First and Second Thessalonians

by Nathan Eubank

  The image of apostles as children is followed by the even more surprising maternal image of apostles as nurses. The NABRE translates the end of verse 7 as a nursing mother cares for her children. The word trophos (“nursing mother”) could refer to a nursing mother, but usually it referred to a woman who was hired to breastfeed or otherwise nourish a child.15 Wet-nurses were common in the ancient world, and the children they nourished frequently remembered them fondly.16 Indeed, though this image may seem bizarre to us, for those with firsthand experiences of wet-nurses, Paul’s language would have painted a vivid picture of how he carried himself as an apostle. St. John Chrysostom used the image of the nurse to summarize all of 2:1–8: “As a nurse cares for her own children, so it is necessary for a teacher to be. The nurse does not flatter that she may obtain glory. She does not ask her little children for money. She is not burdensome or severe with them. Are not nurses even more kind than mothers?”17

  BIBLICAL BACKGROUND

  Textual Criticism

  None of the original biblical manuscripts survive, from any book of the Bible. We possess many ancient copies of the books of the New Testament, but none of them are identical. The vast majority of the differences among these copies are minor, such as differences in spelling, but some introduce important questions about what the author originally wrote.a As a result, it is necessary to compare them in order to ascertain what the biblical author is most likely to have written. In addition to providing evidence of what the biblical author originally wrote, these manuscripts provide important insight into how biblical texts were interpreted in antiquity, because scribes sometimes changed the text to reflect what they thought it meant. Modern scholars have benefited from the discovery of many previously unknown manuscripts and from a refinement of our understanding of how the existing manuscripts relate to one another, but Christians have engaged in textual criticism of the Bible since antiquity.

  Christians sometimes find textual criticism unsettling. How can Scripture be God’s word if we’re not sure which words belong in Scripture? In the liturgy the reading of the Bible is followed by the acclamation “the word of the Lord.” This is a reminder that God is able to speak to the Church through imperfect translations based on various Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts. After all, the originals no longer exist, and even if they did, few Christians would have the skill to understand them. The apostles cited the †Septuagint as Scripture, despite its differences from Hebrew texts, and the Vulgate has long had a privileged place in the Latin Church. In the same way, we hear “the word of the Lord” spoken in our own language in the liturgy.b Textual criticism of the Bible is an important task, but while our translations and text-critical work remain imperfect and we debate which manuscript has the superior reading, God will continue to speak to the Church through the Scriptures.

  a. E.g., see the footnotes in any modern translation of the Bible at Luke 22:19–20.

  b. For a detailed discussion of these matters, see Divino Afflante Spiritu (Inspired by the Holy Spirit) 12–14, and Paul Griffiths, “Which Are the Words of Scripture?,” TS 72 (2011): 703–22.

  The vividness of Paul’s self-description is better understood in light of the alternate punctuation suggested above. Though the NABRE puts a period at the end of verse 7, in Greek it is likely that the sentence continues into verse 8 and provides further explanation of what Paul means by comparing himself to a nurse: “Just as a nurse cares for her own children, so, in our deep longing for you, we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our very selves, because you have become beloved to us” (my translation). Paul gave his whole self to the Thessalonians, just as a nurse nourishes her children from her own body. He did not simply tell the Thessalonians about the gospel. He lived it by giving himself to them in imitation of Jesus, “who died for us, so that . . . we may live together with him” (1 Thess 5:10).

