The Ship of Theseus* and the Church of Corinth: When "Alive" Doesn't Mean the Same Thing

They claim unbroken continuity with the Apostles. A closer look suggests the 1st-century church didn't survive—it evolved into something unrecognizable to its founders.

If you ask a priest in modern-day Thessaloniki if his church was founded by the Apostle Paul, he will point to a lineage stretching back 2,000 years and say, "Yes. We are that church."

On the surface, the claim seems irrefutable. 

There have been Christians meeting in Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Rome continuously since the New Testament was written. They h…