Footnotes

1. 1 Thessalonians 1:1 Silvanus: the Roman form of the Hebrew name “Silas”; this man, along with Timothy, was a fellow worker with Paul in the Macedonian apostolate (see Acts 16–18). Church: ekklesia in Greek, it was originally used of the People of God in the Old Testament; it designates here the Messianic gathering convoked by Jesus. The term Church is further defined as those who are “in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Being in union with these two persons of the Deity means a new sphere of life, on an infinitely higher plane. Grace and peace: i.e., Messianic blessings that find their basis in both persons, the Father and Jesus Christ, Lord, as the basis for the community’s existence.