There is general agreement among scholars that 1 Corinthians was written by the important early Christian missionary Paul of Tarsus. In late 56 or early 57 AD, Paul was in the city of Ephesus in Asia Minor. He addressed a series of letters to the Greek city of Corinth, which he had visited between AD 50 and 52 and where he had converted Jews and Gentiles to the Christian faith. Corinth was located on the bridge connecting the Peloponnese peninsula to the Greek mainland, and its advantageous position allowed it to become a wealthy trading city. Prosperity, however, carried a pagan hedonism. Corinth developed a status of sexual immorality, prevalent throughout the ancient world. Paul's letters to the Corinthian Christians address his concerns about a pressing problem: the widespread immorality associated with Corinthian paganism. This immorality had begun to infect the Corinthian Church. Paul was deeply concerned for the spiritual health of the Corinthian Church, deprived of his leadership for several years. As a result, Paul was more in tune with the Corinthian Church than with any other community he had established. The New Testament preserves two of these letters, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and refers to at least one other lost letter. Paul's letter is remarkable in that it moves the Corinthians toward unity rather than moral division. He does not command the resolution of any differences that might exist between factions of the Corinthian Church. Rather, it reminds them of the primordial unity that binds them and replaces their differences. Throughout 1 Corinthians, the themes of unity and the importance of freedom of conscience within certain moral boundaries are constantly emphasized. T...... middle of paper...... but his insistence on unity reflects no desire to compromise his religious faith. Paul's attitude of acceptance has its limits, and 1 Corinthians is filled with Paul's righteous indignation. He does not hesitate to “say this to your shame” to the Corinthians, nor to reprimand them for their moral misdeeds (15:34). In this letter, Paul takes on the voice of a stern but loving parent. He said, “In Christ Jesus I have become your father” (4:15), and he said to the Corinthians, “I have fed you with milk” (3:2). The family of believers is open to all the faithful. Unlike most early Christians, Paul is willing to accept Gentiles as well as Jews: “For by one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body (...). . . slave or free” (12:13). But acceptance does not mean tolerance of repeated wrongdoing and refusal of repentance: “Cast out the wicked from among you.” (5:13).