Introduction

We turn now to 2 Thess. 1:1–12 to see whether it confirms and develops or contradicts our hypothesis concerning the eschatological problem underlying 2 Thess. 2:1–3:5.

The significance of the prescript (1:1–2)

The prescript of 2 Thess. 1:1–2 is notable in that it, like the one in 1 Thess. 1:1, lacks a reference to the sender's rank and has ἐν θεῷ πατρί ἡμῶν καὶ κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ While some argue that these parallels reflect slavish dependence on 1 Thessalonians, the ἡμῶν in verse 1 and ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς [ἡμῶν] καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ in verse 2 suggest an alternative explanation. Although one must beware of building too much on the rather obscure clues of prescripts, it is worth noting that the two aforementioned striking features of this prescript do seem appropriate to the situation as we determined it from 2:1–3:5: ‘Paul’ does not seem convinced that there is a concerted opposition within ‘the Thessalonian community’, and ‘the Thessalonians’ do need to be reassured regarding their status before God (cf. 2:13–17) and concerning the fatherly love of God for them (2:16; 3:5).

Next we turn to the long and syntactically unwieldy sentence of 1:3–10. First, we must answer two questions about 1:3.