Acts 17:4–15

Paul proved from the Scriptures that the Christ must suffer and rise. He did not present this only as a truth in what they acknowledged to be the word of God. He showed it was absolutely necessary because of man's sin, and the only adequate remedy in God's grace. Then came the clinching conclusion: "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." No miracle was needed here to catch attention. The Scriptures are a testimony beyond miracles, and the most lasting testimony of all.

As the apostle wrote afterwards, "our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction" (1 Thess. 1:5). The harvest was large, not only among the Jews, but far more among the Gentiles, including not a few women of rank. No church in the apostles' day showed greater simplicity, freshness, and power of the truth than the Thessalonians.

In Acts we often meet a Greek word used in the sense of "one who serves God." We point out this expression because it marks a class of people. They were not Jews, yet they avoided the emptiness and defilements of paganism, and took part in Jewish worship. See Acts 13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7, 13.

Some of the Jews became convinced that the Lord Jesus is the Christ, and they accepted Him as their Saviour and Lord. But most of the church were devout Greeks. These were not heathen. They were Greeks who had given up idols and had become converts to the Jewish faith. They were convinced that paganism was wrong. They wanted light, so they attended the synagogue services. Of this class a great multitude believed. The third class mentioned are women who held positions of distinction.

The decisive moment had come. The believers showed themselves openly. They identified themselves with Paul and Silas and joined them. It was like the two disciples who heard John the Baptist say, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36). They followed Jesus and stayed with Him that day. It is always so when Christ is preached. The unbelievers show themselves too. They besieged the house of Jason, where Paul and his companion were staying.

As a result of this preaching, "some" of the Jews and "a great many" of the Gentiles believed. They also proved their faith was real. They identified themselves in public with the Lord's servants, for we read that they joined Paul and Silas. They did not keep their faith to themselves. They did not try to escape shame by staying secret disciples. They believed in Jesus, and boldly confessed their faith. The result was that they had at once to face persecution.

Paul and his friends had just come from suffering and shameful treatment at Philippi. Far from being cowed by this, they had such confidence in God that again they spoke the Word with courage. Its power was such that even some of the Jews believed, along with a great many devout Greeks and not a few leading women. So God gave His faithful servants a time of much encouragement. It came after severe suffering, and before further troubles in Thessalonica itself.

The success of the gospel always tends to rouse bitter opposition. That is true nowhere more than among the Jews. They felt keenly the bitter spite that is natural to people overwhelmed by their own Scriptures — Scriptures they could not explain, yet would not bow to.

Envy led to the first murder, when Cain killed his brother. And envy led to the greatest murder, when the Jews crucified their Messiah. If men moved by envy will commit murder, we need not be surprised that respectable Jews stooped to use base, worthless men to carry out their ends.

Here we see the usual lack of common honesty that marks the religious attackers of the truth. The Jews professed the fear of God. Yet out of jealousy they did not hesitate to form a party with wicked men of the lowest sort against the gospel. Godless pagans were good enough allies against the truth of their own Messiah. Worldly desires would not let them recognise Him in Jesus, who suffered and then rose. God was in none of their thoughts.

Just as in the days of the apostles, "wicked men of the rabble" and "devout and honourable women" found one point on which they could agree. These two classes were far apart, socially and morally. Yet both utterly rejected the word of God and those who faithfully preached it. (Compare Acts 13:50 with Acts 17:5.) So we always find that men who differ in almost everything else agree in their determined opposition to the Bible.

The unbelieving Jews, moved with envy, got hold of wicked men of the lowest sort and gathered a crowd. They set the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason. Jason was one of the believers and a relative of Paul (see Rom. 16:21). Paul must have been staying with this relative, so they tried to bring him and his companions out.

They proved their faith was real by identifying themselves in public with the Lord's servants. We read that they "joined Paul and Silas." They did not keep their faith to themselves. They did not try to escape reproach by staying secret disciples. They believed in Jesus, and boldly confessed their faith. The result was that they had at once to face persecution.

Jason, Paul's host, was the special object of their hostility. They surrounded his house. They wanted to bring the Lord's servants out before the people — that is, the regular assembly of the city.

