Corinth: A Brief History
The Isthmus of Corinth connects mainland Greece in the north to the Peloponnese Peninsula in the south. Situated on a plateau overlooking the Isthmus of Corinth, the city of Corinth was one of the most strategically located centers of the ancient world. The unique topography made for a place that was easily defended from would-be intruders.
Corinth was to become the capital city of the Roman province of Achaia. Having held such an advantageous piece of ground, it did have a former life in the Grecian empire. However, in 146 B.C. Corinth was breached and razed by Lucius Mummius, the Roman consul at that time; it seemed that the area’s power was growing too great for the tastes of the Roman Empire, so it had to be stopped. Since Mummius was actually able to take the city, he did a very thorough job of wiping it clean. The male inhabitants were killed and the women and children were sold into slavery. The area lay desolate until Julius Caesar issued a decree to rebuild in 44 or 46 B.C. The ruins that have been found in the area are all Roman, nothing of the Greek era remains. During this earlier period, the city was named Ephyra, which meant “lookout” or “guard”. Since Julius Caesar decreed that it should be rebuilt, he added his own touch to the name: Colonia Laus Julia Corinthiensis; meaning, “Corinth, the praise of Julius”.
The new colonists were freedmen from Italy and in a short time, Greeks, and many Jews moved into the city. The revived metropolis became prosperous, mainly because of its position between two ports on either side of the isthmus. It controlled the ports of Lechaion on the Gulf of Corinth (on the Western side, with easy access to Italy) and Cenchreae on the Saronic Gulf (on the Eastern side with easy access to Asia). For centuries, sailors had to travel an extra 185 nautical miles between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf. The reason for this extra distance was a thin strip of land only about 4 miles across. Whether it was to save time or to avoid the dangerous passage around Cape Malea at the southern tip of the Peloponnesus, the idea of a canal between the two gulfs had appealed to the various rulers throughout the centuries. Due to the inadequate technology needed to execute the idea and the fear of opposing the wishes of the Greek sea god Poseidon (which was said to also play a role in preventing the construction), the canal was not cut into the land until the late 19th century. Instead, the ruler Periander (during Greek times) built an alternative: the “Diolkos”—a limestone path on which a wheeled vehicle could be pulled. The Greeks lifted ships onto the vehicle and pulled them across the path. Ships that were too big to take advantage of the Diolkos instead had the cargo unloaded and transported across the land. The cargo was then reloaded on another ship waiting on the other side.
Corinth Canal
During this new Roman period the city became a place of great wealth and indulgence. The saying, “to live as a Corinthian” came into existence at this time and what it meant was to live in luxury and immorality. With port cities, often there is the potential for bad behavior and Corinth; having two ports seemed to embrace this potential with everything she had! (Paul mentions the sins of the people of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Corinth offered all vices to all her visitors as well as her locals. The temple of Aphrodite was located on a high point called the Acrocorinth and it was here that the goddess of love was worshiped. There were more than a thousand temple priestesses that offered themselves to would-be worshipers of Aphrodite. There is some controversy as to whether they should be called prostitutes or not, since their function was technically to facilitate worship of this Greek goddess (Venus to the Romans). However, most who look back on what was going on can call it prostitution, even if the people at the time didn’t think of it as a vice, but as an act of worship. An interesting factoid is that Aphrodite was also thought to be the protector of sailors, so worship of this goddess in the method she prescribed meant a safe passage on the seas. An important thought for a city that was full of sailors from its two ports.
Corinth had a large marketplace (agora), many temples to various gods and goddesses, fountains-including the famous Peirene), theatres, and the “bema”, a large raised platform in front of the residence of the proconsul. Many of these ruins have been uncovered in excavations done by the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. It is interesting to note that some of the places Paul mentioned in the book of Acts have been uncovered. The bema seat area has been located (Acts 18:12) where Paul was taken by the mob to appear before Gallio.
Corinth at the Time of Paul the Apostle
The Apostle Paul made his way to Corinth from Athens during his Second Missionary journey in A.D.52-53. In Acts 18, Paul’s time in Corinth is recorded. It was here that he met Aquila and Priscilla, who had recently left Italy due to the decree by Claudius, the emperor of the Roman Empire (Claudius came to power after his nephew Gaius, a.k.a. Caligula was murdered).
