Research Paper On First Thessalonians

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Recommended: Contribution of Paul to Christianity

Scholars believe that First Thessalonians was one of the first Christian writings of any kind. Paul originally visited Thessalonica on his second missionary journey where he persuaded many God-fearing Greeks to follow the Gospel (New Testament in Antiquity, p. 281). The leaders accused Paul of disturbing the city and proclaiming false teachings. The suffering and persecution became so terrible that Paul and his companions were forced to flee to another town. Paul was worried about the discrimination against the new Christians in this area, though, so he sent Timothy back to Thessalonica to encourage the people and learn about their progress in faith. First Thessalonians is a letter written by Paul to the early Christians after Timothy …show more content…

First Thessalonians and the Gospels both provide a sense of hope for believers. Paul gives the early Christians hope in Thessalonica because the leaders are persecuting them for their beliefs. Similarly, Jesus provides his disciples encouragement after Jesus tells them that he must suffer and be killed. Additionally, Paul and Jesus are both talking to people who have little knowledge of what comes after death as a Christian. Paul is primarily speaking to Gentiles who had little understanding of the afterlife, and Jesus is discussing with his disciples, who have yet to fully understand that Jesus is the Son of God and has come to save all …show more content…

Jesus may mention this because he already knows that people will forsake him and may be foreshadowing his persecution or some of the disciples turning away from him. Conversely, Paul simply discusses the life of believers because he writes his letter directly for these people and does not desire to cause additional suffering than already endured. Another difference is that Paul describes the coming of the Lord in greater detail. Since these people already understood that Jesus was going to come back again one day, unlike the disciples, Paul was able to expand on this knowledge. For example, he describes “a cry of commands, with the archangels’ call and with the sound of God’s trumpet” when Jesus descends from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Also, the Gospel writing does not appear as clear as Paul’s. Jesus states, “But truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:27). At first, this passage seems to anticipate Jesus’ coming back again soon, which may explain why the Thessalonians had this false view of Jesus returning in their lifetime, which Paul had to explain in his letters. A closer reading, though, indicates that those “who will not taste death” are people who have eternal

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