Bible Commentaries

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10. Thanksgiving for the Past.—As in all his epistles except Gal., Paul commences with a paragraph of congratulation, singling out for special praise "the work of faith, the labour of love, and the patience of hope" exhibited by the Thessalonians, and describing them as a "model Church."

1 Thessalonians 1:1. Silvanus: the Silas of Acts. He and Timothy were the constant companions of Paul during the second missionary journey.

1 Thessalonians 1:3. work of faith, etc.: note the combination of the three great Pauline words—faith, hope, and love (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13). This sentence is a kind of hall-mark setting the stamp of genuineness upon the epistle. Note also the combination of works and faith in the phrase "work of faith" (cf. Galatians 5:6).—labour of love: toil of love.—patience of hope: the endurance or the constancy of hope; the hope that never fails or flags.

1 Thessalonians 1:6. having received . . . in affliction: a reference to the persecution organised by "certain vile fellows of the rabble" (Acts 17:5-9*).

1 Thessalonians 1:7. an ensample: a model. The phrase "model Church" is applied only to Thessalonica.

1 Thessalonians 1:8. sounded forth: reverberated. No details have been preserved with regard to this missionary activity.

1 Thessalonians 1:9. from idols: this phrase indicates that the Church was mainly composed of Gentiles who had been converted from paganism.

1 Thessalonians 1:10. The two principal items of their faith are: (a) to serve a living and true God, (b) to wait for the Parousia of Christ.—the wrath to come: the impending judgment which is to fall on the world at the Parousia.