of incest"). That this was rare in the ancient
world and generally abominated both by Jews and Greeks made it seem to
Paul the more imperative that this stain on the Christian church should
be removed. His language shows his indignation and grief that the
Corinthians themselves have not already taken the matter in hand.

Besides these troubles from heathenism there were questions of
asceticism; the Greek reaction against naturalism held that nature was
vile and marriage wrong. Paul had a qualified tendency to asceticism,
but he shows excellent good sense in his discussion of these delicate
matters.

A different set of difficulties arose from the freedom into which
Christianity had introduced persons from all classes of life. What
degree of freedom was permissible to a Christian woman? How far must a
woman of the lower classes who became a Christian subject herself to the
restrictions of a higher class of society? Might a woman, as a free
child of God, take part in the Christian public meeting?

Also in matters pertaining to the common religious life of the new
society the new situation raised new problems. How should reasonable
order be maintained in the wholly democratic forms of the church
devotional meeting? What value should be assigned to the different
religious functions or "spiritual gifts"? Did any of them confer the
right to a consciousness of God's special favour? Again, the celebration
of the Lord's supper, which was associated with a proper meal, was
marred by exhibitions of selfishness and irreverence that needed
correction.

The great variety of practical problems present to the anxious minds of
the Corinthians themselves and of germinant abuses revealed to the
paternal scrutiny of the apostle, opens to us some notion of the
exciting times in which the Corinthian Christians stood, and explains
the intensity and detailed concern of the apostle. From every side and
at every moment new and often difficult questions were arising; to every
one of them belonged remoter relations that made it profoundly
important. It is by no accident that Paul is in the habit of treating
the simplest moral issues by reference to the highest principles of his
theology. From the situation at Corinth we gain an idea of what was
taking place in many cities, but in the seething life of so great a
capital with more rapid and varied development.

Of strictly intellectual and theological problems or errors only one is
treated sys