Overview of Thessalonica Thessalonica is familiar to Bible students as host city to one of the churches founded by the Apostle Paul (Acts 17) and recipient of two of his epistles (First and Second Thessalonians). An extensive area was left bare after the great fire of 1917. When officials broke ground in 1963 for new law courts, they found the remains of a Roman forum dating back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. Archaeologists believe that this location was the site of the earlier Hellenistic agora as well. The forum covered two large terraces. To the north was a large courtyard surrounded by two-story stoas. Behind the east-side stoa was the odeion, a small theater. The upper level of the south-side stoa was supported by columns shaped in the likenesses of gods and goddesses. These columns now reside in the Louvre in Paris. Source for this summary: Fant & Reddish, 137 (see below). For more about the ancient city, go to the other views. Want to go deeper?The following are recommended to help you look deeper into the history and archaeology of Thessalonica. Recommended for purchase: Claude E. Fant & Mitchell G. Reddish – A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey (Oxford, 2003), 132-140. – Nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, including all the letters of Paul, most of Acts, and the Book of Revelation, are set in either Turkey or Greece. This book serves as a historical, biblical, and archaeological guide to most of these biblical sites. View excerpt Ben Witherington – 1 & 2 Thessalonians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Eerdmans, 2006) – In this first full-scale socio-rhetorical commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Ben Witherington gleans fresh insight from reading Paul's text in the light of rhetorical concerns and patterns, early Jewish theology, and the first-century historical situation in Macedonia. Witherington's distinctive socio-rhetorical approach helps unearth insights that would otherwise remain hidden using only form criticism, epistolary categories, and traditional criticism. Witherington details Thessalonica's place as the "metropolis" of Macedonia, and he carefully unpacks the social situation of Paul and his recipients. Scholars will appreciate the careful analysis and rhetorical insights contained here, while Witherington's clear prose and sensitivity to Paul's ideas make this work ideal for all who desire a useful, readable commentary on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. Online resources: "Arch and Tomb of Galerius" – Wikipedia article. – Features extreme close-ups of some of the reliefs. Thessaloniki360: Virtual City Guide. – Features many 360° photos of the significant landmarks of Thessaloniki. T NL – Photo: Shops of the Forum About DS Contact DS © 2011 DeeperStudy.com | Steve Singleton, All Rights Reserved | Thessalonica Satellite Image |