Through the Ages

Geographical Background Corinth was a city of Greece (Achaia) situated on the isthmus, a narrow neck of the land between the Corinthian Gulf and the Saronic Gulf. It had two main harbors: I. Cenchrea, 14 kms east on the Saronic Gulf, and 2. Lechaeum, 2.5 kms West on the Corinthian Gulf. Its Political Background Because of its commercial, cultural and religious importance, Corinth became an important center for political powers. The earliest settlers were the Phoenicians. But they were driven away and it was occupied by Greeks. Later, the whole of Greece was conquered by the Greeks during the time of Alexander the Great. But in 196 B.C. the Romans declared it free. The City of  Corinth was eventually destroyed by them in 146 B.C. For a century this once great and famous  city lay desolate levelled to the ground. It was rebuilt by Roman dictator Julius Caesar in the  middle of the first century B.C. and designated the city a Roman colony. It was made a capital  city, the metropolis of th

Paul established the church in Corinth during his second missionary journey some twenty years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The detailed account of its foundation is given in Acts 18:1-17. Before coming to Corinth Paul ministered in Macedonia and Athens, but he had very little success. He then came to Corinth and stayed there for 18 months or more. Paul stayed in Corinth more than any other cities, with single exception of Ephesus. We read that Paul stayed with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2, 3). They evidently were believers, and recently expelled from Rome by a decree of the emperor Claudius. Paul began his ministry by preaching in the synagogue each Sabbath and working during the week at his trade of tent making Acts 18 1-4. During that time many of the Corinthians hearing the gospel believed, and were baptized. Some of the Carly believers in Corinth were Crispus, Sosthenes, Gaius, Erastus, Justus etc. This group formed the nucleus of the Corinthian church which grew rapi

Nahum 1:1-7 Nahum is labelled as one of the Minor Prophets. This does not mean that their message is less important than the messages of the Major Prophets. That label simply means that their message is shorter. The book bears the name of the prophet Nahum. His name means comfort or consolation. The name Nahum is a strange name for this book, because the book of Nahum is a book of judgment. This book is a sequel to the book of Jonah. About 100 years earlier, Jonah was sent to the city of Nineveh,  which was the capital city of the nation of Assyria. Jonah entered their city preaching a message of  certain, forthcoming judgment. When the Ninevites heard the message of Jonah, they repented of their  sins and the Lord spared the city. Now, a century has passed and they have turned away from the  commitment they made to the Lord. By the time the book of Nahum was written, the Assyrian Empire was at the height of its military and  national power. They were on the march, seeking to expand th

While Paul was in Ephesus, he had received information from several sources concerning the  conditions existing in the church at Corinth. Paul heard that some of the Corinthians had moral  difficulties, so he wrote them a letter to pass on some helpful advice I Cor. 5:9. This letter has  not been preserved. Some scholars believe that this letter is lost without trace. Paul heard that some of the Corinthians had developed strong feelings against him personally,  even to the extent of doubting whether he was really an apostle. He therefore sent Timothy and  Erastus to Corinth to try to deal with some of the problems in the church Acts 19:22; I Cor 4:8- 13, 18-21. In the meantime, some believers from Corinth arrived in Ephesus. They gave Paul the  disturbing news that factions had developed in the Corinthian church because people had  favourites of different teachers 1 Cor. 1:10-13. Paul heard also that there was a serious case of  sexual immorality in the church (1 Cor. 5:1) and that the

Paul is identified as the author in the opening verses of both epistles (I Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1).  This view is also held by the early church fathers. Clement of Rome has supported this view  as Carly as A.D.96. Paul's authorship is almost universally accepted. Paul was in Corinth for 18 months on his second missionary journey in AD 51 & 52. After establishing a church Paul left Corinth . Later in his third missionary journey Paul visited Ephesus  and stayed there for about 3 years. It was when Paul was in Ephesus that he heard about the  prevailing problems in the Corinthian church. He decided to write a letter to the Corinthians to  solve the problems there. According to I Cor. 16:8 Paul intended to remain in Ephesus  somewhat less than a year when he wrote | Corinthians. This indicates that 1 Corinthians was  written about A.D.55 towards the close of Paul's three-year stay in Ephesus

The revival began in Germany and spread to America and then to England during the eighteenth and  nineteenth centuries. But distinctive revivals with unique characteristics occurred in the early twentieth  century all over the world. These revivals are known as Pentecostal revivals. The modern Pentecostal  movement began at Perham’s Bible School in Topeka, Kansas, on January 1, 1901. The year 1905 stood  as a prominent year as far as the history of Pentecostalism or revivals in India concern.  The Background:  Various revivals occurred within a few years of each other in different parts of the world  during the twentieth century, especially from 1905 onwards. These revivals were characterized by a  particularly Pentecostal character and by gifts of the Spirit such as healings, tongues, prophecy, and other  miraculous signs. The revivalists in Los Angeles believed the revivals in Wales and India were especially  significant. Frank Bartleman, a participant in the Azusa Street revival, wr