It is helpful to trace the locations of Paul and his companions that relate to the Thessalonian correspondence.
The travels were as follows:
1. Paul and Silas fled from Thessalonica to Berea. Since Timothy is not mentioned (see ), it is possible that he stayed in Thessalonica or went back
to Philippi and then rejoined Paul and Silas in Berea ().
2. Paul fled to Athens from Berean persecution, leaving Silas and Timothy in Berea (see ).
3. Paul sent word back, instructing Silas and Timothy to come to him in Athens (see ; see also
).
4. Timothy rejoined Paul at Athens and was sent back to Thessalonica (see ). Since Silas is not mentioned, it has been conjectured
that he went back to Philippi when Timothy went to Thessalonica (see ).
5. Paul moved on to Corinth (see ).
6. Silas and Timothy came to Paul in Corinth (see ).
7. Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians and sent it to the church.
8. About six months later (a.d. 51/52) he sent 2 Thessalonians in response to further information about the church there.
Author, Date and Place of Writing
Both external and internal evidence (see ) support the view that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians (from Corinth; see
). Early church writers are agreed on the matter, with testimonies beginning as early as a.d. 140 (Marcion).Paul's known
characteristics are apparent in the letter ( compared with ).
Historical allusions in the book fit Paul's life as recounted in Acts and in his own letters (
compared with compared with ).
In the face of such evidence, few have ever rejected authorship by Paul. It is generally dated c. a.d. 51. Weighty supportfor this date was found in an inscription
discovered at Delphi, Greece , that dates Gallio's proconsulship to c. 51-52 and thus places Paul at Corinth at the same time (see and
;. Except for the possibility of an early date for Galatians (48-49?), 1 Thessalonians is Paul's earliest canonical letter.
Thessalonica: The City and the Church
Thessalonica was a bustling seaport city at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. It was an important communication and trade center, located at the junction of the
great Egnatian Way and the road leading north to the Danube. It was the largest city in Macedonia and was also the capital of its province.
The background of the Thessalonian church is found in . Since Paul began his ministry there in the Jewish synagogue, it is
reasonable to assume that the new church included some Jews. However, seem to indicate that the church was largely
Gentile in membership.
Purpose and Theme
Purpose
Paul had left Thessalonica abruptly (see ) after a rather brief stay. Recent converts from paganism
() were thus left with little external support in the midst of persecution. Paul's purpose in writing this letter was
to encourage the new converts in their trials (1Thess 3:3-5), to give instruction concerning godly living () and
to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns (; see Theme below;
see ).
Theme
Although the thrust of the letter is varied (see Purpose), the subject ofeschatology (doctrine of last things) seems to be predominant in both
Thessalonian letters. Every chapter of 1 Thessalonians ends with a reference to the second coming of Christ, with ch. 4 giving it major consideration
(). Thus, the second coming seems to permeate the letter and
may be viewed in some sense as its theme. The two letters are often designatedas the eschatological letters of Paul.