Essays on I Thess. 2.7-12 (Part 6)

‘For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory’ (NIV).

Paul concludes the passage in vv. 11-12 by casting himself in the role of the father of the Thessalonians. This metaphor is perhaps the most important image in the chapter; Paul’s understanding of it illumines all of what he has said thus far and sets precedence for his further discussion.

As the leader of the Roman family the father had complete authority over his household. This included especially the didactic and pedagogical duties that a parent would perform (v.12) and would also include aspects of providing an example by which those children could pattern their lives after. Often times the Roman father was cast as a harsh and domineering figure, however Burke shows that the Roman father could also be very affectionate, which would further elucidate his use of a maternal metaphor as an auxiliary explanation of his fatherly affection.[1]

Verse 11-12 then states the ways in which Paul interacted with the Thessalonians. Mention should be made here that v.11 possesses no verb of its own and should instead be seen as an extension of v.10, in which case “dealt” is probably better translated as “brought up” or “trained,” centering on the didactic role of Paul’s fatherhood.[2]

The three participles in v.12 describe the specific nature of Paul’s paternal care; that is, “encouraging, comforting, and urging.” The first two of these participles are often used interchangeably and are closely tied. Here “encourage” most probably means “to exhort the Thessalonians towards Christian conduct” whereas “comfort” is likely looking back on their distress upon becoming converted (seen in 1.6).[3] The final participle “urging” is the strongest of the three and perhaps the most important as it conveys an idea of insistence, which suggests a “strong moral thrust where he [Paul] charges his converts about the necessity to live radically different lives compared to their previous way of living.”[4] This notion of the way a Christian was to live his life is further supported by Paul’s metaphor of a spiritual walk, of which Paul has provided an example in 2.10.[5]

Verse 12 closes with Paul making mention of God as He who “calls you into his kingdom and glory.” With this he makes reference to the eschatological aim of the believer’s life “[indicating] a believer’s ultimate goal: to live under the dominion and in the presence of God” which is both a partial present reality and future expectation.[6] The Thessalonian believers could identify with this as it referenced the “royal theology” which had already been presented to them (Acts 17.7) and pushed them towards the kind of living involved in God’s “kingdom and glory.”[7]

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[1] Burke, 148-49.

[2] Wannamaker, 105-06.

[3] Burke, 144.

[4] Best, E. The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians (London: A. & C. Black, 1977), 107; Burke, 144.

[5] This metaphor is traded out in the NIV to simply say, “live lives worthy of God.” The meaning of the phrase remains unaffected.

[6] Holmes, 68. Here I would like to note that Gorman’s theology of cruciformity, that idea that our Christian experience should reflect the experience of Christ himself, effectively unites all of the differing ideas in this passage together. There is talk of moral instruction, righteous living, and God’s kingdom. These ideas are united in what it means to be a follower or imitator of Christ. Paul himself was a living example of this theology in action as he not only taught others the “way of Christ” but lived it out himself as a self-sacrificing servant, who in living as Christ lived experienced what he came to call “life in Christ” which is regarded as that partial present reality of the future participation in God’s presence and glory.

[7] Green, 138.

Essays on I Thess. 2.7-12 (Part 4)

‘Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you’ (NIV).

Verse 9 then turns to cite one of the ways in which Paul and his companions had given of themselves for the benefit of the Thessalonian believers. Paul evokes them to “remember… our labor and toil” which they had engaged in while simultaneously proclaiming the gospel so as not to be a “burden” to anyone. This verse can be taken quite literally, for the “toil and hardship” which Paul engaged in “night and day” refers to exhausting work.[1] From acts 18.3 we know that Paul was a tentmaker, an occupation which required much time and offered little profit.[2]

While this verse can be understood as Paul contrasting his ministry to the pagan philosophers, Paul is also concerned, as Witherington puts it, “that the gospel be freely offered and freely received.”[3] These ideas, though sometimes separated are linked quite closely. For in as much as the pagan philosophers demanded payment for their services and took advantage of their followers they were charging for the “gospel” that they were teaching. Paul however, engages in manual labor while preaching the gospel, with the primary motivation of not placing any financial burden upon the believing community of Thessalonica – consistent with the declaration he makes of his demonstration of care for the believers. As a result, his message is one that is offered in freedom and cost nothing to listen to.

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[1] Green, 131.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Witherington, Ben 1 and Second Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006), 81.

Essays on I Thess. 2.7-12 (Part 3)

‘We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us’ (NIV).

Verse 8 explains these metaphors and begins a description of how Paul and his ministry teams had cared for the Thessalonians. The ESV renders a better reading as follows, “So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” In essence, Paul is saying that because of his love for the Thessalonians he was delighted to share not only the gospel, but also his life with them.

The specific language used to express Paul’s love for the believers mirrors language that was used upon funerary inscriptions describing the longing a parent felt for a deceased child.[1] Paul likely states this so strongly to impress upon the Thessalonians his true love and care for them, despite the fact that he was not able to be with them.

Paul declares this as the reason for sharing with them his life in addition to the gospel. As a minister of Christ it was Paul’s mission to proclaim the gospel in whatever geographic locale he visited. But for Paul, merely sharing the gospel was not enough; a vital part of sharing the gospel was sharing his life. The two were so intertwined that Paul could not give one without the other. And so we see that having such a strong love for the Thessalonians Paul made the conscious decision to share everything that he had with them. This would have created a contrast for Paul’s behavior to the behavior of the popular orators and moralists who would have given their teachings in return for praise or payment.[2] Paul gave everything, and took nothing.[3]

Concluding v. 8 Paul reiterates the affection which he has for the Thessalonians, which Michael Holmes suggests stems from the transforming power of the gospel.[4] While there is certainly an element of truth to this, the affection which is here being displayed is probably better understood in view of the many familial references littered throughout the passage, and provides a context for those references.

