2. St. Paul's relations with Corinth before writing 1 Corinthians. — St. Paul's first visit to Corinth is described in Ac 18^"'®, Avhere we have an account of the foundation of the Corinthian Church. After leaving Corinth, he continued to be in com- munication with the Church there, and we can reconstruct some part of his relations with it from the evidence of his two extant Epistles to the Corinthians.
(a) St. Paul wrote a ' previous letter' (1 Co 5^), in which he told the Corinthians not to keep company with fornicators. This must have been due to information that immorality was creeping into the Church. It is possible that a portion of this letter is preserved in 2 Co 6'M^ (see below).
• Cf. J. H. Kennedy, The Sec(md and Third Epistles to the Corinthians, 1900, p. 141 fl. ; K. Lake, The Earlier Epistles oj St. Paul, 1911, p. 163 f.
t HDB i. 492.
COKLN'THTANS, EPISTLES TO THE CUKiATHlA2sS, EPISTLES TO THE 251
(b) The Corinthians had themselves ■written a letter to St. Paul, raising a number of points and requesting his decision upon tliem (1 Co 7'-^' 8^ 11- 12'). They raise the question of marriage — ■whether marriage is legitimate for a Christian, the relation between husband and wife, between a non-Christian husband and a Christian ■VN'ife, and vice versa. Tliey interrogate him regarding the status of virgins, and probably also ask advice on the question of elSioMdvra, ■with all the problems of social life which it involves. The ditticulties that arose over the Eucharist may have been mentioned in the letter (IP""'-), also the question of spiritual gifts and of disorders in the assemblies, perhaps also the question of the resurrection of the dead. Attempts have been made to reconstruct the Corintiiian letter,* but these must necessarily be too conjectural to be of any great value. It is probable, however, that a good many of the expres- sions used in 1 Cor. are direct quotations from their letter, e.g. iravTa 'i^eanv (cf. lO"^), probably a sort of catchword, which the Apostle accepts from them, but qualities. In 11- he probably quotes their letter.
(c) St. Paul had had other sources of information besides this letter. The existence of parties with- in the Corinthian Church had been made known to him bj' Chloe's people or household (1 Co 1"). He had also heard, possibly from the same source, of a case of incest (ch. 5), and of the habit which had arisen of going to law with fellow-Christians before heathen tribunals (6^'*). Apollos, too, had ■visited Corinth (3^), and was now with St. Paul at Ephesus (16''^). Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus had also come to him from Corinth (16^^).
3. Analysis of 1 Corinthians. — In view of the in- formation received from these sources, St. Paul wrote the First Epistle. It wiU be convenient here to give a full analysis of it.
I. iNTHODUCTrOX (1^-9). 11-* Salutation. vv.4-9 Thanksgiving for spiritual gifts of Corinthians.
II. 2{EB£/ A:£(110-62'J).
(a) Party-spirit, based on false intellectualism in religion
(110-421).
110-17 Exhoitation to unity, w. 18-25 The paradox of the Cross. What seems to men weak and foolish is Divine strenprth and wisdom. vy.26-31 Xhis is illustrated by the natural characteristics of Corinthian Christians — thej' are naturally weak and foolish, but their strength and wisdom is Christ. 21-5 Further illustrated by St. Paul's own behaviour at Corinth. w.6-9 Yet there is a spiritual wisdom for mature Chris- tians. 21(1-33 Only the spiritual man can understand this. The Corinthians, when St. Paul preached to them, were not yet spiritual. 8*4 Nor are they yet spiritual, as ia evidenced by their factions. w.^9 Foolishness of party-spirit, seeing that the work of all is God's work. TV.iO-15 St. Paul has laid the One Foundation, Jesus Christ. Others may build upon it, and are responsible for the character of their building. Vv.16-17 The building is God's Temple. To destroy it is
to cause one's own destruction. w.18-23 Folly of subjection to human teachers. All be- long to Christ. 41-* Human teachers are responsible to Christ, and to Him only. TV.6-7 This rebuke is really only applicable to the
followers, not to the teachers. TV.8-13 For the teachers are forced by their sufferings to realize their limitations. Only the followers are proud. W.l'*-''' Appeal to them to follow St. Paul's example. w.18-21 He hopes to come himself, and test the truth of
their claims. (6) Want of discipline in dealing toith case of incest (ch. 5). 51-8 The case of incest. Necessity of excommunicat- ing offender. w.9-13 Explanation of instructions given in former letter about Christians' attitude to immoral V>ersons. (e) Litigioiisness (6i-U).
6i*> Lawsuits not to be taken before heathen tribunals.
' Cf. G. G. Findlay, in Expositor, 6th ser. i. [1900] 401 ff.
67-11 Lawsuits altogether wrong. Christians ought rather to endure wrong ; but no Christian ought to give occasion for a lawsuit.
(d) Fornication (612-20).
612-14 xhe law of liberty does not appl.v to impurity.
w.15-20 Relation between Christ and believer incompat- ible with fornication. in. Answers to Qi'E^irioxs (7i-i4'io).
(o) ilarriarje problems (ch. 7).
71-7 Celibacy is best, but marriage is sometimes ex- pedient. vv.8-9 Unmarried persons and widows should, if possible, remain as they are.
W.lO-ll Married couples should not separate. If they do, the wife must not re-marry.
w.12-16 Mixed marriages are not real marriages in the Christian sense, and therefore not indissoluble.