Paul remained in Corinth for a year and six months after hearing from the Lord in a vision: “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10 Paul had begun his evangelizing the way he always did, he reasoned in the synagogue and there was no doubt a large population of Jews in the city. But when they resisted him, he made it a point to preach to the Gentiles. He did however make a convert of Crispus, the leader of the synagogue and his household. But those resistant Jews tried to bring charges against Paul to the proconsul of the Roman province of Achaia, Gallio. The Jew’s charges fell on deaf ears-Gallio was simply not interested in the religious affairs presented to him that day. Soon after this encounter, Paul did leave Corinth to minister in other cities as directed by the Lord.
Judgment Seat in Corinth
As stated before, Corinth was a very large city with a very cosmopolitan population. The Isthmian Athletic Games were played there every two years. Paul uses this fact in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 to illustrate a spiritual truth. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we, an imperishable. Therefore, I run in such a way, as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” Like our Lord, Paul used the familiar things to illustrate spiritual truths and certainly the Isthmian Games would have been a very familiar event to the Corinthians.
As you may well imagine, not only was Corinth a place where many people worked hard to keep their bodies in shape for the competition in the Isthmian Games, they loved to listen to music and to great orators. There were poets and artists abounding in the arts in Corinth. The city was full of worshipers of Greek and Roman gods and many of the shops were selling the objects needed for the worship of these gods. Remember Paul’s mention of the meat market in 1 Corinthians 10:25? People were sacrificing animals to idols in Corinth, then selling the meat in the market.
Ruins of Corinth with Acrocorinth in the background
The heart of this city was filled with temples and shrines to the Roman emperor and to various members of his family, built alongside temples to Greek gods such as Apollo. Apollo’s son, Asklepios, the god of healing, had a shrine there as well. Whatever or whomever a person living in Corinth desired to worship; opportunity to do so was there! This is the backdrop to the church in Corinth. The temptation to remain in idol worship of all kinds was on every street, literally. The pull of the world was very strong there and the means to fulfill any fleshly desire would have been readily available. It is no wonder the church was having the troubles it was having. Worldliness and an unwillingness to keep themselves from the pagan, immoral ways caused the serious problems Paul addressed in the letters he wrote to them.
The Corinthian Church
When you think of where the church in Corinth met for worship, do you think of a large church building, something like where churches meet today? Why is this a point we should even bother to ponder?
Although it is not mentioned specifically, it is widely thought that the church met in a home. It may have been either the home of Sosthenes or Crispus (both were leaders of the synagogue) or maybe even Aquila and Priscilla’s home or perhaps they rotated where they met. What we can be sure of is that they did not have a building with pews and stained glass! The reason we need to think about these things is so we are able to grasp what it was like to live as a Christian in A.D. 52 or 53 and better understand the struggles of our brothers and sisters, which led to the letters the Apostle Paul sent to them. I know that I have often only thought of how the letters applied to current churches (or to myself) and feel that I have missed much in so doing! Closing the history gap is so critical to arriving at the original intent of what was written, it helps so much with interpretation and then with application.
We do find in Romans that Paul asks the church to greet those meeting in different house churches and all the churches of Christ sent their greetings to those in Rome. Gaius was named as one who had a church in his house, and so were Aquila and Priscilla. In Colossians, Paul asks that Nympha and the church in her house be greeted. The letter to the Galatians was not to one church, but to
“the churches of Galatia”, which certainly must have met in homes. So, it is interesting to make note of this in the mind as we read through the different epistles, they often were meant to be shared throughout the areas where they were sent. II Corinthians was addressed “to the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.” Again, another example of a letter being sent to groups of believers meeting in houses around a specific area.
Taking the time to get acquainted with the places mentioned in the New Testament, as well as the people brings us a little bit closer to the One who inspired the writing. God wanted these things written to us; He wanted us to know about these places and these people. He is purposeful in what He does and getting to dig a bit into the subjects mentioned in the Bible is both an honor and a privilege!
