PAUL’S WARNING TO THE CHURCH AT CORINTH ABOUT ASSIMILATION

1 AND 2 CORINTHIANS

Paul had a deep and abiding interest in Corinth, a city he visited during his second and third journeys (Acts 18:1–17; 20:1–3) and to which he wrote two letters (1 and 2 Corinthians). Paul labored in this city, feeling the press of danger and frustration with their response to his message. So the Lord spoke to him in a vision urging him to continue speaking “because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:10). Paul continued his work there for a year and a half. But despite this investment of time and energy, some in the church at Corinth were prone to identify with the idolatrous culture of the city. As we learn more about Corinth, we will come to appreciate why it was a city of both promise and frustration for Paul. We will also see that he wrote two letters to the church in Corinth for a reason.

When Emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, many refugees like Aquila and Priscilla came to Corinth (Acts 18:1–2). Even before Paul’s arrival, both the city and the Jewish synagogue were filling with an increasing number of Jews.18 Consequently, it is no surprise that Paul went to the synagogue every Sabbath to speak about Jesus (Acts 18:4). Despite the fact that the synagogue ruler himself and his entire household believed in the Messiah Jesus, certain men from the synagogue became abusive, raising charges against Paul with the proconsul, Gallio. Nevertheless, as a result of Paul’s efforts, “many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized” (Acts 18:8).

The judgment platform and hill of the Acrocorinth in the background. Paul was brought before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, at the judgment platform known as the Bema (Acts 18:12–17).

Corinth (bottom right) was strategically located near the Corinthian Gulf.

Corinth was fast becoming a large and important commercial center in Greece, a city attractive to both Gallio and Paul.19 Gallio was the proconsul of Achaia, and although his name may not be familiar to us, he was famous in his time. He was the brother of Seneca and a man identified as the “friend of Claudius,” the Roman emperor.20 Someone with this reputation gave prominence to the city by his mere presence.

Since no city in Greece was better situated as a commercial center, it became both the chief city of Achaia and a lucrative trade center. Corinth and its two sea ports, Lechaeum and Cenchrea, formed a triangle that linked the mainland of Greece with the Aegean world (Asia) as well as the Adriatic world (Italy).21 Since travel around the southern coast of the Peloponnese was treacherous, a stone-paved roadway called the diolkos linked the two harbor cities allowing cargo and passengers to travel overland between the Aegean and Adriatic Seas. This meant that a regular flow of merchants, sailors, and military delayed for the crossing had the opportunity to hear Paul speak.22 No wonder Paul spent so much time there. This was a city where the Good News of Jesus might touch hundreds of people on any one day and on the next day travel with them to the far-flung corners of the Roman Empire.

But those who delayed in Corinth were not always attracted to such wholesome pursuits. The city also had a reputation for violence and coarse immorality.23 Its streets held temples and shrines dedicated to the likes of Apollo or the baths of Asclepius. But it was the worship of Aphrodite that most shaped Corinth’s reputation as an immoral city. Aphrodite promised to share fertility with all those who worshiped her by joining themselves to the temple prostitutes who worked throughout the streets of the city.24

After Paul left, the young church began to rejoin the old vices of Corinthian culture. Paul’s first letter calls them out on this very topic: “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ” (1 Cor. 3:1). This and the second letter from Paul address distortions in lifestyle and worship that had tainted the church. Corinth was a city of promise and frustration for Paul. That is why he spent time there and why he wrote two letters to guide this church that lived among numerous and easily accessible vices.

Road leading to the harbor at Cenchrea. According to Romans 16:1, there was a church meeting at the home of Phoebe at Cenchrea.