The First Epistle of St Paul to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians)

The First Epistle to the Thessalonians, in the Vulgate Epistola I ad Thessalonicenses, is a short letter of five chapters written by St Paul to a young Church in Macedonia that he had been forced to leave in haste. Warm and fatherly, it thanks God for their faith, then teaches them how to please Him: in purity, brotherly love and quiet work, in hope for their dead, and in watchfulness for the day of the Lord. Chapters 4 and 5 hold some of the most quoted verses in Scripture.

The author: St Paul, with Silvanus and Timothy

The letter opens in the names of St Paul and his companions Silvanus (the Silas of the Acts) and Timothy: "Paul and Sylvanus and Timothy: to the church of the Thessalonians, in God the Father, and in the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 1:1).

The external witness is early. St Irenaeus, writing about 180, cites 5:23 in Against Heresies, expressly attributing it to the Apostle's First Epistle to the Thessalonians; Tertullian quotes passages from each of the five chapters in On the Resurrection of the Flesh and uses the letter against Marcion; St Clement of Alexandria, says the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913, "very often cites this brief letter." The Muratorian Fragment, the Third Council of Carthage of 397 and Pope St Innocent I list it among his Epistles, and the same Encyclopedia concludes that "there can be no reason whatsoever to doubt the canonicity of either letter."

Its plain, affectionate style and its exact fit with the Acts mark it as his. The objections raised in the nineteenth century by F. C. Baur were dismissed by the Catholic Encyclopedia as "purely subjective," and modern scholars almost all accept Paul's authorship of the First Epistle, including many who doubt the Second. For the Apostle's life, see our article on St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Date and place of writing

Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica, the chief city of Macedonia, where "for three sabbath days he reasoned with them out of the scriptures," and won Jews, God-fearers and "of the Gentiles a great multitude" (Acts 17). A riot drove them out by night to Berea, and Paul went on to Athens. His stay at Thessalonica was probably longer than three weeks, for the Philippians "sent once and again" to help him there (Philippians 4:16).

From Athens, anxious for the young Church, Paul sent Timothy back to them (1 Thessalonians 3:1–2). He went on to Corinth, and there "Silas and Timothy were come from Macedonia" (Acts 18:5). Timothy's report of their "faith and charity" (3:6) is the occasion of the letter, so it was written at Corinth, not at Athens as the old subscription in some manuscripts claims.

The date falls within the eighteen months Paul spent at Corinth (Acts 18:11). The Catholic Encyclopedia gives "the year 53 or 54 according to the commonly received scheme of Pauline chronology," or 48 or 49 by Harnack's reckoning; many scholars now place it about AD 50–51. With its sister letter it is generally held to be the earliest of St Paul's surviving Epistles.

What is 1 Thessalonians about? A summary

The Catholic Encyclopedia finds the letter "far more personal than doctrinal," and divides it, "merely for the sake of some division," into a personal part (chapters 1–3) and a doctrinal part (chapters 4–5). Its main message is that a Christian lives his whole life, body and soul, in the light of Christ's return.

Thanksgiving for a model Church (chapter 1)

Paul gives thanks "always for you all," "being mindful of the work of your faith, and labour, and charity, and of the enduring of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ" (chapter 1). They received the word "in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Ghost," so that they became "a pattern to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia." They "turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God," and now "wait for his Son from heaven."

Paul's ministry among them (chapter 2)

The Apostle recalls how he preached after being "shamefully treated" at Philippi: not in flattery or covetousness, but "as if a nurse should cherish her children," "working night and day, lest we should be chargeable to any of you" (chapter 2). He thanks God that they received his preaching as "the word of God" (2:13), speaks of the persecution they suffer from their own countrymen as the Churches of Judea suffered (2:14–16), and tells of his longing to see them again.

Timothy's mission and good news (chapter 3)

Unable to return, Paul sent Timothy "to confirm you and exhort you concerning your faith: that no man should be moved in these tribulations" (chapter 3). Timothy's report fills him with joy: "now we live, if you stand in the Lord." The chapter ends with a prayer that the Lord "make you abound in charity towards one another, and towards all men" (3:12).

Holiness of life and the dead in Christ (chapter 4)

The doctrinal part opens with the will of God: "your sanctification; that you should abstain from fornication" (chapter 4). Paul then commends brotherly charity and quiet, honest labour (4:9–11 in the Douay; 4:9–12 in modern Bibles), and answers the Church's grief over members who had died: they shall rise first at the Lord's coming, and the living will be taken up with them "to meet Christ" (Douay 4:12–17; 4:13–18 in modern Bibles).

The day of the Lord and final counsels (chapter 5)

"The day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night" (chapter 5): the children of light must therefore watch and be sober, armed with faith, charity and hope. Short precepts follow (honour your pastors, rejoice, pray, give thanks, prove all things), and the letter closes with a blessing on the whole man, spirit, soul and body.

