Above is a video of me giving a five-minute talk about Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica (Acts 17) and his letters to the Thessalonian believers (1-2 Thessalonians) filmed on-site in modern Thessaloniki with some ancient ruins in the background (albeit with a lot of city noise around me).
What do these letters cover and what are my favourite books about them? See below!
What are 1-2 Thessalonians About?
The Thessalonian letters are not only the earliest of Paul’s extant letters, they are probably the earliest writings of the whole New Testament. They were probably written within weeks of Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica and they include clarifications and exhortations about Jesus’ return. That is because the church in Thessalonica was deliberately imbibed by Paul with a heavy dose of apocalyptic hope for the Lord Jesus’ second coming. Paul urged them to orientate their lives towards the coming kingdom that could break upon them at almost any moment. However, after Paul left Thessalonica, there soon arose a mixture of confusion and worry about Jesus’ return, as well as some unwholesome behaviour that required attention. The first problem was anxiety since some were afraid that experiencing the benefits of Jesus’ return were only for the living, or else that his return had already happened, so there was the risk of missing out. The second problem was that an intense belief in Jesus’ impending return led to a heightened sense of anticipation that caused some of the Thessalonians to abandon everyday life and to rely on the generosity of others as they waited, leading to idleness. So Paul has to assure the Thessalonians of their future destiny with Christ, rebuke them for idleness, and dispel their ignorance about what it means to wait patiently for Jesus’ return.
That said, it is worth remembering that 1 and 2 Thessalonians are not a manual on the end times. Paul dealt with additional issues like his travel plans, the difficulties of persecution, plus exhortations about the importance of imitating other churches and avoiding sexual immorality. What Paul does in these two letters is missional theology and pastoral practice in light of eschatology. He urges them towards an apocalyptic hope but with a this-worldly holiness and while he cultivates a definite eagerness for Christ’s coming it is joined with a call for love and faithfulness. Longnecker and Still offer apt descriptions for these letters by subtitling them as “Perseverance, Purity, and Preparedness Until the Parousia” (1 Thessalonians) and “Consolation and Correction for an Afflicted and Confused Church” (2 Thessalonians). Good tags for filing away in your head as you read these letters.
My Favourite Books on 1-2 Thessalonians
Commentaries
Nijay Gupta (NCCS)
John Byron (SGBC)
Gordon D. Fee (NICNT)
Beverly Gaventa (INT)
Michael Holmes (NIVAC)
Studies
Andrew S. Malone, To Walk and Please God: A Theology of 1 & 2 Thessalonians (Crossway, 2024).
Nijay Gupta, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (ZCINT; Zondervan, 2019).
Nijay Gupta, 1 & 2 Thessalonians (NCCS; Cascade, 2017).
Sydney Tooth, Suddenness and Signs: The Eschatologies of 1 and 2 Thessalonians (WUNT; Mohr-Siebeck, 2024).
James Harrison, Paul and the Imperial Authorities at Thessalonica and Rome (WUNT; Mohr-Siebeck, 2011).
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