Paul Succeeds At Corinth

It was at Corinth that Paul had good success;
He was allowed, at first, to preach to Jews
In their synagogue, and some did profess;
Many Greeks, as well, believed the good news!
At a lecture hall he preached ev’ry day;
A vision from God came to him one night:
God told Paul, No harm did in Corinth lay;
Not to be silent; so he spread the light!
Once the Jews brought Paul to the Roman court,
Charging he preached against the Jewish laws;
The Roman ruler did their case abort,
Saying, he would not judge a private cause!
The Jews beat up their own synagogue chief
In front of the court, who ignored their pique*!

*Acts 18:17

“After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, ‘Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!’ “ (Acts 18:1-6)

Corinth was a large city south of Athens, a very busy seaport, for many ships stopped here before sailing the long distance around the end of the peninsula into the sea west of Greece. In fact, it was here that the peninsula was narrowest, and small ships often crossed on rollers, as safer and faster. Today there is a steep cut in the rocky land across the peninsula and a canal for ships. Corinth proved to be an ideal place for Paul to linger and preach the gospel. He stayed there eighteen months, established a strong church, and wrote many letters to churches he had founded earlier in Syria, Galatia, and Asia. His letters were authoritative in Christian doctrine; they were read to the churches, copied, and passed from one to another. About the end of the first century the New Testament canon (the books and letters considered by the pastors of the churches to be inspired by the Holy Spirit) was adopted, and it included thirteen of Paul’s letters. He is responsible for the majority of doctrines of Christianity.

It has been my pleasure to visit the ruins of the old Corinth in Greece, and to see the remnants of buildings and homes in which Paul preached and lived. He actually sailed from Athens to Corinth, and you can visit the small, almost-deserted cove in which he landed. I had goose-pimples looking at the actual spots where Paul lived and preached 2,000 years ago.