1 Thessalonians 2:6

nor seeking glory of men, neither from you nor from others, when we might have claimed authority as apostles of Christ.

Of the first two clauses, see under preceding verse.

We might have claimed authority ... This is an unfortunate rendition, because it seems to imply that Paul did not "claim authority" as an apostle; but of course he did claim such authority; and, in places where it was challenged, defended it with the utmost emphasis. For that reason the marginal reading (ASV) is far preferable, "We might have been burdensome to you as apostles of Christ."

Apostles of Christ ... "The title here seems to be bestowed on Silas and Timothy, as in Acts 14:14 upon Barnabas."[13] Despite similar views expressed by many, this conclusion puts too much weight on "we" in this clause, which, after all, could well be used editorially for "I." In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, he used "we" for `I'; and there are other examples of it (see Galatians 1:8). It is remarkable how scholars can, by such implications, find apostles all over the New Testament! Ward commented that "Andronicus and Junius were conspicuous among the apostles (Romans 16:7)."[14] That passage, however, means that Andronicus and Junius were well-known by the Twelve in Jerusalem, there never having been an apostle in Rome before Paul arrived! Hodge commented, in this context, that "The word `apostle' is never used in Paul's writings except in a strict official sense."[15] In any case, if Timothy, Silas, Barnabas, and even Andronicus and Junius were "apostles," it was definitely in a secondary, non-plenary sense of the term. The office of the apostleship was too clearly set forth in the New Testament to allow the title to any except Paul and the Twelve; but the clear use of the title for Barnabas (Acts 14:14) makes it possible that Timothy and Silas were also "apostles" in that secondary sense of the word.

[13] A. J. Mason, Ellicott's Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 132.

[14] Ronald A. Ward, op. cit., p. 61.

[15] Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 449.