Jealousy was aroused. Unbelieving Jews worked on the rabble — "vile fellows," as an older translation puts it — to make an uproar. The Jews would not eat with such people. Yet they had no qualms about calling in their help to stop the movement if they could. In this they partly succeeded, and they searched for Paul and Silas in the house of Jason, but in vain. They could not find them. The Lord watched over His servants, and on this occasion sheltered them in some way the historian does not explain.

Here we see the usual lack of common honesty which marks the religious opponents of the truth. The Jews claimed to fear God. Yet jealousy drove them to join forces with wicked men of the lowest sort against the gospel. Depraved pagans were good enough allies against the truth of their own Messiah. Worldly desires would not let them recognise Him in Jesus, who suffered and then rose again. God was in none of their thoughts. Their degradation showed in the company they kept to gather a crowd and set the city in uproar.

This is an old accusation, and one which always comes from the wrong side. Pontius Pilate could find no fault in Jesus. Even so, the priests and the rulers insisted all the more: "He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place" (Luke 23:5). What do they say against Paul and Silas at Philippi? "These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city" (Acts 16:20). And at Thessalonica? "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also" (Acts 17:6).

At Philippi the riot began with money-making Gentiles who had been disappointed. At Thessalonica unbelieving Jews were behind even worse opposition and disorder. They branded Paul and Silas as "these men who have turned the world upside down." Without meaning to, they paid tribute to the mighty power of the gospel, preached with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. They might oppose it, but they could not stop its advance.

The gospel still has the character it had when Paul preached it: it turned "the world upside down." Nothing was to stand before it. Nothing could be allowed alongside it. Judaism, pagan religion, and all the rest — it overturned them all. It pressed the claims of God on each person. It did more than teach truth about God. It showed its hearers where they stood before God. The gospel comes and says, "You are lost"; and it does turn the world upside down. It is a new thing for people to be told, You are all wrong.

In Thessalonica people misrepresented him. They imagined he was turning "the world upside down" and "acting against the decrees of Caesar" (Acts 17:6-7). Neither claim was true. The gospel leaves the world-system untouched. But it calls individual people out of the world, and turns them right side up, according to God.

Those were blessed days. The church had no powerful backers and no wealth of its own. Its leading preacher had to say, "I have no silver and gold." Yet the church carried on all its work in simple faith in the name of Jesus, and in the awareness of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Why was such a state of things ever allowed to pass away? In those days penniless men "turned the world upside down," and their own enemies said so.

The Jews bring Jason before the rulers and charge him with sheltering Paul and Silas in his home. The rulers were troubled. But they were not as cruel and unjust as the rulers at Philippi, who had Paul and Silas beaten. They only take security from Jason and the others and release them.

That the preachers of divine grace "turned the world upside down" was natural to say, and became a standing reproach, however untrue. Yet it is understandable, because the gospel reaches among high and low, and separates people from the world by a divine bond to Christ in heaven. But for that very reason it does not interfere with the authority of the world. On the contrary, it commands every soul to be subject to that authority as God's ordinance here below.

It was even a threat to the authority and claims of Caesar. How loyal to the Imperial dynasty the Jews could become! At home, they wanted to shake off Roman rule. Abroad, when it suited their purpose, they played the part of Rome's fearless champions.

No doubt the insinuation was unfounded and malicious. But it had a show of evidence in the prominence given to the kingdom of God in which Jesus was to come. For He had gone, among other purposes, to receive that kingdom and to return. It is ill-willed folly to claim that this expectation stands against the rights of Caesar. Still, it is plain that the teaching was very far from modern doctrine, which no one could misread that way.

Paul first claimed that Jesus is the Messiah. Second, he asserts that this Jesus, the Messiah, was also King. We gather this from the challenge of his accusers.

Do we not see divine greatness and shepherd care in one blessed Person? He can be none other than the One our verse calls "another king, one Jesus." "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days" (Micah 5:2). He, the Eternal One, is the Ruler of His people!

People soon understood this about Christians: they had "another king, one Jesus." His sovereignty meant freedom in obedience — the sweetest possible absolute rule of a perfect and divine love.

Paul's host, Jason, was the special object of their hostility. They surrounded his house. They wanted to bring the Lord's servants out in front of the people — the public assembly of the city.

