Corinth

Location

Corinth stood on the narrow isthmus that connects mainland Greece to the Peloponnese, controlling both the Ionian and Aegean seas through its two ports (Lechaeum and Cenchreae). Destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC and refounded by Julius Caesar in 44 BC as a Roman colony, first-century Corinth was a young, prosperous, ethnically mixed city.

Biblical importance

Corinth is the setting for one of Paul's longest stays (Acts 18:1-18: 'a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them'), the destination of at least four Pauline letters (1-2 Corinthians in the KJV, plus references to earlier letters now lost), and the recipient of 1 Clement (c. AD 96), one of the earliest post-apostolic Christian documents.

Historical timeline

• 146 BC — The Romans destroy Corinth.
• 44 BC — Julius Caesar refounds Corinth as a Roman colony.
• c. AD 27 — Gallio, brother of Seneca, is proconsul of Achaia (attested by an inscription at Delphi, confirmed by Acts 18:12-17).
• c. AD 50-52 — Paul's eighteen-month stay at Corinth (Acts 18:1-18).
• c. AD 54-55 — Paul writes 1 Corinthians from Ephesus.
• c. AD 55-56 — Paul writes 2 Corinthians from Macedonia.
• c. AD 57 — Paul revisits Corinth and writes Romans from there.
• c. AD 96 — Clement of Rome writes 1 Clement to the Corinthian church.
• AD 51 — Traditional date of Paul's arrival, matching the Gallio inscription.
• Modern archaeology — The 'bema' (judgement seat) where Paul was brought before Gallio has been identified in the excavated forum.

Important biblical events

• Acts 18:1 (KJV) 'After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.'
• Acts 18:2-3 (KJV) Paul lodges with Aquila and Priscilla, tent-makers by trade.
• Acts 18:4 (KJV) 'And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.'
• Acts 18:9-10 (KJV) The Lord speaks to Paul in a vision by night: 'Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee...for I have much people in this city.'
• Acts 18:11 (KJV) 'And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.'
• Acts 18:12-17 (KJV) Paul is brought before Gallio the proconsul of Achaia; Gallio refuses to hear the case.
• Acts 18:18 (KJV) Paul takes leave, sails to Ephesus with Aquila and Priscilla.
• 1 Corinthians 1:2 (KJV) 'Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints...'
• 1 Corinthians 13 (KJV) The chapter on love, written to the Corinthians.
• 1 Corinthians 15 (KJV) The chapter on the resurrection, written to the Corinthians.
• 2 Corinthians 1:1 (KJV) 'Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ...unto the church of God which is at Corinth.'
• 2 Corinthians 8-9 (KJV) The collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem.
• Romans 16:23 (KJV) Written from Corinth: 'Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you.' (An Erastus inscription has been identified in the excavated pavement.)

Important Christian events

• The Erastus inscription in the excavated forum of Corinth reads 'ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT' (Erastus, aedile, laid this pavement at his own expense), and is widely — though not universally — identified with the Erastus of Romans 16:23.
• The bema (judgement seat) where Paul was brought before Gallio has been excavated in the Corinthian forum.
• 1 Clement (c. AD 96), a letter from the Roman church to the Corinthian church, is among the earliest post-apostolic Christian writings and shows a Corinthian church still recognisable a generation after Paul.

Related Scripture

• 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (KJV) 'For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread...' — the earliest written account of the Lord's Supper.
• 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 (KJV) 'For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.'
• 2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.'

Related biblical people

• Aquila and Priscilla — tent-makers, teachers of Apollos.
• Titius Justus — a Godfearer whose house adjoined the synagogue (Acts 18:7).
• Crispus — chief ruler of the synagogue, who believed (Acts 18:8).
• Gallio, proconsul of Achaia (dated c. AD 51-52 by the Delphi inscription).
• Sosthenes (Acts 18:17; possibly the same Sosthenes named in 1 Corinthians 1:1).
• Apollos (Acts 19:1, 1 Corinthians 3-4).
• Erastus — the city treasurer (Romans 16:23).
• Clement of Rome — author of 1 Clement to the Corinthians.

Historical churches

• Historic Corinth is a substantial archaeological site rather than a modern city; the modern town of Corinth is a short distance away. The old Basilica at Lechaeum (fifth-century Christian basilica by the ancient port) is a major early Christian site.
• Kaisariani Monastery (Byzantine, Athens region) and the wider Byzantine churches of the Peloponnese are the living inheritance of the Pauline mission in Greece.

Historic monasteries

• Osios Loukas near Delphi (Byzantine, tenth-eleventh century) — a UNESCO World Heritage site preserving Byzantine mosaics.
• Meteora (in Thessaly, not Corinth region) — the great monastic complex; a separate Atlas page will treat it in a future pass.

Museums and archaeological collections

• The Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth — on the site of the excavated city.
• The Isthmian Games museum — near the site of the ancient Isthmian Games (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).

Pilgrimage today

The excavated site of ancient Corinth is open to visitors. CrossAIHub does not recommend a tour operator. If drawn to visit, plan with a trusted parish or diocese.

Related liturgical seasons

• The Sundays after Trinity in the historic lectionary often read from the Corinthian epistles.
• Feast of St Clement of Rome — 23 November.

Further reading

• 1 and 2 Corinthians (KJV).
• Acts 18 (KJV).
• 1 Clement (Ante-Nicene Fathers vol. 1).
• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History III.4 (on Erastus).

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Ephesus
• Philippi
• Rome
• Proverbs 9
• 1 Corinthians 13
• Athens — Paul went there before Corinth
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.