They had written to him with several questions. He opens his epistle with praise, extending Grace, Peace and Thanksgiving. He reminds them of the Gospel, Death, Burial and Resurrection: (1 Thessalonians 1:10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 and 2 Thessalonians are dated primarily based on their greeting from “Paul, Sylvanus, and Timothy” (1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians). Sylvanus is another spelling for Silas, who accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey (49-51 AD). Timothy also joined the second missionary journey early on (Acts 16:1). However, Silas apparently did not accompany Paul on the third missionary journey, and this trio (Paul, Silas, Timothy) are not mentioned together again. Therefore, the greeting appears to come from the trio some time during their second missionary journey. This would be after they visited Thessalonica and established a church there (Acts 17:1-4). This allows only a very small-time window for the letters to be written – from 50 to 51 AD. This dating of 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians has been widely accepted by scholars of all persuasions with little dissent.
1 Thessalonians 2:2 “…were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi…” supports the timeline in Acts, stating that Paul arrived in Thessalonica after being badly treated in Philippi (he was beaten and jailed – Acts 16:22-24). The reference to Paul’s stay in Athens (1 Thessalonians 3:1 …we thought it good to be left at Athens alone😉 further backs up the sequence of events described in Acts (17:16-34). Therefore, the sequence of events is clear: Paul, Silas and Timothy established a church in Thessalonica, they then traveled to Berea and on to Athens. At this time, Paul and Silas sent Timothy back to check on things (1 Thessalonians 3:2 And sent Timotheus, our brother, … to comfort you concerning your faith:), and after Timothy returned with a report, the trio penned this letter.
Primary opposition to the gospel at this time is described as coming from the Jews, and Paul likens the Thessalonian church to the churches in Judea (1 Thessalonians 2:14-16). This, along with the reference in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” to a standing temple, further confirm a date of writing prior to the 70 AD destruction of the temple.
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