1 Corinthians. B. J. Oropeza
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and Medea cuts up her brother, flinging occasional pieces into the sea to slow down Aeetes, who must give his son a proper burial. The couple escapes, and Jason delivers the fleece to Pelias but finds out that his uncle was responsible for his family’s death. So Medea tricks Pelias’s daughters into cutting up and boiling the pieces of their father in a cauldron, believing Medea’s magic could bring him back younger than before. Of course, she doesn’t do this and flees with Jason to Corinth.32 In Corinth, Jason marries Glauke, King Kreon’s daughter. This betrayal to Medea prompts her to give a “gift” of a crown and dress to Glauke. As Glauke puts these on, she burns up along with her father, and Medea kills her own children from Jason to get back at him as she escapes to Athens. The fountain of Glauke was reportedly where the princess jumped into the water in an attempt to save herself from Medea’s deadly gift.33 The fountain, like the Peirene, prompted Corinthians in the Roman age to remember its famed Greek past with these stories.34
Clearly, these myths center on conflict, tragedy, honor, love, and a preponderance with death, often brutal, along with the hope of immortality. Moreover, prophecy and fate are well-respected—predictions come to pass even when humans attempt to thwart them. Corinth’s inhabitants would be daily reminded of these stories when seeing statues, paintings, sanctuaries, coins, and inscriptions that inundated their city. These myths prepare them to ponder on death and the afterlife (cf. 1 Cor 15), while at the same time prompt them to respect the words of wise orators and prophets (cf. chs. 1–4; 12–14). If Paul was to proclaim his message successfully in this city, perhaps he prepared himself by learning about some of their religious traditions.35
Paul and the Corinthian Church
The Corinth that Paul visits was one filled with sanctuaries, statues, shops, an agora, and a forum with tribunal that probably inspired his own depiction of Christ on the judgment seat (2 Cor 5:10). A number of small shop keepers, artisans, teachers, and secretaries were among the people of Corinth whom Appian considers poor (Hist. 8.136).36 Alciphron speaks of the area having both immorally rich and miserably poor (Ep. 3.24[iii.60]). Dio Chrysostom, writing in the first century CE, describes the rabble at the Isthmian games: “One could hear crowds of wretched sophists around Poseidon’s temple shouting and reviling one another, and their disciples . . . fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems while others applauded them, many jugglers showing their tricks, many fortune-tellers interpreting fortunes, lawyers innumerable perverting judgment, and peddlers not a few peddling whatever they happened to have” (Or. 8.9).37 Paul perhaps witnessed similar activities. The Corinthian population at this time was perhaps anywhere from 80,000 to 140,000.38
According to Acts 18 he teams up with Prisca and Aquila, fellow Jewish tentmakers recently expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius,39 and later on Timothy and Silas assist him there. His proclamation of the gospel turns out to be successful—“many” Corinthians believe and are baptized (18:8). The Lord speaks to him in a vision assuring his protection and encouraging him to preach, for “I have many people in this city,” and so Paul remains there for eighteen months (18:9–10). We can assume that this church grew to be fairly large, probably over one hundred converts with their families. The houses of Titius Justus and Gaius became early gathering places (Acts 18:7; Rom 16:23).40
Of the names of seventeen members mentioned by Paul or Acts (1 Cor 1:1, 11, 14; 16:17, 19; Rom 16:1, 21–23; Acts 18:2, 7–8), nine are Greek (Achaicus, Chloe, Crispus, Sosthenes, Stephanas, Erastus, Jason, Phoebe, and Sosipater) and eight are Latin (Aquila, Prisca, Fortunatus, Gaius, Lucius, Quartus, Tertius, and Justus).41 Among these, Crispus, Aquila, Prisca, and possibly Sosthenes, are Jews, but the church mostly consists of Gentiles when Paul writes this letter (1 Cor 8:7; 12:27; cf. Acts 18:6). The Latin names suggest that a number of congregants may be influenced by Roman culture with perhaps a few to several possibly belonging to the upper echelons of society, such as Gaius who houses a church. Among the Greek names, Phoebe, Stephanas, Crispus, and possibly Sosthenes and Erastus might have some prominent social standing.42 Erastus served in a civic administrative capacity as oikonomos for the city (Rom 16:23; see 1 Cor 4:1). It is very questionable, however, that this is the same Erastus named from the famous Corinthian inscription who was an aedile in Corinth.43 Regarding this congregation, Gerd Theissen’s observation is still quite plausible from 1:26–29. When Paul writes that “not many” of the Corinthians were wise, powerful, and noble born, this implies that some of them were.44 I regard this congregation as quite diverse and having many members from the lower classes, but a minority are well-to-do. This minority are those who can afford to purchase meat routinely at the macellum (10:25), be invited to dinners (10:27), and “have” better food at the Lord’s Supper (11:17–34).45 As a church they are better off financially than the Macedonian congregations, which in turn are better off than the poor in Jerusalem for whom they contribute money (16:1–4; 2 Cor 8:1–5).
Occasion and Purpose of the Letter
Paul learns through a report and letter that there are divisions among Corinthian congregation members over their self-identified allegiances with certain leaders—Paul and Apollos primarily—and the solidarity of members is being threatened by their assimilation with outsiders through sexual misconduct, idol meats, and other issues.46 Other divisions and conflicts center on their spiritual activities, worship, the Lord’s Supper, legal disputes, and disputes over the future resurrection. Paul’s challenge is to respond to the plurality of these voices.47 A number of factors may contribute to their factions, not the least of which is that the members are relatively new converts. Paul started the church only a few years earlier, and his departure left them without their founding leader, though others like Apollos temporarily stood in to fill that vacuum (cf. Acts 18:27—19:1). Their misperceptions about wisdom, speeches, freedom in Christ, use of spiritual gifts, and life after death are clearly evident (1 Cor 1:17; 6:12–13; 8:1–2, 8–9; 14:26; 15:12), and public speaking, human wisdom, and boasting stand over against the preaching of the cross, spiritual wisdom, and humility in this letter. This suggests that at least part of the conflict stems from external social and ideological influences on the congregation. I posit that members still esteem status symbols associated with social prestige and wise and eloquent speech.48 The influences of sophism and Roman elitism affect the congregation (see esp. 1:17—2:12).49
Most scholars today hold that 1 Corinthians was originally one letter rather than a compilation of letters.50 Margaret Mitchell’s arrangement based on deliberative rhetoric convincingly supports the letter’s integrity and rightly argues that the primary aim of this letter is to address factional behavior in the congregation and to encourage unity.51 We notice that the central appeal (παρακαλῶ) for solidarity in 1:10 seems linked with an appeal for imitation in 4:16, which in turn connects with the charge for imitation in 11:1. Together these link up with other