The First Epistle to the Thessalonians was likely the first of Paul's letters, probably written by the end of 52 A.D., making it the first written letter in the Greek New Testament. It may have been written when he was in Corinth, where he remained a "long time" (Acts 18:11, 18). The Thessalonians were mainly gentile believers of the congregation that he founded. No doubt, some Jews believed the Gospel during Paul's initial preaching in Thessalonica; however, the Gentiles who believed constituted a "large number."

Although it is true that other passages in Paul's letters lend glimpses into the apostle's heart, none are more revealing than the Epistles to the Thessalonians. Paul's warmth toward the Thessalonians is evident in both of these delightful letters. Deep in his heart was the love for those whom God had chosen, and because of the Gospel, endured great hardships with him.

Paul shoots "straight from the hip" in these letters. There is never an attempt at flattery, but the sincere truth written in a spirit of tender affection and gentleness. Over one quarter of First Thessalonians and nearly half of Second Thessalonians deal with the coming of Christ and the resurrection. This subject matter was to further encourage the Thessalonians to persevere in the midst of severe persecution.

The Epistles' Greek syntactical challenges come in the form of ellipsis and the abundant use of infinitives. Two-thirds of Second Thessalonians' vocabulary is found in First Thessalonians. The same style also spans these two letters. Although Paul characteristically follows Koiné word order, he frequently changes the expected word order to emphasize a prominent idea. These two letters make a good choice for a second-year Greek student to study.

It may be of interest that the Epistles to the Thessalonians are also part of the NTGreek In Diagram's Master Diagram, Master Diagram Upgrade, and Pauline Epistles Collections. Every Collection includes all diagrams in a single convenient bookmarked PDF document that makes navigation incredibly easy.

If you are a Greek professor or instructor and desire more information about group discounts, please contact me. Several Greek professors and instructors encourage their students to purchase the diagrams and use them as part of the class curriculum.