Letters of Paul to the Thessalonians, also called Epistles of St. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians, abbreviation Thessalonians, two New Testament letters written by St. Paul the Apostle from Corinth, Achaea (now in southern Greece), about 50 C.E. and addressed to the Christian community he had founded in Thessalonica (now in northern Greece). The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians and the Second Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians are the 13th and 14th books of the New Testament canon. Paul had left Thessalonica abruptly (see Ac 17:5-10) after a rather brief stay. Recent converts from paganism (1:9) were thus left with little external support in the midst of persecution. Paul's purpose in writing this letter was to encourage the new converts in their trials (3:3-5), to give instruction concerning godly living (4:1-12) and to give assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns (4:13-18).