Corinth

The capital of Achaia (now southern Greece) and an important seaport in New Testament times. It was known for its luxury but also for having a bad reputation. Most of the seven hundred thousand people who lived in Corinth were Greeks or Romans, but there were also some Jews. More than half the people in Corinth were slaves. Many Corinthians worshipped Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. When Paul visited Corinth on his second missionary journey, he began, as usual, by preaching in the synagogue to Jews. When the Jews refused his message about Christ, another man, Titus Justus, invited Paul to use his house next door to the synagogue. Justus and many others who heard Paul preach became Christians. Paul stayed in Corinth for a while with Aquila and Priscilla. He wrote two letters to the church that began there.

In the years after the New Testament period, Corinth was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 1858, an earthquake destroyed most of the city, so another city named Corinth was built a few miles away from the old location. The new Corinth also had a destructive earthquake in 1928. But the city was rebuilt.