Thessalonians

Exegetical Study Notes on the Greek Text

Paul's letters to the Thessalonians are likely to be the earliest of his recorded letters to his missionary churches. The first letter doesn't delve into any substantial issues of doctrine, nor does it detail any of the major problems facing the early church. It simply deals with local issues facing the Thessalonian church, namely Jewish opposition to the gospel and some confusion on the part of church members concerning the second coming of Christ. The second letter, on the other hand, provides some interesting insights into the second coming of Christ. William Neil says of the Thessalonian letters that they "afford us a most valuable glimpse of a small Christian community finding its feet and facing its problems in a hostile or indifferent world. ... Above all they remind us that ..... the element of hope in a purpose of God that reaches beyond the frontiers of our normal experience has been embedded firmly in the heart of the Christian gospel from the beginning."

The structure above reflects the increasing trend to approach Paul's letters, not so much as letters, but as correspondence crafted in line with first century rhetoric. In Greek culture, weight is placed on the spoken word, and so Paul crafts his letters to be read aloud in church. In fact, Shogren suggests that we should treat the letter more like a script for a public oration. The literary form used by Paul aligns with deliberative rhetoric where an orator argues a case and tries to persuade the reader to adopt it. Of course, bits of the other two types are present, Judicial, a consideration on the right, or wrong of a matter, and Epideictic, praising, or blaming behaviour. A rhetorical structure is evident in 1 Thessalonians:

i] Exordium - introduction. Serving to introduce the subject matter while eliciting the sympathy of the audience, 1:1-10.

ii] Narratio - a narrative section, not always present in deliberative rhetoric, 2:1-3:10.

iii] Partitio - a summary of the proofs / theses. Not present in 1 Thessalonians, but evident in 2 Thessalonians, 2:1-2.

iv] Digressio - a digression where subject matter is covered in more detail. In this letter the digression deals with persecution, 2:13-16.

v] Transitus - a transitional element, 3:11-13.

vi] Probatio - rhetorical proofs / theses, 4:1-5:22.

vii] Peroratio - a recapitulation of the main themes, 5:23-28.

viii] Exhortatio - exhortation. Not found as a united element in 1 Thessalonians, but found in 2 Thessalonians, 3:1-15.

See Hughes, Early Christian Rhetoric, and/or Kennedy, New Testament Interpretation through Rhetorical Criticism, 1984. Wanamaker adopts a rhetorical structure in his commentary.

Wanamaker proposes the following structure for 2 Thessalonians:

i] Exordium - introduction. Serving to introduce the subject matter while eliciting the sympathy of the audience, 1:3-12.

ii] Partitio - a summary of the proofs / theses, 2:1-2.

iii] Probatio - rhetorical proofs / theses: 1st. Proof, 2:3-12; 2nd. Proof, 2:13-15.

vii] Peroratio - a recapitulation of the main themes, 2:16-17.

viii] Exhortatio - exhortation, 3:1-15.

Paul writes soon after Timothy and Silas join him in Corinth, cf., 1Thess.3:1f, Ac.18:5. Acts 18:12 refers to the proconsul Gallio who, via an inscription at Delphi, refers a question to Emperor Claudius on his 12th year as a tribune, and thus sets a date of around 51AD. The events covering the writing of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, give or take a year, are as follows:

Paul resided in Corinth some eighteen months and it was during this stay that he wrote his first and second letters to the Thessalonian believers. Clearly, Paul's letters to the Thessalonians are the earliest epistles we possess.

The first letter to the Thessalonians is generally accepted as the work of Paul the apostle, written soon after the return of Timothy to Corinth. It is unclear when his second letter was written, but there is every indication that it followed closely after his first letter, possibly only a matter of weeks. Some of the problems he sought to address in the first letter remained and so he took a second shot at them after hearing from Timothy that all was not well in the church.

Although the second letter was accepted as Pauline by the middle of the second century, many modern scholars today view it as deutero-Pauline. It is argued that the letter has used first Thessalonians as a working model and exhibits a different style, tone, syntax and theology, particularly with reference to eschatology. For a defence of Pauline authorship see Marshall and Malherbe. Many of the arguments against Pauline authorship are actually counted when second Thessalonians is taken as earlier than first Thessalonians, ie., that there has been a reversal in canonical order. See Wanamaker for this argument. It is most likely that both letters are from Paul's hand, but it must be recognised that authorship is in dispute.

Following his dream of the man of Macedonia Paul, with Silas, Timothy and Luke, leaves Asia Minor and moves westward into Europe (Macedonia). Paul preaches in Philippi and after a riot he heads for Thessalonica, Acts 17:1. The city was a major centre in the empire, on the Via Egnatia, the Roman highway to the East, and possessed a beautiful harbour. It was therefore a key trading centre for Macedonia and was later to become the capital of the whole province. Luckily, in the second civil war, the city switched sides and supported Anthony and Octavian and so, following their victory, was given the status of a free city.

When Paul arrives, he initially attends the local Synagogue, preaching there for "three sabbath days". In the meantime he gains employment to see him through his stay, a period of around a month. The mission soon extends to the Greek population such that Gentile converts soon outnumber the few Jews who believe Paul's preaching. This success prompts the Jews to seek out Paul and deal with him. A riot results, and the home of Jason, where Paul is staying, is set upon. Jason is found at home, and dragged before the local authorities (the politarchs). The Jewish troublemakers accuse the Christians of treason, but as there is no proof of their guilt, Jason and his friends are freed and ordered to keep the peace. The believers surreptitiously lead Paul and Silas out of town and send them on their way to Berea.

After further troubles, Paul is forced to leave Berea. Leaving Silas and Timothy behind to keep an eye on the situation in Thessalonica and Philippi, Paul visits Athens where his ministry makes little impact. Paul is probably visited by Silas and Timothy there and from there he sends Timothy to visit Thessalonica. He then travels to Corinth, by which time he is somewhat dejected. After visiting the new churches in Macedonia, Silas and Timothy rejoin Paul in Corinth. Timothy brings word of the new church in Thessalonica, pointing out its weaknesses, but reporting how the new believers are standing firm. Paul is overjoyed, and so writes to the believers in Thessalonica, affirming their progress in the faith while at the same time seeking to correct some of the problems that have emerged. This letter is carried by Timothy to the church in Thessalonica, but Timothy soon returns to Corinth with a particular concern troubling the church. The believers are worried about the immediacy of the coming kingdom - the now / not-yet of the day of the Lord. So, Paul writes his second letter and sends it again with Timothy.

From Luke's account in Acts and Paul's two letters, we can construe that the Thessalonian church was primarily a Gentile house church, structured as a family unit, focused on the teaching of God's word and outreach. It was probably in their changed lifestyle and in sharing the gospel that they began to face persecution.

Part of the difficulty Paul faced is the slander directed towards him by the Jewish community in Thessalonica. It seems that Paul's Jewish opponents try to align him with the many wandering orators of the day, orators who preyed off the gullible for a living. Paul seeks to refute these slanders. It should be noted that the Jewish community in Thessalonica was, at this time, one of the largest and most influential in Macedonia.

The believers in Thessalonica are also facing the pressure that comes from staying true to one's faith in an overbearing secular society. To be a good citizen required showing respect to the patron deities. This involved participation in public cultic events, in particular, those events which honour the emperor. The Christian community soon found itself facing the scorn of its neighbours. Paul therefore writes to encourage his friends to stand firm in their trials.

The temptations of a society awash with sexual immorality in the church is also a matter of concern for Paul. Sex outside of marriage was commonplace, if not encouraged, as was pedophilia and homosexuality (although not for females).

The enthusiasm of some of the church leaders was wearing thin and so Paul also touches on the issue of respect for those over us in the Lord.

On the theological front, there is some confusion concerning the second coming of Christ and so in both letters Paul goes to great lengths to correct the church's flawed eschatology. This is especially so in Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians. In the second letter he also tackles the problem of those members who have given up their employment to wait for the day of the Lord.

While Paul was with the Thessalonian believers, he obviously instructed them on the subject of Biblical eschatology, but as is often the case with this subject, the congregation got confused on the subject of the resurrection of the dead at the return of Christ. There is some debate on the specific confusion (Shogren nicely summarises the 6 main arguments), but it probably concerns the death of some church members and the worry that they will somehow miss out on the second coming. So, in his first letter Paul reinforces his teaching that those who have already died will participate fully in the day of Christ's coming.

After delivering Paul's first letter to the Thessalonian believers, Timothy notes that the church's eschatological confusion is deeper than first thought. On receiving Timothy's report, Paul addresses the situation with a second letter. Paul sets out to explain the now / not-yet of the kingdom. It seems that the members of the Thessalonian church have put too much weight on the realisation of the kingdom while ignoring its inauguration in the here and now.

Paul sets out to confront two particular issues. Some of the Thessalonians believe, given the persecution that they are presently experiencing, that the day of the Lord "had already begun", NLT, and as a practical response to this belief, some members had given up their jobs and were now "idlers".

Paul explains that the Lord Jesus' second manifestation still lies in the future, and that this is clearly evident because the "Man of Lawlessness" is not yet revealed. This "Man" must be exposed and eliminated before the "Lord" comes. As for church members having given up their work and become "meddlesome idlers", Paul urges them to get back to work for the good of the Christian community.

With respect to Paul's eschatological teaching, there is only one element which is not found in the synoptic tradition, cf., Matthew. The new information provided by Paul is found in first Thessalonians 4:16: "the dead in Christ will be raised first". The synoptic tradition states that the saints will be swept up from the earth to meet with the coming Son of Man, Matt.24:31. This fact can prompt the assumption that there must be a spiritual resurrection for those who have already died (the thief on the cross - "this evening you will be with me in paradise"), cf., Rom.6. Paul's new piece of information is somewhat startling, although he assures us that it is "the Lord's own word", 4:15. Left with the synoptic tradition, and reminded that "whoever endures to the end will be saved", Matt.24:13, it is not unreasonable for the Thessalonian believers to wonder about the standing of their brothers who have already died. Have they missed out? Paul's answer is "No". On the great day of the Lord's appearing / coming, the dead in Christ will be raised first.

Paul's letters to the Thessalonians are regarded as primary sources, although there is some argument over the authenticity of the second letter. Acts, on the other hand, is often viewed as a late secondary source, and somewhat unreliable. In fact Koester argues that Paul's "activity in this city is legendary". Bruce argues that "the account of Paul's movements which can be gathered from 1 Thessalonians agrees so well with the fuller record in Acts 16:6-18:5 that that record, though it is substantially later than 1 Thessalonians, may confidently be accepted as providing a historical framework within which the references in 1 Thessalonians can be read with greater understanding".

Level of complexity:

1, non-technical, to 5, requiring a workable knowledge of Greek.

Deceased: D. For publications no longer in print

Other identifiers: Recommended R; Greek Technical G; Theology T

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