{"schemaVersion":"1.0.0","resourceType":"pauline-resource","id":"evidence-2-thessalonians","locale":"en","category":"history","title":"2 Thessalonians","description":"Second Thessalonians encourages endurance under pressure, corrects alarm about the day of the Lord, and addresses disorderly idleness.","canonicalUrl":"https://paulineletters.com/explore/resources/evidence-2-thessalonians","version":"2026-09-21","capabilities":{"static":true,"interactive":false,"offline":false,"embed":true,"print":true},"usage":"Choose SVG for a scalable graphic, PNG for slides or messages, PDF for printing, or HTML for an interactive experience.","assets":[{"id":"2-thessalonians:en:slide","url":"https://paulineletters.com/evidence/media/en/2-thessalonians/slide-5a18cc155045c9da.png","format":"png","contentType":"image/png","width":1600,"height":900,"bytes":234212,"sha256":"056d38b837ef5abc2b5d72db66143e45d37b59f3ddd27ba8b16cc7fc487e133f"},{"id":"2-thessalonians:en:chronology","url":"https://paulineletters.com/evidence/media/en/2-thessalonians/chronology-5a18cc155045c9da.svg","format":"svg","contentType":"image/svg+xml","width":1200,"height":840,"bytes":7302,"sha256":"549a89d88aef6c7cff378447e6d292659f58c9872290b63b25c120671677af64"},{"id":"2-thessalonians:en:map","url":"https://paulineletters.com/evidence/media/en/2-thessalonians/map-5a18cc155045c9da.svg","format":"svg","contentType":"image/svg+xml","width":1200,"height":900,"bytes":10604,"sha256":"0011ad64463e397588ca457b22b68954e285810dff42d9cc1228828c8da78023"},{"id":"2-thessalonians:en:teaching","url":"https://paulineletters.com/downloads/evidence/2-thessalonians-teaching-5a18cc155045c9da.pdf","format":"pdf","contentType":"application/pdf","bytes":780996,"sha256":"a9e0c0f3d0b0d0e4c39750f67b473cbec94fad2a800f8978c26b5f048050d35d"}],"accessibility":{"alt":"2 Thessalonians: chronology diagram showing the sequence of events, dates, and distinctions between established, inferred, and uncertain details.","explanation":"The relation of the letter to First Thessalonians depends on how its authorship and literary dependence are judged."},"question":"What situation does 2 Thessalonians address, and what is debated about its setting or authorship?","answer":"The relation of the letter to First Thessalonians depends on how its authorship and literary dependence are judged.","references":["Acts 16:6-10","Acts 16:11-40; Phil 1:5","Acts 17:1-9; 1 Thess 1-3","Acts 17:10-15","Acts 17:16-34","Acts 18:1-11; 1 Thess 3:1-6","Acts 18:12-17"],"sources":[{"id":"new-testament-introduction","title":"An Introduction to the New Testament","citation":"Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (Doubleday, 1997). Chapter 26, “Second Letter to the Thessalonians,” “General Analysis of the Message”; Chapter 26, “Second Letter to the Thessalonians,” “Summary of Basic Information,” “DATE”; Chapter 26, “Second Letter to the Thessalonians,” “Summary of Basic Information,” “FROM”; Chapter 26, “Second Letter to the Thessalonians,” “The Purpose of II Thessalonians”; Chapter 26, “Second Letter to the Thessalonians,” “Did Paul Write II Thessalonians?”"},{"id":"letters","title":"The Pauline letters","citation":"Romans through Philemon, World English Bible (public domain). ","url":"https://ebible.org/web/"},{"id":"acts","title":"The Acts of the Apostles","citation":"Acts 7–28, World English Bible (public domain). ","url":"https://ebible.org/web/ACT.htm"},{"id":"chronology","title":"Pauline Letters chronology","citation":"The project’s 67-row chronology, cross-referencing Acts and the letters and labeling debated dates. "},{"id":"paul-critical-life","title":"Paul: A Critical Life","citation":"Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, Paul: A Critical Life (Oxford University Press, 1996). Chapter 1, “The Chronological Framework,” “The Evidence from the Pauline Letters” and “The Evidence from the Acts of the Apostles”"}],"sessions":[],"qualifications":[{"heading":"What remains uncertain","paragraphs":["On a direct-Pauline reading, AD 51–52 and probably Corinth are traditional reconstructions near First Thessalonians during the second journey; the letter itself names no writing city.","If the letter was written later in Pauline tradition, that date and place no longer describe its composition.","The authorship of 2 Thessalonians is debated. Some scholars read it as Paul clarifying his earlier teaching; others see its style and presentation of the day of the Lord as evidence of a later writer working in Pauline tradition.","A later work in Pauline tradition: Many scholars regard Second Thessalonians as a later work in Pauline tradition, citing differences in style and the treatment of the day of the Lord. The letter would not belong in the Corinthian stay and would need a later historical setting."],"references":[],"sourceIds":["new-testament-introduction","letters","acts","chronology","paul-critical-life"]}],"license":{"content":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","exclusions":"Original resource content and artwork: CC BY 4.0. Bible text and third-party materials are excluded.","attribution":"PaulineLetters.com"},"citation":{"text":"Pauline Letters. “2 Thessalonians.” Updated 2026-09-21. https://paulineletters.com/explore/resources/evidence-2-thessalonians","markdown":"[2 Thessalonians](https://paulineletters.com/explore/resources/evidence-2-thessalonians) — Pauline Letters (2026-09-21).","html":"2 Thessalonians — Pauline Letters (2026-09-21).","bibtex":"@online{paulineletters-evidence-2-thessalonians,\n author = {{Pauline Letters}},\n title = {2 Thessalonians},\n date = {2026-09-21},\n url = {https://paulineletters.com/explore/resources/evidence-2-thessalonians}\n}\n","ris":"TY - ELEC\nTI - 2 Thessalonians\nAU - Pauline Letters\nDA - 2026/09/21\nUR - https://paulineletters.com/explore/resources/evidence-2-thessalonians\nER -\n"},"embed":"
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