Pet 5:14), and by the mid-second century it had become a fixed point in the liturgy.27 In the Greco-Roman world, kisses were exchanged between lovers and family members, but also in a wide range of other settings that would seem odd to most modern Westerners, at least in the English-speaking world. Kisses could be a way of creating or strengthening relationships, like a more robust alternative to our habit of shaking hands. For instance, the Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius mention emperors kissing troops to ingratiate themselves to mutinous soldiers.28 Judas Iscariot’s kiss, which the Church Fathers often contrast with the holy kiss, profanes the intimacy of a friendly kiss, which is what makes it so memorably cruel. John Chrysostom interprets the holy kiss as Paul’s way of uniting the members of the Church: “Having united them with his †paraenesis, he naturally commands them also to be joined through the holy kiss. For this kiss unites and gives birth to one body.”29 Together with the prevalence of familial language in 1 Thessalonians, the holy kiss was a
way of uniting the new converts as a family along with Christians in other cities. Paul usually asks churches to greet “one another” with a holy kiss, but here he asks them to greet all the brothers in this way. If there were any doubt about whether some of the erring members of the congregation should receive the holy kiss, stating the command this way would ensure that no one is left out. It is also possible that Paul wants them to greet one another and Christians from elsewhere in Macedonia with a holy kiss. The Thessalonian congregation was not an isolated community; it was part of a wider body that included Christian neighbors in Philippi (1:7–8).
[5:27]
Since the letter is from Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, most of it is written in the first-person plural, but in a few places Paul uses the singular (2:18; 3:5), which is a clue that he has been the principal author all along. Here it is likely that Paul took the pen from the †amanuensis to write the conclusion in his own hand, as he does in other letters (e.g., 1 Cor 16:21; Gal 6:11; 2 Thess 3:17). He issues a warning: I adjure you by the Lord that this letter be read to all the brothers. When American courtrooms ask a witness to place a hand on a Bible and swear to tell the truth, they are implicitly calling God to witness and to compel the witness to tell the truth. Similarly, to adjure (enorkizō) someone by God or another power was to attempt to place that person under an oath before God. In Mark’s Gospel, demons attempt to place Jesus under oath (horkizō) by God not to torture them (5:7), and in Acts certain exorcists unsuccessfully attempt to use the formula “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches” to cast out evil spirits (19:13). In the centuries that followed, Christian funerary inscriptions sometimes adjure visitors by God, Jesus, or other beings not to disturb the grave. Paul’s language here is surprisingly solemn.
First and Second Thessalonians Page 17
