Bible Location
Meaning: victory against the Thessalians · 6 cross references · Modern-day map available
Thessalonica was a major port and administrative city of Macedonia on the Thermaic Gulf. It is important because Paul established a church there, addressed that church in two New Testament letters, and returned to it within his wider mission across Greece. First appears in Acts 17:1.1
Place meaning
victory against the Thessalians
Coordinates
40.63, 22.95
First appears
Acts 17:1
AI summary: Thessalonica is one of the most significant Pauline cities in the New Testament. Acts presents it as a strategic urban center where Paul's synagogue preaching quickly formed a church but also provoked sharp opposition, forcing him on to Berea. The later letters show that the Thessalonian believers became a particularly important community for teaching about perseverance, holiness, the return of Christ, and faithful witness under pressure. Additional references in Acts, Philippians, and Timothy confirm the city's lasting place in Paul's network. The cross references present Thessalonica as a key Macedonian church city shaped by mission, suffering, and apostolic instruction.1
Place meaning
victory against the Thessalians
Latitude
40.63
Longitude
22.95
Bible references
6
A large and populous city on the Thermaic bay. It was the capital of one of the four Roman districts of Macedonia, and was ruled by a praetor. It was named after Thessalonica, the wife of Cassander, who built the city. She was so called by her father, Philip, because he first heard of her birth on the day of his gaining a victory over the Thessalians. On his second missionary journey, Paul preached in the synagogue here, the chief synagogue of the Jews in that part of Macedonia, and laid the foundations of a church (Acts 17:1-4; 1 Thes. 1:9). The violence of the Jews drove him from the city, when he fled to Berea (Acts 17:5-10). The “rulers of the city” before whom the Jews “drew Jason,” with whom Paul and Silas lodged, are in the original called politarchai, an unusual word, which was found, however, inscribed on an arch in Thessalonica. This discovery confirms the accuracy of the historian. Paul visited the church here on a subsequent occasion (20:1-3). This city long retained its importance. It is the most important town of European Turkey, under the name of Saloniki, with a mixed population of about 85,000. 3
Source note: this 1893 dictionary language reflects its period and may be culturally insensitive or outdated. It is presented as historical source material, not as ai-BIBLE’s language, interpretation, or endorsement.
| Book | Cross-References |
|---|---|
| Acts | |
| Phil | |
| 2Tim |
Figure1: A table of cross references between the selected passage and other passages (Data from Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.)
AI-assisted summary prepared for ai-BIBLE and stored as page content, based on dictionary material, place metadata, and linked Bible cross references.
Alistair de Blacquiere-Clarkson, “ai-BIBLE Bible Names JSON Factsheet Aggregating Material from Smith’s Bible Dictionary & Hitcocks’s New and Complete Analysis of the Bible.” ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
M.G.Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, ai-BIBLE electronic edition, version 1.0.
Robert Rouse, “Theographic Bible Information,” Theographic-Bible-Metadata, 2020, https://github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata.