Having received such news, Saint Paul could not but take care to bring order to the mood there, to calm the minds, to dispel wrong thoughts, and to correct the bad temper. Why does he write a second epistle to them? He was prompted to do this by apostolic zeal and fatherly love for those who were converted. He could not tolerate any stain on Christians, and he was zealous to present every Church to the Lord pure, without any defilement or blemish.

This is the reason for writing the epistle. But since we infer it from the content of the epistle, it is needless to mention that such is its content, which this occasion presupposes. In it, St. Paul: 1) thanks God for the advancement of the Thessalonians in Christian virtues, encourages them to further success, especially to endure persecution and sorrows by hoping for future blessings (chapter 1); 2) dispels false thoughts that the day of Christ is already at hand, predicting that the day of the Lord will not come until the enemy of the truth, the Antichrist, appears (chapter 2); and 3) induces to correct those who walk disorderly both by conviction and by the severity of the apostolic authority (chapter 3). But it is not difficult to notice that the main thing in this epistle is the establishment of precise concepts about the signs of the second coming of Christ. The praise of the good qualities of the Thessalonians and the encouragement of their patience is, as it were, only an introduction to the exposition of these concepts, and the instruction on the correction of the disorderly is a particular addition, although it is edifying for all, but it does not concern everyone, because only some persons were defective. Blessed Theodoret does not give precedence to any of the subjects shown, but St. John of Damascus, and then Ecumenius and Theophylact, consider the teaching about the signs of the Second Coming of the Lord to be the main subject and purpose of the epistle. At the same time, other objects and targets, of course, should already be arranged in the order shown.

2. THE TIME AND PLACE WHEN AND WHERE THE EPISTLE WAS WRITTEN

Christian antiquity has not without reason told us that the second Epistle was written after the first, and the content of the Epistle irresistibly impresses the conviction of this. Meanwhile, there were people who guessed that the second epistle was written before the first. How much weight there is in this divination can be judged by the grounds on which they want to establish it. One, for example, says: in verse 17 of the 3rd chapter of the second epistle, in the words: "This is what I write," there is a sign by which it was necessary to distinguish the true epistles of St. Paul from the spurious ones; and it is appropriate for such an instruction to be found in the first, and not in the second. But such a sign was pointed out by St. Paul on the occasion that an attempt was made to let out under the name of his epistle not his (2, 2), and such an attempt already presupposes the existence of at least one true epistle, which was the first. Moreover, the Apostle himself in this second Epistle makes it clear that one of his epistles was already in the hands of the Thessalonians, when he says: "Keep the traditions which you have learned, either by word or by our epistle" (2:15). Therefore, the second message can no longer be considered the first. It seemed to another that the very content of the second epistle might suggest that it was written before the first. Leaving aside its presentation in this sense, we recall to everyone that the content of the second epistle is most tangible and shows that it was written after the first, and precisely in addition to it, in further explanation and the most precise definition of some of the objects contained in it. While the first epistle only mentions how and under what circumstances the Thessalonians accepted the Christian faith, the second speaks of their success in Christianity, of the growth of their faith and the increase of love (1:3). While the first epistle speaks of the suddenness of the Lord's appearance and the necessity of always being ready to meet Him, because of the obscurity of the time when He comes, the second removes the false conclusion that the day of the Lord is already at hand, by which the indefinable time was determined (chapter 2). While in the first only general rule about a quiet, serene and industrious life is expressed (4, 10 ff.), in the second the contrary behavior of certain persons is extensively exposed (3, 6-16). Moreover, when St. Paul says in the second epistle: "We beseech you for the coming of our Lord, and for our assembly in Him not to be quick to strive in the mind" (2:1-2), without any explanation of what our assembly about Him is; then it must be thought that he did this because it was previously clearly stated what this assembly meant; it is said in the first Epistle – 4:16.

Thus, it is evident that the second Epistle to the Thessalonians was written not before, but after the first, as it has always been accepted and is accepted by all. When exactly? A little after the first, in the same year that St. Paul was still in Corinth, and probably before the end of his sojourn there. That Saint Paul was still in Corinth at that time is evident from the fact that in the inscription of this epistle he places together with him his companions – Silas and Timothy, and they were both together with him only in Corinth. After the departure of Saint Paul from this city, we meet Saint Timothy with him in Ephesus (Acts 19:22); but the holy Power is nowhere later mentioned as a companion of St. Paul. Therefore, the writing of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians cannot be attributed to any time after the sojourn of St. Paul in Corinth or to any other place than Corinth. That it was written towards the end of St. Paul's stay in Corinth can be inferred from the fact that in it (3:2) the Apostle asks to pray for deliverance from evil and evil people, by which he probably hints at the rebellion against him in Corinth (Acts 18:12-17); and it happened before the end of his stay there (Acts 18:18). Thus, if the first epistle was written in the year 54, then there is no reason to attribute the writing of the second to the later of that year.

3. SEPARATION

From the content of this epistle it is already clear what its composition is and what parts it contains.

After the usual inscription and greeting — 1. 1-2 St. Paul first praises the good in the Thessalonians and encourages them to patience – 1:3-12; then he dispels their wrong thoughts about the second coming of Christ with moral lessons from it — chapter 2; Finally, he rebukes those who walk disorderly and persuades them to reform, inserting this denunciation into the final speech — chapter 3. Let us designate these parts as follows: Part One is an inspiring sketch of the bright side of the Thessalonians; the second is corrective; the third is moralizing.

A more detailed development of the thoughts of each part will be placed in the Commentary itself.

PREFACE

a) Inscription and greeting (1, 1–2)

Chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. Paul, and Silouan, and Timothy of the Church of Thessalonica, in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This inscription and greeting word for word are similar to the inscription and greeting of the first Epistle to the Thessalonians. Let him who wishes to refer to what is said in the Interpretation of that Epistle on these Epistle: Here we will append only a few remarks of our interpreters, which they, in addition, make on some utterances.

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timothy. By this second comparison of his co-workers with himself, the holy Apostle makes it clear that this Epistle is written in the same spirit and in the same circumstances as the previous one. From which, apart from historical considerations, it is fair to conclude that it was written not long after the first.