Evaluating 1 Thessalonians: An Outline of Holistic Approaches to 1 Thessalonians in the Last 25 Years

This article focuses on works that have been produced within the last
25 years which attempt to provide a holistic approach to the understanding
and interpretation of 1 Thessalonians, such as: epistolary,
rhetorical, theological, linguistic, and various combinations of the
above. Proponents of each view and their perspectives will be outlined
along with their structural division of the text. This article attempts
to provide a general map of particular approaches to 1 Thessalonians,
but also provides a brief outline of some of the critiques and weaknesses
of the different methodologies. This article concludes with a
brief statement regarding the trajectory of current studies.