Friday, January 16, 2026
Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
My sisters and brothers in the Lord,
Welcome to the third installment of my exploration of Saint Paul's engagement with the Church in the city of Corinth in southern Greece. The challenges that Paul faced in evangelizing and then shepherding this community are similar to those we face today. Hence, we can learn many lessons from this fascinating episode in early Christian history. Today we'll move onto Saint Paul's first correspondence sent to Corinth and which I believe is something like the text we find at II Corinthians 6:14-7:1.
Episode 3: The First Correspondence (I Corinthians 5:9)
While not certain of exact dates, it seems that Paul made his first visit to Corinth toward the end of 49 AD and remained there for a year and a half until sometime in 51 AD. He probably had his legal hearing with Gallio in the summer of 51 AD. He obviously laid a solid foundation for the Church during those two years as he writes in I Corinthians (3:6): “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
Compared to the large population of Corinth, this community was probably not that large, but no doubt met at several houses, and it is very likely that most of the community were former pagans as we noted previously about the vices they once embraced.
It is in this context that the missing first letter of Paul to Corinth may be what we find in II Corinthians 6:14-7:1, where Paul challenges his community to make sure that their conversion means a real separation from the local environment, the strongly pagan lifestyle that had once been theirs and that still surrounded them.
Now, some scholars who view this as Paul’s first correspondence claim that this text seems to interrupt the normal flow of II Corinthians. If this is the case, which I find engaging, then this part of II Corinthians would date from around 52 AD.
The key in these verses seems to be that these new Christians are the “temple of the living God” (6:16). They are no longer tied to any of the other temples which dotted the landscape and to the practices encouraged by those forms of worship, some of which would have included sacred prostitution. These are all the works of Satan (Beliar or Belial).
In addition, by citing II Samuel 7 (in II Corinthians 6:18), Paul broadens it to include not just King David and his descendent, but all those called by the Lord. They are a redeemed people now, so they are to keep themselves pure from the culture of the world. No doubt this was always a trial for folks, giving up aspects of their lives, perhaps even family, in Corinth in order to affirm their new faith life. It is probably this kind of message which caused some of the Corinthian Church to believe that Paul wanted them simply to circle the wagons and separate themselves.
As a result, Paul now had to reassure his fellow Christians. It had not been Paul’s intent for them to “have to leave the world” (I Corinthians 5:10). Rather, Paul was insistent that they had to abandon their former immoral behaviors and live as this new temple, this new people of God that they were. Perhaps such changes as work situations, or social connections, or even ties with one’s family were envisioned.
These could be painful. Yet, no doubt, an ancillary hope would still have been that they might draw more of their fellow pagan Corinthians into the Church by their converted behavior. And thus it was necessary that they still live among their pagan neighbors.
What then happened after this letter was received? Here we must focus on Apollos and evidently others who were ministering in Corinth after Paul left. Apollos, a bright Jewish Scripture scholar and philosopher from Egypt arrived in Ephesus, on the west coast of Turkey, and started preaching about Jesus. There was, however, a problem. Apollos knew that Jesus had baptized people just as John the Baptist had done and so Apollos was encouraging this simple Baptism of John.
Meanwhile, Saint Paul had already continued his journey to Syria after leaving his two friends, Prisca and Aquila, in Ephesus. These two took Apollos aside and set him straight, telling him the full truth about Jesus and how baptism was now different since it was baptism into Jesus’ death and resurrection. Apollos submitted to that truth with an amazing amount of humility (Acts 18:24-26).
Apollos was brilliant, having been well taught in the schools of Alexandria in Egypt. He was also a great speaker and had a lot of zeal for preaching. Most likely he was a better preacher than Saint Paul and probably had a more charismatic personality. He soon set off to Corinth to continue the work that Paul had begun there (Acts 18:27-28). In fact, Paul will later write to the Corinthians: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (I Corinthians 3:6).
Nonetheless, after Apollos and Paul had both returned to Ephesus, some of the Corinthians thought more highly of Apollos’ knowledge and eloquence and zeal and they created divisions in the community. Paul knew that he was not as great a preacher as Apollos and did not have the wisdom which Apollos demonstrated. Still, Paul instructed the Corinthians to focus on the truth of what had been preached and not on personalities (I Corinthians 4:6).
Paul trusted Apollos and wanted him to return to Corinth to set things right. However, Apollos probably recognized that he was unable to do that kind of work (I Corinthians 16:12). Perhaps he knew that his presence in Corinth would only make things worse, not better. Apollos later traveled to the island of Crete and ministered there with a lawyer named Zenas (Titus 3:13). Paul always considered Apollos a worthy co-worker.
Until next week, may God bless you.
+ Earl Boyea
Bishop of Lansing
P.S. Here is a video version of this week's talk. Please do share with friends and family. Thank you.