  Reflection and Application (2:3–8)

  These verses are an incisive description of common errors that have destroyed the credibility and effectiveness of many ministers. Greed, love of the limelight, and superciliousness have derailed many who wanted to serve the Church. Paul was already guarding against these dangers in the Church’s earliest days, and two thousand years later we are all too aware that these problems have not gone away. Paul’s description of leadership through patient, self-giving care, humility, and even vulnerability remains a powerful corrective to the human tendency to dominate others and work for personal gain. His teaching echoes that of his Lord, who had taught that one must become like a child in order to enter the kingdom (Matt 18:3) and that leaders in the Church must assume a lowly status, just as he did (Matt 20:24–28; Luke 22:24–27). While preaching on 1 Thess 2, St. Augustine makes a comment that gets to the heart of the matter: “There is no greater proof of charity in Christ’s church than when the very honor which seems so important on a human level is despised.”18

  LIVING TRADITION

  The Catechism of Trent on Infants and Nurses

  The preface of the Catechism of the Council of Trent draws on 1 Thess 2:7–8 to explain how priests must humbly and patiently adapt their teaching to the abilities of the people they serve:

  [When teaching] the natural ability, cultural background and particular circumstances of the people must be given attention, so that he who teaches may become all things to all people and be able to gain all to Christ (1 Cor 9:22). . . . Our zeal for the teaching of Christian doctrine should not be diminished because sometimes it must explain matters which seem humble and unimportant, and hence perhaps uninteresting to minds accustomed to the more sublime truths of religion. If the Wisdom of the eternal Father came down upon this earth in the lowliness of our flesh to teach us the way to the heavenly life, who is there whom the love of Christ does not compel to become ‘little in the midst of his brethren, like a nurse caring for her children’ (1 Thess 2:7)? St. Paul wished for the salvation of his neighbor so much that he desired to deliver “not only the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them, but even his own life for them,” as he himself says (1 Thess 2:8).a

  a. The Roman Catechism: Translated and Annotated in Accord with Vatican II and Post-Conciliar Documents and the New Code of Canon Law, trans. Robert I. Bradley and Eugene Kevane (Boston: St. Paul Editions, 1985), 8–9 (translation slightly altered).

  Ultimately, however, a Christian’s confidence rests not on the ability of authority figures to heed Paul’s and Jesus’s teaching, but on the faithfulness of God. Though the failures of ecclesiastical leaders are no small matter (Matt 18:6; 24:45–51; James 3:1), the weaknesses and failings of the Church’s ministers serve to show forth the power of God, who works both through our obedience and in spite of our disobedience. As Paul puts it when describing his own ministry, “We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us” (2 Cor 4:7).

  1. The recounting of their relationship doesn’t end until 3:10.

  2. Some cite Acts 17:1–9 as evidence that the opponents were certain Jews in Thessalonica. Recent advocates of the view that Paul is defending himself include Jeffrey A. D. Weima, 1–2 Thessalonians, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2014), 121–25.

  3. Abraham J. Malherbe, “‘Gentle as a Nurse’: The Cynic Background to 1 Thessalonians 2,” in Paul and the Popular Philosophers (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1989), 35–48; see also Malherbe’s other works on 1 Thessalonians, including his commentary The Letters to the Thessalonians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, AB 32B (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000), 153–63.

  4. On enduring persecution, see 1:2–6; on pleasing God and being found blameless, see 3:13–4:1 and 5:23; on avoiding impurity, see 4:7; on working so as not to burden others, see 4:9–12; on love for others in the church, see 3:12; on the gentle admonishment of others in the church, see 5:14.

  5. Regulae morales 31.836 (my translation). See also Regulae morales 31.720.

  6. Nicomachean Ethics 2.7.

  7. Interpretat
io in xiv epistulas sancti Pauli (PG 82:633 [my translation]).

  8. Homiliae in epistulam i ad Thessalonicenses (PG 62:402).

  9. See also LXX Gen 31:44; 1 Sam 20:23; 20:42; Acts 5:32.

  10. Matthew V. Novenson, “‘God Is Witness’: A Classical Rhetorical Idiom in Its Pauline Usage,” NovT 52 (2010): 355–75.

  11. See the footnote in the NABRE: “Many excellent manuscripts read ‘infants’ (nēpioi), but ‘gentle’ (ēpioi) better suits the context here.”

