1. The epistle in its context
1 Corinthians:
The epistle in its context

2. Timeline: The Life and Work of the Apostle Paul
~ “...I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision...” [Acts 26:19] ~
A “great famine”; the disciples at Antioch send aid to the brethren in Judea. Barnabas and Saul deliver this offering “to the elders”. [see Acts 11:27-30 and 12:25]
Paul receives support from the Philippians to travel to Thessalonica. [Philippians 4:15-16; Acts 16:40 – 17:3]
Paul takes the offering (1 and 2 Cor and Rom 15:25-27) to Jerusalem; gets arrested, spends at least 2 years in jail, appeals to Caesar. [Ac 24:17 – 25:12] Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon are written during this time
In Corinth, Silas and Timothy take support to Paul, so he can teach full time [Ac 18:5; 2 Cor 11:8-9 (?)] 1 and possibly 2 Thess written.
Christ’s death, burial and resurrection on Passover, AD 29 [Luke 23: :12]
Paul released from prison in AD 63; 1 Tim and Titus written
Paul is put to death at the command of Nero Caesar.
[Trad. View]
Jerusalem meeting [Acts 15]
Steven is stoned at the consent of a “young” Saul.
[Acts 7:54 - 8:3]
Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem [Gl 1:18-24; Acts 9:26-30;]; he leaves for Tarsus
First voyage
Ac 13-14
Second voyage
Ac 15-18
Third voyage
Ac 18-21 29
~32
~35 46
- 49 51
- 54
- 58
~67
Saul is converted in Damascus after Jesus appears to him. [Acts 9:1-19]
Barnabas brings Saul to Antioch to help teach [Acts 11:25-26]
Imprisoned in 64, writes 2 Tim [cp 4:16]
Paul visits Galatia for the 3rd time; later, in Ephesus, writes Gal, Rom and 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians written later from Macedonia
years A.D.

3. Paul’s second missionary journey (c 51-54 AD)
Book of Acts
15: :11
Paul’s second missionary journey (c AD)
Paul takes Silas to visit the churches
In Philippi, they find a group of women praying at the riverside. Lydia and her family are converted and convince Paul and the others to stay a few more days with them.
[16:11-15]
During this time, Paul casts the demon out of a young girl who was practicing divination, and in the resulting tumult, he and Silas are beaten and jailed. An angel of the Lord releases them from prison, and Paul preaches the gospel to the jailer, whose family is also converted to the Lord. [16:16-34]
After being officially released from prison, Paul and Silas go to Lydia’s home to comfort the brethren. Paul, Silas and Timothy continue the journey from there, but Luke stays behind in Philippi for the time being [16:35-40]
Arriving in Lystra (where Paul was stoned ‘to death’ on his last visit! [Acts 14:8-20]), they meet Timothy, a young disciple who, even though his father is Greek, is well spoken of by the brethren from Lystra and Iconium.
Paul decides to take Timothy with them on the journey [16:1-5]
From Lystra, Paul also takes along young Timothy
In Antioch, Paul and Barnabas decide to go back and visit the churches established during the first trip. (Ac 13:1-14:26; 46-49AD)
Divided over whether or not to take John Mark, the two separate; Paul takes Silas (Silvanus), going through Syria (Antioch’s province) and Cilicia (the province of Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace) [15:36-41]
Driven by God’s Spirit, they travel through Galatia
In Thessalonica, they spend three sabbaths reasoning with the Jews about the Scriptures and showing that the Christ is Jesus. Many believe, including a good number of “devout” Greeks and “leading” women. (1 Cor 14:34-37?) [17:1-4]
The Jews, envious, called together a mob of “evil men” and attacked Jason’s house, hoping to drag out Paul and the others before the people. Jason and other brethren are threatened and must pay a fine in order not to be jailed. In the end, they help Paul and the others escape the city during the night, sending them along to the city of Berea [17:5-10]
However, even in Berea Jews from Thessalonica find and persecute Paul, and he must quickly escape to Athens. Timothy and Silas stay behind in Berea, planning to meet Paul later in Athens [17:11-15]
In Troas, Paul has a vision in which a man from Macedonia (where Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and other biblical cities are located) is begging for their help.
They leave for Macedonia, taking along Luke, who includes himself in the narration of Acts beginning here [16:8-10]
In Troas, Paul has the vision of a Macedonian man asking for help; Luke enters the Acts narrative
Prohibited by the Spirit to preach in Asia or Bithynia, they continue through Galatia, delivering the decision about circumcision and the other conclusions reached in Acts 15: [16:4-7]
After spending some days in Athens, Paul goes to Corinth, where he ends up spending a year and six months. There he writes and sends the first and second Thessalonian letters, around the year 52 AD [17:16 – 18:11]
Barnabas and his cousin John Mark sail to Cyprus (where Barnabas is from; Acts 4:36) [15:39]
In Philippi, the families of Lydia and of the jailer are baptized; Luke stays in Philippi
Paul escapes the fury of the Jews from Thessalonica twice! Even with that, many people are converted...

