The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1893-07-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for July -, 1855
Paul at Cofinth-Acts 18:1.l1.

Paul at C0rinth-Acts 18:1-l1.
GoLpxH TIxE-The preaching of the cross
II to them that perish, foolishness; but unto
Us which are saved. it Is the power Of Cod
Cor liza
TINE-A D. So, Immediately after the de-
parture from Athens. Paul remained here
gear and half (ver. H.
PLACE.-Corinth, the political capital Of
Greece, the metropolis Of commerce It WAS sit
uated on the istnmus which connects the two
portions Of Greece
EPISTLES TO THE CoRINTHIANa-Paul wrote
two epistles 70 the church he had founded The
drst epistle was written 1t Ephesus, about
April A. D. 81, four years after he left Corinth
The second epistle soon followed, late in 81 or
early in S. when Paul was 1t Philippi, after he
had been driven from Ephesus, in his third mis-
sionary journey.
EPIsrLEs WRITTEN AT CoRINTH-At Cor
NTH during this stay, Paul wrote two letters to
the Thessalonian church, from which he had
been driven by persecution. See our last lesson
TIE MIssIoNARIES.-At Corinth Silas and
Timothy joined Paul (ver. 81, bringing with
them q contribution for his aid from Philippi.
where Luke remained comp Cor 1l:9 with
Phil 4:15.) Silas had remained at Berea. and
Timothy had been sent TO TheSsalonica from
Athens
CIRCUMSTANCES i aurs stay in Athens,
the subject Of our last lesson, was not over
month Iewin), if so long He did not remain
long after his address on Mars hill 1t is
probable that persecution was threatened
against him as the introducer Of new gods,
like ofiense to that for which Socrates had been
condemned and executed in the same city and
BY the same court; and that PSul hastily left
the city and proceeded to Corinth. where his
coworkers joined him.
LESSON NOTES.
Corinth. The Place and the Need
O The city. As Athens was the seat
of culture, so Corinth was the seat of
commerce in the south of Greece. The
city, at this time the political capital
of Greece and the residence of the Ro-
man pro-consul, stood on the isthmus
which united the Peloponnesus to the
mainland, and through it all land traf-
fic between the peninsula and the rest
of Greece must pass, while its
two harbors, one on each side OF
the neck of land on which Cor
NTH stood, made it the resort of sea-
faring traders both from east and
west. On vast rock, rising abruptly
about two Thousand feet above the
level of the sea, was the citadel. called
the Acrocorinthus. Magnificent tenn
pies and public buildings adorned it,
especially the market place. The road
to the Acropolis, made long by wind
ings, led past temples, affairs and stat
ues, and on the citadel stood the splen-
did temple of Venus, adorned with a
panoplied image of the goddess. In a
military point of view it was of great
importance, as it commanded the en-
trance into the peninsula, and hence
was called by Xenophon 'the gate of
the Peloponnesus." Farrar speaks of
the city as having four hundred thou
sand inhabitants.
(2) Its business. Corinth was not
able in commerce and manufactures
and foremost in the fine arts. COrinth
gave birth to painting; the most elab-
crate order of architecture received
from her it's name, the finest bronze
was the ''Corinthian BRASS" although
none of her sons is mentioned among
the illustrious writer's of Greece. Our
small fruit, the currant, derives its
name from Corinth.
81 Character of the inhabitants
With commerce had come luxury, and
vice, and the verb Corinthiazein, - to
proverbial as early as the time of Arts
tophanes, for a course of prohigacy.
1t was Infamous for it's Righteousness;
Venus, whose temple was on the Aero
corinthus. was favorite goddess. To
the temple of Venus were attached
more than a thousand cOurtesans,w who,
under the cover of religious rites, PAN
dered to the passions of citizens and
foreigners, 1t was city of drunkards;
it was city of extortioners and cheats.
Corinth was the Vanity Fair of the
Roman empire, at once the London and
the Paris of the first century after
Christ. Such was the Augean stable
which the Christian Hercules now ad-
dressed himself to purify.
az As a field for missions. Not only
the great need of the Gospel here, from
the character of the people, but also
the cosmopolitan nature of its popula-
ton made Corinth a good field for mis-
sionary labor, and a center from which
the Gospel could be easily spread
through those who came to do business
there.
Paurs object was ~ to supply his
wants. There was no church to sup
port him, so that he could give his
whole time to Gospel work Il Cor.
9:4-14). This was especially needful on
account of the famine which prevailed
in Greece at this time. ~ There was
probably something peculiar in his cir
cumstances here which led him to re-
fuse aid. He would not let his enc
mics think that he preached the Cos
pei for his personal gain. 81 The peo-
pie of Corinth were especially tempted
to idleness and to dishonest ways Of
gaining livelihood. Paul set them a
true example. lie showed them the
dignity of labor. He placed before
them the Christian duty of diligence in
business. He proved that honest labor
was an aid to Christian living. (4 By
means of his daily labor he came into
contact with many whom he could in
fluence toward Christ. Business is one
of the channels God has furnished us
by which we may come into Christians
contact with our fellow men,
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