An Introduction to the

1

• An Introduction to the
• THE FIRST LETTER TO THE
• THESSALONIANS

2

• When Paul parted from Barnabas at the beginning
  of what is called his second missionary journey,
• he chose Silvanus (Silas) as his traveling
  companion.
• (Act 1536-41)
• Soon afterwards he took Timothy along with him
• (Act 161-3).
• Paul was now clearly at the head of his own
  missionary band.

3

• About A.D. 50,
• he arrived in Greece for the first time.
• In making converts in Philippi and, soon
  afterwards, in Thessalonica,
• he was beset by persecution from Jews and
  Gentiles alike.
• Moving on to Beroea,
• he was again harassed by enemies from
  Thessalonica and hurriedly left for Athens
• (Act 1611-1715).

4

• Silvanus and Timothy remained behind for a while.
  
• Paul soon sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to
  strengthen that community in its trials
• (1Th 31-5).
• Timothy and Silvanus finally returned to Paul
  when he reached Corinth, probably in the early
  summer of A.D. 51
• (Act 181-18).

5

• Timothy's return with a report on conditions at
  Thessalonica served as the occasion for Paul's
  first letter
• (1Th 36-8).
• The letter begins with a brief address
• (1Th 11)
• and concludes with a greeting
• (1Th 526-28).

6

• How Do We Know?
• After leaving the Christians of Thessalonica,
  Paul had sent Timothy back to them from Athens.
  He now writes to praise them for their firmness
  of faith, as well as to exhort them to look for
  the resurrection of the dead
• (Theodoret).
• Paul wrote this letter to the Thessalonians in
  order to praise them for their steadfastness in
  faith and to give them further instruction
• (Theodore).
• Here Paul encourages the Thessalonian Christians,
  who have endured a great deal of persecution and
  who remain vulnerable to pagan Greek influences.
  Central to Pauls encouragement is his teaching
  about the resurrection of the dead, since grief
  at the death of fellow believers is an especially
  heavy burden for the Thessalonians
• (Severian).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 58). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

7

• How Do We Know?
• They must not be too curious about the exact time
  of the Lords coming
• (Theodoret).
• Paul praises the Thessalonians as an example of
  faith but also presses them to push on toward
  perfection. He wishes them to have such a measure
  of the Spirit that in the hope of what is to come
  they might continue to suffer persecution for the
  name of Christ
• (Ambrosiaster).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 58). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

8

• 11-10 GREETINGS AND PRAISE
• Pauls intention in this opening section is to
  come before the Thessalonians in all humility,
  eschewing all titles, magnifying the work of his
  associates and praising the Thessalonians for
  their great faith and their hard work during
  persecution
• (Chrysostom).
• The very nature of true faith is that it arouses
  believers to good work, for love produces
  steadfastness in laboring, and hope produces
  endurance with patience. Paul gives thanks for
  all of the progress that the Thessalonians have
  made, holding them up to the other churches and
  praying for their continued growth
• (Ambrosiaster).
• Paul shows here that the believer who has perfect
  love, whose faith is whole, is able to bear all
  things patiently for the sake of the future hope
• (Pelagius).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 58). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

9

• 21-12 PAULS SOLICITOUS CARE
• In this passage Paul chooses to emphasize his
  weakness, in order then to highlight the great
  power of God working through him
• (Chrysostom).
• Pauls visit to the Thessalonians was clearly a
  matter of divine intention and divine leading,
  not a matter of human wisdom or of mere chance
• (Theodore).
• Paul shows here that his sufferings are a
  demonstration of the truth and power of his
  preaching, that such sufferings intensified his
  eagerness and zeal
• (Ignatius, Caesarius of Arles, Theodoret, Gregory
  the Great).
• Paul teaches that the boldness of his preaching
  was sustained by the hope of future reward, by
  the promise of a crown
• (Ambrosiaster).
• Do not make anothers praise your motive for
  doing right
• (Augustine, Fulgentius).
• Be gentle as a nurse caring for children
• (Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Augustine).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 62). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

10

• 213-20 THE INTEGRITY OF THE PREACHER
• Paul intends here to make it clear that because
  his preaching contained no flattery or vanity,
  the Thessalonians received it gladly and have
  been properly fortified for the suffering that
  belongs to discipleship
• (Chrysostom, Augustine).
• Paul shows that it is not just great eloquence
  but faithful deeds that prove the truth of the
  gospel
• (Chrysostom).
• Both Pauls extraordinary gifts and his endurance
  of great hardship demonstrated to the
  Thessalonians that his words were inspired
• (Augustine).
• The glory and delight of preachers arise from the
  readiness and eagerness of their listeners to
  believe and to endure suffering
• (Origen, Athanasius, Jerome).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 68). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

