Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Herman Meester" <crazymulgogi AT gmail.com>]

2006/3/18, Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>:

> Paul most certainly did believe in the literal resurrection of dead
> bodies, as witnessed for him by the literally dead and resurrected body
> of Jesus which he saw. Read 1 Corinthians 15, especially vv.3-8.


I did, and I read in 15,35-49 exactly that Paul does not consider this
resurrection of the dead to happen literally to corpses. Paul says
(44) σπειρεται σωμα ψυχικον, εγειρεται σωμα πνευματικον  "sown a
physical [="with psyche"] body, raised a spiritual body" And
immediately following that: "if there's a physical body [again, a
material, earthly body to which a psyche is added], then there's an
immaterial/spiritual [pneumatikon] body, too."

We can read this as we like, but I prefer reading what Paul says, not
what the Church fathers wanted Paul to say. If we read this letter as
it is, it is very clear that the body needs a transformation before it
can become heavenly.

Paul himself is very clear (15,50):
σαρξ και αιμα βασιλειαν θεου κληρονομησαι ου δυναται ουδε η φθορα την
αφθαρσιαν κληρονομει: "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God, nor does the perishable inherit the perishable";
There are no substantial variant readings in the mss., and Corinthians
is an undisputed letter of Paul's.

Herman