Introduction
1. The Corinthian Church.
(a) 'Corinth was in many respects the most important city in Greece under the Roman Empire. Whereas Athens was the educational centre, the seat of the greatest university in the world at that time, and the city to which the memories of Greek freedom and older history clung most persistently, Corinth was the capital of the Roman province, the centre of government and commerce, of actual life and development in the country' (HDB).
It was situated on the narrow isthmus which connected Macedonia and Achaia, and possessed two great harbours, Lechæum looking towards the Adriatic Sea and Italy, and Cenchreæ (Acts 18:18; Romans 16:1) looking towards the Ægean and Asia. Though it lay a little inland it had all the advantages of a seaport, and, occupying as it did a central position on the lines of communication between Rome and the East, it was a great commercial clearing house. Small ships were hauled across the isthmus by a prepared way to avoid the voyage round the Cape, and travellers from Italy to the East landed at Lechaeum and re-embarked at Cenchreæ. It was thus a place where traders and officials were constantly coming and going. Its population was composed of Greeks and Romans, Jews and Orientals. Merchants and sailors were its most frequent visitors, staying for short periods on their voyages, and bringing to it the civilisation and the customs of many lands.
Corinth in St. Paul's day was a Roman colony. Two centuries earlier the famous Greek city on the same site had been destroyed by the Roman armies; but after lying in ruins for a hundred years it had been refounded by Julius Caesar in 46 b.c., and had speedily regained more than its former greatness.
Besides its commercial importance Corinth was famous as the scene of the great Isthmian games, which every second year attracted a multitude of people to the city; and it was noted as the centre of the abominable worship of the goddess Aphrodite, in whose worship virgins sacrificed their chastity. The Corinthians were notorious even in the world of that time for their drunkenness and sensuality. They were also much given to faction and strife, being always anxious to discuss philosophical and moral problems, and to debate the qualifications and drawbacks of their public teachers. It is a significant commentary on their way of life that a man of Corinth was usually introduced on the stage in a state of intoxication, and that 'to live like a Corinthian' had become a proverb to express a life of luxury and licence.
(b) The Founding of the Church. St. Paul's first visit to Corinth was made in the course of his second missionary journey, and lasted eighteen months (Acts 18). After his failure to make any deep impression at Athens, the Apostle passed on to Corinth; probably in the autumn of 50 a.d., but possibly a year or two later, as the dates are uncertain. On his arrival he met with Aquila and his wife Priscilla, Jews lately expelled from Rome on account of their race and religion. They were tentmakers, like himself, so he wrought with them and stayed in their house. At first, according to his custom (cp. Acts 13:5; Acts 13:14; Acts 14:1; Acts 17:2), he preached in the synagogue, and endeavoured to persuade the Jews and the Greek proselytes that Jesus was the Christ. The arrival of Silas and Timothy reinforced him, and the work was not without effect, for several Jews believed, among them being Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, and Titius Justus, one of their proselytes. The majority, however, remained obdurate, and the Apostle had to withdraw from the synagogue. Eventually the wrath of the Jews culminated in an attempt to convict him before Gallio, the governor of the province, of teaching an illegal religion. The governor, however, dismissed the case, because the Apostle had not broken any Roman law, and the Greeks who were present gave a rough approval of his decision by beating Sosthenes, the new ruler of the synagogue, in sight of the judgment-seat. Thus protected by the law, St. Paul continued his work until the spring of 52 a.d., when he sailed for Ephesus and Jerusalem, to celebrate the Passover.
After his departure from Ephesus, Apollos, a learned Jew of Alexandria, who had embraced Christianity, arrived there, and made himself known to the Church. His knowledge of Christ was somewhat imperfect, but having been instructed more fully by Aquila and Priscilla, who had accompanied St. Paul to Ephesus, he became of great assistance in the work of the Lord. It was his desire to go to Corinth, and after a time the brethren in Ephesus commended him to the community across the sea (Acts 18:27; 2 Corinthians 3:1). In Corinth his preaching was very successful (Acts 18:27), and his arguments proved attractive to many of the Corinthians, who preferred a more philosophical style to the plain words of St. Paul.
