korintlased

Korintlased is an Estonian term referring to two related groups associated with the ancient city of Corinth: its inhabitants and, in Christian usage, the early Christian community addressed in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul. The term most commonly denotes the audience of the two biblical letters known as First Corinthians and Second Corinthians.

The city of Corinth was a major Greek port located on the Isthmus connecting the Peloponnese to mainland Greece, renowned for commerce and cultural exchange in the first century CE. The Christian community in Corinth formed during Paul the Apostle’s missionary work in the region. Paul’s letters to the Corinthians address both practical church issues and theological concerns, reflecting the community’s internal divisions, moral questions, and questions about leadership, worship, and the use of spiritual gifts.

The two epistles attributed to Paul—the First Epistle to the Corinthians and the Second Epistle to the Corinthians—are the primary sources for understanding Korintlased in the New Testament. They discuss topics such as unity in the church, ethical conduct, instruction on communal gatherings, and Paul’s defense of his apostolic authority. The letters also include well-known passages on love (often cited as 1 Corinthians 13) and guidance on resurrection faith. Scholarly opinion on authorship varies, but the Korintlased are widely studied as part of early Christian theology and church practice.

In modern usage, Korintlased can refer to the biblical Corinthians as a historical people, the early Corinthian Christian community, or the broader reception of Paul’s letters within Estonian biblical scholarship.