The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 33

woa powerful ns resprrts the preachers, an,! the Gentiles-to their extreme rel11ctancc dfectuol as reepe"ts the hmrers. that the Gentiles a.long with tl,e111selves Ver. 14 .-For ye, brethren, became fol- should he admitted into the ki11g-dom ,f 1owera; or mther, imilrtto,-, r,arnely, in the God. endurance of suffl'ring for the srd<e of the Ver. 16.-Forbidding us-by contrarlict- gospel, not in intention only, but in reality. ing, blasphen1ing, slandering. layin~ s11an-~ Of the Churohes of God which in Judaia are -to speak to the Gentiles that they 'Ilight in Christ Jeaus. These Churches are men- be saved. Not that the Jews w,·re av~r•e tioned as being at this early period the to the prosr:lytism ,,f the Gentiles, provide, most prominent.. The special mention of they were circumcised anrl kept lhe L.. " perse~ution by the Jews liae its origin in the of Moses; on tl,e contrary, Jurlnism •t foct that it wns by the unhdi<:ving Jews this period was a pr,,selytizing- religion; t.jiat Paul was persecuted at Theesalonica. but their great objection to th<: preaching- For ye also have suffered like things of your of the gospel was tl,at thu pre:1<:l ,ers -lid own oountrymen. One of the proofs that not insist on the Gentiles becoming- Jews the Church of Thesee.lonica was Gentile in bel'ore they became Chrbtians. And, ac- its origin; as these countrymen were evidently cordingly, we learn from the Acts of the Gentiles, being here distinguished from the A p11stles that the unbelieving Jews wer,, Jews. From this it would seem that, after the most violent and implacable enemies ,., r Paul and his companions had left Thessalo- the gospel. Of the numerous persecntiona nica, the persecution which a.rose against mentioned in the Acts, there were only two, the Christians continued. and the Gentiles namely, those· at Philippi and Ephesus, combined with the Jews in opposing the which were not occasioned by the Jews. gospel. Even as they-the Churches of God To fill up their sins alwa.y ; so that \he in Judma-have of the Jews. We learn from measure of their iniquity became full t;o the Acts of the Apostles that the Jewish overflowing. Their forbidding the apostle, Christiane in Judma were exposed to severe to preach to the Gentiles was the last dror persrcution from their unbelieving country- which ea.used the cup of their iniquity to men: Stephen was put to death, and Paul overflow (comp. Gen. xv. 16, "The iniquity himself, in his unconverted state, wu a chief of the Amorites is not yet full"). '1:'he among the persecutors. remark ot' Professor Jowett is well worthy Ver. 15.-Who both killed the Lord Jesus; of notice: "In the beginning of sin o.nd emphatic, to point out the greatness of their evil it seems as if men were free agents, wickedness. And their own prophets; or, and l1ad the power of ,:uing on or of re- as some manuscripts read, and the prophets. treating. But as the crisis of sh,~ir ~ts This crime was often laid to the charge of approacl.Jes, they are bound under a c•-~~e the Jews: thus, by our Lord," Ye are wit- am! the form in which their destiny pres,mta nesses unto yourselves, tho.t ye are the itself to our ruinds is as though tt "¥e?P. children of them which killed the prophets" certain, and only a question of time 'i.-,w (Matt. xxiii. 31); and by the protomartyr soon it is to be fulfilled." For the wrath; Stephen, "Which of the prophets have not that wrath which was ;iredicted ,i,nd ·, your fathers persecuted?" (Acts vii. 25.) merited by them. "Wrath" is 1:iere UE.,d And have pereeouted us; literally, driven for punishment, which is \he .,ffect ::>i u~ out, as Paul and Silas were expelled from wrath. Is oome upon them to the utter- Thessalonica. And they please not God, but most; literally, to the e1>d. The apostle are contrary to all men. The hatred aud con- here refers to the judgments Jf God, whioh tempt wlaich t1,e Jews bore to other nations were impending on Jerusillem snd th9 is noticed by Te.citus, Juvenal, and other Jewish people; judgments which were fear- heathen writers. 'fhus 'fncitus writes of fully executed in the awful suffering,. they them : "They at·e faithful to obstinacy, and endured in the Jewish war, and in ch,- n,erciful toward themscl ves, but towaril o.11 destrnctiou of their city by the Romans. ot.hers nre nctunt.ed hy the most irreconcil- Ver. 17.-Here a. new chapter ought ~o able hah·ed (odium humani genei-is)." And have commenced, passing on \o another .) uveunl says, "They will not show the subject, the apostle's rlesire to !ieit the road to one who waa not of their religion, Thessa\onians. But we, brethren, -..,eing nor lend the thirsty person if uncircum- taken from you; literally, being be-reaved of cised to the common spring." Perhaps, you ( R. V .). For a short time ; Ii terally, however, the apostle refers here, not to the f&r lhe sp,ice of a" hour. And yet it w·•s enmity of the Jews to the human race in severnl years before the apostle revisited general, though perfectly oogniznnt of their 'l'hvssaluuico.; but he here speaks of th,• bigotry and intolerance; ns this enmity short period-a space of six months-which was a perversion of their peculinr distinotiou hud tilready separated tl,d11 ; u11t, as sow,· 11s the people of God; but ruther to their suppose, th:\t l.tis wiuJ was so r,,ll of the opposition to biB preaching the gospel io ide!l,11 Qf eternity t.w.i he overlooked 11 It  80 THE Fll(ST EPISTLE TO 'l'l-U: THESSALONIANS. [cu. IL 1-20,