Глава пятнадцатая

1 Corinthians 15:1. I remind you, brethren, of the gospel which I preached to you. Moves on to the doctrine of the resurrection, which forms the basis of our faith. For if there is no resurrection, then Christ is not risen; if He was not resurrected, then He was not incarnate; and thus all our faith will disappear. Since the Corinthians had such hesitations (for the external wise men are ready to accept everything except the resurrection), Paul struggles for the resurrection. Very wisely, he reminds them of what they have already taken for granted. He says, I don’t tell you anything strange, but I let you know (γνωρίζω), that is, I remind you of what was already told to you, but was forgotten. Calling them “brothers,” he partly humbled them, partly reminded them of what we became brothers from, namely, from the appearance of Christ in the flesh, which we might have stopped believing in, and from baptism, which serves as an image of the burial and resurrection of the Lord. In the name of the gospel, I also reminded of the countless benefits that we received through the incarnation and resurrection of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:1. Which you accepted. He did not say: which you heard; but: which you accepted; for they accepted him not only by word, but also by deeds and miracles. He also said this in order to convince them to maintain it as something that had long been accepted. 1 Corinthians 15:2. In which you are established, in which you are saved. Although they hesitated, he says that they stood firm in him: he deliberately appears ignorant, and warns them so that they cannot deny it, even if they really wanted to. What is the benefit of standing in it? The one that saves you. 1 Corinthians 15:2. If you hold what was taught as I preached to you. He says something like this: I am not telling you anything about what the resurrection is; for you did not doubt this truth. But perhaps you need to know how the resurrection about which I preached to you will take place. It is about this, that is, about how the resurrection will happen, that I am telling you now. 1 Corinthians 15:2. Unless they believed in vain. So that the words “you are established” do not make them careless, he says: if you hold back, unless you believed in vain, that is, if you are not called Christians in vain. For the essence of Christianity lies in the doctrine of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:3. For I originally taught you what I also received. Since the doctrine of the resurrection is very important, I taught it initially. For it is, as it were, the foundation of all faith. I also accepted it, that is, from Christ. Therefore, as I maintain it, so you must maintain it. And as you accepted in the beginning, now you are wrong when you doubted even for a while. 1 Corinthians 15:3. That is, that Christ died for our sins, according to Scripture. These words obviously belong to Christ Himself, speaking through Paul. Since the Manichaeans would later say that Paul calls sins death and liberation from them by resurrection, He was pleased to denounce them in advance with these words. So, Christ died. What death? without a doubt, bodily, not sinful; for He did not create sin. If they are not ashamed to say that He also died a sinful death, then how is it said that He died for our sins? For if He was a sinner, how did He die for our sins? This remark very clearly strikes them: “according to Scripture.” For the Scriptures everywhere attribute this bodily death to Christ. This is what it says: “They pierced my hands and my feet” (Ps. 21:17); also: “they will look at Him whom they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10); again: “He was wounded for our sins; For the transgressions of my people He goes to death” (Is. 53:5, 8). 1 Corinthians 15:4. And that He was buried. So He also had a body. For the body is buried. I did not add the word “according to Scripture,” either because the coffin was known to everyone, or because the word “according to Scripture” refers to everything in general. 1 Corinthians 15:4. And that he rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. Where do the Scriptures say that He rose again on the third day? In the type of Jonah, and before this in Isaac, who was kept alive for his mother for three days, and was not slain, and in very many other types; also in the words of Isaiah: “The Lord wants to cleanse him from the plague, to show him the light”; in the words of David: “You will not leave my soul in hell” (Ps. 15:10). 1 Corinthians 15:5. And that Cephas appeared. First, he provides a witness, the most reliable of all. Although the Gospel says that the Lord appeared before Mary (Mark 16:9), but of the men he appeared first to Peter, as the best of the disciples. For the one who first confessed Him as Christ should have been the first to see the Resurrection; appears to him before others and because of his renunciation, in order to show him that he is not rejected. 1 Corinthians 15:5. Then twelve (τοις δώδεκα). Matthias was numbered in place of Judas after the Ascension of the Lord. How does Paul say: “then to the twelve”? We answer: He probably appeared to Matthias after the Ascension, just as He appeared to Paul, who was called after the Ascension. Therefore, he did not indicate the time, but expressed himself vaguely. Some say that there is a scribe's error here; or: The Lord, knowing and foreseeing in advance that Matthias would be numbered among the eleven, appeared to him also, so that in this respect he would not be lower than the other apostles. John expresses something similar when he says: “Thomas..., one of the twelve” (John 20:24). For everyone would rather say that He numbered Matthias among the other apostles out of foreknowledge than Judas after his betrayal and suicide. 