Class Outline for Thessalonians

Class Outline for Thessalonians
Only Items in Red Will be Covered in Class Lectures

I. Introduction
      A. Malherbe's Book
      B. The Background
                1) Literary
                2) Social (External)
       C. Authorship Issues
       D. The Biblical Setting (Acts and Thessalonians)
                1) The Nature of Paul's Preaching (Acts 17:2-3)
                2) The Composition of the Thessalonian Church (Acts 17:4)
                3) The City's Reaction (Acts 17:5-10)
                4) Post-Visit Chronology (Acts 17-18 and Thessalonians)

II. First Thessalonians
        A. 1:1-5: Greetings and Thanksgiving
        B. 1:6 - 3:13: Grounds for Thanksgiving
                1) 1:6-10: Congregational Imitation
                2) 2:1-12: The Apostolic Example
                        a) The setting (1-2)
                        b) The apostolic ethos (3-8)
                        c) The apostolic behavior (9-12)
               3) 2:13-16: The Judean Example
                4) 2:17 - 3:13: Paul's Desire to See Them
                        a) Previous attempts to visit them (2:17-20)
                        b) Timothy's substitute visit (3:1-5)
                        c) The result of Timothy's visit (3:6-10)
                5) Transitional benediction (3:11-13)
        C. 4:1 - 5:22: Practical Advice (paraenesis)
                1) 4:1-8: The Marriage Ethic
                2) 4:9-12: Community Ethics
    `           3) 4:13-18: The Dead in Christ
                4) 5:1-11: The Eschaton
                5) 5:12-22: Congregational Life
        D. 5:23-28: Benediction

III. Second Thessalonians
        A. 1:1-12: Greetings and Thanksgiving
                1) 1:1-2: Epistolary Opening
                2) 1:3-12: Thanksgiving
        B. 2:1-12: The Thessalonian Apocalypse
                1) 2:1-3a: The Problem
                2) 2:3b-4: The Answer
                3) 2:5: Reminder of Oral Tradition
                4) 2:6-7: Digression (Restrainer)
                5) 2:8-10a: The Lawless One (ho anomos)
                6) 2:10b-12: Theology of the Lawless One
        C. 2:13 - 3:5: Perseverance Assured
                1) Through Election (2:13-17)
                2) Through Prayer (3:1-5)
        D. 3:6-15: Practical Advice (paraenesis)
                1) Discipline the Disorderly (6-10)
                2) To the Disorderly (11-13)
                3) Disfellowship the Disobedient (14-15)
        E. 3:16-18: Benediction