Paul and Sylvanus and Timothy: to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thomas Aquinas
The waters were multiplied, etc. Gen. 7:17. These words suit the subject matter of this epistle. For the Church is figured by the ark, as is said in 1 Peter 3:20, because just as in the ark, while the rest perished, a few souls were saved, so in the Church few, that is, only the elect, will be saved. Now by the waters are signified tribulations.
First, because waters press in by rushing upon, as do tribulations. Matthew 7:25: the floods came, and the winds blew, and they rushed upon that house. But the Church is not moved by the onrush of the floods. Hence it is added: and it did not fall.
Second, water extinguishes fire. Ecclesiasticus 30: water extinguishes a burning fire. So tribulations extinguish the impulses of concupiscences, lest men follow them at their pleasure, but they do not extinguish the true charity of the Church. Canticles 8:7: many waters will not be able to extinguish charity, nor will the floods overwhelm it.
Third, waters submerge by inundation. Lamentations 3:54: the waters flooded over my head. But the Church is not submerged by these. Jonah 2:6: the waters surrounded me even to my soul, the deep encompassed me, the sea covered my head, etc.; and afterward: I will again see your holy temple, etc. Therefore it does not fail, but is lifted up.
And first, by the elevation of the mind to God. Gregory: the evils that press upon us here compel us to go to God. Hosea 6:1: in their tribulation they will arise early to me.
Second, by spiritual consolation. Psalm 93:19: according to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, your consolations have gladdened my soul. 2 Corinthians 1:5: as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so through Christ our consolation abounds.
Third, by the multiplication of the faithful, because in the time of persecutions God multiplied the Church. Exodus 1:12: and the more they oppressed them, the more they were multiplied and grew.
Thus, then, this suits this epistle, because these people, having suffered many tribulations, stood firm. Let us, then, look at the text.
English is machine-translated from the public-domain Latin (Corpus Thomisticum), since no public-domain English translation exists. It is not a scholarly translation. Please report errors.