World English Bible · Under Rome
1 Thessalonians 5
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But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need that anything be written to you. For you yourselves know well that comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. Then they will in no way escape. But you, brothers, aren't , that the day should overtake you like a thief. You are all children of and children of the day. We don't belong to the night, nor to , so then let's not sleep, as the rest do, but let's watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep in the night; and those who are drunk are drunk in the night. But since we belong to the day, let's be sober, putting on the breastplate of and love, and for a helmet, the of . For didn't appoint us to , but to the obtaining of through our , who for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Therefore exhort one another, and build each other up, even as you also do. But we beg you, brothers, to know those who labor among you, and are over you in and admonish you, and to respect and them in love for their work's sake. Be at peace among yourselves. We exhort you, brothers: Admonish the disorderly; encourage the faint-hearted; support the weak; be toward all. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all. Always rejoice. without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of in Christ toward you. Don't quench . Don't despise prophecies. all things, and hold firmly that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil. May the of peace himself you completely. May your whole , , and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our . He who calls you is , who will also do it. Brothers, for us. Greet all the brothers with a kiss. I solemnly command you by that this letter be read to all the brothers. The of our be with you. .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.