They only take security from Jason and the others and release them… We know from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians that the assembly left there suffered serious persecution after this. Though so young in the faith, they kept up an exemplary witness to Christ and the gospel without Paul and Silas to encourage them.

With His kingdom and glory before us, we can gladly bear present shame and suffering. Our whole way of life is lifted by it.

Not finding them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the city rulers. That is a distinctive title for the local authorities. It confirms Luke's accuracy all the more, because the term appears in no known remains of Greek antiquity. But an inscription still survives on the marble arch of the western gate of Saloniki. It proves that this was the title of the Thessalonian magistrates, and that there were seven of them.

The outcry of the attackers in verses 6 and 7 teaches us much, at least in its second half. It was natural to say that the preachers of divine grace "turned the world upside down." That became a standing reproach, however untrue... But we cannot look for truth in a foolish cry raised by envious Jews and idle loafers among the Gentiles. They only wanted an appearance convincing enough to arouse the fears of the magistrates, and so drive away the chief heralds of the truth.

How loyal to the imperial dynasty the Jews could become! At home they wanted to shake off the Roman yoke; abroad, when it suited their purpose, they played the part of Rome's brave champions. These accusations, once made, troubled the crowd and the rulers. The politarchs could not ignore them.

Yet it is understandable. The gospel reaches both high and low, and it separates people from the world by a divine bond to Christ in heaven. But for that very reason it does not interfere with the authority of the world. On the contrary, it commands every soul to obey that authority, which God has set in place here below. It ties the hearts of believers, simply and completely, to the rejected One, now glorified in heaven.

As to their accusation against Paul and Silas, they claim the two were breaking Caesar's decrees. Not that the accusers had any regard for Caesar. They used the same contemptible tactics the Pharisees had used in accusing the Lord Jesus. Their only specific charge is that these men say there is another king, Jesus.

The insinuation was groundless and malicious, without doubt. But it had a show of evidence in the prominence given to the kingdom of God in which Jesus was to come... Paul and his companions kept the constant expectation of Christ's coming reign before the believers. This was no secret for insiders. It was a powerful hope that shaped conduct as well as doctrine, and they pressed it from first to last through the whole Christian life. The opening chapter of the first letter shows that it marked the Thessalonian converts from their very starting point. They turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

The rulers were troubled along with the people. Yet they were wiser than those of Philippi, for they took security from Jason and let them go.

But the world was hostile... Persecution soon fell heavily on the young converts, as the letter shows.

The world was hostile. Yet at that point the rulers did nothing more than take bail from Jason and the rest and let them go, since they had not found the preachers. [Footnote:] Luke does not use the older Greek technical term for bail. He uses a phrase that matches the Latin legal term satisdatio — giving sufficient security.

The Jews dragged Jason and some other believers before the city rulers. They accused them of teaching things against Caesar's authority, and of saying that there was another king, Jesus. But the rulers, though troubled along with the people, were wiser than those of Philippi. They took security from Jason and let them go. Paul and his companions, the main accused, were not there, so they were not found. The believers saw the door shut against the work for the moment, and sent Paul and Silas to Berea, a nearby city.

That the preachers of divine grace "turned the world upside down" was natural to say, and became a standing reproach, however untrue... But for that very reason the gospel does not interfere with the authority of the world. Instead it tells every person to submit to that authority, because God has set it up here on earth. It simply but fully binds the heart of those who believe to the One the world rejected, now glorified in heaven... They only sought an appearance strong enough to arouse the fears of the magistrates, and so drive away the chief heralds of the truth.

The Jews bring Jason before the rulers and charge him with sheltering Paul and Silas in his home. The rulers were troubled, but they were not as harsh and unjust as the rulers of Philippi, who had Paul and Silas beaten. They only take security from Jason and the others and release them. The Lord had seen fit that the persecutors should not find Paul and Silas... We know from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians that the church left in Thessalonica suffered serious persecution after this. Yet though they were so young in the faith, they kept up an exemplary witness to Christ and the gospel without Paul and Silas there to encourage them.

This passage shows plainly that God allows Satan to harass and hinder the servants of the Lord. Yet set the story beside the history recorded in Acts, and it is very clear that God knows well how to overrule Satan's hindering work for good. Satan hindered Paul from returning to Thessalonica just then, but God led him to Corinth — and He had many people in that city!

