TRACING PAUL’S MOVEMENTS

TRACING PAUL’S MOVEMENTS

BEHIND THE THESSALONIAN CORRESPONDENCE

Virgil Warren, PhD

Acts 17:1          Paul comes to Thessalonica.

         17:2          Paul spends three Sabbaths there.

         17:10        After a disturbance created by unbelieving Jews, the believers send Paul and

                          Silas on to Berea.  

         17:13        After another uproar at Berea led  by the same unbelieving Jews in

                          Thessalonica, they send Paul toward the sea while Timothy and Silas remain                          in Berea. 

         17:15        Paul, having been conducted to Athens, sends word back with his escorts to

                          have Timothy and Silas join him “with all speed” in Athens.

                          (Timothy and Silas meet him in Athens.)

     1 Th. 3:1-2         Paul sends Timothy back to Thessalonica from Athens “to establish and comfort them in their faith.” Presumably at the same time, he sends Silas back to Macedonia—perhaps to Philippi—because Acts 18:5 says both men return from Macedonia to Paul after he moved on to Corinth.

Acts 18:1          Paul comes to Corinth

        18:4           He reasons every Sabbath with the attendees in the synagogue.

     1 Th. 3:5            Being anxious about the progress in Thessalonica, Paul sends for Timothy to

                                get a report about their faith.

Acts 18:5          Timothy and Silas return to Paul in Corinth.

     1 Th. 3:6            Timothy is able to report that the Thessalonians had continued in faith and

                                love and had a good remembrance of Paul.

Acts 18:11        Paul stays in Corinth for a year and a half.

                          (Paul writes 1 Thessalonians and probably sends it to Thessalonica by

                          Timothy’s hand.)

Acts 18:18        After persecution by the Corinthian Jews, Paul stays in Corinth “many days.”

                          (At some point Paul receives news from Thessalonica—presumably from another trip south by Timothy—that comments about the second coming made in the first letter had been misunderstood or misused by some of the Thessalonians; so Paul writes 2 Thessalonians to correct the misunderstanding and to admonish some who had used the soon return of Messiah as an excuse not to work. We assume again that Timothy also bears this second epistle north to Thessalonica.)

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