Thessalonians, First Epistle to the

First Thessalonians is one of Paul's earliest letters, written from Corinth around AD 50–51, just months after he had planted the church at Thessalonica and been driven out by a Jewish mob (Acts 17:1–10). The letter is notable for its warmth — Paul's relationship with the Thessalonians was deeply affectionate — and for its sustained focus on eschatology. Concern about believers who had died before the Lord's return prompted Paul's most detailed description of the resurrection and the parousia: the dead in Christ will rise first, then those alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord (1 Thess. 4:13–18). Paul stresses that the "day of the Lord" will come as a thief in the night for those unprepared (1 Thess. 5:1–11), while urging watchfulness and sobriety. The closing verses contain some of the NT's most compact ethical summaries: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:16–18), and the call not to quench the Spirit or despise prophecy (1 Thess. 5:19–20).