Filling up the Measure: Polemical Hyperbole in 1 Thessalonians 2.14-16

How should we interpret Paul's rhetoric against the Jews in 1 Thess 2.14-16? Most approaches have tended to discount this passage as providing evidence pointing to Paul's attitude towards the Jews because of the positive attitude portrayed in Romans I-11. However, by utilizing a rhetorical-critical approach, the author shows that Paul is in fact using exaggerated language or 'polemical hyperbole' in order to polarize issues and move his readers to his side while casting his opponents competely on the wrong side. This hypothesis is supported by evidence from Galatians, the Corinthian correspondence and Romans which reveals that Paul's polemic against other Christians is at least as strong as that against the Jews. The conclusion reached is that Paul's statements about the Jews in 1 Thessalonians indicate a lively and continuing relationship between compatriots and not a separation of religions.