2 Thessalonians 1:1 Commentary and Bible Study

We know about Paul. And Silvanus? Well, Silvanus was a Jew, a Greek-speaking Jew, Hellenistic Jew, probably converted in Jerusalem, and named in Acts 15 as one of the leading men among the brethren at Jerusalem. No doubt he spoke Latin too because Luke always calls him Silas. And Silas is thought to be his Aramaic name; it is the Aramaic for the Hebrew Saul. So Silvanus is strictly speaking probably a Saul, and they called him Silas. But Paul always calls him Silvanus, his Latin, his Roman name, so we assume that he had obviously adopted Roman citizenship. You can imagine he was ideal as a helper for Paul in the Gentile mission. A Greek-speaking Jew, who had the protection of being a Roman citizen as Paul had, which was a great help, though they suffered much persecution.And Timotheus, the youngest of the three, who had been converted on the first missionary journey and had proved himself as an admirable servant in his church and in his region, and now had joined the mission of Paul. All this is in Acts 16 & 17, the second missionary journey. And now a few months have elapsed. A first epistle has been written, and now a second epistle.