1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians is a dense letter in which Paul addresses the believers in Corinth and brings together the everyday and profound questions of church life. Through topics such as divisions, boasting, sexual ethics, lawsuits, marriage, freedom, gathered worship, spiritual gifts, and the hope of resurrection, the letter explores how a community belonging to Christ should think and live. The book does more than correct problems; it also explains the wisdom of the cross, the surpassing way of love, and the Christian hope connected to the resurrection of the body. For that reason, 1 Corinthians reveals both the concrete questions of a first-century city and offers today's reader an enduring guide to community, holiness, love, and hope.

Author and context

1 Corinthians is traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul, and the letter's own contents support that attribution. It is commonly dated to the mid-50s CE, likely while Paul was in Ephesus. Corinth was a major Roman city known for trade, social diversity, and religious plurality, and that setting explains many of the questions addressed in the letter. The large majority of modern scholars agree that the letter is fundamentally Pauline; discussion more often concerns the background of certain passages, the process of composition, and details of Paul's relationship with the Corinthian community.

Reading tip

When reading this letter, it helps to follow the verses not as isolated sayings but as responses given to a real community. Even when the subjects shift sharply, Paul's main line remains the same: belonging to Christ reshapes thinking, the body, relationships, and worship. It is especially important to keep the context together in chapters 8-14.

Chapters

• 1 Corinthians 1
• 1 Corinthians 2
• 1 Corinthians 3
• 1 Corinthians 4
• 1 Corinthians 5
• 1 Corinthians 6
• 1 Corinthians 7
• 1 Corinthians 8
• 1 Corinthians 9
• 1 Corinthians 10
• 1 Corinthians 11
• 1 Corinthians 12
• 1 Corinthians 13
• 1 Corinthians 14
• 1 Corinthians 15
• 1 Corinthians 16

Who wrote 1 Corinthians?

1 Corinthians is traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul. Both the letter's own testimony and early Christian tradition support that view, and the great majority of modern scholars also regard the letter as fundamentally Pauline.

What is 1 Corinthians about?

The book addresses matters that arose within the believing community in Corinth, including divisions, moral problems, the order of worship, and spiritual gifts. It brings them together in the light of Christ's cross, the priority of love, and the hope of resurrection, shaping a vision for Christian communal life.