The Rupture of an Association: Social Conflict and Its Management in the Thessalonian Christ Assembly

Abstract

Abstract The Christ group in Thessalonica was established when members of an association abandoned their deity and adopted Christ devotion. This interpretation has been advanced by others. While adopting this interpretation in general, I suggest modifications to it. In particular, I propose that the association experienced a split in its membership, with some members staying with the parent association and others breaking off to form a new assembly with a new deity. This scenario offers us a context for understanding the “persecution” experienced by the Thessalonian Christ group, as social conflict was played out in the public arena between the parent association and the Christ assembly. The authors of 1 Thessalonians sought to reduce the social conflict while still maintaining the distinctive identity of the Christ assembly and its theological commitments. This article (1) suggests several ways in which the new Christ assembly underwent adjustments in its associational character, (2) offers comparanda from the database of Greco-Roman associations, and (3) proposes that the authors’ comments in 5:15 are best interpreted in relation to this situation of social conflict between the parent association and its deviant offspring assembly.