The Thessalonian correspondence represents the earliest writing in the New Testament, according to many scholars. It speaks to a group of Christians struggling with thorny questions, such as: How should we live in the shadow of the coming parousia? What are our obligations to one another as followers of Jesus? How do we learn to trust the truth of the gospel? For Paul, this earliest correspondence was a test of his apostolic authority and also a means to express his genuine warmth and affection for the Christian community at Thessalonica. In spite of their relative brevity, the letters to the...