Worksheet for Exegeting a Text
1 Thessalonians 5:23-28
Conclusio
Week 8
Last revised: 3/31/01
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   5.23 Aujto;" de; oJ qeo;" th'" eijrhvnh" aJgiavsai uJma'" oJlotelei'", kai; oJlovklhron uJmw'n to; pneu'ma kai; hJ yuch; kai; to; sw'ma ajmevmptw" ejn th'/ parousiva/ tou' kurivou hJmw'n  jIhsou' Cristou' thrhqeivh. 5.24 pisto;" oJ kalw'n uJma'", o]" kai; poihvsei.
    5.25  jAdelfoiv, proseuvcesqe kai; peri; hJmw'n.
    5.26  jAspavsasqe tou;" ajdelfou;" pavnta" ejn filhvmati aJgivw/. 5.27   jEnorkivzw uJma'" to;n kuvrion ajnagnwsqh'nai th;n ejpistolh;n pa'sin toi'" ajdelfoi'".
    5.28  JH cavri" tou' kurivou hJmw'n  jIhsou' Cristou' meq j uJmw'n.		 NRSV:
     5:23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound [Or complete] and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 5:24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
     5:25 Beloved [Gk Brothers] pray for us.
     5:26 Greet all the brothers and sisters[Gk brothers] with a holy kiss. 5:27 I solemnly command you by the Lord that this letter be read to all of them [Gk to all the brothers].
     5:28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you [Other ancient authorities add Amen].

1. Determine the genre of the passage.

  1. Define the rhetorical role of the conclusio in ancient letters.
  2. Identify the typical elements in ancient epistolary conclusia and which ones are present in 1 Thess 5:23-28 and which ones are absent.
2. Determine the literary context of the passage.
  1. Explain the issue of 5:23-24 belonging to either the conclusio or perhaps as the concluding prayer wish of the Body proper of the letter.
3. Determine the time/place references in the passage.
  1. What possible implications from the conclusio can help identify the occasion and place of the composition of this letter?
  2. Assess the signficance of the textual variant translated as 'Amen' at the end of 5:28.
4. Analyze the internal literary structure of the passage.
  1. Assess the basis of both the NRSV and the UBS texts above dividing this pericope into four subsections.
5. Determine the interpretative issues -- both theologically and exegetically -- present in the passage.
  1. What is the nature of the three-fold expression of human existence in 5:25? Any theological implications relating to the two-fold or three-fold nature of humanity spiritually?
  2. How is the believer to be "kept sound and blameless" at the second coming of Christ (5:25)?
  3. What did the 'holy kiss' entail (5:26)?
  4. What possibly lies behind the charge in 5:27?
  5. What function did the benedictio in 5:28 play?
6. Determine a central theme of the passage
 
7. Develop an exegetical outline of the passage.
 
8.  Develop a short, one page sermon brief from the passage.