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.