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[1] Green, 128.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Gorman, Michael J. Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 48-49. This is the beginning of what Gorman terms a theology of cruciformity, which he says is “an ongoing pattern of living in Christ and of dying with him that produces a Christ-like person.” Gorman posits that this is the major idea of Paul, and suggests that the idea which is briefly seen here in I Thess. 2 is later developed in light of Phil. 2 where we observe Christ ignoring a superior status and pouring himself out and I Cor. 9 where Paul also sets aside those things which might lend him superior status to become “a slave to all, that [he] might win some.” Gorman, Apostle, 68-69.

[4] Holmes, Michael W. 1&2 Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 65.

Essays on I Thess. 2.7-12 (Part 2)

Verse 7 - ‘…but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children’ (NIV).

Directly after Paul’s claim of coming to the Thessalonians “not to please man, but to please God… nor with a pretext for greed…Nor seek[ing] glory from people…” verse 7 begins with the phrase “But we were gentle among you” as it is recorded in the majority of English translations.[1] This phrase fits nicely with the illustration of Paul as a nursing mother in the very next phrase. However, there are some marked issues with this interpretation.

The question arises from a difference in the readings of manuscripts. Whereas most MSS read nēpioi (translated “babes” or “infants”) some later manuscripts read ēpioi (translated “gentle”). It is possible that either reading be in view here as a scribal error could have been made in either the addition or omission of the n, though the number and quality of extant manuscripts does seem to favor the use of nēpioi.[2]

Despite this evidence, most commentators choose “gentle” as the proper translation because of the incongruity that the infant metaphor would have with the succeeding nursing mother metaphor.[3] Three primary reasons are give; the sharp contrast between these two metaphors, the violent manner in which Paul shifts from one image to the other, and Paul’s use of nēpioi in his other writings. Together, these three arguments do make a strong case for the choice of “gentle.”[4] Further, if “gentle” is chosen, then it can be interpreted in light of the nursing mother metaphor, and so Paul would be qualifying his treatment of the Thessalonian believers by saying that he had been gentle with them, like a nursing mother would have been with her child. This statement then contrasts the way that Paul did not treat the Thessalonians (vv. 3-6) by showing the way that Paul cared for them (vv. 7-12).

While this seems to mesh nicely with the context of the passage, the textual evidence remains too strong to be ignored.[5] Additionally, it can be shown that “infant” fits contextually as well as “gentle,” for the comparison to an “infant” is to illustrate the apostle’s innocence and sincerity.[6] Thus it can be shown that the two distinct metaphors need not oppose each other, and instead should be understood as parallel thoughts on the same subject.

Responses to the other criticisms are equally as viable. First, that the mixing of metaphors as a ridiculous idea can be easily rectified in the manner that one punctuates v.7. For if v.7c is separated into an independent clause after 7b (but we became infants among you), then the two metaphors can be viewed as distinct thoughts.[7] Second, regarding Paul’s use of “infants,” Timothy Sailors concludes that “infants” is employed in a neutral manner seventy-five percent of the time and also finds a number of times where it is used positively, which is congruent with the fact that “infants” is used both positively and negatively within the Pauline corpus.[8] Finally, what is viewed as a violent transition between metaphors is seen again almost immediately in v.17 where he likens himself to an orphan just after presenting himself as a father in v.11. This kind of shifting and mixing of metaphor is also seen in Gal. 4.19.[9]

The latter phrase of verse 7, as has already been stated, sets up Paul as “nursing mother.” The word used here, trophos, is most literally translated “wet nurse,” or someone who feeds and nurtures a baby in place of its biological mother. However, because of the use of a reflexive pronoun it seems likely that this is an image of a nurse caring for her own children and not someone else’s – leaving us the image of a nursing mother.[10]

Thus the imagery in v. 7 serves as an illustration of the way Paul and his colleagues treated the Thessalonian believers. They did not abuse their apostolic authority or throw their weight around to feed their selfish ambitions as the self-serving charlatans would have done. Instead, they were first, infants; pure, guile-less, and unable to impose themselves on others.[11] Second, they were nursing mothers who showed the utmost of tender care to their children, in this case the Thessalonian congregation.

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[1] The NIV, NASB, ESV, NAB, RSV, and ASV all accept this translation, noting that there is an alternate translation of “gentle” that is possible.

[2] Wannamaker, Charles A. The Epistles to the Thessalonians (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1990), 100. See also Green, 126.

[3] Green, 126.

[4] Wannamaker, 100.

[5] Burke, Trevor J. Family Matters: A Socio-Historical Study of Kinship Metaphors in I Thessalonians (New York: T&T Clark International, 2003), 139-40; 154-55. Burke gives an overview of the basic evidence in favor of nēpioi, as well as an excellent bibliography for more in depth study.

[6] Williams, David J. Paul’s Metaphors: Their Context and Character (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1999), 59. In fact, Williams notes that the meaning of the passage remains essentially the same whether “infant” or “gentle” is chosen as the correct reading.

[7] Burke, 155-56.

[8] Sailors, T.B. “Wedding Textual and Literary-Rhetorical Criticism To Understand the Text of I Thessalonians 2.7,” JSNT 80 (2000), 91; see also Burke, 155-56; and Weima, Jeffrey A D. O 2000. "But We Became Infants Among You": The Case for NHPIOI in 1 Thess 2.7. New Testament Studies. 46 (4): 563. Weima establishes that the common understanding of infants in antiquity was rarely one that was seen as morally evil. Babies were generally seen as morally neutral beings. This seems to be the inference that Paul is making with his use of infant language.

[9] Burke, 156.

[10] Williams, 59.

[11] Gaventa, B.R. First and Second Thessalonians (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1998), 25.