ABSTRACT
In searching for an answer, we should try to be fair to him. We should beware of playing his letter off against 1 Thessalonians and the other authentic Pauline letters, by denigrating 2 Thessalonians and idealizing Paul’s letters. We should also take into account that our author has written a relatively short letter, intended to address the specific problem posed by the conviction that the day of the Lord has arrived and by its practical consequences; in other words, his letter should not be assessed as if it pretended to present a complete theology.
