Thessalonian Pattern Repeats

Nineteen hundred years ago Paul visited Thessalonica, preaching Christ, and “the Jews, getting jealous, . . . formed a mob and proceeded to throw the city into an uproar” and dragged Paul’s host before the authorities for receiving “with hospitality” the preacher of Christianity.—Acts 17, NW.

Nineteen hundred years later, April 10, 1952, in Thessalonica, at the Memorial of Christ’s death false religious leaders again instituted an attack on true worship. A Thessalonian newspaper report said: “Incessant trailing . . . resulted at 8 p.m., Thursday, in the arrest of twenty followers . . . of the heresy of ‘Jehovah’s witnesses’ . . . in the home of one of the pillars of the heresy, Athanasios Pantazis, in whose basement they had assembled.”

Why had they assembled? To follow the pattern Jesus set in the upper room on passover night A.D. 33. (Mark 14:15-26) It was to celebrate Christ’s memorial that they had “gathered round a table” on which were a “cake” and wine glasses. Among the 20 arrested were the householder and others who, the report said, “are considered as occupying special position among the Chiliasts [meaning millennialists] of Thessalonica and as organizers of the various secret meetings” and who had developed great “propagandist activity in proselyting new converts to their heresy”.

The report continued: “The rest of the arrested for the most part were not learned and were lacking culture. In this home during the ensuing search were discovered and confiscated a large number of books and other printed matter of propagandist nature. Let it be noted that these resent the name Chiliasts, claiming to be Jehovah’s witnesses or Bible Students”.

One report said they were sentenced to two and a half months in prison, plus a fine. Many will wonder why the Greek Orthodox Church must now stoop to the same false charges and rabid persecution of Christians that was long ago brought against the apostle Paul in this very same city.