2 Thessalonians — Greek text and reception
Choose a chapter to explore the source readings and their notes. Original references, source labels, and review records are retained.
Source guide and review record
Saints Translation
2 Thessalonians
Complete working translation draft, V2, Sep 13, 2026. All 47 source verses were read directly in Greek and independently translated. Selected verified patristic reception is kept distinct. No Hebrew parallel, LXX counterpart, or critical-apparatus collation is claimed. Independent specialist review remains outstanding.
Text and translation
SBLGNT Greek running main text, Michael W. Holmes, ed. (2010), official Faithlife electronic file.
Three chapters, 47 source verses and 47 translation rows, counts 12/17/18. All source verse labels are present in order. Sentence continuations and the incomplete conditional construction in 2:3–4 are explained. The five Hebrew/Greek comparison classifications do not apply.
The three columns contain the verse reference, an independent Greek–English translation, and textual or reception notes. Patristic interpretation is identified separately from the wording of the biblical source.
Sources and textual basis
All sources below were accessed on Sep 8, 2026.
[G] Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (2010), official Faithlife/SBLGNT electronic text
All three chapters, 47 source verses, directly read in full and independently translated. Running main text only; no manuscript or critical-apparatus collation.
Direct access to the publisher-maintained Greek electronic text.
[LIC] SBLGNT publisher license, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Publisher licensing terms consulted for this translation project; Greek text copyright 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software.
Direct publisher license access.
[CHR4] John Chrysostom, Homily 3 on Second Thessalonians (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), New Advent presentation
Exposition of 2:15 and 2:16–17; oral/written transmission and the order of Father/Son naming.
Published English translation of patristic reception, relevant passages directly read; Greek homily not collated.
Terminology
parousia → coming. Used both for Christ and, at 2:9, the lawless one; the referent is established contextually.
apostasia / anomia → rebellion / lawlessness. Distinct words at 2:3; no named modern individual or institution is substituted.
to katechon / ho katechōn → what restrains / the one who restrains. Neuter and masculine forms remain distinct; no speculative identity is inserted.
aparchē → firstfruits. The actual main-text reading at 2:13, a singular collective image.
paradosis → tradition. Material handed on by word or letter; neither channel is deleted.
ataktōs / periergazomai → disorderly / work at others’ business. The second expression is meddling, contrasted with productive work.
paraklēsis / parakaleō → encouragement / encourage or exhort. The contextual comfort and appeal senses are preserved.
Editorial decisions
New English translation from G; no modern English Bible served as a paraphrase base.
Greek base text copyright 2010 Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. This English translation and its notes adapt the Greek text; they are not the publishers’ English translation and imply no publisher endorsement. License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
Retained the accessed main text’s lawlessness at 2:3, Lord Jesus at 2:8, firstfruits at 2:13, third-person plural they received at 3:6, and absence of final Amen.
At 2:3 a minimal implied main clause is supplied and explicitly identified in its note; the restrainer’s identity, the sanctuary’s historical referent, and a future chronology remain unfilled.
Retained difficult divine-agency and judgment expressions without changing the source into a denominational doctrinal paraphrase.
Patristic reception was read in the identified English presentation; the homilist’s wording is not used to silently alter G’s different firstfruits reading.
Second AI agent review read every translation verse beside the full SBLGNT Greek source. No definite error requiring textual repair was found; documented contextual uncertainties remain open for qualified specialist review.
Review and open questions
Specialist Greek review is especially needed for 1:9, 1:11–12, 2:3–7, 2:13, 3:3, and 3:5–6.
The identity of the restrainer and the historical or eschatological frame of the lawless one are not settled by this working translation.
The manuscript basis has not been independently collated; no claim of critical consensus or ecclesial approval is made.
2 Thessalonians 1:9,12; 2:3–7,13; 3:6: ambiguity, unfinished conditional, restrainer gender shift, firstfruits, and third-person plural remain properly represented.
Exact published English Chrysostom passages verified by the drafting/root agent; the second agent did not newly collate the Greek homilies.
All 47 translated verses were independently read against the complete supplied SBLGNT Greek file by a second AI agent. No definite omission or mistranslation requiring a content change was found. This is additional drafting review, not qualified human specialist certification.
Expanded textual and reception review
Review date: Sep 11, 2026
All 47 selected Greek verses and their English clauses were reviewed again. The publisher-maintained SBLGNT file was checked through its GitHub presentation. No reading-text correction was required. These are running-text and selected reception checks, not a manuscript-apparatus collation or independent specialist certification.
Each verse has its own textual observation. Reception codes refer to the precisely scoped entries below; a passage entry does not claim separate exposition of every verse it contains. The Christian works were consulted in the identified published English presentations. Their biblical quotations and later interpretations do not replace the selected Greek. This is verified selected reception, not an exhaustive index of Christian literature.
R01 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 1 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 2'), opening exposition of 1:1–2. Passage exposition. He treats the greeting’s divine favor as consolation that also prepares hearers to receive correction.
R02 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 1 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 2'), exposition of 1:3–4. Passage exposition. He reads growing faith through affliction and love extending to the whole community, opposing affection confined to factions.
