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1
Corinthians Introduction
Summary of the Book of 1 Corinthians
This summary of the book of 1 Corinthians provides information
about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, theology,
outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of 1 Corinthians.
Corinth in the Time of Paul
The city of Corinth, perched like a one-eyed Titan astride the
narrow isthmus connecting the Greek mainland with the Peloponnese, was one of
the dominant commercial centers of the Mediterranean world as early as the
eighth century b.c.
No city in Greece was more favorably situated for land and sea
trade. With a high, strong citadel at its back, it lay between the Saronic Gulf
and the Ionian Sea, with ports at Lechaion and Cenchrea. A diolkos, or stone road for
the overland transport of ships, linked the two seas. Crowning the Acrocorinth
was the temple of Aphrodite, served, according to Strabo, by more than 1,000
pagan priestess-prostitutes.
By the time the gospel reached Corinth in the spring of a.d. 52,
the city had a proud history of leadership in the Achaian League, and a spirit
of revived Hellenism under Roman domination after 44 b.c. following the
destruction of the city by Mummius in 146 b.c.
Paul's lengthy stay in Corinth brought him directly in contact
with the major monuments of the agora,
many of which still survive. The fountain-house of the spring Peirene, the temple of
Apollo, the macellum
or meat market (1Co 10:25) and the theater, the bema (Ac
18:12), and the unimpressive synagogue all played a part in the
experience of the apostle. An inscription from the theater names the city
official Erastus, probably the friend of Paul mentioned in Ro 16:23 (see note there).
Author and Date
Paul is acknowledged as the author both by the letter itself (1:1-2; 16:21) and by the early church fathers. His
authorship was attested by Clement of Rome as early as a.d. 96, and today
practically all NT interpreters concur. The letter was written c. 55 toward the
close of Paul's three-year residency in Ephesus (see 16:5-9; Ac
20:31). It is clear from his reference to staying at Ephesus until
Pentecost (16:8) that he intended to remain there somewhat
less than a year when he wrote 1 Corinthians.
The City of Corinth
Corinth was a thriving city; it was at the time the chief city of
Greece both commercially and politically. See map and diagram, p. 2355.
- Its commerce. Located just off the
Corinthian isthmus (see map, p. 2288), it was a crossroads for travelers
and traders. It had two harbors: (1) Cenchrea, six miles to the east on
the Saronic Gulf, and (2) Lechaion, a mile and a half to the north on the
Corinthian Gulf. Goods were transported across the isthmus on the
Diolkos, a stone road by which smaller ships could be hauled fully loaded
across the isthmus, and by which cargoes of larger ships could be
transported by wagons from one side to the other. Trade flowed through
the city from Italy and Spain to the west and from Asia Minor, Phoenicia
and Egypt to the east.
- Its culture. Although Corinth was
not a university town like Athens, it was characterized nevertheless by
typical Greek culture. Its people were interested in Greek philosophy and
placed a high premium on wisdom.
- Its religion. Corinth contained at
least 12 temples. Whether they were all in use during Paul's time is not
known for certain. One of the most infamous was the temple dedicated to
Aphrodite, the goddess of love, whose worshipers practiced religious
prostitution. About a fourth of a mile north of the theater stood the
temple of Asclepius, the god of healing, and in the middle of the city
the sixth-century b.c. temple of Apollo was located. In addition, the
Jews had established a synagogue; the inscribed lintel of it has been
found and placed in the museum at old Corinth.
- Its immorality. Like any large
commercial city, Corinth was a center for open and unbridled immorality.
The worship of Aphrodite fostered prostitution in the name of religion.
At one time 1,000 sacred (priestess) prostitutes served her temple. So
widely known did the immorality of Corinth become that the Greek verb
"to Corinthianize" came to mean "to practice sexual
immorality." In a setting like this it is no wonder that the
Corinthian church was plagued with numerous problems.
Occasion and Purpose
Paul had received information from several sources concerning the
conditions existing in the church at Corinth. Some members of the household of
Chloe had informed him of the factions that had developed in the church (1:11). There were three individuals --
Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus -- who had come to Paul in Ephesus to make
some contribution to his ministry (16:17), but whether these were the ones from
Chloe's household we do not know.
Some of those who had come had brought disturbing information
concerning moral irregularities in the church (chs. 5-6). Immorality had plagued the Corinthian
assembly almost from the beginning. From 5:9-10 it is apparent that Paul had written
previously concerning moral laxness. He had urged believers "not to
associate with sexually immoral people" (5:9). Because of misunderstanding he now finds
it necessary to clarify his instruction (5:10-11) and to urge immediate and drastic
action (5:3-5,13).
Other Corinthian visitors had brought a letter from the church
that requested counsel on several subjects (see 7:1 and note; cf. 8:1; 12:1; 16:1).
