Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the assembly of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
BACKGROUND: Thessalonica was a large city of about 200,000 in Macedonia, which is today northern Greece. It’s modern name is Salonika. As a strategic commercial center it had attracted a large community of Jews and they had a synagogue (Acts 17:1). Paul was given an opportunity to speak in the synagogue for three Sabbath days and "reasoned with them from the scriptures," showing that Jesus of Nazareth came in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies and promises (Acts 17:2-3).