part of the turn

Corinth:

• Corinth was the largest city in first century Greece.
• Population of 250,000 free people and as many as 400,000 slaves
• Capital of the Roman province of Achaia
• Economically important because of the isthmus. A 5.5km wide stretch of land between the east and the west seas.
• Most cargo going to or from Rome went through Corinth. Cargo was unloaded on one side and carried to the other side. Small ships would be dragged across on a road build for this purpsoe
• In it’s day it was an expensive place to live. There was a common saying when discussing wealth that went, “Not everyone is able to go to Corinth“
• At least twelve temples were in the city
• Also famous for it immorality. Extensive prostitution and idol worship
• The temple to the goddess Aphrodite was said to have had at one time over 1,000 temple prostitutes serving at it
• The Corinthians were educated, wealthy, largely working class, religious and immoral.

Author:

• Paul is acknowledged to be the author from the start of the letter and almost all church fathers agree. Paul wrote it towards the end of his three years in Ephesus
• Paul in Corinth - Acts 18
• Came from Athens to Corinth
• Paul preached for 18 months in Corinth
• Met Priscilla and Aquila who were also tentmakers
• Reasoned in the Synagogue
• When Silas and Timothy joined him he stopped tent-making and focused his time preaching to the Jews, but when the Jews became abusive he left them and and went “next door” to the house of Titius Justus where it appears he started a house church.
• Through his ministry, Crispus the synagogue ruler (the place he had been kicked out of) and his family because believers and were baptized.
• Eventually, the Jews took Paul to court, but the case was thrown out and ended with the new synagogue ruler, Sosthenes being beaten for wasting the courts time.
• From Corinth he sailed on, retracing his earlier travels, strengthen the new churches.
• Many interpret Acts 20:3 as a second stay in Corinth that lasted three months. During this time he was said to have written Romans