Chapter 5

Chapter Five

¹ But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that anything be written to you. For it is superfluous and unprofitable to know the seasons and times of the consummation. For not even to the apostles did the Lord reveal this, when they came and asked Him. But Paul perhaps had learned this too from the unspeakable words.

² For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. By “the day of the Lord” you will understand both the common consummation and the particular end of each one; for this too comes upon each one unseen. And this is profitable for us in many ways. First, because if a man knew his own eighth day, he would be eager to commit every sin the other days, and then at the very end would be baptized. Second, because many, if they knew that tomorrow perhaps they would die, would work countless evils upon their enemies, despairing of themselves and wishing to glut themselves with the blood of their foes—which now does not happen, the fear of death and the love of life restraining them. But the lovers of life, too, would have been destroyed by despondency, had they known the time of their death. And the righteous would not have had so great a reward, when set in dangers; for they would have seemed, since they knew they would not now die but perhaps after so many years, on that account to be unsparing of themselves. But now, since it is uncertain whether they will survive the dangers, and yet they are unsparing of themselves, their virtue is manifest—just as the three young men were the more marvelous for this, that not knowing certainly whether they would survive the fire, they nevertheless did not worship. For these reasons our end is as a thief in the night. You know this, then, O Thessalonians, from what the Lord said: You know not at what hour the thief comes.[1][2][3]

³ For when they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon her who is with child; and they shall not escape. Since those who were insulting them were in prosperity, he now consoles the faithful, saying: Do not think that they will escape. For destruction will come upon them, both unseen and painful, and bringing much bitterness, just as travail upon her who is pregnant. But how, if Elijah is to come, and the Antichrist, does Paul now say that destruction will come upon them suddenly? Because the Antichrist and Elijah are a sign of the consummation; but of the coming of Christ, no longer—for it will be sudden and unseen. And observe the example of travail. For here too the woman knows that she will give birth; but when, she does not know. Many, at any rate, have borne even seven-month children, and on the roads, foreknowing nothing. And just as those women, while playing and laughing, are suddenly seized with unspeakable pangs, so also the souls of those who now live luxuriously, when that day comes upon them, shall not escape.[4]

⁴ But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you as a thief. That is, you do not have a dark and unclean life. What then? Was not the end going to come upon them unseen also, even if they were not unclean? It will indeed come upon them unseen, but it will involve them in nothing grievous. For even to those who are awake and in the light, even if some entrance of a robber should occur, he will be able to do no harm; but those in darkness and asleep the robber strips and goes off.

⁵ For you are all sons of light, and sons of day. Just as “sons of Gehenna” are those who do the things worthy of Gehenna, and “sons of disobedience” the disobedient, so “sons of light and of day” are those who do the things of the light.

⁶ We are not of night, nor of darkness. That is, of sin.

⁷ Therefore let us not sleep, as also the rest, but let us watch and be sober. That is, let us not neglect good works. And the intensifying of watchfulness is sobriety. For it is possible to be awake, yet not sober; as if he said: Let us do the good things soberly and attentively.

⁸ For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk, are drunk in the night. But let us, being of the day, be sober. He calls those in wickedness “sleepers,” as inactive toward virtue and imagining all things. For such are the things of the present life, differing in nothing from dreams. And by “drunkenness” he means not only that from wine, but also that from all the passions, as displacing a man from his natural state and darkening the governing faculty. You ought not, then, to be such. For you are not of night and sons of it, but of day, through baptism and the reception of the commandments of God.

⁹ Putting on the breastplate of faith and love. It does not suffice to be awake and sober, but one must also be armed. For if a man be awake and sober, but have no weapons, the robbers quickly make away with him. And by saying “breastplate of faith and love,” he hinted at right doctrines and a good life; this is to be truly sober. And one must have these not simply, but as a breastplate. For nothing easily cuts through this, but it is like a wall to the breast, and none of the fiery darts of the devil will touch us.

