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After Paul Left Corinth: The Influence of Secular Ethics and Social Change
After Paul Left Corinth gathers for the first time all the relevant extant material from literary, nonliterary, and archaeological sources on what life was like in the first-century Roman colony of Corinth. Using this evidence, Bruce Winter not only opens a fascinating vista on day-to-day living in the Graeco-Roman world but, more importantly, helps us understand what happened to the Christian community after Paul left Corinth. As Winter shows, the origin of many of the problems Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians can be traced to culturally determined responses to aspects of life in Corinth. The significance of the role that culture played in the life of the Corinthian Christians has either been ignored or underestimated in explaining the reasons for their difficulties after Paul left. Winter first examines the extent to which Paul communicated alternative ways of behaving while he was in Corinth. Winter then explores the social changes that occurred in Corinth after Paul left. Severe grain shortages, the relocation of the Isthmian Games, the introduction of a new federal imperial cult, the withdrawal of kosher meat from the official market-all of these cultural events had a substantial impact on the life of the emerging Christian community. Accentuated with photos of relevant archaeological artifacts, this volume provides a significant new perspective from which to read Paul's Corinthian correspondence.
368 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2000
34 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Bruce W. Winter
24 books8 followersOriginally from Toowoomba, Bruce and his wife Lyn lived in Cambridge for over 20 years, where Bruce was the Warden of Tyndale House, a leading centre for evangelical biblical scholarship. Bruce previously lectured in New Testament at Moore Theological College and in Singapore. He is a widely respected authority on the historical background to the New Testament, having published many works in this area as well as on Paul’s letters to the Corinthians.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 30, 2023
A very difficult book to read, but extremely helpful. This book has refined my view of the Corinthian correspondence and helped shape my understanding of the underlying issues in Corinth. Excellent resource.
January 1, 2019
After Paul had spent eighteen months in Corinth, problems in the church there as well as questions from the church prompted Paul to write 1 Corinthians. What happened? Did Paul address these issues while he was there, or were changed circumstances involved? In this book, Dr. Winter proposes that cultural pressures, the Sitz im Leben, in Corinth were a significant contributor to some issues and that changing circumstances such as the establishment of a federal imperial cult in Corinth, the relocation of the Isthmian games to Isthmia and new policies regarding the status of Jews contributed to others.
Before I go any further in my review, I consider it necessary to note that I regret not knowing about this book several years ago when I led a Bible study on 1 Corinthians. My modern American worldview contributed to interpreting certain passages one way when greater awareness of how people thought in a first century Roman colony such as Corinth might have caused me to have somewhat different interpretations.
An example of a cultural pressure that Dr. Winter discusses in the book is the role of patronage and status. Although it may seem surprising to us, one source of conflict between Paul and the Corinthian church was his refusal to accept support from them. The granting of patronage was a type of social contract in which a benefactor gained status by providing financial support and the recipients of such patronage were obligated to advance the causes of the benefactor. Paul was wise to avoid such a can of worms that might cause him to appear to have loyalty other than just to Christ. Furthermore, Dr. Winter suggests that the conflicts Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians are indicative of status conflicts in that culture. For example, a benefactor may claim to operate under the banner of a higher authority, such as a Caesar or a member of the royal family. Dr. Winter interprets the division of the church between Paul, Apollos, Cephas and Christ, rebuked by Paul, as an example of such a status conflict between higher status church members.
The establishment of the federal imperial cult and the relocation of the Isthmian games after Paul’s departure introduced new pressures on the Corinthian church that Paul needed to address by written communication. The federal imperial cult featured an annual event celebrating the reigning emperor’s birthday, and the Isthmian games operated under the aegis of the cult every four years. Both of these events placed strong social pressure on Christians, especially those with higher status, to participate in events featuring pagan worship, including dining in temples and veneration of the emperor.
