5
The Day of the Lord
1 Περὶ δὲ τῶν χρόνων καὶ τῶν καιρῶν, ἀδελφοί, οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ὑμῖν γράφεσθαι· 2 αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ * ἡμέρα Κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτὶ οὕτως ἔρχεται. 3 Ὅταν γὰρ† λέγωσιν, «Εἰρήνη καὶ ἀσφάλεια,» τότε αἰφνίδιος αὐτοῖς ἐφίσταται ὄλεθρος, ὥσπερ ἡ ὠδὶν τῇ ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσῃ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγωσιν.
Live as sons of light
4 Ὑμεῖς δέ, ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σκότει ἵνα ἡ ἡμέρα ὑμᾶς ὡς κλέπτης καταλάβῃ. 5 Πάντες‡ ὑμεῖς υἱοὶ φωτός ἐστε καὶ υἱοὶ ἡμέρας· οὐκ ἐσμὲν νυκτός, οὐδὲ σκότους. 6 Ἄρα οὖν, μὴ καθεύδωμεν,§ ὡς καὶ* οἱ λοιποί, ἀλλὰ γρηγορῶμεν καὶ νήφωμεν· 7 οἱ γὰρ καθεύδοντες νυκτὸς καθεύδουσιν, καὶ οἱ μεθυσκόμενοι νυκτὸς μεθύουσιν· 8 ἡμεῖς† δὲ ἡμέρας ὄντες‡ νήφωμεν, ἐνδυσάμενοι θώρακα πίστεως καὶ ἀγάπης, καὶ περικεφαλαίαν ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας. 9 Ὅτι οὐκ ἔθετο ἡμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ὀργὴν ἀλλ᾿§ εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, 10 τοῦ ἀποθανόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἵνα εἴτε γρηγοροῦμεν* εἴτε καθεύδομεν† ἅμα σὺν αὐτῷ ζήσωμεν. 11 Διὸ παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους καὶ οἰκοδομεῖτε εἷς τὸν ἕνα, καθὼς καὶ ποιεῖτε.
Concluding instructions
Esteem spiritual leaders
12 Ἐρωτῶμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, εἰδέναι τοὺς κοπιῶντας ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ προϊσταμένους ὑμῶν ἐν Κυρίῳ καὶ νουθετοῦντας ὑμᾶς, 13 καὶ ἡγεῖσθαι‡ αὐτοὺς ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ διὰ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῶν. Εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.§
A variety of instructions
14 Παρακαλοῦμεν δὲ ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί· νουθετεῖτε τοὺς ἀτάκτους, παραμυθεῖσθε τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους, ἀντέχεσθε τῶν ἀσθενῶν, μακροθυμεῖτε πρὸς πάντας. 15 Ὁρᾶτε μή τις κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ τινι ἀποδῷ, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε τὸ ἀγαθὸν διώκετε, καὶ* εἰς ἀλλήλους καὶ εἰς πάντας. 16 Πάντοτε χαίρετε· 17 ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθε· 18 ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖτε, τοῦτο γὰρ θέλημα Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ εἰς ὑμᾶς. 19 Τὸ Πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε· 20 προφητείας μὴ ἐξουθενεῖτε, 21 πάντα δὲ† δοκιμάζετε·‡ τὸ καλὸν κατέχετε. 22 Ἀπὸ παντὸς εἴδους πονηροῦ ἀπέχεσθε.
