100, 211). Second, once the door is opened, scholars tend to doubt the authenticity of other NT books. If one accepts pseudonymous works into the canon, he must overlook insurmountable blows to Scriptures truth claims. 1 Thes. Powered by WordPress & WPstart Theme. InBlackwell Companion to the New Testament, edited by David E. Aune, 373-398. In other words, they argue that pseudonymous epistles in the canon of Scripture are innocent writings, free of deceptive or false intent.6 It is at this point that advocates of canonical pseudonymity compile many theories about why the early church would have accepted pseudonymous epistles into the canon. Scripture is inspired and therefore inerrant (2 Tim 3:16). This way of thinking is not only non-Pauline, it belongs to a generation later than Paul's, more poetically expressed in Rev 16:5-7 and 19:2. However, it has more acceptance as authentic than Colossians, and substantially more than the pastorals. Can this tell us anything about when it was written and who truly received the letter? google_ad_height = 90; months[8]="Aug."; Beyond these technical arguments lies an even more critical issue. According to D. A. Carson, pseudonymity literally means falsely named.1 It refers either to the practice of attributing a written work to someone other than the author, or to an authors falsely attributing his work to someone else. The most common books that are said to be pseudonymous are 2 Peter, the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy, Titus), and Ephesians. Here is evangelical biblical scholarship at its best: well-informed, even-handed, courageous, and reverent. As good a read as these are, I'm caught up on the arguments for or against the authenticity of these letters. Who informed Paul of the Corinthians' change of heart between Paul's writing of the two parts of 2 Corinthians? To this evidence, I would add the consideration that Ephesians contains allusions to the entire Pauline corpus with the exceptions of 2 Thessalonians and the Pastorals. Bart Ehrman observes (The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, p. 23): "The frequent occurence of forgery in this period does not suggest a basic tolerance of the practice. Which of the following books is definitely, All of the following were reasons for writing pseudonymously. Three years later and no less consistently Marshall has interpreted the epistle as the work of Paul, thus doing for 2 Thessalonians what E. M. B. One of the key tests for canonicity that the early church used was apostolicity. An example of this is 2 Thessalonians, which is written by an author claiming to be Paul. This is a forum for discussion of academic biblical studies; including historical criticism, textual criticism, and the history of ancient Judaism, early Christianity and the ancient Near East. Paul and His Letters. Johnson: Paul's "Anti-Christology" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 127 graciously provided the church with the whole of canonical Scripture as a framework within which ruled Christian readings6 can emerge, which may go beyond the original intention of the human author. Ibid. 8. In summary it may be said: 'The use of words, stylistic peculiarities and the train of thought must be seen together. 7. months[3]="Mar. Why do critics argue for pseudonymity in the New Testament? ." A few critics answer this question affirmatively, and assume unashamedly that any pseudonymous epistle in the NT is a literary forgery (i.e., the writer deceptively tricked his original audience). 6. Christians will share Christ's glory. For some of the Gospels and teachings, we know who the authors were. 2 Thessalonians: This book deviates from the known Pauline corpus in that the writers view of eschatology has changed. Yeah, not so much. Which of the following books is not pseudonymous. Ibid. 2 Corinthians c. 3 Corinthians d. 1 Thessalonians All of the following were reasons for writing pseudonymously except _____. // --> (b) Identify Alternatives What 1 Thessalonians 2:16b means that the divine wrath in its full and final manifestation had drawn very near to the Jews collectively as a people since by and large they were opposed to the gospel (pp. Serious students of the Bible know that many popular commentaries are written by scholars who deny the traditional authorship of many NT epistles. The one letter I have trouble finding any real information on is 2 Thessalonians. 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, "God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. What intellectual topics did the Renaissance humanist Sir Thomas More explore? First, the NT itself argues against pseudonymity. Required fields are marked *. In First Thessalonians, Paul is referring to the Rapture of the church which will come without warning. 