Roman Law and I Corinthians 6

by Hugh DeLong

The Corinthians did not live in 21st-century America (surprise) and therefore, were not governed by our law system and the foundational concepts upon which it is based. While we struggle to maintain those concepts and apply them fairly, the Corinthians had a different system in place.

They were a Roman Colony, and their judicial administration was highly stratified. On the local level, where most lawsuits were judged, they were judged by local magistrates and took place not in a courtroom but in the marketplace or a public judgment seat, as in Acts 18.12. The outcome of such disputes rested upon different bases than fairness and case law. They were driven by rhetoric, and ‘winning’ depended more upon your popularity, speaking ability, and even bribery.

Why would a disciple who loves his brethren and desires their best interests to prevail, even over his own, want to have their differences judged in this way? Well, they shouldn’t! Paul then gives the classic alternative – why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?

While deciding how their judicial system can be paralleled with ours is a difficult task, loving my brother is much easier to determine. Thus, the antidote to such lawsuits between brethren is to love one another. If you haven’t noticed, that phrase appears some 13 times in the NASB95 New Testament!