would naturally stir up party opposition, and would stimulate dis- affection on the part of the less stable members of the little community. The Lost Letter, then, consisted mainly of rules as to conduct, and was not concerned, so far as we know, with the question of schism, which had probably not yet arisen.! Two other topics, however, it may have touched upon, viz., the Apostle’s plans of travel and the collection for the poor Judzan Christians. We must not lose sight of the fact that St. Paul’s plans were in the main determined during these years by his purpose of making a collection to relieve the needs of the poorer converts in Judza and of bringing it in person to Jerusalem. Now, as to his plans of travel, it is plain that the route mentioned in 1 Cor. xvi. 5, and actually adopted in the sequel (Acts xix. 21), was not the route which the Corinthians expected him to take. At one time he had wished to travel from Ephesus to Corinth—Macedonia—Corinth— Jerusalem, a route which would twice give them the benefit and the privilege of seeing him while he was in Europe (2 Cor. i. 15, 16). This plan seems to have been communicated to them before 1 Corinthians was written ; and it is obvious to suggest that it was announced in the Lost Letter. Again, it will appear (see § 7) from a consideration of the structure of the First Canonical Epistle to the Corinthians that the Corinthians in their letter which preceded it had asked for details about the manner in which the collection for the Judzan Christians was to be made. In other words, they had already been informed by St. Paul that such a collection was being organised ; and so we are led round to the suggestion that this information also was contained in the Lost Letter.
6. We now proceed with the history. Some time after the Lost Letter had been despatched bad news again came from Corinth, and this of two kinds. First, members of Chloe’s household (οἱ Χλόης, 1 Cor. i. 11, cf. also 1 Cor. xi. 18) reported that factions had arisen, and that a Peter party and an Apollos party were setting themselves up in opposition to the party of Paul. Some indeed went so far as to call themselves, par excellence, the ‘‘ Christ party ” (1 Cor. i. 12). And, secondly, a rumour reached Ephesus that an abominable case of incest had occurred among the Christians at Corinth (1 Cor. v. 1). This was much worse than any of the moral lapses which the Apostle had previously rebuked in person or by letter; it was a wickedness
1 This is an argument which should not be overlooked for placing the Inter- mediate Visit before the Lost Letter, or at any rate before the First Canonical Epistle.