the imitation hypothesis 215
the worse rather than the better—τοῦτο δὲ παραγγέλλων οὐκ ἐπαινῶ ὅτι οὐκ
εἰς τὸ κρεῖσσον ἀλλὰ εἰς τὸ ἧσσον συνέρχεσθε (“now in the following instruc-
tions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for
the better but for the worse”). This is not, however, a concrete command,
but rather refers to paul in the act of giving advice. This shows that within
the undisputed pauline epistles a direct command is only given once
(1 cor 7:10) and is then immediately taken away from the authority of the
apostle and transferred to Jesus christ.
Conclusions for παραγγέλλω in 2 Thessalonians
recapitulating these observations of παραγγέλλω we may conclude that
in the everyday private letter correspondence of the third century bce to
the third century ce the use of παραγγέλλω as a request is unknown. The
form is only found once in the third century ce, when a brother gives
commands concerning a stone bowl to his sister. To use this word to
express requests for interpersonal relationships or communal life—as the
author of 2 Thessalonians does—is unattested and does not correspond
to the style of writing at its time. rather, the word παραγγέλλω belongs to
a sphere of official and legal matters.
In addition, the direct use of παραγγέλλω on the sole authority of the
apostle paul (as in 2 Thess 3:12)39 is unknown in the undisputed pauline
epistles. nevertheless, the content of 2 Thess 3:12 corresponds to the situa-
tion found in 1 Thess 4:10, but only in terms of content, not in its form, on
which the following section will have more to say. To compare the broader
picture of 2 Thessalonians 3 and the undisputed paulines, one has to note
that 2 Thess 3:6 refers to the authority of the lord Jesus christ connected
to παραγγέλλω (as in 1 corinthians) and connected to the combination
with παρακαλῶ in 2 Thess 3:12. although the context of παραγγέλλω in
2 Thessalonians 3 and the other three instances in the undisputed pauline
epistles is the same (community life), the quantity (four times) and qual-
ity (direct command of the author alone, which stresses his authority)
constitute a difference. neither documentary papyri (III bce to III ce) nor
the undisputed pauline epistles attest the combination παραγγέλλομεν
καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν, which has therefore to be regarded as untypical of
its time.
39 even if the combination is followed by a connection to the lord Jesus christ
(ἐν κυρίῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστῷ) the authority of the apostle remains in the foreground, quite in
contrast to 1 cor 7:10.