Deck 13: Paul and the Crises of His Churches: The Corinthian Correspondence

Question 1

One could argue that many, if not all, of Corinth's problems stemmed from a fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the resurrection. Discuss how the Corinthians misinterpreted Paul's teachings on the resurrection and how that misunderstanding led to the various problems in that community.

Answer 1

Some of the Christians in Corinth believed not only that they had died with Christ but also that they had been raised with him. Paul, on the other hand, argued that, because Jesus was physically resurrected, his was a bodily resurrection, not a resurrection of the soul. The Corinthians could not have already been exalted with Christ because they remained in their unchanged bodies. Paul maintained that there would be a general resurrection, and at that time Christians would be exalted with Christ. Paul insisted that this exaltation was in the future; it had not yet taken place. This fundamental misunderstanding of the believer's status led to problems in the Corinthian church because these Christians did not take seriously the power of sin in the world.

Question 2

With attention to both 1 and 2 Corinthians, discuss the history of Paul's relationship with the Corinthians.

Answer 2

After Paul established the church at Corinth, he left to continue his mission elsewhere and subsequently wrote a letter, no longer extant, dealing with some ethical problems that had arisen in the church. At some point, the Corinthians sent a letter to Paul, either in response to his letter or to ask for more instruction. Paul then wrote 1 Corinthians in which he outlined ethical behaviors and told the community that he hoped to visit them soon. When he returned to Corinth, however, Paul was mistreated, and he left angry. Shortly after his departure, a group of missionaries (the superapostles) arrived and attacked Paul's character. Paul then wrote a third letter (2 Corinthians 10-13) in which he attacked the position of the superapostles and the person who humiliated him. He threatened to visit Corinth again in judgment. The Corinthians apparently heeded Paul's warnings and punished the person who had insulted him. In response to this news, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 1-9, a conciliatory letter in which he reestablished a relationship with his church.

Question 3

According to 1 Corinthians, what are some of the problems that have arisen in the Corinthian community since Paul's departure? How might these problems be related to socio-economic differences in the community? In what ways does Paul deal with these issues?

Answer 3

Among the many issues affecting the Corinthian community were claims of spiritual superiority, lawsuits between members in public courts, abuse of the communal meal, and sexual misbehavior. Most of the Corinthian converts were from the lower classes, but at least some of them must have been well-born, wealthy, and educated. Apparently the wealthier ones, without the demands of work, were able to arrive early at communal meals and consume more than their share of the food and drink. The more educated members apparently ate meat offered to idols, which could create confusion within the community. Paul deals with these issues in numerous ways, offering a range of ethical advice. He specifically encourages the consistent practice of love among community members.

Question 4

What are the reasons many scholars believe 2 Corinthians is actually the combination of more than one letter? Where do these scholars usually divide the letter? Do you find this persuasive? Why or why not?

Question 5

The New Testament epistles are arranged _____.

A) by date
B) by popularity
C) by length
D) by importance

Question 6

The church in Corinth had all of the following problems except _____.

A) members were not conducting communal meals properly
B) members were concerned about those who had died
C) members were suing one another
D) a member was sleeping with his stepmother

Question 7

The Corinthian community was made up of _____.

A) all poor people
B) all uneducated people
C) all wealthy people
D) a mix of poor and wealthy people

Question 8

Class differences in the Corinthian church led to all of the following except _____.

A) members not conducting communal meals properly
B) the wealthy asserting a more thorough knowledge than the poor
C) separate churches for the rich and poor
D) differences of understanding related to food sacrificed to idols

Question 9

Paul mentions all of the following things about Jesus except _____.

A) his baptism
B) his teachings on divorce
C) his teachings on paying preachers
D) the institution of the Lord's Supper

Question 10

Paul says that his primary message to the Corinthians was _____.

A) love one another
B) Christ crucified
C) the virgin birth
D) the sinlessness of Jesus

Question 11

The Christians in Corinth appear to have believed that _____.

