6. καὶνῦντὸκατέχονοἴδατε] ‘ and now you know that which restraineth’—νῦν having its full temporal sense in keeping with the emphasis laid in the context on the present working of the power of lawlessness (cf. v. 7). It must not, however, be taken as if it actually belongs to κατέχον (cf. however John 4:18 καὶνῦνὃνἔχεις), or be opposed to the preceding ἔτιὤν which yields no good sense, but rather be placed in contrast with the following ἀποκάλυψιςἐντῷαὐτοῦκαιρῷ: ‘ for the present the Thessalonians know only the restraining power: what is restrained is not yet revealed.’ See further Bornemann’ s elaborate note ad loc. It is more difficult to determine what we are to understand by τὸκατέχον. That the verb is here used in the sense of ‘ restrain,’ ‘ hold back,’ rather than of ‘ hold fast’ (as in 1 Thessalonians 5:21), is too generally admitted to require further proof (see Add. Note H): while, as we have just seen, whatever is intended must clearly be something which was actually at work at the time when the Ep. was written, and of which moreover its readers had personal knowledge. Nor is this all, but, as the occurrence of the same phrase in the masc. (ὁκατέχων, v. 7) proves, this impersonal principle or power is capable also of manifesting itself under a personal form. When these different considerations are taken into account, it will be recognized how much is to be said for the view that goes back as far as Tertullian (‘ quis nisi Romanus status?’ de Resurr. c. 24; cf. Apol. c. 32), and which has since won the support of the great majority of ancient and modern scholars, that we have here a veiled description of the restraining power of law and order, especially as these were embodied at the time in the Roman Empire or its rulers. And in this view we are further confirmed when we remember that St Paul had already found a ‘ restraining power’ in the Roman officials both at Paphos (Acts 13:6 ff.) and at Thessalonica itself (Acts 17:6 ff.), and that it was doubtless these and similar experiences that afterwards led him to write to the Romans of ‘ the powers that be’ as ‘ ordained of God,’ and of ‘ rulers’ as ‘ not a terror to the good work, but to the evil’ (Romans 13:1; Romans 13:3). There is nothing unlikely, then, to say the least, in his having the same thought in his mind on the present occasion, while the fact that he does not give more definite expression to it is not only in accord with the generally cryptic character of apocalyptic writings, but may also be due to prudential motives, seeing that afterwards he is to speak of this power as being ‘ taken out of the way’ (v. 7). This last particular indeed appears to be decisive against the only other interpretation of τὸκατέχον which requires to be mentioned, namely that it refers to the working of the Holy Spirit (Severianus ap. Cramer Cat. 6:388, ‘τὸκατέχον’ φησί, τὴντοῦἉγίουΠνεύματοςχάριν), or more generally to a limit of time fixed by Divine decree (Thdt.: ὁτοῦθεοῦτοίνυναὐτὸνὅροςνῦνἐπέχειφανῆναι; Th. Mops.: τοῦθεοῦ [λέγων] τὸνὅρον) with special reference (so Thdt.) to Matthew 24:14, as indicating one of the limits by which this condition will be attained. For then ὁκατέχων (v. 7) can only be God Himself, and it seems impossible to conceive of any adequate sense in which the words ἔωςἐκμέσουγένηται can be applied to Him (cf. Swete’ s note on Th. Mops. ad loc.). That however this restraining power acts in accordance with the Divine purpose is proved by the words that follow. [For a modification of this view according to which the Man of lawlessness is the imperial line with its rage for deification, and the restraining power the Jewish State, see Warfield Exp. 3. 4. p. 30 ff.; and cf. Moffatt Hist. N. T. p. 143. εἰςτὸἀποκαλυφθῆναικτλ.] The ‘ revelation’ (v. 3 note) of the lawless one is not immediate (Chrys.: οὐκεἶπενὅτιτάχεωςἔσται), but like the revelation of the Lord Jesus Himself (cf. 1 Timothy 6:14 f.) will take place in the ‘ season’ (1 Thessalonians 5:1) appointed for him by God, and which can therefore be described emphatically as ‘ his’ αὐτοῦ à*AKP, ἑαυτοῦ àcBDGL).For the insertion of ἐν before καιρῷ cf. Romans 3:26; Romans 11:5, 2 Corinthians 8:14; and for similar language applied to the coming of the Messiah cf. Pss. Sol. 17:23 εἰςτὸνκαιρὸνὃνοἶδαςσύ, ὁθεός.