A STUDY ON THE PAULINE LETTERS TO THE THESSALONIANS Nwosu Raphael CCE INTRODUCTION Pauls 1 and 2 letters to the Thessalonians do not share a common background and date, even though have one addressee. The first is considered the earliest book of the New Testament while the second is a later writing. However, both are important for their theology of Parousia and consequent moral and social Christian demands. The Thessalonian Church is made of members with diverse cultures and origin; a reflection of the citys multi-cultural nature. Due to this and due to the occupant-stubborn Jews, Paul did not find evangelization easy there. The intense persecution of Christians sprang up an eschatological curiosity in the Christians there. Hence, it became expedient that Paul would address them to boost their hope in the Lord who promised to come for them. A second letter to the same people was necessary when Pauls previous emphasis was misunderstood. Paul had to write to solve doctrinal conflict springing up among them. This work will therefore peer into the nature of these letters. Though inexhaustibly, it shall satisfy a primary anxiety to understanding these letters at stake.st nd

1. DATE AND BACKGROUND The date of this epistle may be fixed with a fair degree of precision since it falls within Paul's period at Corinth, which provides us with one of the most certain contacts with secular chronology in the pro-consulate of Gallio. According to an inscription at Delphi, Gallio was proconsul during the twelfth year of Claudius' tribunicial power and after his 26th proclamation as Emperor. This must have been before August 52 AD, when the 27th proclamation had already been made. As proconsuls normally took office in midsummer, it is generally supposed that midsummer of 52 AD must be the date of the commencement of gallio's office. It is not possible to say exactly when Paul appeared before gallio, but Acts 18:12-18 suggests that this happened shortly after Gallio assumed office and probably towards the end of Paul's eighteen months in the city. It is most probable that 1 Thessalonians was written shortly after Paul's arrival in Corinth and it may therefore be dated in the early part of 51 AD. The second epistle must have been written soon after the first since it almost certainly preceded Paul's next visit to Thessalonica (Acts 20:1 ff). During this period, Corinth is the only place where Paul is known to have been with Timothy and Silas and it is reasonable to conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written from there. Those who deny the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians are obliged to date it later, although the relatively primitive character of the theology forbids a date too far beyond Paul's lifetime1 During his missionary sojourn in Thessalonica, Paul made a lot of converts, through the effectiveness and conviction of his preaching. He stressed on the worthlessness of idols, on the reality of the living God and the immense wrath that will come upon the world, when God would punish the heathen world for its impurity. His success aroused the anger of the Jews who instigated trouble and drove him out the city on unsubstantiated charges of political subversion. Worried about the faith of the new community as a result of the persecution, Paul sent timothy to encourage the faithful. His report about the community, precisely on their faith in the face of persecution, the love the show to each other, their obedience to the commands of Christ, on the attitude of some among them to fall back to impurity, and those who were careless and forgetful1 New Testament Study help, www.theologywebsite.com/nt/thessalonians.shtml

of the second coming of Christ, became the occasion for Paul to write the first letter, to be read aloud to the Christians in Thessalonica. "He used the opportunity to answer some questions bothering the people"2 Second Thessalonians 2:1-2 explains clearly why the second letter to the Thessalonians was written. Prominent among the things that gave rise to this letter is; ''the inability of the congregation to grasp the real meaning of Pauline eschatology"3 and "by some nonecstatic teaching or by a letter as though from us.4 Second Thessalonians has a primary pastoral intent of addressing the specific problems that had arisen in the Thessalonian community and to discipline the intruders, who were likely responsible for such a misunderstanding of Paul's letter. In correcting this menace, the author uses apocalyptic imagery. As in the first Thessalonians, the imagery is meant to stress the majesty and power of God. This is not to be understood as an accurate description of either the time or events of the world's end. Any speculation of such is at best nonsense and at worst malicious. These are the message the letters give to its reader. 2. CONTENT OF THE LETTERS Both letters are primarily concerned with eschatology and Parousia. In the first Thessalonians, Paul explains the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. In second Thessalonians, he also treated the Parousia. Evidently, these doctrines were not clear enough to some of the Christians in Thessalonians, which prompted the second letter. These letters also carried his teaching on work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. He admonished the Christians not to grieve as those who are asleep. The words sanctification and salvation were use in his letters to refer to the quality of new life in Christ, which will culminate in salvation. Hence two things were constant: 1.His apocalyptic interpretation of the death and resurrection of Christ. 2.Its significance for the study of the development of the ecclesiastical structure in the New Testament, already in first Thessalonians, had a reference to an organization pattern.5 He also promised that those who are causing the suffering among the Thessalonians Christians will be punished at the last day and that the believers will be granted rest. The prayer with which the letters begins assures the reader that despite their present suffering God will finally avenge for them, thus they are encouraged to hold fast to their faith.