1 Corinthians 15:6. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time. After proof from the Scriptures, he brings the apostles and other faithful people as witnesses. The word “more” (επάνω) is explained by some as follows: “from above,” from heaven; that He appeared to them high and above their heads in order to honor the Ascension in truth. Others understood it this way: more than five hundred. 1 Corinthians 15:6. Of which most are still alive, and some have died. I, he says, have living witnesses. With the saying “he rested” he prepares for the beginning of the resurrection. For he who sleeps also gets up. 1 Corinthians 15:7. Then he appeared to Jacob. The brother of the Lord, appointed by Him as the first bishop in Jerusalem. 1 Corinthians 15:7. Also to all the Apostles. For there were other apostles, like the seventy disciples. 1 Corinthians 15:8. And after all, he appeared to me, like some kind of monster. This is a word of humility. He used this humility prudently, so that when he says about himself highly: “I have labored more than all of them” (1 Cor. 15:10), he would not be denied faith as a self-praiser. A monster in the proper sense is a premature baby that a woman miscarries. Since he calls himself unworthy of the apostolic title and a rejected person (1 Cor. 15:9), he called himself a “monster” as immature in relation to apostolic dignity. Some, by “fiend,” meant a late birth, since Paul is the last of the apostles. But Paul is not humbled by the fact that he was the last to see the Lord. For Jacob was no lower than the other five hundred because he saw the Lord later than they did. 1 Corinthians 15:9. For I am the least of the Apostles, and am not worthy to be called an Apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. He pronounces judgment about himself: I, he says, am less than only twelve, but also all the others. Look, here he reminds us of those sins that he got rid of through baptism, in order to show what grace he received from God. Why, presenting himself as a witness of the Resurrection of Christ, since He appeared to him too, does he list his shortcomings? To be more trustworthy. For whoever, in true justice, has set forth his own shortcomings, will not in vain speak in favor of another. 1 Corinthians 15:10. But by the grace of God I am what I am. He attributes his shortcomings to himself, and attributes his perfections to the grace of God. 1 Corinthians 15:10. And His grace in me was not in vain, but I labored more than all of them. And he said this with humility, for he did not say: I did something worthy of grace, but: the grace of God existing in me turned out to be not in vain. How? Because I worked harder than all the apostles. And he did not say: I was exposed to dangers, but limited my praise to the modest name of labor. He says this about himself in order to appear worthy of faith. For a teacher must be worthy of faith. 1 Corinthians 15:10. Not me, however, but the grace of God that is with me. And the very fact that I worked is not my perfection, but the work of God’s grace. 1 Corinthians 15:11. So, whether I or they, this is how we preach, and this is how you believe. Whether I worked harder or they, but in the sermon, he says, we all agree. And he did not say: if you don’t believe me, then believe them, for he would humiliate himself and would turn out to be a witness of the truth, not worthy of faith: but he says that he is a sufficient witness in himself, and they are sufficient in themselves. The word “preach” also confirms the truth of his words. For we speak not secretly, but openly, and not ever, but now. “And so you believed.” He did not say, “Now you believe,” because they had already wavered. But along with others, he calls their faith a witness to the truth. You, he says, would not have believed in vain false and deceptive speeches if you were not convinced of the truth of what was being preached. 1 Corinthians 15:12. If it is preached about Christ that He rose from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? Excellent reasoning. First he proved that Christ was risen and that this is what he and the apostles preach. And then His resurrection confirms the general resurrection, since the head is followed by other parts of the body. He does not extend the accusation to everyone, so as not to make them more shameless, but he says: “some say.” 1 Corinthians 15:13. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. So that they do not say that although Christ is risen, there will be no general resurrection, he confirms the latter, and says: if there is no resurrection, then Christ is not risen. For one confirms the other. For why did He rise again, if not to be our firstfruits? 1 Corinthians 15:14. And if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain, and so is your faith. For if He, having died, could not rise again, then neither sin was destroyed, nor death was abolished; Finally, we preached empty things, and you believed empty things. 1 Corinthians 15:15. Moreover, we would also turn out to be false witnesses about God, because we would testify about God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if, that is, the dead do not rise. We, he says, turn out to be wrong because we falsely showed about God that He raised Him Whom He did not raise. This is the consequence if the dead do not rise. If such a consequence is absurd, then it is absurd to believe that the dead do not rise. 1 Corinthians 15:16–17. