1 Corinthians 15:5

1Co_15:5-8

And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.

The infallible proofs of our Lords resurrection

I. The witnesses were--

1. Numerous.

2. Competent in respect of their acquaintance with Christ, their intelligence, their opportunities of seeing Him.

3. Honest.

II. Their evidence.

1. Was immediately given.

2. Where the facts occurred.

3. Harmonious.

4. Constantly repeated.

5. Openly given while hundreds of them were alive.

6. Steadily maintained even unto death. (J. Lyth, D.D.)

The evidence for the resurrection

As the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact, it is to be proved by historical evidence. The apostle therefore appeals to the testimony of competent witnesses. Confidence in such testimony is not founded on experience, but on the constitution of our nature. We are so constituted that we cannot refuse assent to the testimony of good men to a fact fairly within their knowledge. To render such testimony irresistible it is necessary--

1. That the fact to be proved should be of a nature to admit of being certainly known.

2. That adequate opportunity be afforded to the witnesses to ascertain its nature, and to be satisfied of its verity.

3. That the witnesses be of sound mind and discretion.

4. That they be men of integrity. If these conditions be fulfilled, human testimony establishes the truth of a fact beyond reasonable doubt. If, however, in addition to these grounds of confidence, the witnesses give their testimony at the expense of great personal sacrifice, or confirm it with their blood; if, moreover, the occurrence of the fact in question had been predicted centuries before it came to pass; if it had produced effects not otherwise to be accounted for, effects extending to all ages and nations; if the system of doctrine with which that fact is connected so as to be implied in it, commends itself as true to the reason and conscience of men; and if God confirms not only the testimony of the original witnesses to the fact, but also the truth of the doctrines of which that fact is the necessary basis, by the demonstration of His Spirit, then it is insanity and wickedness to doubt it. All these considerations concur in proof of the resurrection of Christ, and render it the best authenticated event in the history of the world. (C. Hodge, D.D.)

The appearances of Christ after His resurrection

I. To whom permitted.

1. To individuals.

2. To the twelve.

3. To a large body of disciples.

4. To the faith of every true believer.

II. With what design.

1. To confirm the truth.

2. Establish the faith of the disciples.

3. Subdue opposition as in the case of Paul.

4. Comfort and assure His people. (J. Lyth, D.D.)

After that He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain,… but some are fallen asleep.--

More than five hundred witnesses

I. The fact.

1. Not elsewhere recorded.

2. Must have been well known.

3. Was widely published when it could easily have been disproved.

4. Was never disputed.

II. Its importance.

1. The witnesses of the resurrection were sufficiently numerous and diverse in point of intelligence, etc., to supply the severest test of its reality.

2. To afford ample means of investigation.

3. To satisfy the most persistent unbelief.

III. Its lessons.

1. Christ is the living Redeemer.

2. Reveals Himself to many or few.

3. Manifests Himself to His own as He does not unto the world.

4. Shall finally be revealed when every eye shall see Him. (J. Lyth, D.D.)

Appearances of the risen Redeemer

We have here--

I. A mighty proof of the resurrection of Christ. Two or three witnesses, intellectually and morally competent, would be regarded in a court of justice as sufficient to establish any fact, but here are five hundred. To suppose that they were all deceived would be to suppose one of the most stupendous miracles ever wrought. Mark, Paul states this fact when the greater part were still alive. Would any man, under such circumstances, dare to have made the assertion had it not been an indisputable fact?

II. An interesting view of the departure of good men from the world. Some are fallen asleep. Sleep does not include extinction; must exclude suffering. Sleep is--

1. A welcome rest. Sleep is refreshing. The work of a Christian here is hard work, the work of cultivation, building, battling, voyaging. Sleep reinvigorates the system, gives new tone to the frame, new vigour to the limb. The holy dead renew their strength in eternity.

2. An anticipation of waking. Men yield themselves to repose with the hope of morning; a morning in which they will go forth to the joys and duties of life with a new zest and energy. Who dreads sleep? No good man need dread death.

III. A suggestive event in the experience of the apostle (verse 8). When did Paul see Christ? When Christ was in heaven (Act_9:5). Then, though in heaven--

1. He is cognisant of the movements of individual men. He knew all about Saul of Tarsus.

2. He can reveal Himself to men on earth.

3. His love for sinners is unabated. He spoke to Saul the persecutor, the chief of sinners. (D. Thomas, D.D.)

The character and death of the saints

I. The character of those of whom it may be said when they die,they are fallen asleep. Brethren, and not on account of a natural relationship, but of a spiritual union. They were brethren, because they had been united to the Elder Brother, the First-born among many brethren; and their union to Him was the foundation of their union to each other. As brethren, there was a sameness in their principles--in their hopes--in their consolations--in their rejoicing when they beheld a risen Saviour.

II. The state of such persons after death. Sleep denotes--

1. Their rest. The time of sleep is the time of rest so sweet to the labouring man. The believers life here is compared to a day; his departure home to a night. Hence the exhortation, Work while it is called day, for the night cometh when no man can work. Every description of Christian character conveys the idea of labour. He has to run, to fight, to wrestle, etc.; and death is as the commencing of repose when the labour of the day is done.

