Paul, Corinth, and the Roman Empire

Paul's letter to the Corinthians provides an exclusive quick look into the social and political life of a young Christian congregation in a Greco-Roman environment during the early decades when Christianity was emerging. The letter provides a range and richness of information regarding the early church that is unparalleled by any other writing in the New Testament. Much effort has gone into reconstructing the Christian church at Corinth; more recently, attention has focused on the Corinthian congregation itself and its influence towards the community of the Roman Empire. The scholarly picture of the Corinthian community throughout the period of modern interpretation has been far from constant. It has been continually altered as interpretative fashions have changed. ""From the breadth and depth of his knowledge of the site of Corinth and its place in history, Professor Coutsoumpos has written a really excellent book about the church at Corinth and the letters by Paul to it. The church at Corinth was a troubled church and Coutsoumpos does not gloss over these problems, he deals with them directly. From his rich knowledge of the Roman period he puts the church at Corinth in its place and time. Because of the problems in the church there it serves as a lesson book for the church today. Both laypersons and professional ministers can profitably read and study this very good book on a biblical subject."" William H. Shea, Ph.D., former Old Testament professor in the Theological Seminary at Andrews University. ""In Paul's time, the church in Corinth was facing a variety of tough, real-life issues, and these realities are evident in the Apostle's writings to them. In this work, Dr. Coutsoumpos contributes to a deeper understanding of what's behind the message that emerged from Paul's heart and was sent to such a troubled church. Tough no situation is exactly like another, today's church is as troubled as Corinth. Therefore, if dealt with under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the story and messages analyzed here have the potential of bringing a tremendous blessing to the church today."" Abraham Guerrero, Ph.D. is a church pastor, writer and an adjunct professor for institutions such as Andrews University, Universidad Peruana Union, and the Inter-American Division Theological Seminary. Panayotis Coutsoumpos (Ph.D. University of Sheffield, England), is an adjunct professor of New Testament tudies at the University of Montemorelos, Mexico. He is the author of several books and articles in professional journals. Particularly the books, Paul and the Lord's Supper, published by Peter Lang, New York, and Comunidad, Conflicto y Eucaristia en La Corinto Romana, published by Editorial Clie, Barcelona, Spain. He currently serves as a pastor in Maryland.