Complete sanctification
23 Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς εἰρήνης ἁγιάσαι ὑμᾶς ὁλοτελεῖς, καὶ ὁλόκληρον ὑμῶν τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τὸ σῶμα ἀμέμπτως ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τηρηθείη. 24 Πιστὸς ὁ καλῶν ὑμᾶς, ὃς καὶ ποιήσει.§
Farewell
25 Ἀδελφοί, προσεύχεσθε* περὶ ἡμῶν. 26 Ἀσπάσασθε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς πάντας ἐν φιλήματι ἁγίῳ. 27 Ὁρκίζω† ὑμᾶς τὸν Κύριον ἀναγνωσθῆναι τὴν ἐπιστολὴν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀδελφοῖς.‡ 28 Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν. Ἀμήν.§,*
* 5:2 η f35 A [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵB [3%] NU † 5:3 γαρ f35 [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵA [2%] NU ¦ δε B [3%] ‡ 5:5 παντες f35 [70%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 γαρ ℵA,B [30%] NU § 5:6 καθευδωμεν rell ¦ καθευδομεν [10%] * 5:6 και f35 [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — ℵA,B [3%] NU † 5:8 ημεις rell ¦ υμεις [1%] OC ‡ 5:8 οντες f35 ℵA,B [88%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ 1 υιοι [12%] CP § 5:9 αλλ rell ¦ αλλα ℵB [3%] NU * 5:10 γρηγορουμεν f35 [55%] ¦ γρηγορωμεν ℵA,B [45%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU † 5:10 καθευδομεν f35 [70%] ¦ καθευδωμεν ℵA,B [30%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ‡ 5:13 ηγεισθαι f35 ℵA [65%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ ηγεισθε B [35%] § 5:13 εαυτοις f35 A,B [70%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ αυτοις 𝕻30ℵ [30%] * 5:15 και f35 𝕻30B [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP[NU] ¦ — ℵA [5%] † 5:21 δε f35 B [70%] RP,HF,OC,NU ¦ — ℵA [30%] TR,CP ‡ 5:21 δοκιμαζετε f35 ℵA,B [60%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ δοκιμαζοντες [40%] CP § 5:24 ποιησει f35 ℵA,B [85%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ 1 την ελπιδα υμων βεβαιαν [15%] CP * 5:25 προσευχεσθε f35 ℵA,Iv [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 και 𝕻30B [5%] [NU] † 5:27 ὁρκιζω f35 ℵ [85%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ορκιζω [10%] ¦ ενορκιζω 𝕻46A,B [5%] NU ‡ 5:27 αγιοις αδελφοις f35 𝕻46A (89.6%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 (4.9%) ¦ 2 ℵB (5.5%) NU (One variant could be an easy case of homoioteleuton, and the other a not very difficult case of homoioarcton.) § 5:28 αμην f35 ℵA [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — B [3%] NU * 5:28 The citation of f35 is based on thirty-nine MSS—18, 35, 149, 201, 204, 328, 386, 394, 444, 604, 757, 824, 928, 959, 986, 1072, 1075, 1100, 1248, 1249, 1250, 1503, 1548, 1637, 1725, 1732, 1761, 1768, 1855, 1864, 1865, 1876, 1892, 1897, 2080, 2466, 2554, 2587 and 2723—all of which I collated myself. 18, 824, 928, 1855, 1864 and 2723 are ‘perfect’ representatives of f35 in 1 Thessalonians, as they stand, as were the exemplars of another eleven. The uniformity is impressive. Since these MSS come from all over the Mediterranean world (Sinai, Jerusalem, Patmos, Constantinople, Bucharest, Aegean, Trikala, Athens, Mt. Athos [seven different monasteries], Grottaferrata, Vatican, etc.) they are certainly representative of the family, giving us the precise family profile—it is reflected in the Text without exception. In the statements of evidence I have included the percentage of manuscript attestation for each variant, within either ( ) or [ ]. I have used ( ) for the evidence taken from TuT, which I take to be reasonably precise. For the variant sets that are not covered there I had to revert to von Soden and the apparatus of N-A27, supplementing from other sources where possible (Scrivener and Tischendorf)—the percentages offered, I have used [ ] for these, are extrapolations based on a comparison of these sources.I venture to predict, if complete collations ever become available, that for any non-Byzantine variants listed with 5 to 1% support (in my apparatus) the margin of error should not exceed ±1%; for non-Byzantine variants listed with 10 to 6% support the margin of error should hardly exceed ±3%; where there is some division among the Byzantine witnesses the margin of error should rarely exceed ±15%. However, I guarantee the witness of Family 35. Please see the last footnote for Matthew for further information.