New Study: The Letters of Paul: 1 Thessalonians 1

Paul's letters to the church are also called epistles. The word epistle is derived from the Greek word epistole, sometimes seen as epistolé or epistolē (pronounced ep-is-tol-ay'). 

An epistle is a literary genre in itself and not limited to Biblical writings. They are instructive in nature and follow a standard format -- a greeting, followed by the main teaching, and closed with a blessing and well wishes. Epistles differ from other sorts of letters in both their format and nature. 

Most of the New Testament is comprised of epistles, with the apostle Paul being the writer of the majority of these letters. Paul wrote the letters to encourage and instruct the early church, both individual churches and the church as a whole.

The letters in the Bible are not presented in their chronological order, but instead are ordered by their lengths, from longest letter to shortest. So while the book of Romans follows the book of Acts in the New Testament, it is believed that Paul's letter to the Romans (his longest epistle) was written about 6 or 7 years after his letter to the Thessalonians.

The whole body of letters can be broken down into three series, those written in the 50s and 60s AD, those written during Paul's imprisonment in Rome, 61 to 63 AD, known as the Prison Epistles or Captivity Letters, and those letters written to specific individuals, 66 or 67 AD, known as the Pastoral Letters.

Paul was executed around 66 or 67 AD.

Historically (until around 1500 AD), the letter to the Hebrews' authorship had been attributed to Paul. However, scholars now are uncertain who wrote this letter. Nonetheless, the book of Hebrews is still included in some lists of Pauline Epistles.

We'll begin reading Paul's letters with his first series and in chronological order of their writing.

To the church at Thessalonica

1 Thessalonians 1

Greeting

1 Paul, Silvanus,[or Silas] and Timothy:

To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace. [Other manuscripts add from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ]

Thanksgiving

2 We always thank God for all of you, making mention of you constantly in our prayers. 3 We recall, in the presence of our God and Father, your work produced by faith, your labor motivated by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, in the Holy Spirit, and with full assurance. You know how we lived among you for your benefit, 6 and you yourselves became imitators of us and of the Lord when, in spite of severe persecution, you welcomed the message with joy from the Holy Spirit. 7 As a result, you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord rang out from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place that your faith in God has gone out. Therefore, we don’t need to say anything, 9 for they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

CSB