1 & 2 Thessalonians by Gary S. Shogren (review)

This commentary of Shogren is on Paul’s two letters to the Thessalonians. It follows the layout of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series in that each chapter is studied in seven stages which in turn focus on the literary context of the extract, the main idea, its translation, its structure, its important exegetical lines, its explanation and its theology in application. In addition to these seven steps, the author presents an excellent introduction and conclusion on the theology of both letters. In the introduction, Shogren describes significant socio-cultural aspects of the letters as well as the insights of literary critics on the authenticity of the letters.

Regarding the context of the letters, Shogren firstly meticulously discusses the ancient city of Thessalonica, then the beginnings of the church in this city through Paul and his companions Silas (Silvanus) and Timothy, followed by the role of Timothy in the relationship between Paul and the believers in Thessalonica, and finally the occasion, place and date of writing of these two letters. Concerning the first letter, Shogren differs from the majority opinion according to which this letter is the oldest writing of the NT. He attests, rather, that the oldest one is the letter written by the apostles at the Council of Jerusalem, of which the apostle James is the author (see Acts 15:23–29).

In his discussion of literary criticism’s treatment of the letters, Shogren rejects the position of some specialists who see 1 Thessalonians as a composite letter and that its current form would be the work of a scribe. He accepts, rather, the integrity of the letter and the present form of the letter. The latter is due to the fact that it is a work not of a rhetorician but of a pastor.

Referring to 2 Thessalonians, Shogren states that there is no consensus among experts as to its authenticity, for two reasons. The first is the idea that 2 Thessalonians is an imitation of 1 Thessalonians either of a disciple of Paul or of an anti-Pauline author. Because of this its style is close to that of 1 Thessalonians. The second reason is the presence of the signature of the author (2 Thess 3:17). From these two reasons, and following the majority of experts, Shogren refers to 2 Thessalonians as a secret letter to replace 1 Thessalonians (cf. 1 Thess 2:2). However, he takes note of the position of those who see in the two letters to the Thessalonians a writing of the Apostle Paul, the apostle of the gentiles, and that their order was inverted by placing the longest letter first: in reality 2 Thessalonians was thus the first letter to be sent to the Thessalonians. This hypothesis has, however, been rejected by the majority of specialists.

From the exegesis of the two letters, Shogren has identified several theological themes, the one on eschatology being the most interesting. Its uniqueness lies in bringing together this theme with its use in the Synoptic Gospels, in particular the Gospel of Matthew. According to Shogren, Paul and Matthew use the same technical vocabularies of eschatology.

In the body of his work, a good study of each passage is presented through the following of the seven different steps mentioned above. In the literary context, Shogren highlights the function of each extract in relation to the whole letter. He identifies the problems in understanding each passage, discussions around the latter and his own understanding thereof. Some passages of the letter that allow us to see the particularity of 1 and 2 Thessalonians deserve examination here.

In its function as exordium, Shogren sees in 1:1–10 a form of demonstrative thanks: Paul gives more information than usual. With other specialist he points out that thanks and gratitude to God crop up several times in the letter. It is thus a distinctive feature of this letter (cf. 2:13; 2:19–20; 3:9–10; 5:16, 18). He...