Baptism On Account of the Dead (1 Cor 15:29): An Act of Faith in the Resurrection (Academia Biblica (Society of Biblical Literature) (Paper))

343 Pages·2005·2.22 MB·English

by  Michael F. Hull

B
a
p
t
i
s
m
A
o
lthough 1 Cor 15:29 (“Otherwise what are they to n
do, who have themselves baptized on account of the
A
dead? If the dead are not really raised, why are they c
c
baptized on account of them?”) has received a vast
o
amount of attention in the biblical academy, there is u
Baptism on Account of
n
no scholarly consensus as to its meaning. In order to
t

break the current impasse, this volume reviews and o the Dead (1 Cor 15:29)
critiques the over forty different interpretations of 15:29, f

t
then examines the verse anew in terms of its literary, h
e An Act of Faith
historical, and theological contexts within the writings

D
of Paul. On the basis of this study, Hull concludes that
in the Resurrection
e
1 Cor 15:29 is a dual rhetorical question in which Paul
a
holds up one group within the Corinthian community d

as a laudable example for the entire community. (
1
Specifically, those who have themselves baptized are
C
undergoing the rite of baptism because of their steadfast
o
faith in the resurrection of Christ and, concomitantly, r

of Christians. They undergo the rite of baptism “on 1
5
account of the dead”—on account of the fact that the
:
2
dead are destined for life—and thus shame the arrogance
9
and ignorance of those among the Corinthians who deny )
the resurrection (1 Cor 15:12).
Michael F. Hull is Professor of Sacred Scripture at
St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. H
u
l
l
Michael F. Hull
BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD
(1 COR 15:29)
Academia Biblica
Steven L. McKenzie,
Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Editor
Mark Allan Powell,
New Testament Editor
Number 22
BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD
(1 COR 15:29)
An Act of Faith in the Resurrection
BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD
(1 COR 15:29)
An Act of Faith in the Resurrection
Michael F. Hull
Society of Biblical Literature
Atlanta
BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD
(1 COR 15:29)
An Act of Faith in the Resurrection
Copyright © 2005 by the Society of Biblical Literature
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and
recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as
may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the
publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights
and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill Road,
Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hull, Michael F.
Baptism on account of the dead (1 Cor 15:29) : an act of faith in the
resurrection / by Michael F. Hull.
p. cm. — (Society of Biblical Literature Academia Biblica, ISSN 1570-
1980 ; no. 22)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-58983-177-3 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-58983-177-2 (alk. paper)
1. Bible. N.T. Corinthians, 1st, XV, 29—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2.
Baptism for the dead—Biblical teaching. I. Title. II. Series : Academia
Biblica (Series) (Brill Academic Publishers) ; no. 22.
BS2675.6.B36H85 2005
227'.206—dc22
2005014694
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
Contents
Acknowledgements............................................................................................vii

Abbreviations and Sigla......................................................................................ix
Primary Literature...........................................................................................ix
Secondary Literature........................................................................................x

Introduction..........................................................................................................1

I. Contemporary Readings of 1 Corinthians 15:29...............................................7

Vicarious Baptism..........................................................................................10
The Majority Reading................................................................................12
The Majority Reading and Syncretism.......................................................17
Ordinary Baptism...........................................................................................21
Emendations and Variations of the Text....................................................21
Ordinary Baptism with (cid:239)Upevr in the Final Sense........................................29
Ordinary Baptism with (cid:239)Upevr in the Causal Sense.....................................31
An Assessment of the Contemporary Readings.............................................36
A Scrutiny of the Readings........................................................................37
The Status Qu(cid:230)stionis................................................................................47

II. Reading 1 Corinthians 15:29 in Literary Context..........................................51

The Genre and Integrity of 1 Corinthians......................................................51
The Genre of 1 Corinthians........................................................................52
The Integrity of 1 Corinthians....................................................................71
The Structure of 1 Corinthians 15..................................................................84
1 Corinthians 15.........................................................................................84
1 Corinthians 15:29(cid:150)34..............................................................................90
The Morphology and Syntax of 1 Corinthians 15:29.....................................95
The Morphology of 1 Corinthians 15:29....................................................95
The Syntax of 1 Corinthians 15:29..........................................................102
The Literary Context of 1 Corinthians 15:29...............................................108
vi BAPTISM ON ACCOUNT OF THE DEAD
III. Reading 1 Corinthians 15:29 in Historical Context...................................113

St. Paul the Apostle......................................................................................114
Pre-Christian Paul....................................................................................118
Christian Paul...........................................................................................137
Paul and Readings of 1 Corinthians 15:29...............................................148
Greco-Roman Corinth..................................................................................150
The City of Corinth..................................................................................150
Ancient Religion in Corinth.....................................................................156
Ancient Corinth and Readings of 1 Corinthians 15:29............................165
Corinthian Christianity and Its Early Crises................................................168
Factionalism (1 Corinthians 1(cid:150)4).............................................................172
Ethical Issues (1 Corinthians 5(cid:150)11).........................................................183
Spiritual Issues (1 Corinthians 12(cid:150)14).....................................................197
The Resurrection of the Dead (1 Corinthians 15)....................................204
Christian Corinth and Readings of 1 Corinthians 15:29..........................218
The Historical Contex of 1 Corinthians 15:29.............................................222

