New Testament 5
Lecture 1
1 –2 Corinthian 
Introduction
•	Missionaries were required to travel to the provinces in order to spread the gospel.
•	Paul was one such missionary.
•	______________- measured not only in miles, but also in differences of culture and religions.
•	Each new ______________ brought new parameters, which affected the sharing of the gospel.
Corinth Came into View
•	This marvelous city would take Paul years to accomplish his missionary activity.
•	The city was one of commerce, ______________, ______________, philosophy, ______________ and sin.
•	Corinth has a population of almost one half million that practiced almost anything and everything.
Corinth’s Location
•	Corinth was situated at the southwestern corner of a ______________ wide isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus peninsula to the Greek mainland. 
•	A northwest to southeast road connected the city with its western port city, Lechaion, and its eastern one, Cenchrea.
A Map

Corinth
•	Was situated on a broad plain at the base of the Acrocorinth, with reached a height of ______________ feet. The city was built on the upper terraces and opened toward the sea and Lechaion.
Corinth’s Climate
•	Is normally pleasant with blowing ______________ from the ______________.  It was very comfortable and invited many people from around the Greco-Roman world to settle.
The City’s Importance
•	Began when it was the political capital and Roman colony in ______________BC. 
•	It became a melting pot for many races of people and their religions.
The Population
•	During the first century is estimated to be around ______________. 
•	500,000 were slaves and 200,000 were freemen. 
Social Life
•	This city is really the example of most of Greco-Roman social life.
•	Its prosperity developed a social stratification that was almost impossible to break out of one’s current position.
The Middle Class
•	Was almost non-existent in ______________. The wealthiest level were aristocrats, followed by plutocrats. The aristocracy were the ones involved in politics and usually lived by more Roman influence than Greek.
The Largest Class
•	Were those of working people. Their life was one of struggle and hard work.  
•	This provided the necessities of life.  Many were involved in ______________. This farming was good in Corinth.
•	 See 1 Cor 9:7-11.
Below Common Workers
•	Were the rabble (known as ______________). 
•	These were followed by ______________who had no legal standing.
The Games
•	All the population enjoyed the Isthmian games and other forms of entertainment.
•	The Isthumian games were second to they Olympic games in popularity and were held every 2 years. 
•	Typical games: foot races, ______________, boxing, and ______________.
Cultural Arts
•	Athens overshadowed Corinth in this area, but they had their own. 
•	They had outdoor ______________ that seated ______________.

People of Corinth
•	With influence…are mentioned by Paul…
•	Gaius-hosted the church in his house (1 Cor 1:14; Rom 16:23).
•	Chloe’s people (1 Cor 1:11)
•	Crispus, ______________ whom Paul baptized (1 Cor 1:14; Acts 18:8).
Religions in Corinth
•	Numerous temples were found in Corinth dedicated to the pagan gods of the Greco-Roman world.
•	______________ and ______________ gods and goddesses were also found here.
The Immoral Climate
•	Due to the great number of religions found in Corinth, the moral climate was ripe for immorality. 
•	Aphrodite, the goddess of love, had a temple here. Over 1000 temple prostitutes served in the temple. Her temple was located on the top of the Acropolis to remind the citizens of her importance to them.
The Result of Religious Freedom
•	Allowed Paul to enter this city with his gospel.  It was a cosmopolitan place. It was materially corrupt, intellectually alert, and had a pronounced tendency to let its citizens indulge their every desire and whim without challenge or question.
The Church and Paul
•	Paul had begun his missionary work in ______________. His encounter there seemed to have left him with a bitter taste. He traveled about ______________ miles west and entered Corinth with a simple message, “Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1:23). 
Acts 18
•	Relates that Paul entered  Corinth and stayed with a husband and wife team, ______________ and ______________. They were apparently tent-makers as was Paul.  
Early Days in Corinth
•	Paul reasoned with the ______________ in the synagogues on the Sabbath.
•	He was rejected by the synagogue and turned to the Gentiles by entering the house of Titius Justus who lived next door to the synagogue (Acts 18:6-7).