2. Their safety. We could not go to rest at night if we knew that a robber would invade our dwelling-place, or a fire consume it, or a wind prostrate it, or a murderer attempt our lives. It is when we have barred our houses against intruders, and committed ourselves to the protection of our Creator, that we close our eyes in hope that we shall both lay ourselves down and sleep in peace and safety. The figure illustrates the perfect safety of those who have entered into peace. It is then that the believer enters into regions which will never be ruffled, and into glories which will never be obscured, and upon joys which will never be interrupted. For no enemy can harass there, no care oppress, no affliction try. And it is a precious remembrance, that the body is safe too. The body of the saint in the tomb is a precious deposit. Christ will rescue it from the darkness and the disgrace of the tomb, and will invest it with honour and immortality.

3. Their resurrection. When we sleep at night, it is with a hope of waking again in the morning.

Conclusion: Let this subject--

1. Comfort us concerning our departed friends.

2. Comfort us under our present trials.

3. Excite inquiries whether, if we die at this moment, it would be a sleep in Christ Jesus. (W. Hodson.)

What the sight of the risen Christ makes life and death

Consider--

I. What life may become to those who see the risen Christ. The word remain not only tells us that the survivors were living, but the kind of life they lived. It is the same expression as If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Now, that saying went abroad amongst the brethren, and it may have been floating in Pauls memory, and have determined his selection of this expression. So, then, the sight of a risen Christ--

1. Will make life calm and tranquil. Fancy one of these after that vision going home. How small and unworthy to disturb the heart in which the memory of that vision was burning would seem the things that otherwise would have been important and distracting! Our faith in the risen Christ ought to do the same thing for us. If we build our nests amidst the tossing branches of the worlds trees, they will sway with every wind, and perhaps be blown away from their hold altogether. But we may build our nests in the clefts of the rock, like the doves, and be quiet, as they are. They who see Christ need not be troubled. The ship that is empty is tossed upon the ocean, that which is well laden is steady. The heart that has Christ for a passenger need not fear being rocked by any storm. Make Him your scale of importance, and nothing will be too small to demand and be worthy of the best efforts of your work, but nothing will be too great to sweep you away from the serenity of your faith.

2. Will lead to patient persistence in duty. The risen Christ is--

(1) The Pattern for the men who will not be turned aside from the path of duty by any obstacles, dangers, or threats.

(2) The example of glory following upon faithfulness.

(3) The helper of them that put their trust in Him. By patient continuance in well-doing let us commit the keeping of our souls to Him and abide in the calling wherewith we are called.

3. Leads to a life of calm expectancy. That vision sent these five hundred men home to make all the rest of their lives one patient expectation of the return of the Lord. These primitive Christians expected that Jesus Christ would come speedily. That expectation was disappointed in so far as the date was concerned, but after nineteen centuries it still remains true that all vigorous and vital Christian life must have in it the onward look. He has come, He will come; He has gone, He will come back. And for us life ought to be a confident expectance that when Be shall be manifested we also shall be manifested with Him in glory.

II. What death becomes to those who have seen Christ risen from the dead. The Christian reason for calling death a sleep embraces a great deal more than the heathen reason for doing so, inasmuch as to most others who have used the word, death has been a sleep that knew no waking, whereas the Christian reason for employing the symbol is that it makes our waking sure. The New Testament scarcely ever employs the words dying and death for the act or for the state it keeps those grim words for the reality, the separation of the soul from God. But the reason why Christianity uses metaphors for death, is the opposite of the reason why the world uses them. The world is so afraid of dying that it durst not name the grim, ugly thing. The Christian faith is so little afraid of death, that it, does not think such a trivial matter worth calling by the name, but only names it falling asleep. Even when the circumstances of that dropping off to slumber are painful and violent, the Bible still employs the term. Is it not striking that the first martyr dying a bloody death should have been said to fall asleep? If that be true of such a death, no physical pains of any kind make the sweet word inappropriate for any. We have here not only the designation of the act of dying, but that of the condition of the dead. They are fallen asleep, and they continue asleep. There lies in the figure the idea of--

1. Repose. They rest from their labours. In that sleep there are folded round the sleepers the arms of the Christ on whose bosom they rest, as an infant does on its first and happiest home, its mothers breast.

2. Continuous and conscious existence. It has been argued from this metaphor that the space between death and the resurrection is a period of unconsciousness, but the analogies seem to me to be in the opposite direction. A sleeping man does not cease to know himself to be, or to be himself. That consciousness of personal identity survives dreams sufficiently show us. And therefore they that sleep know themselves to be, and know where they rest.

3. Waking. Sleep is a parenthesis. If the night comes, the morning comes. They shall be satisfied when they awake with His likeness. Conclusion: Now, then, the risen Christ is the only ground of such hope, and faith in Him is the only state of mind which is entitled to cherish it. Nothing proves immortality except that open grave. Every other foundation is too weak to bear the weight of such a superstructure. The old Greek architects were often careless of the solidity of the soil on which they built their temple, and so many of them have fallen in ruins. The temple of immortality can be built only upon the rock of that proclamation, Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. (A. Maclaren, D.D.)

Fallen asleep

Yes, the companions of Jesus died one by one. Consider the great value of such men and of all good men to the Church, and the loss caused by their removal. Yet no word of lamentation is used. It is not said that they have perished, or passed into the land of shades, but that they are fallen asleep. The spirit is with Jesus in glory: the body rests till His appearing. Fallen asleep suggests a very different idea from that which distressed the minds of the heathen when they thought of death.

I. The figure here used.

1. An act of the most natural kind: fallen asleep.

(1) It is the fit ending of a weary day.

(2) It is not painful, but the end of pain.

