I Thessalonians
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By Peter Marshall McLewin
Begin your study of Paul's letter to the Thessalonians by reading through my list of the key verses. In the future I will add commentary to the text.
Thessalonica was originally called Thermai because of the hot springs that were located there. The city gave its name to the Thermaic Gulf on which it was located. Today the city is called Salonika and is second only to Athens in size, with a busy seaport.
Xerxes ported his Persian naval fleet there in advance of his attack on Athens. Alexander the Great was born in Pella about 50 miles west of Thessalonica. Along the waterfront there is a large statue of Alexander the Great and his famous horse Bucephalas. Following Alexander’s death Cassander rebuilt the city in 315 BC and changed the name of the city from Thermai to Thessalonica. Cassander was a general for Alexander, and his wife, Thessalonica, was the daughter of Philip of Macedon and the half-sister of Alexander.
During the Roman period Thessalonica was noted for its important shipyards. Thessalonica and Philippi were the leading cities of Macedonia and, as such, remained tax-free. Free cities did not have to house a Roman garrison.
Besides Thessalonica’s importance as a seaport, it was the halfway point on the Via Egnatia, Rome’s major artery to the east, which began at Dyrrachium on the Adriatic and ended at Constantinople on the Bosphorus.
The Gospel first came to Thessalonica on Paul’s second missionary journey.
“Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.” Acts 17:1
Paul and Silas left Philippi after being beaten, imprisoned and then released. Making overnight stops at Amphipolis and Apollonia, they arrived in Thessalonica.
"…But after we had already suffered and been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel of God amid much opposition." I Thessalonians 2:2
Because Thessalonica had a large Jewish population, Paul began his ministry at the synagogue.
Paul thought that it was extremely important for Christianity to get a strong foothold in Thessalonica. From there the Christian message could travel west and east down the Egnatian Road.
On a clear day from the citadel of Thessalonica looking across the Thermaic Gulf, Mount Olympus is clearly visible. Homer’s mythological gods lived on Mount Olympus. Paul recognized that many people in Thessalonica were ready to reject the mythology and embrace Christianity.
“For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God…” I Thessalonians 1:9
Thessalonica in Christian History
Astride the Via Egnatia is the arch of Galarius. Galarius was Emperor of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Romans were growing tired of the new atrocities committed against Christians that were initiated by Diocletian in the last two years of his reign. A change in attitude was forced upon Galarius. From his deathbed in 311 the emperor was forced to sign the first freedom of religion act in Roman history. The next year in 312 Constantine legalized Christianity.
In 390 a charioteer in Thessalonica was accused of homosexual practices. The governor had the charioteer imprisoned. Before race day, citizens petitioned the governor to release the charioteer, but when he refused, a riot broke out in which the governor was murdered and the man released from prison. The incident came to the attention of Emperor Theodosius while he was in Milan. During the next circus event he ordered the exits to be sealed and the soldiers to kill everyone in the circus. In three hours 7,000 Thessalonians were killed. When Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, heard what Theodosius had done, he refused him Holy Communion.
“I cannot deny that you have a zeal for the faith and that you fear God, but you have a naturally passionate spirit which becomes ungovernable when you are excited. I call on you to repent. You can only atone for you sin by tears, by penitence, by humbling your soul before God. You are a man and, as you have sinned as a man, so you must repent. No angel, no archangel can forgive you. God alone can forgive you and forgives only those who repent.” --Ambrose of Milan
After staying away from church for a while, Theodosius finally repented to the satisfaction of the Bishop. On Christmas Day he was once again served Holy Communion. The church had come upon a new weapon to use against the kings of Byzantium--excommunication.
In the eighth century after Christ, two monks, Methodotus and Cyril, took Christianity from Thessalonica to Rus Kiev, modern Ukraine. Cyril produced an alphabet for the Russian language, called the Cyrillic alphabet.
The accusation against Paul and Silas has proved to be true:
“…These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” Acts 17:6
Chapter Links
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 5
Study Links
First Missionary Journey
Second Missionary Journey
Third Missionary Journey
This site was written and produced by Peter McLewin, all rights reserved, 2001