If Christ Has Not Been Raised
“…we have been united in the likeness of his death, we shall certainly be so in the likeness of his resurrection also” (Romans 6:5). So if some agree that Christ has been raised, yet do not accept the mystery of the resurrection from the dead, they are wholly ignorant of the purpose for which the Only-begotten became man. For God the Word did not become man for his own sake; and “for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). For what reason? The most wise Paul himself will teach us, saying, “Since the children share in blood and flesh, he himself likewise partook of the same, so that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and set free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Hebrews 2:14–15).
So if death is not destroyed, his design was in vain, and the mystery of the dispensation in the flesh is of no profit to us either; and we have missed the hope of life as well. And how have we been called to adoption, and how are we children of God, as the wise John says (1 John 3:1)? If it is true that “we wait for adoption, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23), what redemption is there at all, unless Christ has made us stronger than death? Or how “will he change the body of our lowliness to be conformed to the body of his glory” (Philippians 3:21)? For what time will there be for this at all, unless death is made idle? Or what change will there be for those who will stay as they were, or rather end in a worse state?
See how skillfully he brings them round to the necessary admission that we must say our earthly bodies will come to life again in due time. For if, he says, Christ has been proclaimed through the whole of inspired Scripture as raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:12)? For he died, as we have said already, not for himself but rather for us, so that, since he is Life by nature as God, he might destroy death by the death of his own flesh, since human nature would follow him. For he came to life again and became, as it were, the firstfruits of humanity as it passes over into life, is created anew for incorruption, and conquers death. For what is in Christ is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Since the thing has made its beginning, how shall we remain in the earth? Or how do some among you dare to say that the dead will not come to life again?
These, it seems likely, were Sadducees; for they used to say “that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit” (Acts 23:8). Hymenaeus and Alexander also slandered the mystery of the resurrection, “saying that the resurrection has already taken place” (2 Timothy 2:18). But those men made shipwreck of their faith (1 Timothy 1:19–20), as have all who wish to follow their empty notions.
“If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is empty” (1 Corinthians 15:14). For the second follows on the first, and with the second the first is taken away too. If that happened, that is, if we accepted it as our belief, the preaching of the holy apostles would be empty and powerless, and faith too would be empty (1 Corinthians 15:14). For this is what the word of faith holds, the word that through the saints has taught the mysteries to the initiated throughout the whole earth. How then shall we still believe, if, as some say, he did not come to life again? For, he says, we are even found to be false witnesses against God, claiming that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if the dead are not raised (1 Corinthians 15:15). Then how could so great a multitude of saints escape an indictment for slander? They would not even be saints. How could they be, when their offense would be slander against God? But that is not how things stand; for the teachers of the mysteries do not lie when they say that Christ has been raised.
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile” (1 Corinthians 15:17). Most truly and very rightly he adds this as well to the rest. For faith justifies; but if one declares it futile, on the ground that Christ has not been raised, what difference does it make any more? Then we are still held fast…
Greek
