1 Thessalonians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the early Christian community in Thessalonica within theRoman Empire. Paul had visited the city, preached the gospel, and gainedconverts, many of whom were likelyGentiles since the letter mentions they had "turned from idols." It is usually dated around 49–51 AD during Paul's stay inCorinth, making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest, surviving Christian texts. Some early manuscripts, however, suggest it may have been written fromAthens after Timothy returned with news about the Thessalonian church.
The original manuscript has not survived, but several early copies remain, includingPapyrus 46 (around AD 200),Papyrus 65 (3rd century), and major codices such asVaticanus,Sinaiticus, andAlexandrinus. Most scholars regard the letter as authentically Pauline because its style and theology align with his other writings, and its authorship is affirmed by 2 Thessalonians, though certain passages such as 2:13–16 and 5:1–11 are debated.
The letter emphasizes encouragement, ethical guidance, and hope rather than theological disputes. Paul expresses gratitude for the Thessalonians' faith and love, reminding them of his honorable conduct and efforts not to burden them financially during his visit. He instructs them on living harmoniously, coping withgrief, and preparing for Christ's imminent return, reassuring faith in the resurrection of the dead.[4]
Thessalonica is a city on theThermaic Gulf, which at the time of Paul was within theRoman Empire. Paul visited Thessalonica and preached to the local population, winning converts who became a Christian community.[5] There is debate as to whether or not Paul's converts were originally Jewish. TheActs of the Apostles describes Paul preaching in a Jewish synagogue and persuading people who were already Jewish that Jesus was the Messiah,[6] but in 1 Thessalonians itself Paul says that the converts had turned from idols, suggesting that they were not Jewish before Paul arrived.[5][7]
Most New Testament scholars believe Paul wrote this letter fromCorinth only months after he left Thessalonica,[5] although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts (e.g.,Codices Alexandrinus,Mosquensis, andAngelicus) state that Paul wrote it in Athens[8] afterTimothy had returned fromMacedonia with news of the state of the church inThessalonica.[9][10]
The original manuscript of this letter is lost, as are over a century of copies. Thetext of the surviving manuscripts varies. The oldest surviving manuscripts that contain some or all of this book include:
It is widely agreed that 1 Thessalonians is one of the first books of theNew Testament to be written, and the earliest extant Christian text.[5] A majority of modern New Testament scholars date 1 Thessalonians to 49–51 AD,[11] during Paul's 18-month stay in Corinth coinciding with his second missionary journey.[12] The reference toproconsulGallio in the inscription provides an important marker for developing a chronology of the life ofApostle Paul, since he presides over the trial of Paul inAchaea mentioned inthe Acts of the Apostles (Acts 18:12-17).[13][14]
1 Thessalonians does not focus onjustification by faith or questions ofJewish–Gentile relations, themes that are covered in all other letters. Because of this, some scholars see this as an indication that this letter was written before theEpistle to the Galatians, where Paul's positions on these matters were formed and elucidated.[15]
The first page of the epistle inMinuscule 699 gives its title as προς θεσσαλονικεις, "To the Thessalonians."
The majority of New Testament scholars hold 1 Thessalonians to be authentic, although a number of scholars in the mid-19th century contested its authenticity, most notablyClement Schrader andF.C. Baur.[16] 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship is also affirmed by2 Thessalonians.[17]
The authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 has been extensively discussed. Though an interpolation hypothesis was proposed in the past based mostly on internal arguments on the text such as anti-Semitic, grammatical, or time period approximation concerns,[18][19][20][21][22] since the late 20th century, the scholarly consensus view is that the passage is authentically Pauline for multiple reasons such as:[23][24][25][26][27] there is no manuscript evidence of these verses missing and no alternative placement either, rhetorical connection between verse 13 and 14 makes it clear that these verses are not out of place, Paul in other letters such as Romans believed God's wrath was being manifested in the present, Paul was writing to Thessalonians (which included non-Jews) when he wrote about "Jews" in this letter, and Paul wrote in a diverse fashion not in a censored modern-anachronistic fashion.
It is also sometimes suggested that1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 is a post-Pauline insertion that has many features ofLukan language and theology that serves as an apologetic correction to Paul's imminent expectation of theSecond Coming in1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.[28] Some scholars, such as Schmithals,[29] Eckhart,[30] Demke[31] and Munro,[32] have developed complicated theories involvingredaction and interpolation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
Paul, speaking for himself,Silas, and Timothy, gives thanks for the news about the Thessalonians' faith and love; he reminds them of the kind of life he had lived while he was with them. Paul stresses how honorably he conducted himself, reminding them that he had worked to earn his keep, taking great pains not to burden anyone. He did this, he says, even though he could have used his status as anapostle to impose upon them.
