The Divine Lamp

David from Cosmos~Liturgy~Sex has tagged me for a Literary Meme. I’m not fond of doing memes, but because I like to read, I decided to go along. Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

A problem I’m having is that I have two books equal distance from me, so I’ll do both:

1) “What passes for truth, in the final analysis, is not the reality that confronts man as given, but rather, whatever he himself has made and whatever, in the future, he may be yet able to make (marxism).

“An important proponent of this constructivism in modern times is certainly Immanuel Kant, for whom the thing in itself is regarded as unknowable. The human mind casts a spider web of thought, made up of its own ideas, over the chaotic data of the senses; that is, it imposes reality.” -Woman in the Priesthood, a Systematic Analysis in Light of the Order of Creation and Redemption, by Manfred Hauke.

2) “The coming of this Winnower somehow establishes wheat forever as wheat, and chaff as chaff. The chaffis paradoxically not destroyed by the fire that consumes it. It goes on burning forever, for it is essential, unchangeable chaff-the weightlessness and hollowness of man’s unregenerate spirit and heart, which are eternal in spite of themselves.” -Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word, Meditations on the Gospel According to Matthew, by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis.

I tag Argent by the Tiber; Rob from Catholic Scripture Study; Will Cubbedge of Fish in a Barrel; Bear and Puff from The Spirit’s Sword

Update: Mister Cubbedge was already picked for the meme. So I pick Taylor at Canterbury Tales.

In case anyone is interested, I’m currently reading History and Spirit: The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen, by Henri Cardinal De Lubac.  Also volume 1 of  The Origin of Ideas, by Blessed Antonio Rosmini Serbati.  This book is available for reading online

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As mentioned in the introductory post 1:1-2:16 has the following concentric structure:

A1) Salutation and thanksgiving for the Thessalonians reception of the word (1:1-10)

B) How the Missionaries acted among them (2:1-12)

A2) Another thanksgiving for the Thessalonians reception of the word (2:13-16)

It is often argued in relation to 1:1-2:16 in general, and 2:1-12 in particular, that Paul’s primary concern is defending himself against false accusations that his teaching is motivated by deceit, misconduct, and self-seeking. While not rejecting this, I think the primary reason is that Paul is seeking to encourage his readers who are themselves being calumniated. He is not so much defending himself as he is setting himself up as an example to be imitated. Imitated, not only as someone who has stood and held his ground in the face of persecution; but also as one who knows how to live and treat others in accordance with the will of God:

1:5-6, “And that our Good News came to you not only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and with much assurance. You know what kind of men we showed ourselves to be among you for your sake. You became imitators of us…”

Also, compare 1:3, “remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope…” with 2:9, “For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you…” Here we see St Paul opening his letter with a reference to work and labor, associated with faith and love (1:3), then describing his own work and labor under the image of love (note the images of Father and nurses with children in the broader context, e.g., 1:7; 1:9). All of this prepares for the final section of the letter, 4:1-5-28. There St Paul exhorts the readers “as you learned from us how you ought to live and please God…you do so more and more…Concerning love of the brothers you have no need of anyone to write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another…we exhort you to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly…and to work with your own hands…’ (see 4:1-12). And again: “Respect those who labor among you…esteem them very highly because of their work…” (see 5:1213).

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain, cb(2,2);2:2 but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as you know, at Philippi, we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict. cb(2,3);2:3 For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception. (WEB Bible)

Concerning the circumstances leading up to the evangelization of the city you may wish to re-read my introductory post, specifically what is found under the heading “Background.”

2:1 For you yourselves know, brothers, our visit to you wasn’t in vain… The conjunctive “for” links this passage up with the previous one (1:1-10), especially 1:9-10 where St Paul explicitly mentions the welcome he received from the Thessalonians. That their visit wasn’t in vain has already been clearly seen in the fact that the Thessalonians were chosen (1:4); became imitators of the evangelists, and received the word in affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1:6). They themselves became examples to be imitated by others (1:7-8). The result of St Paul’s visit can, however, be summed up as turning to God from idols, sto serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come (1:9-10).

