Thessalonica

Location

Thessalonica (modern Thessaloniki) is a great Macedonian city on the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea. In Paul's day it was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia and the largest city in the region. It stood on the Via Egnatia, the main Roman road across the Balkans.

Biblical importance

Thessalonica is a church born under fire. Paul preached in the synagogue three sabbath days (Acts 17:1-3), gathered a company of Greeks and 'devout Greeks a great multitude,' and had to flee by night. His two letters — 1 and 2 Thessalonians — are the earliest of his surviving epistles (c. AD 51), and they teach the household to work quietly with their own hands and to wait for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Important biblical events

• Acts 17:1-9 (KJV) Paul enters the synagogue, preaches three sabbaths, is opposed by the Jews; Jason gives security and Paul leaves by night.
• Acts 17:11 (KJV) The Bereans, in contrast, 'received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily.'
• 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (KJV) 'That ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands.'
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (KJV) 'For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout… and so shall we ever be with the Lord.'
• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV) 'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks.'
• 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (KJV) 'If any would not work, neither should he eat.'

Related People

• Paul — who preached three sabbaths.
• Silas and Timothy — Paul's companions in Macedonia.
• Jason — the host who gave security when Paul left (Acts 17:5-9).
• Aristarchus and Secundus — Thessalonian believers named in Acts 20:4.

Connected Places

• Philippi — Paul's previous stop in Macedonia (if the entry exists).
• Berea — the city Paul went to next.
• Athens — where Paul waited for Silas and Timothy after fleeing.
• Corinth — where Paul wrote both epistles to the Thessalonians.

Christian tradition

• Thessaloniki is one of the great continuously Christian cities of the East; the Church of Hagios Demetrios has stood in various forms since the fifth century.
• The three sabbaths of preaching are commemorated in the local church calendar.
• The Thessalonian bishopric was for centuries second only to Constantinople in the eastern Church.

Household reflection

Thessalonica teaches the household to work quietly. Paul's clearest instructions to any young church are these: study to be quiet, do your own business, work with your own hands, walk honestly toward them that are without. A household that wants to serve God well should read 1 Thessalonians 4 once a month.

Room connections

Where this entry meets the household in the wider house of CrossAIHub.

• Read (Library) — Read 1 Thessalonians (five short chapters) in one sitting on any Sunday afternoon.
• Pray (Chapel) — Pray the household's grace as 'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks.'
• Family (Kitchen Table) — Learn one household craft together — work with your own hands, as Paul commanded.
• Sing (Choir Room) — Sing 'Blest Be the Tie That Binds' (John Fawcett, 1782) — the fellowship of the saints.
• Learn (Workshop) — Compare 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 with 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 — the discipline of quiet work.

Further reading

Acts 17:1-9 in the KJV.

1 Thessalonians (5 chapters).

2 Thessalonians (3 chapters).

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Paul
• Athens
• Corinth
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.