THE FIRST LETTER OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS NAME AND AUTHORSHIP The letteris named fo its recipients, the community of believers in Christ n the Greek city of Corinth (see map ‘gin the color map section a the end ofthe volume). Scholars agre that Paul was its author. HISTORICAL CONTEXT First Corinthians affords an unparalleled glimpseinto the life ofan early Christan community ina Greco-Roman city, The richness of tis portrait both reflects the ethical challenges faced by converts rooted in Greco-Roman polytheism, and signals intense experimentation with their new social identity discovered in Messiah Jesus Paul's Corinth was a Roman city, refounded by order of julius Caesar in a4 ace after its brutal destruction bby Mummius in 146 ace. Ceesar populated the colony with numerous freedmen and legionary veterans, but the ethnic mix was more diverse by Paul's day, including Syrians and Egyptians, along with Greeks who had immigrated from surrounding cities. The first-century ce Jewish philosopher Philo speaks of a sizeable Jewish ‘community in Corinth (ef. Acts 18.4.7). Corinth rapidly regained its ancient prosperity owing to its favorable location. By 27 sce, Corinth was already the capital of the senatorial province of Achaia and the judicial seat of the Roman proconsul (see Acts 18:2). Sharp contrasts between rich and poor were apparent in this lourish- ing commercial center. But opportunities for social advancement also existed: even freedmen held civic office {see Rom 16.236), something uncommon elsewhere. The Isthmian Games, hosted by Corinth every two years, drew large crowds. The theater, rehabilitated by the emperor Augustus in the late first century ace, held more than fifteen thousand spectators. Cynic philosophers like Demetrius, a ftiend of the Roman thinker Seneca frequented Corinth. The city was sacred to the goddess Aphrodite, protector of prostitutes, whose famous sanctuary stood on the Acrocarinth, the acropolis. The temple of Asclepius, the gad of healing, had extensive dining facilites. Inscriptions and dedications attest to the importance ofthe worship of the Roman emperor, Paul's choice ofthis bustling cosmopoli as one ofthe principal centers of his missionary activity reveals the global reach of his missionaty ambition, he account of Pauls activity in Corinth in Acts 181-18 is incomplete and anecdotal, but can be supplement- €ed by information from Paul's letters. Upon arrival in Corinth, Paul found lodging with Aquila and his wife Pris- cilla, both Jews and ofthe same trade as Paul, Paul preachedin the synagogue every sabbath; were among those whom Paul tried to persuade. In response to opposition from some Jews, Paul withdrew from he synagogue and ‘began preaching in the house of a “godfearer” named Titus Justus. Paul names Stephanas and his household as the fist coverts ofthe Roman province of Achaia in southern Greece (} Cor 1615; 1.16). The author of Acts at- tributes sensationalimportance tothe conversion of the synagogue president Crispus: "Many ofthe Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized” (Acts 18.8). As Paul represents it, most of his converts were lower clas, lacking in education, wealth, and birth (1 Cor 126-28) But Paul also baptized a few elite persons, such as Gaius (114), who eventually became the "host... to the whole church’ (Rom 16.23). After Paul lef Cor- inth, confusion arose among the new converts regarding boundaries between the church and the larger society, prompting Paul to write the letter on association with “immoral” persons and “idolaters," to which reference is ‘made in 1 Cor5.9-10, While Paul was in Ephesus, the Corinthians sent him aleter, seeking his advice on several issues, including marriage, food sacrificed to idols, spiritual gifts, and other matters (73; 8.1121; 161,2).Atsome point after Paul's founding visit, another Christian teacher visited Corinth, an Alexandrian Jew named Apollos, “an eloquent man, well-versed inthe scriptures” (Acts 18.24). Apollos made a strong impression upon the Corin thians, especially upon the elte who valued proficiency in philosophy and rhetoric. Factions formed within the church, with members declaring support for one teacher or another (t Cor 110-12; 3.4) LITERARY HISTORY Most scholars view the writing known as 1 Corinthians as a single, unified composition. But its abrupt tran- sitions, frequent changes of theme, and generally loose construction have raised questions about its integ- NEW TESTAMENT | 19991 CORINTHIANS rity Assigning portions oft Corinthians to separate letters would be justified only i the passages in question presupposed different situations. This appears possible in three instances: Paul's attitude toward the schisms. {contrast 11.1819 with 110-12), Paul's advice on food sacrificed to idols (contrast 10115 with 81-13), and Pauls announcement of his travel plans (contrast 16.5-9 with 417-21). Hence, some scholars have divided 1 Cor- inthians into three letters, composed in the following order: Letter A, On Association with the Immoral and Idolaters (10:1-22; 612-20; 1023-134); Letter B, In Response tothe Corinthians’ Questions (7-9; 12-16); Letter , Counsel of Concord (11-6: ‘The strongest argument forthe unity of the present text derives from rhetorical analysis, which identifies 1 Corinthians as a deliberative appeal for concord (:1~4.23), with advice on divisive issues organized under subheadings (5.16.24). Yet a single letter may not be consistent with the several occasions and sources of information evident in the text: an anonymous report (118), the Corinthians’ letter (71), a visit by Stephanas (96.17), and a report from “Chloe's people” (1.1). INTERPRETATION, In Corinthians Paul shows rermarkable familiarity with the culture of his converts and his facility with ts ferms ‘of discourse: for example, ch 7 shows Paul conversant with Cynic-Stole views of marrage (ike those of Miu~ sonius and Epictetus); 9.24-27 employs an athletic metaphor from the Isthmian Games; ch 13 praises agape ("love"), Christian counterpart tothe praise of eras ("sexual love") in Plato's Symposium; ch offers a reasoned proof of the resurrection ofthe body, analogous to philosophical arguments for the immortality ofthe soul in Plato (Phaedrus) and Cicero (Tusculan Disputations); chs 1 utilize the rhetoric and arguments of Greco-Roman politics. In several passages, Paul addresses a group whose opinions ona variety of subjects —eat wg meat sac rifced to idols, the financial support of missionaries, speaking in tongues, the resurrection of the dead, going +0 court before unbelievers —diverge sharply from his own. The atitudes ofthis minority group ("the strong") correlate with those held by persons of high social status and education, First Corinthians demonstrates Paul's capacity, even in ths early period, to think through the social and ‘ethical implications ofthe new being “in Christ”: for example, his exhortation to share with the have-nots at the communal meal, s0 as to “discern the body’ of Christ (117-34); and his insight into the paradoxical power ‘of "the word ofthe cross” to call, redeem, and sanctify the low and despised ofthis world, “the nothings and nobodies’—a radical statement in the history of Western thought. Laurence L Welborn