The Corinthians and the Truth of Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15: 1-11 discusses the wavering faith of the Corinthians to the gospel Paul had preached to them. This is partly due to the unbelief of some Corinthians in the resurrection. Here, Paul attempts to persuade them to keep the gospel, which they have received for it is the cause of their salvation. Paul does such through a creedal formula, characterized by kerygmatic elements. Paul continues by proving the fact of resurrection of the dead against the unbelief of the some Corinthians. This is one among the issues that divides the church in Corinth.[1] Though the scholars give emphasis on the embedded creedal formula in this periscope, this article is limited in discussing the attempt of Paul to prove the truth of the resurrection, as this topic is vital to the succeeding discussions in the entire chapter, and in the faith in Christ of the church in Corinth.

Paul addresses the church in Corinth, with the unbelief of some of her members in the truth of the resurrection of the dead. This can be understood from the Greek point of view. As early as sixth century, the Greeks, Corinthians included, had formed a concept of afterlife. This can be read on the writings of Homer, specifically on Odyssey, wherein the Ghost of Achilles told Odysseus “I would rather serve as slave to another man, a man with no land and livelihood, than be a king over all the rotted corpses (Odyssey, 11.489–91).”[2] This describes the Hellenistic notion of the Underworld, where the human psyche proceeds after death, there to rot in eternity. There is no coming to life again in the Hellenistic worldview, in the Corinthian worldview too. The dead will never be seen in this world of the living.

With this Paul takes the task of proving the truth of resurrection by presenting events pointing to the facticity of the said event, of being there physically, historically, in this case of Christ being there physically, historically, after his death.

Seeing is the ordinary means to recognize the presence of something. In the attempt of Paul to convince the Corinthians about the truth of the resurrection of Christ, he wrote to the them about the post-resurrection events experienced and participated by the Twelve and the others disciples, lastly by Paul. The Greek text of the epistle used the Greek word ωφθε (aorist verb, passive, third person, singular) meaning “He was seen.” ωφθε appears four times throughout the pericope (1 Cor 1:11), thus bears significance to the entire argument of the facticity of the resurrection. The object of ωφθε is the risen Christ. “That he appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me (1 Cor 15: 5-8).” There exist an emphasis on the object of ωφθε, more so on ωφθε itself, on the event that took place; act of seeing.

By ωφθε, Paul attempts to counter act against the unbelief of some Corinthians to the resurrection. By appealing to their sense of sight, sense that is important to the Hellenistic worldview, Paul hopes that they would be faithful to the gospel he preached and to shun away anything from their former way of life such as the Hellenistic view of afterlife; that there is no resurrection of the dead.


[1] Raymond F. Collins. Sacra Pagina: First Corinthians. Daniel J. Harrington, SJ. ed. (Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1996) pp. 529-533.


[2] Death, Burial, and the Afterlife in Ancient Greece, http://www.metmuseum.org/ toah/hd/dbag/hd_

dbag.htm, accessed August 31, 2013.