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ has not risen, then your faith is vain: you are still in your sins. Again he defends the same position. For He rose again in order to arrange a general resurrection. If there is no resurrection, then He was not resurrected; if this is allowed, then your faith is in vain: which is absurd. “You are still in your sins.” If He did not rise, then He did not die, and if He did not die, then He did not destroy sin: for His death was for the destruction of sin. For it is said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). He called Him the Lamb, no doubt because of the slaughter. If sin is not destroyed, then, of course, you remain in it. How did you believe that you were delivered from him? 1 Corinthians 15:18. Therefore those who died in Christ also perished. That is, those who died for Christ and testified about Him perished if there is no resurrection. And in general, everyone who died in the faith of Christ and in a cramped and sorrowful life died because they were deprived of worldly pleasures, and after this they will not receive any benefit if there is no resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:19. And if in this life only we hope in Christ, then we are the most miserable of all people. If, he says, everything we have is limited to this life and we, who trust in Christ, that is, having hope in Christ, exist only in it, and there is no other life there, then we are the most miserable of all, since we have neither enjoyed the blessings here, as was said above, nor will we receive future ones, because we will not be resurrected, as some say. Perhaps another will say: one soul will enjoy. Why is this so? Not only she worked, but also her body. Where is justice if the body, having endured most of the difficulties, turns into nothing and does not receive any benefit, and only the soul is crowned? 1 Corinthians 15:20. But Christ rose from the dead, the firstborn of those who died. Having shown how many absurdities are born from disbelief in the resurrection, he repeats the word and says, as it were: this is what follows, if there is no general resurrection, then Christ was not resurrected. But Christ has risen. Therefore, there will be a general resurrection, and these absurdities will not happen. He constantly adds “from the dead” in order to stop the mouths of the Manichaeans. If He is the firstborn of the dead, then, without a doubt, He must also be resurrected. For the firstborn also has followers after him, for example, when out of many one does something, starting the first, and the rest continue it. 1 Corinthians 15:21–22. For just as death is through man, so is the resurrection of the dead through man. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. Adds a reason that confirms what has been said. It was necessary, he says, for the defeated nature itself to win, and for the overthrown one to overcome. For just as “in Adam,” that is, through the fall of Adam, everyone dies, so “in Christ” everyone will come to life, that is, because Christ turned out to be sinless and innocent of death, and although he died voluntarily, he was resurrected, because corruption could not hold Him, the Author of life (Acts 2:24). And all this goes against the Manichaeans. 1 Corinthians 15:23. Everyone in their own order. So that you, having heard that everyone will come to life, do not think that sinners will be saved, you added: as for the resurrection, everyone will come to life; but everyone will be “in their own order” and in what they deserve. 1 Corinthians 15:23–24. Christ the firstborn, then those of Christ at His coming. And then the end. Christ became the firstborn and the way of resurrection. After Him, those who belong to Him, that is, those who are faithful and pleasing to Him, will rise before others when He descends from heaven (this means “at His coming”), for it is fair for the righteous to have some advantage in the resurrection itself. Since they will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17), they will be resurrected first. Meanwhile, sinners, like the condemned, will wait below for the Judge. Then - the end of everything, and the resurrection itself, because everyone will be resurrected. For now only Christ has risen, and human bodies remain in their position. But then it won’t be like that, but everything will end. 1 Corinthians 15:24. When He hands over the Kingdom to God and the Father. Scripture knows two kingdoms: one by the right of assimilation, the other by the right of creation. By the right of creation, He reigns over everyone, over the Greeks, Jews, and over the demons themselves, and over those who do not want this. By right of appropriation He reigns over the faithful and saints who voluntarily submit. About this kingdom it is said: “Ask Me, and I will give the nations as an inheritance to you” (Ps. 2:8) and: “All authority has been given to Me” (Matt. 28:18); He will hand him over to the Father, that is, he will arrange it, finish it. Let us imagine that some king instructed his son to wage war against the peoples who had broken away from him; when the son makes war and conquers those nations, then he can say that he handed over the war to his father, that is, he showed that the work entrusted to him was completed. So Paul says that when the Son puts all things in subjection, then there will be an end. For Christ will then completely reign over us, when we will no longer be divided between God and the prince of peace; He will, as it were, take away the kingdom stolen by the tyrant and present it to the Father free. 1 Corinthians 15:24. When he abolishes all rulership and all authority and power. That is, when he wins and tame the evil forces. For now they act very much, but then they will cease to act. 1 Corinthians 15:25–26. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. Because He said that He would abolish the opposing forces and set up trophies, and someone could doubt and say: “perhaps He will weaken while He does all this and will not be able to fulfill it”; then he says that He will not weaken, but He must reign, that is, behave as a King and as a Strong One, until He conquers his enemies, and the last of them is death. For Who conquered the devil. He will obviously conquer his cause - death. How would it be clear that she is subjugated if she does not give up the bodies that she has taken possession of? For then she will actually be defeated, when her spoils will be plundered. So, having heard that He will abolish all principality and power, do not be afraid that He will weaken and not do this: He will do everything, reigning and ruling over war, until He has subdued everyone. Do you see that the word “until” is not put in order to destroy what is “after” this, but for the reason that is said? For, he says, His kingdom endures and will not fail until He has established everything. Much more will it remain after He has arranged everything; for His kingdom will have no end (Luke 1:33). Gregory the Theologian says that here what is called kingdom is that He brings about subordination and places us under His dominion; why, when we submit to Him, His kingdom, that is, the effort and activity to subordinate us to Him, will cease. For just as a builder continues to build until he has laid the roof, and then stops building, so the Son reigns, that is, he establishes His kingdom in us until we become His subjects. 1 Corinthians 15:27. Because He put everything under His feet. When it is said that all things are subject to Him, then it is clear that except for Him Who subjected all things to Him. Because he said of the Son that He would overthrow the enemies and raise up a trophy; then he was afraid lest they consider the Son to be some other unborn principle. Therefore, he refers everything to the Father, saying that He subdued the enemies of the Son. And as he wrote to the Hellenes, who had a rumor that Zeus rebelled against the Father, he says that everything was subjugated to the Son, except the Father. For it was He who subjected everything else to the Son. 1 Corinthians 15:28. When everything is subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will submit to Him who subjected everything to Him. Lest anyone say that although the Father did not submit to the Son, nothing prevents the Son from being stronger than Him, he completely destroys such an assumption and says that the Son will also submit to the Father, showing the complete unanimity of the Son with the Father. Therefore, know that the Father is the cause and source of this power for the Son, and that the Son is not some other force opposite to the Father. If I used a more humble expression than I should have, then don’t be surprised. For Paul, when he wants to destroy something by its roots, usually uses strong expressions. For example, wanting to prove that a believing wife, living with an unbelieving husband, does not suffer harm, he said that an unbelieving husband is sanctified by his wife (1 Cor. 7:14); It’s not that he says that the husband, remaining an unbeliever, becomes a saint, but with a stronger expression he shows that the believer does not suffer any harm. So here, too, by the name of conquest, the evil thought that might have appeared in another, that the Son might be stronger than the Father, if He can do so many things, is destroyed by the roots. Gregory the Theologian says that the Son, having assimilated all that is ours to Himself, considers our subordination to be His own. Nowadays we resist God: unbelievers because they do not recognize Him, believers because many are driven by passions, and therefore we are not subjugated. But when some recognize Him Whom they now reject, and others, we, lag behind the passions of this life, then, without a doubt, we can say that the Son has submitted. For, having taken upon Himself the face of humanity, He imputes ours to Himself. 1 Corinthians 15:28. May God be all in all. That is, so that everything would depend on the Father; so that no one thinks that there are two beginnings, beginningless and separate. For when the enemies are under the feet of the Son, and the Son does not resist the Father, but, as befits the Son, submits to the Father; then, of course, God and the Father will be all in all. Some say that this, that is, the submission of everything, means the cessation of evil. For when there is no sin, it is obvious that God will be all in all. Then many of us will no longer indulge in impure impulses and passions, having nothing divine in ourselves or having little of it, but we will all be God-like, we will all contain God within us, and only Him. For God will be everything to us, food, drink, clothing, and thought. 1 Corinthians 15:29. Otherwise, what do those who are baptized do for the dead? If the dead do not rise at all, then why are they baptized for the dead? The Marcionite heretics, when someone dies among them without baptism, having hidden someone alive under the bed of the deceased, approach the bed and ask the deceased whether he wishes to be baptized; the one hiding under the bed answers from there what he wishes, and thus he is baptized in place of the deceased. Then, when they are accused of this, they say in their defense that the apostle said so, and, crazy, they cite this saying. But that's not true. How? Those who wish to be baptized all recite the Creed, and it also contains the following words: “I believe in the resurrection of the dead.” So, he says: those who believed in the future resurrection of dead bodies and were baptized in such hope, what will they do when they were deceived? Why, finally, are people baptized for the sake of resurrection, that is, the expectation of resurrection, if the dead do not rise? 1 Corinthians 15:30. Why are we subjected to disasters every hour? If you do not take the verbal confession made by those who are baptized as