Deck 12: Paul and His Apostolic Mission: 1 Thessalonians As a Test Case

Question 1

Discuss Paul's missionary tactics. How did he meet people, and how did he go about converting them?

Answer 1

Paul typically chose large urban areas in which to establish churches, presumably because they offered more potential converts. He entered these cities and set up shop, working in some kind of leather trade. Scholars surmise that Paul began converting gentiles by talking with them as they came into his shop. Paul would start by teaching about the Jewish God and the erroneous belief in the pagan gods. After convincing a person of the existence of the one true God, Paul went on to preach about this God's son, Jesus, and the salvation that God offered to those who believed in Jesus' death and resurrection. Paul also taught an apocalyptic worldview.

Question 2

How were Paul's conversion tactics similar to those of Greco-Roman philosophers?

Answer 2

Paul's missionary activity was more like that of the philosophical schools than the Greco-Roman religions because he preached an exclusive way of life: Christians had to give up their former beliefs to follow Jesus. Greco-Roman religions were, moreover, not missionizing religions; however, some philosophical schools did actively seek converts. Like Paul, proselytizing philosophers focused on urban settings where there were a number of potential converts. Many were connected to wealthy households, but some, like Paul, believed in working for their living and were not dependent on others.

Question 3

Discuss the theme of apocalypticism in 1 Thessalonians. How can we reconstruct Paul's beliefs based on this letter? How does apocalypticism relate to the occasion of Paul's correspondence?

Answer 3

The problem Paul addresses in 1 Thessalonians is the delay of the parousia. Paul taught the Thessalonians that Jesus would return very soon, but some in the community had already died. Paul assured this community that those who had died had not lost the promise but would be resurrected at the end of the age. This concern about the end and Paul's reply point to the centrality of apocalypticism in Paul's missionary message.

Question 4

Is it true that Paul preached a message of inclusiveness and that early Christian churches were open to everyone? Pick a side and argue, keeping in mind that the most persuasive arguments anticipate and answer counter-arguments.

Question 5

Most scholars believe that Paul's first letter was _____.

A) Philippians
B) 1 Thessalonians
C) 2 Thessalonians
D) Romans

Question 6

Paul's primary reason for writing 1 Thessalonians was _____.

A) to chastise the Thessalonians for ethical misconduct
B) to clarify the meaning of the Eucharist
C) to renew his friendship with the church
D) to praise their missionary efforts

Question 7

Paul's missions were typically located in _____.

A) large urban areas
B) rural villages
C) synagogues
D) outside the Roman Empire

Question 8

When Paul entered a new town, he _____.

A) immediately celebrated Eucharist with the Christian community
B) stood in the streets preaching
C) met with the local church officials
D) opened a business

Question 9

The book of Acts says that Paul _____.

A) did not work but relied on donations
B) did not work but lived off of his own wealth
C) worked with leather goods
D) was a shepherd

Question 10

Paul's first task in converting pagans was probably _____.

A) to convince them of his apostolic authority
B) to convince them of the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection
C) to teach them Jesus' parables
D) to convince them that there is only one God

Question 11

It is probable that Paul's converts were _____.

A) all wealthy
B) all poor
C) a mix of social classes
D) mostly Jews

Question 12

Paul's converts probably began _____.

A) living together
B) meeting together weekly
C) itinerant missions
D) building churches

Question 13

Paul's converts most likely met in _____.

A) houses
B) the Temple
C) the synagogue
D) church buildings

Question 14

Christian house churches are similar to _____.

A) medieval cathedrals
B) Greco-Roman voluntary associations
C) the Temple
D) Stoicism

Question 15

Greco-Roman voluntary associations did all of the following except _____.

A) socialize
B) eat together
C) provide suitable burial for members
D) guarantee salvation in the afterlife

Question 16

Timothy reported to Paul that the Thessalonians _____.

A) had kept their faith solid
B) had lost faith altogether
C) had been influenced by subsequent missionaries
D) had forgotten the work Paul did among them

Question 17

The longest part of 1 Thessalonians is _____.

A) the prescript
B) the thanksgiving
C) the body
D) the final blessing

Question 18

During the New Testament period, _____.

A) Christianity was illegal
B) Christians were persecuted only by the emperor
C) Christians were occasionally persecuted by provincial authorities
D) Christianity was declared the state religion

Question 19

In the New Testament period, the primary reason Christians experienced persecution was _____.

A) because Christianity was illegal
B) because their religion was new
C) because Christianity was a subgroup of Judaism
D) because Christians refused to worship the gods

Question 20

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul urged the Christians to do all of the following except _____.

A) behave in pure ways
B) love one another
C) be good citizens
D) destroy pagan temples

Question 21

The most important issue Paul addresses in 1 Thessalonians is _____.

A) what happens to Christians who have died
B) the illegality of Christianity
C) a schism in the community
D) the presence of false prophets

Question 22

Why did Christian refusal to worship the state gods sometimes result in persecution?

A) Ancient people were especially intolerant.
B) Most believed the gods would punish cities that refused to honor them.
C) It resulted in a loss of income for state-sponsored temples.
D) It directly challenged the honor of the emperor.

Question 23

Paul assured the Thessalonians that _____.

A) they would no longer be persecuted
B) all of Jesus' followers, dead and alive, would ultimately be together with Christ at his coming
C) Jesus' followers would become governors in God's earthly kingdom
D) they were right to reject false prophets

Question 24

Paul wrote that _____.

A) the dead will enter into the presence of the Lord first
B) the living will enter into the presence of the Lord first
C) the dead and living will enter into the presence of the Lord simultaneously
D) only the living will enter into the presence of the Lord

Question 25

Paul seems to have thought that _____.

A) he and the Thessalonians would die before the end comes
B) he and some of the Thessalonians would be alive when the end came
C) the end had already come
D) the end would not come

Question 26

Paul claimed to be _____.

A) the only true Christian
B) an apostle of the Lord
C) one of the twelve disciples
D) a missionary to the Jews

Question 27

Which of the following terms refers to an ancient group of buildings, including both business and living space, in a tight urban space?

A) insula
B) Stoicism
C) three-tiered universe
D) Artemis

Question 28

Thessalonica was all of the following except _____.

A) part of the Roman province of Macedonia
B) a capital city
C) a predominantly Jewish city
D) a port city

Question 29

Stoic and Cynic philosophers encouraged people to _____.

A) visit Paul
B) give up their attachments to worldly things
C) save money
D) believe in Jesus' resurrection

Question 30

When Paul ministered to the gentiles, he appears to have taught them all of the following except _____.

A) the imminence of the end of the world
B) Jesus is the special Son of God
C) to turn away from idols
D) that all male converts should be circumcised

Question 31

Which aspect of early Christian communities likely encouraged charges of perversion against them?

A) their belief in the resurrection
B) their belief in the imminent end of the age
C) their closed, private meetings
D) their letter-writing activity

Question 32

Who seems to have made up the majority of Paul's community at Thessalonica?

A) former pagans
B) former Jews
C) former Cynic philosophers
D) Samaritans

Question 33

Communal cohesion among early Christian communities was fostered by all of the following except _____.

A) common beliefs and rules
B) shared experience of persecution
C) exclusive insider information
D) church buildings

Question 34

Which approach searches for clues within a text about the social and historical situations of the author and his readers?

A) redactional
B) thematic
C) socio-historical
D) synoptic