ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

1 Corinthians 15.8

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

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

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 15:6-10, ASV)
WEB

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 15:6-10, WEB)
KJV

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 15:6-10, KJV)
YLT

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 15:6-10, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: Paul the Apostle
  • Audience: the church at Corinth, a mixed Jew-and-Gentile congregation in a wealthy Roman colony, fractured over teachers, status, sexual ethics, and the limits of freedom
  • Location: composed in Ephesus, addressed to Corinth
  • Time period: c. AD 55-56

Theological reading

And last of all, as unto the child untimely born, he appeared to me also. Paul places himself at the end of the appearance list he has just recited, and he does it with a word of self-abasement: ektroma, a miscarriage or an aborted foetus, the harshest term he could have chosen.

The verse matters historically because of what it establishes about the source of the list. Paul is not reporting a tradition he heard about; the final item is his own experience, and the same man who names Cephas, the twelve, the five hundred, and James is available to be cross-examined about the last name on the list. He says as much in verse 6, noting that most of the five hundred are still alive, which is an invitation to check that a fabricator has no reason to issue. See Minimal Facts Argument and Resurrection of Jesus.

The self-description is more than modesty. Verse 9 explains it: I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Paul's conversion is one of the few data points that both sceptical and confessional historians generally grant, since a leading opponent switching sides at severe personal cost requires an explanation. Verse 10 supplies his own: by the grace of God I am what I am. See Historicity of Jesus.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

  • TBD

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

People:

Lexicon:

Guides:

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.