(3) It is so desirable that, if denied, we should pray for it.

(4) It is most sweet when the place of our sleep is Jesus.

2. A state of which rest is the main ingredient.

3. A position of safety from a thousand dangers, such as beset the pilgrim, the worker, the warrior.

4. A condition by no means destructive.

(1) Neither destroys existence, nor even injures it.

(2) Should not be viewed as an evil.

5. A posture full of hope.

(1) We shall awake from this sleep.

(2) We shall awake without difficulty.

(3) We shall arise greatly refreshed.

II. The thoughts aroused by that figure.

1. How did we treat those that are now asleep?

(1) Did we value their living presence, work, and testimony?

(2) Ought we not to be more kind to those who are yet alive?

2. How can we make up for the loss caused by their sleep?

(1) Should we not fill their vacant places?

(2) Should we not profit by their examples?

3. How fit that we should also be prepared to, fall asleep!

(1) Is our house in order?

(2) Is our heart in order?

(3) Is our Christian work in order?

4. How much better that the faithful should fall asleep than that the wicked should die in their sins!

5. How patiently should we bear up under the labours and sufferings of the day, since there remaineth a rest for the people of God!

III. The hopes confirmed by that figure.

1. The sleepers are yet ours, even as those in the house who are asleep are numbered with the rest of the inhabitants.

(1) They have the same life in them which dwells in us.

(2) They are part of the same family. We are seven.

(3) They make up one church. One church above, beneath.

2. The sleepers will yet awake.

(1) Their Fathers voice will arouse thrum.

(2) They shall be awake indeed: full of health and energy.

(3) They shall have new clothes to dress in.

(4) They shall not again fall asleep.

3. The sleepers and ourselves will enjoy sweet fellowship.

(1) Sleep does not destroy the love of brothers and sisters now.

(2) We shall arise as one unbroken family, saved in the Lord.

Conclusion:

1. Let us not hopelessly sorrow over those asleep.

2. Let us not ourselves sleep till bed-time comes.

3. Let us not fear to sleep in such good company.

Death as sleep

Gods finger touched him, and he slept. (Tennyson.)

Sleep the time of growth

Physiologists hold that it is during sleep chiefly that we grow; what may we not hope of such a sleep in such a bosom? (S. T. Coleridge.)

After that He was seen of James.--

Seen of James

Words soon read and soon forgotten, but conveying to the thoughtful reader a world of instruction. All Scripture … is profitable, etc. These incidental allusions are meant to challenge inquiry.

I. Who was James? The Lords brother (Gal_1:19). Whether the son of Mary, or the son of Joseph by a former wife, or our Lords first cousin, it is impossible to say with certainty. All we can say is that the relationship was very close. The incident is illustrative of Christs mindfulness of His brethren according to the flesh. The touching incident on the Cross is paralleled here. In His humiliation He did not forget His mother. In His glory He did not forget His brethren. Nor does He now (Heb_4:13-15).

II. When did Christ appear to James? Placed where this brief account of the incident is, we should infer that it occurred during the forty days, and Act_1:14 confirms this. The appearance was therefore--

1. Early.

2. Tangible.

III. Why did Christ appear to James? To convict and remove his unbelief. Christ appeared to three types of unbelievers.

1. To Thomas the pious sceptic.

2. To Paul the inveterate disbeliever.

3. To James the scoffing unbeliever (Joh_7:3-5)--the hardest of all, as experience shows, to convince.

In each case, however, unbelief gave way to faith. Faith is the faculty which grasps the meaning of the vision of Christ; but the appearance of Christ is necessary to quicken the faith which apprehends it. Christ now appears to unbelievers in His Word, providence, etc. Lord, open their eyes!

IV. What effect did the appearance of Christ have on James? This we can estimate by what James afterwards became.

1. President of the Church at Jerusalem.

2. The chairman of the Apostolic Synod.

3. The writer of the most practical Epistle of the New Testament.

The vision of Christ is the inspiration of all Christian usefulness. The original disciples (Joh_1:1-51) and Paul saw Christ for themselves, hence were able to describe Him to others and to lead others to Him.

V. What is the evidential value of this appearance? James was called the Just, by Jews as well as Christians. No man was less likely to deceive or be deceived. (J. W. Burn.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co 15:5. And that he was seen of Cephas — As mentioned Luk 24:34, who saw him before any of the other apostles. He appeared, indeed, after his resurrection, first of all to Mary Magdalene: but as no woman was employed to testify his resurrection to the world, St. Paul did not think it necessary, in exhibiting the proofs of Christ’s resurrection, to mention any of his appearances to the women. Then of the twelve — That company of apostles so called, though several of the number were not present when he appeared. Macknight thinks, that in this expression all our Lord’s appearances to his apostles, from the time he arose, to the time he showed himself to the five hundred brethren at once, are comprehended; namely, his appearance to the apostles on the evening of the day on which he arose, and on the eighth day thereafter, and at the sea of Tiberias, as also every other appearance to them which the evangelists may have omitted to relate; for that they omitted some is certain.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

15:5 He was seen by Peter: See Luke 24:34. • then by the Twelve: See Matt 28:16-17; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36; John 20:19.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

1Co 15:5. κηφᾷ, of Cephas) Luk 24:34.—δώδεκα, twelve) Luk 24:36. It is probable that Matthias was then also present. Photius in his Amphilochia and others read ἕνδεκα.[133]

[133] D corrected later, Gfg. Vulg. and MSS., alluded to in Augustine, Photius, and Jerome, read ἔνδεκα. But AB Orig. 1, 434e read δωδεκα.—ED.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co_15:5. Res tanti momenti neque facilis creditu multis egebat testibus, Grotiu.