Themes and the Catholic reading

The word of God received through the Church's preaching. Paul thanks God that the Thessalonians received "the word of the hearing of God... not as the word of men, but (as it is indeed) the word of God" (2:13). The Gospel reached them by the living voice of the Apostles before a line of this letter was written, and the Second Epistle says it outright: "hold the traditions which you have learned, whether by word, or by our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2:14, 2:15 in modern Bibles). This is why the Council of Trent (Session IV, 1546) receives both the written books and the unwritten traditions that have come down from the Apostles "with an equal affection of piety, and reverence."

Faith, hope and charity. The three theological virtues appear together at the opening (1:3) and again in the armour of the Christian: "the breastplate of faith and charity, and for a helmet the hope of salvation" (5:8), before Paul's hymn to charity in 1 Corinthians 13. See our article on the theological virtues.

Purity as the will of God. "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (4:3) is among the New Testament's clearest teachings on chastity. That "every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour" (4:4) was understood by the Fathers either of a man's own body or of his wife; on either reading the meaning is the mastery of the flesh, "not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God." The Church reads 4:1–7 as the Epistle of the Second Sunday of Lent.

The resurrection and the Last Things. St Augustine discusses the passage on the dead in The City of God (Book XX, ch. 20), reading it of the general resurrection at the Last Judgement. The comfort Paul offers rests on the resurrection of Christ: "if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with him" (Douay 4:13). See the resurrection of the body.

Famous verses of 1 Thessalonians

A note on numbering: the Clementine Vulgate and the Douay-Rheims count 4:11–12 of modern Bibles as a single verse, so from there to the end of chapter 4 their numbers run one lower. The famous passage on the dead is 4:12–17 in the Douay, 4:13–18 in most modern editions. Chapter 5 is numbered alike in both.

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (Douay 4:12–17): "We shall be always with the Lord"

"And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope... For the Lord himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord.

Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4). The Thessalonians feared their dead would miss the Lord's coming; Paul answers that they will rise first. The Church reads verses 16–17 (Douay 15–16) of the public, glorious return of Christ at the end of the world, with the resurrection of the dead and the Judgement, as in 1 Corinthians 15 and Matthew 24, not of a secret removal of believers before a tribulation. The passage is the Epistle of the Requiem Mass on the day of death or burial, and one of the funeral Bible verses.

Did Paul think he would be alive at the Lord's coming? The Pontifical Biblical Commission answered on 18 June 1915 that the Apostle said nothing in his writings out of harmony with that ignorance of the time of the Parousia which Christ declared to be the lot of men (Matthew 24:36), and that the explanation of "we who are alive, who are left" traditional in Catholic schools may not be set aside as far-fetched. Paul speaks of the living as a class, and in the next breath says the day comes "as a thief in the night."

1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 (Douay 4:11): "Work with your own hands"

"And that you use your endeavour to be quiet, and that you do your own business, and work with your own hands, as we commanded you: and that you walk honestly towards them that are without; and that you want nothing of any man's." Paul, who had worked "night and day" among them (1 Thessalonians 2:9), asks for peace, attention to one's own duties and honest labour that gives good example to unbelievers. See what God says about work.

1 Thessalonians 5:2–3: "As a thief in the night"

"For yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord shall so come, as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, peace and security; then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape" (1 Thessalonians 5). Paul echoes Our Lord's own image of the thief who comes at an unknown hour (Matthew 24:43). The lesson is not to calculate the date but to be ready always, as we explain in what God says about the end times.

1 Thessalonians 5:11–13: Comfort, edify, honour your pastors

"For which cause comfort one another; and edify one another, as you also do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you: That you esteem them more abundantly in charity, for their work's sake. Have peace with them." Already the young Church had pastors set over it, owed esteem and peace.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: "Pray without ceasing"

"Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all." To pray without ceasing does not mean never to stop speaking prayers, but to keep the heart turned to God in a continual desire, renewed by set times of prayer, as Our Lord taught "that we ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1).

St Augustine put it in a sentence: "Your very desire is your prayer; and if your desire is continual, your prayer is continual" (Expositions on the Psalms, Psalm 37 (38)). The Church's answer in practice is the Divine Office of the Breviary, which sanctifies the hours of the day. We treat the whole subject in what God says about prayer, and give prayers for the purpose in a prayer of thanksgiving.

1 Thessalonians 5:21–23: "Prove all things" and the whole man

"Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things; hold fast that which is good... And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things; that your whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:19–23). The gifts of the Spirit are not to be scorned, but every claim is tested by the faith received; verse 23 asks that the whole man, body included, be kept holy for the Resurrection.

Other searched verses

1 Thessalonians 2:15 ("who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us") speaks of those of Paul's own nation who were persecuting the Church, as the Gentiles of Thessalonica were persecuting their fellow citizens (2:14). It is no warrant for contempt of any people: the Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches that our guilt in the death of Christ, when we fall into sin, "seems more enormous in us than in the Jews." And 5:26, "Salute all the brethren with a holy kiss," recalls the greeting of the apostolic Church that lives on in the kiss of peace at Solemn High Mass.

