1 Thessalonians 1:1

THE FIRST EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

-Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the Byzantine historians, 5560.

-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, 5554.

-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, 5544.

-Year of the Julian period, 4762.

-Year of the world, according to Archbishop Usher, 4056.

-Year of the world, according to Eusebius, in his Chronicon, 4280.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, or that in common use, 3812.

-Year of the Greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4411.

-Year from the Flood, according to Archbishop Usher, and the English Bible, 2400.

-Year of the Cali yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3154.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, or since the first commencement of the Olympic games, 992.

-Year of the era of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, 799.

-Year of the CCVIIth Olympiad, 4.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 799.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Frontinus, 803.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to the Fasti Capitolini, 804.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that most generally used, 805.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, 364.

-Year of the Caesarean era of Antioch, 100.

-Year of the Julian era, 97.

-Year of the Spanish era, 90.

-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ according to Archbishop Usher, 56.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 52.

-Year of Ventidius Cumanus, governor of the Jews, 4.

-Year of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, 3.

-Year of Caius Numidius Quadratus, governor of Syria, 2.

-Year of Ananias, high priest of the Jews, 8.

-Year of the Dionysian period, or Easter Cycle, 53.

-Year of the Grecian Cycle of nineteen years, or Common Golden Number, 15; or the first after the fifth embolismic.

-Year of the Jewish Cycle of nineteen years, 12, or the first after the fourth embolismic.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 5.

-Dominical Letters, it being Bissextile, or Leap Year, BA.

-Day of the Jewish Passover, according to the Roman computation of time, the Calends of April, i.e. April 1st, which happened in this year on the Jewish Sabbath.

-Easter Sunday, April 2.

-Epact, or the moon's age on the 22d of March, or the Xth of the Calends of April, 4

-Epact, according to the present mode of computation, or the moon's age on New Year's day, or the Calends of January, 11.

-Monthly Epacts, or the moon's age on the Calends of each month respectively, (beginning with January,) 11, 13, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 18, 20, 20.

-Number of Direction, or the number of days from the twenty-first of March (or the XIth of the Calends of April) to the Jewish Passover, 10.

-Year of Claudius Caesar, the fifth emperor of the Romans, 12.

-Roman Consuls, Publius Cornelius Sylla Faustus, and Lucius Salvius, Otho Titianus; and for the following year, (which is by some supposed to be the date of this epistle,) Decimus Junius Silanus, and Quintus Haterius Antoninus.

CHAPTER I.

The inscription by Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus, to the Church

of the Thessalonians, 1.

St. Paul gives thanks to God for their good estate, and prays

for their continuance in the faith, 2-4.

Shows how the Gospel came to them, and the blessed effects it

produced in their life and conversation, 5-7,

How it became published from them through Macedonia and Achaia,

and how their faith was everywhere celebrated, 8.

He shows farther, that the Thessalonians had turned from

idolatry, become worshippers of the true God, and were waiting

for the revelation of Christ, 9, 10.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse 1 Thessalonians 1:1. Paul, and: Silvanus, and Timotheus] Though St. Paul himself dictated this letter, yet he joins the names of Silas and Timothy, because they had been with him at Thessalonica, and were well known there. See Acts 17:4; Acts 17:14.

And Silvanus] This was certainly the same as Silas, who was St. Paul's companion in all his journeys through Asia Minor and Greece; see Acts 15:22; Acts 16:19; Acts 17:4; Acts 17:10. Him and Timothy, the apostle took with him into Macedonia, and they continued at Berea when the apostle went from thence to Athens; from this place St. Paul sent for them to come to him speedily, and, though it is not said that they came while he was at Athens, yet it is most probable that they did; after which, having sent them to Thessalonica, he proceeded to Corinth, where they afterwards rejoined him, and from whence he wrote this epistle. See the preface.