Corinth: the city, the church and the problems Paul faced

Overview

Political status of Corinth in Paul's day, religious life of Corinth and significance of the Gallio inscription for Pauline chronology.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   Where was Corinth situated, and why did its position make it prosperous?

   Model answer

   Corinth stood on the narrow isthmus joining mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, controlling traffic in both directions. Goods and small ships were moved across the isthmus between the harbours of Lechaeum and Cenchreae, so the city grew wealthy on trade rather than on land.

2. 2

   What was the political status of Corinth in Paul's day?

   Model answer

   Corinth had been destroyed by Rome in 146 BC and refounded as a Roman colony in 44 BC under Julius Caesar. By Paul's time it was the administrative capital of the province of Achaia, with a Roman constitution, Latin inscriptions and a population drawn from across the empire.

3. 3

   Why is it important that first-century Corinth was a comparatively new city?

   Model answer

   The colony was settled largely by freedmen, veterans and traders, so it lacked an entrenched old aristocracy and offered unusual opportunities for social advancement. Historians such as Gerd Theissen have argued that the resulting competition for status helps explain the rivalry and boasting Paul confronts in the church.

4. 4

   Describe the religious life of Corinth.

   Model answer

   Corinth housed temples and shrines to many deities, including Apollo, Asklepios and Aphrodite, whose sanctuary stood on the height of Acrocorinth, alongside the imperial cult and eastern cults. Meat from sacrifices was widely sold and eaten, which is why food offered to idols became a live pastoral question.

5. 5

   How should the claim that a thousand sacred prostitutes served at Corinth be handled?

   Model answer

   The claim comes from the geographer Strabo and refers to the older Greek city destroyed in 146 BC, not to the Roman colony Paul knew. The city's reputation for immorality is real, since “to Corinthianise” was a byword, but the specific figure should be attributed to Strabo rather than asserted of Paul's Corinth.

6. 6

   How and when was the church at Corinth founded?

   Model answer

   Paul founded the church during his Second Missionary Journey and stayed about eighteen months. Paul worked at his trade with Aquila and Priscilla, was joined by Silas and Timothy, and among the converts were Crispus the synagogue ruler and Stephanas and his household.

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