I. AUTHOR: Paul (along with Silavus [Silas], and Timothy)
A. The authenticity of 1 Thessalonians is affirmed as
Pauline by almost all NT scholars1
B. External Evidence strongly supports Pauline authorship
(Geisler, A General Introduction to the Bible, pp.
188,193):
1. Ignatius, [Ephesians 10:1 (1 Thess. 5:17); Romans
2:1 (1 Thess. 2:4)] (c. 110)
2. Polycarp, (c. 110-150)
3. The Shepherd of Hermas [3:6.3; 3:9.2; 10] (c. 115-
140)
4. Didache [16:7 (1 Thess. 4:16)] (c. 120-150)
5. Irenaeus (c. 130-202)
6. Justin Martyr (c. 150-155)
7. Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-215)
8. Tertullian (c. 150-220)
9. Origen (c. 185-254)
10. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315-386)
11. Eusebius (c. 325-340)
12. Jerome (c. 340-420)
13. Augustine (c. 400)
14. The Marcion canon (c. 140)
15. The Marturian Canon (c. 170)
C. Internal Evidence is equally strong for Pauline
authorship
1. The organization of the church is early since the
only officials mentioned are, "those over you"
(5:12)
2. The Language and style of the letter is Pauline
3. The subject matter of the letters is appropriate
for the life time of Paul
4. Pauline authorship is asserted in a customary
manner in the opening of the letter 1:1
5. The first person singular (2:18; 3:5; 5:27) and
plural (1:2; 2:15,16,17,18; 3:6,7,9,10; 4:13;
5:12,14,25) are used in epistle affirming the
ascribed authorship
II. HISTORICAL SETTING
A. The founding of the church:The historical context is
Acts 16--18, especially Acts 17:1-9 (cf. 1
Thessalonians 1:3--3:8)
1. Paul, Silas, and Timothy ministered on their
second missionary journey in Philippi and left
after their imprisonment and subsequent release
(Acts 16:11-40)
2. When Paul and Silas arrived in Thessalonica they
proclaimed Jesus as Messiah in the synagogue for
three weeks causing some Jews, many devout Greeks,
and leading woman to believe, but raising jealousy
in the Jews to the point that the new disciples
were severely persecuted before the authorities
Acts 17:1-9
a. Setting: When Paul and Silas had passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to
Thessalonica where there was a Jewish
synagogue Acts 17:1Perhaps Luke and Timothy
were left in Philippi to take care of the new
church there
b. When Paul entered the synagogue and argued
for Jesus as Messiah, some Jews, many devout
Greeks, and leading woman believed and joined
Paul and Silas, but the Jews were jealous
17:2-5a
1) Paul went in, as was his custom, and
argued with them from the Scriptures for
three weeks2 17:2
2) Paul explained and proved from the
Scriptures the death, resurrection and
Messiahship of Jesus 17:3
3) Some Jews, many devout Greeks, and
leading women believed and joined Paul
and Silas 17:4
4) The Jews were jealous of Paul and Silas
17:5aPaul may have stayed more than
three weeks if he also turned to
Gentiles for a ministry as he often did
when the Jews rebelled
c. In an uproar the Jews sought Paul and Silas,
but could not find them so they took Jason
and some brethren before the authorities and
accused them of disturbing the peace and of
proclaiming another king against Rome,
whereupon the leaders exacted a bond from
them before releasing them 17:5b-9
1) Using some wicked men, the Jews gathered
a crowd and set the city in an uproar
17:5b
2) The Jews attacked the house of Jason
looking for Paul and Silas, but when
they could not find them, they brought
Jason and some of the brethren before
the authorities 17:5c-6a
3) The Jews accused Jason and the brethren
of harboring disrupters, and proclaiming
Jesus as King against Rome (subversion
as with Jesus) 17:6b-7
4) The people and city authorities were
disturbed when they heard the
accusations, so they took from the
hostages a bond and released them 17:8-9
3. Paul and Silas went at night to Berea 17:10
B. The length of Paul's stay in Thessalonica
1. It may have been for only three weeks (Acts 17:2)
2. It most probably was longer than three weeks (but
still brief)
a. The statement in Acts 17:2 may only refer to
Paul's ministry among the Jews
b. Paul often went to the Gentiles after the
Jews had rejected the message (Acts 13:46;
18:6; 19:8-10)
c. Paul settled down long enough to pursue his
secular trade (1 Thess. 2:9)
d. There was a certain amount of organization to
the church by the time that Paul wrote 1
Thessalonians 5:12, although this could have
been accomplished by Timothy in Paul's
absence
e. Philippians 4:16 states that the Philippian
church ministered to Paul in Thessalonica in
a financial way on two occasions
C. The Background to 1 Thessalonians
1. Timothy probably left Philippi to rejoin Paul and
Silas in Berea (cf. Acts 17:4,10,14)
2. After the difficulties in Berea by the
Thessalonian Jews, Paul departed and Silas and
Timothy remained in Berea (Acts 17:14)
3. Paul left orders with those from Berea who
escorted him to Athens for Silas and Timothy to
rejoin him as soon as they were able (Acts 17:15)
4. Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul at Athens (cf.
