First Epistle to the Thessalonians
Dan Fefferman
| New Testament |
|---|
The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, also known as the First Letter to the Thessalonians, is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible.
The first letter to the Thessalonians was likely the second of all Paul's letters[citation needed], probably written by the end of A.D. 52. It was written after Timothy had returned from Macedonia, relating the state of the church in Thessalonica (Acts 18:1-5; 1 Thes. 3:6). For the most part, the letter is personal in nature, with only the final two chapters spent addressing issues of doctrine, almost as an aside. Paul's main purpose in writing is to encourage and reassure the Christians there. Paul urges them to go on working quietly while waiting in hope for the return of Christ.
Church members
The church is believed to have been composed almost exclusively of gentiles. This would reflect the ethnic and religious makeup of Thessalonica, and is supported by Paul's brief remark in 1:9 that they "turned to God from idols," something Paul would not have been liable to say of Jews.
Occasion
Paul was concerned because of the infancy of the church. He had only spent a few weeks with them before leaving for Athens. In his concern, he sent his delegate, Timothy, to visit the Thessalonians and to return with a report. While, on the whole, the news was encouraging, it also showed that important misunderstandings existed concerning Paul's teaching of Christianity. Paul devotes part of the letter to correcting these errors, and exhorts the Thessalonians to purity of life, reminding them that their sanctification is God's will for their lives.
Outline
The letter might be outlined thusly:
- Salutation and thanksgiving (1 Thes. 1:1-10)
- Past interactions with the church (1 Thes. 2:1-20)
- Regarding Timothy's visit (1 Thes. 3:1-13)
- Specific issues within the church (1 Thes. 4:1-5:25)
- Relationships among Christians (1 Thes. 4:1-12)
- Mourning those who have died (1 Thes. 4:13-18)
- Preparing for God's arrival (1 Thes. 5:1-11)
- How Christians should behave (1 Thes. 5:12-25)
- Closing salutation (1 Thes. 5:26-28)
Content
He gives thanks for the news about their faith and love; he reminds them of the kind of life he had lived while he was with them. Paul stresses how honorably he conducted himself, reminding them that he had worked to earn his keep, taking great pains not to burden anyone. He did this, he says, even though he could have used his status as an apostle to impose upon them.
He goes on to answer some concerns which have arisen in the church. Notably, there was some confusion regarding the fate of those who die before the arrival of the new kingdom. Many seem to have believed that an afterlife would only be available to those who lived to see the kingdom. Paul explains that the dead will be resurrected, and dealt with prior to those still living. Thus, he assures, there is no reason to mourn the death of fellow Christians, and to do so is to show a shameful lack of faith.
Authenticity
The vast majority of New Testament scholars hold 1 Thessalonians to be authentic, with dissent from this position being minuscule at best. 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship is also testified to by 2 Thessalonians.
See also
- Authorship of the Pauline epistles
External links
- Epistles to the Thessalonians entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Online Bible at GospelHall.org
This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
| Preceded by: Colossians |
Books of the Bible |
Succeeded by: 2 Thessalonians |
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