The news that Timothy brought was in the main good: the faith of the Thessalonians had stood the test of persecution (1* 3'^) ; their love showed itself in hospitality and charity, even to other Mace- donian Christians ( 1' 3" 4"- ") ; they strove to edify each other (5") ; they tried to walk obedient to Christ's commands (4'); they were loyal to their teachers, and wished to see them once more (3^ '). At the same time the calumnies against the new Christian teachers were stUl prevalent, and the con- verts were stUl persecuted ; they were also exposed to the ordinary perils of a new Church in a heathen town ; they were tempted to fall back into im- purity (4'-*) ; some of the poorer members, perhaps abusing the charity of the richer, were living a life of idleness and dependence (4'-'^), others were care- less and forgetful of the coming of Christ (o'")- There was a tendency, perhaps due to ' the old
• It U possible that St Paul sent a short letter with Timothy, and that the Tliesijiloniana also replied bv a written answer (ct Ezpotitor, Sept. 1S93, pp. 167-17,, where J. Rendel Harris Ingeniously reconstructs the Tbessaloniaa letter).
Macedonian spirit of independence' (Lightfoot, Bibl. Ess. p. 248), to disorder and contempt of those in autlioritj' (5'-- " ; 4Ta/cT05, dTdfcrws, drax- Tcip only in these two Epp. ; arripl^av 4 times, 2 elsewhere). There was a danger of a misuse of spiritual gifts at the meetings of the Church (5""^) ; while some had lost friends by death and were afraid that these would not share in the blessings of Christ's Advent (4'^""). On receipt of this news St. Paul writes this Epistle ; he writes in the name of Silas and Timothy as well as himself, eo that, with a few exceptions (2'* Z'' 5"), he uses the plural number and speaks for them all ; probably he dic- tated it to Timothy and added the conclusion (5^'^) in his own handwriting (cf. II 3"). Their hope is stUl to return to Thessalonica, but mean- while they write to express their delight at the good news, to defend their own conduct as teachers, and to complete what was left wanting in the faith and life of their converts. The words of 4' laffiit Kal TepivareiTe, IVu ]repi<rfffi)i7re form the connecting link between the two parts. He aims at ' binding closer the link between the community and himself, and at more etiectually severing the link between it and heathenism' (Jlilicher). [For the circum- stances cf. Lightfoot, Biblical Essays, vi., viL ; Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller, ix-xi ; Spitta, Zur Gesch. undLitt. des Urchristcnthums, L pp. 111-154 ; Zahn, Einleitung, pp. 145-160.]
iii. Analysis. — After a salutation, entirely free from aU official titles or allusions to controversy, written as from friends to friends, as by men who are still anxious not iv ^dpei eluai ws Xpi<rroO inroa- ToXoi (cf. 2''), the writers give thanks for the spiritual state of the Thessalonians, reviewing their personal relations with them in the past, both at Thessa- lonica (l-'-2'"') and at Athens (2"-3'), their feelings in the present on the receipt of the news from Timothy (3°""), and their hopes for the future
(310-13)_
The didactic part deals with questions of per- sonal morality (4'''-), with teaching about the dead (vv.'^-'*), and the need of watchfulness (5''") ; ending with regulations for the community -life (w."^--).
A. Personal (12-3'S).
Gratitude for their spiritual \irtue8 is based upon the convic- tion which the writers felt (s-'Sore.-) of the election of their con- verts by God (1^ *) : and this is proved (i.) by the effectiveness and assurance of their fiiBt preachinfr, and by the resxUts in the lives of the Thessalonians (vv.5-^ ; (ii^ by the reports of others, who bear witness both to the success of their preaching (a-i^Jnu^f) and the reality of the conversion of the Thessalonians (vv.o-iC'): (iii) by the knowledge of the Thessalonians themselves (et-lrti yatp o'ixrt), who Can bear witness to the boldness of their preaching, to the purity of their motives, to their tenderness, and the absence of all self-assertion, to the example of self- sacrifice, to their fatherly entreaties (21-12). This preaching produced the true results in the lives of the converts ; they bad been bold to endure persecution — es the Churches in Judsea had from the Jews, the determined opponents of the gospel (w.l3-lf.). Consequently, when obliged to leave Thessalonica, they had longed to return ; Paul himself had twice planned a visit, but had been prevented ; and so at last Paul and Silas had sent Timothy. Paul himself had sent yet a second messenger to comfort and strengthen them and to reassure himself (31-5), The news that Timothy has brought is like a new gospel, a new life to them, making them thank God and desire to revisit and to complete such faith (vv.<)-W). So they pray that God will make a visit possible, and meanwhile increase the love of the Thessalonians (vv. 11-13).
B. Ethical. Guidance for the future (41-522).
They must press forward in the spiritual life; they must b« specially on their guard against all forms of impurity, for God specially punishes that sin, and it is inconsistent with the Chris- tian calling and the gift of the Spirit (4i^). They must increase their brotherly love, active as it already is (w.9- 10) ; they must live an orderly, industrious life, that they may gain the respect of the heathen and be independent (w.n. 12). They need not be anxious about their dead friends : the union of Christians with the Risen Christ ensures their resurrection (w. i*- 14), and a special word of the Lord has revealed that the dead will meet the Lord, even before the hving (vv.l*-lS). But they must not relax their vigilance, (or the Lortl comes as a thief in the night, and thev must watch and be sober, ready to gain the sah atioo which He will bring (5i-ii).