6– 10. ‘ In view then of the fears just spoken of, imagine our relief when Timothy brought back to us— as he has at this moment done— the tidings of your faith and love and of the kindly remembrance which you are always continuing to cherish of us, reciprocating our longing desire to meet again. To us such a report was a veritable gospel, and through your faith we ourselves were comforted amidst the crushing trials and cares we are encountering in our present work. No news could have helped us more, and we seem to be entering on a new lease of life, so long as we hear that you are standing fast in the Lord. Words fail us indeed to express our thanksgiving to God for the joy with which you are filling our hearts in His sight— a joy that is finding unceasing expression in our ardent prayers that we may not only hear of you, but once more see you face to face, and make good any shortcomings in your faith.’ 6. Ἄρτι] may be connected grammatically either with ἐλθόντος or with the principal verb παρεκλήθημεν, but the former arrangement is decidedly preferable. Timothy’ s return had been anxiously waited for, and no sooner had he returned than St Paul proceeded to give vent to the feelings of thankfulness and joy that filled his heart. Beng.: ‘ statim sub Timothei adventure, recenti gaudio, tenerrimo amore, haec scribit.’ For ἄρτι denoting strictly present time as contrasted with time past or future cf. John 9:19; John 9:25, Galatians 1:9 f., 1 Corinthians 13:12, 1 Peter 1:6; 1 Peter 1:8, also Epict. Diss. 2:17. 15 ἀφῶμενἄρτιτὸνδεύτεροντόπον, B.G.U. 594, 5 f. (1./a.d.) μετὰτὸνθερισμὸ[νἐργολ]αβήσομα[ι], ἄρτιγὰρἀσθενῶι. See further Lob. Phryn. p. 18 ff., Rutherford N.P. p. 70 ff. εὐαγγελισαμένου] ‘ Participium insigne’ (Beng.). So good was Timothy’ s news that to the Apostles it was a veritable ‘ gospel.’ The point is lost in the Latin verss. which give adnuntiante or cure adnuntiasset: in the Latin of Th. Mops. however we find euangelizante. Chrys.: ὁρᾷςτὴνπεριχάρειανΠαύλου; οὐκεἶπεν, ἀπαγγείλαντος, ἀλλʼ ‘εὐαγγελισαμένου’ . τοσοῦτονἀγαθὸνἡγεῖτοτὴνἐκείνωνβεβαίωσινκαὶτὴνἀγάπην. For the history of εὐαγγελίζομαι, which is only found here in the Pauline Epp. in its wider sense, see Add. Note E. τ. πίστινκ. τ. ἀγάπηνὑμ.] Calv.: ‘ totam enim pietatis summam breviter indicat his duobus verbis.’ The same combination is found again in 5:8 and several times in the Pastoral Epp. (1 Timothy 1:14; 1 Timothy 2:15 &c.), and always in this order (cf. however Philem. 5): on the other hand in Revelation 2:19 St John characteristically places τ. ἀγάπην first. καὶὅτιἔχετεκτλ.] Yet a third point in Timothy’ s good news. Notwithstanding the efforts of the hostile Jews, the Thessalonians had always (πάντοτε) cherished, and were still cherishing (ἔχετε) a ‘ kindly remembrance’ towards their former teachers. For μνείανἔχειν ‘ hold, maintain a recollection’ cf. 2 Timothy 1:3, and for ἀγαθός in the sense of ‘ friendly,’ ‘ well-disposed,’ cf. Romans 5:7 (with Gifford’ s note), Titus 2:5, 1 Peter 2:18, and see further on 5:15. ἐπιποθοῦντεςἡμᾶςἰδεῖνκτλ.] ‘ longing to see us …’ : cf. Romans 1:11, 2 Timothy 1:4. Ἐπιποθεῖν, a favourite word with St Paul who uses it seven out of the nine times in which it occurs in the N.T. (elsewhere James 4:5, 1 Peter 2:2). It seems to be somewhat stronger than the simple ποθεῖν (not found in N.T.), ἐπι- by marking direction (‘ idem declarat, quod πόθονἔχεινἐπίτιναʼ Fritzsche Romans 1:11) lending a certain intensity to the idea, though this must not be pressed in view of the fondness of late Gk. for compounds which have lost their strong sense: cf. especially for its use here Diod. Sic. 17:101 κιὰπαρόντιμὲνοὐχρησάμενος, ἀπόνταδὲἐπιποθήσας. For καθάπερ see 2:11 note, and for καί in sentences of comparison cf. WM. p. 548 f.