1 Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians.
§ 264. Thessalonica was a town at the mouth of the Macedonian Bay, located at the middle of a bend in the coast. There the apostle, through his preaching of the Gospel, had converted some Jews and Gentiles to Christ (Acts 17:2). However, because of persecution that the still-unbelieving Jews had stirred up against him, he was not able to remain there long. When he realized that the church he had recently planted was falling into great danger because it was afraid of persecutions, he sent Timothy to it to strengthen the Thessalonians in their faith. Timothy noticed that they were not at all terrified by persecutions, that they were still constant in their faith and patient in their adversities, and he related everything to the apostle faithfully. So, in this Epistle, Paul praises them and bears witness of his faithfulness, care, and concern on their behalf. Later, he encourages them to a holy pattern of life, to love, and to a moderation of their grief over the dead, which occasion he uses to discuss the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.
It consists of five chapters and falls into two parts, the former of which is of praising; the latter, of exhorting.