1 Thessalonians - Introduction

      It is interesting to know that this church, honored with the first of the apostolic epistles, long continued to enjoy a glorious history. It was afterwards visited by the apostle more than once; and is often mentioned in the history of the church. Though for more than four hundred years under the sway of the Turk, the majority of its population has always continued to profess the religion of Christ. The city is still great and flourishing, in point of commerce the third in the Turkish empire, possessing a population estimated all the way from 75,000 to 100,000. Of these about one-half are Greek Christians, and the remainder nearly equally divided between Mohammedans and Jews. The excellence of the harbor makes it a constant object of eastern diplomacy, and at this time one of the obstacles in the way of settling the "Eastern Question" is to determine what power shall be awarded Thessalonica.

      As to the date of the epistle, it can be nearly determined. About A. D. 52, the church here was planted. From thence the apostle went to Berea and Athens. From the latter, probably several months after leaving Thessalonica, he sent Timothy back. Several months more would intervene before Timothy could return at Corinth. It is therefore probable that the letter was written in A. D. 53, perhaps at least a year after the planting of the church. It was not written at Athens, as an unauthorized addition in the Common Version states.