RT Article
T1 ‘Peace and Security’ (1 Thess 5.3): Prophetic Warning or Political Propaganda?
JF New Testament studies
VO 58
IS 3
SP 331
OP 359
A1 Weima, Jeffrey A. D.
LA English
YR 2012
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1785739999
AB The phrase ‘Peace and security’ in 1 Thess 5.3 has traditionally been understood as an echo of the OT prophetic warnings (Jer 6.14; Ezek 13.10; Mic 3.5) against false claims of peace. Stronger evidence exists, however, that the apostle is making use of a popular theme of the imperial Roman propaganda machine. The Romans vigorously promoted themselves through various public media as those who provided not only ‘peace’ but also ‘security’, thereby providing a closer parallel to Paul's statement in 5.3 than any OT text. This essay reviews four kinds of evidence—numismatic, monumental, inscriptional and literary—in order to demonstrate in a decisive fashion that the phrase ‘peace and security’ involves an allusion not to prophetic warning but to Roman political propaganda.
K1 political propaganda
K1 Security
K1 Peace
K1 Pax Romana
K1 Thessalonica
K1 1 Thessalonians 5.3
K1 1 Thessalonians
DO 10.1017/S0028688512000045