2 Victor Onwekeme; being all things to all people, knowing St. Paul through his journey and writings; Nigeria :Ambassador press ogun, 2008, p.53 3Ibid. 4 William RF (ed). The international bible commentary,U.S.A: The liturgical press Collegeville, 1946, p. 1722. 5Paul J., Achtemeier (ed.), Harper's bible dictionary; India: theological publications Bangalore.

3. THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE LETTERS The authenticity of the letter is in dispute, though it has been defended by the recent commentators. It appears to have been laid under contribution in Ephesians and in 1Peter; its language is distinctly echoed by Polycarp and somewhat less certainly by Ignatius. It was included in Marcions collection of the Pauline letter (before the middle of the 2 nd cent.) and is found in all subsequent canonical lists. The difficulties of attributing it to Paul arise chiefly from the comparison with 1Thessalonians, both in the similarities and in the differences. Indeed, if the first letter were not in existence, it is unlikely that the authenticity of the second would be questioned. The main difficulty is to see how the same writer could dispatch the two letters to the same congregation within the few space of time. Certain earlier lines of objection have been abandoned. According to Emory S. B., the main objections which may still be raised to the authenticity of the letter are the following: A. It is surprising, if not altogether inconceivable, that at this early date Paul should have to warn his readers against allowing themselves to be led astray by letters circulated in his name without his authority (2:2), and should be obliged to devise means to guaranteeing the authenticity of his own letters (3:17). How many letters had Paul written at this time? From this period, only the two Thessalonian letters have come down to us. Is it possible that Paul was already known as a letter writer in AD 50 or 51, and that in agitation, could hope to win credit for his message by embodying it in a letter put out under the name of the apostle? It is admitted that it is hard to imagine a forger seeking to authenticate his forgery by adding boldly, a piece of deception as this. B. The second objection to be raised is the inconsistency between the eschatological outlook of 1Thessalonians, with its stress on the imminence of the Parousia, and the explicit teaching of 2Thessalonian that the Parousia, will not take place until after the rebellion, and the revealing of the man of lawlessness, the Son of perdition, after some restraining force or person has been taken away. To this, it is replied that such apparent discrepancies are common features of apocalyptic writing; premonitory signs of the end are not regarded as incompatible with its sudden and unexpected coming like a thief in the night. In the gospels themselves, a succession of signs of the coming of the Lord and of the end of the age (Mt. 24 ff) are accompanied by warnings to be constantly ready. Accordingly, a great weight can be attached to this objection. C. It is the problem of the literary relationships between the two letters that is now put forward as the chief stumbling block. The similarities of language and of general structure are so great as to suggest literary dependence of some kind; and it is more natural to think of another writer, copying Paul than of Pauls copying himself. The relationship is so close that it has even been suggested that Paul kept a copy of the first letter and read it over before writing the second, and drew freely upon its phrases. It is generally admitted that we have here a literary problem of unusual difficulty, which may even be regarded as insoluble without more knowledge of the circumstances than we now posses. It may at least be said that Paul does not else where repeat himself and comparable way. Let us remark that the argument could be turned in reverse; if we were to start by admitting the authenticity of 2Thessalonian, we could allege the similarities as evidence casting doubt upon the Pauline authorship of 1Thessalonians.66 Emory Steveens Bucke (ed.) Interpreters Dictionary of The Bible, USA: Abingdon Press, Noshville, 1962, P.625-626