4. Corinth: 1st century metropolis
image courtesy of:

5. Sacred Fountain of the Agora

6. Bema “judgment seat”
Acts 18:12-17

7. Bema “judgment seat”
Acts 18:12-17

8. Temple of Apollo and the Acrocorinth

9. Paul in Corinth: 4 miles Acts 18:1-18 end of 51 - mid 53 AD The city
- principal city of Achaia, having access to the ports of Lechaio, on the
Adriatic, and Cenchrea [Ac 18:18; Rm 16:1] on the Mediterranean
- Julius Caesar rebuilt the city in 46 BC and made it a Roman colony
- the population was mostly Greek, but there was also a large number
of retired Roman soldiers who settled in Corinth. From the total of
around 600,000 people there were some 400,000 slaves! Paul will
emphasize the ‘lowly’ nature of the church itself in 1:26-29, 7:21, etc
- religion was an integral part of the city’s life, with temples to Apollo
and Aphrodite prominent among many others. The devotees of the
goddess Aphrodite used ritual prostitution as ‘worship’ [cp 6:12-20]
4 miles
- being a center for “culture”, religion, business and tourism, Corinth
was well known for immorality. The writer Aelian stated that when
a Corinthian was represented in Greek theater, he always appeared
as a drunk [cp 6:9-11] (“Corinthianize” meant to practice immorality)

10. Paul in Corinth: Acts 18:1-18 end of 51 - mid 53 AD The work
- Paul arrived directly from Athens, ready to preach [Ac 18:1; 2:1-2]
- having no financial support, Paul worked making tents [Acts 18:2]
with Aquila e Priscilla, Jewish refugees from Rome [Acts 18:2-3]
- Paul used his opportunity to teach in the synagogue every sabbath,
but being rejected, he began to teach in the house of Justus, which
was located adjacent to the synagogue itself [Acts 18:4, 6-7]
- when Timothy and Silas arrived (with support for Paul to preach [cp
2 Cor 11:8-9]?), he gave himself full-time to the word [Ac 18:5 NASB]
- over time, Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, was converted along
with his family and many others [Acts 18:8; 1 Cor 1:14-16]
- God encouraged Paul to stay and preach, telling him: “I have many
people in this city”. Thus, Paul stayed a year and a half [Ac 18:9-11]
- the Jews brought Paul to the proconsul Gallio, but he refused them.
So they beat Sosthenes, ruler of the synagogue [Ac 18:17; 1 Cor 1:1?]

11. Paul in Corinth: Acts 18:1-18 end of 51 - mid 53 AD The epistle
- during his third missionary journey [AD 54-58], Paul went through
Galatia for a third time, continuing on to Ephesus, where he stayed
for more than two years [Acts 18:23; 19:1-10]
- at this same time, Apollos, having been instructed and corrected by
Priscilla and Aquila, spends some time in Corinth [Acts 18:24-19:1]
- later, Paul receives word about the Corinthians “by those of Chloe’s
household” [1:11], by Apollos [16:12] and by others [16:17-18]
- worried about his “children” in faith [1 Cor 4:14-15], Paul writes to
them from Ephesus [1 Cor 16:8]; Paul’s authorship is not doubted
- in the first six chapters he writes exhorting the Corinthians to be one
in Christ, treating each other in a just and righteous manner, as they
strive to maintain purity and unity
- beginning in chapter 7, Paul deals with questions and difficulties that
the Corinthians wrote asking about [cp 7:1, 25; 8:1, 11:2, 17; 12:1; 16:1]

12. The epistle in its context
1 Corinthians:
The epistle in its context