In this column, Cecil’s first response alludes to the fact that the question is supposed to be a joke. Can someone explain the joke to me? Assume little to no biblical knowledge.
Saul of Tarsus, later called Paul, wrote a number of letters to nascent Christian churches all around the Mediterranean. Several of these letters were incorporated into the New Testament, by the general title “epistles, and are named by their recipeints. For example, Paul’s letter to the church at” Ephesus is commonly called “Ephesians.”
He wrote at least two letters to the church at Corinth, called the first and second letters to the Corinthians (1 Cor and 2 Cor).
His letters to them are in the Bible . . . so did they write back?
Well, I am certainly no Biblical scholar, nor even a practicing Christian but I will attempt to respond until someone more knowledgeable (maybe Polycarp?) comes along.
Corinthians, and many other books of the New Testament, are actually ‘Epistles’, letters that Paul (and maybe some other authors) wrote to various communities in the region. I believe the purpose was to both bear witness to the miracles of Christ and to provide spiritual support to those already converted in the areas.
The joke is, I believe, that these were letters written to a town or region. In the case of the Corinthians, multiple letters were sent.
For much more info, this site might have more information for you.
IANAM, P, T, or BH (Minister, Priest, Theologian or Bibilical Historian). Do not taunt happy fun ball.
Actually, there is a fragment of a letter, that has been surpressed by the Catholic Church and the Knights Templar of Malted:
This
I’ve always viewed II Corintians 9 as Paul asking for donations. It must be the chapter that televangelists rely on.
Heh.
Here I was just wondering if Asimov had ever planned on writing “II Robot.”
Adding a little to what’s already been said: The Christian Scriptures contain quite a few such letters or epistles, creditted to at least six different authors, of whom Paul was by far the most prolific. The two letters to the Corinthians are probably the best-known since many Christians (including ministers) find parts of them especially inspirational and appealing, for instance, the passage that starts “Love is patient, love is kind…” and ends “In the end there are three things that will last, Faith, Hope, and Love; and the greatest of these is Love.” So I figure that’s why the joke is always about the Corinthians writing back and not, say, the Ephesians.
Plus, let’s face it, “Corinthians” is just fun to say. Say it with me. CorINTHians. CorINTHians… 
Damn you!
Now I’ll have Ricardo Montalban saying “Corinthian Leather” stuck in my brain all day. 
I imagine he’d find it rather difficult these days.
Well, yes. That’s why I said “had planned.”
Ah. Missed the “had”.
Not bloody likely. “I Robot” was the name of an unrelated short story by another author (“Eando” Binder), the first in the “Adam Link” series. Asimov’s publisher attached the title to his book because it was cool, and because copyright law does not protect titles. Asimov was not happy about it.
Also not bloody likely because he did actually write a sequel to I, Robot, and called it The Rest of the Robots.
Well, I suppose it wasn’t quite a sequel, since not all of the stories in it are in the I, Robot continuity. It’s just all of the other robot stories he had at the time (hence the name). But several, at least, are Susan Calvin stories (“Intuition” and “Satisfaction Guaranteed” come to mind).
But do you think that’s going to stop Hollywood :mad: ?
Serves me right for making a joke. Hmph. Dopers.
I thought it was funny.
im not even going 2try 2 come up with something funnier than that well done that man carry on
Paul wrote the letters to the Corinthians because he was unable to travel to them.
The first letter was basically instructing them in ordinances and ways they
needed to improve. The second letter was to show his love and joy at thier improvement.
Actually, Paul’s two letters as we have them are fragments of correspondence between him and the church he had founded in Corinth. I Corinthians makes reference to a previous letter, and II Corinthians is believed by many scholars to be the coalescence of two or three letters (which, being short, were united onto the same roll of parchment, and came to be regarded as the same letter).
So, obvious, the Corinthians did write back.
According to the pastor that taught my religion class, I corinthians was the 2nd letter that Paul wrote to them, and II Corinthians was the 4th (of at least 4). Letters 1 & 3, as well as the Corinthians’ replies, have never been found.
Paul actually sent those letters via e-mail. Unfortunately they were caught and deleted by the Corinthians’ spam filter. Paul soon after experienced a hard-drive crash and lost everything, including his saved-game progress in Grand Theft Auto : Vice City.