Paul goes on to explain that thedead will be resurrected prior to those still living, and both groups will greet the Lord in the air.[42] Paul believed at the time of composition that he would be among the living who would experience theSecond Coming,[43] though he would go on to consider the possibility of death prior to Jesus' return later in life. Hays argues for a contingent eschatology in the Pauline epistles where God withholds judgment to give time for repentance,[44] also found in Jesus and the Synoptics.[45]
^The book is sometimes called theFirst Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, or simply1 Thessalonians.[2] It is most commonly abbreviated as "1 Thess."[3]
^"The only possible reference to a previous missive is in 2:15…" Raymond E. Brown 1997,An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible, p. 590.
^Abraham J. Malherbe, "Hellenistic Moralists and the New Testament", in; Aufstieg und Nieder- gang der Römischen Welt: Geschichte und Kultur Roms im Spiegel der neueren Forschung, eds. H. Temporini and W. Haase (Berlin and New York: W. de Gruyter, 1992), 2:290.
^Schmidt, D. 1983, "I Thess 2:13–16: Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation," JBL 102: 269–79.
^Johnson, Andrew (2016).1 and 2 Thessalonians. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.ISBN0802825524.With regard to the interpolation hypothesis, along with almost all other English commentaries, my position is that these verses are authentically Pauline.
^Brookins, Timothy A. (2021-11-16).First and Second Thessalonians (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament). Baker Academic.ISBN978-1-4934-3215-8.On taking 1 Thess. 2:13–16 as an "interpolation." Originating in the mid- nineteenth century, the interpolation theory was adopted by many interpreters throughout the twentieth century. The most extensive case for this view was presented by B. A. Pearson in a 1971 article titled "1 Thessalonians 2:13–16: A Deutero-Pauline Interpolation," which many scholars found convincing. Although several points have been adduced in favor of the interpolation theory, strong responses can be made to each of them (for a recent overview of arguments, see Jensen 2019). Thus, the authenticity of the passage has continued to find defenders over the last two centuries, and in the last thirty years the common opinion has swung decisively in favor of authenticity (Gupta 2019, 118, whose summary statement is confirmed by a survey of the scholarship).
^Gupta, Nijay K. (2019).1 & 2 Thessalonians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Academic.ISBN0310518717.Though labeling 2:13–16 (or 2:14–16) as an interpolation would certainly alleviate some of the tension felt by what seem to be anti-Jewish statements made in 1 Thessalonians, the vast majority of scholars in the last thirty years have largely rejected the argument that these verses came from someone other than Paul...As noted above, almost all interpreters of 1 Thessalonians in the last thirty years have found the interpolation theories of Pearson and Schmidt wanting. Some, like Murrell (and to some degree Wortham), have attempted to paint a more realistic, human portait of Paul, one where the apostle could have conceivably penned these words. Other scholars have tried to mitigate the impact of Paul's words through various avenues of study. Few scholars today who have studied Paul's letters carefully would conclude that he was "anti-Semitic," even if 1 Thessalonians 2:13–16 is still considered an uncomfortable text.
^Ehrman, Bart (2012).Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth. HarperOne. pp. 123–124.ISBN9780062206442.
^Jensen, Matthew (October 2019). "The (In)authenticity of 1 Thessalonians 2.13-16: A Review of Arguments".Currents in Biblical Research.18 (1):59–79.doi:10.1177/1476993X19860671.Given the scholarly consensus to include these verses rather than exclude them, there are fewer arguments for their presence in the text of 1 Thessalonians. Bockmuehl (2001: 7) goes so far as to state that the 'burden of proof' is on the 'advocates of unattested variants' (see also Collins 1984: 124-25, 135; Walker 1987). Consequently, there are even fewer direct responses to arguments for the authenticity of these verses from those who understand the verses as an interpolation.
^G. Friedrich, "1. Thessalonicher 5,1–11, der apologetische Einschub eines Spaeteren," ZTK 70 (1973) 289.
^Schmithals, W. 1972,Paul and the Gnostics Transl. by J. Steely (Nashville: Abingdon Press), 123–218
^K. G. Eckart 1961, "Der zweite echte Brief des Apostels Paulus an die Thessalonicher," ZThK, 30–44
^Theologie und Literarkritik im 1. Thessalonicherbrief
^The Later Stratum in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Authority in Paul and Peter: The Identification of a Pastoral Stratum in the Pauline Corpus and 1 Peter.
^Malherbe, Abraham (2000).The Letters to the Thessalonians, Volume 32B: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Yale University Press. p. 270.
^Hays, Christopher (2016).When the Son of Man Didn't Come: A Constructive Proposal on the Delay of the Parousia. Fortress Press. pp. 19–20,90–95.ISBN978-1451465549.
^Allison, Dale (2025).Interpreting Jesus. Eerdmans. pp. 60–71, 92.ISBN978-0802879196.
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