Some Among You Walk in Disorder

Then, after all this rigor of gospel severity, he lays bare the reason why he brought forward all these matters: “For we hear that some among you walk in a disorderly way, not working at all, but meddling out of curiosity.” He is never content to speak of those who will not give themselves to work as though they suffered from only a single disease. In his first letter he calls them “disorderly,” and not walking according to the tradition they had received from him, and he also declares that they were restless and ate their bread for nothing. Again he says here, “We hear that there are some among you who walk in a disorderly way.” And at once he adds a second weakness, which is the root of this restlessness, saying, “not working at all”; and he adds a third disease as well, which springs from this last like a shoot: “but meddling out of curiosity.” [a]