Marlene Crusemann examines the Thessalonian letters in the context of Jewish-Christian social history; building upon her analysis of 1 Thessalonians, Crusemann comes to the conclusion that it is post-apostolic epistolary communication, and questions whether it is a letter of Paul and indeed whether it is an early letter. This analysis in turn adds weight to the thesis, propounded by some previous scholars, that the letter is somewhat out of place and may be a later work by another author. Crusemann subsequently illustrates that 2 Thessalonians, by contrast, revokes the far-reaching social separation from Judaism that characterizes 1 Thessalonians, and thus aims socio-historically at a solidarity with the entire Jewish people. Analysing the concept of the Jews as supposed enemy, the future of the Greek gentile community, and the relationship between the two letters, Crusemann concludes that the discussion about a "divergence of the ways of Christians and Jews" in early Christian times needs to be realigned.

Marlene Crusemann examines the Thessalonian letters in the context of Jewish-Christian social history; building upon her analysis of 1 Thessalonians, Crusemann comes to the conclusion that it is post-apostolic epistolary communication, and questions whether it is a letter of Paul and indeed whether it is an early letter. This analysis in turn adds weight to the thesis, propounded by some previous scholars, that the letter is somewhat out of place and may be a later work by another author. Crusemann subsequently illustrates that 2 Thessalonians, by contrast, revokes the far-reaching social separation from Judaism that characterizes 1 Thessalonians, and thus aims socio-historically at a solidarity with the entire Jewish people. Analysing the concept of the Jews as supposed enemy, the future of the Greek gentile community, and the relationship between the two letters, Crusemann concludes that the discussion about a "divergence of the ways of Christians and Jews" in early Christian times needs to be realigned.

Marlene Crusemann fragt nach dem Ort der beiden Thessalonicherbriefe im Kontext der judisch-christlichen Sozialgeschichte. Aufgrund zahlreicher Besonderheiten, die der 1 Thess im Rahmen des Corpus Paulinum aufweist, kommt sie zum Ergebnis, dass dieser ein nachapostolisch-pseudepigraphes, briefliche Kommunikation lediglich inszenierendes Schreiben ist. So gewinnt die alte These von der Unechtheit des ersten Thessalonicherbriefs ein neues Fundament. An 2 Thess wird deutlich, dass sich die thessalonische Korrespondenz nicht in das Schema eines linear fortschreitenden Trennungsprozesses zwischen "Christentum" und "Judentum" im ersten Jahrhundert fugt. Der Brief widerruft die weitgehende soziale Trennung vom Judentum, die 1 Thess pragt, und zielt damit sozialhistorisch auf eine Resolidarisierung mit dem gesamten judischen Volk. Damit ist die Diskussion um ein "Auseinandergehen der Wege von Christen und Juden" in fruhchristlicher Zeit neu auszurichten und sozialgeschichtlich entsprechend zu differenzieren.