2:2 But having suffered before and been shamefully treated…we grew bold in our God to tell you the Good News of God in much conflict… An amazing statement! “We grew bold in the face of suffering.” In Philippi, St Paul had healed a slave/servant girl of a demonic spirit which was the source of her ability to make oracular pronouncements. The demonic inspired ability had been a source of revenue to her master who, as a result, started a persecution of Paul and his companions. They were dragged by a mob to the civil authorities, were stripped and beaten with rods by those lawful authorities, then chained and imprisoned (see Acts 16:16-40). Paul was victimized by the paganism but in spite of this opposition he freed the Thessalonians from it. Such is the power of the grace of God.

2:3 For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor deception. “Error” and “uncleanness” are preceded in the Greek text with the preposition ek, while “deception” is preceded by the preposition en; thus meaning: Our exhortation does not have its source in error, nor does it have its source in uncleanness so as to deceive you.”

2:4 But even as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, who tests our hearts. The Greek translated as “But even as” forms a contrast with the previous verse. The evangelists speak, not on the basis of error or uncleanness, nor to deceive, but because God has approved them and entrusted them with the gospel. The passive Greek verb dokimazo (approved) is, in Greek writing, a standard contrast to the verbal infinitive pisteuo. They were entrusted with the Good News, not because of anything in themselves, of themselves, but because God has approved them. Their ministry is the result of God’s grace.

tests our hearts. The word test is dokimazo, the same word used for approved earlier in the verse. “Search” or “examine” would be a better translation. In this latter instance, dokimazo is a present participle. God not only approves of them, but continues to keep his eye on them, search and examine their hearts to see if they are remaining faithful to their mission.
2:5-6 For neither were we at any time found using words of flattery, as you know, nor a cloak of covetousness (God is witness), cb(2,6nor seeking glory from men (neither from you nor from others), when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ. cb(2,7); In the previous verse (4) St Paul insisted that they were not seeking to please men. Here he build upon that denial. The fact that he or his companions had not sought to flatter the Thessalonians is proof of this. Paul condemns flattery of others as cheap self-seeking in Galatians 4:17. A true preacher of the Gospel tells men what they need to hear (see 2 Timothy 4:1-2), not what they want to hear (See 2 Timothy 4:3). Likewise, he was not seeking riches (covetousness). In the ancient world flattery was often employed by preachers, gurus, and prophets of falsehood for their own financial gain. Paul condemns covetousness in Romans 1:29; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5.

God is witness… Paul has repeatedly appealed to the Thessalonians knowledge of his conduct, now he appeals to God as witness, reminding us of what was said in verse 4.

when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ Further proof that St Paul and his companions were not covetous. As ministers of the Gospel they had a right to live by the Gospel but didn’t do so (see 1 Corinthians 9:8-14).
2:7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children. A contrast with the preceding verses is introduced with the word but. Mothers don’t demand payment from the children they nurse

2:8 Even so, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you, not the Good News of God only, but also our own souls, because you had become very dear to us. The preaching of the Gospel isn’t just a job, it’s an act of love; a family affair, a giving of ones self completely, like a nursing mother. Thus:

2:9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and travail; for working night and day, that we might not burden any of you, we preached to you the Good News of God. Concerning work and labor see the introductory comments inset above. Labor and travail are maternal images continuing the theme of 2:7. Also continued here is the theme of 2:6-7. With rare exception (Philippians 4:15-16), St Paul never accepted financial help for his ministry; rather, he supported himself as a tent maker (see Acts 18:1-3 and 20:33-34).

2:10 You are witnesses with God, how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe. Again St Paul calls on the two-fold witness of God and the Thessalonians.

2:11-12 As you know, we exhorted, comforted, and implored every one of you, as a father does his own children, cb(to the end that you should walk worthily of God, who calls you into his own Kingdom and glory. The opening as you know builds upon the previous verse. To the end shows what it is that motivates Paul’s emphasis on his conduct. As mentioned earlier, St Paul’s primary concern is not defending his actions against false accusations; rather, he wants his converts to imitate him, that they should walk worthily of God, who call them into his own Kingdom and glory. The call of the Thessalonians took place through the preaching of the Gospel, and its mention here reminds us of St Paul’s reference to how they were chosen in 1:4, when the Gospel came to them. The father/children image is an obvious compliment to the nursing mother/Paul in labor and travail theme in verse 7 and 9.

cb(2,11);

