Welcome back! Shalom! I'm glad to have you here as part of the Scripture Central team

for First and Second Thessalonians. These possibly are the oldest books written in the

entire New Testament. Some people think Galatians might precede it, but most scholars think

First and Thessalonians were the first text written, and the Gospels were being compiled

and in different forms, but not in the form

we know them. Those came a little bit later. But because they're shorter letters, they are

placed all the way down here in the Pauline Corpus, but they have wonderful themes. He focuses

on rejoicing in the saints' faithfulness and encouragement for their progress.

He encourages them to grow in charity and hope and faithfulness.

They're just terrific books.

Remember, he visited them on his second mission.

This is part of the Northern Greece area, where he wanted to go to Ephesus and he was prayed over to Macedonia, so he goes over there,

and he visits them, and he's only there just a few weeks before persecution comes and

chases him out. And it's even on that same mission that he's writing these letters, it's

just a little bit later when he's in other towns. He describes being in Athens, and at least that's what the fourth century person wrote down.

He may have been over in Corinth, which is where I probably think he was writing them from,

because he stayed in Corinth for 18 months after Thessalonica. So that's probably where he's

writing those from. You know, we use the first Thessalonians as one of the books to say, this is Pauline.

And then we attribute all the others that share the same themes and the same phrases. And these

are the books that are attested to be written by Paul. First Thessalonians, First Corinthians,

Second Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, Philippians, and Philemon.

The others probably were included some editing by a scribe or Paul wrote an outline or something.

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