FIRST CORINTHIANS BACKGROUND OF CORINTH City located at

FIRST CORINTHIANS

BACKGROUND OF CORINTH City located at bottom of Greece – below Athens about 40 miles Wealthy port city – very cosmopolitan population Thriving city culturally & commercially – Cicero called it “the light of all Greece” Manufacturing center – bronze & terra cotta items

BACKGROUND OF CORINTH Had reputation for worship of goddess Aphrodite & licentiousness (“city of love”) Paul saw problems with city, but also tremendous potential – port city would constantly attract newcomers to be converted Paul founded church in Corinth & embarked on 10 -year correspondence First letter written circa 56 -57 CE Primary concern – dealing with divisions in church

OUTLINE OF 1 CORINTHIANS 1: 1 -3 Salutation 1: 4 -9 Thanksgiving 1: 10 -15: 58 Body • Church Factions & Christian Unity (1: 10 -4: 21) • Criticisms & Directives (5: 1 -11: 34) • Spiritual Gifts (12: 1 -14: 40) • Resurrection Of The Dead (15: 1 -58) 16: 1 -18 Parenesis 16: 19 -24 Closing

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER CHURCH FACTIONS & CHRISTIAN UNITY (1: 10 -4: 21) • Corinthian church broken into several opposing cliques centered around different leaders who had baptized them (1: 10 -14). • Factions were threatening health & future of the church. • Paul reverses possessive order in 3: 21 -23 & unifies church by proclaiming that all belong to Christ. • Would address related issue of diversity later.

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER CRITICISMS & DIRECTIVES (5: 1 -11: 34) Paul addresses myriad of issues affecting the church: • Sexual relations & sexual sin (5: 1, 6: 12 -20) • Lawsuits against each other (6: 1 -11) • Eating food offered to idols (8: 1 -11: 1) • Issues of hairstyles (11: 2 -16) • Divisive celebration of Lord’s Supper (11: 17 -22) No stone unturned!

PAUL’S STOIC-CYNIC FORMULA A Hellenistic style of arguing where person quotes opponent & then rebuts it: • Paul quotes Corinthian assertion • Paul then corrects the assertion Paul’s way “creating” a conversation between him & them without actually being there. Confusing to read – on the surface we can’t tell what the Corinthians are saying & it makes Paul look contradictory. Can read it “You say…. . but I say…. ”

PAUL’S STOIC-CYNIC FORMULA Example: 8: 4 -7; 8 -13 – Eating food offered to idols Vss. 4 -6 – Corinthian assertion 7 -8 a – Paul’s response 8 b – Corinthian assertion 9 -13 – Paul’s response Other instances: 4: 2 -5 – Judging leaders 6: 12 -17 – Freedom from sin’s consequences 7: 1 -2 – Sexual relations in marriage 14: 20 -25 – Speaking in tongues 14: 33 b-36 – Women speaking in church

PAUL’S STOIC-CYNIC FORMULA 14: 33 b-36 Corinthian assertion: “As in all the churches of the saints, women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is anything they desire to know, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. ” Paul response: What? Did the word of God originate with you? Are you the only ones it has reached?

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER SPIRITUAL GIFTS (12: 1 -14: 40) Like most things in Corinthian church, spiritual gifts had become a divisive issue What are “spiritual gifts? ” 12: 8 -11 Paul pleads for church to recognize value of all people to work of church – famous body image in 12: 12 -27. All gifts are ultimately bound together in LOVE (13: 1 -13). Spiritual gifts are useless without love.

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD Issue found in 15: 12 – some Christians are denying the resurrection of the dead Paul defends this notion & points to Christ’s resurrection as defense – 15: 13 -15. Issue of resurrection critically important to Paul’s understanding of the gospel. Goes on to describe what bodily resurrection will be like – 15: 35 -58. A “changed” body.

SUMMARY OF 1 CORINTHIANS Written by Paul around 56 -57 CE Deals primarily with church divisions & pleads for unity Does not shy away from dealing with every issue Famous sections: • Church as the Body of Christ (Chpt. 12) • The “Love Chapter” (Chpt. 13)

SECOND CORINTHIANS

ABOUT THE LETTER Written around 57 CE Appears to be fragments of several smaller letters written at different times & reflecting different situations in the church Since Paul’s last visit, other missionaries (“super -apostles”) had come to Corinth & tried to undermine Paul is distraught by this & is forced to defend himself & his message. Tone of letter: pained & stinging in reprimand

OUTLINE OF 2 CORINTHIANS 1: 1 -2 Salutation 1: 3 -11 Thanksgiving 1: 12 -13: 4 Body • Paul’s strained relationship w/ Corinthians (1: 12 -7: 16) • Collection for Jerusalem church (8: 1 -9: 15) • Paul’s response to challenges to his apostolic authority (10: 1 -13: 4) 13: 5 -12 13: 13 Parenesis Closing

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER PAUL’S STRAINED RELATIONSHIP WITH CORINTHIANS (1: 12 -7: 16) Refers to a “pained visit” (2: 1) & how it didn’t go well. Doesn’t want to go through that again. Paul feels need to defend himself & his ministry 4: 7 -12 – “clay jars” – lit. “earthen vessels. ” Paul uses image to highlight hardship of ministry, but the fact that Jesus continues to be glorified through it. 5: 16 -21 – ***The core of Paul’s gospel***

So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER COLLECTION FOR JERUSALEM CHURCH -9: 15) (8: 1 Corinthians saw collection for Jerusalem church as serving Paul’s personal agenda Paul presents this to Corinthians (& to other churches) as not only responding to a need but emphasizing bind between all churches – “apostolic fellowship” Suggests that their abundance obligates them to give where need lies (8: 12 -15)

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER PAUL’S RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES TO HIS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY (10: 1 -13: 4) Big change from previous section in letter (suggesting fragment theory) Acknowledges influence of “super-apostles” in his absence (11: 5). Term is tongue-in-cheek Vs. 6 – what is he suggesting these “superapostles are? Suggests that Corinthians have been “duped” by these “salesmen” & should have stayed true to his message

MAJOR ISSUES OF LETTER PAUL’S RESPONSE TO CHALLENGES TO HIS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY (10: 1 -13: 4) 11: 16 -21 – Read sarcastically! Paul refers to himself as a “fool” – meant sarcastically, but also suggesting he is simply following God’s calling 11: 22 -29 – Comparing his “credentials” with imposters to expose silliness of Corinthians’ tendency to do the same.

SUMMARY OF 2 CORINTHIANS Probably fragments of multiple smaller letters Exposes tenuous relationship between Paul & the church he founded Written to defend himself & his ministry Employs a heavy sarcastic tone near end of letter