返回Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter One
1 Thess. 1:1. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy –
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians places Timothy alongside himself. Meanwhile, in the Epistle to the Ephesians he does not do this, even though Timothy was known to them. It seems to me this is because he intended to send him to the Ephesians immediately, which is why it was unnecessary to write the epistle on behalf of someone who was to deliver it. But here the situation is different: Timothy had recently returned from Thessalonica, so he rightly places him alongside himself. But before Timothy he places Silvanus, probably because Timothy himself, out of humility, requested this, imitating his teacher Paul, who includes his disciples alongside himself. Here Paul does not call himself either an apostle or a servant, as he usually does in other epistles, because the Thessalonians were newly converted and had not yet come to know him closely. Therefore, it was not fitting to remind them of his dignity.
1 Thess. 1:1. Church of the Thessalonians
Though the Thessalonians were few in number and had not yet been closely united among themselves, he nevertheless calls them a church, encouraging them by the very name itself: since the name "church" for the most part signifies a multitude.
1 Thess. 1:1. In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Since there were both Greek and Jewish churches, he, distinguishing this church from those, says, which is "in God the Father." It is a great dignity to be "in God." For if someone is a slave of sin, he is not "in God." Note: the preposition "in" (εν) applies both to the Father and to the Son.
1 Thess. 1:1. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He wishes for them that more and more they would advance in the gifts of God, but would also have peace, not being prideful before one another.
1 Thess. 1:2. We always thank God for all of you,
Immediately after the praise follows glory to God. For by thanking God for them, he shows that they have fulfilled everything by which God is glorified. But at the same time he also teaches humility, since everything is accomplished by God.
1 Thess. 1:2. remembering you in our prayers,
That he thanks God is a consequence of their virtues; and that he remembers them in his prayers is due to his love for them.
1 Thess. 1:3. Unceasingly remembering
Not only, he says, do I remember you in prayers, but also at every other time. This is proof of his fervent love.
1 Thess. 1:3. your work of faith
That is, your steadfastness. For the essence of faith is to stand firm, and not merely to boast of faith in words.
1 Thess. 1:3. and the labor of love
What labor is it to love? Simply to love is no labor; but to love truly is a great labor. For if someone endures all things for the sake of a beloved person, how is this not labor? And the Thessalonians indeed suffered much out of love for Paul, as can be seen from the book of Acts (Acts 17:5).
1 Thess. 1:3. and the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
Much, he says, you endured in prolonged trials, and you endured, sustained by hope. For with full conviction you believed in the rewards prepared: since God allowed them at the beginning to undergo trials so that no one would say that the preaching was established simply and by flattery, but so that it would be evident that what was at work here was not human persuasion, but the power of God, subduing souls.
1 Thess. 1:3. before God and our Father,
One can understand this in two ways: either remembering before God and our Father; or understanding "the work of faith" which is before God. So do not think that you labor in vain; on the contrary, everything is before God, and He will render the reward.
1 Thess. 1:4. Knowing your election, brothers beloved by God;
He says, we remember you because we know that you are chosen by God: for you have been chosen for the faith preferentially over many others. But how is this evident, holy Paul? Listen, he says, to what follows next.
1 Thess. 1:5. Because our gospel came to you not in word only,
From this, he says, your election is evident, that God glorified the preaching among you. For we did not simply preach, but there were also signs, because God was pleased that you should believe as chosen by Him and foreordained.
1 Thess. 1:5. but also in power,
That is, in signs that served for the benefit of well-minded people and for the punishment of ill-minded ones.
1 Thess. 1:5. and in the Holy Spirit,
Or in spiritual wisdom, and not worldly; or in that the Holy Spirit was given to those who believed.
1 Thess. 1:5. and with much assurance,
That is, in afflictions and sufferings. Just as the sign and gift of the Holy Spirit served for the full assurance of those who believed, so also the sufferings endured for the sake of the preaching constitute a great confirmation of it.
1 Thess. 1:5. As you yourselves know, what kind of people we were among you for your sake.
You, he says, are witnesses of how we conducted ourselves among you and with what great readiness we preached; but this too is for your sake. Since you are chosen, we labored so zealously for you. For what would one not endure for the beloved of God? Here he also touches upon his own struggles, though in a veiled manner, since he wishes first to praise them.
1 Thess. 1:6. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
He strengthens them both by praise and by reminding them that they did not fall behind him in dangers. See what praise — to become imitators of the teacher at once, and not only of him, but also of the Lord! How then did they become "imitators of the Lord"? In that He Himself also, having endured great sufferings, rejoiced: for He came voluntarily for this very purpose, so as to say to the Father: "glorify Your Son" (Jn. 17:1).
