Read this if you…
- want the New Testament's most vivid end-times sketch (the 'man of sin' / lawless one passage that fed centuries of antichrist lore)
- like seeing Paul put out a brushfire: people thought Christ had already come back, he writes to say not yet
- appreciate the blunt line 'if any would not work, neither should he eat' (Paul on Christian freeloaders)
Skip this if you…
- don't want to read explicitly religious/Christian texts
Why It Matters
The 'man of sin' passage in chapter 2 kicked off centuries of speculation about the Antichrist. That speculation fed political theology straight through the medieval arguments over the papacy and into modern apocalyptic thinking.
Depicted in Art
The Antichrist preaches from a raised platform mimicking Christ's pose, with the devil whispering into his ear; chaos, murder, and false miracles unfold around him while the Archangel Michael descends in the sky to fight back.
Luca Signorelli, 1501
Paul stands on a stone platform in a Greek square, arms raised, preaching to a half-circle of Athenians — the canonical Renaissance image of Paul's Greek mission.
Raphael, 1515
John stands at the front holding an open New Testament, reading the opening verses of his Gospel; Peter looks over his shoulder holding the golden key.
Albrecht Dürer, 1526
Two fragmentary papyrus leaves in Greek uncials carrying Ephesians 1 alongside 2 Thessalonians 1:4–5 and 1:11–12 — the only papyrus witness to the epistle's opening prayer.
350
Recommended Editions
King James Version
Oxford University Press · 1611
The most influential and commonly quoted translation in English. The prose rhythm everyone else is responding to, even modern translations.
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Deep Dive
What It's About
This summary gives away plot details.
Notable Quotes
“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”
More by Paul
- Philippians~61PaulEasy·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 2 Thessalonians~51PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 2 Timothy~64PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Galatians~50PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Hebrews~65PaulHard·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 1 Timothy~63PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Romans~57PaulHard·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 2 Corinthians~56PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 1 Corinthians~54PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- 1 Thessalonians~51PaulEasy·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Ephesians~62PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Philemon~60PaulEasy·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Colossians~62PaulModerate·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek
- Titus~63PaulEasy·Quick·—Influence—Popularity—BibleEpistleAncient Greek