First Epistle to the Thessalonians - wikipedia First Epistle to the Thessalonians Part of a series of articles on Paul in the Bible Pauline literature Romans I Corinthians II Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians I Thessalonians II Thessalonians Pastoral epistles I Timothy II Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews Authorship Paul the Apostle Related literature Lost epistles Apocalypse of Paul Coptic Apocalypse of Paul Corinthians to Paul Acts of Paul Paul and Thecla Peter and Paul Prayer of Paul See also Apostle ( Christian ) Pauline Christianity Books of the New Testament Gospels Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Acts of the Apostles Epistles Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Apocalypse Revelation New Testament manuscripts The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, usually referred to simply as First Thessalonians ( written 1 Thessalonians and abbreviated 1 Thess. or 1 Thes. ), is a book from the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The first letter to the Thessalonians was likely the first of Paul 's letters, probably written by the end of AD 52. Contents 1 Composition 1.1 Date 1.2 Authenticity 1.3 Audience 2 Contents 2.1 Outline 2.2 Text 3 See also 4 References 5 External links Composition Most New Testament scholars believe Paul the Apostle wrote this letter from Corinth, although information appended to this work in many early manuscripts ( e.g., Codices Alexandrinus, Mosquensis, and Angelicus ) state that Paul wrote it in Athens after Timothy had returned from Macedonia with news of the state of the church in Thessalonica ( Acts 18 : 1 -- 5 ; 1 Thes. 3 : 6 ). For the most part, the letter is personal in nature, with only the final two chapters spent addressing issues of doctrine, almost as an aside. Paul 's main purpose in writing is to encourage and reassure the Christians there. Paul urges them to go on working quietly while waiting in hope for the return of Christ. Date Unlike all subsequent Pauline epistles, 1 Thessalonians does not focus on justification by faith or questions of Jewish -- Gentile relations, themes that are covered in all other letters. Many scholars see this as an indication that this letter was written before the Epistle to the Galatians, where Paul 's positions on these matters were formed and elucidated. Authenticity The first page of the epistle in Minuscule 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 notably Clement Schrader and F.C. Baur. 1 Thessalonians matches other accepted Pauline letters, both in style and in content, and its authorship is also affirmed by 2 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians 2 : 13 -- 16 have often been regarded as a post-Pauline interpolation. The following arguments have been based on the content : It is perceived to be theologically incompatible with Paul 's other epistles : elsewhere Paul attributed Jesus 's death to the `` rulers of this age '' ( 1 Cor 2 : 8 ) rather than to the Jews, and elsewhere Paul writes that the Jews have not been abandoned by God, for `` all Israel will be saved '' ( Rom 11 : 26 ) ; According to 1 Thes 1 : 10, the wrath of God is still to come ; it is not something that has already shown itself. There were no extensive historical persecutions of Christians by Jews in Palestine prior to the first Jewish war. The use of the concept of imitation in 1 Thes. 2.14 is singular. The aorist eftasen ( `` has overtaken '' ) refers to the destruction of Jerusalem. The syntax of 1 Thes. 2 : 13 -- 16 deviates significantly from that of the surrounding context. It is also sometimes suggested that 1 Thes. 5 : 1 -- 11 is a post-Pauline insertion that has many features of Lukan language and theology that serves as an apologetic correction to Paul 's imminent expectation of the Second Coming in 1 Thes. 4 : 13 -- 18. Other scholars, such as Schmithals, Eckhart, Demke and Munro, have developed complicated theories involving redaction and interpolation in 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Audience See also : Early centers of Christianity Paul claimed the title of the `` Apostle to the Gentiles '', and established gentile churches in several important cities in the Roman Empire. According to Bart D. Ehrman, the Acts of the Apostles tells a different story of Paul 's career, but in this case it reports that, while there were `` some '' Jews converted during Paul 's initial preaching in Thessalonica, the gentiles who were converted were `` a large number '' and the Jews as a body fiercely opposed Paul 's work there. Contents Outline Salutation and thanksgiving ( 1 Thes. 1 : 1 -- 10 ) Past interactions with the church ( 1 Thes. 2 : 1 -- 20 ) Regarding Timothy 's visit ( 1 Thes. 3 : 1 -- 13 ) Specific issues within the church ( 1 Thes. 4 : 1 -- 5 : 25 ) Relationships among Christians ( 1 Thes. 4 : 1 -- 12 ) Mourning those who have died ( 1 Thes. 4 : 13 -- 18 ) Preparing for God 's arrival ( 1 Thes. 5 : 1 -- 11 ) How Christians should behave ( 1 Thes. 5 : 12 -- 25 ) Closing salutation ( 1 Thes. 5 : 26 -- 28 ) Text Paul, speaking for himself, Silas, and Timothy, gives thanks for the news about their 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 an apostle to impose upon them. Paul goes on to explain that the dead will be resurrected prior to those still living, and both groups will greet the Lord in the air. See also Authorship of the Pauline epistles Imitation of Christ Second Epistle to the Thessalonians