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Corinthians Lesson Plan: Geographical Context

As we begin this journey through Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we are going to look at the context of these letters. This month, we’ll be focusing on St. Paul’s ministry and life, and how God’s plan led to Paul ministering to and teaching the Corinthians. 

by Mindi Popovich-Schneider

As we begin this journey through Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we are going to look at the context of these letters. This month, we’ll be focusing on St. Paul’s ministry and life, and how God’s plan led to Paul ministering to and teaching the Corinthians. 

Materials:

Map of the Ancient World

Modern map of the Middle East

Maps of Paul’s journeys for reference: https://www.ccel.org/bible/phillips/CN092MAPS1.htm 

Push pins and/or colored pencils

Activity:

For context, read the following verses. Note down each city or region mentioned. You might also want to locate each place on the maps.

  • Acts 7:55-60 - The Martyrdom of St. Stephen (Circa 33-36 AD)

    • This is the very first mention of Saul (Apostle Paul) in the Bible.

  • Acts 8:1-3 - Saul terrorizes the Church (Shortly after St. Stephen’s martyrdom)

  • Acts 9:1-31 - Saul Goes to Capture Christians (Shortly after St. Stephen’s martyrdom)

  • Acts 11:25-26 - First Called Disciples

  • Acts 13:4 - The First Missionary Journey, with Barnabas (46-48 AD)

    •  Note: we know this dating because of a famine in Judea

  • Acts 15:36-18:23a - The Second Missionary Journey, with Silas (49-53 AD)

  • Acts 18:23b-20:3a - The Third Missionary Journey (53-58 AD)

    • Locate each place mentioned on both maps to compare:

      • Syrian Antioch (exists today as a city of ruins)

      • Galatia (central Anatolia today)

      • Phrygia (Anatolia today)

      • Ephesus (exists as ruins today) - Paul spent three years here, during which time he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, AD 56-57

      • Macedonia - Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians, AD 57

      • Corinth

      • Philippi

      • Troas

      • Assos

      • Mitylene

      • Chios

      • Samos

      • Miletus

      • Cos

      • Rhodes

      • Patara

      • Cyprus

      • Tyre

      • Ptolemais

      • Caesarea

      • Jerusalem

  • Acts 27:12 - 28:31 - Paul’s Fourth Journey, while under arrest (AD 58-61)

Questions for discussion:

  • Why might it be helpful to look at these maps and consider the breadth of Apostle Paul’s travels across all four journeys? 

    • Let students ponder this and come to their own conclusions, but you may want to guide them towards thinking about how Apostle Paul was responsible for many, many different churches/congregations. 

  • What are some significant aspects of the story about Bar-Jesus? 

    • Consider Paul, who was blinded by God, in turn blinded this man to open his spiritual eyes.

Activities for younger siblings:

  • Read:

    • The Twelve Apostles from Potamitis Press

    • Paul Writes a Letter by Chris Raschka

      • NB: This book is an adorable little book; however, it is written for a more secular audience. That means that St. Paul’s teachings on, for example, kindness lack grounding in Christ’s love for His creation.

  • On a map, find Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Macedonia, and Corinth

Sources and Maps:

From WikiCommons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mediterranean_Basin_and_Near_East_before_1000_AD_locator_map.svg 

From Geology.com: https://geology.com/world/middle-east.shtml 

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