1 Thessalonians

When Paul came to Thessalonica, he used OT messianic prophecy to convince these Jews and God-fearers that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 17:2-4). Paul was only in Thessalonica for a short time before a lynch mob came for them, and he escaped to Berea. But the murderous mob followed him into that city, too. So, Paul escaped to Athens, where he was quickly joined by Timothy.

Paul wrote two letters to the church in Thessalonica. Even though Paul had only spent a short time in this city, God made a tremendous impact in the lives of the people there. Very quickly, the Thessalonians came to faith and began following Christ. They served as models of faith to the greater region of Macedonia and beyond (1 Thess. 1:8), and they became very generous givers—even though they were quite poor (2 Cor. 8:1-5; 11:9; Rom. 15:26). Paul has no admonition for this church in his first letter, so it must’ve been a very strong Christian group.

Authorship of 1 and 2 Thessalonians

Critical scholars accept the authenticity of 1 Thessalonians, but they reject the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians. We affirm that Paul wrote both letters, and we will give a short defense of both.

Authorship of 1 Thessalonians

Paul claims to be the author of this letter (1 Thess. 1:1; 2:18), and modern scholars of all stripes accept that Paul wrote this letter. Older critical scholars of the NT (e.g. the Tübingen School) denied that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians. However, Carson and Moo comment that “few scholars have followed in their footsteps.” This letter is “one of the seven letters ascribed to Paul that is included in the critical canon of authentic Pauline letters.”^[1] Robert Thomas concurs, “Only extremists such as the Tübingen scholars have questioned it.”^[2] Those who reject Paul’s authorship are in the “distinct minority.”^[3] Early Christian thinkers like Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Clement of Alexandria acknowledged it as a genuine letter of Paul. The letter appears in the Marcionite Canon (AD 140), the Muratorian Fragment (AD 180), and it is widely accepted today.

Authorship of 2 Thessalonians

Today, many critical scholars reject that Paul wrote 2 Thessalonians. So, we will look at this letter more closely.

Internal Evidence FOR 2 Thessalonians

Paul claims to be the author of this letter as well (2 Thess. 1:1). In the middle of the letter, Paul warns about false letters circulating throughout the region “as if from us” (2 Thess. 2:2). So, he concludes this letter by writing, “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand, and this is a distinguishing mark in every letter; this is the way I write” (2 Thess. 3:17). Moreover, Morris writes, “The vocabulary, style and basic theology are as Pauline as those of 1 Thessalonians.”^[4] Unless we have adequate reasons to the contrary, we should take this self-identification at face value.

External Evidence FOR 2 Thessalonians

Additionally, abundant external evidence supports that Paul wrote this letter. Indeed, Morris writes, “This letter is, if anything, better attested than the first.”^[5]

Ignatius (AD 110), Polycarp (AD 130), and Justin Martyr (AD 150) all cite or allude to 2 Thessalonians. Both the Marcionite Canon (AD 140) and the Muratorian Fragment (AD 180) contain this letter.

Internal Evidence AGAINST 2 Thessalonians

Because of the strong external evidence for Pauline authorship, critics must argue that there are reasons within the letter itself for thinking that Paul was not the author. In our estimation, these objections aren’t plausible.

OBJECTION #1. The eschatology is different in 2 Thessalonians. Critics argue that Jesus’ return is imminent in 1 Thessalonians, but it is preceded by various signs in 2 Thessalonians. We will elaborate on this in the commentary below. Suffice to say, both letters prepare believers for the Second Coming (1 Thess. 5:1-11; 2 Thess. 2:1-5). While Paul does write that Jesus will come like a “thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2), he directs these words toward unbelievers—not believers who “are not in darkness” (1 Thess. 5:4). Martin writes, “It is the very point of 5:1-11 that believers know the Lord is coming and must therefore persist in the faith as they await his arrival (vv. 8, 11).”^[6] Paul even states that he had given them the material in 2 Thessalonians verbally: “Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things?” (2 Thess. 2:5). Morris’ comments: “The problem being dealt with (the assertion that the parousia is past, not imminent) is different from the problem faced elsewhere, so it is not surprising that the solution is different.”^[7]

OBJECTION #2. The concept of judgment for unbelievers doesn’t fit with Paul’s theology. Paul speaks of judgment for non-Christians throughout many of his letters, including those that critical scholars accept (e.g. Romans; AD 56-57).

OBJECTION #3. Paul’s Christology is too developed to have been written at this time. Paul has a very high Christology throughout his letters, including letters that critical scholars accept (Rom. 9:5; 14:9-10; 1 Cor. 10:9; 2 Cor. 11:2; Phil. 2:6-7). Paul wrote all of these letters within roughly a decade of time. Therefore, tracking the development of Paul’s Christology is moot.

OBJECTION #4. Paul’s tone is much harsher in 2 Thessalonians. It’s true that 1 Thessalonians contains no admonitions, while 2 Thessalonians does. Yet, this would explain why Paul wrote a second letter so quickly. That is, there must have been some important reason to write another letter. Like what? False teachers! (2 Thess. 2:1-2) This surely explains Paul’s change in tone.