Paul and his companions were the ones chiefly wanted, but they were not found there. The believers saw that the door was shut against the work for the moment, so they sent Paul and Silas to Berea, a nearby city.

The Lord had seen fit that their persecutors did not find Paul and Silas. The believers, however, thought it unwise for the two men to stay any longer, so they sent them away by night to avoid further trouble. We know from Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians that the church left behind in Thessalonica suffered serious persecution after this. Yet, young in the faith as they were, they kept up an outstanding witness to Christ and the gospel without Paul and Silas there to encourage them (1 Thess. 1).

"Always forward" was the great apostle's motto. He obeyed the Lord's instruction: "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another" (Matt. 10:23). So Paul and Silas left for Berea, now called Verria, or Kara Verria. It lay in another division of Macedonia — Macedonia Tertia — and so under a different government.

Everyone knows that it is easy to be a martyr in theory, and that those who are martyrs in theory are seldom martyrs in practice… Faith never teaches anyone to go looking for danger and trouble. It teaches us to walk the path of Christ in peace and thankfulness. The Lord has not called His servants to leave that path. Some of us may have been struck by this: the Lord told them that when they were persecuted in one city, they should flee to another. That is not chasing martyrdom. It is the very opposite.

It is a blessing to notice the tireless zeal of the Lord's servants. They had only just escaped the hatred stirred up by the Jews at Thessalonica. Yet the moment they reached Berea, we see them walking boldly into the synagogue. There they met a readiness of heart in searching the Scriptures that showed greater simplicity and real nobility of soul.

There they found a delightful change from Thessalonica. Instead of being met with bigotry and persecution, they found in the frequenters of the synagogue a readiness to hear the Word of God.

Nothing is more wonderful than the way God often chooses to carry out His purposes… To human eyes it might look as if the enemies of the gospel had blocked the work by putting a stop to Paul's labours. But once again they only helped to spread the good news in other regions. Happy is the servant who has no will of his own and sees the Lord's hand in all his changing circumstances.

He felt there was something lacking in their faith, and he wanted to supply it (1 Thess. 3:10), because his work among them had been cut short. The hostility of the Jews had forced him out in a hurry (Acts 17:10). This, with many other reasons, gave him a special concern for them.

Not put off by what they had already been through, they looked for the Jews in that city and went into the synagogue. Here the people who attended gave them a better reception. They were not ready to receive the Word just on the authority of two strangers. So they searched the Scriptures daily, and proved that the new teaching was correct. Thessalonica had shown jealousy and uproar. Berea showed a readiness to weigh matters and fairness in listening.

The context makes it clear that "these" and "those" refer to two groups of Jews. We read that Paul and Silas "went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica" (verses 10 and 11)... It could not have been a comparison of one set of Christians with another. At the time, there were no Christians in Berea. Verse 12 makes it very clear. Their faith in the gospel came after their searching of the Scriptures: "Therefore many of them believed."

As Jews they were used to exclusive national privileges. The Gentiles were "far" from God but the Jews, at least outwardly, were near. But the gospel shows Jews and Gentiles on an equal footing: both are lost and in need of a Saviour. To accept this, a Jew would need to set aside national pride and privilege and bow to God's thoughts... This willingness to set aside prejudices, preconceived ideas, long cherished thoughts, and so on, in favour of God's word is a mark of true nobility.

We want him to "search the Scriptures" with an unbiased mind. We do not want him to form his convictions in the darkness of misrepresentation and prejudice. We want him to form them in the pure and holy light that Scripture sheds around him. And we lovingly urge him to watch against the tendency to think people are wrong just because their position differs from his own.

The Bereans won special commendation not simply for searching the Scriptures, but because they did so daily. It is easy to be diligent for one day. To be diligent day after day calls for perseverance. Daily is a hard and testing word... One great effort, or one heroic sacrifice, is easier by comparison. To keep following Christ day after day, without fuss, is the real test. It is not the man who starts well who wins the race, but the man who keeps going.

