1 and 2 Corinthians were written by Paul c.55 and 56 CE, respectively. 

Corinth was located on an isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece. The port of Lechaeum was 1.5 miles north on the Bay of Corinth and Cenchraea (sen’-kre-e) was about seven miles to the east on the Saronic Gulf, placing it at a crossroads of two trade routes. By the time of Paul’s letter, the city’s history could be divided into two distinct periods: one thoroughly Greek and another Romans. 

Corinth was destroyed in 146 BCE by Rome and many of its citizens were killed or sold into slavery. It was reestablished by Julius Caesar just over 100 years later in 44 BCE—partly as a retirement community for Roman veterans—and became a commercial and political center in later years. Corinth was the capital of the senatorial province of Achaia and the seat of the proconsul from 29 BCE onward. 

It was a multicultural city of about 100,000 people, both Roman and Greek; Corinth’s population had a high percentage of freedmen from Rome, according to Strabo. (Geog. 8.6.23c) These liberti formed a separate social class in Roman society who were former slaves that had been freed by their masters. Some liberti were quite wealthy and educated. Roman culture, law, and religion were dominant from the city’s re-founding, though not exclusively so, and Greek was likely the lingua franca. Remember that much of the Roman Empire had been Hellenized. In fact, coinage from the time has been discovered that utilize both Greek and Latin script. 

“Because there was no landed aristocracy in the new Corinth, there arose an aristocracy of wealth.” (Carson & Moo, 420) Inescapable was the Roman practice of patronage and the corruption that went along with it. Roman patronage was based on a relationship between a patron and a client—each obliging themselves to the other. The patron being of a higher social status or, at least, possessing greater wealth, power, and prestige than the client would promise support and favors in exchange for the client’s loyalty or service when called upon. It’s not hard to imagine that such arrangements can create as many problems as they can create opportunities. Corinth was a place rife with ambition and greed—perhaps providing some explanation for the Corinthian church’s spiritual immaturity—which may have been understandable if Paul hadn’t stayed with them for as long as he did. Corinth was known for its wealth, luxury, immorality, and the viciousness of its residents. It would be great, however, if it were only about money.

Like their brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, the Corinthian Christians were presented with religious alternatives that were incompatible with their faith in Jesus Christ and the gospel that Paul had preached to them. There were at least two statues of Dionysus in the city’s agora, and the cult of the Egyptian goddess, Isis, was particularly strong. Likewise, the Greek deities of Demeter and Persephone—the goddesses of the fertility of the earth and the queen of the underworld, respectively—and Apollo, Hermes, and Poseidon had temples refurbished or built in their honor by the Romans. (Sacra Pagina vol 7, 1 Corinthians, 22) And although there has been no physical evidence yet discovered of any Jewish synagogue being present in the city, there is evidence for it found in the literature of the day.

In Acts 19 we learn that Paul preached in Corinth for the first time during his second missionary journey. He worked in the city as a tentmaker or a leather worker and was hosted by Aquila and Priscilla—Jewish, Christians from Rome, exiled by Claudius. Paul arrived in the city after experiencing great difficulties in Philippi (Acts 16)—where he was punished for his message and had to flee for his life—and after then escaping similar treatment in both Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17). 

Initially, the apostle was trepidatious, but following a vision of a safe and successful mission to the Corinthians (Acts 18:9,10), Paul ends up remaining in the city, worshiping, preaching, and working there for a year and a half. During his time there, Gallio, the brother of Seneca, was proconsul. The apostle left Corinth c.51 or 52 CE travelling with Aquila and Priscilla; they made their way to Jerusalem. After a brief time in the holy city, he returned to his home in Antioch and then to Ephesus; it was from here that Paul most likely wrote 1 Corinthians. 

Although Apollos and even Peter, apparently, spent time with the Corinthians, things didn’t go too well for the congregation. Members of the church had divided—even antagonistically so. To quote Carson and Moo:

“The church as a whole was less than satisfied with Paul’s leadership…and the integrity of its life was marred by abuses at the Lord’s Table…at least one notorious case of immorality…public litigation among members…uncertainty about the place for marriage…and the propriety of eating food that had been offered to idols, infatuation with the more spectacular of the charismatic gifts without any profound commitment to mutual love…and a decidedly aberrant view of the resurrection…” (421)

While in Ephesus, Paul received reports of this from “Chloe’s household”. Three delegates from the church, Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus also bring the apostle their report of the situation and a letter from the Corinthians; 1 Corinthians is his response. After sending his letter with Timothy to the congregation, Paul made plans to visit Greece again and spend some time in Corinth after a follow-up visit to Macedonia. His plans changed when he later received word that, to quote Mr. MaKey, “Things were “bad. MMMM’kay. Bad.” This sets up 2 Corinthians, and we’ll take this back up later in the series.