Lesson 31 (Gospel Doctrine): I Thessalonians

[pelagius]

I know I am late again, but I just don't have much time these days to prep. These notes cover I Thessalonians.

PDF of the Notes

Past Lesson Notes
Lesson Note Website (Lesson 1-31)
Lesson 30,
Lesson 29


I. Introduction

• I am starting to sound like a broken record, but today’s lesson really does cover a lot of material. Consequently, I am going to narrow my focus to 1 Thessalonians. This letter is, I think, particularly important in light of the fact that it is probably the oldest extant Christian document. I think Philip Esler does a nice job of explaining the importance of 1 Thessalonians:
  
  

  It is widely agreed that I Thessalonians is the earliest extant Christian text, a precious document which brilliantly illimunes one segment of the Christ-movement less than twenty years after the death of Jesus.[1]

• Authorship: Paul is the author of this epistle, and scholars almost universally affirm the Pauline authorship of the letter.[2] Actually, I wonder if this is really true. Can’t we make the argument that this letter is coauthored by Paul, Silas, and Timothy (with Paul as the lead and primary author)?
  
  

  Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Th 1:1

• Date Written: Most scholars believe the letter was written in 50 or 51 CE.[3] As I mentioned before this dating implies that not only is it probably the first surviving letter[4] written by Paul but it is also the first surviving Christian document. It predates all the gospel accounts. It give us our earliest glimpse into the Christian community and the messages and doctrines they emphasized and found particularly valuable.
  
  
• The Audience: The church at Thessalonica. The city was a port city in what is now the Northern part of Greece. “At the time of Paul, Thessalonica was important for economic, commercial, and political reasons. Because of its harbor and its location on the Egnatian Way, the main Roman road across the Balkans, Thessalonica had become a thriving commercial center.”[5] Paul and Timothy have clearly visited and taught the fledgling community before. This letters follows Timothy’s report to Paul.

II. Outline and Structure

• Outline of 1 Thessalonians:[6]
  
  1. Salutation (1:1)
     
     
  2. Thanksgiving (1:2-3:13)
     1. Thanksgiving Introduction (1:2-10)
     2. Paul’s Ministry in Thessalonica (2:1-16)
        1. The Divine Basis for the Initial Visit (2:1-4)
        2. Their Behavior and Example (2:5-12)
        3. The Response of the Thessalonians (2:13-16)
     3. The Present Situation (2:17-3:13)
        1. Paul’s Desire to Visit (2:17-20)
        2. Timothy’s Mission (3:1-5)
        3. Thankful Receipt of Timothy’s Report (3:6-10)
        4. Prayer for the Thessalonians (3:11-13)
     
     
  3. Living a Life Pleasing to God (4:1-12))
     1. Keeping Traditions (4:1-2)
     2. Purity (4:3-8)
     3. Brotherly Love (4:3-8)
     
     
  4. The Lord’s Coming (4:13-5:11)
     1. The Circumstances of this Coming (4:13-18)
     2. The Need for Wakefulness (5:1-11)
     
     
  5. Final Exhortations and Greetings (5:12-28)
     1. Honoring Leaders (5:12-13)
     2. Christian Identity-indicators (5:14-22)
     3. Prayer for the Thessalonians (5:23-24)
     4. Closing Prayer and Instructions (5:25-28)
  
  
• Note from the outline we can observe typical parts of Hellinistic letters. For example, the letter beings with a Salutation and Thanksgiving.
  
  
• What parts stuck out or resonated with you when your read the epistles?
  
  
• Does anything about the letter surprise you? Are you surprised by the structure or maybe some of the things Paul focuses on?
  
  
• What about the tone of letter? How would you describe the tone?
  
  
• As I read the letter I was really impressed with the tone of the letter. It just seemed so personal. The thanksgiving (which is quite long since it takes up basically the first three chapters) is very touching. It seems very personal and heartfelt. Maybe most importantly I was struck by a sense that they were in things together (Paul and the church at Thessalonica). That Paul, Silas, and Timothy were part of the community. Not even interested observers, but Part of the community. You get a real sense of the longing Paul has to be with the community (his community). They are brothers and sisters in a very real sense. Did you see these same elements when you read the letter? If so, do you think this expresses or implies a lesson or important principle? Does this tell us something about our Christian Community? Leadership?

III. The Prescript (Salutation)

• Read 1 Th 1:1:
  
  

  (1) Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

• What does Paul emphasize in the prescript? Why is it important?
  
  
• Do you think it is important the Paul doesn’t mention or describe himself as an apostle in prescript (note, he does seem to mention his apostleship and the apostleship of Timothy and Silas in 2:6-7)?
  
  
• Do you think it is important that the letter is addressed to a group and no person or people are expressly named or singled out?

III. Thanksgiving Introduction

• Read 1 Th 1:2-10:
  
  

  (2) We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; (3) Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; (4) Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. (5) For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. (6) And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: (7) So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. (8) For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. (9) For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (10) And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

• It is traditional for a Hellinistic letter to have a Thanksgiving. However, some scholars point to differences or uniqueness related to Paul’s thanksgiving.[7] If you had to guess, what feature or features are unique?
  
  
• What is the role of prayer in this pericope? What does Paul commemorate in his prayers? What do you think Paul is most grateful for?
  
  
• Do these verses give a sense for what Paul believes is at the core of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ?
  
  
• Do you get a sense for Paul’s affection for the community in this section?
  