Κηφᾷ] Comp. Luk_24:34.[29]

εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα] Joh_20:19 ff.; Luk_24:36 ff. After the death of the traitor, there were indeed only eleven (hence several witnesses read ἕνδεκα, comp. Act_1:26), nay, according to John l.c., Thomas also was absent at that time; but comp. the official designations decemviri, centumviri, al., where the proper number also was often not complete. To reckon in Matthias (Chrysostom, Oecumenius, Theophylact, Bengel, and others) would make a needless prothysteron of the expression. It may be added that under the ὤφθη we are always to conceive of but one act of appearing, as is especially clear from 1Co_15:8; hence we are not in connection with ΤΟῖς ΔΏΔΕΚΑ to think of a combination of Joh_20:19 ff. and Joh_20:26 ff. (Osiander, van Hengel, and others), to which some have even added John 21. That Paul narrates the series of appearances chronologically, should not have been questioned by Wieseler (Synopse der Evang. p. 420 f.), who assumes only an enumeration of the individual cases without order of time. It is implied necessarily in the words of historical continuation themselves (ἔπειτα ὤφθη), as well as in their relation to ἜΣΧΑΤΟΝ ΠΆΝΤΩΝ, 1Co_15:8. Comp. also 1Co_15:23-24; 1Co_15:46.

[29] According to Holsten, z. Ev. d. Paul. u. Petr. p. 115 ff., the appearance made to Peter also (like all the following ones) was a vision, the determining occasion of which was the perplexing contradiction between the once living and the now dead Messiah.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co 15:5 . καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ , εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα : so much of the evidence P. states as having been formally delivered to the Cor [2269] along with the facts attested; for these two clauses are under the regimen of παρέδωκα (1Co 15:3 ). The manifold testimony was detailed with more or less fulness at diff [2270] times; but P. seems always to have related imprimis the witness of Kephas and the Twelve, beside the revelation to himself (1Co 15:8 ). The Lord’s manifestation to Peter (on the form Kephas , see 1Co 1:12 ) preceded that given to the body of the Apostles (Luk 24:34 ). Peter’s evidence, as the witness of Pentecost and ἀπόστολος τ . περιτομῆς , was of palmary importance, ἀξιόχρεων εἰς μαρτυρίαν (Thd [2271] ), esp. in view of the consensus to be asserted in 1Co 15:11 ( cf. 1Co 1:12 ). ὤφθη with dat [2272] , appeared (pass, aor [2273] , in reflexive sense: see Bm [2274] , pp. 52, 187), is used of exceptional, supernatural appearances (see parls.). “The twelve,” the college of the App., without exact regard to number: actually ten , wanting Judas Iscariot, and Thomas absent on the first meeting. Luke speaks on this occasion of “the eleven (the Western reading here) and those with them,” Luk 24:33 ; Paul cites the official witnesses.

[2269] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[2270] difference, different, differently.

[2271] Theodoret, Greek Commentator.

[2272] dative case.

[2273] aorist tense.

[2274] A. Buttmann’s Grammar of the N.T. Greek (Eng. Trans., 1873).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5-8. We now have a list of the official Witnesses to the Resurrection of Christ, beginning with the first of the Apostles and ending with ‘the least’ of them. The form of the sentence shows that at least the first two on the list, St Peter and the Twelve, had been quoted by St Paul to the Corinthians. Very likely the others had been quoted also, although the cessation of the ὅτι after v. 5 (perhaps simply to end a prolix sentence) leaves this doubtful. Of course St Paul had told them of his own experiences respecting the Risen Christ; and he probably knew of other witnesses not mentioned here. See Thorburn, The Resurrection Narratives and Modern Criticism, pp. 86 f.

5. καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη Κηφᾷ. ‘And that He appeared to Kephas.’ The coincidence with the incidental remark Luk 24:34 (comp. Mar 16:7) is noteworthy. Peter is first in all the four lists of the Apostles, and is expressly designated as πρῶτος in Mat 10:2. For this reason a special appearance to him would be natural. But we may venture to say that his denial of his Lord and consequent dejection made an appearance to him necessary. He needed to be absolved and restored. When he and John ran to the sepulchre after the tidings brought by Mary Magdalen, John believed, but apparently Peter did not, that the Lord had risen. And then the Lord appeared to him, and the completeness of his restoration was brought home to him by the fact that he was allowed to be the means of convincing the other Apostles (Luk 22:32) that the Lord had risen indeed, because He had appeared to Simon (Luk 24:34). “The Apostle who had risen from his fall through the words of absolution that came from the Risen Christ was the first to bring the Gospel of the Resurrection home to the hearts of his fellows” (Swete, The Appearances of our Lord after the Passion, p. 16).* St Paul no doubt received this testimony from St Peter himself, when some eight years after the Resurrection he ‘went up to Jerusalem to make the acquaintance of Kephas’ (ἱστορῆσαι Κηφᾶν, Gal 1:18), and spent a fortnight with him. Henceforward, ‘He appeared to Kephas’ was part of St Paul’s own testimony respecting the Resurrection. It was during the same fortnight that St Paul had also seen ‘James, the Lord’s brother,’ and therefore was able to give the testimony which he had received at first hand from him also (v. 7). Both Peter and James had great weight with the party at Corinth which was opposed to St Paul. The Kephas party of course appealed to Kephas (1:12), and it is probable that the Christ party appealed to the Lord’s brother.