It is clear that, although the church was gifted (see 1:4-7), it was immature and unspiritual (3:1-4). Paul's purposes for writing were: (1) to
instruct and restore the church in its areas of weakness, correcting erroneous
practices such as divisions (1:10 -- 4:21), immorality (ch. 5; 6:12-20), litigation in pagan courts (6:1-8) and abuse of the Lord's Supper (11:17-34); (2) to correct false teaching
concerning the resurrection (ch. 15); and (3) to answer questions addressed to
Paul in the letter that had been brought to him (see previous paragraph).
Theme
The letter revolves around the theme of problems in Christian
conduct in the church. It thus has to do with progressive sanctification, the
continuing development of a holy character. Obviously Paul was personally
concerned with the Corinthians' problems, revealing a true pastor's
(shepherd's) heart.
Relevance
This letter continues to be timely for the church today, both to
instruct and to inspire. Christians are still powerfully influenced by their
cultural environment, and most of the questions and problems that confronted
the church at Corinth are still very much with us -- problems like immaturity,
instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties,
sexual immorality and misuse of spiritual gifts. Yet in spite of this
concentration on problems, Paul's letter contains some of the most familiar and
beloved chapters in the entire Bible -- e.g., ch. 13 (on love) and ch. 15 (on resurrection).
Outline
I.
Introduction (1:1-9)
- Divisions in the Church (1:10;4:21)
A.
The Fact of the Divisions (1:10-17)
- The Causes of the Divisions (1:18;4:13)
- A wrong conception
of the Christian message (1:18;3:4)
- A wrong conception
of Christian ministry and ministers (3:5;4:5)
- A wrong conception
of the Christian (4:6-13)
C.
The Exhortation to End the Divisions (4:14-21)
III.
Moral and Ethical Disorders in the Life of the Church (chs. 5-6)
- Laxity in Church
Discipline (ch. 5)
- Lawsuits before
Non-Christian Judges (6:1-11)
- Sexual Immorality (6:12-20)
IV.
Instruction on Marriage (ch. 7)
- General Principles (7:1-7)
- The Problems of the
Married (7:8-24)
- The Problems of the
Unmarried (7:25-40)
V.
Instruction on Questionable Practices (8:1;11:1)
- The Principles Involved
(ch. 8)
- The Principles
Illustrated (ch. 9)
- A Warning from the
History of Israel (10:1-22)
- The Principles
Applied (10:23;11:1)
VI.
Instruction on Public Worship (11:2;14:40)
- Propriety in Worship
(11:2-16)
- The Lord's Supper (11:17-34)
- Spiritual Gifts (chs.
12-14)
- The test of the
gifts (12:1-3)
- The unity of the
gifts (12:4-11)
- The diversity of the
gifts (12:12-31a)
- The necessity of
exercising the gifts in love (12:31b;13:13)
- The superiority of
prophecy over tongues (14:1-25)
- Rules governing
public worship (14:26-40)
VII.
Instruction on the Resurrection (ch. 15)
- The Certainty of the
Resurrection (15:1-34)
- The Consideration of
Certain Objections (15:35-57)
- The Concluding Appeal
(15:58)
VIII.
Conclusion: Practical and Personal Matters (ch. 16)
──《New
International Version》
Introduction to 1 Corinthians
The Corinthian church contained some Jews,
but more Gentiles, and the apostle had to contend with the superstition of the
one, and the sinful conduct of the other. The peace of this church was
disturbed by false teachers, who undermined the influence of the apostle. Two
parties were the result; one contending earnestly for the Jewish ceremonies,
the other indulging in excesses contrary to the gospel, to which they were
especially led by the luxury and the sins which prevailed around them. This
epistle was written to rebuke some disorderly conduct, of which the apostle had
been apprized, and to give advice as to some points whereon his judgment was
requested by the Corinthians. Thus the scope was twofold. 1. To apply suitable
remedies to the disorders and abuses which prevailed among them. 2. To give
satisfactory answers on all the points upon which his advice had been desired.
The address, and Christian mildness, yet firmness, with which the apostle
writes, and goes on from general truths directly to oppose the errors and evil
conduct of the Corinthians, is very remarkable. He states the truth and the
will of God, as to various matters, with great force of argument and animation of
style.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians》
1 Corinthians General Review
AUTHOR: PAUL, the apostle (1:1; 16:21)
PLACE OF WRITING: EPHESUS (16:8)
TIME OF WRITING: Probably in the spring of 57 A.D., shortly before
the Jewish feast of Pentecost (16:8), during his third missionary
journey (Ac 19:1-41).
BACKGROUND OF THE CITY OF CORINTH: Corinth was situated on the
Isthmus of Greece (called Achaia in the Bible) between the Ionian Sea
and the Aegean Sea, above the Mediterranean Sea. About 50 miles to the
east was the city of Athens.