We are left with a measure of uncertainty, but it cannot be claimed that the case for rejection is strong enough to justify us in denying the traditional attribution of the letter to Paul, especially as no plausible occasion for its publication has yet been indicated. If the letter is pseudonymous, it is an outright forgery, intended to represent Paul as teaching an apocalyptic doctrine which is not his, but the product of the forgers imagination. Where are we to look for the circles, presumably late in the first century, which had become unduly excited over a report or a prophetic utterance to the effect that the day of the Lord had already come? Why would such a letter be addressed to the Thessalonians? And how would it gain acceptance as Pauls? On the whole, the difficulties in the way of accepting the letter are less serious than those which are raised by the attempt to account for it as pseudonymous writing of a later period. 4. THE THEOLOGY OF THE LETTERS A first reading of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians will probably leave the reader dissatisfied. Not only is the letter (like all Paul's letters) sometimes irritatingly obscure, but it seems to have little relevance to say to us today. Its exhortations are much general to be useful and its theology focuses on a problem- the Parousia that is not pressing for most of us today. 4.1 CLARIIFICATIONS ABOUT PAROUSIA (1Thess 4: 13; 5: 11) Paul now moves on to answer the two questions about the Parousia that have been sent to him by the agitated Thessalonians. The first (1 Thess4:l3-18) is about the situation of members of the community who have died since their conversion. This disturbed the community not because they have not been told about the resurrection of the dead or because they do not believe in the bodily resurrection but because they share some contemporary apocalyptic writings, the belief that God comes in judgment those who are left will be more blessed than those who have died' (Ezra l3:24). They believed then, that their dead will some way not be favored at the Parousia, possibly because they think resurrection will take place after the Parousia so that the dead will not witness the coming of the Lord and be with him when he comes. Thus because of these agitations Paul offers the troubled Thessalonians a double reassurance: (a) The resurrection of Jesus guarantees the gathering together of all Christians at the Parousia. (b) A word of the Lord offers a description of the Parousia in which the dead are also involved and favored. Paul then appealed to the Thessalonians to encourage one another with this message. This discussion on the Parousia leads to the second question (1Thess 5: 1-11) about the times and seasons and the events associated to it. Paul (obviously replying a question put by the Thessalonians asking for more precise information about the timing of Parousia than he had given them) has in fact no more information to give. He offered instead an exhortation to vigilance, using traditions about the Parousia some of which are echoed in the gospels, for instance, ' the coming of the day of the Lord is to be sudden and unpredictable like a thief in the night'. In the second letter to the Thessalonians Paul's theology centers on ''the day of the Lord" which he uses to correct the misunderstanding among the people of Thessalonians concerning his statement that 'the day of the Lord is already here'. It is not easy to understand what exactly this

slogan meant. One possible way of understanding it is suppose that its advocates were Gnostics , who believed that their experiences of the risen Lord had already liberated them fully , so that no further coming of Jesus was necessary (2 Tim2: 18) . Furthermore, if Paul wrote this letter, we might assure that, while clarifying that those who had died would still share in the Parousia, 1Thess would had focused too much attention on that event and intensified an expectation of its immediacy. Such expectation could have been sharpened by increased persecution and affliction. Indeed, some were claiming that Paul had declared that day of the Lord to have already come. Consequently, they stopped doing any work. Paul now writes a second letter to reassure the Thessalonians that there have to be some apocalyptic signs before the day of the Lord.7 Finally, Paul explains that the rapture is not something that will happen very soon. He advises that the people should go on living their normal life and not abstain from work in the hope that the second coming of Christ was already at the corner. 5. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LETTERS The date at which 1Thesalonians was composed makes it the earliest written book in the New Testament. This is because it uses traditional material, particularly by the creedal formulae. However, it serves as the significant witness to the Gospel in the period between the death and resurrection of Jesus and the written works of the New Testament (that is, AD. 30-50). The letter provides also the oldest literary evidence of the significance attached to the death and resurrection of Jesus by the early Christians. 6. THE LITRRARY STAND POINT OF THE TWO LETTERS. From the literary stand point, it is especially valuable as the oldest extant of Christian document. After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a variety of historical, social and religious factors coalesced to prevent the development of a special Christian literature. These factors according to Raymond "did not prevent the writing of the letters which are literature but not litany in the sense of particularly artful compositions".8 Hence they are called KLEMLITERATUR in German Scholarship. As the oldest of the extant Christian writing or letters, 1Thessalonians is an "experiment in Christian writing". Contrary to the views of those scholars who consider 1 Thessalonians as a secondary letter especially A.J Malherbe, the letter is preferably seen as a type of personal and primary letter which Paul has written according to the norms of personal letter writing in Hellenic world. The essential structure of 1 Thessalonians is similar to the personal pastoral letters of the times, although, the content is decidedly Christian and evangelical, because it has the form of a personal letter, it must be real as a letter, that is an essentially ad hoc communication.