Excepting St John (1:43), St Paul is the only N.T. writer who uses the Aramaic name ‘Kephas’ of the first Apostle, always in this letter (1:12, 3:22, 9:5, 15:5), and usually in Gal. (1:18, 2:9, 11, 14), the only letters in which he mentions Peter, whom he calls ‘Peter’ twice (Gal 2:7, Gal 2:8).

The meaning of ὤφθη is determined by the context; either ‘was seen by,’ or ‘appeared in a vision to.’ Here ἐγήγερται decides for the former. Moreover, a mere vision would not make our being raised more probable; it was Christ’s having been raised and having been seen by competent witnesses that did that. The appearances to Mary Magdalen and to the two on the way to Emmaus are not mentioned, as not being official. St John does not count either of them when he counts three manifestations (ἐφανερώθη) of Jesus to His disciples (21:14), although he himself narrates the manifestation to Mary in much detail (20:11-18). Besides ὤφθη and ἐφανερώθη, we have also ἐφανέρωσεν ἑαντόν (Joh 21:1) and ἐφάνη ([Mark] 16:9) used of these appearances of Christ.

εἶτα τοῖς δώδεκα. ‘The Twelve’ is here an official name for the Apostolic body: only ten were present, for both Judas and Thomas were away. Similarly, the decemviri and centumviri were so called, whatever the exact number may have been. The name centumviri was retained after the number was increased beyond the hundred. Origen and Chrysostom needlessly conjecture that, after the Ascension, our Lord appeared to Matthias; and even that would not affect this statement.

In vv. 5, 6 there is frequent confusion in the MSS. between εἶτα and ἔπειτα. Here, εἶτα (B K L P) is to be preferred to ἔπειτα (א A 17, Eus. Chrys.) or καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα (D* F G). ἕνδεκα (D* F G, Latt. Goth.) for δώδεκα (א A B K L P, Syrr. Copt. Aeth.) is a manifest correction. St Paul nowhere else speaks of ‘the Twelve,’ and here he is repeating a traditional formula: Rev 21:14; Mat 19:28; Act 6:2.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Co_15:5

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

As the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact, it is to be proved by historical evidence. The apostle therefore appeals to the testimony of competent witnesses. All human laws assume that the testimony of two witnesses, when uncontradicted, and especially when confirmed by collateral evidence, produces such conviction of the truth of the fact asserted as to justify even taking the life of a fellow-creature. Confidence in such testimony is not founded on experience, but on the constitution of our nature. We are so constituted that we cannot refuse assent to the testimony of good men to a fact fairly within their knowledge. To render such testimony irresistible it is necessary,

1. That the fact to be proved should be of a nature to admit of being certainly known.

2. That adequate opportunity be afforded to the witnesses to ascertain its nature, and to be satisfied of its verity.

3. That the witnesses be of sound mind and discretion.

4. That they be men of integrity.

If these conditions be fulfilled, human testimony establishes the truth of a fact beyond reasonable doubt. If, however, in addition to these grounds of confidence, the witnesses give their testimony at the expense of great personal sacrifice, or confirm it with their blood; if, moreover, the occurrence of the fact in question had been predicted centuries before it came to pass; if it had produced effects not otherwise to be accounted for, effects extending to all ages and nations; if the system of doctrine with which that fact is connected so as to be implied in it, commends itself as true to the reason and conscience of men; and if God confirms not only the testimony of the original witnesses to the fact, but also the truth of the doctrines of which that fact is the necessary basis, by the demonstration of his Spirit, then it is insanity and wickedness to doubt it. All these considerations concur in proof of the resurrection of Christ, and render it the best authenticated event in the history of the world.

The apostle does not refer to all the manifestations of our Lord after his resurrection, but selects a few which he details in the order of their occurrence. The first appearance mentioned is that to Cephas; see Luk_24:34. The second occurred on the same day to the eleven and those who were with them, Luk_24:33-36. To this Paul refers by saying, then to the twelve; comp. also Joh_20:19. On this occasion, when the disciples were terrified by his sudden appearance in the midst of them, he said, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see the have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. Luk_24:38-40. The apostles collectively, after the apostasy of Judas, are spoken of as the twelve according to a common usage, although at the time there were only eleven.

Charles Hodge — Commentary on Romans (1835), First Corinthians (1857), and Ephesians (1856) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Of those twelve picked and chosen Apostles, which were commonly called twelve, though Judas was put out of the number.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

seen of Cephas--Peter (Luk 24:34).

the twelve--The round number for "the Eleven" (Luk 24:33, Luk 24:36). "The Twelve" was their ordinary appellation, even when their number was not full. However, very possibly Matthias was present (Act 1:22-23). Some of the oldest manuscripts and versions read, "the Eleven": but the best on the whole, "the Twelve."

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 5. That he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve] This refers to the journey to Emmaus, Luk 24:13, Luk 24:34; and to what is related Mr 16:14.

