Abstract

The text of 1 Thess 4 reveals the widespread belief among the Christians of Thessalonica that those who would still be alive at the "parousia" of the Lord would have an advantage over those who had already died (v. 15). However, in clarifying the question, in v. 14b, Paul employs syntax which lends itself to several possibilities. Exegetical analysis enables the resolution of these ambiguities. With regard to the λόγος κυρίου, on which the Apostle bases his own teaching (vv. 16-17a), the fact that the same literary "cachet" appears also in 1Cor 15,51-52, in a way that is not important for the argument in both cases, can lead us to suppose a preexistent truth that goes back to Jesus himself and merges in a parallel manner in the Synoptic tradition (cf. Mt 24,30-31).