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1 Thessalonians
by Jeffrey A. D. Weima
1 Thessalonians
Important Facts:
■ AUTHOR: Paul (despite his mentioning Silas and Timothy as cosenders).
■ DATE: A.D. 51 (Paul writes from Corinth).
■ PURPOSES:
• To defend the integrity of Paul.
• To encourage the church to endure persecution.
• To exhort the church to live holy lives.
• To comfort and teach the church about Christ’s return.
The City of Thessalonica
A noble history. Cassander, a former general of Alexander the Great and later king of Macedonia, founded the city of Thessalonica in 315 B.C. He named the new community after his wife, the half sister of Alexander. The city was captured in 167 B.C. by the Romans and made the capital of one of their four newly created districts in this region. When the Romans reorganized these four districts into a single province in 146 B.C., Thessalonica was designated as the capital city. Just over a century later in 42 B.C., the city was rewarded for helping the victorious Mark Antony and Octavian in the Roman civil wars by being made a “free city.” This favored status resulted in such privileges as a measure of autonomy over local affairs, the right to mint its own coins, freedom from military occupation, and certain tax concessions.
A strategic location. Two geographical factors resulted in Thessalonica’s quickly becoming the most populous (100,000 people), wealthy, and thus important city in Macedonia.1 First, the city possessed a natural harbor that was the best in the entire Aegean Sea. Second, the city was located on the juncture of the Via Egnatia (the major east-west highway that extended from Asia Minor all the way to Rome) and the road north to Danube. Thessalonica was thus ideally situated for both commercial and military enterprises. As Meletius observed so many years ago: “So long as nature does not change, Thessalonica will remain wealthy and fortunate.”2
A unique political structure. Thessalonica, as a free city, was allowed to keep its traditional structure of a democratic civil administration, unlike its neighboring communities. The lowest level involved a citizen assembly that handled public business. The Jews initially attempted to bring Paul and Silas before this assembly (Acts 17:5). The higher level of administration involved the city council, which consisted of five or six local authorities called “politarchs” (the NIV simply refers to them as “city officials”), the city treasurer, and the gymnasiarch. The Jews, after enlisting the aid of certain disreputable men, seized Jason and some other converts and brought them not to the citizen assembly but to the politarchs (17:6–8).
A religiously pluralistic environment. Like other major urban centers in the ancient world, Thessalonica had plenty of religious competitors to the Christ proclaimed by Paul.3 A religiously pluralistic environment is indicated by the apostle’s words that the majority of the Thessalonian believers had “turned to God from idols” (1 Thess. 1:9). Archaeological and inscriptural evidence also reveals the popularity of various mystery religions dedicated to such Greco-Roman and Egyptian deities as Dionysius, Serapis, Isis, Aphrodite, Demeter, Zeus, and Asclepius. The most important deity in Thessalonica, however, was Cabirus—the patron god of the city. This Cabirus figure was a martyred hero, murdered by his two brothers, buried with symbols of royal power, and expected to return to help the oppressed poor in general and the citizens of Thessalonica in particular. It has been suggested that similarities between Cabirus and the story of Jesus account for the success of Paul’s ministry in this city.4
The diverse religious context of Thessalonica included a Jewish synagogue. The size and influence of this synagogue are suggested by the presence of “a large number of God-fearing Greeks” (Gentiles who converted to Judaism but who did not allow themselves to be circumcised) as well as “not a few prominent women” (Acts 17:4).
The imperial cult with its worship of Rome and the emperor also played a key role in the religious life of Thessalonica. On the one hand, the imperial cult served to ensure the ongoing favor of the current Roman emperor by visibly demonstrating the city’s allegiance to his leadership. On the other hand, the imperial cult also helped to sustain Roman rule over the local populace by stressing the divine nature of the emperors as well as the benefits the city enjoyed under their rule. In this political and religious context, it is not surprising that Paul’s preaching about “another king … Jesus” would alarm civic sensibilities and lead to the accusation that he was violating “Caesar’s decrees” (Acts 17:7). Similarly, the failure of the Thessalonian believers to continue to participate in the imperial cult and in the worship of other pagan deities aroused the anger of their fellow citizens and quickly led to the persecution of this newly planted church.
Paul and the Thessalonian Church
Philippi to Thessalonica. Paul’s relationship with the Thessalonian church began during the middle of his second missionary journey. The apostle, along with Silas and Timothy, departed from Philippi, leaving Luke behind to pastor the newly founded church there. This small group of missionaries traveled some ninety miles along the Via Egnatia, passing through two cities of lesser importance, Amphipolis and Apollonia, and arriving on the third day in Thessalonica (Acts 17:1; 1 Thess. 2:1–2).
Thessalonica. Paul began his evangelistic activity in the local synagogue, where he preached for three Sabbaths. This resulted in the conversion of some Jews and even more Gentiles, including a number of wealthy women from leading families in the community (Acts 17:2–4). These Gentiles had earlier been attracted to Judaism but now underwent a second conversion to Christianity. During the rest of the week, Paul and his co-missionaries supported themselves by working as tentmakers (cf. 18:3). In this way, they not only provided the church with a good example of proper conduct in the area of work but also avoided any potential charges that they preached the gospel only to win followers and to obtain financial gain (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:7).
It is commonly assumed that Paul won converts by preaching in the marketplaces (“street corner” evangelism). Nevertheless, there is good evidence that his missionary work took place in the workshop and the private home.5 We can picture the apostle in Thessalonica laboring in a local workshop, perhaps one owned by Jason (Acts 17:5). During the long hours at his workbench, cutting and sewing leather to make tents, Paul would have had opportunities to s...
