“>
Corinth (City of the Corinthian Church)
Meaning
Corinth was a Greek city, moreover, it was a very wealthy, prestigious and prosperous Greek city. It was also one of the largest and most commercialized. It was located approximately fifty miles west of the Greek city of Athens. Corinth sat on a narrow isthmus which connected mainland Greece with Peloponnesus. The city boasted two harbors. One was named Lechaeum which was enclosed within a six-mile sea wall next to the city. And the other was Cenchrae which we read about in the book of Acts. The Apostle Paul had sailed from Cenchrae to Syria at the end of his second missionary journey. The Apostle Paul stayed in Corinth for just under two years preaching the Gospel of Christ. From the narrative in the book of Acts we can see it was at the direct request of the Lord that Paul should stay and preach.
Because of its harbors and its location along the Mediterranean coast, Corinth was a major commercial hub and international crossroads. It had become the gateway between Europe and Asia. And because of the harbors it was actually cheaper for merchants to transfer goods at Corinth. A boat would dock at one harbor, then transfer the goods to another boat at the other harbor. This was cheaper than sailing around the Peloponnesian peninsula. As a result, there was a lot of pagan influence and debauched behavior. During New Testament times the city was so well know for its debauchery that it became a slang word. To “Corinthianize” meant to behave in a drunken and immoral manner. Corinth was also the location of many pagan temples promoting pagan worship. This included the “Acrocorinth” which was an eighteen-hundred foot tower. One of the most famous temples in the city was the temple of Aphrodite which boasted one-thousand temple slaves and prostitutes. Paul spent a lot of time teaching the Corinthian Christians proper doctrine and the foundational elements of Christian living.
“Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ‘for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.’ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” (Book of Acts 18:9-11)
“So Paul still remained a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He had his hair cut off at Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow.” (Book of Acts 18:18)