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The Setting of a New Testament Letter
During the creation of the letter, the author was at the church's founding. In the
beginning, Timothy most likely left Philippi and went to Berea to rejoin Paul and Silas. After
some trouble in Berea by the Thessalonian Jews, Paul left, and Silas and Timothy stayed in
Berea. Paul left instructions to the escorts from Berea, who led him to Athens to inform Silas and
Timothy to rejoin him when able to do so. Once Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul, Timothy was
sent to Thessalonica. After he left, Silas made his way to Macedonia. Paul went from Athens
straight to Corinth. Timothy later returned to Corinth with Paul. Silus returned to Paul relatively
close to the same time Timothy did, and Paul then wrote Thessalonians in the name of Paul,
Silvanus, and Timothy.
The letter was most likely written in A.D. 50 or 51. Paul was in Corinth for roughly a
year and a half, and his visit was believed to have ended shortly after Gallio became proconsul in
Corinth, which was A.D 51. Corinth Is the last place where Paul, Silas, and Timothy are together.
Silas is not mentioned in Ephesus, and Timothy is mentioned with Erastus in Ephesus, which
leads Corinth to be a natural candidate for the origin of the letter.