evidence of the resurrection, then you have evidence in works. For all of us, the apostles, are constantly in poverty. And if there were no resurrection, then why would we suffer disasters? for what pleasure? For if another decides on disasters out of vanity, then he will decide one day. But enduring disasters hourly, as we do, is the greatest proof of the assurance of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:31. I die every day: I am testified of this by your praise, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the words “we are subject to disasters” (1 Cor. 15:30) he pointed to disasters, but here he points out something even greater, namely daily death. How did he die every day? by his determination and readiness for this and by enduring such disasters that entailed death. “I am testified to this by your praise,” that is, I am testified by your success, in which I boast: for the success of the students is praise for the teacher. Then, referring this to Christ, he says: “which I have in Christ Jesus.” For this is His business, not mine. He very wisely reminds them of this: just as I boast of your success, I will be covered with shame if you remain in doubt to the end and do not believe in the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:32. According to human reasoning, when I fought with the beasts in Ephesus, what benefit did I have? How long, he says, is it possible for people, have I fought with beasts; but what does it matter if God rescued me from trouble? What good is it to me if there is no resurrection? The fight with beasts refers to the fight with the Jews and the silversmith Demetrius (Acts 19:23–24 et al.). For how did they differ from beasts? 1 Corinthians 15:32. If the dead don't rise? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will die! If the dead do not rise again, there will be no bliss there; then we will at least enjoy the blessings of life here, we will eat and drink. Because this is only profit. I cited these words from the prophet Isaiah (Is. 22:13) to mock the foolishness of those who do not recognize the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:33. Do not be deceived: bad communities corrupt good morals. Turns speech to exhortation. Meanwhile, he secretly accuses them of madness and frivolity; for this is expressed by the word: “do not be deceived.” “Good” “morals” refers to morals that easily give in to deception; It also shows that others are being drawn into such reasoning. 1 Corinthians 15:34. Be sober as you should, and do not sin; for, to your shame, I say, some of you do not know God. As he says to a drunk: “Sober up; as it should”, that is, for benefit; for it is possible to be sober unrighteously, for example, to commit evil. “And do not sin,” he says. This is why you do not believe in the resurrection. For those who recognize the evil in themselves do not agree to recognize the resurrection for fear of punishment. Those who do not believe in the resurrection “don’t know God.” For they do not know the omnipotence of God. He didn’t say: you don’t know, but: “they don’t know” to make the accusation easier. “I’ll tell you to your shame.” Since he denounced them for quite a long time, he now consoles them: I, he says, said this not out of enmity or reproach, but to shame, so that when you are ashamed and reason as you should, he will lead you to correction. 1 Corinthians 15:35. But someone will say: how will the dead be raised? and in what body will they come? He didn’t say: you say so that the speech will be more acceptable when he examines the words of other non-believers. Two things were in doubt: one was the method of resurrection, how a body would be resurrected once it had been destroyed; the other is in what body they will be resurrected, the present one or some other one. The example of grain resolves both confusions. 1 Corinthians 15:36. Reckless! what you sow will not come to life unless it dies. The solution borrows from what is obvious and happens every day with them. That is why he calls them foolish because they do not know such a clear matter. What, he says, “you sow”, you are perishable: how can you doubt God? “It will not come to life (ου ζωοποιεΐται),” he says, “if it does not die”; he used words that go not to seeds, but to bodies. For he did not say: otherwise it will not grow unless it is destroyed, but: “it will not come to life” unless it dies. Look how the speech was given the opposite form. It seemed incomprehensible to them how we will resurrect after death; but he, on the contrary, says that we will be resurrected because we will die. For it would be impossible to be revived otherwise if there were no death. 1 Corinthians 15:37. And when you sow, you do not sow the future body, but the naked grain that happens, wheat or something else. There were two, it is said, bewilderments: one - how they will be resurrected, the other - in what body. The first, as they will be resurrected, he allowed; namely: through death, like grain. Now, having explained in what body they will be resurrected, another confusion is resolved. He says that the same body will be resurrected, that is, a body of the same essence, but in a brighter and more glorious form. Heretics say that it is not the same body that will be resurrected, for this, they say, is what the Apostle expresses when he says: “not the body to come.” But this is not what the apostle says, but what? The fact that you sow the grain is not as it will be, not bright and glorious, but bare, but the ear grows beautiful; and it is not exactly the same, because it was not an ear that was sown, that is, not with a stalk, but a “bare grain”; but not completely different, because this ear is not from another grain, but from this naked one. 1 Corinthians 15:38. But God gives him the body as he wants. If God gives the body, then why are you still asking what kind of body we will be resurrected in, and don’t believe the resurrection, hearing about the power and will of God? For God will resurrect the destroyed body, only He will resurrect it most splendidly and spiritually. This can also be seen in seeds, because the frozen seed sprouts better than the one that is thrown into the ground. 