When was 1 Corinthians written?

The Christian church in first-century Corinth, located in southern Greece, was active but flawed. It consisted of genuine followers of Jesus Christ who had left their sinful pasts (e.g., 1 Corinthians 6:11). Yet, the church also included people still living in ways that did not align with the Bible’s teachings (e.g., 1 Corinthians 5:9–13). Paul wrote 1 Corinthians around AD 55, during his third missionary journey, while ministering in Ephesus (Acts 19:1—20:1; 1 Corinthians 16:8–9).

Paul had planted the church at Corinth during his second missionary journey (Acts 18:1–17), around AD 50 to 52. He ministered there for about 18 months. Paul’s relationship with the believers in Corinth is evident in 1 Corinthians (e.g., 2:1–5). This explains the deep concern he shows for them. He writes, “I am not writing this to shame you, but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel” (1 Corinthians 4:14–15).

As a young church, the believers there were still growing in their faith. As part of their maturing, they were also learning to reject the temptations of the flesh and the sinful culture around them. Paul urged them to repent of sin, such as tolerating a case of sexual immorality so extreme that even pagans condemned it (see 1 Corinthians 5:1–5).

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians while staying in Ephesus during his third missionary journey. He ministered extensively in that city for over two years. From Ephesus he prepared for future travel to Macedonia (1 Corinthians 16:5). The first letter to Corinth was partly written in response to a report from Chloe’s household about divisions in the church (1 Corinthians 1:11). It was also written to address questions the congregation had about how to manage certain situations within the body (1 Corinthians 7:1).

Furthermore, Paul wrote that he planned to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, which helps pinpoint when he wrote the letter (1 Corinthians 16:8). Pentecost typically fell in late spring, so readers can infer that Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in the early part of that year. This detail, combined with his eventual plans to travel through Macedonia and then on to Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:5–7), supports the conclusion that Paul wrote the letter in the spring of AD 55.

At its heart, 1 Corinthians teaches that the death of Jesus, although unimportant to the world, is central to the Christian life. Paul writes, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). These words were especially powerful for a church struggling to let go of the wisdom of the world and fully embrace following Jesus.