![[Pumpkin Cottage]](images/cottage1s.gif){kind=small}
lectionarystudies.com
1 Thessalonians
1:1-3
Introduction, 1:1-10
i] Greeting, thanksgiving and prayer
In typical fashion, Paul opens his first letter to the Thessalonians with a greeting, a thanksgiving and a prayer.
The greeting, v1.
PauloV kai SilouanoV kai TimoqeoV "Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy" - Independent nominatives in a salutation. Paul mentions his traveling companions, but this does not mean the letter is a joint composition. Silvanus is a Jew, one of the prophets of the Jerusalem church who has accompanied Paul on this his second missionary journey. Timothy is a young Jewish convert whom Paul is grooming for ministry. Although taught in the Jewish faith, Timothy was not circumcised and so, for the sake of the Jews, he was circumcised prior to the mission.
th/ ekklhsia/ (a) dat. "to the church" - Dative of indirect object where the subject, verb and direct object in a letter opening is assumed, eg. "I write this letter to the church of the Thessalonians."
Qessalonikewn (uV) gen. "of the Thessalonians" - of Thessalonians. The genitive is adjectival, limiting, describing, "church"
en "in [God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ]" - The preposition here takes a locative sense. The letter is directed to the Christian fellowship in Thessalonica - to the church. This group is "in" God - in the "Father" and in the "Lord Jesus Christ. That is, the church is bound in an intimate relationship with the creator of the Universe. The term "in" is used quite often by Paul and depicts the union/fellowship a believer has with their Lord. Mystical Union is the theological term used to sum up the concept of the "intimate union" existing between the believer and Jesus. In simple terms, the word "friend" probably makes the point. Paul says that the church is "in" the "Father". Normally, he speaks of us being "in Christ" and only rarely of "in the Father" or "in God", Col.3:3. If we are a friend of Jesus then we are a friend of the Father. Paul goes on to state the truth that we are also "in" "the Lord Jesus Christ." A Trinitarian idea..... We are friends with two people, but only one God. Note, he states the three names of the Son of God: i] "Lord", the name for Jehovah in the Greek Old Testament; ii] "Jesus", His human name - Joshua; iii] "Christ", the Anointed One, Messiah.
caris (iV ewV) "grace" - grace, favour. Used of God's undeserved kindness toward his people, his covenant mercy. A particularly Christian greeting. "I pray that God will be kind to you", CEV.
eirhnh (h) "peace" - The word expresses freedom from war, but for a Jew it carries the sense of harmony within the fellowship of God's people, and between God and his people.
Paul's thanksgiving and prayer for the Thessalonian church, v2-3. The Gk. sentence covers v2-7. The introduction continues through to v10.
pantote adv. "[we] always [thank]" - [we give thanks] always. Possibly meaning that every time Paul prays he doesn't fail to mention the Thessalonians, or that when he prays for them he doesn't fail to give thanks for them; "we are always thankful as we pray for you all", Phillips.
tw/ qew/ (oV) "God" - to God. Dative of direct object / interest.
peri + gen. "for" - about, concerning. Here expressing representation; "on behalf of, for." Linked to "we give thanks", as NIV, but possibly "mentioning."
poioumenoi (poiew) pres. part. "mentioning" - making [mention]. This participle, as with the participles "remembering", v3, and "knowing", v4, are adverbial, modifying the action of "we give thanks". This participle, best classed as modal, expressing the manner by which the verb "we give thanks" is accomplished, combines with its object mneian, "rememberance / mention", to define its verbal sense.
epi + gen. "in" - at. Here temporal, "at the time of, during."
adialeiptwV adv. "continually" - without ceasing, unceasingly. Possibly part of the previous sentence, so, "we continually mention you in our prayers." Possibly, "each time we pray we tell God our Father about your faith ..." CEV.
mnhmoneuonteV (mnhmoneuw) pres. part. "we [continually] remember" - remembering. The participle is adverbial, possibly modal, as above, but probably better causal, expressing the reason why Paul gives thanks, namely, because he remembers their work of faith ...... Paul's thanksgiving is driven by the fact that he remembers the faith, love and hope of the Thessalonians.
emprosqen prep. "before [our God and Father]" - before, in front of [the God and Father of us]. In the Greek text, "before our God and Father" comes at the end of the verse and so may serve to modify hope; "and the hope that you have in our Lord Jesus Christ means sheer dogged endurance in the life that you live before God, the Father of us all", Phillips. Yet, "before our God and Father" may also modify, not "hope of Jesus", but the participle "remembering", so NIV. The word "before" takes the sense of "in the presence of", Barclay
tou ergou thV pistewV "[work] produced by faith" - [work] of faith. The genitive "of faith", as with "love" and "hope", is usually treated as subjective, where the genitive substantive produces the action (although better classed as ablative, separation or source). So, Paul is probably giving thanks for the good works that stem from the Thessalonian's personal trust and reliance on Jesus. On the other hand, the genitive may simply be adjectival such that Paul is giving thanks for the quality of their faith, ie. it is an "active faith", Moffatt, an effectual faith; "faithful work, loving deeds, hopeful endurance", BAGD. Both approaches are valid. Note that the NIV takes the first option, "your work produced by faith", and this is probably Paul's intended sense. Timothy has told Paul of the faith, love and hope evident in the Thessalonian congregation. Such is evident by the works produced by / that have sprung from, their faith and love, and by the steadfastness produced by / that has sprung from their hope. The other two phrases concerning hope and love, may be handled in a similar way. Note that we often treat these three qualities together and say of them that they "remain/abide". It is possible Paul is arguing in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that of these three, only "love abides" (remains) and so is the "greatest". None-the-less, it is hard to see how faith would not eternally "abide". "Your deeds which spring from your faith", Cassirer.
uJpomonhV (h) "endurance" - endurance, staying power, steadfastness. "Fortitude", NEB; "steadfastness", NRSV; "sheer dogged endurance", Phillips. "A spirit which can bear all things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope", Barclay.
tou kiriou ... Ihsou Cristou "in [our] Lord Jesus Christ" - Presumably the genitive "of the Lord Jesus Christ" modifies "hope", but of course it could modify "faith" and "love" as well (uJmwn, "your [work of faith]", a possessive genitive, applies to all three elements, not just "faith", and is emphatic by position). The genitive is usually classed as objective, describing the object of the "hope", as NIV, but possibly ablative, source / origin, the hope that finds its origin in Christ and which he provides, or better, adjectival, defining the hope, "a hope that rests on our Lord Jesus Christ", Berkeley.
lectionarystudies.com