Contradictions and Paradoxes in 1 Thessalonians 1:1

Check out Contradictions Catalog of 1 Thessalonians 1:1 for the comprehensive list of verses that contradicts 1 Thessalonians 1:1. Some key contradictions and paradoxes are described below.

According to Paul, he and his friends Silvanus and Timotheus are sending a friendly hello to the people who believe in God and Jesus in Thessalonica. They wish them happiness and calmness from God and Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 1:1: Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians [which is] in God the Father and [in] the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Contradiction with Galatians 1:1

While 1 Thessalonians 1:1 attributes the letter's authorship to Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus, Galatians 1:1 emphasizes Paul alone as an apostle not of men, contradicting the communal authorship.

Galatians 1:1: Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)

Contradiction with 1 Corinthians 1:1

This verse highlights Paul's call as an apostle through the will of God, while 1 Thessalonians 1:1 includes Silvanus and Timotheus in the greeting, suggesting a lesser degree of individual apostolic authority.

1 Corinthians 1:1: Paul, called [to be] an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes [our] brother,

Contradiction with Philippians 1:1

This verse mentions Timothy alongside Paul but as "the servants of Jesus Christ," contrasting the equal mention of Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, which does not specify their roles or hierarchy.

Philippians 1:1: Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Contradiction with Acts 15:2

Here, Paul and Barnabas handle a significant church conflict without Silas (Silvanus), who later appears in 1 Thessalonians 1:1, indicating a possible contradiction in participants over time.

Acts 15:2: When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

Contradiction with 2 Corinthians 1:1

This opening salutation only includes Paul and Timothy, not Silvanus, unlike 1 Thessalonians 1:1, which suggests a contradiction in representation or presence.

2 Corinthians 1:1: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy [our] brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:
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