Acts 17:16; 1 Thess. 3:1)
5. Timothy was sent to Thessalonica from Athens (1
Thess. 3:2)
6. After Timothy left, Silas also went to Macedonia
(Acts 18:5)
7. Paul went from Athens to Corinth (Acts 18:1)
8. Timothy returned to Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1
Thess. 3:6)
9. Silas returned to Paul at about the same time (if
not the same time) Acts 18:5
10. Paul then wrote 1 Thessalonians in the name of
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy (1 Thess. 1:1)
III. DATE AND ORIGIN: A.D. 50 (or 51) from Corinth
A. Paul was in Corinth a year and six months (Acts 18:11)
B. Paul's visit to Corinth probably terminated shortly
after Gallio became proconsul in Corinth (Acts 18:12-
18) c. A.D. 51
1. The Delphi inscription3 makes reference to Gallio
as proconsul of Achaia
2. This inscription can be dated to the first seven
months of A.D. 52 (Claudius' twenty-sixth
acclamation as imperator)
3. Since proconsuls usually entered their office on
July 1, Gallio probably arrived in Achaia as
proconsul on July 1 A.D. 51
4. Paul's eighteen months in Corinth (Acts 18:11-17)
probably lasted from late summer of A.D. 50 to
spring of A.D. 52
C. 1 Thessalonians may well have been written earlier in
his time at Corinth when he received word from the
return of Timothy and Silas about the church (Acts
18:5; 1 Thess. 3:6)
D. Therefore, Paul probably wrote 1 Thessalonians in A.D.
50 (or 51)
E. Corinth is the last place where Acts places Paul,
Timothy, and Silas together (though they may have been
together afterward); Silas is not mentioned at Ephesus,
and Timothy is associated with Erastus at Ephesus (Acts
19:22); therefore, Corinth is a natural candidate for
the origin of the letter
IV. The Occasion of 1 Thessalonians:The book is clearly written
to a group of very new believers who were quickly brought
into the faith and then immediately thrown into the "grasp
of Satan" as persecutions broke out upon them (Acts 17; 1
Thess. 2:14-16; 2 Thess. 3:3); therefore, questions would
immediately arise:
A. Were Paul's words true?
B. If they were from God, why are they being hindered so
by persecution?
C. Now what should they do?
1. Their faith was weak (1 Thess. 3:2)
2. They needed perspective on the disturbances which
they were facing (1 Thess 3:3-4)
3. They needed to know how love worked its way out
towards others--especially those who persecute
them (1 Thess. 3:12)
4. They needed to know how "now" related to the
future return of Jesus (1 Thess. 3:13)
5. They needed to know how far to take Paul's
exhortations toward godly living (1 Thess. 4:1-5)
6. They needed to know how to act within the church
(1 Thess. 5)
V. PURPOSES OF 1 THESSALONIANS
A. Paul wished to express his satisfaction and thanks to
God for the healthy spiritual condition of the church
1:2-10
B. Paul wished to argue against the false accusations
against him and his associates 2:1--3:13
C. Paul wanted to explain to the Thessalonians why he had
not returned to visit them 2:17-18
D. Paul wanted to express his affection for the
Thessalonians and his desire to be with them 3:10
E. Paul wanted to correct some errors in living which the
Thessalonians had adopted (4:1-12; 5:12-18)
___________________________
1 See Guthrie, Bruce, Marshall, Thomas, Morris.
2 Paul may have stayed more than three weeks if he also
turned to Gentiles for a ministry as he often did when the Jews
rebelled.
3 Sylloge Inscriptionum Graecarum or SIG II3, 801.
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