  12. Verses 1–2 say that their reception was not in vain, but rather (alla) the apostles were emboldened to speak. Verses 3–4 say that their exhortation was not from impure motives, and so on, but rather (alla) they spoke as those entrusted by God. Verses 5–7 continue this pattern: the apostles did not use flattering speech, and so on, but rather (alla) they were like infants. The NABRE ignores this pattern in order to accommodate the poorly attested “gentle.” For an extended argument, see Gordon D. Fee, The First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians, NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 65–72.

  13. See the similar use of the related verb in 1 Cor 14:20: “In respect to evil be like infants [nēpiazō], but in your thinking be mature.”

  14. Commentarium in evangelium Matthaei 13.29 (my translation). See the use of “infant” (nēpios) to define the attitude of those who understand Jesus and will enter the kingdom in Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21. See also Matt 21:16.

  15. LSJ; BDAG. In the Septuagint trophos translates a Hebrew word that means “one who gives suck.”

  16. Keith R. Bradley, “Wet-nursing at Rome,” in The Family in Ancient Rome: New Perspectives, ed. Beryl Rawson (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1986), 220; Beverly R. Gaventa, “Apostles as Babes and Nurses in 1 Thessalonians 2:7,” in Faith and History: Essays in Honor of Paul W. Meyer, ed. John T. Carroll, Charles H. Cosgrove, and E. Elizabeth Johnson (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1990), 201.

  17. Homiliae (PG 62:402 [my translation]). In Greek this is a series of rhetorical questions. The implied answer is obvious in Greek but not in English, so I have taken the liberty of translating loosely for clarity’s sake.

  18. Sermons 10.8. Cited in Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, ed. Peter Gorday, ACCS 9 (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2000), 65.

  Continuing the Story of the Apostles in Thessalonica

  1 Thessalonians 2:9–20

  Paul continues to remind the Thessalonians of their time together and give thanks to God for them. Many of the points made in chapter 1 are expanded upon here, as Paul continues to describe God’s work in their midst, their reception of the word amid suffering, and their imitation of those who were in Christ before them.

  Working Night and Day (2:9–12)

  9You recall, brothers, our toil and drudgery. Working night and day in order not to burden any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers. 11As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children, 12exhorting and encouraging you and insisting that you conduct yourselves as worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

  NT: 2 Thess 3:6–9

  [2:9]

  Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy worked night and day, meaning that they worked not through the night but into it. Paul does not mention what sort of work they were doing, but later in the letter he admonishes the Thessalonians to work with their hands (4:11). The book of Acts describes Paul as a tentmaker (18:3), a description that is consistent with what Paul says in his letters. Paul did not make a comfortable living and frequently found himself without enough food to eat and poorly clothed (1 Cor 4:11; 2 Cor 6:5; 11:27). Jesus had commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive a living (1 Cor 9:14). Though Paul could have accepted payment from the churches, he put himself through these hardships in order not to burden any of you. As he puts it in 1 Cor 9:12, “We endure all things rather than give hindrance to the gospel of Christ” (my translation). In 2 Thessalonians Paul gives the additional reason that he wanted to give the Thessalonians an example to imitate (3:7–9). Interestingly, Paul did accept money on numerous occasions from the church in Philippi (Phil 4:10–20; 2 Cor 11:9), and he describes the money they gave him as a sacrifice “pleasing to God” (Phil 4:18). Paul never explains why his policy varied from church to church. Presumably he believed that giving would benefit the Philippians (Phil 4:17), whereas other congregations would benefit more from receiving the gospel “free of charge” (1 Cor 9:18). Though he never explicitly connects his policy of forgoing payment to the example of Jesus, Paul tells the church in Philippi to follow the example of Jesus, who gave up his divine prerogatives and humbled himself to the point of death on a cross (Phil 2:1–13), and he asks the Corinthians to give their money to needy Christians in Jerusalem, following the example of Jesus, who “became poor although he was rich, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). It is not hard to see Paul’s renunciation of his apostolic prerogatives for the sake of others as his attempt to practice what he preached by imitating Jesus’s own renunciation.

