Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Argument
Thessalonica, the metropolis of Macedonia, was a most renowned city, which was formerly called Halia, and afterwards by Philip, son of Amyntas, was named Thessalonica, either because he had conquered the Thessalians in it, as the name sounds; or, as Strabo says, from his wife Thessalonica: now it is called Salonica, and is a station and emporium of the Jews. In this city, therefore, Paul had preached the Gospel, and in a short time had converted many of the Gentiles, and especially noble matrons, as is clear from Acts 17:1 and following. Hence at once the Jews, envying Paul and the Gospel, stirred up a sedition against him; therefore Paul fled to Athens, and from there sent Timothy to Thessalonica, that he might complete the work begun by him and confirm the faithful in the faith, as appears here, chapter III, verse 2. Then Timothy returned to Paul, and recounted to him what he had done and the Thessalonians' constancy in the faith. Whence Paul writes this epistle to them, in which he congratulates them on their constancy, and confirms them in the faith, that for the sake of preserving it together with him they may bravely bear the persecutions of Jews and Gentiles.
Then, in chapter IV, he exhorts them to flee fornication, idleness, and sloth; and instructs them concerning the resurrection and the coming of Christ to judgment. Finally, in chapter V, he warns them that they should prepare themselves for the day of judgment by living holily, and devote themselves to works of charity, to prayer, and to piety.
The Greek and Syriac copies of this epistle hold that it was written at Athens. The same is taught by Theodoret, Oecumenius here, and Athanasius in the Synopsis; but it is more truly held to have been written at Corinth in the year of Christ 52, as Baronius teaches; for Timothy had already returned to Paul from Thessalonica, as he himself says in chapter III, verse 6. But Timothy returned to Paul not at Athens, where he scarcely seems to have stayed, but while he was at Corinth, as is clear from Acts 18:5. Whence it follows that this is the first of all the epistles which Paul wrote, as Chrysostom and Theodoret constantly affirm.