IN ABOUT the year 50 C.E., Paul and his traveling companion Silas came to Thessalonica. They were on Paul’s second missionary journey, their first opportunity to bring the good news about the Christ into what is today Europe.

As they arrived in Thessalonica, the memory of the beating and imprisonment they had suffered in Philippi, the principal city of Macedonia, was no doubt still fresh in their minds. In fact, Paul later told the Thessalonians that when visiting them, he had preached “the good news of God with a great deal of struggling.” (1 Thessalonians 2:1, 2) Would the situation in Thessalonica be more favorable? How would the ministry fare in this city? Would it be fruitful?

Paul’s Arrival at Thessalonica

When coming to a new city, Paul usually approached the Jews first because their familiarity with the Scriptures provided a basis for discussion and could help them understand the good news. One scholar suggests that perhaps this custom was an indication of Paul’s concern for his countrymen or an effort to use the Jews and the God-fearers as a springboard for his work among the Gentiles.​—Acts 17:2-4.

So, arriving in Thessalonica, Paul first entered the synagogue, where “he reasoned with [the Jews] from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying: ‘This is the Christ, this Jesus whom I am publishing to you.’”​—Acts 17:2, 3, 10.

What Paul highlighted​—the Messiah’s role and identity—​was a controversial issue. The notion of a suffering Messiah was contrary to the Jews’ ideal of a conquering warrior-Messiah. To persuade the Jews, Paul “reasoned,” ‘explained,’ and ‘proved by references’ to the Scriptures​—the true marks of an effective teacher.a But what was the reaction of Paul’s audience as he imparted such a wealth of information to them?

A Fruitful but Eventful Ministry

Some Jews and many Greek proselytes, as well as “not a few of the principal women,” accepted Paul’s message. The expression “principal women” is especially fitting, for in Macedonia females enjoyed an elevated social status. They held public office, owned property, enjoyed certain civic rights, and engaged in business. Even monuments were erected in their honor. Just as the Philippian businesswoman Lydia had accepted the good news, there was now also a notable response by Thessalonian women of high rank, likely ladies of good families or wives of prominent citizens.​—Acts 16:14, 15; 17:4.

The Jews, however, became full of envy. They enlisted “wicked men of the marketplace idlers and formed a mob and proceeded to throw the city into an uproar.” (Acts 17:5) What kind of people were these? One Bible scholar described them as “the dissipated and the worthless.” He added: “It does not appear that they felt any particular interest in the subject; but they were, like other mobs, easily excited, and urged on to any acts of violence.”

That mixed mob “assaulted the house of Jason [Paul’s host] and went seeking to have them brought forth to the rabble.” Not finding Paul, they turned to the city’s highest level of administration. So “they dragged Jason and certain brothers to the city rulers, crying out: ‘These men that have overturned the inhabited earth are present here also.’”​—Acts 17:5, 6.

As capital of Macedonia, Thessalonica enjoyed some autonomy. Part of its self-government was a people’s assembly, or citizens’ council, that handled local public issues. The “city rulers,” or politarchs,b were high officials, duty-bound to keep order and defuse situations that could lead to Roman intervention and loss of the city’s privileges. So they would be disturbed to hear that public peace was threatened by these “troublemakers.”

Then came a most serious charge: “These men act in opposition to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:7) This, says a commentary, implied “sedition and rebellion” against the emperors, who “would not permit the name of [another] king to be mentioned in any of the vanquished provinces except by their permission.” Also, the fact that Jesus, whom Paul proclaimed as King, had been executed by Roman authorities on the very charge of sedition added to the plausibility of the accusation.​—Luke 23:2.

The city rulers were agitated. But since there was no solid evidence and the accused could not be found, “after taking sufficient security from Jason and the others they let them go.” (Acts 17:8, 9) This arrangement could refer to a kind of bail by means of which Jason and other Christians guaranteed that Paul would leave the city and would not return to cause disturbance again. Perhaps Paul was alluding to this event when he mentioned that “Satan cut across [his] path” and prevented him from returning to the city.​—1 Thessalonians 2:18.

In view of the situation, Paul and Silas were dispatched by night to Beroea. Paul’s ministry proved fruitful there as well, but this success so enraged his Jewish opponents in Thessalonica that they made the 50-mile (80 km) trip to Beroea to stir up the crowds and fan the flames of opposition.