The Apostle Paul's first letter to the Corinthians to which we have access is normally known as the book of love, or "the book which is read marriages” (Powell, 273). But when you get to the subject of this epistle to the Corinthians, Paul addresses many of the issues that the congregation faced and that churches today face. Before we get into the letter itself, as well as the occasion and purpose of this letter, I would like to review a little of what we know about Corinth, its culture, and its history. Corinth was the capital of Achaia (Powell, 275) and it has been estimated that in Paul's time the population of Corinth was approximately 250,000 free people, plus 400,000 slaves (Barker, 1732). There are four things I want to talk about about this main city of Greece: its commerce. Corinth is located on a narrow strip of land between the Adriatic Sea to the west and the Aegean Sea to the east (Powell, 276) and was a major crossroads for travelers and traders. Corinth had two ports: (1) Lechaeum, one and a half miles to the west on the Corinthian Gulf, and (2) Cenchrea, six miles to the east on the Saronic Gulf. The Diolkos is the road that connects these two ports; and small, fully laden ships could be transported from one port to another, and goods from larger ships could be transported by wagons from one to another (Barker, 1732). Trade passed through the city from Italy and Spain to the west and from Asia Minor, Phenicia and Egypt to the east (Barker, 1732). Corinth was also known for a metal compound it produced called "Corinthian bronze" which was highly valued (Powell 276).Its culture: Located just over 50 miles from Athens, Corinth was characterized by a typical Greek culture. His people...... middle of paper ......wsuing in secular courts ((6:1-11), and wrongly using the Lord's Supper (11:17 - 34), 2) to correct falsehoods concerning the resurrection (ch 15), and 3) to give instructions concerning the collection of offerings for the believers in Jerusalem (16:1-4). Connections with Contemporary Audiences This letter has much relevance to the church today and teaches and inspires Christians. global. Most of the problems and situations that the Corinthian Church faced during Paul's lifetime are still very present today: problems of immaturity, divisions, envy and jealousy, lawsuits, difficulties in marriage , sexual immorality and misuse of spiritual gifts. And even with a focus on these issues, 1 Corinthians contains some of the most beloved and inspiring chapters in the entire Bible, for example; ch 13 (the chapter on love) and ch 15 (on the resurrection).