193200). I would really like to thanks for the efforts youve got made in writing this post. In order to whet the readers appetite, the conclusions the author reaches on some of the principal exegetical points in the letters may be mentioned. For instance, there is no indication that different groups are being addressed in these letters. Namely, is it legitimate to include a pseudonymous epistle within the NT canon? Before he could travel to Rome, Paul notes that he expects to make a trip to, In Romans, to show that he did not invent his gospel message, Paul stresses that his message is rooted in, Paul's participationist and judicial models of salvation, Paul and Jesus are similar in all the following ways except, taught the need for faith in Jesus' resurrection. 3:6-15). Pseudonymous authorship. Such ?\underline{? The form given may be correct. e-Catena: References to the New Testament in the Church Fathers, Edgar Goodspeed: The Second Letter to the Thessalonians, Catholic Encyclopedia: Epistles to the Thessalonians, The Lord Has Not Come Yet: An EasyEnglish Commentary, Who Wrote the New Testament? Typical ideas, words and expressions point to a more developed situation in doctrine and forms of Christian life than is seen in 1 Thessalonians and all the other undisputed Pauline letters.'. d. Early Christians did not think Colossians was Pauline. We got Colossians as deutero-Pauline (and Ephesians by proxy). D. A. Carson accurately concludes, So far as the evidence of the fathers goes, when they explicitly evaluated a work for its authenticity, canonicity and pseudonymity proved mutually exclusive.11. The best understanding of 2 Thessalonians, therefore, is to see it as a deliberate imitation of 1 Thessalonians, updating the apostle's thought. bomb on Hiroshima? Third, I will provide a reasonable defense for why Bible believing Christians can and should trust the authenticity of each NT book. For example, James Dunn argues that Ephesians is pseudonymous for four reasons: (1) stylistic variations from other Pauline epistles, such as long sentences, repetition, and piling of adjectives, (2) an assumed dependency on Colossians, (3) its second generation perspective, and (4) a theological emphasis that appears to represent a later historical situation.3 Another example is J. 2 Thessalonians is a pseudonymous True A teaching circulated among the Thessalonians that Christ had already come True Paul visited thessalonica on his second missionary journey True Thessalonica is part of the Roman province called Macedonia Apostasy Falling away from it abandoning the faith Thessalonica p. 389. 1 Timothy c. Titus d. 2 Timothy Which of the following is pseudonymous? of the faith, or a possible the physical departure of the Believing Church indwell By The Holy Spirit is intended. Which of the following was definitely not written pseudonymously in Paul's name? // --> Michael Holmes (NIVAC) [2 Thess = authentic]. We were both shocked and could not understand why anyone would deny the traditional authorship of any book of the Bible. 6:5). All his holy ones (1 Thes. so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God and Father. 3:17) and in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 warns believers against a "letter supposed to have come from us." A.D. 190): For our part, brethren, we receive both Peter and the other apostles as Christ, but the writings which falsely bear their names (ta de onomati auton pseudepigrapha) we reject, as men of experience, knowing that such were not handed down to us.9 On another occasion, Tertullian explains that a man was deposed from the ministry for writing the pseudonymous 3 Corinthians, even though he wrote it out of love for Paul.10 Invariably the early church rejected works deemed to be inauthenitic. months[5]="May"; Ephesians speaks of "works of the law" while the undisputed letters talk about "works" more generally, The author of 2 Thessalonians claims all of the following about the end except. One reason some scholars doubt the authenticity of the authorship claim of 2 Thessalonians is _____. I remain unconvinced that 2 Thessalonians is pseudony mous. When this general disclaimer is coupled with Pauls custom of signing his own letters (see 2 Thess 3:17, 1 Cor 16:21, Gal 6:11, Philemon 19, and Col 4:18), it is clear that, in the words of T. L. Wilder, Paul puts a moratorium on pseudonymity in his name. 7 In addition, Revelation 22:18, 19 forbids anyone to add to Scripture. Different from the lively, sometimes abrupt argument of Paul's letters, 2 Thessalonians appears as a didactic compositiion with a narrowly limited theme. A careful reading of 2 ( as well as ) 1 Thessalonians shows that in the Thessalonians epistles the Holy Spirit through Paul is NOT discussion the departure OF THE FAITH referred to elsewhere by Paul ( 1 Timothy 4:1) but that rather in 2 Thessalonians Paul is encouraging and restating The Hope of The Believers that they ( we) will be meeting The Lord in the air upon Our Lords Return to earth to set up His Kingdom. