The First Epistle To The Thessalonians. Part 1

Church History: Paul writes 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians From Corinth A.D. 50-51

The gospel was first preached in Thessalonica by Paul and Silas. After their release from imprisonment at Philippi, they passed through Amphipolis and Appollonia, and came to Thessalonica. For some reason, it appears they did not stay long enough to preach in either of the first two places, but went at once to the city of Thessalonica. That was a much more important place, and they may have been attracted there particularly because many Jews resided there. It was customary for the apostle Paul, when he came to a place where there were Jews, to preach the gospel first to them; and as there was a synagogue in Thessalonica, he entered it, and, for three Sabbath days, reasoned with the Jews in regard to the Messiah. The points on which he endeavored to convince them were, that, according to the Scriptures, it was necessary that the Messiah should be put to death, and that he would rise from the dead, and that all the predictions on these points were completely fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, (Acts 17:2-3). A few of the Jews believed, and a much larger number of the `devout Greeks,' and also a considerable number of females of the more elevated ranks. From these converts the church was organized, and the number at the organization would seem to have been large. It is not quite certain how long Paul and Silas remained at Thessalonica. It is known only that they preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths, and if that were all the time that they remained there, it could not have been more than about three weeks. But it is not certain that they did not remain in the city a longer time. It is possible that they may have been excluded from the synagogue, but still may have found some other place in which to preach. This would seem probable from one or two circumstances referred to in the history and in the Epistle. In the history, (Acts 17:5), it appears that Paul and Silas, for a time at least, made the house of Jason their home. There were large numbers that attended their ministry and this caused great excitement among the Jews. In the epistle, (1Thessalonians 2:9), Paul says that when he was among them, he "labored night and day, because he would not be chargeable unto any of them, and preached unto them the gospel of God," (2Thessalonians 3:8), which looks as if he had been with them a longer time than the three Sabbaths, and as if he had labored at his usual occupation for support, before he shared the hospitality of Jason. It appears also, from (Philippians 4:16), that he was there long enough to receive repeated supplies from the church at Philippi. "For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again unto my necessity."