1 Corinthians 15:38. And each seed has its own (ίδιον) body. These words unquestioningly block the lips of heretics who say that in the resurrection the body that will come to life is not the same, but different. For behold, you hear that everyone is given his own body. 1 Corinthians 15:39. Not all flesh is the same flesh; but there is another flesh among men, another among beasts, another among fishes, and another among birds. So that you, having heard about wheat, do not think that just as all its ears grow the same, so in the resurrection they will all be the same, he wants to show that there will be a difference between those resurrected (which he previously hinted at with the words: “each in his own order”), and says that not all flesh is the same flesh, that is, not everyone will be resurrected in the same dignity, but there will be a difference between the righteous and sinners, just as the heavenly bodies differ from earthly, then there will be a great difference in degrees between the righteous themselves, as will be said below, and between the sinners themselves. For, he says, just as there is a difference between the flesh of men and the flesh of cattle and other animals, so there will be a difference in the punishments of sinners. So, everything that was said was said about the difference between sinners. For he speaks about the righteous below when he lists the heavenly bodies. 1 Corinthians 15:40. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but the glory of those in heaven is one, and that of the earth is another. Here, as I said above, he indicates the difference between the righteous and sinners: he calls the former heavenly bodies, and sinners earthly, and says that there is another glory for the righteous, and another for sinners, no longer glory (for this should not be implied), but life. 1 Corinthians 15:41. There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another of the stars; and star differs from star in glory. As he said a little earlier about the differences in the bodies of sinners, starting with people and then mentioning birds, cattle and fish, because sinners, being at first people, then fell to the point of being like dumb (Ps. 48:21), so now he shows the differences in the righteous. Everything, he says, is in glory, but the sun has another light, the moon has another, and whatever body happens to have; for even the stars differ from the stars “in glory,” that is, in light; for the glory of the stars is light. Some understood angels to be celestial bodies, but I think this is incorrect. And from the fact that he brought the sun, moon and stars, it is clear that we are talking about them. 1 Corinthians 15:42. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. How? With many differences, as can be seen from the above examples. 1 Corinthians 15:42. It is sown in corruption, raised in incorruption. Above, speaking about seeds, he used words appropriate to bodies, when, for example, he said: “He will not live unless he dies” (1 Cor. 15:36). Now, speaking about bodies, he uses words appropriate to seeds. For he says: “It is sown in corruption.” By sowing he now means not our conception in the womb, but the burial of dead bodies in the ground, as if to say: a dead body is buried in the ground “in corruption,” that is, in order to decay. He also said well: “it rises” (εγείρεται), and does not rise, so that you do not consider this the work of the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:43. Sown in humiliation, raised in glory. For what is more humiliating than the dead? But he will be resurrected “in the glory” of incorruption, although not everyone will receive the same portion. 1 Corinthians 15:43. It is sown in weakness, raised in strength. For not even five days will pass before the flesh will be unable to resist corruption; but he will be resurrected “in the power” of incorruption, no longer subject to any corruption, although for sinners incorruption will lead to great punishment. 1 Corinthians 15:44. The spiritual body is sown, the spiritual body is raised. The “spiritual” body is that which is governed by the forces of the soul and in which the soul has dominion and dominion; “spiritual” is that which has the abundant activity of the Holy Spirit and is controlled by Him in everything. For although the Spirit works in us now, it is not so and not always; for it flies away from those who sin. Although the Spirit is present now, the soul controls the body; and then the Spirit will continuously dwell in the bodies of the righteous. Or: “spiritual” simply means an incorruptible body, as the thinnest and lightest, capable of being carried through the air, but not airy and ethereal, that is, not from the essence of air and ether, as Origen says. If you do not believe in incorruption, then look at the heavenly bodies, which until now do not grow old or weaken. The One who created them this way will also make our corruptible body incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 15:44. There is a spiritual body. The one we now have in real life. 1 Corinthians 15:44. There is a body and a spiritual one. What we will have in the next century is essentially the same, spiritual, that is, incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 15:45. So it is written: the first man Adam became a living soul; and the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The