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1Th_4:14. Reason not of οὐ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν , but of ἵνα μὴ λυπῆσθε . The Thessalonians were not to mourn, for Christ has risen from the dead; but if this fact be certain, then it follows that they also who are fallen asleep, about whom the Thessalonians were so troubled, will be raised. There lies at the foundation of this proof, which Paul uses as a supposition, the idea that Christ and believers form together an organism of indissoluble unity, of which Christ is the Head and Christians are the members; consequently what happens to the Head must likewise happen to the members; where that is, there these must also be. Comp. already Pelagius: Qui caput suscitavit, etiam caetera membra suscitaturum se promittit. From the nature of this argument it is evident (1) that those who are asleep, about whom the Thessalonians grieved, must already have been Christians; (2) that their complete exclusion from the blessed fellowship with Christ was dreaded.[54]
εἰ γὰρ πιστεύομεν ] for if we believe. εἰ is not so much as “quum, since, because” (Flatt), also not equivalent to quodsi: “for as we believe” (Baumgarten-Crusius), but is here, as always, hypothetical. But since Paul from the hypothetical protasis, without further demonstrating it, immediately draws the inference in question, it is clear that he supposes the fact of the death and resurrection of Christ as an absolute recognised truth, as, indeed, among the early Christians generally no doubt was raised concerning the reality of this fact. For even in reference to the Corinthian church, among whom doubts prevailed concerning the resurrection of the dead, Paul, in combating this view, could appeal to the resurrection of Christ as an actual recognised truth; comp. 1Co_15:12-23.
The apodosis, 1Th_4:14, does not exactly correspond with the protasis. Instead of οὕτως κ . τ . λ . we should expect ΚΑῚ ΠΙΣΤΕΎΕΙΝ ΔΕῖ , ὍΤΙ ὩΣΑΎΤΩς ΟἹ ἘΝ ΧΡΙΣΤῷ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς ἈΝΑΣΤΉΣΟΝΤΑΙ , or ὍΤΙ ΟὝΤΩς Ὁ ΘΕῸς ΚΑῚ ΤΟῪς ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΑς ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ ἘΓΕΡΕῖ .
ΟὝΤΩς ] is not pleonastic as the mere sign of the apodosis (Schott, Olshausen); also not, with Flatt, to be referred to ἈΝΈΣΤΗ , and then to be translated “in such a condition, i.e. raised, revived;” or to be interpreted as “then under these circumstances, i.e. in case we have faith” (Koch, Hofmann), but denotes “even so,” and, strengthened by the following καί , is designed to bring forward the agreement of the fate of Christians with Christ; comp. Winer, p. 478 [E. T. 679].
ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ ] is (by Chry sostom, Ambrosiaster, Calvin, Hemming, Zanchius, Estius, Balduin, Vorstius, Cornelius a Lapide, Beza, Grotius, Calixt, Calov, Wolf, Whitby, Benson, Bengel, Macknight, Koppe, Jowett, Hilgenfeld (Zeitschr. f. wissenschaftl. Theolog., Halle 1862, p. 239), Riggenbach, and others) connected with τοὺς κοιμηθέντας , and then the sense is given: “those who have fallen asleep, in Christ.”[55] But this would be expressed by ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ , as ΟἹ ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς would at most contain a designation of those whom Christ had brought to death, consequently of the Christian martyrs. Salmeron, Hammond, Joseph Mede, Opp. p. 519, and Thiersch (die Kirche im apostol. Zeitalter, Frankf. u. Erlang. 1852, p. 138) actually interpret the words in this sense. Yet how contrary to the apostle’s design such a mention of the martyrs would be is evident, as according to it the resurrection and participation in the glory of the returning Christ would be most inappropriately limited to a very small portion of Christians; not to mention that, first, the indications in both Epistles do not afford the slightest justification of the idea of persecutions, which ended in bloody death; and, secondly, the formula κοιμηθῆναι διὰ τινός would be much too weak to express the idea of martyrdom. Also in the fact that Paul does not speak of the dead in general, but specially of the Christian dead, there is no reason to unite ΤΟῪς ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΑς with ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ ; for the extent of the idea of ΟἹ ΚΟΙΜΗΘΈΝΤΕς in our passage is understood from the relation of the apodosis, 1Th_4:14, to the protasis ΕἸ ΠΙΣΤΕΎΟΜΕΝ Κ . Τ . Λ . We are accordingly constrained to unite ΔΙᾺ ΤΟῦ ἸΗΣΟῦ with ἌΞΕΙ .
Christ is elsewhere by Paul and in the New Testament generally considered as the instrument by which the almighty act of God, the resurrection of the dead, is effected; comp. 1Co_15:21; Joh_5:28; Joh_6:39; Joh_6:44; Joh_6:54.
ἌΞΕΙ ] will bring with Him, is a pregnant expression, whilst, instead of the act of resuscitation, that which follows the act in time is given. And, indeed, the further clause σὺν αὐτῷ , i.e. σὺν Ἰησοῦ (incorrectly Zacharius and Koppe = Ὡς ΑὐΤΌΝ ), is united in a pregnant form with ἌΞΕΙ . God will through Christ bring with Him those who are asleep, that is, so that they are then united with Christ, and have a complete share in the benefits of His appearance. Hofmann arbitrarily transforms the words into the thought: “that Jesus will not appear, God will not introduce Him again into the world, without their deceased brethren coming with Him.” For the words instruct us not concerning Jesus, but concerning the κοιμηθέντες ; it is not expressed in what manner the return of Christ will take place, but what will be the final fate of those who have fallen asleep. The apostle selects this pregnant form of expression instead of the simple ἘΓΕΡΕῖ , because the thought of a separation of deceased Christians from Christ was that which so greatly troubled the Thessalonians, and therefore it was his endeavour to remove this anxiety, this doubting uncertainty, as soon as possible.[56]
[54] Hofmann’s views are very distorted and perverted. He will not acknowledge that from the fact of the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of those fallen asleep in Thessalonica is deduced; and—against which the οὕτως καί of the apodosis should have guarded him—he deduces the aimless platitude, that “the apostle with the words: ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς κοιμηθέντας διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἄξει σὺν αὐτῷ , gives an assurance which avails us in the case of our death, if we believe on the death and resurrection of Jesus.” As Hofmann misinterprets the words, so also does Luthardt, supra, p. 140 f.
[55] Also Alford connects διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ with κοιμηθέντας ; but then arbitrarily (comp. οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ , ver. 16) pressing the expression κοιμηθέντας ( οἱ κοιμηθέντες are distinguished from the merely θανόντες . What makes this distinction? Why are they asleep and not dead? By whom have they been thus privileged? Certainly διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ), and inappropriately regarding the constructions εὐχαριστεῖν διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ , Rom_1:8; εἰρήνην ἔχειν διὰ Ἰησοῦ , Rom_5:1, καυχᾶσθαι διὰ Ἰησοῦ , Rom_5:11, as analogous expressions, he brings out the following grammatically impossible meaning: If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, then even thus also those, of whom we say that they sleep just because of Jesus, will God, etc.
[56] The idea of “a general ascension of all Christians,” which Schrader finds in this verse, and in which he perceives a mark of un-Pauline composition, because Paul thought “only on a kingdom of God on earth,” is, according to the above, introduced by him into the passage.