(4) The apostle made at least two other visits to the area on his third missionary journey (Acts 20:1-4; Cor 2:12-13) Also, he may have visited the Thessalonian church after his first Roman imprisonment Founding and constituency of the church The church at Thessalonica was only an infant when Paul wrote the letters, but its fame was widespread because of the miraculous transformation of lives from idolatry to Christianity From the very beginning, the newborn believers banded together in a Christian fellowship What evidences of such a fellowship you see implied in Acts 17:4, 6, 10? When Paul wrote to the group only a few months later, he addressed them as “the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thess 1:1) No doubt, the organization of the local church was simple at rst We know the church had leaders, however, as shown by Thessalonians 5:12 Most of the church’s members were Gentiles, converted from idolatry (cf Acts 17:4; Thess 1:9) Some were Jews (Acts 17:4) From Thessalonians 4:11, it has been concluded that for the most part, the people were of the common working class (See Acts 17:46 for a notable exception.) As young converts, the Christians at Thessalonica were a real joy and inspiration to Paul, and were reliable and devoted followers of Christ The bright tone of the two epistles confirms this III BACKGROUND OF THESSALONIANS A AUTHOR Twice, Paul identi es himself by name in the epistle: at 1:1 and 2:18 The title apostle does not appear in this letter or in Thessalonians, Philippians, or Philemon Some have suggested the reason for this is that any question of Paul’s authority does not enter into the discussions of these epistles Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy are included in the opening salutation (1:1) Both were intimate co-workers with Paul Read the following verses concerning each man: Silas: Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 40; 16:19-20; Peter 5:12 Timothy: Acts 16:1-3; Philippians 2:1922; Timothy 1:2; Timothy 4:9, 21 B PLACE AND DATE WRITTEN Paul wrote Thessalonians from Corinth, where the apostle spent eighteen months on the second missionary journey, soon after leaving Thessalonica (Acts 18:1, 11) (Refer to Appendix B, pages 518-19, and x in your mind the chronology of Paul’s life and ministry Note, among other things, when and where the apostle wrote each of his epistles.) The date of writing Thessalonians was around A.D 52.4 The epistle was among the earliest of Paul’s inspired writings.5 About how old was Paul when he wrote this letter? How old was he when he was saved? (See Appendix B.) C OCCASION AND PURPOSES We have already observed that when Paul was hindered from visiting the Thessalonians (2:17-18), he partly made up for this by doing two things: sending Timothy to minister to them in his place ... your mind the chronology of Paul’s life and ministry Note, among other things, when and where the apostle wrote each of his epistles.) The date of writing Thessalonians was around A.D 52.4 The epistle... followers of Christ The bright tone of the two epistles confirms this III BACKGROUND OF THESSALONIANS A AUTHOR Twice, Paul identi es himself by name in the epistle: at 1:1 and 2:18 The title... this letter or in Thessalonians, Philippians, or Philemon Some have suggested the reason for this is that any question of Paul’s authority does not enter into the discussions of these epistles Silvanus