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Note: This and the next two posts on First Thessalonians were published 6 months ago.  I republish them here because I intend to begin posting further notes on that letter.
Authorship:

Virtually all scholars agree that this letter was written by Paul. In fact, the authorship was never seriously questioned except by F.C. Baur, who’s thesis was quickly rejected. There is some question as to how much input Paul’s companions had in the composition. The opening address clearly identifies Silvanus and Timothy, who had helped evangelize the city (2:1-16), as co-senders of the letter, other passages, however, clearly refer to Paul alone (5:25, 27). This has led some scholars to the conclusion that the opening address and the “we” sections of the letter are the result of a literary nicety on the part of Paul to include his co-workers as co-senders of the work. Most scholars rightly (in my opinion, for what it’s worth) reject this and think T and S had an active hand in determining the content of the letter.

Background:

After Attending the Council of Jerusalem and fulfilling the task assigned to them, Paul and Barnabas decided to make a tour of the churches they had founded to see how they were doing. Barnabas wanted to take along his cousin, John Mark, who had deserted them during what is commonly called Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13:13); but to this Paul objected, not wanting a repeat performance of that event. As a result of this, Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement and parted company, with Barnabas taking Mark and going to Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas (aka Silvanus) to accompany him through Syria and Cilicia to “strengthen the churches” (see Acts 15). They came to the region of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium, and there met Timothy, a young convert of Jewish and Greek ancestry. He was highly spoken of by the Christians who knew him and he must have impressed Paul, for the apostle asked him to accompany them on their missionary endeavor (Acts 16:1-5). They made their way through Asia Minor and came to Troas, where Paul had a vision that he should evangelize Macedonia, thus began the evangelization of Europe (Acts 16:6-15).

They made their way into Philippi, “a leading city in the district of Macedonia and a Roman Colony.” While there, Paul healed a slave-girl of what Luke terms a “Python spirit,” meaning a demon that gave the girl oracular statements. The girl’s ability had been used by her owners to make money, and the fact that Paul had cured her did not sit well with them, as a result, something nearly like a riot started which resulted in Paul and his companions being beaten with rods and imprisoned. Paul, because he was a Roman citizen, and therefore protected by due process of Roman law, complained to the magistrates about this treatment, which led to the authorities seeking to placate him (Acts 16:16-40).

After this, the group left Phillippi and proceeded to Amphipolis, Apollonia, and into Thessalonica, which had a very sizable Jewish population. How much time they spent in that city is unknown, but they did spend three Sabbaths in the Synagogue preaching and demonstrating that Jesus was the Messiah. Some Jews, and a large number of Greeks were converted. This infuriated some of the Jews who then employed certain men of dubious character to search out the missionaries. Unable to find them they grabbed some other Christians and dragged them before the magistrates, accusing them of causing a disturbance and rejecting the decrees of Caesar. The Christians were ordered to pay some kind of a fine and released. As a result of this, Paul and Silas (and presumably Timothy) left the city for Beroea, where they preached in the synagogue and converted many. However, some Jews from Thessalonica, hearing of this success, came to Beroea and began to make trouble; as a result, Paul was forced to go to Athens, leaving his companions behind, though telling them to join him as soon as possible(Acts 17:1-15).

How much time Paul spent in Athens is unknown, but his stay was probably short. It appears he made an attempt at evangelizing the city but met with little success. From Athens he proceeded to Corinth where he began preaching in the synagogue. It was here that Silas and Timothy rejoined him and the three men spent a year and a half preaching in the city (Acts 17:16-18:11). It was during this stay in Corinth that word came to them about the persecution being suffered by the church in Thessalonica (Thess 2:14). Due to this report, Timothy was sent back to the city to strengthen them (1 Thessalonians 3:1-5). He returned with a good report concerning them, and it is this report which occasioned the letter (1 Thessalonians 3:6-8).

Outline

The letter is in three parts, with each part being sub-divided into three sections in concentric fashion.