Titius Justus’s House
•	Became Paul’s operating center for the next 18 months. 
•	1-2 Thessalonians were probably written during this long stay at ______________.
The People in the Church
•	Were of social diversity.
•	Membership ranged from the common working people like Aquila and Priscilla to the more powerful ______________. One other influential man would be Erastus, the owner of the house.
Others include:
•	Titius Justus, who as a God-fearing proselyte;
•	And Paul’s host, Gaius.
•	What a mix of philosophical, ______________ and ______________ ideas.
The Church
•	Was in many ways immature.
•	Yet, it was in many ways gifted (1 Cor 12-14).
•	The members will need to learn that spiritual ______________ does not automatically equal ______________ maturity.
•	This brings Paul many problems.
Paul’s Charge
•	Before the Roman governor, Gallio, in AD 51-53 helps us place him here in a chronology of his life. Roman proconsuls took office on July 1, so Gallio took over sometime in the summer. Since we don’t have reference to Gallio in the early part of Paul’s work here, he probably came after Paul.
Paul’s Arrival in Corinth
•	Was near fall of AD ______________, a period of about 9  months before the proconsul took office on July 1, AD ______________.
Paul
•	Left Corinth a few days after the charges were dropped (Acts 18:18) and returned once more while on his ______________ journey. He arrived from Ephesus and stayed a mere 3 months (Acts 20:1-3).
Paul’s Correspondence
•	Provide a more involved relationship between the church and Paul.
•	He had left ______________ and wrote them a letter warning them to not associate with an immoral member of the church (1 Cor 5:9).
Later news arrived
•	That there were ______________ within the body of the church. This information came from Chloe’s people (1 Cor 1:11) and by Stephanus, Fortunatas, and Achaicus who visited Paul from Corinth. (1 Cor 16:17).
A Letter was Sent
•	To Paul as well with the request that he address certain ______________(1 Cor 7:1).
•	To ______________ their questions and to deal with this issues, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians.
Paul sent Timothy 
to Corinth (1 Cor 16:10-11) while he waited until he could make a ______________The Reception of 
•	1 Corinthians seemed to have made some significant changes in the ______________ of the ______________. 
•	Many began to grow spiritually. The letter had done its job. This can be seen in that 2 Corinthians does not mention anything about the Lord’s Supper or litigation between the members.
1 Corinthians
•	Was not totally effective, as seen by the gradual deterioration of the fellowship. Problems continued to mount. Paul felt he would make a second visit (2 Cor 12:14 and 13:1 – shows that a 3rd visit was made). This exchange brought on ______________ (2 Cor 2:1).
This Quick trip
•	Interrupted Paul’s ______________ year work in Ephesus. He left Ephesus, went to Corinth, and returned to Ephesus.
After Leaving them
•	The ______________ time, Paul wrote them the letter composed of many tears (2:4) which caused them sorrow (7:8).
•	Titus took this letter to them and continued to organize the effort to gather a love offering for the church in Jerusalem (8:6).
The Last Contact
Between Paul and his work at Ephesus was during this sorrowful letter. Paul left Ephesus after the riot led by Demetrius and traveled through the province of ______________ and onto the province of ______________In Macedonia,
•	Paul received goodnews the Corinthians had received the letter in a positive fashion (2 Cor 7:5-16).
•	He wrote ______________ pleased with the news and he had heard of some other problems in the church. 
After working
•	Among the churches at Macedonia for a short time, Paul made this ______________ visit to Corinth. 
•	He would be here about ______________months. There was a renewed relationship here. 
While in Corinth
•	He stayed with Gaius and wrote his theological masterpiece: ______________.
Conclusion:
•	With the possible exception of Ephesus, no other church occupied as much of Paul’s time and attention as Corinth. 
•	Due to its unique situation, ______________, political life, and ______________, this church faced things others did not.
This Corinthian Congregation
•	Gives us the best arena to see Paul handling practical problems within the fellowship.
•	He applies practical principles to specific situations. Corinth may have become “everyone’s city” (Larry McGraw, “The City of Corinth” ______________, Vol 32, Fall 1999, No. 1, p 10.)