Abstract:
This article presents how Paul, in 1 Thessalonians, executes the process of the formation of the
Thessalonian community. Using the sociological concept of symbolic boundaries, it is argued
that the resources – (1) the kerygmatic narrative, (2) the local narratives, and (3) the ethical
norms – that Paul incorporates into the letter take an essential role to promote the converts to
derive a cooperative identity from the community to which they belong and to strengthen the
distinction between them and the larger society. By providing internal consensus and external
separation, the resources serve to construct and maintain the Thessalonian community that is
internally united and externally distinct.