Part 1. 1:1-2:16

A1) Salutation and thanksgiving for the Thessalonians reception of the word (1:1-10)

B) How the Missionaries acted among them (2:1-12)

A2) Another thanksgiving for the Thessalonians reception of the word (2:13-16)

Part 2 (2:17-3:13)

A1) The missionaries wish to see their converts “face to face” (2:17-20)

B) Timothy is sent to Thessalonica (3:1-8)

A2) The missionaries pray that they might see their converts “face to face” (3:9-13)

Part 3 (4:1-5:28)

A1) Exhortations concerning right and holy conduct (4:1-12)

B) The resurrection of the faithful and Christ’s second coming (4:13-5:11)

A2) Exhortations concerning right order in the community (5:12-28)

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I will begin by providing the reader with links to several translations of the passage. I will then offer a brief summary of the text, then move onto a more detailed examination of individual sections. For this purpose I will be providing my own interpretive translation (Note: Although I will only be looking at the opening address in this post, I have chosen to summarize the whole of Chapter 1. Notes on the rest of Chapter 1 will be posted later today or tomorrow.)
Read the text:

According to the RSV –Douay-Rheims–Latin Vulgate–NAB

Summary:

Following the standard epistolary format of hellenistic times, the letter opens with an address consisting of three elements: 1. the senders; 2. the addressees; 3. a wish or blessing. This is then followed by a prayer of thanksgiving, which was also typical of ancient letters. The authors of the NT letters, and especially St Paul, often use these prayers (or blessings; see Ephesians 1:3-14) to indicate major themes or ideas dealt with and expressed in the body of the missive; therefore, readers should pay special attention to them.

Calling to mind the church’s origin in Thessalonica, the prayer celebrates the three theological virtues so active among the people (2-3). This prayer is motivated by Paul’s (and his companions) knowledge of how the church was elected or chosen through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in their mission (4-5). This knowledge is confirmed by the fact that, in spite of all the troubles and afflictions which came upon the people due to their acceptance of the gospel, they have not only remained faithful in imitation of the missionaries, but, like the missionaries, they have themselves become witnesses to the gospel as they await the return of the risen Jesus.

NOTES:

Vs 1 Paulos (Paul) and Silouanos (Silvanus,aka Silas) and Timotheos (Timothy) to the ekklesia (church; those called together; an assembly) of (i.e., made up of) the Thessalonians in (or “assembled by”) God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ: grace and peace to you. (Some texts add: “From God our father, and the Lord Jesus Christ)

Paul is, of course, the Apostle Paul; an Israelite from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1); a rigid Pharisee and one time persecutor of the Church (Philippians 3:5-6). While on the road to Damascus, “breathing murderous hatred” and seeking to arrest and imprison Christians (Acts 9:1), he was converted by by the risen Christ himself, manifesting God’s mercy towards this one time blasphemer and persecutor of the Church of God (1 Timothy 1:12-17). Coming to realize that he had been chosen from his mother’s womb for the task to which he was called (Galatians 1:15), he became the Church’s most zealous missionary by the grace of God (1 Corinthians 15:10).

Silvanus is most certainly to be identified with Silas, who is mentioned in the Acts of Apostle. A Christian prophet, he appears to have been an influential member of the church in Jerusalem. Along with a certain Judas/Barsabbas, he was chosen by the twelve apostles to accompany Paul and Barnabas to the churches of Antioch to make known the decrees of the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:22-35). Having fulfilled this function Judas and Silas returned to Jerusalem, while Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch for a time, possibly to deal with some difficulties. after this they decided to go to Syria and Cilicia to deliver the council’s decision and strengthen the churches they had founded. However, a dispute arose between Paul and Barnabas and the two men parted company; as a result, Paul decided to choose Silas as his companion on the mission(Acts 15:36-41). (He must have sent word back to Jerusalem of what had transpired between him and Barnabas. Recall that Barnabas was from Jerusalem and provided a “Jerusalem connection” with the pagan-in-origin people who were predominant in the churches founded by Paul). Silvanus worked with Paul throughout much of the so-called second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-21:14), but disappears from Luke’s narrative after (18:5). Besides here, his name appears twice more in Paul’s letters; in the opening address of 2 Thess and in 2 Corinthians 1:19. He at some point joined up with St Peter in Rome, and may have acted as his amanuensis (1 Peter 5:12).

Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father (Acts 16:1; 2 Timothy 1:5). He was probably a native of Lystra or Iconium, and may have been converted by the preaching of Paul and Barnabas on the so-called first missionary journey. Though young (1 Timothy 4:12), and apparently rather timid (1 Cor 16;10), he was well spoken of and respected by the Christians of the two cities just mentioned, this no doubt helped determine Paul’s decision to ask Timothy to accompany him on the mission (Acts 16:1-5). With Silvanus, he remained at Beroea for some time after Paul was forced to leave the city(Acts 17:10-15), rejoining him at Corinth (Acts 18:5), where the three men spent a year and half evangelizing (Acts 18:11). It was during this period that Paul sent him back to Thessalonica to ascertain the situation which is dealt with in the letter we are examining (see 1 Thessalonians 3:1-8). Later, he, along with a certain Erastus, was sent by Paul into Macedonia, apparently to prepare for further mission work (Acts 19:22). It is rather clear from Scripture that Timothy became Paul’s right-hand man. At some point and time he was sent by Paul back to Corinth to deal with some troubles that had arisen there (1 Corinthians 4:17). Apparently, a second visit by Timothy was planned (1 Corinthians 16:10), but we do not know if it ever happened. The Same can be said of a planned visit to Philippi (Philippians 2:19). Finally, two letters in the Pauline corpus are addressed to him. The words which St Paul uses to describe Timothy are full of affection and respect, I’ve always considered it unfortunate that we do not know more about him.

To the ekklesia (church) made up of Thessalonians… This is an odd way for Paul to describe the church, at least in comparison to his other letters; for Paul usually speaks of “the church of God” at such and such a place (see 1 Corinthians 1:2). Perhaps Paul speaks of the Church in this fashion here in order to emphasize the fact that one does not have to be a circumcised Jew to be a member of the people of God. Recall that this letter was written not long after the Jerusalem council.

Ekklesia is a Greek term designating a group called together:

751 The word “Church” (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to “call out of”) means a convocation or an assembly. It designates the assemblies of the people, usually for a religious purpose. ¹³⁹ Ekklesia is used frequently in the Greek Old Testament for the assembly of the Chosen People before God, above all for their assembly on Mount Sinai where Israel received the Law and was established by God as his holy people. ¹⁴⁰ By calling itself “Church,” the first community of Christian believers recognized itself as heir to that assembly. In the Church, God is “calling together” his people from all the ends of the earth. The equivalent Greek term Kyriake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are derived, means “what belongs to the Lord.”

752 In Christian usage, the word “church” designates the liturgical assembly, ¹⁴¹ but also the local community ¹⁴² or the whole universal community of believers. ¹⁴³ These three meanings are inseparable. “The Church” is the People that God gathers in the whole world. She exists in local communities and is made real as a liturgical, above all a Eucharistic, assembly. She draws her life from the word and the Body of Christ and so herself becomes Christ’s Body. (Cat. Cath. Ch.)

The church is called together by God, through Christ, by the power of the Spirit at work in the Church’s ministry (see Colossians 1:3-8).

Which is in (or “assembled by”) God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ… I accept Earl J. Richards view that the workhorse Greek dative en, which has many possible nuances, should be translated as “assembled by”. Grammatically and contextually, the dative could qualify any of the three parts of the salutation. It could relate to the missionaries, in which case it would be a witness to their authority “in” or “by” God. It could relate to the wish/blessing of grace and peace, denoting the origin of these gifts. In this regard it should be noted that in other letters Paul often speaks of the origin of the gifts as being “in” or “by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (see 1 Corinthians 1:3). No such phrase occurs here except in a few manuscripts. Scholars consider the phrase a gloss, not original. Also, as Richards notes, in the other Pauline letters, the phrase is introduced with the preposition apo followed by a genitive. He takes the dative en here in an instrumental sense and translates “assembled by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In doing this he sees the dative as related to the phrase “the church (ekklesia, assembly) of the Thessalonians”, thus emphasising the initiative of the Father and Christ in establishing the church in that city. The fact that the letter associates both the father and Christ in this, using the single cunjunctive kai (and) strongly suggests the divinity of Christ.

grace and peace- Typically, letters written in Greek contained the wish charien (rejoice, have joy), but Paul replaces it with the related word charis, (grace). For Paul the word has the sense of “the saving will of God executed in Jesus Christ and communicated to men through him” (Dictionary of the Bible John L. McKenzie, S.J.). For more on grace, see here. And a more technical treatment here. See also these articles in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Peace reflects the Hebrew word shalom, meaning a total state of well being, especially in relation to God and Man.

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