Abstract
Was Paul, in 1 Thess. 2.7, referring to himself and his fellow apostles as 'gentle' (ήπίοί) or as 'babies' (νήπίοί)? Most text critics prefer the older, wider, and better attested reading (νήπίοί); however, neither modem translations, nor most commen tators follow this reading. By combining textual criticism, which shows the superi ority of the reading νήπίοί, with rhetorical criticism, which shows that νήπίοτ is used positively as part of Paul's 'apology', and does not create an insurmountable problem by being used adjacent to τροϕός, one can better understand this passage.
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