Paul then carries the gospel to Berea, and Scripture tells us the Bereans were more noble than those in Thessalonica. And why? Because they held that the Scriptures (then the Old Testament) were the only balance God had given to test everything by. So they were "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." Yes — and God commended them for testing even the ministry of an inspired apostle by the Scriptures. Oh that people would do the same in our day!

Here they met such readiness of heart in searching the Scriptures that it showed a greater simplicity and real nobility of soul. To bow to the word, and to receive it as God's word — which it truly is — is the truest condition of divine blessing. Yet they still examined Scripture daily, to see whether the things preached agreed with the things written. Therefore many from among them believed. There is no way so sure or good.

They verified what they heard based on the only true authority, the word of God. They searched the Scriptures. This was not a casual read, nor was it occasional. It was daily searching; diligent and constant seeking of the mind of God in His word. They did not have the luxury of online Bibles or Bible apps. They had to work through scrolls of handwritten text. But their zeal brought them a great reward: "Many of them therefore believed" (verse 12).

With disciples such as these, miracles are not needed and would rather distract than help. The Word is itself the greatest of miracles. It is the voice of the Living God. That voice has sounded on through the ages, never silent, wherever there was an ear to hear. So the readiness to receive the gospel ripens into faith in these Bereans, as they search the Scriptures with vigorous determination, day by day.

To bow to the word, and to receive it as God's word — which it truly is — is the truest condition of divine blessing. Yet they still examined Scripture daily, to see whether the preaching agreed with the written word. Many of them therefore believed. There is no way so sure or good.

The context makes it clear that "these" and "those" refer to two groups of Jews — those in Berea and those in Thessalonica. It could not have been a comparison of one set of Christians with another. At the time, there were no Christians in Berea. Verse 12 is clear: their faith in the gospel followed their searching of the Scriptures. "Many of them therefore believed."

Here again women of prominence are mentioned (Greeks) and men also, not a few. In this case, as in Thessalonica, though the work began in the synagogue, it was by no means confined to Jews. The Spirit of God has not thought it necessary to tell us, however, how the work progressed in Berea later.

It was surely a deliverance beyond words. It freed them from degrading immorality and from empty myths. It turned them from a life of selfishness to serve the one and only true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.

Where there is uprightness of heart, and a true valuing of the Scripture, divine blessing will come. God does His work by His word received into the heart. God calls the Jews who searched the Scriptures "noble," and the women who believed were "honourable."

But Jewish anger was not content to drive the apostles out of Thessalonica. From Thessalonica the hostile Jews came to Berea to work against the preached word, stirring up and troubling the crowds there too.

When the Jews of Thessalonica heard of the success in Berea, they followed Paul to that town, about fifty miles away, and stirred up the people. The Devil always defeats himself, for he only drove the servants of Christ to other places, where they spread the gospel.

How long they were there we are not told. But it was clearly only a short time before the militant Jews of Thessalonica heard of the Word preached in Berea, and came there to stir up the people against the Lord's servants. They not only rejected the message of grace themselves, but they were determined that others must not even hear it.

Acts 17:13 clearly shows the method the apostle used in his preaching. In the synagogues he found copies of the Law and the Prophets, which served his purpose. So he sought out the synagogues and proved to the Jews, from their own Scriptures, that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the "Christ" to whom they bore witness. He it was who had suffered, as had been foretold, and had risen again from the dead.

But the unhappy Jews carry on their work, and come from Thessalonica to stir up the people against Paul and the others. It is sad to see their permanent hatred of the gospel. But it is always like this when truth sets aside an old religion and its followers refuse that truth.

Knowledge of old revelation gives no security for receiving the truth God is actually sending or using most at any given time. On the contrary, as we see in these Jews here and elsewhere, if there is pride in what someone already has, that pride will work powerfully to reject what God means to test the heart with now. This is especially so when grace is at work to open the door of faith to those who had no religious standing from of old. So of all things the gospel is the most repulsive to God's ancient people, who madly refused the mercy that waited on them first of all, before it was preached to the Gentiles.

We can, however, pause to admire the devotion of those believers who escorted Paul, and did not leave him until he reached Athens. The sea voyage to Athens would take three to six days... So we may reckon the journey from Berea to Athens and back to have kept these believers away from home for between two and three weeks. But we are sure they grudged neither the time, the expense, nor the tiredness in caring for one who had ministered such blessings to their souls, cheering him and helping him on his way.