  
• What is meant by the phrase your “election of God” (Greek: ekloge = he act of picking out, choosing). Do you think verses 5-10 give us important clues about how Paul uses election in the present context? Do you think the Old Testament is in the background for the use of this word?
  
  
• What do you think it means when in verse 5 that the gospel came by power and not just by word?
  
  

  (5) For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

• Does verse 9 imply that the community was at least in part comprised of Gentiles? Why is verse 9 an important verse? Do you think the Old Testament is an important backdrop for this verse as well?

IV. Timothy’s Report

• Read 1 Th 3:6-10
  
  

  (6) But now when Timotheus came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: (7) Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: (8) For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord. (9) For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; (10) Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?

• Is their anything surprising about Paul’s discussion of the report? What do you make of verses 8-9? What do those verses tell us about Paul?
  
  
• Why was the report good tidings? What does Paul emphasize?
  
  
• In the first chapter, Paul emphasizes faith, hope, and charity (this is also a theme that shows up in other epistles). Do you think it is noteworthy or important that in verse 6 Paul doesn’t mention hope? Do you think missing use of hope is related to verse 10? Do you think it helps explain Paul’s exhortation in 4:9-14?
  
  

  (9) But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. (10) And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; (11) And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; (12) That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. (13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

V. Prayer

• Read 1 Th 3:11-13
  
  

  (11) Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you. (12) And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: (13) To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.

• Do you think it is fair to describe these verses as a prayer? Do you think you can pray in a letter?
  
  
• What do we learn about Paul from the prayer? What do we learn about the church in Thessalonica?
  
  
• Do you think that verse 13 implies that Paul and the church at Thessalonica believe that the coming or return of Jesus Christ would be soon (within their lifetime)?
  
  
• Paul speaks of holiness in verse 13? What do you think he means by holiness given the context of verse 13 and the rest of the letter?
  
  
• Specifically, what is meant by blameless in holiness? Does this mean to be blameless and holy? Are they roughly equivalent? Something else? Why is blameless in holiness a critical or the critical attribute?
  
  
• Philip Essler points out the opposite of holiness is, “impurity”, which is the “label for the filthy world of idolatry and immorality which they have left behind.”[8] How does this affect your understanding of “blameless in holiness?”
  
  
• Does this theme of holiness help us understand the content of chapter 4? What parts of chapter 4 address this theme of holiness? How do they help us understand what Paul means by holiness and blameless in holiness?

Endnotes

• Barton, John, and John Muddiman (Editors), 2001, Oxford Bible Commentary, Oxford University Press, 1199.
  
  
• Brown, Raymond E. (editor), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (editor), and Roland E. Murphy (editor), 1990, The New Jerome Bible Commentary, Prentice Hall, 773.
  
  
• Brown, Raymond E. (editor), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (editor), and Roland E. Murphy (editor), 1990, The New Jerome Bible Commentary, Prentice Hall, 773.
  
  
• Some conservative scholars have argued that Galations is earlier than 1 Thessalonians. The proposed date range for Galations is about 49-55 CE (See F.F Bruce in The Oxford Companion to the Bible). Another example; G.N. Stanton in the Oxford Bible Commentary argues for a range between 49-58. I think the identification of 1 Thessalonians as the first Pauline epistle reflects this broader hypothesized date range and that many scholars believe (given the range) that the probability that Galatians is written post 51 is pretty high.
  
  
• Brown, Raymond E. (editor), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (editor), and Roland E. Murphy (editor), 1990, The New Jerome Bible Commentary, Prentice Hall, 772.
  
  
• Adapted from Barton, John, and John Muddiman (Editors), 2001, Oxford Bible Commentary, Oxford University Press, 1202.
  
  
• Brown, Raymond E. (editor), Joseph A. Fitzmyer (editor), and Roland E. Murphy (editor), 1990, The New Jerome Bible Commentary, Prentice Hall, 774.
  
  
• Adapted from Barton, John, and John Muddiman (Editors), 2001, Oxford Bible Commentary, Oxford University Press, 1206.

[Archaea]

I really enjoyed First Thessalonians and then started to read up on the pseudonymous Second Thessalonians, finding this link.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.co...salonians.html

[Jeff Lebowski]

We covered this topic today in our ward. We were reading 1 Thess. 2:2:

2 But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully aentreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to bspeak unto you the gospel of God with much contention.

and a big discussion ensued on the phrase "with much contention". They had all kinds of theories about what that meant, since it doesn't seem to make sense at first glance. I raised my hand and mentioned that it was rendered quite a bit differently in the NRSV (which I happened to have along with me):

but though we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition.

This phrasing seems more consistent with the concept of preaching the gospel. The teacher didn't quite know how to respond. So she ended up mumbling something about "Well, I don't know who gets to decide which is more correct, but thanks for that anyway." Then she hurried to the next topic.

In any case, score one for the NRSV.

[pelagius]

Originally Posted by Archaea

I really enjoyed First Thessalonians and then started to read up on the pseudonymous Second Thessalonians, finding this link.

http://www.earlychristianwritings.co...salonians.html

Obviously I didn't get to 2 Th. I probably would have mentioned in class that most scholars think it wasn't written by Paul if I covered it. I then would probably say that regardless of authorship, it is scripture so we should take it seriously. I do this so that my class gets some exposure to the wider issue of authorship and so authorship issues don't take up very much class time.