Confronting Christianity with Rebecca McLaughlin
Oct 20, 2026 · 37 min · 10 segments
Did the earliest Christians really believe Jesus rose from the dead, or did that story develop over time? Rebecca talks with theologian Dani Treweek about what Paul's earliest letters reveal about…
Dani TreweekGuest
Rebecca McLaughlinHostLooking just even at the very first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, I think the division, Danny, am I right? Americans say 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Brits and Australians say 1
But I now, because I spend so much time sort of engaging with people in North America, I I now find myself slipping into 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and that means I get very odd looks from everybody here in Australia when I do that.
But here's a little interesting tidbit on that because in the scholarly discussions about 1 and 2 Thessalonians, there is some debate about whether 2 Thessalonians was actually written before 1 Thessalonians.
But one of the interesting things is those numbers that we have in front of some of the New Testament letters, like Corinthians, like Thessalonians, is actually not based on their chronology of which one was written first.
But I think it's pretty clear for all sorts of reasons that 1 Thessalonians was written first and then 2 Thessalonians was written probably only a couple of months after 1 Thessalonians, but it was definitely written second.
Potentially then, the very first chapter, not that they were even divided into chapters, but we'll leave that aside, of the oldest, the earliest New Testament text that we have, ends like this.
Looking just even at the very first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, I think the division, Danny, am I right? Americans say 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Brits and Australians say 1
But I now, because I spend so much time sort of engaging with people in North America, I I now find myself slipping into 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and that means I get very odd looks from everybody here in Australia when I do that.
But here's a little interesting tidbit on that because in the scholarly discussions about 1 and 2 Thessalonians, there is some debate about whether 2 Thessalonians was actually written before 1 Thessalonians.
But one of the interesting things is those numbers that we have in front of some of the New Testament letters, like Corinthians, like Thessalonians, is actually not based on their chronology of which one was written first.
But I think it's pretty clear for all sorts of reasons that 1 Thessalonians was written first and then 2 Thessalonians was written probably only a couple of months after 1 Thessalonians, but it was definitely written second.
Potentially then, the very first chapter, not that they were even divided into chapters, but we'll leave that aside, of the oldest, the earliest New Testament text that we have, ends like this.
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