Background to 1 Thessalonians

     Read Acts 17 (1-9) Paul and Silas's 

First Visit to Thessalonica.

The Bustling City Today.

The Thessalonians were Pagans.

Paul and Silas arrived in Thessaloniki after walking about 144 kms

from Philip-pi where they had been abused, bashed and imprisoned unjustly.

They preached the Good News of Jesus there for just three weeks and left 

a church in the homes of Jason, Aristarchus and Secundus.

Thessalonica was the Provincial Capital of Macedonia. It was on the 

Via Egnatia from Byzantium to Rome; a natural port and a free city 

in the Roman Empire.


Wikipedia Maps.

The Greek Religion was bound by civic and domestic rituals which 

had to be visible. They paid their respects to their deities who acted as 

their 'patrons'. They had Feast Days; sacrifices; celebrations, and Games

which were all public events.. Every event had it's religious ceremonies; 

even the banquets, games and business transactions.

In every household their were shrines to Hestia, Goddess of the hearth. 

This mainly involved the women in Fortune-Telling and astrology. They 

made pilgrimages to the Shrines,, eg. Delphi. People sought answers 

concerning love, rites of passage, and funerals; business and health.

The Gods of Mt. Olympus, lived as lusty mortals. They were metaphors

to teach important truths.

Thessalonica was a bustling trading port - city where drinking, gambling 

and sex, were readily available with the accompanying slaves, 

prostitutes and lovers. Bisexuality was common associated with the 

Calbiri Cult.  Notes from ' Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 

1and 2 Thessalonians.' Gary Shogren. Zondervan