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    Paul's Letters to the Thessalonians

Letters to the Church at Thessalonica

1. Paul's Mission in Thessalonica

The city of Thessalonica was important not only because it was the capital of Macedonia but also because it stood on the Via Egnatia, the Roman highway to the East. It possessed its own system of government with magistrates called politarchs, and included within it a colony of Jews as is evident from the synagogue there (Act 17:1). It was on Paul's second missionary journey that he visited the place in company with Silas and Timothy. They had just left Philippi where Paul and Silas had been imprisoned. Their mission in Thessalonica was an immeduiate success and many believed. Among there were apparently a certain number of Jews (Acts 17:4), a great many devout Greeks or God-fearers and several of the city's important women. But from 1 Thessalonians 1:9 we may surmise that the majority were idol-worshippers won over from heathenism. THe sudden popularity of Christianity among the city's population, and in particular among those Gentiles who had shown acceptance of Judaism stirred up the jealously and oppositions of the Jews. Their plan of attack was to use mob violence. A street corner gang was goaded to attack Jason's house where Paul and his companions were staying. Paul and his company were out, so the mob dragged Jason ond some fellow Christians out and brought them before the magistrates as disturbers of the peace. Jason appears to have been bound over on the charge of adhering to another king than Caesar and then released. Subsequently Paul went to Berea, where he once more met with opposition form the Thessalonian Jews and was forced to move on. He came to Athens and then moved on to Corinth. While at Athens, Paul had sent Timothy to Thessalonica to ascertian the condition of the church and on his return to Paul at Corinth, the first letter was written.

2. First Thessalonians

1. Purpose.
   Undoubtedly it was the specific news received through Timothy that not only prompted the letter but dictated its contents. The whole letter is essentially practical, containing a message directly geared to the contemporary problems of the primitive Christian community.

   1. First, Paul had to express his general satisfaction over the progress of the community and he reflects his joy throughout the epistle.

   2. He finds it neccesary to answer certain charges of self-seeking and cowardice which have been brought against him, apparently by his Jewish opponents (2:1-12).

   3. He encourages the Christians to persevere even in the face of Jewish opposition and persecution (2:14 ff).

   4. He points out the superiority of Christian morality over pagan (4:4 ff).

   5. He writes to correct a misunderstanding about the paraousia. Some of the Christians were worried over loved ones who had died, while others were resorting to idleness, believing that the return of the Lord was imminent.

   6. He urges his readers to respect their leaders (5:12).

   7. He may also have in mind the need to give some gentle hint about ecstatic manifestations (5:19-20).

2. Date.

   The date of this epistle may be fixed with a fair degree of precision since it falls within Paul's period at Corinth, which provides us with one of the most certain contacts with secular chronology in the proconsulate of Gallio. According to an inscription at Delphi, Gallio was proconsul during the twelfth year of Claudius' tribunicial power and after his 26th proclamation as Emperor. This must have been before August 52 AD, when the 27th proclamation had already been made. As proconsuls normally took office in midsummer, it is generally supposed that midsummer of 52 AD must be the date of the commencement of gallio's office. It is not possible to say exactly when Paul appeared before gallio, but Acts 18:12-18 suggests that this happened shortly after Gallio assumed office and probably towards the end of Paul's eighteen months in the city. It is most probable that 1 Thessalonians was written shortly after Paul's arrival in Corinth and it may therefore be dated in the early part of 51 AD.

3. Authenticity

   The genuineness of this epistle has been challenged by only the most radical criticism. Both the Tubingen and Dutch schools denied it of Paul, but few modern scholars find any adequate grounds for maintaining this opinion. External evidence for authenticity is strong. It is included in Marcion;s collection of Paul's works (ca 140 AD), it is mentioned in the Muratorian Canon (ca 180 AD), it is quoted by name by Irenaeus, it is acknowledged as genuinely Pauilne by the time of Clement of Alexandra and Tertullian, and it is included in both Old Latin and Old Syriac Versions.

3. Second Thessalonians

1. Authenticity.

   Despite the fact that external evidence for authenticity is stronger for this second epistle that the first, many scholars are disinclined to regard this epistle as authentically Pauline due to what they see as internal inconsistencies between the two epistles. The four main grounds for this view are the following:

   1. Eschatology.
      A change of approach is alleged in the second epislte as compared to the first in respect of the paraousia. Here it is less imminent, and certain events must first take place. However, because of the close similarities between this passage and Mark 13 it is reasonable to suppose that Paul was acquainted with Jesus' eschatological teaching. In that case no weighty objection can be lodged against the language here. A sufficient explanation of the different eschatological emphasis is the need to answer a misunderstanding which had not arisen when 1 Thessalonians was written. The change is not in eschatology but in viewpoint due to changing circumstances.

   2. Change of tone.
      It has been claimed that 2 Thess is more formal and rigid than the first epislte, which is notable for its warm affection. But such changes can hardly be taken too seriously since Paul is having to deal with a different situation and probably wrote in a different mood. He is warmer in his first epistle because of the great encouragement news of them had brought. But he must have been a little perplexed to say the least at the turn of events which prompted the writing of the second epistle. It is a fallacy to assume that any writer must always write in the same tone, since tone is very much a matter of mood which in turn is easily affected by prevailing circumstances.

   3. Readers.
      In 1 Thessalonians, Gentiles are mainly in mind, but the second epistle is said to assume a greater knowledge of the Old testament (cf 1:6-10; 2:1-12). But there are no allusions in this epistle which Gentiles could not have known and appreciated. Acts demonstrates the strong Old testament flavor of primitive Christian preaching, even among Gentiles. Nor can the apocalyptic element be considered unintelligible to Gentiles, since Mark's gospel includes similar material and is generally held to be written for Gentiles.

   4. Similarities.
      Why, it is asked, should Paul write two epistles so close together? And why are there such frequent and close similarities in language? Would such a man as Paul have repeated himself in this manner? On the strength of such considerations some have concluded that 2 Thess was written by an imitator. But when the strong similarities are combined with the differences it is in fact more difficult to imagine a writer other than Paul himself. Certainly the similarities are not so striking as to make imitation even a probable solution. These similarities and differences are adequately accounted for by the practical demands of the church at the time.

2. Date

   The second epistle must have been written soon after the first since it almost certainly preceded Paul's next visit to Thessalonica (Acts 20:1 ff). During this period Corinth is the only place where Paul is known to have been with Timothy and Silas and it is reasonable to conclude that 2 Thessalonians was written from there. Those who deny the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians are obliged to date it later,although the relatively primitive character of the theology forbids a date too far beyond Paul's lifetime.

4. Outlines

In progress