References Jump up ^ Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed. ^ Jump up to : Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible, 1997. pp. 456 -- 466. Jump up ^ Ernest Best, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians ( New York : Harper and Row, 1972 ), p. 7 Jump up ^ Best, Thessalonians, pp. 22 -- 29. Jump up ^ `` The only possible reference to a previous missive is in 2 : 15... '' Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, Anchor Bible, 1997. p. 590. Jump up ^ CollegeVille Bible Commentary, p 1155 Jump up ^ Pearson, p. 88 Jump up ^ Birger A. Pearson, `` 1 Thessalonians 2 : 13 -- 16 A Deutero Pauline Interpolation '', Harvard Theological Review, 64 ( 1971 ), pp. 79 -- 94 Jump up ^ Schmidt, D., `` I Thess 2 : 13 -- 16 : Linguistic Evidence for an Interpolation, '' JBL 102 ( 1983 ) : 269 -- 279 Jump up ^ G. Friedrich, `` 1. Thessalonicher 5, 1 -- 11, der apologetische Einschub eines Spaeteren, '' ZTK 70 ( 1973 ) 289 Jump up ^ Schmithals, W., Paul and the Gnostics Transl. by J. Steely ( Nashville : Abingdon Press, 1972 ), 123 -- 218 Jump up ^ K.G. Eckart, `` Der zweite echte Brief des Apostels Paulus an die Thessalonicher, '' ZThK ( 1961 ), 30 -- 44 Jump up ^ Theologie und Literarkritik im 1. Thessalonicherbrief Jump up ^ 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 ^ Jump up to : Ehrman, Bart. Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene : The Followers of Jesus in History and Legend. Oxford University Press, USA. 2006. ISBN 0 - 19 - 530013 - 0 Jump up ^ Acts 17 : 4 -- 5 Jump up ^ 1 Thessalonians 4 : 13 -- 18 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Easton, Matthew George ( 1897 ). `` Thessalonians, Epistles to the ''. Easton 's Bible Dictionary ( New and revised ed. ). T. Nelson and Sons. External links Wikisource has original text related to this article : 1 Thessalonians Wikiquote has quotations related to : First Epistle to the Thessalonians Epistles to the Thessalonians entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia Online Bible at GospelHall.org Thessalonians public domain audiobook at LibriVox Various versions First Epistle to the Thessalonians Pauline Epistle Preceded by Colossians New Testament Books of the Bible Succeeded by Second Thessalonians hide Books of the Bible Principal divisions Hebrew Bible / Old Testament Protocanon Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 -- 2 Samuel 1 -- 2 Kings 1 -- 2 Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah Esther Job Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Song Isaiah Jeremiah Lamentations Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel Amos Obadiah Jonah Micah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi Deuterocanon and Apocrypha Catholic Orthodox Tobit Judith Additions to Esther 1 Maccabees 2 Maccabees Wisdom Sirach Baruch / Letter of Jeremiah Additions to Daniel Susanna Song of the Three Children Bel and the Dragon Orthodox only 1 Esdras 2 Esdras Prayer of Manasseh Psalm 151 3 Maccabees 4 Maccabees Odes Tewahedo Orthodox Enoch Jubilees 1, 2, and 3 Meqabyan Paralipomena of Baruch Broader canon Syriac Letter of Baruch Psalms 152 -- 155 New Testament Matthew Mark Luke John Acts Romans 1 Corinthians 2 Corinthians Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians 1 Thessalonians 2 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Hebrews James 1 Peter 2 Peter 1 John 2 John 3 John Jude Revelation Subdivisions Chapters and verses Pentateuch Wisdom Major prophets / Minor prophets Gospels Synoptic Epistles Pauline Johannine Pastoral Catholic Apocalyptic literature Development Old Testament canon New Testament canon Antilegomena Jewish canon Christian canon Manuscripts Dead Sea Scrolls Samaritan Pentateuch Septuagint Targum Diatessaron Muratorian fragment Peshitta Vetus Latina Masoretic Text New Testament manuscript categories New Testament papyri New Testament uncials See also Biblical canon Luther 's canon Authorship English Bible translations Other books referenced in the Bible Pseudepigrapha list New Testament apocrypha Studies Synod of Hippo Textual criticism Portal WikiProject Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Epistle_to_the_Thessalonians&oldid=830497935 '' Categories : New Testament books Pauline - related books Canonical epistles Christianity in Roman Macedonia First Epistle to the Thessalonians Hidden categories : Pages with numeric Bible version references Wikipedia articles incorporating text from Easton 's Bible Dictionary Articles with LibriVox links Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Wikisource Afrikaans ܐܪܡܝܐ Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Boarisch Brezhoneg Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto فارسی Français Frysk Furlan Gaeilge गोंयची कोंकणी / Gõychi Konknni 客家 語 / Hak - kâ - ngî 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Basa Jawa ქართული Kinyarwanda Kiswahili Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Lumbaart Magyar Македонски Malagasy മലയാളം Mìng - dĕ̤ng - ngṳ̄ Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Runa Simi Русский Gagana Samoa Simple English Slovenčina Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska Tagalog தமிழ் ไทย Українська اردو ئۇيغۇرچە / Uyghurche Tiếng Việt Winaray Yorùbá 粵語 中文 59 more Edit links This page was last edited on 15 March 2018, at 05 : 37 ( UTC ). 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Question: who wrote the book of 1 and 2 thessalonians
Answer: Paul the Apostle