AUTHOR: Attributed to the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey, while in Ephesus, about 440 km east of Corinth, across the Aegean Sea.

THEME: The First Epistle to the Corinthians was written with the purpose of correcting disorders that had arisen within the bosom of the Church in the city of Corinth and also to establish for the faithful a model of Christian conduct. Without Paul's presence, the Corinthian Church fell into divisions and disarray. Thus, the purpose of this letter was to identify problems in the Church, offer solutions, and teach believers how to live for Christ in a corrupt society. Paul heard, through a delegation from that city, of disorders perpetrated in the Church at Corinth. Apparently, Paul had already written an epistle (now lost), instructing the Corinthians about his attitude towards members of the Church who had committed sins [ 1Co 5:9 ]. In the letter, Paulo answers several questions raised by the delegation, such as a serious doctrinal problem concerning the resurrection and other problems in the community, such as: immorality; lawsuits between siblings; lack of understanding regarding certain practical matters (marriage, public worship, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and the use of spiritual gifts).

COMPILATION: Paul spent 18 months in Corinth on his first visit, then traveled to Ephesus by sea; he visited Jerusalem and Antioch, traveled through the places of Asia Minor where he had previously carried out missionary work, then returned to Ephesus, where he stayed 2 years [Acts 18: 11-23] and [Acts 19: 1]. The First Letter to the Corinthians was perhaps written a year after his arrival in Ephesus, in the year 55/56 AD. It consists of 16 chapters and 437 verses.