The Corinth of Paul's day was relatively new. The old Corinth (which
was famous and powerful in the days of the Peloponnesian War) was
burned in 146 B.C. by the Roman proconsul, L. Mummius. Because it was
a city devoted to the gods, a hundred years were required to pass
before the city could be rebuilt. In 46 B.C., Julius Caesar rebuilt
the city, populated it with a colony of veterans and freedmen, and
named it Julia Corinthus. It soon became a very important commercial
center.
With a population of 400,000 and being a prominent center of commerce
in the Mediterranean world, it was a place for all sorts of vice. An
example of its immorality was found in the temple of Venus (Aphrodite),
which hosted 1000 priestesses dedicated to prostitution in the name of
religion. The city's close proximity to the city of Athens probably
added the problem of intellectualism. As noticed in the epistle, such
an environment had its effect upon the church in Corinth. It is
amazing that a church existed at all in such a city.
BACKGROUND OF THE CHURCH AT CORINTH: The establishment of the church
occurred during Paul's second missionary journey. It is recorded by
Luke in Ac 18:1-18, which can be divided into three sections:
1) Abiding with Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers; reasoning
in the synagogue every Sabbath (Ac 18:1-6).
2) In the house of Justus, abiding there and teaching for a year and
six months (Ac 18:7-11)
3) An incident before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (Ac 18:12-18)
It appears from reading the epistle that the church was adversely
affected by the immoral environment found in the city. Pride caused
division in the church and disruption in the services (1 Co 1-4, 11).
Immorality and immodesty found its way into the church, which gave it a
bad reputation (1 Co 5). The brethren were taking their personal
problems with each other before the heathen courts instead of working
them out among themselves (1 Co 6). Other issues affecting the church
included questions about marriage (1 Co 7), meats sacrificed to idols
(1 Co 8-10), women praying and prophesying with heads uncovered (1 Co
11), the use of spiritual gifts (1 Co 12-14), the resurrection from the
dead (1 Co 15), and the collection for the saints in Jerusalem (1 Co
16). Thus the church was one beset with problems and questions that
needed to be answered.
PURPOSE OF WRITING: The bad news concerning the problems at Corinth
had reached Paul in Ephesus. It seems that this news came from at
least two sources: 1) the household of Chloe (1:11); and 2) a letter
sent to him (7:1), possibly by the hands of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and
Achaicus (16:17).
Therefore, in answer to these reports Paul writes:
TO CORRECT SINFUL PRACTICES AND REFUTE FALSE DOCTRINE
THEME: 1 Corinthians 1:10
"Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the
same mind and in the same judgment."
BRIEF OUTLINE (adapted from Dextor Sammons)
INTRODUCTION (1:1-9)
I. PROBLEMS REPORTED BY THE HOUSE OF CHLOE (1:10-6:20)
A. FACTIONS IN THE CHURCH (1:1-4:21)
B. SEXUAL IMMORALITY (5:1-13)
C. LAWSUITS AMONG BRETHREN (6:1-11)
D. MORAL DEFILEMENTS (6:12-20)
II. PROBLEMS MENTIONED IN THE LETTER FROM CORINTH (7:1-16:9)
A. MARRIAGE & CELIBACY (7:1-40)
B. EATING MEATS SACRIFICED TO IDOLS (8:1-11:1)
C. WOMEN PRAYING AND PROPHESYING WITH HEADS UNCOVERED (11:2-16)
D. THE LORD'S SUPPER (11:17-34)
E. SPIRITUAL GIFTS (12:1-14:40)
F. RESURRECTION FROM THE DEAD (15:1-58)
G. COLLECTION FOR THE SAINTS (16:1-4)
CONCLUDING REMARKS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND BENEDICTION (16:5-24)
REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE INTRODUCTION
1) On which journey did the apostle Paul establish the church in
Corinth?
- His second journey
2) Where do we read of the establishment of the Corinthian church?
- Ac 18:1-18
3) What two people did Paul first stay with in Corinth? What did they
have in common? (Ac 18:1-3)
- Aquila and Priscilla
- Tentmakers by trade
4) Which chief ruler of the synagogue was converted? (Ac 18:8)
- Crispus
5) Approximately how long did Paul stay in Corinth? (Ac 18:11)
- A year and six months
6) Who did Aquila and Priscilla convert in Ephesus who later went to
Corinth? (Ac 18:24-19:1)
- Apollos
7) From where did Paul write this first epistle to Corinth? (16:8)
- Ephesus
8) What is the approximate date of writing?
- The spring of 57 A.D.
9) What two things existed in Corinth that appeared to have an adverse
effect on the church?
- Intellectualism
- Immorality
10) What is the purpose of this epistle?
- To correct sinful practices and refute false doctrine
11) Where is the theme of the epistle stated?
- 1 Corinthians 1:10
－－《Executable
Outlines》