In the Roman world, the government managed markets, and an effort had been made to accommodate Jewish sensibilities by making meat available that had been processed in accordance with the Law of Moses. Furthermore, the Romans had made another concession to the Jews. As a security measure, private associations were limited to meeting no more than once a month, but synagogues were permitted to meet weekly, consistent with Jewish tradition. Without these rights, weekly meetings would have been considered subversive. When the Jews dragged Paul before proconsul Gallio in Acts 18, they were attempting to remove such concessions from Paul and the Christians, and Gallio’s refusal to act ensured that the Christians retained the protections and rights afforded the Jews. However, following Claudius’ expulsion of the Jews from Rome, Jewish rights experienced a nadir, and the availability of Kosher meat at the market was eliminated. As a result, if Jews or Christians wanted to eat any meat, they had to purchase meat that had been offered to idols, and Paul offered some guidance regarding how to manage this conflict in a way to avoid giving the impression that they honored pagan gods. Then, as now, Christians were faced with apparent no-win situations in their efforts to be lights of the world in their cultural context.
This review barely scratches the surface of Dr. Winter’s book. He is very thorough in his analysis and covers a lot of material. As a result of reading this book, I learned a lot about the interaction of 1 Corinthians and its historical context. But for the fact that the apparent target audience consists of Bible scholars and seminarians, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a better understanding of 1 Corinthians. In his analysis, Dr. Winter draws heavily on Greek writers of that time period, and the book is liberally sprinkled with Greek. Although I am a layman, I taught myself Greek years ago and could follow Dr. Winter’s linguistic analyses. I fear that someone who lacks any background in Greek would get lost and give up without finding the pearls of knowledge scattered throughout the book.
Before I go any further in my review, I consider it necessary to note that I regret not knowing about this book several years ago when I led a Bible study on 1 Corinthians. My modern American worldview contributed to interpreting certain passages one way when greater awareness of how people thought in a first century Roman colony such as Corinth might have caused me to have somewhat different interpretations.
An example of a cultural pressure that Dr. Winter discusses in the book is the role of patronage and status. Although it may seem surprising to us, one source of conflict between Paul and the Corinthian church was his refusal to accept support from them. The granting of patronage was a type of social contract in which a benefactor gained status by providing financial support and the recipients of such patronage were obligated to advance the causes of the benefactor. Paul was wise to avoid such a can of worms that might cause him to appear to have loyalty other than just to Christ. Furthermore, Dr. Winter suggests that the conflicts Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians are indicative of status conflicts in that culture. For example, a benefactor may claim to operate under the banner of a higher authority, such as a Caesar or a member of the royal family. Dr. Winter interprets the division of the church between Paul, Apollos, Cephas and Christ, rebuked by Paul, as an example of such a status conflict between higher status church members.
The establishment of the federal imperial cult and the relocation of the Isthmian games after Paul’s departure introduced new pressures on the Corinthian church that Paul needed to address by written communication. The federal imperial cult featured an annual event celebrating the reigning emperor’s birthday, and the Isthmian games operated under the aegis of the cult every four years. Both of these events placed strong social pressure on Christians, especially those with higher status, to participate in events featuring pagan worship, including dining in temples and veneration of the emperor.
In the Roman world, the government managed markets, and an effort had been made to accommodate Jewish sensibilities by making meat available that had been processed in accordance with the Law of Moses. Furthermore, the Romans had made another concession to the Jews. As a security measure, private associations were limited to meeting no more than once a month, but synagogues were permitted to meet weekly, consistent with Jewish tradition. Without these rights, weekly meetings would have been considered subversive. When the Jews dragged Paul before proconsul Gallio in Acts 18, they were attempting to remove such concessions from Paul and the Christians, and Gallio’s refusal to act ensured that the Christians retained the protections and rights afforded the Jews. However, following Claudius’ expulsion of the Jews from Rome, Jewish rights experienced a nadir, and the availability of Kosher meat at the market was eliminated. As a result, if Jews or Christians wanted to eat any meat, they had to purchase meat that had been offered to idols, and Paul offered some guidance regarding how to manage this conflict in a way to avoid giving the impression that they honored pagan gods. Then, as now, Christians were faced with apparent no-win situations in their efforts to be lights of the world in their cultural context.
This review barely scratches the surface of Dr. Winter’s book. He is very thorough in his analysis and covers a lot of material. As a result of reading this book, I learned a lot about the interaction of 1 Corinthians and its historical context. But for the fact that the apparent target audience consists of Bible scholars and seminarians, I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in a better understanding of 1 Corinthians. In his analysis, Dr. Winter draws heavily on Greek writers of that time period, and the book is liberally sprinkled with Greek. Although I am a layman, I taught myself Greek years ago and could follow Dr. Winter’s linguistic analyses. I fear that someone who lacks any background in Greek would get lost and give up without finding the pearls of knowledge scattered throughout the book.
