1 Corinthians 15:35-58: A Preliminary Study On The Nature Of Christ’s Resurrection Body Part One -- By: John A. Jelinek

Journal: Michigan Theological Journal
Volume: MTJ 02:1 (Spring 1991)
Article: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58: A Preliminary Study On The Nature Of Christ’s Resurrection Body Part One
Author: John A. Jelinek


1 Corinthians 15:35-58: A Preliminary Study On The Nature Of Christ’s Resurrection Body
Part One

John A.Jelinek

The evidence presented in 1 Corinthians 15:35–58 does not rule out a physical, material body for the resurrected Christ or His followers. Yet it would be too much to assert that it establishes a material body as the only kind of resurrected body.

Since the first century, exegetes of Scripture have been very interested in the two questions raised in 1 Corinthians 15:35: “How are the dead raised?” and “With what kind of body do they come?” In recent days, the controversy concerning the answer to these two questions has been heightened with respect to the nature of the resurrection body of Jesus Christ.1

Questions of orthodoxy and heresy have been raised by proponents of one answer to these questions against the answers of another. What matters most in such discussions is not the side one takes as a matter of orthodoxy, but which side, if either, can be demonstrated and supported from the Scripture.

The purpose of this article is not to address all of the issues raised in this debate on the nature of the body of the resurrection, but to focus on a key, if not essential, passage which addresses some issues and make some definitive statements as to what that passage affirms and/or denies about the nature of the resurrection body. In the process it will be advantageous to consider the alternate viewpoints which are espoused, so as to give a direction for future study.2 Having made this qualification, it must also be recognized that the passage I have chosen to study must also be limited and at times I will pursue one alternative course of discussion among many possibilities. In general, a theological and textual, rather than a philosophical, course will be adopted in the study, though sufficient bibliography exists to guide the interested student in the latter.3

Those looking for a thorough analysis of the finer issues of doctrine would do well to consult the bibliographic material cited in the footnotes. Every possible attempt will be made to direct the reader to the important issues that run tangent to the issues addressed in the main body of the paper. One indirect purpose which I hope to achieve is to steer the reader toward independent reflection of the issues presented here and the possibilities that exist for future study in ...

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