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From: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Christ’s Resurrection and His Appearances
[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ
died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that
he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, [5] and that he
appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] Then he appeared to more than five
hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fal-
len asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. [8] Last of
all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. [9] For I am the least of
the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
God. [10] But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was
not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not
I, but the grace of God which is with me. [11] Whether then it was I or they, so
we preach and so you believed.
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Commentary:
1-58. Some of the Corinthian Christians were objecting to the doctrine of the re-
surrection of the dead, because this was a belief with which Greeks were unfami-
liar, even those Greeks who held that the soul was immortal. Given the great im-
portance of this doctrine, St Paul replies at length, pointing first to the historical
fact of Christ’s resurrection (vv. 1-11 ) and how it necessarily connects up with
the resurrection of the dead in general (vv. 12-34). He then goes on to discuss
what form this resurrection will take (vv. 35-58). This epistle, which began with
an exposition on Jesus Christ crucified, the power and wisdom of God (cf. 1:18-
2:5), ends with a development of doctrine on the resurrection of Christ and the
consequent resurrection of the members of his mystical body.
To understand what St Paul is saying it is useful to bear in mind that here he is
referring only to the glorious resurrection of the just. Elsewhere in Sacred Scrip-
ture it is clearly stated that all men will rise from the dead (cf., e.g., Jn 5:28-29;
Acts 24:15).
1-11. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the essential doctrines of the
Catholic faith, explicitly stated in the first creeds or symbols of the faith. It is in
fact the supreme argument in favor of the divinity of Jesus and his divine mission:
our Lord proclaimed it many times (cf., e.g., Mt 16:21-28; 17:22-27; 20:17-19),
and by rising from the dead he provided the sign which he had promised those
who did not believe him (cf. Mt 12:38-40).
This point is so important that the primary role of the Apostles is to bear witness
to Christ’s resurrection (cf. Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; etc.); the proclamation of the
resurrection of the Lord is the very core of apostolic catechesis (cf., e.g., the dis-
courses of St Peter and St Paul reported in the Acts of the Apostles).
3-8. On the verbs “deliver” and “receive” see the note on 1 Cor 11:23-26. St Paul
reminds the Corinthians of certain basic points in his preaching — that Jesus
Christ died for our sins; “that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
in accordance with the scriptures” (a statement which has passed directly into
the Creed) and was seen by many people.
It should be pointed out that the Greek verb translated as “appeared” refers to
being seen by the eye. This is relevant to studying the nature of the appearances
of the risen Jesus: St Paul is speaking of true, ocular, sight; there seems to be
no way this can be identified with imagination or intellectual vision.
The appearances of the risen Christ are a direct proof of the historical fact of his
resurrection. This argument gains special force when one remembers that at the
time this letter was written many people who had seen the risen Lord were still
alive (v. 6). Some of the appearances referred to by St Paul are also mentioned
in the Gospels and in Acts — that to Peter (cf. Lk 24:34), those to the Apostles
(cf., e.g., Lk 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-29), that to St Paul himself (cf. Acts 9:1-6);
others — that to James and to the five hundred brethren — are mentioned only
here.
The importance of this passage is enhanced by the fact that it is the earliest do-
cumentary record earlier than the Gospels — of our Lord’s resurrection, which had
taken place scarcely twenty years earlier.
4. “Was buried”: in recounting the death of Christ, all four evangelists expressly
mention that his body was buried (cf. Mt 27:57-61 and par.). St Paul also con-
firms the fact in this letter, written very soon after the time, thereby confirming
a tradition which had come down from the beginning (v. 3). The fact that Christ’s
body was buried eliminates any doubt about his death, and underlines the mira-
cle of the Resurrection: Jesus Christ rose by his own power, rejoining his soul
with his body, and leaving the tomb with the same human body (not merely the
appearance of a body) as died and was buried, although now that body was glori-
fied and had certain special properties (cf. note on 15:42-44). The Resurrection,
therefore, is an objective, physical event, witnessed to by the empty tomb (cf.
Mt 28:1ff and par) and by Christ’s appearances.
“He was raised on the third day”: Jesus died and was buried on the evening of
Good Friday; his body lay in the tomb the entire sabbath, and rose on the Sun-
day. It is correct to say that he rose on the third day after his death, even though
it was not a full seventy-two hours later.
“According to the scriptures”: St Paul may be referring to certain passages of the
Old Testament which — “after” the event — were seen to foreshadow the Resurrec-
tion — for example, the episode of Jonah (chaps. 1-2), which Jesus in fact applied
to himself (cf. Mt 12:39-40; cf. also Hos 6:1-2 and Ps 16:9-10).
9-10. St Paul’s humility, which leads him to think that his past faults render him
unworthy of the grace of the apostolate, is precisely what gives God’s grace scope
to work in him. “Admit outright that you are a servant whose duty it is to perform
very many services. Do not pride yourself on being called a son of God: let us re-
cognize grace, yet be mindful of our nature; do not be proud of having rendered
good service, of having done what you were supposed to do. The sun fulfills its
function; the moon obeys, the angels carry out their charge. The Lord’s chosen in-
strument for the Gentiles says, ‘I am unfit to be called an apostle, because I per-
secuted the church of God’ (1 Cor 15:9) [...]. Neither should we seek to be praised
on our own account” (St Ambrose, “Expositio Evangelii sec. Lucam”, VIII, 32).
However, the grace of God is not enough on its own. As in St Paul’s case, man’s
cooperation is needed, because God has chosen to rely on our free response to
grace: “God, who created you without you, will not save you without you” (St Au-
gustine, “Sermon” 169, 13). And, commenting on St Paul’s words — “Not I, but the
grace of God which is with me” — Augustine points out, “that is, not just me, but
God with me; and therefore not the grace of God alone, nor myself alone, but the
grace of God and myself” (”De Gratia Et Libero Arbitrio”, V, l2).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.