Is this passage anti-Semitic?

This passage contains a strong denunciation of the Jews, so much so that many commentators have been embarrassed by it. From an exegetical perspective, the statements made here seem to conflict with Paul's much more positive attitude to the Jews in Romans 9:1 – 11:36. From a modern perspective, many commentators find the statements of this passage highly problematic in the light of anti-Semitic attitudes which have surfaced periodically in Christian history and which found their most terrible expression in the genocide of World War II.¹ As a result, some scholars have argued that 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 was not part of the original letter written by Paul, but was inserted into the text at a later date.^2,3

There is, however, no evidence from the manuscript copies available to us that these verses were omitted from the original letter. Furthermore, the problem of anti-Semitism should not be read back into Paul's context from a later time; rather, an attempt should be made to understand the meaning of the passage in its historical and literary context. When such an effort is made, it can be seen that Paul's aim is to encourage the Thessalonians in their faith and warn them against giving in to persecution—which would be displeasing to God and incur his wrath.⁴