Work and Patronage When Paul first visited Thessalonica, he taught the believers to work for a living rather than being unnecessarily dependent on others. Yet some of the Thessalonians refused to work. Paul dealt with these idle Christians in his first letter to them (1 Thes 4:11-12; 5:14), but they remained entrenched and had not changed their ways. Why did they refuse to work? Possibly, these believers so vividly expected a quick return of the Lord that they gave up all work. Paul’s teaching about the coming of the Lord, however, never contradicted his basic instruction about the necessity of work (2 Thes 3:6, 10). These idle Christians may have been clients of prominent patrons. Patronage was a fundamental feature of the Roman economic world. Rich patrons often supported numerous clients in various ways, such as by giving them food or money and by representing them in public assembly. Having numerous clients increased the honor of a patron. However, being a client brought social obligations that Paul would have wanted the Thessalonian believers to avoid, especially because their patrons were most likely non-Christians. Paul set for the Thessalonians an example of sel...