1 Thess. 1:6. Having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit,
You received the word not simply amid afflictions, but also "amid many," that is, with dangers. And this can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. Yet this affliction, namely the dangers, you receive with joy. Explaining how one can rejoice in affliction, he said: "with joy of the Holy Spirit." The Spirit did not allow you to suffer: suffering was in them as bodily beings, but joy was supplied by the Spirit. For just as the youths were bedewed in the fire by the refreshing Spirit, so also in dangers the Spirit gladdened you, pointing you to the future recompense. See: one becomes an imitator of the Lord when he endures dangers with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thess. 1:7. So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
Although Paul came to them after others, nevertheless, he says, you shone so brightly that you became teachers of those who received the faith before you. And in this too is an imitation of Paul, since he also came last but surpassed everyone. Notice that he did not say: you will be an example for those who will believe, but: you have already "become an example" for believers of how one ought to believe — namely with fervor and readiness for dangers. By Achaia he means Greece.
1 Thess. 1:8. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
The fame of your virtue has caused the preaching to become known to all, and you have shown yourselves to be teachers of all. The expression "sounded forth" — he speaks as if of a trumpet, sounding loudly and heard over a great distance.
1 Thess. 1:8. not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith toward God has spread abroad,
Your example, says the apostle, filled Macedonia and Greece with word and teaching, and every place with amazement, that in such a short time you showed such faith. As if speaking of something animate, the apostle used the word: "spread abroad."
1 Thess. 1:8. So that we have no need to speak of anything.
So strong and effective is the fame of your faith that people do not even wait for us to say something about you; on the contrary, every time we begin to speak in order to bring them to a similar emulation, they anticipate us with their own accounts of your exploits.
1 Thess. 1:9. For they themselves report about us, what kind of entrance we had to you,
That is, that our coming to you was joined with a thousand deaths, and yet nothing turned you against us. On the contrary, you yourselves, having been exposed to dangers on our account, did not reject us, but treated us as though you had enjoyed countless blessings. This was the second entrance. For the apostle, having departed from Thessalonica to Berea, was persecuted, and having come from there to the Thessalonians, was so received by them that they were ready to lay down their lives for him.
1 Thess. 1:9. and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God
That is, you turned easily and with greater readiness. And here he very aptly inserted an exhortation as well, skillfully reminding them of what they had turned from and to what they had turned, so that they might live worthily of it.
1 Thess. 1:10. And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
And this is a characteristic of the same method; because in the form of a narrative he taught them to await the Son of God. For the greatest consolation for those who grieve is that the One who suffered has risen and is in heaven, that He will come and deliver us who grieve from the coming wrath, that is, from punishment, as those who have truly pleased Him through faith and a blameless life. But those who cause us grief He will not spare. Since afflictions are overhead, while blessings are in the future, the apostle ascribes to them great faith, as those who await and firmly hope in what is to come.
1 Thess. 1:1. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy –
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians places Timothy alongside himself. Meanwhile, in the Epistle to the Ephesians he does not do this, even though Timothy was known to them. It seems to me this is because he intended to send him to the Ephesians immediately, which is why it was unnecessary to write the epistle on behalf of someone who was to deliver it. But here the situation is different: Timothy had recently returned from Thessalonica, so he rightly places him alongside himself. But before Timothy he places Silvanus, probably because Timothy himself, out of humility, requested this, imitating his teacher Paul, who includes his disciples alongside himself. Here Paul does not call himself either an apostle or a servant, as he usually does in other epistles, because the Thessalonians were newly converted and had not yet come to know him closely. Therefore, it was not fitting to remind them of his dignity.
1 Thess. 1:1. Church of the Thessalonians
Though the Thessalonians were few in number and had not yet been closely united among themselves, he nevertheless calls them a church, encouraging them by the very name itself: since the name "church" for the most part signifies a multitude.
1 Thess. 1:1. In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Since there were both Greek and Jewish churches, he, distinguishing this church from those, says, which is "in God the Father." It is a great dignity to be "in God." For if someone is a slave of sin, he is not "in God." Note: the preposition "in" (εν) applies both to the Father and to the Son.
1 Thess. 1:1. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
He wishes for them that more and more they would advance in the gifts of God, but would also have peace, not being prideful before one another.
1 Thess. 1:2. We always thank God for all of you,
Immediately after the praise follows glory to God. For by thanking God for them, he shows that they have fulfilled everything by which God is glorified. But at the same time he also teaches humility, since everything is accomplished by God.
1 Thess. 1:2. remembering you in our prayers,
That he thanks God is a consequence of their virtues; and that he remembers them in his prayers is due to his love for them.
1 Thess. 1:3. Unceasingly remembering
Not only, he says, do I remember you in prayers, but also at every other time. This is proof of his fervent love.
1 Thess. 1:3. your work of faith
That is, your steadfastness. For the essence of faith is to stand firm, and not merely to boast of faith in words.
1 Thess. 1:3. and the labor of love
What labor is it to love? Simply to love is no labor; but to love truly is a great labor. For if someone endures all things for the sake of a beloved person, how is this not labor? And the Thessalonians indeed suffered much out of love for Paul, as can be seen from the book of Acts (Acts 17:5).
1 Thess. 1:3. and the patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ
Much, he says, you endured in prolonged trials, and you endured, sustained by hope. For with full conviction you believed in the rewards prepared: since God allowed them at the beginning to undergo trials so that no one would say that the preaching was established simply and by flattery, but so that it would be evident that what was at work here was not human persuasion, but the power of God, subduing souls.