"σύμφυτοι γεγόναμεν τῷ ὁμοιώματι τοῦ θανάτου αὐτοῦ, "ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἐσόμεθα." οὐκοῦν εἰ συναινοῦσί τινες ὡς ἐγήγερται μὲν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐ προσίενται δὲ τῆς ἐκ 300 νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως τὸ μυστήριον, ἠγνοήκασι παντελῶς τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὸν σκοπόν· γέγονε γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δι' ἑαυτὸν ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος, "ἀντὶ δὲ τῆς προκειμένης "αὐτῷ χαρᾶς ὑπέμεινε σταυρὸν, αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας·" διὰ ποῖαν αἰτίαν, διδάξει λέγων αὐτὸς ὁ σοφώτατος Παῦλος "̓Επειδὴ γὰρ τὰ παιδία κεκοινώνηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς, "καὶ αὐτὸς παραπλησίως μετέσχεν τῶν αὐτῶν, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ "θανάτου καταργήσῃ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου, "τουτέστι τὸν διάβολον, καὶ ἀπαλλάξῃ τούτους ὅσοι φόβῳ "θανάτου διὰ παντὸς τοῦ ζῆν ἔνοχοι ἦσαν δουλείας." οὐκοῦν εἰ μὴ καταργηθῇ θάνατος, εἰκαῖον αὐτῷ τὸ σκέμμα, ἀνόνητον δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τῆς μετὰ σαρκὸς οἰκονομίας τὸ μυστήριον· διημαρτήκαμεν δὲ καὶ τῆς εἰς ζωὴν ἐλπίδος· κεκλήμεθα δὲ πῶς εἰς υἱοθεσίαν καί ἐσμεν τέκνα Θεοῦ, καθά φησιν Ἰωάννης ὁ σοφός; εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἀληθὲς ὡς "υἱοθεσίαν ἀπεκδεχόμεθα τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν," ποῖα δὲ ὅλως ἡ ἀπολύτρωσις, εἰ μὴ θανάτου κρείττους ἡμᾶς ἀπέφηνεν ὁ Χριστός; ἢ πῶς "μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώ"σεως ἡμῶν σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ;" ποῖος γὰρ ὅλως ὁ τοῦδε καιρὸς, εἰ μὴ ἀπρακτήσῃ θάνατος; ἢ ποῖος ἔσται μετασχηματισμὸς, τοῖς ἐν ταυτότητι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐν χείροσιν ἐσομένοις; Ἄθρει δὲ ὅπως περιίστησιν εὐτέχνως εἰς ἀναγκαίαν ὁμολογίαν τοῦ χρῆναι λέγειν ὡς ἀναβιώσονται κατὰ καιροὺς τὰ ἐκ γῆς ἡμῶν σώματα. εἰ γὰρ δὴ, φησὶ, διὰ πάσης τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς ἐγηγερμένος ἐκ νεκρῶν διακεκήρυκται Χριστὸς, πῶς λέγουσιν ἐν ὑμῖν τινες ὅτι ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν οὐκ ἔστιν; ἀπέθανεν γὰρ, ὡς ἤδη φθάσαντες εἴπομεν, οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μᾶλλον ἀλλ' ἡμῖν· ἵν' ἐπείπερ ἐστὶ ζωὴ κατὰ φύσιν ὡς Θεὸς, τῷ θανάτῳ τῆς ἰδίας σαρκὸς καταργήσῃ θάνατον, ὡς 301 ἑψομένης αὐτῷ τῆς ἀνθρώπου φύσεως· ἀνεβίω γὰρ καὶ γέγονεν ὥσπερ τις ἀνθρωπότητος ἀπαρχὴ μεταφοιτώσης εἰς ζωὴν καὶ ἀνακτιζομένης εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν καὶ νικώσης θάνατον· καινὴ γὰρ κτίσις τὰ ἐν Χριστῷ· λαβόντος τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀρχὴν, πῶς ἀπομενοῦμεν ἐν γῇ; ἢ πῶς ἐν ὑμῖν τινες ἀποτολμῶσι λέγειν οὐκ ἀναβιώσεσθαι τοὺς νεκρούς; Σαδδουκαῖοι δὲ οὗτοι, κατά γε τὸ εἰκός· ἔφασκον γὰρ αὐτοὶ "μὴ "εἶναι ἀνάστασιν μήτε ἄγγελον μήτε πνεῦμα·" σεσυκοφαντήκασι δὲ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τὸ μυστήριον καὶ Ὑμέναιος καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος "λέγοντες ἀνάστασιν ἤδη γεγονέναι·" πλὴν ἐναυάγησαν ἐκεῖνοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν, καὶ ὅσοι ταῖς ἐκείνων ἐξιτηλίαις ἕπεσθαι βούλονται. Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται, κενὸν ἄρα καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα ἡμῶν. Ἀκολουθεῖ γὰρ ὥσπερ τῷ πρώτῳ τὸ δεύτερον, καὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ συναναιρεῖται τὸ πρῶτον· οὗ δὴ γεγονότος, ἤγουν πρὸς ἡμῶν παραδεχθέντος εἰς πίστιν, κενὸν καὶ ἀδρανὲς ἔσται τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων τὸ κήρυγμα· κενὴ καὶ ἡ πίστις· ἔχει γὰρ ὧδε τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως τὸ διὰ τῶν ἁγίων μυσταγωγοῦν τοῖς ἀνὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν μεμυσταγωγημένοις· πῶς οὖν ἔτι πιστεύσομεν, εἰ μὴ ἀνεβίω κατά τινας; εὑρισκόμεθα γάρ φησι καὶ ψευδομάρτυρες κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅτι ἤγειρεν τὸν Χριστὸν, ὃν οὐκ ἤγειρεν εἴπερ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐγείρονται. εἶτα τοσαύτη πληθὺς ἁγίων πῶς ἂν διαφύγοι συκοφαντίας γραφήν; οὐκοῦν εἶεν ἂν οὐδὲ ἅγιοι· πόθεν; οἷς ἂν εἴη τὸ πλημμέλημα συκοφαντία κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀλλ' οὐχ ὧδε ταῦτα ἔχει, ἀψευδεῖς γὰρ οἱ μυσταγωγοὶ Χριστὸν ἐγηγέρθαι λέγοντες. Εἰ δὲ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐγήγερται, ματαία ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν. Ἀληθέστατα καὶ λίαν ὀρθῶς προσεπάγει τοῖς ἄλλοις καὶ τοῦτο· δικαιοῖ μὲν γὰρ ἡ πίστις, ἀλλ' εἴ τις αὐτῇ καθαρίζει τὸ μάταιον ὡς Χριστοῦ μὴ ἐγηγερμένου, τί τὸ διάφορόν ἐστι λοιπόν; οὐκοῦν ἐνεσχήμεθα