Page 6 - Pauline Epistles Student Textbook

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movements in Greece or who was there in Athens with Paul. Wanamaker’s argument toward the
credible historian, Luke, who while being “carried along by the Holy Spirit” appears to be too radical
based on Acts 17:15. It could be that Luke did not just include that account. It appears Timothy and
Silas rejoined Paul in Athens from Berea, but then, Timothy (because he is mentioned as the one
who brought the report to Paul concerning the church at Thessalonica [1 Thess.. 3:1-2]) was sent
back to Macedonia to find out how the new church maturing in Jesus. For the second time, Silas and
Timothy had to rejoin Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:5). After hearing the Lord speak to him at night in a
vision, “do not be afraid; keep on speaking . . . because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:5, 9-
10), Paul “stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the Word of God” (Acts 18:11). Most
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scholars believe that it was during that long stay in Corinth when Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians.

Date
First Thessalonians is understood to be the earliest of the Pauline Epistles, perhaps the first written
by Paul. Paul was hindered by divine intervention from going south into the province of Asia and
north into Bithynia (Acts 16:6,7). He arrived at Troas probably in late March or early April A.D. 49.
From Troas, the westernmost city in Asia Minor, he was directed in a vision to cross the Aegean Sea
into Macedonia and take the gospel there for the first time (Acts 16:9). This was the continuation of
the western movement of the gospel across Europe. Paul arrived at the port of Neapolis after a two-
day journey. Accompanying him were Silas, Timothy, and Luke. Almost immediately they left for a
single day journey to Philippi to the north.

The successful mission in Philippi lasted about two months. Leaving Timothy and Luke behind, Paul
and Silas left Philippi under pressure from the city officials and journeyed westward toward
Thessalonica, a major center about a five day walk. In route, they followed the famous Egnatian
Way which crossed Macedonia from east to west, passing through Amphipolis and then through
Apollonia (Acts 17:1) and finally arrived at Thessalonica. There they stopped and began to share the
Gospel with the Jews and Gentiles living there.

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The dating of 1 Thessalonians is approximate. Internal evidence derived from 1 Corinthians 18:12-
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17 during the reign of Gallio as proconsul of Achaia approximates the date. Tenney maintains that
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the epistle could have been “written in early fifties (c. 50-51).” This is a very important piece of
information because Paul’s writing of 1 Thessalonians in Corinth was done during the reign of
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Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia. As a result, based on Acts 18:12-18, Bromiley and others date it no
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“later than 51.” Based on Acts 18:1, 5; 1 Thess. 1:8, Carson and Moo date it “in AD 50.” External
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evidence, based on finding an inscription “in Delphi in 1906;” containing “a letter” by Claudius “to
Gallio,” which “dates the” reign of Gallio to “August, A.D 52,” and dates Paul’s date of writing to
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AD 52. The best conjecture on the date of writing should be between 50 and 52 AD during Paul’s
Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36—18:22).

9 Charles A. Wanamaker, The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistles to the
Thessalonians, eds. I. Howard Marshall and W. Ward Gasque (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans
Publishing Company, 1990), 127.
10 Tenney, The Zondervan Encyclopedia of the Bible, 723.

11 Geoffrey W. Bromiley, et al., eds., The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Illustrated in Four
Volumes, Vol. 4: Q-Z, Fully Rev. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988), 833.
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12 Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament, 2 ed., 543.
13 Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 833.

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