The Apostle Paul, following his conversion to Christianity, became not only a literary champion for the defense of the faith, but an evangelist who travelled throughout the Roman Empire establishing and encouraging churches in major cities. According to Acts and Paul’s writings, he underwent four missionary journeys throughout the empire.
What Was Galatia?
Paul visited Galatia near the end of his first missionary journey. Galatia was a province of the Roman Empire, in what is now Turkey, with major cities such as Antioch and Iconium. The Galatian peoples were a mixture of celts and other regional people groups. In 25 BCE the area had been assimilated into the Roman Empire and became a loyal province.
The Galatian church was founded by Paul during his first missionary journey probably around 46-47 CE with his assistant Barnabas. The various churches in Galatia were a mixture of Jewish and Greek converts, and the letter which Paul eventually wrote sought to correct some of the errors which were being promoted by the Jewish side, notably the requirement to adhere to various Jewish laws and traditions.
The Galatian Church
Paul would write:
Gal 2:16 “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
The Galatian church would become one of the centers of Christianity in its early development, notably in the city of Antioch. Antioch is where believers were first called “Christians,” which was actually intended to be an insult meaning “little Christs” which became the primary term which believers in Jesus were known by. The Bishop of Antioch, known as the Patriarch, is a position which has a reasonable claim to trace its line of succession to the first century, claiming the apostle Peter as its first head.
What Was Corinth?
In about 51 CE, Paul visited the city of Corinth, staying for about a year and a half. Corinth was a city in Greece about halfway between Sparta and Athens, and had become a Roman colony around 44 BCE. Because of its location, it had become a trade hub and a wealthy city by the time Paul visited.
Paul established the Christian church there out of the synagogue, where the Jews typically worshiped. Paul would write two letters to the church at Corinth, addressing issues that labored the church in the midst of a pagan city. The Corinthian Church had to deal with both social and economic divisions, as well as how to maintain Holy living without becoming legalistic.
Paul would write:
I Cor 1:11-13: “11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”
Through the following centuries, the Corinthian Church did not contribute much of note to the Christian world. Apollos of Ephesus, mentioned several times throughout the New Testament, is held to have taught there, and, according to Jerome, would leave due to the ongoing divisions Paul warned against. In 96 CE, Clement of Rome wrote a significant letter to the Corinthian church now known as the First Epistle of Clement, which upheld the leadership of the church.
Over the centuries, Corinth would wane in its influence and wealth – a series of natural disasters, including two earthquakes in the 300s CE, would diminish the city, though the church would maintain a presence there, largely associated with Eastern Orthodoxy.
