1 Corinthians

City of Corinth
The city of Corinth was built atop the Acrocorinthus, a rocky hill of 1,800 ft. high, making it easy to defend. This is one of the great seaports of ancient Greece. It is situated at the western end of the isthmus linking central Greece and the Peloponnesus. This central location enabled Corinth to control the trade between Northern Greece and the Peloponnesus and across the isthmus. It had two harbours one on the east (Cenchrea) and one on the west (Lechaeum). Because the trip around the south of Greece was two hundred miles and a perilous most merchants chose to unload their goods at one of the Corinthian ports. The cargo was then carried across the isthmus and reloaded at the other port. Arrangements were contrived whereby small vessels were hauled across the isthmus by means of a ship tramway (diolkos) with wooden rails. Larger vessels were forced to go around.

Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Nero had all suggested the idea of cutting a canal across the isthmus. In A.D. 66 Nero actually began the construction of such a canal but it was latter aborted. In 1893 the present four mile canal was cut across the isthmus at the narrowest point.

Although the Corinth in which Paul worked was a comparatively new city, it had a long and illustrious past. It was twice destroyed by earthquakes, depopulated and destroyed after a cruel siege in 146 B.C.. It was rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. and settled with freedmen from Italy, Orientals, and Jews. This brought a new era of growth and prosperity. The Emperor Augustus made Corinth the capital of the Province of Achaia and Corinth became the residence of the proconsul. The Corinth of Paul's day was a Roman City. Its official language was Latin, but the common speech of its mixed population was Greek. When Paul visited the city, a little more than a hundred years after its restoration, it was the metropolis of the Peloponnesus. Its population would be about 700,000 of which 2/3 were slaves.

Being a Roman colony and the capital of a Roman province it was also the political capital of Greece. Having a Jewish synagogue, and seated on two seas as the centre of the commerce of the eastern Mediterranean, we have a picture of the civilised world in the days of Paul. The commercial prosperity of Corinth attracted visitors and business men from every quarter of the Mediterranean world.

It was also a centre of culture. The Corinthians are famous for their pottery, brass and pillared architecture. Its moral condition was a result of its religious and social history. It was generally known as a wicked city. The word 'to Corinthianise' meant to engage in prostitution. This immorality was cultivated by the worship of the goddess Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Her shrine was served by 1000 sacred prostitutes who ministered in the temple of the Acropolis. With the restoration of Corinth the worship of most of the ancient gods was also restored among whom were Athena, Apollo, Poseidon, Hermes and others. Paul stayed here for a year and a half giving him an opportunity to see the degradation of Paganism first hand. It was while at Corinth, during the third missionary journey, that he painted the dark picture of paganism found in the first chapter of Romans.

The Church at Corinth
Paul founded the Church at Corinth on his second missionary journey when he first stopped at this city. Acts 18:1-17 While waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him from Macedonia, Paul was introduced to Aquila and Priscilla who were tent makers. As he was a tent maker as well he lived with them while he carried out his preaching ministry.

When Silas and Timothy arrived they brought news of the churches in the Northern cities of Thessalonica and Berea. Paul began a full time ministry among the Corinthians emphasising that Jesus was the Christ. This brought the usual persecution from the Jews and so Paul emphasised a Gentile ministry in Corinth. Before long a number of people became Christians, including Crispus the ruler of the synagogue. Paul established a small house Church in the home of Titus Justus. Paul systematically taught them for about a year and a half.

Paul was forced to leave Corinth after he was brought before Gallio the proconsul of Achaia who happened to live in Corinth. Gallio was indifferent to the message and accusations against Paul because they had to do with Jewish rather than Roman Law. Providentially Paul was freed and allowed to continue the work of the ministry.

Purpose
While Paul was in Ephesus on his third Missionary journey, he received news from Chloe's household that things were not going well in Corinth. Also a letter had been sent to Paul from the Corinthian Church outlining a number of problems which they wanted Paul to address. Paul took pen in hand and began to address the many problems in the Church. Among them were problems of immorality, disunity, abuse of the Lord's supper and baptism, disorderly conduct in the worship service, and other theological problems. Paul had expected maturity but instead he found babes in Christ.