Faith & Reason Nexus

AUTHOR: Paul

TIME WRITTEN: 57 A.D. from Ephesus

POSITION IN THE BIBLE:

• 46th Book in the Bible
• 7th Book in the New Testament
• 2nd of 21 Epistle Books (Romans – Jude)
• 3rd of Paul’s 13 books
• 20 Books to follow it

CHAPTERS: 16
VERSES: 437
WORDS: 9,489

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT 1 CORINTHIANS:

• Establishment of the Church:
• Paul established the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1-17).
• Correspondence:
• Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthian church: 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.
• Issues Addressed:
• Paul addresses several issues in the Corinthian congregation:
  • Division
  • Immorality
  • Lawsuits among brethren
  • Selfishness
  • Abuses of the Lord’s Supper
  • Spiritual gifts
  • Denials of the resurrection
  • Questionable practices
• Duration of Work:
• Paul worked with the church in Corinth for 18 months (51-52 A.D.).
• Tentmaking:
• Paul worked as a tentmaker with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth.
• Love Chapter:
• 1 Corinthians 13 is known as the “love chapter” of the Bible, emphasizing the importance of love over other spiritual gifts.
• Additional Letters:
• Paul also wrote 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians from Corinth.
• City of Corinth:
• Rebuilding: After its destruction by the Romans in 146 B.C., Corinth was rebuilt by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C.
• Capital: Corinth was the capital of Achaia.
• Languages: The official language was Latin, but Greek was commonly spoken.
• Population: Estimated at about 700,000 people, with 35% being slaves.
• Religious Sites: The city was known for its shrines and temples, including the Temple of Aphrodite, which had about 1,000 temple prostitutes.
• Reputation: The phrase “to act like a Corinthian” became synonymous with debauchery and prostitution.
• Key Verse:
• “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)