Its place in the canon and in the liturgy

1 Thessalonians is the eighth of the fourteen Epistles of St Paul in the order of the Vulgate and of the Douay-Rheims, after Colossians and before 2 Thessalonians. Its name is the same in Catholic and Protestant Bibles, and its place in the canon has never been disputed.

In the 1962 Roman Missal it is read on the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (1:2–10), on the Second Sunday of Lent (4:1–7), on Ember Saturday of Lent (5:14–23), in the Requiem Mass on the day of death or burial, and on the feasts of St Augustine of Canterbury (2:2–9) and St Pius X (2:2–8). In the Roman Breviary its first chapters and chapter 4 are read at Matins on the Thursday and Friday of the fourth week after Epiphany, when the calendar allows. You can find each day's Mass in our liturgical calendar.

How to read 1 Thessalonians

Read it in one sitting first: it takes about fifteen minutes. Then read it beside Acts 17 and follow it with the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, which corrects those who misread the first. Dwell on chapter 4 when you pray for the dead, and on chapter 5 as an examination of conscience. Our chapter pages set the Douay-Rheims beside the Latin Vulgate. For the translation itself, see our article on the Douay-Rheims Bible, and for the Latin, the Latin Vulgate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who wrote 1 Thessalonians?

St Paul the Apostle wrote it, with Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy named beside him in the greeting (1:1). The Church has always received it as his, and early writers such as St Irenaeus, Tertullian and St Clement of Alexandria quote it under his name. Almost all modern scholars accept it as well.

When and where was 1 Thessalonians written?

It was written at Corinth during Paul's first stay there, soon after Timothy rejoined him with news from Thessalonica (3:6; Acts 18:5). The Catholic Encyclopedia gives 53 or 54 by the commonly received chronology, while many scholars today prefer about AD 50–51. It is generally held to be the earliest of St Paul's surviving letters.

What is 1 Thessalonians about?

It is a letter of thanksgiving and encouragement to a young, persecuted Church. Chapters 1–3 recall how the Thessalonians received the Gospel; chapters 4–5 teach chastity, charity, work, the resurrection of the dead at Christ's coming, and watchfulness for the day of the Lord. Its main message is to live in faith, hope and charity while waiting "for his Son from heaven."

How many chapters are in 1 Thessalonians?

There are five chapters. You can read chapter 1 through chapter 5 here, in the Douay-Rheims beside the Latin Vulgate.

What does 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 mean?

Paul comforts Christians grieving for their dead: those who have died in Christ will rise first when the Lord comes down from heaven, and the living will be taken up with them to meet Him, "and so shall we be always with the Lord." The Church reads it of the glorious Second Coming and the general resurrection, and uses it as the Epistle of the Requiem Mass. In the Douay-Rheims the passage is numbered 4:12–17.

What does "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) mean?

It means keeping the soul habitually turned to God in desire and love, and returning to explicit prayer at fixed times of the day. St Augustine taught that a continual desire for God is a continual prayer, and the Church's Divine Office sanctifies the hours so that the whole day becomes prayer.

What does 1 Thessalonians 5:18 mean?

"In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all." The Christian thanks God not only for good things but in every circumstance, trusting His providence even in suffering, because gratitude is itself God's will for us.

What does 1 Thessalonians 5:11 mean?

"For which cause comfort one another; and edify one another, as you also do." Having taught that the faithful departed will rise and that Christ died for us "that, whether we watch or sleep, we may live together with him" (5:10), Paul asks Christians to strengthen one another with this hope, building each other up in faith by word and example.

Is 1 Thessalonians about the Rapture?

Not in the sense of a secret removal of Christians before a time of tribulation. The Catholic reading of 4:16–17 (Douay 4:15–16) is that at His one, public and glorious return Christ will raise the dead and gather the living, as in 1 Corinthians 15 and Matthew 24, followed by the Last Judgement.

Read the whole of 1 Thessalonians verse by verse, in Latin and English, in the Iter Fidei Catholic Bible app.

Sources. Holy Scripture, Douay-Rheims (Challoner) and Latin Vulgate (1 Thessalonians 1–5; Acts 17–18; Philippians 4; 2 Thessalonians 2; Matthew 24; Luke 18; 1 Corinthians 13, 15); St Irenaeus, Against Heresies V; Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh and Against Marcion V; St Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor and Stromata; St Augustine, The City of God XX and Expositions on the Psalms (Ps. 37); Council of Trent, Session IV (1546); Catechism of the Council of Trent, Part I, Article IV; Pontifical Biblical Commission, De parousia in epistolis Pauli Apostoli (18 June 1915); Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), "Epistles to the Thessalonians"; Roman Missal and Roman Breviary (1962).