Then of the twelve] Instead of δωδεκα, twelve, ενδεκα, eleven, is the reading of D*EFG, Syriac in the margin, some of the Slavonic, Armenian, Vulgate, Itala, and several of the fathers; and this reading is supported by Mr 16:14. Perhaps the term twelve is used here merely to point out the society of the apostles, who, though at this time they were only eleven, were still called the twelve, because this was their original number, and a number which was afterward filled up. See Joh 20:24.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(5) That he was seen of Cephas.—From the indications of sequence here given we may conclude that the appearances here grouped together are arranged in chronological order. We have these appearances:—(1) To Cephas (see Luk_24:34). (2) To the Twelve—the phrase “the Twelve” being used to indicate, not the number of those present, but the group to which they belonged, as Decemviri might be used, or Hebdomadal Council, not to express the exact number but the corporate body—(see Luk_24:36; Joh_20:19). This was probably the appearance to the ten Apostles, and is distinguished from a subsequent appearance to “all the Apostles.” (3) To above five hundred brethren at once. This must have been in Galilee, for at a later date (see Act_1:15) the Church at Jerusalem consisted of only one hundred and twenty disciples. (See Mat_28:16-17, and Act_1:15.) (4) To James. This appearance is recorded only here and in the Gospel of the Hebrews, which is quoted by St. Jerome, “But the Lord, when he had given the sindôn” (the same word as that for the “linen garment,” in Mar_14:51) “to the servant of the priest, had a table brought out, and bread on it, which He blessed and gave to James, saying, ‘Eat thy bread now, brother, since the Son of Man has risen from the dead;’ for James had sworn that he would not eat bread from the hour in which he had drunk the cup of the Lord until he should see Him rising from the dead.” (5) To all the Apostles, Thomas being present (Joh_20:26). (6) St. Paul himself (Act_9:5). To these facts St. Paul appeals. Most of those who saw Him were alive. Their enemies were alive to dispute it if they could. The witnesses had nothing to gain, everything to lose by telling the truth. The evidence was set forth some twenty-five or thirty years after the occurrence of the alleged facts. The Apostle here maintains the truth of an historical fact. He appeals solely to historical proof, and accumulates a mass of historical testimony, such as in any matter of history, if produced so shortly after the occurrence, would be deemed overwhelming.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5. of Cephas] See Luk_24:34. St Paul and St John alone use the Aramaic form of the Apostle’s surname, the former only in this Epistle and once in the Epistle to the Galatians. This, coupled with the fact that St John only uses the Aramaic form in the narrative in ch. Joh_1:42, is one of those minute touches which speak strongly for the genuineness of his gospel.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And that he was seen of Cephas,.... Or Simon Peter; for Cephas was a name given him by Christ, Joh 1:42. This was not another Cephas, one of the seventy disciples, as Clemens suggests (g), but the Apostle Peter himself, to whom it is certain the Lord appeared. Not that he was the first person by whom Christ was seen after his resurrection, for he first appeared to Mary Magdalene, Mar 16:9 but the testimony of the women the apostle omits, and it seems as if Peter was the first of the men that saw Christ when risen, see Luk 24:34. Whether he was one of the disciples that went to Emmaus, to whom Christ joined himself, and entered into discourse with, is not certain; it should rather seem, that the appearance here referred to was when he was alone;

then of the twelve; though there were then but eleven of them, Judas being gone from them, and having destroyed himself; and at the first appearance of Christ to them, there were but ten present, Thomas being absent; and yet because their original number, when first chosen and called, were twelve, they still went by the same name; see Joh 20:24. The appearance or appearances here referred to are those in Joh 20:19. The Vulgate Latin reads the "eleven"; and so the Claromontane exemplar.

(g) Apud Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 1. c. 12.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:

Ver. 5. Seen of Cephas] Adam died, and we hear no more of him. But Christ showed himself after death in six several apparitions for our confirmation.

Then of the twelve] So they are called for the rotundity of the number, utcunque unus vel alter vel deesset eel abesset. Judas had made one long letter of himself, Longam literam fecit.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And that he was seen of Cephas - Peter; See the note at Joh 1:42. The resurrection of Christ was A fact to be proved, like all other facts, by competent and credible witnesses. Paul, therefore, appeals to the witnesses who had attested, or who yet lived to attest, the truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus; and shows that it was not possible that so many witnesses should have been deceived. As this was not the first time in which the evidence had been stated to them, and as his purpose was merely to remind them of what they had heard and believed, he does not adduce all the witnesses to the event, but refers only to the more important ones. He does not, therefore, mention the woman to whom the Saviour first appeared, nor does he refer to all the times when the Lord Jesus manifested himself to his disciples. But he does not refer to them in general merely, but mentions “names,” and refers to persons who “were then alive,” who could attest the truth of the resurrection. It may be observed, also, that Paul observes probably the exact “order” in which the Lord Jesus appeared to the disciples, though he does not mention all the instances. For an account of the persons to whom the Lord Jesus appeared after his resurrection, and the order in which it was done, see the notes on the Gospels.

