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slavery and freedom

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1 Corinthians 6:20

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"You were bought with a price"

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1 Corinthians 7:17, 21-24

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"For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedperson of the Lord. Likewise s/he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. You were bought with a price, do not become slaves of humans."

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1 Corinthians 9:19

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"For though I am free from all, I have made myself slave to all, in order that I might win the more."

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1 Corinthians 1:11

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"It's been reported to me by Chloe's people."

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Corinth

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146 BCE Corinth was destroyed

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Roman general Mummius had been appointed to take command of the Achaean War

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all the men of Corinth were put to the sword, the women and children were sold into slavery, and the statues, paintings and works of art were seized and shipped to Rome

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Corinth was then reduced to ashes

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the Roman senate wanted to dispel a dangerous commercial rival

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44 BCE refounded as a Roman colony by Julius Caesar

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then again emerged as a leading city on the Peloponnese [Πελοπόννησος]

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became great again under Augustus

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became capital of senatorial Roman province Achaia

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lay on trade route which connected ancient Attica to the Peloponnese

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ports Lechaion to north and Kenchreai to the south

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near town of Isthmia

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where Isthmian Games were held

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since the games' inception, Corinth had always been in control of them

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after Caesar rebuilt Corinth in 44 BC, Corinth recovered ownership of the Games between 7 BC and AD 3 AD

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the games continued until Theodosius (347-395), the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire, and the emperor who establishes Christianity as Rome's State Religion

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to transfer ships from the Saronic Gulf to the Gulf of Corinth, ships had to deal with Corinth

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controlled a 7-meter paved roadway called the Diolkos

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allowed oxen to drag ships or cargo across

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lay between two ports

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1 Corinthians mention prostitution and women who were prophets

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some argue that the city was a metropolitan hotbed of urban sins

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archeological evidence doesn't indicate that Corinth was anything unusual

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no greater freedom for women

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no cultural constitution of prostitution

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some assume that the apostles came to correct or bleach out this culture context than to work within it

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was important to Rome

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official inscriptions were in Latin

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unofficial inscriptions were in Greek

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statue of Augustus

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may have been a statue located in the Julian hall

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toga is pulled over Augustus' head like a veil

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indicates that the emperor is offering a sacrifice

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right hand probably held a patera

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this motif of veiling was associated with Augustus' role of pontifex maximus

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a function he assumed in 12 BCE

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the statue may date from that year to the year 14 CE when he died

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reminds us of two things

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1. Roman power was manifest in the Corinthian forum

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veiling of a man's head indicated his piety before the gods, his correct ritual practice

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2. in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul says that only women should be veiled when they pray or prophesy, while men should not be

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Roman Corinth

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repopulated not by military veterans, but by ex-slaves

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coins from the first century CE that a mix of freed men and traders populated the city

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Caesar made exceptions for colonies he founded

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ex-slaves may have been very rich

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tied by a patronage system to their masters in Rome

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conducted business on their masters behalf

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a place of potential social and upward mobility

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those of low status could attain status and wealth

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we find benefactors and gifts from free persons

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Gnaius Babbius Philinus

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pontifex, i.e. priest

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held important, governmental offices in Corinth

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at the time of the coalescing of the Corinthian Ecclesia

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benefactor of the fountain of Poseidon

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Augustales

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two inscriptions include an "L", an abbreviation for "libertus", or freed men

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freed persons and their children could advance socially