King James Version · Under Rome
1 Thessalonians 5
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But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not , that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of , and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of . Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of and love; and for an helmet, the of . For hath not appointed us to , but to obtain by our , Who for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in , and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. Rejoice evermore. without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of in Christ concerning you. Quench not . Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very of peace you wholly; and I your whole and and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our . is he that calleth you, who also will do it. Brethren, for us. Greet all the brethren with an kiss. I charge you by that this epistle be read unto all the brethren. The of our be with you. . The first epistle unto the Thessalonians was written from .
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.