An Atheist Explores the Bible Part 228: Where Paul Discovers that Fire and Brimstone Sells (2 Thessalonians 1-3)

2 Thessalonians 1-3
Where Paul Discovers that Fire and Brimstone Sells.

Welcome to another instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Bible version).
In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the King James Bible, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology.

For more detail, see the introductory post http://bit.ly/2F8f9JT
For the online KJV I use, see here http://bit.ly/2m0zVUP

And now:

2 Thessalonians 1
“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”

The first chapter starts with a formula greeting from Paul, Timotheus and Silvanus to the Thessalonians, but quickly descends into a bit of an angry diatribe. The Thessalonians and other “saints” may face troubles in life, but these are simply a test, “a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God”. For those who don’t believe, however, punishment awaits them “when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels”. In the earlier epistles, Paul didn’t really mention any kind of divine punishment for non-believers, but instead dwelt on the positive aspects available to believers. Now, suddenly, he’s all about vengeance and “everlasting destruction”. I suspect he’s starting to get testy after being imprisoned so many times for his faith.

2 Thessalonians 2
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition”

Paul notes that his last epistle to the Thessalonians caused them to think that the Time of the Lord was nigh (not the Time Lord...); here he equivocates a bit and adds in some vague prophecies about a “son of perdition”, one who “opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped”. Well, that covers quite a large number of kings and despots over the intervening 2000 years, so … not that useful, Paul.

Elsewhere Paul gets righteous on the non-believers again, “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”. But, hang on. The non-believers don’t have much of an option. “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie”. Which doesn’t seem very fair to me. God makes them believe a lie, then condemns them for … believing a lie. It’s hardening Pharaoh’s heart all over again.

2 Thessalonians 3
“And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you.”

As a final note, Paul tells the Thessalonians to avoid anyone who talks a lot and does no work –“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies”. The solution, says Paul, is to ignore them. “And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed”. This doesn’t seem very charitable, even though Paul adds that “Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” In other words, have nothing to do with people that disagree with me, and shun them, but do so in a passive-aggressive “caring” fashion. Hm. This is where Paul starts to turn into the rather unpleasant character that I remember from reading the NT long ago. I could agree with much of what he said in the earlier epistles, but he’s starting to come across as much more angry and bitter about things.

And thus for 2 Thessalonians. It’s a short piece, partly correcting misunderstandings that arose amongst the Thessalonians that the Second Coming was nigh, but also continuing Paul’s theme of becoming more cantankerous and less charitable towards non-believers. I wonder, at first Paul was trying to get as many converts as possible for the cause, but perhaps now he’s finding there are just too many to deal with and he’s getting fed up of herding cats, so this is his way of saying “no more”. Probably not, but the idea amuses me.

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