5 - The setting of 2 Thessalonians

Summary

THE RHETORICAL STRUCTURE

The introductory comments made about rhetoric in our discussion of 1 Thessalonians are relevant to 2 Thessalonians and we urge the reader to review that material at this time. There is wide consensus that 2 Thessalonians belongs to the deliberative genre of rhetoric. This genre includes honour and advantage as the standard topics. These topics are used in 2 Thessalonians to advise the audience concerning their present actions and the result of those actions in the future.

Frank Witt Hughes provides the following analysis of the rhetorical structure of 2 Thessalonians. It is one that we accept.

1. I Exordium (introduction) (1:1–12)

2. A epistolary prescript (1:1–2)

3. B thanksgiving prayer (1:3–10)

4. C intercessory prayer (1:11–12)

5. II Partitio (statement of the proposition) (2:1–2)

6. A subjects to be dealt with in the probatio (2:1–2)

7. B point of disagreement (heresy to be refuted) (2:2)

8. III Probatio (proof) (2:3–15)

9. A a first proof (refutatio) (2:3–12)

10. B second proof (2:13–15)

11. IV Peroratio (epilogue) (stated as an intercessory prayer; 2:16–18)

12. V Exhortation (3:1–15)

13. A command (or request) to pray for Paul (3:1–4)

14. B intercessory prayer (3:5)

15. C command to work (3:6–15)

16. VI Epistolary postscript (3:16–17)

17. A intercessory prayer (3:16)

18. B authentication (3:17)

19. C final blessing (3:18)

Knowing that 2 Thessalonians is an example of deliberate rhetoric permits the interpreter to be sensitive to the argumentation of the letter in general, and by examining the various components of this rhetorical structure one can be made sensitive to the central issues at stake in the dialogue between this author and his audience.