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  • From: "Frank W. Hughes" <fwhughes AT sunbeach.net>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Thessalonian congregation
  • Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 18:01:39 -0400

In response to Bob MacDonald's comments about Craig S. de Vos's book, I'm taking the liberty of changing the header.

Bob wrote:

Craig implies that Luke is not accurate in describing the Jewish presence in
Thessalonica (pp131-132). Luke describes the Thessalonian congregation as
comprised of 'Jews, god-fearers, Greeks and some rich women' (Acts 17:4) and that for three consecutive sabbaths Paul preached in the synagogue there.
Some Jews made trouble for them (there were Jews on both sides) in
Thessalonica and later in Berea.

Craig describes the Thessalonian congregation as largely consisting of
native Thessalonians (p144). He has a tentative suggestion that there was a
tendency towards ethnic segregation at Thessalonica. He bases these
inferences on Paul's address: to the 'Thessalonian' church; and the
suggestion that they were in conflict with 'fellow-citizens' (2:15).

I find these two suggestions jarring. Paul does not emphasize ethnicity
overall or anywhere else that I am aware of - though he might have
inadvertently in this his earliest letter, and the reference to fellow
citizens or fellow countrymen does not suggest ethnic to me but national or
provincial relationship which may well have been as 'cosmopolitan' as Luke
implies. In spite of the lack of immediate archeological evidence for a
first century synagogue, I am loth to 'eliminate' Luke from the evidence or
regard him as 'suspect' in spite of his agenda. (And not much is left of
Luke's 'evidence' by the time we get to page 152-153. No Jews, no agora
preaching, no elite women, just a group of 'freeborn artisans and
manual-workers'.)

I would say that by raising questions about the Lucan presentation of what a Thessalonian congregation was like in Acts 17, Craig is preferring the 1 Thessalonians evidence over the Acts evidence.  1 Thess 1:9-10 says quite clearly that the Thessalonians "turned to God from idols" -- and some scholars have taken these two verses as a summary of what Paul's preaching in Thessalonika consisted of.  A number of scholars have doubted that Paul could really found a congregation by preaching in the synagogue (what synagogue?) on three sabbaths, including Jewett, Lüdemann, Dobschütz, and myself, finding that length of time impossibly short.  I would also say that the Thessalonians' being involved in some sort of conflict with their fellow-citizens is a very straightforward reading of 1 Thess 2:15.

I haven't had the opportunity of reading de Vos's book, but Bob's comments about de Vos's reading of 1 Thessalonians lead me to suggest that de Vos's views are pretty much the same as my own on that letter.  I would also suggest that what de Vos seems to propose here is consistent with the Knox approach to chronology: giving absolute priority to Pauline letter evidence over Acts evidence.

With every good wish,
Frank W. Hughes
Codrington College


  • Thessalonian congregation, Frank W. Hughes, 12/16/1999

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