First Epistle to the Corinthians


The First Epistle to the Corinthians is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Corinth. Scholars believe that Sosthenes was the amanuensis who wrote down the text of the letter at Paul's direction. It addresses various issues which had arisen in the Christian community at Corinth and is composed in a form of Koine Greek. Despite the name, it is not believed to be the first such letter written to the Corinthian church.

Authorship

There is a consensus among historians and theologians that Paul is the author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, with Sosthenes as its co-author. Protestant commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that Sosthenes' inclusion in the opening wording shows that he made a greater contribution to the letter than being a "mere amanuensis". Meyer observes that "in a subordinate sense", its recipients "were to regard the letter of the apostle as at the same time a letter of Sosthenes, who thereby signified his desire to impress upon them the same doctrines, admonitions, etc. This presupposes that Paul had previously considered and discussed with this friend of his the contents of the letter to be issued."
The letter is quoted or mentioned by the earliest of sources and is included in every ancient canon, including that of Marcion of Sinope. Some scholars point to the epistle's potentially embarrassing references to the existence of sexual immorality in the church as strengthening the case for the authenticity of the letter. However, the epistle does contain a passage which is widely believed to have been interpolated into the text by a later scribe:
Verses 34–35 are included in all extant manuscripts. Part of the reason for suspecting that this passage is an interpolation is that in several manuscripts in the Western tradition, it is placed at the end of chapter 14 instead of at its canonical location. This kind of variability is generally considered by textual critics to be a sign that a note, initially placed in the margins of the document, has been copied into the body of the text by a scribe. As E. Earle Ellis and Daniel B. Wallace note, however, a marginal note may well have been written by Paul himself. The loss of marginal arrows or other directional devices could explain why the scribe of the Western Vorlage placed it at the end of the chapter. The absence of an asterisk or obelisk in the margin of any manuscript – a common way of indicating doubt of authenticity – they argue, a strong argument that Paul wrote the passage and intended it in its traditional place. The passage has also been taken to contradict 11:5, where women are described as praying and prophesying in church.
Furthermore, some scholars believe that the passage constitutes a separate letter fragment or scribal interpolation because it equates the consumption of meat sacrificed to idols with idolatry, while Paul seems to be more lenient on this issue in and. Such views are rejected by other scholars who give arguments for the unity of.

Composition

About the year AD 50, towards the end of his second missionary journey, Paul founded the church in Corinth before moving on to Ephesus, a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about by sea from Corinth. From there he traveled to Caesarea and Antioch. Paul returned to Ephesus on his third missionary journey and spent approximately three years there. It was while staying in Ephesus that he received disconcerting news of the community in Corinth regarding jealousies, rivalry, and immoral behavior. It also appears that, based on a letter the Corinthians sent Paul, the congregation was requesting clarification on a number of matters, such as marriage and the consumption of meat previously offered to idols.
By comparing Acts of the Apostles and the references to Ephesus in the Corinthian correspondence, scholars suggest that the letter was written during Paul's stay in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of AD 53–57.
Anthony C. Thiselton suggests that it is possible that 1 Corinthians was written during Paul's first stay in Ephesus, at the end of his second journey, usually dated to early AD 54. However, it is more likely that it was written during his extended stay in Ephesus, where he refers to sending Timothy to them.
Despite the attributed title "1 Corinthians", this letter was not the first written by Paul to the church in Corinth, only the first canonical letter. 1 Corinthians is the second known letter of four from Paul to the church in Corinth, as evidenced by Paul's mention of his previous letter in. The other two being what is called the Second Epistle to the Corinthians and a "tearful, severe" letter mentioned in. The book called the Third Epistle to the Corinthians is generally not believed by scholars to have been written by Paul, as the text claims.