  LIVING TRADITION

  The Catechism of Trent on Following Paul’s Example with Money

  The Catechism of the Council of Trent holds up Paul as an example of generous frugality and hard work on behalf of the poor, admonishing priests to do whatever is necessary to help the needy:

  If one cannot help the needy with what he already has, then he should engage in some work in order to be able to do so. . . . This is what St. Paul himself did, and he exhorts others to imitate him. “You yourselves know,” he says to the Thessalonians, “how you ought to imitate us” (2 Thess 3:7). “Aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you” (1 Thess 4:11). . . . This charity should be pursued even to the extent of some privation on our part. We should not want to be ourselves the object of others’ charity. This frugality was characteristic of all the Apostles, but especially St. Paul. Thus he reminded the Thessalonians: “For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God” (1 Thess 2:9).a

  a. The Roman Catechism: Translated and Annotated in Accord with Vatican II and Post-Conciliar Documents and the New Code of Canon Law, trans. Robert I. Bradley and Eugene Kevane (Boston: St. Paul Editions, 1985), 435–36 (translation slightly altered).

  [2:10]

  Paul is confident that God and the Thessalonian church would testify that Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy behaved devoutly and justly and blamelessly. The word for “devoutly” (hosiōs) could also be translated as “holy.”1 The words “holy and just” are a common pair in the Bible where they describe God’s own character (Rev 16:5) as well as actions that are pleasing to God (Titus 1:8). The third word, “blamelessly” (amemptōs), refers to the absence of faults. In Phil 3:6 Paul says that when he was a Pharisee he was “blameless” under the law. Luke describes John the Baptist’s parents as being “blameless” because they followed “all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord” (Luke 1:6). Paul uses this word two more times in this letter, praying that God would find the Thessalonians “blameless” when Jesus returns (3:13; 5:23; see also Phil 2:15).

  [2:11–12]

  After referring to the Thessalonians as brothers (1:4; 2:1) and describing himself as an infant and a nurse (2:7), Paul turns to paternal language, saying that we treated each one of you as a father treats his children. By comparing himself to a father exhorting, encouraging, and insisting with his children, Paul calls to mind both his authority and his compassion. The concept of fatherhood was a loaded one in the Roman Empire, carrying strong connotations of power. “Father” was sometimes used as the title of the gods and emperors, and in Roman law the paterfamilias sometimes had complete authority over his household, including adult children. Paul occasionally refers to himself as a father to remind others of his authority (1 Cor 4:14; 2 Cor 12:14
). At the same time, Paul also applies the language of fatherhood to himself to emphasize his affection and care for his children in Christ (1 Cor 4:14–15; Philem 1:10). As John Chrysostom puts it while preaching on this passage, Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy spoke “not in a severe manner, but as fathers.”2

  Verse 12 provides a short summary of Paul’s message. In Thessalonica Paul encouraged them, conduct yourselves as worthy of . . . God. The Greek text translated here as “conduct yourselves” literally says “walk,” following a common Hebrew idiom. Scripture frequently uses the metaphor of walking to describe one’s way of life (e.g., 2 Kings 20:3), and it is a favorite term of Paul’s, appearing again twice in this letter (1 Thess 4:1, 12). The metaphor of walking reminds us that Paul called the Thessalonians to much more than a new set of ideas. By turning from idols to serve God (1:9), they have embarked on a new way of life.

  Unlike the synoptic Gospels, Paul does not often speak of the “kingdom of God.” Here, however, he says that God is calling them into his kingdom and glory. A newcomer to a country must learn the customs and laws of the land in order to thrive there. God was calling the Thessalonians into his kingdom and glory, so it was necessary for them to walk “worthily” (axiōs) of their new kingdom. Some ancient scribes found the God who calls you strange and changed it to “the God who called you.” But Paul’s use of the present tense describes a call that is ongoing, continually leading the Thessalonians to a new way of life (see also 1 Thess 2:12; 4:7; 5:23–24; 2 Thess 1:11).