1 Thess. 1:3. before God and our Father,
One can understand this in two ways: either remembering before God and our Father; or understanding "the work of faith" which is before God. So do not think that you labor in vain; on the contrary, everything is before God, and He will render the reward.
1 Thess. 1:4. Knowing your election, brothers beloved by God;
He says, we remember you because we know that you are chosen by God: for you have been chosen for the faith preferentially over many others. But how is this evident, holy Paul? Listen, he says, to what follows next.
1 Thess. 1:5. Because our gospel came to you not in word only,
From this, he says, your election is evident, that God glorified the preaching among you. For we did not simply preach, but there were also signs, because God was pleased that you should believe as chosen by Him and foreordained.
1 Thess. 1:5. but also in power,
That is, in signs that served for the benefit of well-minded people and for the punishment of ill-minded ones.
1 Thess. 1:5. and in the Holy Spirit,
Or in spiritual wisdom, and not worldly; or in that the Holy Spirit was given to those who believed.
1 Thess. 1:5. and with much assurance,
That is, in afflictions and sufferings. Just as the sign and gift of the Holy Spirit served for the full assurance of those who believed, so also the sufferings endured for the sake of the preaching constitute a great confirmation of it.
1 Thess. 1:5. As you yourselves know, what kind of people we were among you for your sake.
You, he says, are witnesses of how we conducted ourselves among you and with what great readiness we preached; but this too is for your sake. Since you are chosen, we labored so zealously for you. For what would one not endure for the beloved of God? Here he also touches upon his own struggles, though in a veiled manner, since he wishes first to praise them.
1 Thess. 1:6. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord,
He strengthens them both by praise and by reminding them that they did not fall behind him in dangers. See what praise — to become imitators of the teacher at once, and not only of him, but also of the Lord! How then did they become "imitators of the Lord"? In that He Himself also, having endured great sufferings, rejoiced: for He came voluntarily for this very purpose, so as to say to the Father: "glorify Your Son" (Jn. 17:1).
1 Thess. 1:6. Having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit,
You received the word not simply amid afflictions, but also "amid many," that is, with dangers. And this can be seen in the Acts of the Apostles. Yet this affliction, namely the dangers, you receive with joy. Explaining how one can rejoice in affliction, he said: "with joy of the Holy Spirit." The Spirit did not allow you to suffer: suffering was in them as bodily beings, but joy was supplied by the Spirit. For just as the youths were bedewed in the fire by the refreshing Spirit, so also in dangers the Spirit gladdened you, pointing you to the future recompense. See: one becomes an imitator of the Lord when he endures dangers with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
1 Thess. 1:7. So that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
Although Paul came to them after others, nevertheless, he says, you shone so brightly that you became teachers of those who received the faith before you. And in this too is an imitation of Paul, since he also came last but surpassed everyone. Notice that he did not say: you will be an example for those who will believe, but: you have already "become an example" for believers of how one ought to believe — namely with fervor and readiness for dangers. By Achaia he means Greece.
1 Thess. 1:8. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth
The fame of your virtue has caused the preaching to become known to all, and you have shown yourselves to be teachers of all. The expression "sounded forth" — he speaks as if of a trumpet, sounding loudly and heard over a great distance.
1 Thess. 1:8. not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith toward God has spread abroad,
Your example, says the apostle, filled Macedonia and Greece with word and teaching, and every place with amazement, that in such a short time you showed such faith. As if speaking of something animate, the apostle used the word: "spread abroad."
1 Thess. 1:8. So that we have no need to speak of anything.
So strong and effective is the fame of your faith that people do not even wait for us to say something about you; on the contrary, every time we begin to speak in order to bring them to a similar emulation, they anticipate us with their own accounts of your exploits.
1 Thess. 1:9. For they themselves report about us, what kind of entrance we had to you,
That is, that our coming to you was joined with a thousand deaths, and yet nothing turned you against us. On the contrary, you yourselves, having been exposed to dangers on our account, did not reject us, but treated us as though you had enjoyed countless blessings. This was the second entrance. For the apostle, having departed from Thessalonica to Berea, was persecuted, and having come from there to the Thessalonians, was so received by them that they were ready to lay down their lives for him.
1 Thess. 1:9. and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God
That is, you turned easily and with greater readiness. And here he very aptly inserted an exhortation as well, skillfully reminding them of what they had turned from and to what they had turned, so that they might live worthily of it.
1 Thess. 1:10. And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.
And this is a characteristic of the same method; because in the form of a narrative he taught them to await the Son of God. For the greatest consolation for those who grieve is that the One who suffered has risen and is in heaven, that He will come and deliver us who grieve from the coming wrath, that is, from punishment, as those who have truly pleased Him through faith and a blameless life. But those who cause us grief He will not spare. Since afflictions are overhead, while blessings are in the future, the apostle ascribes to them great faith, as those who await and firmly hope in what is to come.
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