King James Version · Under Rome
2 Thessalonians 1
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, and Silvanus, and , unto of the Thessalonians in and : unto you, and peace, from and . We are bound to thank always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; So that we ourselves in you in the churches of for your and in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye : Which is a manifest token of of , that ye may be counted worthy of of , for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a thing with to tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when shall be from with his mighty , In flaming taking on them that know not , and that not of our : Who shall be punished with from the of , and from the of his ; When he shall come to be glorified in his , and to be admired in all them that (because our among you was ) in that day. Wherefore also we always for you, that our would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of with : That the name of our may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the of our and .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- What happens to those who are finally lost? · 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.