Background of 1 Corinthians
 The city
of Corinth
Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, an important
city for trade. Ships and their cargos were often transported across the
“diolkos,” a stone tramway across the isthmus. This allowed
traders to shorten their journey and avoid the often-stormy waters off
southern Achaia.
Corinth contained at least twelve temples at one time, the most infamous
to the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. The temples priestesses practiced
religious prostitution with worshipers. These practices gave rise to the
Greek verb translated “to Corinthianize” meaning to practice
sexual immorality.
Paul in Corinth
Paul preached in the Jewish synagogue and supported himself financially
as a tentmaker or leatherworker. He soon faced opposition from local Jewish
leaders. After being banished from the synagogue, Paul preached and taught
next door at the house of the Gentile convert Gaius. When the new Roman
proconsul Gallo arrived in Corinth in A.D. 51 or 52, the Jewish leaders
went before Gallo and accused Paul of “propagating illegal religion.”
Gallo reasoned the complaint was over differences of Jewish law interpretation—an
area he was not responsible to pronounce judgment. This ruling provided
a legal precedent for other Roman magistrates, allowing Paul to continue
his apostolic mission for several years.
Paul's Letter to the Corinthians
Paul stayed in Corinth for approximately 18 months before journeying
to Ephesus and Jerusalem, and then returning to Ephesus for another two
years. It is believed Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians while
in Ephesus sometime between A.D. 53-55. This letter exhorts the church
to seek Christian wisdom and unity of church life, addresses specific
problems in the Corinthian church life, and responds to questions posed
to him in a letter from the Corinthians.
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