Thessalonica

In the Bible

According to Acts 17:1-9, Paul and Silas came to this city during the second missionary journey. After leaving Philippi, they passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia and arrived at Thessalonica. In the Jewish synagogue, Paul reasoned for three Sabbath days that Jesus is the Christ. As a result, some of the Jews believed, along with "of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few" (Acts 17:4).

Moved with envy, the Jews gathered a crowd, assaulted the house of Jason, and dragged him before the rulers of the city. Paul and his companions left by night for Berea (Acts 17:10). Later references to the city include the following:

• Aristarchus and Secundus, both Thessalonians, accompanied Paul (Acts 20:4).
• Demas forsook Paul and departed for Thessalonica (2 Timothy 4:10).
• Paul sent 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians to this church.

Background

The city is said to have been founded in the late fourth century BC by Cassander of Macedon, who named it after his wife, Thessalonike, a half-sister of Alexander the Great. In the Roman period, Thessalonica was the principal city of the province of Macedonia. It was also a port city on the Via Egnatia, the great road linking Rome with the East.

The term rendered "rulers of the city" in Acts (Greek politarchēs) was a title for municipal magistrates. The title is reportedly also attested in inscriptions found in the region. The city is known today as Thessaloniki, Greece.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The church at Thessalonica was one of the earliest churches established in Europe. First Thessalonians 1:9 records that the believers "turned to God from idols," indicating that many of them were of Gentile background. Paul commended this church for holding fast to the faith amid persecution, saying that it had become an example to all who believed in Macedonia and Achaia (1 Thessalonians 1:7). Philippians 4:16 states that the Philippian church sent aid more than once to Paul while he was in Thessalonica.

Interpretation and Debate

• Length of stay: Acts mentions only "three sabbath days" and does not directly state how long Paul stayed in all. For this reason, many scholars hold that Paul remained longer. They point to the statement that Paul labored night and day while there (1 Thessalonians 2:9) and to the repeated support he received from the Philippian church.
• Understanding of the end times: First Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes believers meeting "the Lord in the air." The Dispensationalist tradition reads this passage as support for a pretribulation rapture. Other traditions, including the Reformed tradition, read it as an event that occurs at the same time as the Second Coming.

In the Korean Church

First Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks," is among the most widely memorized passages in the Korean church. It frequently appears in church mottos, on framed wall hangings, and in song lyrics. The phrase "work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope" in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 is also a frequent sermon text.