¹⁰ And as a helmet the hope of salvation. Just as the helmet preserves the most vital part in us, the head, covering and guarding it, so also hope guards the mind, and shows itself salvation to it, allowing nothing from outside to fall upon it. See, then, what he said elsewhere also: Faith, hope, love, these three—and now too he bids us acquire them.[5]

¹¹ Because God appointed us not unto wrath, but unto the obtaining of salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. For this reason, he says, we must acquire these weapons: because God did not appoint—that is, did not set apart—us that we should taste of His wrath, but that He might gain us for Himself, and save us, giving His Son for us unto death. We ought, then, to hope for good and great things amid dangers. For if we believed that He did not spare the Son for our sake, let us hope that much more will He deliver us from these dangers; and let us look upon the example, and love it, and our kindred as well. Therefore, he says, Christ died, that whether we wake—that is, live—or sleep—that is, die—we should live together with Him. For he speaks of one kind of sleep above, and another here. So that what he says is this: Do not fear the bodily dangers and deaths; even if we die, we shall live; for indeed He who so loved us as to die for us is alive.

¹² Wherefore comfort one another, and edify one the other, even as also you do. Do you see? Why then do you make the excuse, “I am not a teacher”? Edify, he says, one the other, since the teachers are not sufficient for the admonition of all.

¹³ But we ask you, brethren, to know those who labor among you. Since he said, “Edify one the other,” lest they suppose that he had raised them to the teacher’s rank, and they be lifted up against the teachers, he says: Even if I have entrusted to you the edifying of one another, still I exhort you to hold those men in honor. For teachers are compelled to endure many hardships, which honor will at least somewhat lighten for them.

¹⁴ And are over you in the Lord, and admonish you. For if you honor those who are set over you with regard to men, how much more ought you to acknowledge gratitude to those set over you with regard to God? For the words “in the Lord” mean this: he is not set over you in worldly matters, but in those according to the Lord; he prays for you, he begot you again through baptism, he visits you, he admonishes you, he is a physician to you, and in the dead of night, if you call, he comes. Do you see his protection?

¹⁵ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Do not simply love them, he says, but “very highly,” as children their fathers. For he who loves Christ will love also His minister, of whatever sort he be, because through him he attained the dread Mysteries. If you take a wife of good repute, do you not love and honor the one who arranged the match? You have received the kingdom of heaven, and do you spurn the one who arranged it? Hear Paul: For their work’s sake, he says, honor them.

¹⁶ Be at peace among yourselves. It is also written, “among them,” that is, the teachers. For he knows the enmities that are born against these; for because they reprove, or also restrain men from evils, they are hated. One must, then, be at peace with them, and not in outward show, but among yourselves.

¹⁷ Now we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly. Here he addresses the teachers. Do not, he says, rebuke from authority or willfulness, but admonish gently. For the reckless man becomes the bolder when he is rebuked. And the disorderly are all who do things contrary to what God has ordained. For He ordained an order for each one, and he who transgresses it is disorderly. The drunkard, the reviler, the covetous, and all who sin, step outside the order.

¹⁸ Comfort the fainthearted. The fainthearted is he who does not bear trial. This is the one sown upon the rock. He too, then, needs to be held up.

¹⁹ Support the weak. That is, prop up those who are weak concerning the faith, as also elsewhere, Receive him who is weak in the faith, he says.[6]

²⁰ Be longsuffering toward all. Both toward the disorderly, and toward the fainthearted, and toward the weak. For this is most fitting for a teacher: to be able to bring all to a better mind, even the most savage.

²¹ See that no one render evil for evil to anyone. If evil for evil is not to be rendered, much more evil for good, or to begin an evil, or to do harm to one who has done no injury.

²² But always pursue the good, both toward one another and toward all. It does not suffice not to render evil for evil, but one must, he says, also repay the wrongdoer with good things. For this he shows by saying, “Pursue the good”—that is, be intently zealous to do good, both “toward one another,” that is, toward the faithful, and “toward all,” that is, even toward unbelievers.