first is definitely written (Gen. 2:7), but the second is not written; but since it happened due to a connection of events, it says that it is written. Likewise, the prophet (Zech.8:3) said about Jerusalem that it would be called the city of righteousness; but it literally wasn't named that way. The Gospel called the Lord Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23); however, He was not called that, but His works give Him that name. So, the first Adam was a spiritual man, that is, he had a body controlled by spiritual forces; and the last Adam, the Lord, is the “life-giving spirit.” He did not say: “living in the Spirit,” but expressed something more: “life-giving.” For the Lord had the Holy Spirit essentially inherent in Him; With it He revived His flesh; He gave incorruptibility to them and to us. So, in the first Adam we received the guarantee of the present perishable life, and in Christ - the future. 1 Corinthians 15:46. But not the spiritual first, but the spiritual, then the spiritual. Lest anyone say: Why do we now have a spiritual body and a worse one, but there will only be a spiritual body? says: because the beginnings of both are placed in this order. Adam is first, and Christ is after. That’s why ours always goes for the better. And be sure that what is now corruptible and bad in you will be transformed into imperishable and better. 1 Corinthians 15:47. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second person is the Lord from heaven. So that they do not neglect the beautiful life, he wants to convince us to live a life pleasing to God, and says that Adam was from the earth, which is why he is called that; for Adam means earthly and earthy. And the second man was the Lord from heaven. He gives the name to the first from the worst, and to the second from the best, not because man, that is, the perceived human essence, was from heaven, as the crazy Apollinaris babbled, but because there is one person in one Christ. Because of this unity it is said that He is a man from heaven; for the same reason it is said that God was crucified (1 Cor. 2:8). 1 Corinthians 15:48. As is the earthy one, so are the earthy ones. That is, they will also perish and die; or those who were tied to the earth will die a sinful death. 1 Corinthians 15:48. And as is the heavenly, so are the heavenly. That is, they will also be immortal and glorious. For although the second Adam also died, He died in order to destroy death. Or: those; who led godlike lives will be glorified as having heavenly minds. 1 Corinthians 15:49. And just as we bore the image of the earthly, we will also bear the image of the heavenly. Here the exhorting tone of speech is revealed more clearly. He calls wicked deeds the image of earthly, and good deeds the image of heavenly things. Therefore, just as before we lived in wickedness, as sons of the earthly and wise on earthly things, so now we must live in virtue in order to preserve the image and likeness of heavenly things. The image of the earthly is as follows: “you are dust, and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19), and the image of the heavenly is the resurrection from the dead and incorruptibility. Therefore, if what is said about the resurrection should not be understood as a way of life, then the words: “we will also bear the image of heavenly things” should be understood or written as an indication of a future event, that is, that we will be clothed. 1 Corinthians 15:50. But I tell you this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. Since he said: “the image of the earthy,” then, as if to explain it, he says that the image of the earthy is “flesh and blood,” that is, the deeds of the flesh and those inherent in the fatness of the body, which cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 15:50. And corruption does not inherit incorruption. That is, malice that corrupts the nobility of the soul cannot inherit this glory and incorruptible blessings. You can also accept that all this is said not about the way of life, but about the resurrection. For example, the words “flesh and blood” mean: in the next age, it will not be the present body, consisting of flesh and blood, that will enjoy the kingdom. For there is no food and drink there, which nourishes the present body. “And corruption,” that is, the corruptible body does not inherit the incorruptible. Therefore, it is necessary for our body to become spiritual and incorruptible. However, know that Chrysostom took these words of the apostle as an exhortation to a better life. 1 Corinthians 15:51. I'm telling you a secret. He again returns to the doctrine of the resurrection and says that he intends to tell them something terrible and hidden. Sim also shows great respect for them, as long as he tells them secrets. 1 Corinthians 15:51. We will not all die, but we will all change. Although, he says, not everyone will die, yet everyone will change, that is, those who do not die will put on incorruption. So, when you die, do not be afraid that you will not be resurrected. For behold, I tell you that some will not die, and this alone is not enough for them for this resurrection, unless they change, and thus pass into immortality from the mortality of bodies that they have. Therefore, just as it is not beneficial for them not to die, so it is not harmful for us to die. For even for them change is death, because in them corruption dies and is changed into incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:52. Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. In the shortest and most elusive time in which you can only close your eyelashes, so many such things will happen. This is quite wonderful. For one should be surprised not only that rotten bodies will be resurrected, and that everyone will receive their own, but also that all this will happen so quickly that it is impossible to express. Some understood the words “at the last trumpet” to mean the one about which it is written in Revelation (Rev. 8–10) by the Evangelist John. He said that there are seven trumpets, the first of which cause the destruction of people, for they do not all die together, but in parts, and this, he says, is according to the dispensation of God, so that those who remain, seeing the first perish, themselves repent. And the last trumpet will bring about the resurrection and change of those who have already risen, soon, in the blink of an eye. 1 Corinthians 15:52. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible. So that no one doubts how things will be accomplished in the twinkling of an eye, he confirms the authenticity of his word by the power of God who creates them: and he says that the trumpet will sound, and it will be done; like this: “He said, and it was done” (Ps. 32:9). For the trumpet means nothing other than the command and signal of God, which precedes everything. 1 Corinthians 15:52. And we will change. He says this not about himself, but about those who will then be alive. 1 Corinthians 15:53. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. Lest anyone, having heard that flesh and blood will inherit the Kingdom of God and that the dead will be resurrected incorruptible, think that bodies will not be resurrected, since they now consist of flesh and blood, adds that bodies will be resurrected, not those who are flesh and blood, but those transformed into incorruptibility. Note these words against those who say that the bodies that will be resurrected are not the same, but different; for perishable, he says, “this” and mortal “this”; not to another, but pointingly says: “to this one.” Therefore the body will remain the same (for it is that which is clothed), but mortality and perishability are destroyed, since it will be clothed with incorruptibility and immortality. There is a difference between death and corruption: the word “death” is used only about animate beings, and “corruption” is used about inanimate ones. We have something similar to inanimate things, for example, hair, nails, but these objects will also be clothed with incorruptibility. 1 Corinthians 15:54. When this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then the word that is written will be fulfilled: Death is swallowed up in victory. When this comes true, then what was written by the prophet Hosea (Hosea 13:14) will be fulfilled. Since he said something amazing, he confirms the truth of his words with the testimony of Scripture. “Victory” (εις νίκος in victory), that is, definitively, so that the defeated one is destroyed, and there remains no hope for it to ever gain power. 1 Corinthians 15:55. Death! where is your sting? hell! where is your victory? As if seeing this accomplished in practice, he becomes inspired, emits a victorious cry and triumphs, as if stepping on defeated death and trampling on it. You can find some difference between “hell” and “death”, namely: “hell” contains souls, and “death” contains bodies; for souls are immortal. 1 Corinthians 15:56. The sting of death is sin. For through him she received strength, using him as if it were a weapon and a sting. For just as the scorpion itself is a small animal, but has power in its sting, so death received power through sin, otherwise it would have been ineffective. This can be seen in the example of the Lord Himself, since death did not find sin in Him, and it remained without any effect on Him. 1 Corinthians 15:56. And the power of sin is the law. Why? Because when there was no law, we sinned out of ignorance, and were not subject to such strict condemnation, and when the law revealed sin, it subjected us to great condemnation, since we know and sin, and made it strong, not because of its nature, but because of our carelessness, since we did not use the law as a medicine, as we should have, which is said at greater length and in more detail in the Epistle to the Romans. So, man, do not doubt the resurrection. You see that sin, which was the weapon of death, is destroyed, and the law, which accidentally became the power of sin, is abolished. When death is disarmed, it obviously no longer has power. 1 Corinthians 15:57. Thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! The Lord Jesus labored, and we were given victory, not by merit, not by duty, but by the grace and love of God the Father, Who made us conquerors through the exploit of His Son. 1 Corinthians 15:58. So, my beloved brethren, be strong, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord. Since, he says, you have learned that there will be a resurrection and retribution for good and evil, then be strong; for they wavered in the doctrine of the resurrection. Since they did not care about the good life, due to the fact that there would be no resurrection; then he says: “always prosper in the work of the Lord”; not only do it, but also do it in abundance. The “work” of the “Lord,” that which the Lord loves and which He requires of us, is virtue. 1 Corinthians 15:58. Knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. That is, hope that there will be a resurrection, and you will not lose anything from your labors. For before you did not care about virtue because you did not believe in the resurrection and therefore did not want to work in vain, but now you know that none of your work will remain in vain. “Before the Lord” (εν Κυρίω) means either your work, which is “in the Lord,” that is, for which you had help from above, since it is directed towards deeds pleasing to God; or “with the Lord” your labor will not remain in vain, but you will receive reward from Him. You might be interested in: