Corinth
The Roman capital of Achaia where Paul spent eighteen months and wrote to a troubled church.
What the sources say, and how sure we are
- The text says
Paul founds the church in Corinth and stays eighteen months. He is brought before the proconsul Gallio. He later writes the Corinthian letters, and writes Romans from the city.Acts 18:1–18; Rom 16:23; 1 Cor 1:2
- Outside evidence
Julius Caesar refounded Corinth as a Roman colony in 44 BC, and it became the capital of Achaia. Excavations found the bema, or judgment seat, where proceedings like those in Acts 18:12 were held, and a paving inscription naming an Erastus. The Gallio inscription at Delphi dates Paul’s stay.Corinth bema; Erastus Inscription; Gallio Inscription
- Debated
A lintel inscribed “synagogue of the Hebrews” was found in Corinth, but it is usually dated later than Paul’s time. Scholars also differ on whether the Erastus of the inscription is the Erastus in Romans 16:23.Rom 16:23