“Those Who Are Baptized for the Dead”: Surveying 1 Corinthians 15:29 in its social location, Paul’s other writings, and the creation narrative

Abstract

First Corinthians 15:29 continues to tantalize exegetes. In response to some of the Corinthian Christians’ denial of the resurrection of the dead (1 Cor 15:12), Paul engages in a comprehensive exposé on the certainty of future bodily resurrection on account of it being a present reality in Christ. His reference to the peculiarly Corinthian practice of baptism for the dead has generated a score of interpretive suggestions. This article argues that to get not only to a plausible explanation of “baptized for the dead,” but to one that Paul could have affirmed, one needs to: (1) explore key biblical passages on the nature of human beings and their form of existence in death, and (2) situate 1 Corinthians 15:29 in the immediate context of the entire epistle and Paul’s views on faith, baptism, and salvation expressed in his other writings.