Surviving early manuscripts

The original manuscript of this book is lost, and the text of surviving manuscripts varies. The oldest manuscripts containing some or all of the text of this book include:
The epistle is generally divided into a number of sections. For example:
  • John Barclay argues for five main parts in addition to the opening salutation and thanksgiving, and the closing comments.
  • Robertson and Plummer divide the letter into two parts: one part deals with issues raised by "Chloe's people" and the other part addresses issues raised by a delegation.
  • Daniel B. Wallace sets out six main sections:
  1. Salutation and thanksgiving
  2. # Paul addresses the issue regarding challenges to his apostleship and defends the issue by claiming that it was given to him through a revelation from Christ. The salutation reinforces the legitimacy of Paul's apostolic claim. The thanksgiving part of the letter is typical of Hellenistic letter writing. In a thanksgiving recitation, the writer thanks God for health, a safe journey, deliverance from danger, or good fortune.
  3. # In this letter, the thanksgiving "introduces charismata and gnosis, topics to which Paul will return and that he will discuss at greater length later in the letter".
  4. Division in Corinth
  5. # Facts of division
  6. # Causes of division
  7. # Cure for division
  8. Immorality in Corinth
  9. # Discipline an immoral Brother
  10. # Resolving personal disputes
  11. # Sexual purity
  12. Difficulties in Corinth
  13. # Marriage
  14. # Christian liberty
  15. # Worship
  16. Doctrine of Resurrection
  17. Closing.

    Content

Some time before 2 Corinthians was written, Paul paid the church at Corinth a second visit to check some rising disorder, and wrote them a letter, now lost. The church had also been visited by Apollos, perhaps by Peter, and by some Jewish Christians who brought with them letters of commendation from Jerusalem.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians letter to correct what he saw as erroneous views in the Corinthian church. Several sources informed Paul of conflicts within the church at Corinth: Apollos, a letter from the Corinthians, "those of Chloe", and finally Stephanas and his two friends who had visited Paul. Paul then wrote this letter to the Corinthians, urging uniformity of belief and expounding Christian doctrine. Titus and a brother whose name is not given were probably the bearers of the letter to the church at Corinth.
In general, divisions within the church at Corinth seem to be a problem, and Paul makes it a point to mention these conflicts in the beginning. Specifically, pagan roots still hold sway within their community. Paul wants to bring them back to what he sees as correct doctrine, stating that God has given him the opportunity to be a "skilled master builder" to lay the foundation and let others build upon it.
contains a notable condemnation of idolatry, thievery, drunkenness, slandering, swindling, adultery, and other acts the authors consider sexually immoral.
The majority of early manuscripts end chapter 6 with the words. The Textus Receptus adds, which the New King James Version translates as "and in your spirit, which are God's". J. J. Lias, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, notes that "these words are not found in many of the best MSS. and versions, and they somewhat weaken the force of the argument, which is intended to assert the dignity of the body. They were perhaps inserted by some who, missing the point of the Apostle's argument, thought that the worship of the spirit was unduly passed over."
Later, Paul wrote about immorality in Corinth by discussing an immoral brother, how to resolve personal disputes, and sexual purity. Regarding marriage, Paul states that it is better for Christians to remain unmarried, but that if they lacked self-control, it is better to marry than "burn". The epistle may include marriage as an apostolic practice in, "Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas ?" However, the Greek word for 'wife' is the same word for 'woman'. The Early Church Fathers, including Tertullian, Jerome, and Augustine state the Greek word is ambiguous and the women in were women ministering to the Apostles as women ministered to Christ, and were not wives, and assert they left their "offices of marriage" to follow Christ. Paul also argues that married people must please their spouses, just as every Christian must please God.
Throughout the letter, Paul presents issues that are troubling the community in Corinth and offers ways to resolve them. Paul states that this letter serves to "admonish" them as beloved children. They are expected to become imitators of Jesus and follow the ways in Christ as he, Paul, teaches in all his churches.
Paul's closing remarks in his letters usually contain his intentions and efforts to improve the community. He would first conclude with his paraenesis and wish the community peace by including a prayer request, greet them with his name and his friends with a holy kiss, and offer final grace and benediction:
This epistle contains some well-known phrases, including: "all things to all men", "through a glass, darkly", and: