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Dr. Rafael Rodríguez is professor of New Testament and has taught for nearly 20 years – most recently at Johnson University – before joining the faculty of PTS in 2024. He serves on The Catholic Biblical Quarterly editorial board, the Life, Letters, and Legacy of Paul (SCJ) steering committee, and the Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus editorial board.
Dr. Rodríguez’s areas of expertise include the Apostle Paul, the Epistle to the Romans, the Epistles to the Thessalonians, Paul within Judaism, and Second Temple Judaism and Christian origins. He also specializes in social memory approaches to the Bible. In addition to The First Christian Letters: Reading 1 and 2 Thessalonians, he is the author of several books and articles.
Paul's letters to the Thessalonians are the earliest surviving Christian documents. They are also among the most easily overlooked parts of the New Testament. What could these short, simple letters possibly have to say to a world caught in the throes of racial discord, political polarization, fears of an uncertain future, and fights over truth and false news? While Paul and his companions could not have imagined anything like the twenty-first century, their letters in the mid-first century to non-Jewish followers of Jesus in northern Greece address problems we still wrestle with today: race and ethnicity, family, ethics, an unknown future, how to respond to strangers, and more. These letters, rather than being an outdated part of Paul's collected letters, provoke us to throw ourselves into the great challenges of the modern world, to resist the temptation to repay "another person evil for evil," and to "pursue the good, both for one another and for everyone" (1 Thess 5:15). Will we read these ancient letters anew?
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Select Bibliography
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Lee, Kiwoon. Identity and Moral Formation in 1 Thessalonians. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2024.
Talbert, Andrew R. Receiving 2 Thessalonians : Theological Reception Aesthetics from the Early Church to the Reformation. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2019.
Tucker, J. Brian and Coleman A. Baker, eds. T. & T. Clark Handbook to Social Identity in the New Testament. London: Bloomsbury T. & T. Clark, 2014.
Work, Carla Swifford. The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized. Grand Rapids: Eerdmann's, 2020.
Books in Barbour Library
Print books below may be checked out by PTS students, faculty, and staff, as well as local area patrons who have library accounts (requires an annual fee). Ebooks are indicated by asterisks, and are available to current PTS students, faculty, and staff only.
*1 and 2 Thessalonians: an Introduction and Study Guide by
1 Thessalonians provides a fascinating glimpse into the origins and social life of the Christ group in the ancient Roman city of Thessalonike, while 2 Thessalonians reveals how the community developed at a somewhat later time. This guide narrates the story of the founding of the group by considering the social and cultural contexts, the literary form, the rhetorical strategies, the theologies, and the reception of the two canonical letters. While centering on the texts of 1 and 2 Thessalonians themselves, Ascough draws widely on literary and archaeological data, giving particular attention to typical group behaviours among small, unofficial associations in the Greek and Roman period. The first four chapters focus on 1 Thessalonians, from the initial formation of the Christ group out of a small association of artisans through to how members negotiated various sorts of relationships: with Paul and his companions, with outsiders in Thessalonike and beyond, and especially with fellow believers within the group itself. The final two chapters turn attention to the shifting circumstances that required a second letter to be written, with its focus on disorder and disruption of social practices and theological beliefs. The epilogue briefly surveys Christianity at Thessalonike beyond the 1st century. This guide presents an overview of the historical development of the Christ group at Thessalonike. Moving beyond treating the canonical letters as simple repositories of theological opinions, Ascough demonstrates how 1 and 2 Thessalonians reveal ordinary life in ancient Roman cities. In so doing, he invites readers to enter the world of one of the many fascinating communities of Christ believers in the 1st century of the Common Era.
Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9780567671301Publication Date: 2017-01-12
The Birth of the New Testament : the origin and development of the first Christian generation by Call Number: BS2725.2 .C65 1993ISBN: 9780824512767Publication Date: 1993-07-01
The First Christian Letters by Call Number: BS2725.52 .R635 2024ISBN: 9781666748697Publication Date: 2024-02-13
From Roman to Early Christian Thessalonikē : studies in religion and archaeology by
This volume brings together international scholars of religion, archaeologists, and scholars of art and architectural history to investigate social, political, and religious life in Roman and early Christian Thessalonikē, an important metropolis in the Hellenistic, Roman, and early Christian periods and beyond. This volume is the first broadly interdisciplinary investigation of Roman and early Christian Thessalonikē in English and offers new data and new interpretations by scholars of ancient religion and archaeology. The book covers materials usually treated by a broad range of disciplines: New Testament and early Christian literature, art historical materials, urban planning in antiquity, material culture and daily life, and archaeological artifacts from the Roman to the late antique period.
