1 Corinthians 15: 1 11 Raised From Death

Target year level: Year Nine

Scripture text

Introduction

In the Christian Scriptures, there are thirteen letters that are attributed to Paul, but only seven are considered undisputed. 1 Corinthians is one of these. The letter was written while Paul was staying at Ephesus in about 54 CE. It was addressed to the Church in Corinth, as part of an ongoing conversation with the community. There were several letters in the dialogue, but only two remain. Paul wrote the first letter in response to two events: the Corinthian Christians sent a written message asking for advice (1 Cor 7:1), and Paul heard some gossip about divisions in the community (1 Cor 1:12). We don’t have access to the message or the gossip, so reading 1 Corinthians is like listening to a one-sided conversation in which Paul’s side of the story is all we hear. Consequently, the contemporary reader needs to be aware that there are gaps in what we can know about the context.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses the real-life implications of living the gospel. He explains how Christians can be faithful to their calling when their values are at odds with the surrounding Hellenistic culture and when the diversity in the community causes differences of opinion. Unity in Christ and loving concern for their fellow Christians are the core ideas here.

The letter addresses a range of issues such as: sexual ethics, marriage relationships and divorce; the orderly practice of worship; the nature of knowledge, wisdom and spiritual gifts; and the sanctity of the human body. The centrality of Christ’s Resurrection to Christian faith is also a major theme.

For feminist biblical scholars and others, Paul’s attitudes towards women, which are evident in this letter, are worthy of critical scrutiny. Some scholars suggest that they say more about Paul’s editors than they say about Paul himself.

World behind the text

Paul founded a Christian community in the port city of Corinth (Acts 18: 1-17), probably in the early 50s CE. At the time of 1 Corinthians, there were about fifty members, both Jews and gentiles, meeting in one house church. The community was diverse, both socially and racially, which may have caused the power struggles and differences of opinion that threatened the unity of the infant church.

At this time, Corinth was one of the most important cities of Greece, being the provincial capital of the Roman province of Achaia. Corinth was situated at the crossroads of major travel and trade routes between East and West.

Because of its geographical position, Corinth was a melting pot for diverse cultural influences and religious practices. Miracles, healings, prophecies and visions were commonplace among the many cults practiced in the city. So, it is easy to understand why the Christians in Corinth were sometimes confused about the spiritual practices and values of their new faith and also why Paul needed to reinforce his initial teaching with ongoing formation through his letters.

World of the text

Paul begins with a synopsis of the good news: that Jesus died for human sins in line with what the prophets foretold; he was buried; then raised up on the third day, again as foretold in scripture; and afterwards appeared to the twelve and others. This is the earliest known summary of Christian belief - no creedal statements, as such, existed at this time. Paul probably sourced these phrases from a Palestinian community where they may have been used as part of a baptismal liturgy.

Here the foundation of Christian faith rests on the Resurrection of Jesus. Later, Paul explains that if the Resurrection is not real, then Christian faith is false (15:14). However, Paul has proof: some of the people who saw Jesus after the resurrection are still alive and they can give eye witness testimony to the authenticity of the events. In fact, Jesus also appeared to Paul – albeit after Pentecost. Paul claimed that this gave him the status and authority of an apostle in line with James, who like Paul was not a disciple of Jesus. So, Paul argues, both the message and the messenger are bona fide.

World in front of the text

Paul understood that the intelligent, educated people of his time would have trouble accepting an extraordinary notion like resurrection. Contemporary believers have similar problems and Paul’s proofs are even less convincing now. Paul claims that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then faith is an illusion, so when one dies, life is over. However, even in nature that is not strictly the case. Yes, belief in the Resurrection of Jesus is a matter of faith, but there is no harm in thinking creatively. Here is one approach:

When they die, earthly organisms are absorbed back into the soil, the air and the water. Our human bodies are no exception, they are part of the landscape in life and in death. Life and death are part of the recycling process that happens continually in the natural order. This process tends to change the nature of organic objects. Nonetheless life and death are not mutually exclusive opposites in nature, but parts of an ongoing process. This is a perfectly reasonable ecological approach to life and death.

If we expand our understanding of life to include the spiritual realities, then the resurrection of Jesus can be understood in this larger concept. When Jesus died, his physical form was changed, but he did not cease to exist. Belief in the resurrection means living every day in the hope that physical reality is not all there is. Also, it means knowing that God’s saving action and loving concern for humanity are still active in the world today – through the risen Jesus, present in the Eucharist, and in the work of the Holy Spirit.