IV. Rereading 1 Corinthians 15:29..................................................................229

A New Reading of 1 Corinthians 15:29.......................................................229
Reading 1 Corinthians 15:29 Anew.........................................................230
1 Corinthians 15:29 and the Resurrection of the Dead.............................236
Baptism in the Theology of St. Paul............................................................240
Romans 6:1(cid:150)14........................................................................................241
Galatians 3:26(cid:150)29....................................................................................244
Baptism in the Pauline Literature.............................................................247
1 Corinthians 15:29 and Baptism in St. Paul............................................250
Baptism and Resurrection............................................................................255

Bibliography....................................................................................................257
Primary Sources and Principal Reference Works........................................257
Secondary Literature Consulted...................................................................260

Index of Biblical Literature..............................................................................303
Index of Ancient Literature and Apocrypha....................................................311
Index of Modern Authors.................................................................................315
Index of Subjects..............................................................................................323
Acknowledgements
Baptism (cid:147)on account of the Dead(cid:148) (1 Cor 15:29): An Act of Faith in the Resur-
rection is a revised version of my doctoral dissertation by the same title, which I
defended successfully at the Pontifical Gregorian University in December 2003.
During the long course of writing the dissertation and preparing it for publi-
cation, many persons were of help to me(cid:151)too many, in fact, to mention here.
Yet, I must single out those to whom I owe a special debt of gratitude.
I would like to thank the Archbishops of New York under whom I have had
the privilege to serve: the late John Cardinal O(cid:146)Connor, who assigned me to
study in Rome and later appointed me a professor at St. Joseph(cid:146)s Seminary,
Dunwoodie, N.Y.; and Edward Cardinal Egan, who had me continue teaching
and, additionally, appointed me Dean of St. John Neumann Hall.
I would like to thank the Society of Jesus under whose auspices I received a
superb graduate education at the Gregorian. In particular, I would like to thank
the Reverend Professors Ugo Vanni, S.J., and Scott Brodeur, S.J. Father Vanni,
despite a very hectic schedule, not only readily agreed to serve as mentor, but
also allowed me considerable leeway in research and writing. His many kind-
nesses have been a considerable source of encouragement. Father Brodeur, ever
available in Rome and Boston, brought this work to its conclusion by his per-
sonal support. I am deeply indebted to Scott for his attention to detail, diligent
scholarship, and priestly example.
I would like to thank my brother priests at Dunwoodie and the Casa Santa
Maria for their fraternity and scholarly example.
I would like to offer special thanks to Dr. Mary M. Bolan, M.D., who pains-
takingly read through all the drafts of this book. Mary(cid:146)s many corrections and
expert advice on style and usage proved invaluable in bringing this work to
press. In addition, Mary prepared each of the indices, a task of immense effort
for which I am most appreciative. Any mistakes or oversights remain my own.
Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Mark Allan Powell, Ph.D., and the re-
viewers of the Society of Biblical Literature for accepting my work in the
excellent Academia Biblica series.

Abbreviations and Sigla
Unless otherwise noted, all biblical citations are from the Novum Testamentum
Graece (27th ed.; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1993), the Biblia
Hebraica Stuttgartensia (4th ed.; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1990),
the Septuaginta (2 vols. in 1; Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1979), and
the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 1973.

Abbreviations, sigla, and citation style follow the format of the (cid:147)Instructions for
Contributors(cid:148) (JBL 107 [1988] 579(cid:150)96). The following abbreviations and sigla
are offered for the convenience of the reader.
PRIMARY LITERATURE
A.J. Josephus, Antiquities judaicae
Abr. Philo, De Abrahamo
Act. Jn. Acta Johannis
Act. Paul. et Thec. Acta Pauli et Theclae
Adv. haer. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses
Adv. Marc. Tertullian, Adversus Marcionem
Ant. Plutarch, Antonius
Apoc. Paul. Apocalypsis Pauli
Ars rhet. Aristotle, Ars rhetorica
Att. Cicero, Epistulae ad Atticum
B.J. Josephus, Bellum judaicum
C. Ap. Josephus, Contra Apionem
Claud. Suetonius, Divus Claudius
Com. 1 Cor. Ambrosiaster, Commentarius in I ad Corinthios
De chor. Pomponius Mela, De chorographia
De doc. chr. Augustine, De doctrina christiana

De res. carn. Tertullian, De resurrectione carnis
Deipn. Athenaeus, Deipnnosophistae
Descr. Pausanias, Graeciae description
En. in Ps. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos
Ep. Phil. Polycarp, Epistola ad Phillippenses
Ep. Tra. Pliny the Younger, Epistulae ad Trajanum