The few facts supplied to us by the Acts of the Aposties, and the notices in the epistie, appear to te as follows : The Corinthian church was planted by tic apostie himself (1 Cor. iii, 6) in his secood misaooan journey, after his departure fh)m Athens (Acts xvE, 1 sq.). He abode in the city a year and a half (ek. xviii, 11), at first in the house of Aquila and PrisdBa (ch. xviU, 8), and afterwards, apparentiy to mark em- phatically tiie factious nature of the conduct of the Jews, in the house of the proselyte Justus. A tboit time after the apostie had left the ci^ the eloqaeEt Jew of Alexandria, ApoUos, after having received, when at Ephesus, more exact instruction in the Gospd from Aquila and PriscUla, went to Corinth (Acts xix. 1), where he preached, as we may periiaps infer froo Paul's comments on his own mode of preaching, in a matmer marked by unusual eloquence and persnasivc- ness (comp. ch. ii, 1, 4). There is, however, no reuoa for concluding that the substance of the teaching wts in any respect different from that of Paul (see ch. i, 18 ; xvi, 12). This circumstance of the visit of Apolks, owing to the sensuous and carnal spirit which marked the church of Corinth, appears to have formed the commencement of a gradual divlnon into two partJee. the followers of Paul, and the followers of Ajxdlat (comp. ch. iv, 6). These divisions, however, weretp be multiplied ; for, as it would seem, shortly after the departure of ApoUos, J udaizing teachers, supplied prob- ably with letters of commendation (2 Cor. iii, 1) frosi the church of Jerusalem, appear to have come to Cor- inth, and to have preached the Gospel in a spirit of direct antagonism to Paul personally, in evexy war seeking to depress his claims to be considered an ap09> tie (1 Cor. xi, 2), and to exalt those of the Twelve, asd perhaps especially of Peter (ch. i, 12). To this third party, which appears to have been characterised by t spirit of excessive bitterness and faction, we may per- haps add a fourth, that, under the name of "the fol- lowers of Christ*' (ch. i, 12), sought at first to sepante themselves from the fictions adherence to particolsr teachers, but were eventually driven by antagaBiB& into positions equally sectarian and inimical to tkr
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unity of the charch. At this momentoas period, he- fore parties had become conaoUdated, and had distinct- ly withdrawn from communion with one another, the iipoetle writes ; and in the outset of the epistle (ch. i-iv, 12) we Iiave his noble and impassioned *prote0t against this fourfold rending of the robe of Christ. This s|Hrit of division appears, by the good providence of God, to have eventually yielded to his apostolic re- buke, as it is noticeable that Clement of Rome, in his epistle to this church (ch. 47), alludes to these evils as long past, and as but slight compared to those which existed in his own time. See Divisions (in the Chuhch at Corinth).
Besides the schisms and the erroneous opinions which had invaded tlie church at Corinth, the apostle had learned that many immoral and disorderly prac- tices were tolerated among them, and were in some cases defended by them. A connection of a grossly incestuous otmracter had been formed by one of the members, and gloried in by his brethren (v, 1, 2) ; law- suits befbre heathen judges were instituted by one Christian against another (vi, 1); licentious indul- gence was not so firmly denounced and so carefaUy avoided as the purity of Christianity required (vi, 9- 20) ; the public meetings of the brethren were brought into disrepute by the women appearing in them un- vefled (xi, 8-10), and were disturbed by the confused and disorderly manner in which the persons possessing spiritual gifts chose to exercise them (xii-xiv) ; and, in fine, the dydiraL, which were designed to be scenes of love and union, became occasions for greater con- tention through the selfishness of the wealthier mem- bers, who, instead of sharing in a common meal with the poorer, brought each his own repast, and partook of it by himself, often to excess, while his needy broth- er was left to fast (xi, 20-d4). The judgment of the apostle had also been solicited by the Corinthians con- cerning the comparative advantages of the married and the celibate state (vii, 1-40), as well as, apparent- ly, the duty of Christians in relation to the use for food of meat which had been offered to idols (viii, 1-13). For the correction of these errors, the reme- dying of these disorders, and the solution of these doubts, this epistle was written by the apostle.
3. The epistle consists of four parts. The first (i-iv) is designed to reclaim the Corinthians from schismatic contentions; the second (v-vi) is directed against the immoralities of the Corinthians ; the third (vii-xiv) contains replies to the queries addressed to Paul by the Corinthians, and strictures upon the disorders which prevailed in their worship ; and the fourth (xv- xvi) contains a& elaborate defence of the Christian doctrine of the resurrection, followed in the close of the epistle by some general instructions, intimations, &Qd greetings.
The apostle opens with his usual salutation and with an expression of thankfulness for their general state of Christian progress (ch. i, 1-9). He then at once pssses on to the lamentable divisions there were among them, and incidentally justifies his own conduct and mode of preaching (ch. i, 10; iv, 16), concluding with A notice of the mission of Timothy, and of an intended • Mthoritative visit on his own part (ch.iv, 17-21). The apostle next deals with the case of incest that had taken place among them, and had provoked no cen- BMe (ch. V, 1-8), noticmg, as he passes, some previous rsmarks he had made upon not keeping company with fornicators (ch. v, 9-13). He then comments on their •yil practice of litigation before heathen tribunals (ch. ^ 1-8), and again reverts to the plague-spot in Co- ™thian life, fornication and uncleanness (ch. vi, 9-20). '^0 last subject naturally paves the way for his an- swers to their inquiries about marriage (ch. vii, 1-24), and about the celibacy of virgins and widows (ch. vii, *^0). The apostle next makes a transition to the ^hject of the Uwfhlness of eatmg things sacrificed to wols, and Christian freedom generally (ch. viii), which