King James Version · Under Rome
1 Thessalonians 3
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Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at alone; And sent , our brother, and minister of , and our fellowlabourer in of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your : That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your , lest by some means the tempter have you, and our labour be in . But now when came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your and charity, and that ye have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your : For now we live, if ye stand in . For what thanks can we render to again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our ; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your , and might perfect that which is lacking in your ? Now himself and , and our , direct our way unto you. And make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your unblameable in before , even , at the coming of our with all his .
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.