The Background of 1 and 2 Corinthians

The city of Corinth, the capital of the Roman province of Achaia, controlled the Isthmus of Corinth, which connects mainland Greece to the Peloponnese peninsula. It linked the port of Cenchrea on the Saronic Gulf to the east with the port of Lechaeum on the Gulf of Corinth to the west. At the time, sailors preferred to transport their goods overland across the isthmus rather than sail around the rocky, dangerous cape at the southern tip of the Peloponnese. As a result, Corinth was a prosperous commercial center where eastern and western trade routes intersected with northern and southern ones. In Paul’s era, Corinth was no longer just a Greek city but a Roman colony. It was a diverse metropolis with a bustling economy, moral decay, and a lively intellectual culture. It was a center for the worship of many ancient Greek and Roman idols, as well as a hub with a high-transient population, making it an ideal place for the gospel to spread.

Paul first arrived in Corinth during his second missionary journey around 50–51 CE. He worked with Aquila and Priscilla, preached the gospel there for a year and a half, and established a church (Acts 18:1–18). After Paul left Corinth in 51 CE, he wrote a “first letter” to the Corinthian church, telling them “not to associate with sexually immoral people,” but this letter has been lost. During his third missionary journey while in Ephesus, Paul received a report from Chloe’s household about divisions and quarrels in the Corinthian church. The church had also written a letter to him, asking for guidance on many issues. In response, Paul likely wrote a “second letter”—the book of 1 Corinthians—from Ephesus around 54 CE (1 Corinthians 16:8–10; Acts 19:22).

Later, the situation in the Corinthian church continued to deteriorate. Paul may have made a second, brief, and unpleasant visit to Corinth by boat directly from Ephesus (2 Corinthians 1:16; 13:2; Acts 20:2). Afterward, he wrote a “third letter” with a very stern tone (2 Corinthians 2:4; 7:8), which Titus delivered, but this letter has also been lost. When Titus later brought news to Paul in Macedonia that everything had been resolved (2 Corinthians 7:6–7), Paul was filled with joy and wrote his “fourth letter”—the book of 2 Corinthians—from Macedonia around 56 CE (2 Corinthians 2:12–14; Acts 20:1). After this, Paul likely made a third visit to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 12:14; 13:1) and wrote the books of Galatians and Romans in Corinth during the winter of 56–57 CE (Acts 20:3).

Among all the churches Paul established, the Corinthian church had the most problems. But we can be thankful that God allowed these problems to occur. Today, because of them, we have the “hymn to love” in chapter 13 and the earliest recorded account of eyewitnesses to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances in chapter 15 of the New Testament.