7 Raymond Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament. New York; Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 1997, p.594 8 Raymond, F. Collins, the 1st letter to the Thessalonians in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, USA: Prentice Hall Inc., 1968, p. 773)

6.1 THE INTRINSIC LITERARY EVIDENCE This is not taken only cumulatively but also with regard to the integrated composition of the whole letter, decidedly weighs in favor of pseudonymity. Nonetheless, whether one opts for Paul himself, as the author or for a pseudonymous author, the precise circumstances (the Lord's triumphal coming) Parousia remains open to debate according to Homer. Homer puts the dating of 2 Thessalonians between AD 51 and 100. But, this poses difficulties to any critical hypothesis. Lastly, Homer sees "the mode of interpreting the letter itself as affected by hypotheses concerning authenticity, since there is a question of the author's theological position".9 7. DOCTRINAL POINT OF VIEW From the doctrinal point of view, it is the eschatological section of the letter that are discussed most frequently. Paul has written about the Parousia and the day of the Lord (5:1-11). This passage speaks about the eschatological expectation of the early Christians but they are couched in apocalyptic terminology. Stressing this more, Fortell writes: The primary doctrinal value of the two letters lies in their eschatological teaching. The thought of the Parousia of the Lord pervades both letters and it is the source of courage and patience in the face of the tribulation.10 The coming of Christ to judge the living and the dead is an integral part of Christian faith and hope; it is embedded in the creed and taught by the Fourth Lateran Council at the time when Christians will share the glory he already enjoys. Hence, Paul had already instructed the Thessalonians on this faith; "Since Christ had not revealed the time of his coming, it was natural that early Christians would have desired it and lifetime.11 However, Isidore writes: ...Paul was concerned with the explanation of how the resurrection and Parousia of Christ can bring salvation to the followers whether alive or dead. Hence, there is need for vigilance. In the 2 Thess. 2:1-12, he tried to allay the anxieties regarding the time of its fulfillment12 The Christians were nonetheless anxious about those who die before the coming of Christ. Paul writes to assure them that those who are living at the time of the Parousia will have no advantage over the dead: the dead will rise first and together with the living. All will go to meet Christ and be with him forever. This is the positive teaching of 1Thessalonians. In 2Thessalonian, Paul teaches that before the Parousia of Christ takes place, there will be apostasy and the appearance of an anti-Christ, an agent of Satan who will attempt to destroy the work of Christ. George clearly indicated this when he writes:

9 Homer Charles G., 'The Second Letter to the Thessalonians' in the New Jerome Biblical Commentary, op. cit. p. 871 10 Fortell, J.T., Jerome Biblical Commentary, Geoferey Chapman London, (ed.) Raymond Brown et al, Vol. 11, p.228. 11 Ibid. 12Isidore, U. N., Paul and evangelization today, Owerri: Edu-Edy, 2009, p.75.

Second Thessalonians is unique in depicting this specific figure who is described as opposing God in the last days. The lawless one is an agent of Satan in the world who will exact himself in a Godlike fashion and bring about apostasy through deception with signs and wonders.13 Reference to the lawless one in 2Thess reflects a belief widespread in Jewish apocalyptic but the cosmic conflict between God and Satan would culminate in the last days. The lawless one in 2Thess also recalls many related figures in the New Testament. In the letters of John, we meet the anti-Christ (Jn. 2:18-22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7). In the synoptic apocalypse, we read of a false Christ (Mtt. 24:24; Mk. 3:32). In the book of revelation, the beast from the Sea (representing the Roman Empire) is an anti-God figure that chains divine worship and persecuted those who refuse to worship it (Rev. 13:1-10). In the early church, these different images of anti-Christ were considered as a confused, imprecise picture of the end time enemy of the church. With the conversion of Constantine, this enemy was no longer identified with the oppressive Roman Empire, but with the political or religious opponents of the now united church and state. 8. THE MESSAGE OF THE LETTERS. According to John Bailey, the total Thessalonians letters correspond by two great emphases. One of them is the note of thanksgiving. The Apostle with his fellow authors of the letters reflects upon the call which God had extended to these Thessalonians-messengers to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the reason for which he says: They had heard these Gospel; they had received it, they had become obedient to it; they had remained faithful in all their trying experiences. They had become examples not only in the two areas of the Grecian Peninsula, Macedonia and Achaia, but also in the communities beyond. They brought joy to the hearts of the Apostle and his associates. They were the evidence of the fruitage of their labors in the Gospel.14 The second emphasis is that of yearning prayerful desire on the part of the writers that these new and harassed disciples would not only continue steadfast but would abound more and more in all Christian virtues and Graces. A great tradition had been delivered to them. It was a tradition according to him in the truth of the Gospel, the Gospel of God in the gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. In their obedience to the call of God, they had entered into the Christian way. Because the Thessalonians had come out of a pagan background, many things in this Christian message were difficult for them to understand and appreciate. With painstaking care, with much repetition, the writers seek to instruct, to correct and to clarify their understanding. Particular difficult for them to get was the total picture of the Parousia13George, M. S., The International Biblical Commentary, A Catholic and Ecumenical Commentary for the twenty First century, in William R. F., et al, Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1998, p. 1723. 14John, W. B., 'The First & Second Epistles to the Thessalonians' in the Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 11, New York: Abinadon Press Nashville, p.252

