Eschatology of the Thessalonian correspondence a comparative study of 1 Thess 4, 13 - 5, 11 and 2 Thess 2, 1 - 12 to the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Old Testament pseudepigrapha

The book refers to universal eschatology contained in the Letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4, 13-5, 11; 2 Thess 2, 1-12). The whole material is divided in two groups (eschatological motifs and apocalyptic motifs). Each of the motifs is analysed in the Biblical context and in the Intertestamental Literature context (the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the Qumran Literature). The exegetical analysis and the comparative analysis show similarity and diversity of the way Paul used the motifs. They also show which motifs were created or extensively modified by Paul in order to contribute to the creation of Christian eschatology. After presentation of the importance of eschatological topics in the 1-2 Thess (chapter I), the analyses of __prodroms__ (chapter II) and events connected with the parousia (chapter III) indicate the way of using each of the motifs in different traditions. Based on results of the analyses, the Jewish background and Paul’s original contribution to the New Testament eschatology are presented in chapter IV. Machine-generated contents note: -- ch. I Preliminary Issues -- -- 1. The History of Discussions Concerning the Authenticity of the Letters to the Thessalonians -- -- 1.1. Denying the Authenticity of Both Letters -- -- 1.2. The Authors Accepting Authenticity of 1 Thess but Denying the Authenticity of 2 Thess -- -- 1.2.1. The Eschatology of 2 Thess 2, 1 -- 12 Contradicts that Found in 1 Thess 4, 13-5, 11 -- -- 1.2.2. Literary Relations between 2 Thess and 1 Thess -- -- 1.2.3. A Problem of 2 Thess 3, 17 -- "I, Paul write this greetings in my own hand" -- -- 1.2.4. The Difference in Tone between 1 Thess and 2 Thess -- -- 1.2.5. The Need for a Holistic Argument against the Authenticity of 2 Thess -- -- 2. Conclusion -- -- ch. II Events Preceding the Parousia -- -- 1. Motifs of Vigilance and Deception -- -- 1.1. The Motif of Vigilance -- -- 1.1.1. Christians -- -- 1.1.2. Non-Christians -- -- 1.2. Motif of Deception -- -- 1.2.1. Deceiving of Christians -- -- 1.2.2. Deceiving of non-Christians -- -- 2. The Man of Lawlessness and the Restrainer -- -- 2.1. The Man of Lawlessness -- -- 2.1.1. The Man of Lawlessness and His Nature -- -- 2.1.2. Works of the Man of Lawlessness -- -- 2.1.3. Revelation of the Man of Lawlessness -- -- 2.1.4. The Son of Destruction -- -- 2.2. The Restrainer -- -- 2.2.1. Analysis of Important Terms -- -- 2.2.2. The Figure of the Restrainer -- -- 2.2.3. Identification of the Restrainer -- -- 3. Conclusion -- -- ch. III Events Connected with the Parousia -- -- 1. Motif of Surprise -- -- 1.1. Christians -- -- 1.1.1. "Times and dates" -- -- 1.1.2. "You know very well" -- -- 1.1.3. "Like a thief in the night" -- -- 1.2. Non-Christian -- -- 1.2.1. "Peace and security" -- -- 1.2.2. "Destruction will come on them suddenly" -- -- 1.2.3. "As labour pains in a pregnant woman" -- -- 2. Description of Events Associated to Coming of the Lord -- -- 2.1. An Order -- -- 2.2. The Voice of an Archangel -- -- 2.3. The Sound of the Trumpet of God -- -- 2.4. Descent from Heaven -- -- 2.5. Rising from the Dead -- -- 2.6. "Be taken up in the clouds" -- -- 2.7. "To meet Lord in the air" -- -- 3. Equality of Living and the Dead on the Day of Parousia -- -- 3.1. The Corning of the Lord -- -- 3.2. Those Who Fall Asleep -- -- 3.3. Those Who Remain Alive -- -- 3.4. "Together with them" -- -- 4. Conclusion -- -- ch. IV Paul's Eschatological Concept in the Thessalonians Corespondence -- -- 1. Eschatological and Apocalyptic Motives in the Letters to the Thessalonians and in the Intertestamental Literature -- -- 1.1. Similarities -- -- 1.1.1. Similarities of Motifs -- -- 1.1.2. Similarity or Dependence? -- -- 1.2. Differences -- -- 1.2.1. Paul's Changes to Eschatological Motifs Occurring in the Intertestamental Literature -- -- 1.2.2. Original Pauline Eschatological Motifs -- -- 1.3. Paul's Use of Eschatological Motifs -- -- 2. The Problem of the Unity of Eschatology in the Letters to the Thessalonians -- -- 2.1. Eschatology or Eschatological Motifs in 1 -- 2 Thess -- -- 2.1.1. Dualism -- -- 2.1.2. The Time and Seasons -- -- 2.1.3. Parousia / the Day of the Lord -- -- 