ABSTRACT
The letter known to us as Paul’s second letter to the Christian community of Thessalonica is in many respects a text that at first sight seems foreign to our present-day attitude to life. Its author, who calls himself Paul, is apparently very interested in what is usually called the second coming or parousia of Christ. He speaks of a revelation of Jesus from heaven with angels and with fire, of a retribution which means punishment for unbelievers and salvation for believers. He also asserts that Christ’s second coming will be preceded by apostasy and by the arrival of a person called ‘the man of lawlessness’, who is an instrument of Satan, and who performs signs and wonders. It seems that the author of 2 Thessalonians speaks in a mythical language about a topic that is hardly relevant to a modern reader.
