Agyeman 1

Kwabena Agyeman

Youna Kwak

Texts and Ideas

December 3, 2015

The Meek shall Inherit Corinth

Paul the Apostle was a missionary who taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the New

Testamanet. He was in helping create the earliest Christan Communites. The Apostle Paul had

traveled to the biblical city of Corinth to show its inhabitants the word of God. Ancient Corinth

had developed a reputation for widespread throughout rampant immorality associated with the

paganism of Corinth. Paul's mission was to show the Corithians Christs teaching. Paul had

written a series of letters to the Christians Corinthians on how to live a spiritually healthy life.

The New Testament preserves two of these letters, First and Second Corinthians. First

Corinthians were mainly instructions on how to best give oneself over to Christs' teachings and

live a more spirtual life. Paul's teachings included the rejection of the sexual and moral

immoralitly that was prevalent in the Corinth.

"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Mathew 5:5) This phrase the

meek shall inherit the Earth is a well known qutoe from Jesus. This is not quoted in First

Corithians but the idea of this verse is used by the Apostle. The Apostle Paul, who is a self

described "servant of God" and who is relating Christ's teachings to the Corinthians, had written

something similar in his in his letters to the Christian communites in Corinth. He had written to

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the Corithians that each of them will all become kings in Heaven if they follow Christ'steachings.

Paul beleived that following the traditons of immorality in Corith would put up a wedge between

the Corinthians and God so he advocated for a complete severance from the laws of Corinth.

According to Paul, in order to live a spiritually healthy life one must completely reject the laws

of Corinth and the laws of men and fully devote to the laws of God.

Paul had instruceted the Corinthians to reject man's traditions and lawsw and follow

God's . If they follow Him they will be rewarded in the afterlife. I saw many examples in Paul's

teachings as him preaching to the weak under privleged of Corinth? I began to wonder if the

basis of every realtionship with God and a Christian is the desire for a better life in the after life.

I beleive that Paul's rejection of Corithians traditions and laws is the rejection of an old world in

favor of a new one. Does this mean every Corithian Christian's relationship is based off the

desire for power and status in another life?

Throughout his letters, Paul seems to be directly talking to the lower classes of Corith.

He continuely references how they were the " what is foolish in the world" and "God has chosen

the weak to shame the strong." (1 Corithians 1:27) These arec clear references to social heirarchy

in Corinth. Paul had told the lower class Corithians that God had chosen them to carry out His

will. The upperclass Corithians or the eduacted elite had dismissed Paul and his teachings

because he didn't fit the traditional standards for an apostle. Paul had written that the so called

wisdom of the elite were foolishness in God's eyes. God had chosen the lower class becuase they

were more humble than the educated elite and they would not "boast in the presence of God."

This shows how Paul rejects the social hierachy in Corinth, beleiving that in God's eyes

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the rich were poor and the poor were rich.

Paul also called for the break of participating in paganistic polynesthic traditions of

Corinth. The worshipping of false idols is asscotied with the immoral identithy of Corinth.

They must "flee from the worship from idols" and that we are "provoking the Lord to

jealousy." (1 Corithnians 1:23) Paul had written that, under Corithian law, the Corithans were

allowed to worship idols freely. But Paul had written that just because in Corinth "All things

are lawful" does not mean all things are benificial. The only way to live a truly, spirtually

benifiical is to trust in God.

In his letters, Paul had written that God had told him to travel to Corinth. Paul was told to

spread Christ's teachings in Corith throgh through peaceful reform. Even though he constanlty

called out fo the rejection of Corithian law for the law of God he also told instructed his disciples

to be respectful of Man's traditions. If an unbleiver offers you food must be respectful. Paul had

also written to that Christans will be met with hardship but they must endure. When the

Corithians Christans were "reviled, we bless; when slandered, we speak kindly." (1 Corinthians

4:13) Paul beleived that the transformations must must be made through peaceful reform. He

came to Corinth on a mission to spread Christ's teachings. He didn't set out to change the

immorality the opressive social structure. He wanted to touch the hearts of the Corithians with

the word of God.

The importance of social status in Corinth is referenced many times in Paul's letters.

According to Paul, there were majors class distictions between the Corinthian people. Paul

wrote that "the wisdom of the world is foolishness in Gods eyes." (1 Corithians 1:17) Paul

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acknowleged and criticized "the educated elite" of Corinth and rejected the societal structure set

up in Corinth. Paul seems to be directly talking to the underpriveleged in this passage. He had

written that God had chosen "what is weak in the world to shame the strong" and that God

would"(1 Corithians) The weak being the poor and underclass and the strong being the upper

class. The elite dismissed Paul's teaching as foolishness. The only was way to be a king in God's

eyes is to worship him. while the poor, underprivled became Paul's disciples. The upperclass in

Corinth already had the power and status that Paul had promised while the lower class the

opportunity to escape from oppression, even if not in this life. Because the Corinthians rejected

the societal structure the poor were now the elite in God's eyes. This is an example of rejection

of Corith's traditions for God's laws.

Paul rejected and mocked the Corinthians obsession with status and titles. Paul also

told them not to be judged by man. He will not by judged by a "human court". The only

authority he recognized was God's. Paul's teachings had greatly advocated for the complete

adherence of God's laws over man's. This complete devotion towards God also meant that the the

traditions held by men must be rejected such asdesire for status and power . For example, Paul

had chastised the Corithians for the factionamilsm in the groups. "I follow Paul"; another, "I

follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas "; still another, "I follow Christ."( Corinthians 1:11)

Paul beleived that following the traditions of men creates a wedge between a Christian and the

Lord. He beleives the word of God starts to become loss with these divisions. Paul had written

that they were "all simply servants of the Lord"." Paul instructed the Corinthians to look past

him and worship God and "let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours." ( 1

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Corithians 3:21) Paul would not allow any "human court" to judge him. (1 Corithians ) He

instructed the Corithians that the only authority that anyone should recognize is God's.

The Apostle Paul had set out to

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The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Ed. Michael D. Coogan. New York: Oxford University Press,

2007. Print.