2.1.4. The Resurrection -- -- 2.1.5. The Judgment -- -- 2.1.6. Salvation -- -- 2.1.7. Conclusion -- -- 2.2. A Different Way of Using Eschatological Motifs in 1 Thess and 2 Thess -- -- 2.3. An Assessment of the Validity of Claims about Differences in the Eschatology of 1 Thess and 2 Thess -- Summary -- Bibliography -- Indexes -- Index of Biblical Passages -- Index of Dead Sea Scrolls Passages -- Index of the Old Testament Psuedepigrapha Passages -- Index of Topics. Machine-generated Contents Note: Ch. I Preliminary Issues -- 1. The History Of Discussions Concerning The Authenticity Of The Letters To The Thessalonians -- 1.1. Denying The Authenticity Of Both Letters -- 1.2. The Authors Accepting Authenticity Of 1 Thess But Denying The Authenticity Of 2 Thess -- 1.2.1. The Eschatology Of 2 Thess 2, 1 -- 12 Contradicts That Found In 1 Thess 4, 13-5, 11 -- 1.2.2. Literary Relations Between 2 Thess And 1 Thess -- 1.2.3. A Problem Of 2 Thess 3, 17 -- I, Paul Write This Greetings In My Own Hand -- 1.2.4. The Difference In Tone Between 1 Thess And 2 Thess -- 1.2.5. The Need For A Holistic Argument Against The Authenticity Of 2 Thess -- 2. Conclusion -- Ch. Ii Events Preceding The Parousia -- 1. Motifs Of Vigilance And Deception -- 1.1. The Motif Of Vigilance -- 1.1.1. Christians -- 1.1.2. Non-christians -- 1.2. Motif Of Deception -- 1.2.1. Deceiving Of Christians -- 1.2.2. Deceiving Of Non-christians -- 2. The Man Of Lawlessness And The Restrainer -- 2.1. The Man Of Lawlessness -- 2.1.1. The Man Of Lawlessness And His Nature -- 2.1.2. Works Of The Man Of Lawlessness -- 2.1.3. Revelation Of The Man Of Lawlessness -- 2.1.4. The Son Of Destruction -- 2.2. The Restrainer -- 2.2.1. Analysis Of Important Terms -- 2.2.2. The Figure Of The Restrainer -- 2.2.3. Identification Of The Restrainer -- 3. Conclusion -- Ch. Iii Events Connected With The Parousia -- 1. Motif Of Surprise -- 1.1. Christians -- 1.1.1. Times And Dates -- 1.1.2. You Know Very Well -- 1.1.3. Like A Thief In The Night -- 1.2. Non-christian -- 1.2.1. Peace And Security -- 1.2.2. Destruction Will Come On Them Suddenly -- 1.2.3. As Labour Pains In A Pregnant Woman -- 2. Description Of Events Associated To Coming Of The Lord -- 2.1. An Order -- 2.2. The Voice Of An Archangel -- 2.3. The Sound Of The Trumpet Of God -- 2.4. Descent From Heaven -- 2.5. Rising From The Dead -- 2.6. Be Taken Up In The Clouds -- 2.7. To Meet Lord In The Air -- 3. Equality Of Living And The Dead On The Day Of Parousia -- 3.1. The Corning Of The Lord -- 3.2. Those Who Fall Asleep -- 3.3. Those Who Remain Alive -- 3.4. Together With Them -- 4. Conclusion -- Ch. Iv Paul's Eschatological Concept In The Thessalonians Corespondence -- 1. Eschatological And Apocalyptic Motives In The Letters To The Thessalonians And In The Intertestamental Literature -- 1.1. Similarities -- 1.1.1. Similarities Of Motifs -- 1.1.2. Similarity Or Dependence? -- 1.2. Differences -- 1.2.1. Paul's Changes To Eschatological Motifs Occurring In The Intertestamental Literature -- 1.2.2. Original Pauline Eschatological Motifs -- 1.3. Paul's Use Of Eschatological Motifs -- 2. The Problem Of The Unity Of Eschatology In The Letters To The Thessalonians -- 2.1. Eschatology Or Eschatological Motifs In 1 -- 2 Thess -- 2.1.1. Dualism -- 2.1.2. The Time And Seasons -- 2.1.3. Parousia / The Day Of The Lord -- 2.1.4. The Resurrection -- 2.1.5. The Judgment -- 2.1.6. Salvation -- 2.1.7. Conclusion -- 2.2. A Different Way Of Using Eschatological Motifs In 1 Thess And 2 Thess -- 2.3. An Assessment Of The Validity Of Claims About Differences In The Eschatology Of 1 Thess And 2 Thess -- Summary -- Bibliography -- Indexes -- Index Of Biblical Passages -- Index Of Dead Sea Scrolls Passages -- Index Of The Old Testament Psuedepigrapha Passages -- Index Of Topics. Janusz Kucicki. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The study focuses on two passages from the Letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4, 13-5, 11; 2 Thess 2, 1-12) refering to universal eschatology. The study also contains a comparative analysis of eschatological and apocalyptic motifs found in 1-2 Thess with similar motifs in the OT Pseudepigrapha and the Qumran. «Kucicki's painstaking exegetical analysis and breadth of the work is most impressive. [...] Kucicki has filled a void in biblical studies with an overall well-written and much needed monograph.»