The first epistle to the church at Thessalonica

 Thessalonica was the principal city of Macedonia and a key seaport on the Aegean Sea--specifically the Thermaic Gulf--established as the capital of the second district in 167 B.C.E., and later the "seat of provincial administration" when Macedonia became a province in 146 B.C.E. (Bruce, 1977, p. 223). Because the city had shown great allegiance to Rome in the aftermath of the assassination of Julius Caesar, it was appointed a "free city," allowing it to be governed by a popular assembly and council known as "politarchs" (Beare, 1962, p. 622). There was a flourishing Jewish community, complete with synagogue, to whom Paul had initially directed his missionary work (Acts 17:2), although it is apparent that more Gentiles and "not a

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of the Lord in glory" (Stendahl, 1973, p. 43). It is clear that vv. 13-18 are intended to clarify any such "overinterpretation" as may have developed in the church, simply the result of the "unfinished instruction" during Paul's brief stay in the city. Gager (1981) asserts that "Judaism and Christianity were the only cults in the empire that ran afoul of Rome's general policy of toleration. . . . To Roman eyes, the obstinate and incomprehensible intolerance of Christians made them appear not only foolish but treasonable. . . . and these people alone died for their folly" (p. 124). In Saunders' (1973) estimation, "Paul's counsel at this point is the most detailed description of the Final Advent to be found anywhere in the NT" (p. 26). Indeed, Beare (1962), finds that "The most striking feature of the letter is the dominance of eschatological motifs" (p. 624). Paul writes to the congregation: "But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope" (v. 13). This is not to be seen as a rejection of the grieving process. On the contrary, this is a recognition of the necessity of grief. However, there is a different purpose to be understood in
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Julius Caesar, Hades Sheol, Aeschylus Eumenides, God's Kingdom, Christians Angelic, Indeed Beare, God Paul, Meanwhile Christians, Timothy Paul, Considering Thessalonian, morris 1956, rolston 1963, saunders 1973, grand rapids, cited kac, paul's message, martin 1978, beare 1962, john knox press, john knox, resurrection jesus, eerdmans publishing company, grand rapids william, rapids william eerdmans, niebuhr cited kac,
Approximate Word count = 1957
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)