R03 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 1 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 2'), exposition of 1:5–8 and its immediate application. Passage exposition. He contrasts sufferers’ relief with divine recompense, then warns hearers against delighting in another person’s punishment.
R04 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 2 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 3'), opening exposition of 1:9–12. Passage exposition. He understands destruction as enduring judgment and Christ’s appearing as sufficient to accomplish it. Believers’ endurance displays His glory; the prayer guards them from complacency.
R05 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 2 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 3'), exposition of 2:1–5. Passage exposition. He counters alarm through remembered teaching, identifies the lawless figure as a human Antichrist, and extends the sanctuary image to churches. His identifications are interpretation; the biblical wording does not name them.
R06 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 3 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), exposition of 2:6–12. Passage exposition. He favors the Roman Empire as restrainer, regards Nero as a type, and stresses Christ’s decisive victory and the deceived hearers’ refusal of truth. These historical identifications remain his interpretation.
R07 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 3 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), exposition of 2:13–14. Passage exposition. He joins salvation with the Spirit’s sanctification, faith, and Christ’s glory. His English biblical quotation says from the beginning; it does not replace the selected Greek firstfruits.
R08 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 3 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), exposition of 2:15. Direct verse exposition. He argues that spoken and written transmission both deserve trust and applies this to Church tradition.
R09 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 3 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), exposition of 2:16–17. Passage exposition. He rejects inferiority inferred from order of naming and sees prayer as strengthening both good teaching and action.
R10 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 3 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 4'), exposition of 3:1–2. Passage exposition. He emphasizes reciprocal prayer for teachers and the removal of obstacles to preaching.
R11 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 4 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 5'), opening exposition of 3:3–5. Passage exposition. He joins divine faithfulness with active obedience. For Christ’s endurance he considers both imitation and patient expectation.
R12 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 4 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 5'), exposition of 3:6–12. Passage exposition. He reads apostolic labor as an example, recognizes ministers’ right to support, and distinguishes idle people able to work from people needing assistance.
R13 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 4 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 5'), exposition of 3:13–15. Passage exposition. He construes withdrawal as correction within brotherhood, urges continued help rather than death by hunger, and rejects insulting the poor.
R14 — John Chrysostom, Homilies on Second Thessalonians, Homily 4 (NPNF1-13 numbering; New Advent 'Homily 5'), exposition of 3:16–18. Passage exposition. He relates peace to tensions caused by correction and the autograph greeting to protection against counterfeiting; the farewell remains prayer.
A01 — Augustine, City of God, Book XX, chapter 19. Passage exposition. He admits uncertainty about the restrainer and whether the sanctuary refers to Jerusalem or the Church, reporting competing interpretations. He also distinguishes deceptive appearances from real prodigies used to mislead, and interprets God’s sending delusion as just permission. This theological account does not replace sends in the translation.
A02 — Augustine, On the Work of Monks, §4, after the opposing interpretation in §§2–3. Quotation and monastic application. Quoting the whole work-and-bread passage, he argues from Paul’s example for bodily labor while acknowledging an apostle’s entitlement to support. He applies this argument to monks claiming exemption; it is a later application.
I01 — Irenaeus, Against Heresies, V.25.1–2. Quotation and eschatological interpretation. He quotes the self-exalting figure as Antichrist and identifies the sanctuary with Jerusalem’s temple. This specific identification differs from other Christian readings and is not inserted into the verse.
I02 — Irenaeus, Against Heresies, V.25.3. Quotation and intertextual interpretation. He quotes the lawless one’s overthrow and deceptive activity alongside Daniel’s visions. His three-and-a-half-year scheme is drawn through that intertextual reading; 2 Thessalonians itself states no such duration.
P01 — Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians, chapter 11, closing appeal concerning Valens and his wife. Explicit reuse. He applies the prohibition on treating offenders as enemies to recalling Valens and his wife as straying members, seeking restoration of the whole community.
B01 — John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Part One, Interpreter’s judgment dream, Gutenberg editorial divisions 89–91. Allegorical reception. The dream combines the heavenly judge’s attendants and fire with other biblical judgment images. This is a composite allegory; the presentation’s cross-references identify 1:7–8, but its added imagery is not a separate exposition of either verse.
Presentations: Chrysostom, translated by John A. Broadus, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, volume 13; Augustine, City of God, translated by Marcus Dods, volume 2, and On the Work of Monks, translated by H. Browne, volume 3; Irenaeus, translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut, and Polycarp, translated by Roberts and James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, volume 1; New Advent editions. Bunyan: Project Gutenberg eBook 131. No original-language patristic collation is claimed.
Collation against Nestle–Aland 28
On 13 September 2026 every verse of this book where the SBLGNT and NA28 differ was identified from the edition marks of Tyndale House's Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0) and the SBLGNT apparatus, and the rendering above was read at each one. 3 verses differ; 2 of them would read differently in English if NA28 were translated instead of the SBLGNT, and each of those carries a note above beginning "NA28". The collation is against TAGNT's edition marks and the SBLGNT apparatus; a printed NA28 apparatus has not been consulted, and NA28's square brackets are inferred, not recorded.
At no place was the rendering found to follow a reading other than the SBLGNT it declares.