Setting of 1 Thessalonians

Paul sent out on his second missionary journey from Antioch, from there Paul Silas visited

Derbe and Lystra where he strengthened churches and Timothy joined them.

Troas where Paul recieved the vision to preach in Macedonia

Philippi where Lydia was converted and Paul and Silas were imprisoned and the Philippian jailer was saved.

Thessalonica…where Paul plants a church and eventually sends two letters to.

What we know about Thessalonica

History tells us that Thessalonica was founded in 316 B.C. by the Macedonian general Cassander, who named the city after his wife Thessalonike, the daughter of Philip II of Macedon and sister of Alexander the Great. Some archeological evidence points to existing settlements in the region going back as far as the 5th century B.C. However, it is possible that General Cassander destroyed all previous settlements in his attempt to establish a new, unified Macedonian stronghold in Thessalonica. 

Given its enviable position along the Aegean Sea, Thessalonica was quickly made the primary port of Macedonia and fortified accordingly to protect the city. 

Almost a century and a half later, the Roman Empire besieged Thessalonica. Although Greek forces temporarily held back the Roman army, the city eventually fell to the Romans in 168 B.C., and by 148 B.C. Thessalonica had become the capital of the new Roman province of Macedonia.

With the 130 B.C. construction of the Via Egnatia, the main highway connecting Rome to the east, Thessalonica gained even more strategic value as the commercial, maritime, and military center of Macedonia. Even the Roman general Pompey recognized its significance, using Thessalonica as a home base in his war against Julius Caesar during the Roman civil war. 

By the first century A.D., Thessalonica was still a prosperous city of the Roman Empire, with a population of nearly 200,000, which included many Jewish residents. 

Today, Thessalonica survives under the name Thessaloniki.

We read about Paul and Silas’ experience in:

Acts 17:1–9

“1 Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. 3 He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.” 4 Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women. 5 But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too. 7 And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.” 8 The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.”

There was severe persecution toward Paul and Silas and those who would be believers in Thessalonica.

Although Paul had success in Thessalonica, they moved on

Acts 17:10–15

“10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. 13 But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. 14 The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15 Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.”

The persecution Paul experienced in Thessalonica and Berea (at the hands of evil men from Thessalonica) gave him concern after leaving them for their welfare.

How were they doing? Was the church struggling? Did it die away? Paul was concerned for them. It was this concern that caused Paul to write his first letter to the Thessalonians.

But when did he write it?

Acts 17:15–16 “15 Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him. 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.”

After being forced to leave Berea he was left in Athens and reasoned with them about the “idol to an unknown god” but Silas and Timothy was not yet with him. Then we read in

1 Thessalonians 3:1–2 “1 Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, 2 and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith,”

When Timothy returns he gives a report to Paul about how the church.

1 Thessalonians 3:6 “6 But now Timothy has just returned, bringing us good news about your faith and love. He reports that you always remember our visit with joy and that you want to see us as much as we want to see you.”

So after hearing this report Paul decides to write to the church in Thessalonica words of encouragement!

Considering these facts many people believe that 1 Thess is the first letter written by Paul, some believe the first written in the NT.

Although there is debate on whether Galatians or James were written before 1 Thess.

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

“1 This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace. 2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people. 5 For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. 6 So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord. 7 As a result, you have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia. 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God. 10 And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.”