A) Jesus was not resurrected
B) Jesus did not die
C) they already enjoyed the full benefits of salvation
D) they would not die

Question 12

In 1 Corinthians, Paul says that he learned about some of the problems in Corinth from _____.

A) Chloe's people
B) Timothy
C) Sosthenes
D) Onesimus

Question 13

Paul taught the Corinthians that the resurrected body _____.

A) was a disembodied soul
B) was an actual body but transformed
C) was the same as the earthly body
D) did not exist

Question 14

Paul demonstrates the truth of the general resurrection by appealing to _____.

A) his own resurrection
B) the testimony of the women who found the empty tomb
C) the empty tomb
D) Christ's resurrection

Question 15

People in antiquity believed any of the following about the afterlife except _____.

A) there was no afterlife
B) the soul left the body
C) they would be divinized and live on Mt Olympus with the gods
D) there was a bodily resurrection

Question 16

Groups within the Corinthian church appealed to all of the following authorities except _____.

A) Paul
B) Apollos
C) Timothy
D) Cephas

Question 17

According to Paul, one problem with misunderstanding the resurrection is that _____.

A) people overlook the danger of sin
B) people will die
C) people need to be rebaptized
D) it leads people to worship idols

Question 18

Paul believed that married people _____.

A) should be celibate
B) should grant one another conjugal rights
C) should get divorced
D) should live in different houses

Question 19

1 and 2 Corinthians are unique because _____.

A) they represent the only correspondence from a church to Paul
B) they are pseudepigraphic
C) they are written to a church Paul never visited
D) they are the only undisputed letters Paul writes to the same community

Question 20

Many scholars think 2 Corinthians is _____.

A) pseudepigraphic
B) anonymous
C) a combination of several letters
D) a sermon

Question 21

The first part of 2 Corinthians expresses _____.

A) Paul's joy for the community
B) Paul's disgust for the community
C) Paul's anger at the community
D) Paul's humiliation when he visited the community

Question 22

According to Ehrman's reconstruction, 1 Corinthians is Paul's ____ letter to Corinth.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth

Question 23

Paul visited the Corinthians at least _____.

A) two times
B) three times
C) four times
D) five times

Question 24

Presuming 2 Corinthians is a composite letter, Paul wrote at least _____ letters to Corinth.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five

Question 25

The superapostles believed that _____.

A) Christians were susceptible to sin and evil
B) the Corinthians had to be circumcised
C) Christians already enjoyed an exalted existence
D) Paul was the ultimate authority

Question 26

Paul admitted that the superapostles _____.

A) were true apostles
B) could perform miracles
C) enjoyed an exalted existence
D) were sent by Cephas

Question 27

Corinth is all of the following except _______.

A) a prosperous port city
B) a cosmopolitan city
C) in the province of Achaia
D) located in Italy

Question 28

Who among the following was not a Corinthian who brought Paul a letter from their community?

A) Achaicus
B) Fortunatus
C) Apollos
D) Stephanus

Question 29

Who did Paul meet for the first time in Corinth?

A) Priscilla
B) Timothy
C) Silvanus
D) Peter

Question 30

Who helped Paul write 1 Corinthians?

A) Timothy
B) Silvanus
C) Sosthenes
D) Aquila

Question 31

Paul learned about the problems at Corinth from _____.

A) Peter's letter
B) Chloe's people
C) a vision of Jesus
D) Apollos' messenger

Question 32

In the "conciliatory" portion of 2 Corinthians, Paul notes he will not visit the community for a third time because _____.

A) he wants to avoid causing any more pain
B) he does not have time
C) travel is too difficult
D) he is still angry

Question 33

Who informed Paul of the Corinthians' change of heart between Paul's writing of the two parts of 2 Corinthians?

A) Apollos
B) Chloe
C) Titus
D) Peter

Question 34

Scholars who partition 2 Corinthians believe that chapters 1-9 contain _____.

A) an angry letter
B) a conciliatory letter
C) Paul's first letter to Corinth
D) an interpolation