September Book(s) 1&2 Corinthians

1 CORINTHIANS AUTHOR AND DATE Paul is acknowledged as the author both by the letter itself and by the early church fathers. The letter was written c. 55 toward the close of Paul’s three-year residency in Ephesus. It is clear from his reference to staying at Ephesus until Pentecost (16:8) that he intended to remain there somewhat less than a year when he wrote 1 Corinthians. THE CITY OF CORINTH Corinth was a thriving city; it was at the time the chief city of Greece both commercially and politically. 1. Its commerce. It was a crossroads for travelers and traders. It had two harbors. Goods were transported across the isthmus on the Diolkos, a stone road by which smaller ships could be hauled fully loaded across the isthmus, and by which cargoes of larger ships could be transported by wagons from one side to the other. 2. Its culture. Although Corinth was not a university town like Athens, it was characterized nevertheless by typical Greek culture. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and placed a high premium on wisdom. 3. Its religion. Corinth contained at least 12 temples. One of the most infamous was the temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose worshipers practiced religious prostitution. About a fourth of a mile north of the theater stood the temple of Asclepius, the god of healing, and in the middle of the city the temple of Apollo was located. In addition, the Jews had established a synagogue; the inscribed lintel of it has been found and placed in the museum at old Corinth. 4. Its immorality. Like any large commercial city, Corinth was a center for open and unbridled immorality. The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion. At one time 1,000 sacred (priestess) prostitutes served her temple. So widely known did the immorality of Corinth become that the Greek verb “to Corinthianize” came to mean “to practice sexual immorality.” In a setting like this it is no wonder that the Corinthian church was plagued with numerous problems. OCCASION AND PURPOSE Paul had received information from several sources concerning the conditions existing in the church at Corinth. It is clear that, although the church was gifted, it was immature and unspiritual. Paul’s purposes for writing were: (1) to instruct and restore the church in its areas of weakness, correcting erroneous practices such as divisions , immorality, litigation in pagan courts and abuse of the Lord’s Supper; (2) to correct false teaching concerning the resurrection; and (3) to answer questions addressed to Paul in the letter that had been brought to him. THEME The letter revolves around the theme of problems in Christian conduct in the church. It thus has to do with progressive sanctification, the continuing development of a holy character. Obviously Paul was personally concerned with the Corinthians’ problems, revealing a true pastor’s (shepherd’s) heart. RELEVANCE This letter continues to be timely for the church today, both to instruct and to inspire. Christians are still powerfully influenced by their cultural environment, and most of the questions and problems that confronted the church at Corinth are still very much with us—problems like immaturity, instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties, sexual immorality and misuse of spiritual gifts. Yet in spite of this concentration on problems, Paul’s letter contains some of the most familiar and beloved chapters in the entire Bible. ___________________________________________________________________________________ 2 CORINTHIANS AUTHOR Paul is the author of this letter. It is stamped with his style and contains more autobiographical material than any of his other writings. DATE The available evidence indicates that the year a.d. 55 is a reasonable estimate for the writing of this letter. From 1Co 16:5–8 it may be concluded that 1 Corinthians was written from Ephesus before Pentecost (in the late spring) and that 2 Corinthians may have been written later that same year before the onset of winter. PUPRPOSES: 1. To express the comfort and joy Paul felt because the Corinthians had responded favorably to his painful letter; 2. To let them know about the trouble he went through in the province of Asia. 3. To explain why he had changed his travel plans; 4. To ask them to forgive the offending party; 5. To warn them not to be “yoked together with unbelievers”; 6. To explain to them the true nature (its joys, sufferings and rewards) and high calling of Christian ministry. This is the so-called great digression, but it turns out to be in some ways the most important section of the letter; 7. To teach the Corinthians about the grace of giving and to make sure that they complete the collection for the poor Christians at Jerusalem. 8. To deal with the minority opposition in the church; 9. To prepare the Corinthians for his upcoming visit. (Exerpted from the KJV Study Bible. Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved.) ************************************************************************************ READING GUIDE "30 days hath September ..." 29 Chapters hath 1&2 Corinthians. A chapter a day keeps the devil away? Again, we would love to see more variety in the comments and perspectives posted on this blog! Please visit often and share the blessings you receive from spending time in Paul's letters to the Corinthians.