Conclusion. These objections are simply not strong enough to overthrow the statement of the letter itself that it is written by Paul—nor can these objections overthrow the abundant attestation of the early Christians. Moreover, there would be a certain irony in a forger having written these words in 2 Thessalonians: “[Do] not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come” (2 Thess. 2:2).

How long was Paul in Thessalonica?

In Acts, Luke records that Paul spoke in the synagogue for three weeks in a row (Acts 17:2). This would serve as the minimum time that Paul stayed there. However, it is possible that Paul could have stayed longer than this, and Luke simply didn’t mention it. When Paul was in Thessalonica, he mentions receiving two financial gifts from the Philippians (Phil. 4:16), which does not fit a three week stay.^[8] Paul also mentions reaching a lot of Gentiles in Thessalonica (1 Thess. 1:9), which is not mentioned in Luke’s brief account. Moreover, Paul stayed long enough in the city to leave an example of his work ethic (1 Thess. 2:9), which seems to fit better with a longer stay. That being said, Paul didn’t stay there long. Blomberg notes, “Paul probably spent no more than a few months in Thessalonica on this specific missionary journey.”^[9]

What was Thessalonica like?

Thessalonica was the capital of Macedonia as well as its largest city. Strabo called Thessalonica “the metropolis of Macedonia” (Geography, 7.7.21), and the poet Antipater called it “the mother of all Macedonia” (Palatine Anthology 4.228). Cassander (one of Alexander the Great’s generals) founded Thessalonica in 315 BC.^[10] He named this city after his wife, who was Alexander’s half-sister.^[11]

In Paul’s day, roughly 100,000 people populated this city.^[12] Blomberg writes, “Thessalonica was the largest city and capital of the province of Macedonia, which occupied roughly the northern half of the modern country of Greece.”^[13] Bock writes, “It had a major harbor and was a key link to the Bosporus and the Black Sea… As a senatorial province, it was very loyal to Rome.”^[14]

When Paul came to Thessalonica, he appealed to OT messianic prophecy to convince these people that Jesus was the Messiah (Acts 17:2-4). This was the first Greek city that Paul reached. Paul would have stayed longer, but he was forced to leave town. Paul was only in Thessalonica for a short time before a lynch mob came for him and his friends. As a result, he escaped to Berea. His persecutors followed him into that city, too. So, Paul escaped to Athens, where Timothy quickly joined him.

Date

Emperor Claudius wrote a letter that mentions Gallio as the proconsul of Achaia.^[15] The Delphi Inscription (which reproduces this letter) dates the letter to AD 52. Since proconsuls took office in July, this would begin Gallio’s service in July of AD 52.

Paul spent 18-20 months in Corinth (Acts 18:11, 18), and he left around AD 51-52. This means that Paul must’ve written 1 Thessalonians before this time. Paul apparently wrote the letter after Timothy and Silas met him in Corinth to deliver news about the Thessalonians (Acts 18:5; 1 Thess. 3:6). Based on this evidence, most scholars date the Thessalonian letters to either AD 50 or 51. These would include Bruce,^[16] Blomberg,^[17] Martin,^[18] Thomas,^[19] and Morris.^[20]

Was 2 Thessalonians actually written first?

There has been considerable debate as to whether 2 Thessalonians was actually written before 1 Thessalonians.^[21] Indeed, the two letters were written very close together, and the internal evidence is fairly even as to which letter was written first. Moreover, just because a letter comes first in canonical order doesn’t mean it was first in chronological order.

However, Paul’s mention of “traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us” (2 Thess. 2:15) seems to favor the view that 1 Thessalonians was indeed first. That being said, Martin warns, “As long as this ambiguity remains, the interpreter is wise to avoid leaning heavily on any interpretation that is dependent for its validity on a particular chronological sequence for the letters.”^[22]

^[1] D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2nd edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 535.

^[2] Robert L. Thomas, “1 Thessalonians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, volume 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 232.

^[3] D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, volume 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 25-26.

^[4] Leon Morris, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary, volume 13, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 27.

^[5] Leon Morris, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary, volume 13, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 27.

^[6] D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, volume 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 28.

^[7] Leon Morris, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary, volume 13, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 28.

^[8] However, it should be noted that the syntax of this verse could refer to only one gift going to Thessalonica.

^[9] Craig Blomberg, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2006), 140.

^[10] Robert L. Thomas, “1 Thessalonians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, volume 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 229.

^[11] F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, volume 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1982), xxii.

^[12] D.A. Carson and Douglas J. Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2nd edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 532.

^[13] Craig Blomberg, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2006), 139.

^[14] Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 550.

^[15] F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, volume 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1982), xxxv.

^[16] F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, volume 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1982), xxi.

^[17] Craig Blomberg, From Pentecost to Patmos: An Introduction to Acts through Revelation (Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2006), 140.

^[18] D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, volume 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 33.

^[19] Robert L. Thomas, “1 Thessalonians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, volume 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 232.

^[20] Leon Morris, 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An Introduction and Commentary, volume 13, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 22.

^[21] F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, volume 45, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1982), xli-xlii.

^[22] D. Michael Martin, 1, 2 Thessalonians, volume 33, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 33.