A second area where Christianity confronted these converts from paganism with something new and difficult to grasp was the sphere of Practical moral living, particularly as regards relations of sexes and fidelity to one's tasks. Paul sets forth with clarity and force, the manner in which they should conduct themselves in both areas. Again, he charged them not only being obedient to the Gospel, but responsive and obedient to the high challenge of Christian living. 9. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FIRST AND THE SECOND LETTERS OF ST. PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS. The two letters of Paul to the Thessalonians are very much related in the sense that the issues of the first necessitated the issues and writing of the second. In his preaching of Jesus the messiah in Thessalonica, Paul encountered' some problems because he was accused of' preaching another king besides Caesar. This made Paul leave Thessalonica After his departure, Timo1hy later on brought him the distressing, news that they enemies who attacked and accused him still had strong influences. As a result, the Christian converts were still under persecution. In his teaching in his first letter, Paul talked of' the Parousia which the Thessalonians understood to be imminent. As a response to this misunderstanding, he wrote the second letter explaining the issue of the eschatology. In his second letter, he explains that the Lord's second coming was not so- imminent because it has to be preceded by the apocalyptic signs - the rebellion: and the coming of the anti-Christ, Paul also encourages, instructs and advises the Thessalonian church for the persecution they were going through-. Going through the first and the second letters of Paul to the Thessalonians, one would notice some similarities and differences in the two letters. These differences point to the fact of the disparity in the issues of authorship, theology and style. First, there are some similarities in the overall vocabulary. There is some sort of literary dependence 'between -the two letters. A comparison between I Thess 2:9 and 2 Thess 3:8 can be made. This can possibly be explained, as some authors would say, that a later anonymous author used 1 Thess as a model for his pseudonymous letter and adds verisimilitude and claims it is a letter from Paul. Secondly, there are differences in the eschatology of the two letters. In the first letter, the Parousia is seen as something imminent and unpredictable (1Thess 5:1-3). Conversely, in the second; 1IJe-Parousia was not imminent because it was to be preceded by some- apocalyptic events (2 Thess 2:1-8). Again, there is the insistent repetition on the importance of' tradition in second Thess (2: 15; 3:6) and also the consistent use of the Lord" for Jesus, in expressions where "God" is used in 1 Thessalonians and other Pauline letters. A look can be taken on 1Thess 1:4 with 2Thess 2:13, 1Cor 1:9 and 1Thess 5:24 with 2Thess3:3, 1Thess 5:23 with 2Thess 3:16. These suggest that the 2Thess belongs to a period later than that of the genuine Pauline letters. The usage shows a time in which there has developed a high Christology and the replacement of the apostolic presence by tradition. Furthermore, there are differences in the tones of the two letters. The first letter has a warm and personal tone showing precise reminiscences of the founding mission of Paul in Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:3; 2:5-12). The second is impersonal and didactic. Conspicuously lacking in such

