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The City of CorinthAs Greece's most splendid and wealthiest commercial city, Corinth was located just south of the Isthmus connecting central Greece with the Peloponnesus. 
It's strategic location made it a hub for trade between east and west and from the north as well. The city derived rich income from the transport of cargoes across the five mile strip of land since ships did not easily travel around the stormy and hazardous cape.The Romans completely destroyed the city of Corinth in 145 B.C. in their war against Greece but it was later rebuilt by Julius Caesar and became a Roman colony and the seat of the governing proconsul. The new city quickly grew and became the home of all manner of people including retired soldiers, merchants, sailors, Jews, Greeks, Romans and Orientals. Corinth soon had a reputation for evil and wickedness. To call someone a "Corinthian" meant one of two things: the person was sexually immoral or else a drunkard or perhaps both. This was partly due to the transient population in Corinth but could also be partly attributed to the temple of Aphrodite situated in the city. Here 1000 prostitutes plied their trade as a religious, cultist ritual. 
There was not a city that needed Jesus Christ the Savior more than did Corinth and the Apostle Paul felt "constrained by the word" (Acts 18:5) to bring the good news of the gospel to this cosmopolitan but deprived city.The story of the founding of the church at Corinth is told by Luke in Acts 18:1-17. Paul reached the city on his second missionary journey (A.D. 50/51) and became the first to preach teh gospel there. While living and working (tent making) with a couple from Rome named Priscilla and Aquilla he began his ministry in the Jewish synagogue. Soon, however, the opposition from Jewish leaders forced him to move next door to the house of Titus Justus (Acts18:6). Paul continued to preach and teach in "fear and trembling" (1 Corinthians 2:3) but the Lord came to him in a vision adn encouraged him with the promise that he would have many people converted in Corinth (Acts 18:9,10). This promise came true and a significant, gifted although troublesome church was established there. While at Corinth Paul wrote two letters to the Thessalonians and received help from Silas and Timothy who joined him from Macedonia. In all, the Apostle Paul spent 18 months at Corinth and then returned to Jerusalem and Antioch, having completed his 2nd missionary journey. After Paul left the church, the variety of backgrounds, lack of Jewish influence and unfamiliarity with Scripture caused problems in the church. Paul had to deal with a wide range of basic, moral and theological matters within the Corinthian church. For this reason he wrote the letters we call 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians.
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