Articles
A More Excellent Way
Luke, doctor and historian, helps us understand when Paul was in Corinth. Acts 18:12 says: "But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat." Archeology confirms that Gallio was made proconsul as early as 52 A.D. Acts 18:2 tells us that tentmakers, Aquila and Priscilla, and other Jews, left Rome under the edit of Claudius; he reigned 41-54 A.D. This expulsion took place in A.D. 49. Paul and his newfound friends worked together in their common trade. For eighteen months the seed of the kingdom was sown.
Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Situated on the inland side of the isthmus that divided the Peloponnesus from the rest of Greece, Corinth's strategic location provided a short, convenient route for sailors to unladen their cargoes at the eastern seaport of Cenchrea and transport them to the Adriatic Sea; from there, the cargo was transferred to Rome. Nero began, but never completed, a proposed canal connecting the two bodies of water. From this vantage point, Corinth was able to control trade coming from all directions. Corinth lay at the foot of the Acro Corinth, a mountain towering 1500 feet above the city.
In Paul's day "to live as they do at Corinth" was synonymous with luxury and licentiousness. Sailors from all everywhere arrived in the city with money; they found eager merchants who displayed their wares in the Agora. The vices of Corinth are reflected in Paul's epistle. The Isthmian games provided entertainment. Corinthian philosophers full of wisdom, were ready to argue and debate.
Did God have any people in Corinth? Upon the arrival of Timothy and Silas, Paul was emboldened to preach Christ to the Jews; soon, their obstinacy to truth, turned the Apostle to the Gentiles. Titus Justus, Cripus, and other Corinthians were washed, sanctified, and justified. The jealousy of the Jews drove Paul to the judgment seat of the proconsul; Gallio cared for none of these matters, and Paul left Corinth. Soon he was preaching in Ephesus.
What about the church in Corinth? In time the Christians fell prey to favoritism. They divided and lined up behind their favorite preachers. Old habits and a pagan society proved too strong for some, as they fell away from Christ. Lawsuits, questions about marriage, eating with pagans, and the resurrection all posed problems for the new converts. Yet, it is interesting that Paul began his letter by writing “unto the church of God which is at Corinth" (1:2). A church of God? Paul, what do you mean?
