First Epistle to the Thessalonians

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1 Thessalonians 1:3–2:1 on Papyrus 65 (recto; Template:Circa)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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The First Epistle to the ThessaloniansTemplate:Efn is a Pauline epistle of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle, and is addressed to the church in Thessalonica, in modern-day Greece.

1 Thessalonians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the early Christian community in Thessalonica within the Roman Empire. Paul had visited the city, preached the gospel, and gained converts, many of whom were likely Gentiles since the letter mentions they had “turned from idols.” It is usually dated around 49–51 AD during Paul’s stay in Corinth, making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest, surviving Christian texts. Some early manuscripts, however, suggest it may have been written from Athens after Timothy returned with news about the Thessalonian church.

The original manuscript has not survived, but several early copies remain, including Papyrus 46 (around AD 200), Papyrus 65 (3rd century), and major codices such as Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, and Alexandrinus. Most scholars regard the letter as authentically Pauline because its style and theology align with his other writings, and its authorship is affirmed by 2 Thessalonians, though certain passages such as 2:13-16 and 5:1-11 are debated.

The letter emphasizes encouragement, ethical guidance, and hope rather than theological disputes. Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonians’ faith and love, reminding them of his honorable conduct and efforts not to burden them financially during his visit. He instructs them on living harmoniously, coping with grief, and preparing for Christ’s imminent return, reassuring faith in the resurrection of the dead.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

Background and audience

Thessalonica is a city on the Thermaic Gulf, which at the time of Paul was within the Roman Empire. Paul visited Thessalonica and preached to the local population, winning converts who became a Christian community.<ref name="Oxford">Template:Cite book</ref> There is debate as to whether or not Paul's converts were originally Jewish. The Acts of the Apostles describes Paul preaching in a Jewish synagogue and persuading people who were already Jewish that Jesus was the Messiah,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> but in 1 Thessalonians itself Paul says that the converts had turned from idols, suggesting that they were not Jewish before Paul arrived.<ref name="Oxford"/><ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>

Most New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote this letter from Corinth only months after he left Thessalonica,<ref name="Oxford"/> although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts (e.g., Codices Alexandrinus, Mosquensis, and Angelicus) state that Paul wrote it in Athens<ref>Ernest Best 1972, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians (New York: Harper & Row), p. 7</ref> after Timothy had returned from Macedonia with news of the state of the church in Thessalonica.<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>{{#if:||{{#if:|Wikisource|Public Domain}} }}{{#if:1|One or more of the preceding sentences|This article}} incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: {{#invoke:template wrapper|{{#if:|list|wrap}}|_template=cite EBD 

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Oldest surviving manuscripts

The original manuscript of this letter is lost, as are over a century of copies. The text of the surviving manuscripts varies. The oldest surviving manuscripts that contain some or all of this book include:

Composition

Date

It is widely agreed that 1 Thessalonians is one of the first books of the New Testament to be written, and the earliest extant Christian text.<ref name="Oxford"/> A majority of modern New Testament scholars date 1 Thessalonians to 49–51 AD,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> during Paul's 18-month stay in Corinth coinciding with his second missionary journey.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> The reference to proconsul Gallio in the inscription provides an important marker for developing a chronology of the life of Apostle Paul, since he presides over the trial of Paul in Achaea mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 18:12-17).<ref>A. Köstenberger, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament, 2009 Template:ISBN page 400</ref><ref name=CCPaul20 >The Cambridge Companion to St Paul by James D. G. Dunn (Nov 10, 2003) Cambridge Univ Press Template:ISBN page 20</ref>

1 Thessalonians does not focus on justification by faith or questions of Jewish–Gentile relations, themes that are covered in all other letters. Because of this, some scholars see this as an indication that this letter was written before the Epistle to the Galatians, where Paul's positions on these matters were formed and elucidated.<ref name="Brown">Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible, 1997. pp. 456–66.</ref>

Authenticity

The first page of the epistle in Minuscule 699 gives its title as προς θεσσαλονικεις, "To the Thessalonians."