August 24, 2017
Very helpful look at ancient Corinth through literary and archaeological evidence, especially in assessing what Corinth after the apostle Paul left. Winter argues that severe grain shortages, the relocation of the Isthmian Games, the introduction of the federal imperial cult, and the withdrawal of kosher meat from the official market were social changes after Paul left that posed ethical and social challenges for the Corinthian Christians. This helps explain the backdrop to much of what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians.
September 7, 2022
One of the best resources for background information for life in Corinth in the first century. Fascinating details into Roman/Corinthian litigation practices that help inform the context of 1 Cor. 6.
Other informative chapters include the contexts of secular discipleship/Christian competitiveness (1 Cor. 1-4) and Imperial cult/Games/Dining in Temple (1 Cor. 8-10).
Other informative chapters include the contexts of secular discipleship/Christian competitiveness (1 Cor. 1-4) and Imperial cult/Games/Dining in Temple (1 Cor. 8-10).
August 20, 2024
Very thorough!
May 14, 2024
Lots of interesting information about Roman culture in Corinth and some of the events following Paul's departure from the city.
While there was a lot of interesting date, there wasn't a lot that I found all that exegetically useful. At times it felt as though Winter stated several views without making clear why the one he preferred should be chosen. Other times it seemed as though he privileged archaeological information over the exegetical context of 1 Corinthians.
Used in preparing to preach 1 Corinthians in 2023, 2024.
While there was a lot of interesting date, there wasn't a lot that I found all that exegetically useful. At times it felt as though Winter stated several views without making clear why the one he preferred should be chosen. Other times it seemed as though he privileged archaeological information over the exegetical context of 1 Corinthians.
Used in preparing to preach 1 Corinthians in 2023, 2024.
November 11, 2015
Bruce Winters' After Paul Left Corinth has been an interesting traveling companion as I've preached through 1 Cor over the last three months.
This text is NOT always the most readable, especially for a non-specialist in classics. But APLC is redeemed by its thick description of Corinthian culture.
In ch 5, Winters references the work of EA Judge and Dihle's Vulgärethik. That is, the "way in which a loose body of general principles develops amongst thoughtful people in a community... not subject to the discipline of the philosophical schools" (quoted from Judge, "St. Paul and Classical Society"). This is the kind of work APLC ventures into. It seeks to fill out the cultural-conceptual heart world of the Corinthian believers.
APLC does this through substantial archaeological and historical work. Recorded (or postulated) events are drawn in to help us understand the lifeshape of the Corinthian congregation, from changing policies of Rome toward Jews within its colonies to the shifting reality of the Ismithian games.
This has been a very valuable text in come to a clearer understanding of 1 Cor.
This text is NOT always the most readable, especially for a non-specialist in classics. But APLC is redeemed by its thick description of Corinthian culture.
In ch 5, Winters references the work of EA Judge and Dihle's Vulgärethik. That is, the "way in which a loose body of general principles develops amongst thoughtful people in a community... not subject to the discipline of the philosophical schools" (quoted from Judge, "St. Paul and Classical Society"). This is the kind of work APLC ventures into. It seeks to fill out the cultural-conceptual heart world of the Corinthian believers.
APLC does this through substantial archaeological and historical work. Recorded (or postulated) events are drawn in to help us understand the lifeshape of the Corinthian congregation, from changing policies of Rome toward Jews within its colonies to the shifting reality of the Ismithian games.
This has been a very valuable text in come to a clearer understanding of 1 Cor.
September 9, 2013
A very helpful resource for anyone working their way through 1 Corinthians. Winter pulls together from a number of original source material to paint a picture of 1st Cent. Corinth that really helps with understanding the letter. Not a difficult read, either.
June 6, 2008
This book gives really great background, but a few of the interpretations should be viewed with appropriate skepticism.
March 8, 2013
A superb work of research and historical reconstruction and research; for the 21st century reader, Paul's letters to the Corinthians require Winter's work and the reward of reading him!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews