ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

1 Corinthians 15.5-8

Book: 1 Corinthians · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4. and that he was buried; and that he hath been raised on the third day according to the scriptures;

5. and that he appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve; 6. then he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain until now, but some are fallen asleep; 7. then he appeared to James; then to all the apostles; 8. and last of all, as to the child untimely born, he appeared to me also.

  1. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 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 which was bestowed upon me was not found vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-10, ASV)
WEB

3. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4. that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

5. and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. 7. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8. and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.

  1. For I am the least of the apostles, who is not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the assembly of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am. His grace which was given to me was not futile, but I worked more than all of them; yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-10, WEB)
KJV

3. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

5. And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6. After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. one: or, an abortive

  1. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 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 which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:3-10, KJV)
YLT

3. for I delivered to you first, what also I did receive, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Writings, 4. and that he was buried, and that he hath risen on the third day, according to the Writings,

5. and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve, 6. afterwards he appeared to above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain till now, and certain also did fall asleep; 7. afterwards he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8. And last of all, as to the untimely birth, he appeared also to me,

  1. for I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I did persecute the assembly of God, 10. and by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace that [is] towards me came not in vain, but more abundantly than they all did I labour, yet not I, but the grace of God that [is] with me; (1 Corinthians 15:3-10, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul, quoting an early creedal formula and then extending it
  • Audience: the Corinthian church, some of whom denied the resurrection of the dead
  • Location: written from Ephesus
  • Time period: c. AD 54 to 55; the creed itself is considerably earlier

Theological reading

The oldest surviving list of resurrection appearances, and the backbone of the historical case. Cephas, then the Twelve, then more than five hundred at once, then James, then all the apostles, and last Paul himself.

The creed's date is the decisive datum. Verse 3 introduces the material with paredōka / parelabon, "I delivered what I also received," the technical vocabulary of controlled transmission (see G3860 - paradidomi). The formula's non-Pauline vocabulary, its parallel structure, and the Aramaic form Cephas mark it as pre-Pauline tradition Paul is quoting rather than composing. Dating it by Paul's own movements in Galatians 1 and 2 places its origin within a few years of the crucifixion, and critical scholars across the spectrum, including Gerd Lüdemann and Bart Ehrman, accept a very early date. That closes the window in which legendary development is usually said to occur.

The verb. Ōphthē, aorist passive of horaō, appears four times. It is the standard Septuagint verb for theophany, used of the appearances to Abraham and to Moses at the bush, so the vocabulary is that of divine self-disclosure rather than of merely being spotted. It does not by itself decide whether the appearances were visionary or bodily; that question is settled, if at all, by the surrounding claims, including Paul's own argument later in the chapter that turns on a raised body. See G3708 - horao for the full treatment.

"Most of whom remain until now." Verse 6 adds that most of the five hundred are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. This is an invitation to check, structurally identical to Paul's "this has not been done in a corner" at Acts 26:26. A writer inventing a mass appearance does not point his readers toward the witnesses.

The honest limits, stated plainly. No record survives of anyone taking the invitation up. The five hundred are unnamed. And the list's evidential force is that it establishes early, widespread, sincere claims of appearances, which the hallucination and vision hypotheses are designed to accommodate. The reply to those hypotheses runs on the group character of the appearances, the variety of settings, the inclusion of a skeptic (James) and an enemy (Paul), and the physical modality of the Gospel accounts, not on this passage alone. See Argument from the Resurrection.

Key words

  • horaō (G3708), to see; the aorist passive ōphthē, "he appeared," four times. See G3708 - horao.
  • paradidōmi (G3860), to hand over, deliver; the transmission verb of verse 3. See G3860 - paradidomi.
  • paralambanō (G3880), to receive; the paired verb of the same clause.
  • ektrōma (G1626), one untimely born; Paul's self-description in verse 8.

Cross-references

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.