Paul's theological reflection in 1 Corinthians, as in his other letters, stands in the service of his apostolic ministry. It is therefore important to begin with a brief review of the origins and course of the apostle's Corinthian ministry, to take special note of what occasioned his writing of 1 Corinthians, and to offer some preliminary observations about the contents of this letter and certain of its formal characteristics.

PAUL AND THE CORINTHIANS

More is known about the Corinthian church, including Paul's relationships with it, than about any other first-century congregation. This is due not only to the extent but also to the character of 1 and 2 Corinthians, our primary sources of information. In these letters, more than in others, Paul is dealing with topics that are specific to the Corinthians' situation and to his own standing as their apostle. Even so, we must remember that Paul himself may not have been well informed about some aspects of the Corinthian situation, that in any case we are privy only to his point of view, and that any historical reconstruction like the one attempted here necessarily remains both incomplete and hypothetical.

The apostle's first visit

Ancient Corinth was strategically located somewhat south and west of the narrow isthmus of land that connects the northern part of Greece with the Peloponnesus. The city was served by twaports, Cenchreae on the Saronic Gulf to the southeast and Lechaeum on the Gulf of Corinth to the northwest. Ships were regularly unloaded in one port and their cargoes transported across the isthmus for reloading at the other port, thus providing a link between shipping in the Aegean and the Adriatic.