Then of the twelve - The apostles; still called “the twelve,” though Judas was not one of them. It was common to call the apostles “the twelve.” Jesus appeared to the apostles at one time in the absence of Thomas Joh 20:19, Joh 20:24; and also to them when Thomas was present, Joh 20:24-29. Probably Paul here refers to the latter occasion, when all the surviving apostles were present.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

We read not in the history of the gospel of Christ’s appearing unto Peter, unless he were one of those to whom Christ appeared, as they were going to Emmaus; for which there is this probability, because when they came to Jerusalem, they told the rest, that the Lord was risen, and had appeared unto Simon, Luk 24:34 (if Simon Peter be there meant). His appearance to the whole number of the disciples we have recorded, Joh 20:19; they are called twelve, ( though Judas was now dead, and Thomas at that time was not there), because twelve was the number that God had appointed the college of apostles to consist of; so, Gen 42:13, the children of Jacob said they were twelve brethren, though they thought at that time that Joseph (who made the twelfth) was dead. This is much more probably the sense, than the fancy of some, that Barnabas, who was afterward chosen to supply the room of Judas, being at that time a disciple, might at that time be with them; for admit he were, yet Thomas, we are sure, was at that time absent.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5-8. From among the appearances of our Saviour after his resurrection, Paul selects six as amply sufficient. Renan says in his “Apostles,” that the nervous imagination of one woman, Mary Magdalene, at the sepulchre, has changed the state of the world. But as if to refute so sweeping a statement by anticipation, Paul entirely omits the testimony of Mary, and also of the other females. He adduces mostly the apostles; especially the two most eminent, Peter and James, a company of five hundred, and last of all, himself.

5. The twelve—Though Judas was dead and Thomas absent, so that they were but eleven, Paul calls the apostolic college by its habitual numerical title, the twelve. See our vol. ii, p. 81.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Was seen of Cephas. (Luk_24:34) (The appearances to the Joh_20:14, etc.) are omitted, as being evidential rather to the apostles than to the world. The twelve. (Joh_20:19, Joh_20:26) Some officious scribes have in some manuscripts altered the word into" the eleven." But "the twelve" is here the designation of an office, and great ancient writers are always indifferent to mere pragmatic accuracy in trifles which involve nothing. To witness to the Resurrection was a main function of "the twelve". (Act_2:23 Act_3:15 Act_10:40, etc.)

Vers. 5-11. Apostolic testimony to Christ"s resurrection, and testimony of others.

A prominent feature of Christ"s plan was to train the apostles to be his witnesses. Conceive what this involved: on their part, a discipline of the senses as inlets of the mind, close and patient attention, constant revisals of impressions, contentedness under mystery, boldness of statement, heroism in adhering to testimony. Along with these qualities, an experience of the truth in Christ as a transforming power was to impart a peculiar character to all they affirmed, so that Christ Jesus, living, dying, risen, exalted, glorified, was to be seen in them as well as through them. On the part of Christ, what condescension and sympathy, what painstaking, what persistent efforts, were necessary to make these rude Galileans competent to the duties of testifiers! "Ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning." To be messengers was not enough; they were to be witnesses also, for the "Holy Ghost shall come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." These men felt that they were Christ"s chosen witnesses, and that their testimony was the chief agency employed by the Spirit to save the world. It was natural, then, for St. Paul to begin his argument on the resurrection of the body by calling attention to the fact that the risen Christ "was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve." For the space of forty days he manifested himself at intervals to their senses, and during this intermediate period a special dispensation to the disciples, differing widely from all that went before or came after their education as witnesses, and particularly as witnesses of his resurrection, was carried on to the verge of completeness at Pentecost. In fact, Pentecost was the forty days consummated. And was this great training merely in the historical fact that he had risen? Forty days were not needed for this. Twenty-four hours after he had reappeared, all the twelve, except St. Thomas, were firm believers of the fact. But they were to feel the connection between his resurrection and death as spiritual truths of the highest moment, truths of the Divine government, truths of holy sentiment, and thus fitted for the full dispensation of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost. "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?" The heart, the burning heart, the heart of saving faith, this is the distinctive type of experience now, and, for the first time, Christian emotion as to its essential quality is brought into notice. St. Paul enumerates the witnesses: St. Peter, the twelve, the five hundred brethren, St. James; and adds, "all the apostles." Then he mentions himself: "Last of all, he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." Could he speak of this in the way simply of historical summation? Not he; memory was too active, feeling too acute, humility and gratitude too profound, for a bare logical statement. In an instant, the devout soul hastens to acknowledge what it never lost an opportunity of expressing its sense of God"s mercy in calling him, a persecutor of the Church of God, to the apostleship. "By the grace of God words often abused since he used them, but most sacred and glorious as he uttered them the grace of God I am what I am." That grace had not been bestowed in vain; nor does he hesitate to say that be had "laboured more abundantly than they all," and then "I" sinks out of sight, and it is all of grace. Notice the stages of the idea: born untimely; least of the apostles because he was guilty of persecution; the only man among them who stood against this dark background, but the light in the foreground is the more resplendent for that; not ashamed to confess his utter unworthiness in order to magnify the grace of God, and this grace deserving the entire honour of the more abundant labour. What an insight into the man! If, as we suppose, the hours when this chapter was written were extraordinary even in his wonderful mental history; if there was a fuller and closer interblending of his faculties than he had ever experienced; if human knowledge and culture then brought to inspiration their largest and richest tribute, and if inspiration brought to them its mightiest quickening; what could be more striking than the fact that in this very period of exaltation, when intellect was in the splendid array both of its endowments and acquisitions, and when the power of speech had suddenly possessed itself of new facilities of expression, he cannot proceed without pausing to bow his heart in adoration before the God of grace! Uppermost, indeed, was the thought of him who had "died for our sins," and the glory of Christ risen as personal to him and his apostleship was the grace shown to him as a persecutor of the Church of God. And we who read his glowing words, what finer privilege can the unfoldings of the human soul in literature give us, what privilege so fine as this in which the apostle of the Gentiles, rising above the levels of all common experience, speaks from a height which would be the abode of silence save that humility would offer its homage to the grace of Christ! The nobility of the man displays itself here; for, though labouring "more abundantly than they all," yet he claims no more than to be one of the witnessing company of the apostles. After all, it is not the individual testimony of St. Peter, St. James, St. Paul, but the concurrent and united evidence, that is the important fact. Years intervened between the forty days and the scene on the road to Damascus, and he comes with his later testimony to join the group of the earlier witnesses. "Whether it were I or they we are all agreed as to the appearance of the risen Lord we preach, and so ye believed. L.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By the twelve - This was their standing appellation; but their full number was not then present.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

