Thessalonica

Thessalonica, modern Thessaloniki, was a large and populous city on the Thermaic bay in the Roman province of Macedonia, serving as the capital of one of the four administrative districts of the province. Founded in 315 BC by Cassander and named for his wife, a half-sister of Alexander the Great, it became a prosperous commercial center under Roman rule. The city was governed by magistrates called politarchs — a title confirmed by inscriptions and once doubted by critics of Acts.

Paul and Silas visited Thessalonica on the second missionary journey, preaching in the synagogue for three Sabbaths and establishing a congregation before Jewish opposition forced their departure (Acts 17:1-9). The church Paul founded there received two of his earliest letters and is commended repeatedly for its faith and missionary influence throughout Macedonia and beyond (1 Thess. 1:7-8).