The Authenticity of the Second Letter to the Thessalonians

Scholars continue to debate whether Second Thessalonians was written by Paul or by pseudonym. The position that the letter is a late imitation is largely based on the comparison of the parallel expressions of two epistles to the Thessalonians. There are more words and phrases that are shared between these two letters than there are in any other two New Testament letters. William Wredes study is the ultimate source of scholarly perception of these parallels. Not only does Wrede locate some exact parallels he also finds definite words verses and related passages that precisely mirror and reflect their counterparts in First Thessalonians. Scholars who conclude that Second Thessalonians is pseudonymous owe much of that conclusion to Wredes work. Wredes order of the Greek parallels has been reproduced with his original annotations in this translation. Rhea has made a valuable contribution to Pauline (and especially Thessalonians) scholarship. Not only has he made sure that William Wredes Die Echtheit des zweiten Thessalonicherbriefs Untersucht is in print again but his translation makes Wredes detailed authorship arguments accessible to a broader audience. --Benjamin E. Reynolds Associate Professor of New Testament Tyndale University College Toronto Whether or not one agrees with Wredes analysis of the Thessalonian correspondence his treatment of its unity and disunity is essential reading for New Testament scholars. Now ably translated by Robert Rhea this text makes a valuable contribution to Pauline studies within the English-speaking world and beyond. --Paul N. Anderson Professor of Biblical and Quaker Studies George Fox University Robert Rhea is a graduate of Davidson College Union Theological Seminary The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and studied at the University of Marburg with Georg Werner Kuemmel at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich with Werner Vordtriede and at the Evangelisch-Theologische Fakultaet of the University of Vienna. At Union Theological Seminary he wrote a thesis entitled The Johannine Son of Man (1990).