Lectionary Reflection: 24th Sunday after Pentecost

2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17

2:1 As to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we beg you, brothers and sisters,

2:2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction.

2:4 He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God.

2:5 Do you not remember that I told you these things when I was still with you?

2:13 But we must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and through belief in the truth.

2:14 For this purpose he called you through our proclamation of the good news, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2:15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.

2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and through grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,

2:17 comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good work and word.

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Christians are inherently a genealogical people.  Everything that we hold to be true about God, creation, and redemption was passed down to us from our faithful ancestors.  Yes, we have the Scriptures, and they proclaim the Word of God in written form.  But all of us, at some point in our development towards maturity, were taught how to read the Bible, and how to interpret it. Those who taught us were taught by their faithful Christian ancestors, and so on backwards in history all the way to the apostles. 

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul exhorts the church in Thessalonica to "stand firm and hold to the traditions" which they were taught, "either by word of mouth or by letter" (2:15). The early Christians believed that the doctrines of the Church were supported by Scripture, and that Scripture was the foundation for the doctrines of the Church.   In other words, new believers in Christ could trust the authority of both their teachers in the Church, and the writings of the prophets and apostles in Scripture. 

Cyril of Jerusalem* explained to his catechumens that since most of them were illiterate, they could learn the basics of the Christian faith by memorizing short creedal statements, which were summaries of Scripture, and were explicated by ecclesiastical teachers. The ancient creeds, e.g. the Apostles Creed, were not designed to coerce faith by unwilling participants.  Rather, they were aids in learning the truths of Scripture in an easily digestible form. Cyril believed that by passing on the creeds to new believers, he was faithfully obeying Paul's exhortation to the Thessalonians to hold fast to the traditions, by word of mouth and by letter.

*Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures 5.12