²³ Rejoice always. Even if you fall into trials. And observe that after saying one must not render evil for evil, then he enjoined rejoicing. For he who has been schooled to avenge himself on no one, but rather even to benefit the one who has grieved him, whence shall he admit the sting of grief?

²⁴ Pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks. He showed the way of ever rejoicing—unceasing prayer and thanksgiving. For he who is accustomed to converse with God, and to give thanks to Him for all things as happening to his profit, plainly will have continual joy.

²⁵ For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. And how shall you give thanks always? If you recognize that this is what God wills—that you be thankful toward Him, as One who ever does good in Christ Jesus, that is, through the cooperation of the Lord Jesus. For indeed, toward thanksgiving He is Himself our fellow worker, He who also taught us to do this, as we have learned from the Gospel.

²⁶ Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Since the present life is night, God gave us a lamp, the Holy Spirit; but some made it brighter, as all the saints, while others quenched it, as the five virgins, who left it without oil; as the one who committed fornication in Corinth, who poured filth upon it. He says, then: Quench not the Spirit, that is, the gift. Shut the doors, that is, the senses, that no spirit of wickedness may enter, and the lamp will not be quenched. Do not throw on the dust, that is, earthly cares, and it will be kept unquenched. Or also thus: there were among them prophets of God and false prophets. And since it was uncertain which was the true one, they turned away from all alike. He says, then, to them: The Spirit—that is, the gift in those who are truly prophets—quench not, by turning away from them equally with the false prophets; nor despise the prophecies that are from the Holy Spirit.[7][8][9]

²⁷ But prove all things; hold fast the good. What then? Shall we receive the false prophets also? By no means. But prove all things—that is, judge with discrimination both the false and the true, and then hold fast what seems good to you, that is, the true prophecies—hold them fast, that is, honor them, make them your concern.

²⁸ Abstain from every form of evil. Not from this or that, but simply from every kind, both of false prophet and of sin.

²⁹ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly. After the exhortation he adds a prayer also, that they may have security from both sides. And what is “wholly”? This is it: in body and soul; and you will learn it from what follows.

³⁰ And may your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. By “the spirit” he means the gift which we received through baptism. For if we keep the lamp of this bright and unquenched, we shall enter into the bridal chamber; and the soul too and the body will then be blameless, if the Spirit shine in us. But Gregory of Nyssa says: Since man is compounded of every kind of soul—the natural, the perceptive, and the intellectual—the Apostle, by saying “spirit,” indicated the intellectual part; by “soul,” the perceptive; and by “body,” the natural life in us. He prays, then, that they be kept wholly and entirely blameless, having pleased God in all things.[10]

³¹ Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it. See his humility. Since he had prayed for them, Do not think, he says, that you will be saved by my prayers, but by the goodness of God who called you. For if He called you unto salvation, and is faithful—that is, true—He will assuredly do it according to His will, and will save you.[11]

³² Brethren, pray for us. See his moderation: Paul had need of their prayer.

³³ Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. Since, being absent, he could not greet them through his own mouth, he wishes to greet them through others; as we say, “Kiss so-and-so for me.” And since there is also a deceitful kiss, like that of Judas, he says, “with a holy one.”[12]

³⁴ I adjure you by the Lord that this Epistle be read to all the holy brethren. Not so much for the sake of teaching, as that he might be conversing with them too through the Epistle—which is a token of ardent longing. And he adjures them, that even if they should despise him, yet for the oath’s sake they might do what was enjoined. For so dreadful were oaths to the Christians of old; but not to those of today, and—alas!—to us.

³⁵ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. All good things, he says, that One has freely given us. Be eager, then, to draw to yourselves the greater grace, by walking worthily of the things given to you. And by the same grace may we also be guarded from every evil way, that we may live unto the glory of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; to whom belongs all glory unto the ages. Amen.