Saturday, May 5, 2018

Pauline Epistles Background SERIES: 1 Thessalonians

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ:
1 Thessalonians 1:1

"The Apostle Paul identified himself twice as the author of this letter (1:1; 2:18). Silvanus (Silas), and Timothy (3:2, 6), Paul’s traveling companions on the second missionary journey when the church was founded (Acts 17:1-9), were also mentioned in Paul’s greeting (1:1).


Though Paul was the single inspired author, most of the first person plural pronouns (we, us, our), refer to all 3. However, during Timothy’s visit back to Thessalonica, they refer only to Paul and Silvanus (3:1-2, 6). Paul commonly used such editorial plurals because the letters came with the full support of his companions.

The first of Paul’s two letters written from Corinth to the church at Thessalonica is dated (ca. A.D. 51). This date has been archeologically verified by an inscription in the temple of Apollos at Delphi (near Corinth), which dates Gallio’s service as proconsul in Achaia to (A.D. 51-52; Acts 18:12-17).

“Time of Writing”: Since this epistle was certainly written during Paul’s long stay at Corinth (Acts 18:5; 1 Thess. 3:6), the date can easily be fixed. An inscription discovered at Delphi (dated from the summer of A.D. 52), refers to the proconsulate of Gallio, a position held for only two years. Paul arrived at Corinth before Gallio assumed this position, perhaps a year earlier. Thus, the time of the writing of 1 Thessalonians must have been the (summer or fall of A.D. 51).
 
Paul had originally traveled 100 miles from Philippi via Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey (A.D. 50). As his custom was upon arrival, he sought out the synagogue in which to teach the local Jews the gospel (Acts 17:1-2). On that occasion, he dialogued with them from the Old Testament concerning Christ’s death and resurrection in order to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the promised Messiah (Acts 17:2-3). Some Jews believed and soon after, Hellenistic proselytes and some wealthy women of the community also were converted (Acts 17:4). Mentioned among these new believers were Jason (Acts 17:5), Gaius (Acts 19:29), Aristarchus (Acts 20:4), and Segundus (Acts 20:4)."
BooksOfTheBible