Call Number: DF261.T49 F76 2010ISBN: 9780674053229Publication Date: 2011-02-07
Paul and the Thessalonians : the philosophic tradition of pastoral care by Call Number: BS2725.2 .M35ISBN: 9780800619633Publication Date: 1987-01-01
The Practice of Hope : ideology and intention in First Thessalonians by
Although the political interpretation of Paul is still considered something of a novelty in North America and Europe, it is well established in Latin America and among theologians of liberation. In The Practice of Hope, Nstor O. Mguez brings the insights of historical-critical study and political analysis together with incisive theological reflection. Taking on European philosophical interpretations of Paul, the "North Atlantic consensus" regarding social stratification in the Pauline churches, and the distortions of "rapture" theology, Mguez situates Paul's mission in the political context of Roman Thessalonica and reads his first letter in engagement with Latin American realities. The result is a surprising rediscovery of Paul as an organic intellectual for whom hope is always a socially concrete reality.
Call Number: BS2725.52 .M54 2012ISBN: 9780800698249Publication Date: 2012-06-01
Click on the links below to perform subject/author searches in the library catalog:
Bible. Thessalonians -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bible. Thessalonians -- Commentaries.
Articles in Barbour Library
Articles that are available online have links, and are only available to current PTS students, faculty, and staff. Articles without links are in the print journal collection.
Åkerlund, Truls. “‘To Live Lives Worthy of God’: Leadership and Spiritual Formation in 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12.” Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 9, no. 1 (Spr 2016): 18–34.
Ascough, Richard S. “A Question of Death: Paul’s Community-Building Language in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.” Journal of Biblical Literature 123, no. 3 (Fall 2004): 509–30.
Glowasky, Michael. “Ethos, Opposition, and Identification: Paul’s Constitutive Rhetoric in 1 Thessalonians 1--3.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 85, no. 4 (January 1, 2023): 737–53.
Longenecker, Bruce W. “The Rupture of an Association: Social Conflict and Its Management in the Thessalonian Christ Assembly.” Journal of Biblical Literature 143, no. 1 (2024): 143–62.
Malherbe, Abraham J. “Ethics in Context: The Thessalonians and Their Neighbours.” HTS Theological Studies 68, no. 1 (2012): 1–10.
Taylor, John W. “Labor of Love: The Theology of Work in First and Second Thessalonians.” Southwestern Journal of Theology 59, no. 2 (Spr 2017): 201–18
Faith in the Folds is a podcast for ministry, biblical studies, and general Christian living. We will feature short devotionals, longer video essays, and interviews with friends and colleagues who, in one way or another, have learned "to haste, rise, and do the thing God has said."
The Two Testaments interviews scholars to discuss the meanings of verses, passages, and books of the Bible. Think of us as an audio Bible commentary—but more exciting!—where you get to hear scholars and practitioners trying to make sense of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
This podcast is for all students of the Bible—pastors, Bible teachers, ministry leaders, students, and all who are curious about the Bible.
- Institute for Biblical ResearchThe Institute for Biblical Research is an organization of evangelical Christian scholars that fosters excellence in biblical studies within a faith environment.
- Journal for the Study of the Historical JesusThe Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus provides an international forum for the academic discussion of Jesus within his first-century context. The journal is accessible to all who are interested in how this complex topic has been addressed in the past and how it is approached today. (Note: available in print and electronically through Barbour Library).
- The Two Testaments: A Guided Journey Through ScriptureWelcome to The Two Testaments podcast, a guided journey through Scripture with leading experts on the Bible. We interview scholars to discuss the meanings of verses, passages, and books of the Bible. Think of us as an audio Bible commentary—but more exciting!—where you get to hear scholars and practitioners trying to make sense of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
- OnScript: Engaging Conversations on the Bible and Theology: Rafael Rodríguez – Jesus DarklyBringing you engaging conversations on Bible and theology.
We see but a poor reflection, dimly. How does social-memory theory change how we think about the New Testament? In Rafael Rodríguez’s Jesus Darkly, the Jesus that emerges from the shadows is surprisingly bright and relevant. Yet even when he remains mysterious, the darkness helps us anticipate the ultimate face-to-face encounter. Rodriguez talks candidly about how a foot-washing ceremony–which should not be confused with foot-licking–changed his life, while offering reflections on Jesus’s significance for the church today.
- Rafael Rodriguez Display BibliographyA bibliography of print and electronic books available at Barbour Library.