11

• 31-13 PAULS TRAVAIL AND CONSOLATION
• Paul emphasizes the intimacy and fond love of his
  relationship with the Thessalonians in order to
  draw them more deeply into the mystery of
  suffering and its place in Christian discipleship
  
• (Chrysostom).
• Paul wants the Thessalonians to know that their
  steadfastness in faith is life itself for him
• (Theodore).
• It is their growing or progressing in faith that
  is his life
• (Chrysostom, Theodoret).
• In sending Timothy to them, Paul is letting them
  know that there is more that they need to know,
  if they wish to grow toward perfection
• (Theodoret).
• The dominant note here is that of praise and
  thanksgiving for the maturity which the
  Thessalonians manifest, for their blessing of the
  Lord by their steadfastness and by the example
  they provide for others
• (Augustine).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 73). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

12

• 41-12 EXHORTATION TO GODLY FAITH AND LOVE
• Paul emphasizes that faithful Christian
  discipleship is a matter of active love in which
  the believer goes beyond a mere avoidance of evil
  
• (Chrysostom).
• Paul now moves to instruction that will aid the
  Thessalonians in seeking the perfection of mature
  faith and practice, particularly in abstention
  from all forms of fornication
• (Pseudo-Cyprian, Augustine, Theodore).
• Though Paul has been careful to praise the
  Thessalonians, now he moves to warning and
  admonition lest they be led astray by false
  teaching
• (Chrysostom, Ambrosiaster, John Cassian).
• The Christian life is by its very nature a growth
  process analogous to the growth of the body
  perfection in good habits ought to grow as faith
  grows
• (Clement of Alexandria, Ambrose).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 78). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

13

• 413-18 JOY IN THE FACE OF DEATH
• In our grieving over those who have died, Gods
  intention is to teach us to trust in him alone,
  and so to cure us of earthly attachments
• (Chrysostom).
• Paul wishes the Thessalonians to know that their
  grieving and sadness over the dead is
  understandable but that it must not pass over
  into despondency and a lack of faith in God
• (Theodore, Chrysostom, Gregory the Great).
• Pauls warning here is against immoderate or
  unbounded grief
• (Ambrose, Augustine, Fulgentius).
• Christians are privileged to know that their
  deceased loved ones go to a blessed place, unlike
  the unbelieving dead, and in this fact they can
  rejoice
• (Ambrose, Jerome).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 83). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

14

• 51-11 PREPARATION FOR THE LORDS COMING
• Pauls intention is to suppress all detailed
  questioning about the time of the end as
  essentially faithless. The point is that there is
  an end, and we must live well in anticipating it
• (Origen, Chrysostom).
• Serious moral preparation is required for the
  return of the Lord, which will come suddenly
• (Augustine, Isaac of Nineveh, Prudentius).
• We know that the end will come, but God never
  allows us to know when
• (Theodoret).
• The faithful Christian always lives in a state of
  readiness and watchfulness
• (Clement of Alexandria, Leo).
• The coming of the Lord may be painful, just like
  any process of repentance and transformation into
  new life
• (Chrysostom).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 91). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

15

• 512-28 FINAL EXHORTATIONS AND GREETINGS
• Once again, Paul makes it clear that the
  Thessalonians are to be faithful, joyful and
  upright in their dealings, particularly in the
  midst of affliction, and particularly as he,
  Paul, models these by his humility
• (Chrysostom).
• Paul describes in essence the work of sound
  pastoral leadership in relation to different
  kinds of troubles in the community
• (Augustine, Theodore).
• These troubles are described by Paul with careful
  attention to the spiritual malady that underlies
  each
• (Augustine, Theodoret).
• Paul is most concerned here with the matter of
  due obedience to lawful pastors, as well as the
  importance of carefully distinguishing false from
  true teaching
• (Ambrosiaster, Caesarius of Arles).
• Faithful pastors and leaders are called to
  discern just what remedy and form of care are
  required for the ills of body, soul and spirit
  that afflict believers
• (Origen, Ambrose).
• Gorday, P. (2000). Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians,
  1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon. Ancient Christian
  Commentary on Scripture NT 9. (Page 95). Downers
  Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

16

• Theodoret of Cyr
• (c. 393466).
• Bishop of Cyr (Cyrrhus), he was an opponent of
  Cyril who commented extensively on Old Testament
  texts as a lucid exponent of Antiochene exegesis.
  
