SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:14
Porque vosotros, hermanos, habis sido imitadores en Cristo Jess de las Iglesias de Dios que estn en Judea; que habis padecido tambin vosotros las mismas cosas de los de vuestra propia nacin, como tambin ellos de los judíos;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Thessalonians 2:14
Verse 14. Ye-became followers of the Churches of God] There is not a word here of the Church of Rome being the model after which the other Churches were to be formed; it had no such pre-eminence: this honour belonged to the Churches of Judea; it was according to them, not the Church at Rome, that the Asiatic Churches were modelled. The purest of all the apostolic Churches was that of the Thessalonians, and this was formed after the Christian Churches in Judea. Had any pre-eminence or authority belonged to the Church of Rome, the apostle would have proposed this as a model to all those which he formed either in Judea, Asia Minor, Greece, or Italy.
Ye also have suffered-of your own countrymen] It is worthy of remark that, in almost every case, the Jews were the leaders of all persecutions against the apostles and the infant Church. And what they could not do themselves, they instigated others to do; and, by gathering together lewd fellows of the baser sort from among the Gentiles, they made frequent uproars, and especially at Thessalonica, where the opposition to the Gospel was very high, and the persecution of the Christians very hot.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 14. For ye, brethren, became followers of the churches of God , etc.] As of the Lord and of the apostle, ( 1 Thessalonians 1:6) so of the churches of God that were before them, who were gathered out of the world by the grace of God; and who were united in the fear of God, and assembled together for his worship, to bear a testimony to his truth and ordinances, and for the glory of his name: these they followed in the faith and order of the Gospel, and became like them, as the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render the word; or equal to them, were upon an equal foot with them, as the Arabic; that is, in suffering reproach and persecution for the Gospel, as the latter part of the verse shows; and their bearing these with patience, courage, and constancy, was a proof that the word of God had a place, and wrought effectually in them; otherwise they would never have endured such things as they did, and as other churches did: which in Judea are in Christ Jesus ; for besides the church at Jerusalem, there were many churches in Judea and Galilee; (see Acts 9:31 Galatians 1:22) which shows that the primitive churches were not national, but congregational: and these were in Christ Jesus; in the faith of Jesus Christ, as the Arabic version renders it; which distinguishes them from the synagogues, or congregations of the Jews, which did not believe in Christ; (see Gill on 1 Thessalonians 1:1). For ye also have suffered like things of your own countrymen ; the inhabitants of Thessalonica, the baser sort of them, who were stirred up by the unbelieving Jews of that place, to make an uproar in the city, and assault the house of Jason, in order to seize upon the apostles; (see Acts 17:6). Even as they have of the Jews ; in like manner as the churches of Judea suffered by the Jews their countrymen; (see Acts 8:1,3) ( Hebrews 10:32-34).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 13-16 - We should receive the word of God with affections suitable to it holiness, wisdom, truth, and goodness. The words of men are frail an perishing, like themselves, and sometimes false, foolish, and fickle but God's word is holy, wise, just, and faithful. Let us receive an regard it accordingly. The word wrought in them, to make them example to others in faith and good works, and in patience under sufferings and in trials for the sake of the gospel. Murder and persecution ar hateful to God, and no zeal for any thing in religion can excuse it Nothing tends more to any person or people's filling up the measure of their sins, than opposing the gospel, and hindering the salvation of souls. The pure gospel of Christ is abhorred by many, and the faithfu preaching of it is hindered in many ways. But those who forbid the preaching it to sinners, to men dead in sin, do not by this please God Those have cruel hearts, and are enemies to the glory of God, and to the salvation of his people, who deny them the Bible.
Greek Textus Receptus
υμεις 5210 γαρ 1063 μιμηται 3402 εγενηθητε 1096 5675 αδελφοι 80 των 3588 εκκλησιων 1577 του 3588 θεου 2316 των 3588 ουσων 5607 5752 εν 1722 τη 3588 ιουδαια 2449 εν 1722 χριστω 5547 ιησου 2424 οτι 3754 ταυτα 5024 5023 επαθετε 3958 5627 και 2532 υμεις 5210 υπο 5259 των 3588 ιδιων 2398 συμφυλετων 4853 καθως 2531 και 2532 αυτοι 846 υπο 5259 των 3588 ιουδαιων 2453
Vincent's NT Word Studies
14. In Christ Jesus. Seems to be added to distinguish the Christian churches in Judaea from the synagogues of the Jews, which would claim to be churches of God. Comp. Gal. i. 22, and see on ch. i. 1. In Christ Jesus, in Christ, in Jesus, in the Lord, in him, are common Pauline formulas to denote the most intimate communion with the living Christ. These phrases are not found in the Synoptic Gospels. En ejmoi in me (Christ) is frequent in the Fourth Gospel. The conception is that of a sphere or environment in which a Christian or a church lives, as a bird in the air, or the roots of a tree in the soil. 20 Countrymen (sumfuletwn). N.T.o . o LXX. Not in pre-Christian Greek writers. Lit. belonging to the same tribe or clan. The reference is to the Gentile persecutors who were instigated by the Jews.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:14 {Imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea} (mimetai twn ekklesiwn tou qeou twn ouswn en tei ioudaiai). On mimetai see on 1:5. " this passage, implying an affectionate admiration of the Jewish churches on the part of St. Paul, and thus entirely bearing out the impression produced by the narrative in the Acts, is entirely subversive of the theory maintained by some and based on a misconception of #Ga 2, and by the fiction of the Pseudo-Clementines, of the feud existing between St. Paul and the Twelve" (Lightfoot). {In Christ Jesus} (en Christ"i iesou). It takes this to make a _Christian_ church of God. Note order here {Christ Jesus} as compared with {Jesus Christ} in #1:1,3. {Ye also--even as they} (kai humeis--kai autoi). Note kai twice (correlative use of kai). {Countrymen} (sumfuletwn). Fellow-countrymen or tribesmen. Late word that refers primarily to Gentiles who no doubt joined the Jews in Thessalonica who instigated the attacks on Paul and Silas so that it "was taken up by the native population, without whose co-operation it would have been powerless" (Lightfoot). {Own} (idiwn) here has apparently a weakened force. Note hupo here with the ablative both with sumfuletwn and ioudaiwn after the intransitive epaqete (suffered). The persecution of the Christians by the Jews in Judea was known everywhere.
