15. Ἄραοὗν, ἀδελφοί, στήκετεκτλ.] The practical conclusion from what has just been said. The work of God, so far from excluding all human effort, rather furnishes the reason for it and the pledge of its final success: cf. Philippians 2:12 f., 3:12. For ἄραοὖν see 1 Thessalonians 5:6 note, and for στήκετε 1 Thessalonians 3:8 note. κ. κρατεῖτετ. παραδόσεις] Cf. 1 Corinthians 11:2 τ. παραδόσειςκατέχετε, and for the relation of κρατεῖν and κατέχειν see Add. Note H. The construction of κρατεῖν with the acc. (as generally in the N.T.— acc.38, Genesis 8) may be due simply to the tendency to enlarge the sphere of the acc. in later Gk. (Hatzidakis p. 220 ff.), but serves also in the present instance to lay emphasis on the παραδόσεις as being already in the Thessalonians’ possession; cf. Revelation 3:11 κράτειὃἔχεις Beng.: ‘tenete, nil addentes, nil detrahentes.’ In themselves these παραδόσεις (cf. 3:6) included both the oral and written teaching on the part of the Apostles (Thdt.: λόγους, οὓςκαὶπαρόντεςὑμῖνἐκηρύξαμεν, καὶἀπόντεςἐγράψαμεν) with the further thought imbedded in the composition of the word itself of the ultimate authority whence that authority was derived: cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23 ἐγὼγὰρπαρέλαβονἀπὸτοῦκυρίου, ὃκαὶπαρέδωκαὑμῖν. In the inscriptions Treasure Lists and Inventories are frequently known as παραδόσεις, the articles enumerated being ’ handed over’ (παρέδοσαν C.I.A. 1:170, 1:2 (5./b.c.)) by one set of officers to their successors; see Roberts-Gardner p. 256. For the fact and contents of a Christian ‘ tradition’ in the Apostolic Age see Mayor Jude pp. 23, 61 ff., and for the possibility that we have here (cf. Romans 6:17; Romans 16:17) a reference to an early catechism or creed, based upon the sayings of Christ, which was used by the first missionaries, see Seeberg Katechismus pp. 1 ff., 41 f. The title of οἱκρατοῦντες, applied by eccles. writers to Christians, is probably due to this passage (LS. s.v. κρατέω).