Long before, the Lord had also laid down a general principle: "When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next" (Matt. 10:23). Paul and his companions plainly carried out this principle later, even to shaking the dust off their feet (Acts 14:6, Acts 17:10-14).

Again wisdom says Paul should leave Berea. He went toward the sea with others who seem to have known the area, but left Silas and Timothy behind.

"As far as to the sea" they went. That is how the oldest manuscripts read. They do not say "as if to the sea." Some could take that other reading as a decoy to throw pursuers off the scent. At what point they embarked for Athens is not stated.

The Thessalonian Jews hated the Word of God so much that they chased Paul all the way to Berea. Faced with more trouble, Paul slipped away to Athens and outwitted his pursuers with a simple trick. Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea, since the hostility now fell on Paul in particular.

The believers in Berea, new converts as they all were, cared for Paul and sent him away as far as the sea. Some even went with him to Athens... We can pause to admire the devotion of those brothers who escorted Paul. They did not leave him until he reached Athens. The sea voyage to Athens would take a little time, say from three to six days... So the journey from Berea to Athens and back would have kept these brothers away from home for two to three weeks. But we are sure they grudged none of it — not the time, not the cost, not the weariness. They cared for this man, cheered him, and helped him on his way. He had brought such blessing to their souls, and his weak eyesight may also have made him more dependent on others. Brotherly love was active in them.

Paul had been driven by persecution from Thessalonica, then from Berea to Athens. Alone at Athens for a time (Acts 17), he sent word for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed (17:15). Evidently Timothy at least had done so. As to Silas, it does not seem clear. But Paul then sent Timothy from Athens to Thessalonica. He could not go himself, and no doubt he hated losing Timothy's help. Later both Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:5). As for where Silas was in the meantime, Scripture seems to give no hint.

To human eyes, the enemies of the gospel seemed to have stopped the work by cutting Paul's labours short. But once again they only helped spread the good news into other regions. Happy is the servant who has no will of his own. He sees the Lord's hand in all his changing circumstances. He can discern His mind in everything that comes up in his path.

But with all this, the enemy does nothing but order the path of the gospel, according to the will of God.

A few brothers conduct Paul to Athens, and he sends an order to Silas and Timothy to join him there at once. But with all this, the enemy does nothing but arrange the path of the gospel, according to the will of God.

To human eyes, it might seem that the enemies of the gospel had stopped Paul's labours and so hindered the work. But once again they only helped to spread the good news in other regions. Happy is the servant who has no will of his own! He sees the Lord's hand in all his changing circumstances, and he can discern His mind in everything that comes up in his path.

More than one person went with Paul to Athens, over 200 miles away. On their return they brought an order for Silas and Timothy to join him with all speed.

Athens, as we shall see, was not destined to be a fruitful field for the incorruptible seed, the living and abiding word of God.

It is a remarkable thing that the apostle's mind does not seem to have been set on service in Athens. Even in his coming to the place, those who accompanied him seem to have decided where he went. And now that he has arrived, he did not begin preaching at once, as at Thessalonica and Berea. He waited for Silas and Timothy. Had he left Berea unwillingly? We cannot tell; but one thing is certain: the servant is often in danger of being governed by his affections rather than by the Lord's will.

Silas and Timothy remained at Berea, because clearly the hostility was now aimed especially at Paul. So on his visit to Athens, Paul was solitary and alone as far as his service went. Athens was the great centre of Greek culture and wisdom.

Alone at Athens for a time (Acts 17), he sent word for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed (17:15). Evidently Timothy at least had done so. As to Silas, it does not seem clear. But Paul then sent Timothy from Athens to Thessalonica. He could not go himself, and he was no doubt reluctant to be without Timothy's help. Later both Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul at Corinth (Acts 18:5). As for Silas's movements in the meantime, Scripture seems to give no indication.

The Authorized Version has a postscript, "written from Athens." … Paul wrote the Epistle after Timothy had returned from his visit to Thessalonica. … Timothy came from Thessalonica with the good news of the happy state of the Thessalonian church and joined the apostle in Corinth (Acts 18:5). From Corinth Paul wrote this first Epistle.