The second letter to the Thessalonians, ascribed to Paul, is a difficult text for modern readers. Maarten Menken makes the letter accessible by treating it from a predominantly historical point of view, as part of a process of communication between its sender and the original addressees. A new translation of the short Greek text is provided. The book then examines three important aspects of its historical context: letter genre, authorship, and religious milieu. The nature of ancient letter-writing is also discussed. Professor Menken offers an extensive introduction to apocalyptic eschatology and considers the implications of this element of the letter for our understanding of its original audience. 2 Thessalonians is an apostolic, advisory letter, not written by Paul himself but by a later author who placed himself in the Pauline tradition, and who was at home in the realm of thought and the ideas of the end of the world. The third section of Professor Menken's book offers an extensive commentary on the letter and examines its literary structure in detail.