Ancient Corinth was built at the foot of
the large hill of Acrocorinth on the narrow isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus peninsula with the mainland of Greece. The city was strategically located, linking the principal
land route between East and West, while several sea lanes converged on its two harbors.
Its crowning era as a Greek city-state was from the 8th century BC until its
destruction by the Romans in 146 BC.
Rome rebuilt and repopulated Corinth in 44
BC, designating it the capital of the Roman province of Achaia and the seat of
the Roman proconsul. The city was also a center of industry and commerce, with
a socially, economically, religiously, and culturally diverse populace. It
appears to have been one of the larger municipalities of Roman Greece, with an
estimated 30,000 to 50,000 urban residents and a rural population of approximately
40,000 to 60,000.1
The
apostle Paul arrived in Corinth from Athens
around autumn of 50. If he traveled by land, he would have approached the capital
from the north on the Lechaion road. To the left of the pavement lined with
walkways, porticos, and administrative buildings was the public fountain of Peirene, a potential site for baptizing the first converts (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor 1:14-16), and the nearby Jewish synagogue
was a good place to start (Acts 18:4, 7).2 Further along was the agora (marketplace),
where a
prominent space was occupied by the marble-covered bema (elevated platform) upon
which Paul would later stand accused before the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12-16). The numerous shops in the vicinity would
have provided a suitable location for
manufacturing and/or selling tents (Acts 18:2-3), while pagan temples and shrines permeated the
city’s landscape (1 Cor 8:1-10; 10:14).
The apostle labored
diligently with Aquila, Priscilla, Silas and Timothy until spring of 52, leaving
behind an established Christian community (Acts 18:1-18). Subsequently Gaius is referenced as the host of “the
whole church” (Rom 16:23 ESV), an apparent allusion to the assemblies in his home.
A typical upper class Roman-style house was centered around a columned
courtyard with an open room (atrium), large enough to accommodate about 30 to 50
people.
Since initiating his second missionary
campaign, Paul had encountered violent opposition and expulsion from every
Macedonian community he targeted. Venturing south into the province of Achaia,
he faced a general lack of receptivity in Athens as his eager attempts were largely
met with amusement and disregard. Moving on to Corinth, although dejected and fearful
(Acts 18:9-10; 1 Cor 2:3), his resolve remained intact. Eighteen months of sowing
the gospel seed with extensive follow up resulted in the Lord of the harvest
reaping a bounty of souls (1 Cor 3:6-9). In the most unlikely of places there
now existed “the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are
in the whole of Achaia” (2 Cor 1:1).
Nearly two millennia later the commission and the One who gave it
remain unchanged. And there is still no scarcity of unlikely places.
-- Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Available evidence does not
corroborate the inflated estimates of up to half a million or more.
2 In 1898 along the
Lechaion road the limestone lintel of the doorway of Corinth’s synagogue was
discovered near the entrance to the forum.
Works Consulted:
Aune, David E. The New Testament in Its Literary
Environment. LEC. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1987.
Fee, Gordon D. The
First Epistle to the Corinthians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.
Malherbe, Abraham J. Social Aspects of Early Christianity.
2nd ed. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983.
Moore, Kevin L.
A Critical Introduction to the New
Testament: Study and Lecture Notes. Henderson, TN: Hester, 2009.
Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archaeology.
3rd ed. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2002.
Willet, Rinse. “Whirlwind of
Numbers: Demographic Experiments for Roman Corinth,” AncSoc 42 (2012): 127-58.
*First appearing in the Freed-Hardeman University Graduate School of Theology newsletter, Reflections on Theology and Ministry 1:3 (1 Dec. 2015): 2-4.
*First appearing in the Freed-Hardeman University Graduate School of Theology newsletter, Reflections on Theology and Ministry 1:3 (1 Dec. 2015): 2-4.
Related Posts: Recent Visit to the Bible Lands, My Family's Worship in Corinth
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