concerns of the early Christians. Perhaps in response to criticism from outsiders, the letter emphasizes strongly the necessity of living quiet, well-ordered, and morally circumspect lives. The Thessalonian Christians owed their conversion from paganism to the aggressive evangelistic efforts of Paul and his co-workers, and they in turn had sought to proselytize others. The community lived in fervent expectation of the return of Jesus, the Son of God, from heaven for their own ultimate salvation and