concrete references to the past except when if recalls' past teachings (2 Thess 2:5). There are stylistic differences in the two letters to the Thessalonians. The first has words that are Pauline, and simple grammatical-structure; its expressions are- coordinated rather than subordinated to one- another and also abounds in antithetical constructions' (not this but that- 1 Thess 2:3-4; 6-7, 13, 17; 4:7; 5:6, 9). The second letter, like the "deutero-Pauline letters; the Thessalonians and the Ephesians, has a complex structure of subordination, embedded clauses. It also prefers synonymous parallelism that is typical of Jewish writing to the antithetical parallels present in Pauline writings. CONCLUSION It is important to recognize that 1 Thessalonians 4:135:11 does not provide a literal account of the events which are to take place at the end of time. Paul uses the expressive symbolism of apocalyptic imagery to console the Thessalonians in their anxiety about the imminence of the day of the Lord. Because the day of the Lord is to be the parousia, the glorious return of the crucified and risen Jesus, it is the fulfillment of Christian hope. The Thessalonians anxiety concerning times and seasons regarding the coming of the day of the Lord was to yield to an attitude of constant vigilance animated by faith, hope and love, For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes 5:9). The faith, hope and love which characterize the Thessalonians eschatological vigilance are also to animate the day-to-day conduct of the members of the Church. Besides the teaching on eschatology found in 1 Thessalonians, the letter provides an exhortation on the conduct of Christian life in the community. It is the eschatological hope of Christians which sets the standards for their daily living in faith and love. Thus, Pauls instructions to the community regard the holiness that is to characterize sexual morality (1 Thes 4:3-8) and the mutual charity members of the community are to observe toward one another (1 Thes 4:9-12). Likewise, Pauls instructions inviting the Thessalonians to respect those in authority over the Church (1 Thes 5:12-13) and the series of brief exhortations in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22, aim at giving shape to the eschatological vigilance according to which the community is to live. Remarkable similarities in structure, vocabulary and themes exist between 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. This second letter to the same community is hard to date and even harder to locate in terms of context and situation. Similarities aside, 2 Thessalonians takes on a very different tone from 1 Thessalonians almost from the very beginning, suggesting that the situation faced by the community underwent considerable change. While the thanksgiving of 1 Thessalonians cites with joyful recollection the Thessalonians conversion as a result of Pauls initial preaching (1 Thes 1:9), the thanksgiving of 2 Thessalonians offers words of encouragement to a community undergoing persecution and suffering. The main concern of 2 Thessalonians is to correct misinformation concerning the day of the Lord which disturbed the community and threatened its faith. The Thessalonians are warned in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17 not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a spirit, or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand (2 Thes 2:2). Using apocalyptic imagery that remains quite obscure, the letter

invites its readers to maintain steadfast confidence that Christ will defeat the mystery of lawlessness (2 Thes 2:7) that is already at work in the world. Second Thessalonians (2:2) points out the possible sources of the confusions which troubled the community. These are a spirit, some ecstatic pseudo-charismatic utterance; an oral statement, a sermon or discourse of some sort; or a letter allegedly from us, a forgery. Each of these three is identified as a possible source of the information that the day of the Lord had already arrived. To counteract this, the community is urged to stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter from us. Second Thessalonians 3:17 guarantees the reliability of this letter as a source of true teaching for the community: I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write. Similar personal notes appended to letters are found in 1 Corinthians 16:21 and Galatians 6:11, reflecting the longstanding practice of dictating correspondence to a scribe or secretary and then adding an autograph closing. The emphatic way in which 2 Thessalonians (3:17) is phrased serves as protection against the sort of forgery mentioned in 2 Thessalonians (2:2). In recent times, some scholars have voiced the suggestion that Paul himself was not the actual author of 2 Thessalonians, but that the letter is a pseudepigraphical document written authoritatively in Pauls name to preserve authentic apostolic teaching and to correct misconceptions and misperceptions which had arisen; 2 Thessalonians 2:15 communicates this concern for authentic tradition. Arguments in favor of considering 2 Thessalonians pseudepigraphical include its close literary relationship with 1 Thessalonians, the contrast between the tone and content of the eschatological material in 1 Thessalonians 4:135:11 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, and the use of vocabulary in 2 Thessalonians which is not characteristic of Pauls other letters. The contrasting arguments in favor of the Pauline authenticity of 2 Thessalonians stress the continuity of consistent development from 1 Thessalonians to 2 Thessalonians, and that the differences in tone and content can be explained in terms of the changing circumstances which gave rise to the need for clarification and development.