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9-12. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1 Tim. 12:7) (pp. What is important to understand is that many of these scholars are trying to justify canonical pseudonymity while attempting to preserve some semblance of biblical authority. Ibid. One cannot help thinking of 2 Thessalonians, which cautions against letters falsely penned in Paul's name (2:1-2); many New Testament scholars believe that 2 Thessalonians is itself non-Pauline. 777, I want to receive this kind of knowledge every day. Although the theology between Colossians and the authentic Pauline letters differ, the question on which scholars are divided is whether or not it would have been possible, in certain circumstances, for Pauls theology to have developed in this direction. Early Christian Writings. Write the correct word in the space next to each definition. year = year + 1900; Also suggested is that the canonical order is wrong and that 2 Thessalonians was written first. most believed the gods would punish people and cities that refused to honor them, all of Jesus' followers, dead and alive, would ultimately be together with Christ as his coming, he and some of the Thessalonians would be alive when the end came, When Paul ministered to the Gentiles, he appears to have taught them all of the following except, that all male converts should be circumcised. 2 Thessalonians b. a. Bassler, Jouette M. 2010. Conrad Gempf explains, Formerly it was the case that a persons views on pseudonymity in the canon could be ascertained merely by finding out whether the person was an evangelical or not. months[12]="Dec."; Though historians cant say definitively whether the letter was written by Paul or not, you can compare the letter to others written by him and draw your own conclusions. Scholars are divided on the authenticity or pseudonymity of 2 Thessalonians and Colossians, both letters traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul. One of the largest differences between 2 Thessalonians and other letters that were supposedly written by Paul are the ideas mentioned in the letters on the end times, or eschatology. Why should Christians reject pseudonymity and accept the authenticity of the New Testament? It is pretty easy to conclude that either 2 Thessalonians was written by a different author than the rest of the letters, or that something happened to make the author change his mind and teachings about the eschatology. The author enlarges on the apocalyptic theme of the Antichrist, prehaps identified with Nero risen from the dead, whose manifestation was to cause the ruin of the Roman Empire. Which of the following does not reflect an early Christian tradition about Paul's activity in Rome? James obtained his BTh with cum laude and is currently pursuing his PhD in the Study of Religions at the University of Cape Town. Jesus does not come back to earth here. The two are close enough together to be related, but in 2 Thessalonians the Christology represents a later thinking and piety. that "the case that 2 Thessalonians is a pseudonymous work has been strongly presented in the last decade by W. Trilling"(21)Marshall sharply criticizes the stylistic and form-critical reasons adduced by Trilling against the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians was almost certainly written by Paul (basic reason: it coheres in writing style, vocabulary, theological perspective, and presupposed historical situation with the other letters almost universally acknowledged as having been written by Paul). I was attending FBBC while he attended another well-known Christian college. Finally, the urging of wives (3:18) and slaves (3:22) to be subordinate appears to not sit well with the admonitions found in 1 Corinthians 7 and Philemon. What little I can find is 'Paul wrote it because his name is on it and it's a lot like 1 Thessalonians' or 'Paul didn't write it because it's too similar to 1 Thessalonians and its eschatology is a bit different'. In his NT survey class his professor believed and taught that many of the epistles in the NT were not written by the claimed authors, but rather that they were pseudonymous. In this passage, Paul is saying that there will be no warning when Jesus will come. p. 389. "; 107109). 8083). Judgement will take place within the current generation. Unfortunately, this kind of experience is all too common. (4) Many claim that pseudonymity is not wrong because the writer was in some way preserving the apostles teaching. Since Marcion accepted it as authentic, we can hardly place it as late as 130-135. The portrayal of the "man of lawlessness" in 2:1-11 is said to reflect the "Nero redivivus" myth, an "urban legend" that circulated widely in the years after the death of the Emperor Nero in A.D. 68. Why did Christian refusal to worship the state gods sometimes result in persecution? Go to the Chronological List of all Early Christian Writings,