• A careful account of the aixuments of the Dutch h.vper- critical school, and of Steck. is ^'iven by Knowling, The WitiuiM 0/ the EjnstteSfCh. iii. ; cf. al.'Jo Schmiedel in Harui-Kojnmentar, vol. ii.; Zahn, Die Brief e de» Pauhu seit 50 Jahren im Fever der Kritik (in ZKW, 1889). The ar^ments of Vdlter (Eompogitian der paid. H.-Brie/e. 1800) reach a similar conclusion by a super- ivliiied method of analysis.
t Steck is answered by Glocl, Die jnn/jgte Kritik de* Galater- brie/e^, and Lindemann, Die Echtheii tier p. Ilauptbrie/e ; for what specially refers to our Epistle see Knowling, pp. 190-207. The question has been debated from time to time, especially to the Pro'. Kirehen.Zeiiuiifj.
^,
I. COKIXTHIAN.S
L COKl.N'THIANS
485
everv influential school of criticism, we regard the Pniifine authorship of our Ep. as uniiniieached and aniiiipcachable.
5. St. I'nul first visited Corinth durini,' his first European 'nission (Ac 18'''*). The ciriuiiistances have been stated under COHINTH. In modilication of the view there tjiken, it should lie noted that at any rate the arrival of Timothy and Sihis from Macedonia convinced him that Corinth was to he a great centre of work. lie ' became engrossed in the word ' (irwflxfo rep X67<(), v.'). The vision of TV."- '" had reference rather to alarms arising on the s])ot (1 Co 2") than to any remaining doubt as to his mission to the Corinlliians. Mis earliest converts were made by liis addresses in the sj'na-
fogue, and comprised 'Jews and Greeks' (Ac 18^). 'o the former class belonged Crispus ; but the baptism of the household of Stephanas must have been his first conquest (1 Co 16"). S. and tiaius were probably proselytes (i.e. aefiS/ieyoi). After the arrival of his companions, St. Paul, engrossed in preaching, entrusted the baptism of his converts to them (1 Co 1"- '"). St. I'aul was the first to preach the gospel at Corinth. Hence he describes himself as the planter (1 Co 3'), the first builder (vv.""), the father (•!'") of the Cor. Church. He laid, as its foundation, '.Jesus Christ' (3"), teaching the significance of His death (2-, 2 Co l'"8") and resur- rection (1 Co 15'-"), of the Eucharist (10""- U-^"). the fundamental principles of the Christian life (3'" 6"- '*), and the hope beyond the grave (15'»»' 1", cf. 6'). The composition of the Cor. Church was mainly Gentile, but not without Jews (Ro 16'^', 1 Co7'«9* 12"); and heathenish antecedents (1-2- 6") were the cause of most of the troubles of the community. The Christians of Corinth were of the lower ranks of life (l^"-^ 7"). though there were marked dillciences of wealth among them (11'-'); Gaius and Krastus (I'o IG-^) may be added to Crisjius and Stephanas (above) as persons of higher MK'ial position.
Of the numbers of the Cor. Clmrch we cannot form any safe conjecture. St. Paul preached at first in the house of Titius Justus (Ac 18') while residing with Aquila and Pri.scilla (v.'). l*ter (1 Co 16") we hear of an ^kkXtj^io at the house of the latter, which probably implies that the Christians were no longer capable of being con- tained in any one house. In any case, the language of 1 Co 3, 4 suggests continued growth under other teachers after the departure of St. Paul himself. Chief among these was Apollos (Ac 18"-'^). The Acts hints at two lines of his activity at Corinth : edification of the believers ('•"), and successfi.; con- troversy with Jews (■■", the yip here cannot fairly be held to restrict the 8Coi)e of ori-e/JciXfTo to his success with the Jews). Por both purposes his Alexandrian training was a high qualification. The contrast between his style of preaching and the severe simplicity of St. Paul was laid hold of by frivolous minds as a basis of party spirit {infra, § 7). The date of Apollos' arrival at Corinth is uncertain, except that it precedes St. Paul's arrival at Ephesus (Ac 19'). To Eiihesus, at some time during St. Paul's Tpterla there, Apollos returneil. The remaining points in the history of the Church of Corinth enter into the situation out of which our Ep. arises. Before dealing with this, it is desiiablc to consider the dates.
6. The chronology of St. Paul's life has recently been the subject of renewed investigations, whicli have tended to disturb the scheme which, in its broad features, may be described as in possession of the field previous to 1893. Among the most important of recent discussions are those of Clemen (Cfiroiifd. il. Pnvl. Driffr., 1893) and of llamsay (.SV. Paul the Traveller, 1895, also in Expositor, .May 1806). A discussion of the questions raised will be
found in articles Chronology ok NT, and l'K.sru.^. Here it will suffice to state that the prevalent view, as reiirescnted (e.g.) by Wicscler, Lewin (/•Vw^t.S'.), and Lightfoot (on Ads in Smith DB'-, and Bihlical Essays, p. 223), used the arrival of Pestus in Pales- tine as tlio pivot date for the reconstruction of the period. It was argued, on grounds not to be entered on here (see Festus), that this pivot, though not absolutelj' rigid, j-et oscillated only as between the years A.D. 60 and 61, and that of these two, the year 60 was the mere probably correct. Subtracting, then, the two years of St. Pauls imprisonment at Casarea, we obtained 58 as the year of his last journey from Corinth to Jeru- salem. As he left Corinth before the Passover (Ac 20'), the three months spent there carried us Ijack to his arrival it Corinth in Nov. 57 (see Corinthians, Second Ep. to, § 6). This, cor- responding as it does with the intention of winter- iuL' at Corinth e.\iiresse<l 1 Co 16', made the spring of 57 the probable date of 1 Co.