The majority of New Testament scholars hold 1 Thessalonians to be authentic, although a number of scholars in the mid-19th century contested its authenticity, most notably Clement Schrader and F.C. Baur.<ref>Best, Thessalonians, pp. 22–29.</ref> 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship is also affirmed by 2 Thessalonians.<ref>"The only possible reference to a previous missive is in 2:15…" Raymond E. Brown 1997, An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible, p. 590.</ref>

Integrity

The authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 has been extensively discussed. Though an interpolation hypothesis was proposed in the past based mostly on internal arguments on the text such as anti-Semitic, grammatical, or time period approximation concerns,<ref>Abraham J. Malherbe, “Hellenistic Moralists and the New Testament”, in; Aufstieg und Nieder- gang der Römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung, eds. H. Temporini and W. Haase (Berlin and New York: W. de Gruyter, 1992), 2:290.</ref><ref>Pearson, p. 88</ref><ref>Birger A. Pearson 1971, "1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 A Deutero Pauline Interpolation", Harvard Theological Review, 64, pp. 79–94</ref><ref>CollegeVille Bible Commentary, p. 1155</ref><ref>Schmidt, D. 1983, "I Thess 2:13–16: Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation," JBL 102: 269–79.</ref> since the late 20th century, the scholarly consensus view is that the passage is authentically Pauline for multiple reasons such as:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="ehrman">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> there is no manuscript evidence of these verses missing and no alternative placement either, rhetorical connection between verse 13 and 14 makes it clear that these verses are not out of place, Paul in other letters such as Romans believed God's wrath was being manifested in the present, Paul was writing to Thessalonians (which included non-Jews) when he wrote about "Jews" in this letter, and Paul wrote in a diverse fashion not in a censored modern-anachronistic fashion.

It is also sometimes suggested that 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 is a post-Pauline insertion that has many features of Lukan language and theology that serves as an apologetic correction to Paul's imminent expectation of the Second Coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.<ref>G. Friedrich, "1. Thessalonicher 5,1–11, der apologetische Einschub eines Spaeteren," ZTK 70 (1973) 289.</ref> Some scholars, such as Schmithals,<ref>Schmithals, W. 1972, Paul and the Gnostics Transl. by J. Steely (Nashville: Abingdon Press), 123–218</ref> Eckhart,<ref>K. G. Eckart 1961, "Der zweite echte Brief des Apostels Paulus an die Thessalonicher," ZThK, 30–44</ref> Demke<ref>Theologie und Literarkritik im 1. Thessalonicherbrief</ref> and Munro,<ref>The Later Stratum in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Authority in Paul and Peter: The Identification of a Pastoral Stratum in the Pauline Corpus and 1 Peter.</ref> have developed complicated theories involving redaction and interpolation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians.

Contents

Outline

  1. (1:1-10) Salutation and thanksgiving<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
  2. (2:1-20) Past interactions with the church<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
  3. (3:1-13) Regarding Timothy's visit<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
  4. (4:1-5:25) Specific issues within the church<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
    1. (4:1-12) Relationships among Christians<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
    2. (4:13-18) Mourning those who have died<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
    3. (5:1-11) Preparing for God's arrival<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
    4. (5:12-25) How Christians should behave<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>
  5. (5:26-28) Closing salutation<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>

Text

Paul, speaking for himself, Silas, and Timothy, gives thanks for the news about the Thessalonians' 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.

Paul goes on to explain that the dead will be resurrected prior to those still living, and both groups will greet the Lord in the air.<ref>Template:Bibleref2</ref> Paul believed at the time of composition that he would be among the living who would experience the Second Coming,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> though he would go on to consider the possibility of death prior to Jesus’ return later in life. Hays argues for a contingent eschatology in the Pauline epistles where God withholds judgment to give time for repentance,<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> also found in Jesus and the Synoptics.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

See also

Notes

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References

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