(c) Composition of the Church. The Church at Corinth was composed to some extent of Jews (Acts 18:8; 1 Corinthians 7:18; 1 Corinthians 10:32; 2 Corinthians 11:22), but chiefly of Gentiles (Acts 18:7; 1 Corinthians 12:2). The members were of all classes. Gaius, 'the host of the whole Church,' and Erastus, 'the chamberlain of the city' (Romans 16:23;—the Epistle to the Romans was written from Corinth), were among the better class, as was, perhaps, also Stephanas, 'the first-fruits of Achaia' (1 Corinthians 16:15). But others were poor (1 Corinthians 1:26), and others were slaves (1 Corinthians 7:22). It is certain that here as elsewhere 'not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble' were called (1 Corinthians 1:26). The majority seem to have been of humble station (1 Corinthians 1:27), and had to work hard for their living. Some of these Christian converts being of Jewish origin attached importance to Jewish rites (1 Corinthians 9:20), others prided themselves on their liberal views (1 Corinthians 8:8; 1 Corinthians 10:25; 1 Corinthians 10:27); many had been redeemed from vicious habits (1 Corinthians 6:9), and had to keep strict watch over their lives (1 Corinthians 6:12; 1 Corinthians 6:20).
(d) The Rise of Parties in the Church. In order to understand the situation referred to in our Epistle, it is necessary to give a brief account of the factions which arose in the Church after the Apostle's departure (1 Corinthians 1:12).
Four parties are there named—called by the names of the leaders they had adopted—a party of Paul, a party of Apollos, a party of Cephas, and a party of Christ. The followers of Paul were those who had remained faithful to the teaching of the founder of the Church, and probably included the earliest converts who had felt the power of his personal influence; but they made the mistake of opposing him to other teachers, and, perhaps, especially at first to Apollos, hence they received a special rebuke (1 Corinthians 1:13).
The party of Apollos evidently consisted of those who admired that eloquent speaker's ability in the use of argument and language. Apollos seems to have captivated a number of the converts by his skill in harmonising the teaching of the OT. with the current philosophy, and his ingenuity in using the allegorical method of interpretation in applying the Hebrew Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. St. Paul may be contrasting the methods of Apollos with his own simpler style of teaching the Corinthians when he speaks of 'wisdom' and 'foolishness' in 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 2:1. The nucleus of the party of Apollos would be composed of those whom he himself had converted; others would be attracted to it who were easily impressed by a flowing style and a philosophic presentation of the truth. The differences between the parties of Paul and Apollos arose half-unconsciously, hence their hostility would not be very pronounced.
The other two parties had a different origin. It would appear that, some time after St. Paul's departure, representatives of that party in the Church at Jerusalem which maintained that acceptance of Christianity involved acceptance of circumcision and other Jewish rites, also came to Corinth. These Judaisers, as they are called, were always hostile to the wider developments of Christianity. They found fault with St. Peter for his liberal views and his attitude to the Gentiles (Acts 11:2) at an early period of the Church's history. St. Paul, however, was the principal object of their aversion and ill-will. It is possible that they had never forgiven his persecution of the Christians in his unconverted days, and certainly from the date of his return to Antioch, after his first mission to Galatia, they opposed his admission of uncircumcised heathen to the fellowship of the Church (Acts 15:1; Galatians 2:4). We find them sending emissaries in his track to alienate the Jewish converts from allegiance to him and bring the Gentile brethren into bondage to the Mosaic Law (Galatians 1:7; Galatians 2:12; Galatians 3:1; Galatians 5:2; Galatians 6:12; Philippians 3:2). Some of these Jewish Christians had brought letters of commendation (2 Corinthians 3:1) to Corinth, and had been received by the Church. They took occasion to exalt St. Peter (Cephas) as the chief of the Apostles, and tried to undermine the authority of St. Paul, insisting that he was not an Apostle, and that he lacked the qualification of having seen Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:1).
Thus was formed the party of Cephas, consisting, probably, of some of the Jews who had joined the Church, and, perhaps, of some of the proselytes, who, having first adopted the Jewish religion and rites, would be the more easily persuaded.
The party of Christ may have arisen as a protest against these three sections, whose members adopted the names of Apostles as party watchwords, or even as a separate and stricter Jewish party, maintaining the duty of all disciples of Christ to follow Him in His fulfilment of the rites of the Law (Luke 2:27; John 5:1, etc.). Its members seem to have become more extreme and fanatical as the strife went on, and to have maintained the strictest Judaistic principles: see further remarks in Intro, to 2 Corinthians 1 (b). We find in the Second Epistle that some of its members withstood St. Paul's authority and denied his right to interfere in the discipline of the Church, and that it was with great difficulty that the Apostle asserted his position and regained his influence (2 Corinthians 10:7; 2 Corinthians 11:13; 2 Corinthians 11:21, etc.).