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

17

• Theodore of Mopsuestia
• (c. 350428).
• Bishop of Mopsuestia, founder of the Antiochene,
  or literalistic, school of exegesis. A great man
  in his day, he was later condemned as a precursor
  of Nestorius.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

18

• Severian of Gabala
• (fl. c. 400).
• A contemporary of John Chrysostom, he was a
  highly regarded preacher in Constantinople,
  particularly at the imperial court, and
  ultimately sided with Chrysostoms accusers.
• He wrote homilies on Genesis.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

19

• Ambrosiaster
• (fl. c. 366384).
• Name given by Erasmus to the author of a work
  once thought to have been composed by Ambrose.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

20

• John Chrysostom
• (344/354407 fl. 386407).
• Bishop of Constantinople who was noted for his
  orthodoxy, his eloquence and his attacks on
  Christian laxity in high places.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

21

• Pelagius
• (c. 354-c. 420). Contemporary of Augustine whose
  followers were condemned in 418 and 431 for
  maintaining that even before Christ there were
  people who lived wholly without sin and that
  salvation depended on free will.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

22

• Ignatius of Antioch
• (c. 35107/112).
• Bishop of Antioch who wrote several letters to
  local churches while being taken from Antioch to
  Rome to be martyred.
• In the letters, which warn against heresy, he
  stresses orthodox Christology, the centrality of
  the Eucharist and unique role of the bishop in
  preserving the unity of the church.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

23

• Caesarius of Arles
• (c. 470543).
• Bishop of Arles renowned for his attention to his
  pastoral duties. Among his surviving works the
  most important is a collection of some 238
  sermons that display an ability to preach
  Christian doctrine to a variety of audiences.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

24

• Gregory the Great
• (c. 540604).
• Pope from 590, the fourth and last of the Latin
• Doctors of the Church.
• He was a prolific author and a powerful unifying
  force within the Latin Church, initiating the
  liturgical reform that brought about the
  Gregorian Sacramentary and Gregorian chant.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

25

• Augustine of Hippo
• (354430).
• Bishop of Hippo and a voluminous writer on
  philosophical, exegetical, theological and
  ecclesiological topics.
• He formulated the Western doctrines of
  predestination and original sin in his writings
  against the Pelagians.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

26

• Fulgentius of Ruspe
• (c. 467532).
• Bishop of Ruspe and author of many orthodox
  sermons and tracts under the influence of
  Augustine.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

27

• Clement of Alexandria
• (c. 150215).
• A highly educated Christian convert from
  paganism, head of the catechetical school in
  Alexandria and pioneer of Christian scholarship.
• His major works, Protrepticus, Paedagogus and the
  Stromata, bring Christian doctrine face to face
  with the ideas and achievements of his time.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

28

• Origen of Alexandria
• (b. 185 fl. c. 200254). Influential exegete and
  systematic theologian.
• He was condemned (perhaps unfairly) for
  maintaining the preexistence of souls while
  purportedly denying the resurrection of the body.
  
• His extensive works of exegesis focus on the
  spiritual meaning of the text.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

29

• Athanasius of Alexandria
• (c. 295373 fl. 325373). Bishop of Alexandria
  from 328, though often in exile. He wrote his
  classic polemics against the Arians while most of
  the eastern bishops were against him.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

30

• Jerome
• (c. 347420).
• Gifted exegete and exponent of a classical Latin
  style, now best known as the translator of the
  Latin Vulgate.
• He defended the perpetual virginity of Mary,
  attacked Origen and Pelagius and supported
  extreme ascetic practices.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

31

• Cyprian of Carthage
• (fl. 248258).
• Martyred bishop of Carthage who maintained that
  those baptized by schismatics and heretics had no
  share in the blessings of the church.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

32

• Cassian, John
• (360432).
• Author of the Institutes and the Conferences,
  works purporting to relay the teachings of the
  Egyptian monastic fathers on the nature of the
  spiritual life which were highly influential in
  the development of Western monasticism.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

33

• Ambrose of Milan
• (c. 333397 fl. 374397). Bishop of Milan and
  teacher of Augustine who defended the divinity of
  the Holy Spirit and the perpetual virginity of
  Mary.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

34

• Isaac of Nineveh
• (d. c. 700).
• Also known as Isaac the Syrian or Isaac Syrus,
  this monastic writer served for a short while as
  bishop of Nineveh before retiring to live a
  secluded monastic life. His writings on ascetic
  subjects survive in the form of numerous
  homilies.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

35

• Prudentius
• (c. 348-c. 410).
• Latin poet and hymn-writer who devoted his later
  life to Christian writing. He wrote didactic
  poems on the theology of the incarnation, against
  the heretic Marcion and against the resurgence of
  paganism.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.

36

• Leo the Great
• (regn. 440461).
• Bishop of Rome whose Tome to Flavian helped to
  strike a balance between Nestorian and Cyrilline
  positions at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
• ACCS Introduction and bibliographic information.
  2005. Ancient Christian commentary on Scripture.
  Downers Grove, Ill. InterVarsity Press.