then

(See Scofield "Mar 16:14").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and that he appeared to Cephas [ Luk_24:34 ]; then to the twelve [ Joh_20:26-29 . "The twelve" was an official name for the apostles, though there were but eleven of them at this time];

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

5. That he was seen of Cephas. He now gives the proof of these facts. The women saw Christ before Peter Cephas, but Paul names the witnesses who would carry most weight to the Corinthians. For the appearance to Peter, see Luke 24:34. Then of the twelve. See Matt. 28:17 and John 20:19, 25.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

If you need for verse 5 to be a complete sentence, end 1 Corinthians 15:4 with a comma so that verse 5 completes the sentence begun in 1 Corinthians 15:3.

appeared to

"showed himself to"

five hundred

500 (See: Numbers)

some have fallen asleep

"Sleep" here is a common euphemism for death. AT: "some have died" (See: Euphemism)

translationWords

Peter

the twelve

life

asleep

James (brother of Jesus)

apostle

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

5. Κηφᾷ. See Luk 24:34. St Paul and St John alone use the Aramaic form of the Apostle’s surname, the former only in this Epistle and once in the Epistle to the Galatians. This, coupled with the fact that St John only uses the Aramaic form in the narrative in ch. Joh 1:42, is one of those minute touches which speak strongly for the genuineness of his Gospel.

τοῖς δώδεκα. The official designation of the body of the Apostolate, from which however Judas had at that time ‘by transgression fallen.’

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

5.] That the following appearances are related in chronological order, is evident from the use of the definite adverbs of sequence, εἶτα, ἔπειτα, ἔσχατον δὲ πάντων. See examples in Wetstein. Wieseler, Chron. Synops. der vier Evv. pp. 420 f., attempts to disprove this, but certainly does not succeed in getting over ἔσχατον πάντων, ver. 8.

ὤφθη Κηφᾷ] See Luk 24:34.

τοῖς δώδεκα] used here popularly, as decemviri, and other like expressions, although the number was not full. The occasion referred to seems to be that in Joh 20:19 ff.; Luk 24:36 ff. Clearly we must not with Chrys., suppose Matthias to be included as possibly having seen Him after His ascension: for the appearance is evidently one and the same.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Was seen [ωφθη] . Rev., appeared. The word most commonly used in the New Testament for seeing visions. See on Luk 22:43. Compare the kindred ojptasia vision, Luk 1:22; Act 26:19; 2Co 12:1.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vv. 5. The two first appearances mentioned here, that to Peter in the course of the day of the resurrection, and that to the Twelve on the evening of the same day, are also mentioned by Luke (Luk 24:34-36); the second only by Joh 20:19 seq. Paul omits that to the two disciples going to Emmaus described in detail by Luke, and that to Mary Magdalene related by John. The reason no doubt is, that neither those two disciples, nor Mary, were of the number of the witnesses expressly chosen by the Lord.

The term ὤφθη may signify was seen, or appeared (in vision); in each case the context must decide. In this passage, after the word: He was raised (1Co 15:4), the choice is not doubtful; it can only designate, according to the writer’s view, a bodily appearance. This is also plain from the very object of this whole enumeration of apostolic testimonies. What is St. Paul’s aim? To prove our bodily resurrection. Now it is impossible to understand how a simple vision, a purely spiritual appearance of the Lord, could serve to demonstrate our bodily resurrection. — The appearance to Peter, mentioned here and in the passage of Luke, is one of the traits which reveals the close relationship between Paul’s tradition and the third Gospel.

The εἶτα, then, of the Vatic. and the Byz., separates the two facts less than the ἔπειτα, afterwards, of the Sinaït. and the Alex. The former reading is the better; for the appearing to the Twelve was much more closely connected with that to Peter than those which follow; comp. Luk 24:35-36. With greater reason must we set aside the reading of the Greco-Lats.: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, and after these things. The same MSS. read τοῖς ἕνδεκα, to the eleven, instead of τοῖς δώδεκα, to the twelve. This reading is either due to the reflection that Judas was wanting on that occasion, or it is borrowed from Luk 24:33. The Twelve were still the Twelve, notwithstanding the absence of one or even two of them (Thomas). For the term calls up above all the official character which had been impressed on them at the time of their election. Holsten suspects the authenticity of the last words, τοῖς δώδεκα, because of the difficulty of explaining their relation to the end of 1Co 15:7 (see on this passage). But notwithstanding the Greco-Latin variant (τοῖς ἕνδεκα), they are not really wanting in any document.

Thus far all was dependent on the verb παρέδωκα, I delivered unto you. But from this point the sentence breaks off, and the following appearances are stated in the form of independent propositions. Should we infer, with Heinrici, that Paul had not spoken at Corinth of the facts afterwards mentioned on the occasion of his first preaching? In any case that would not apply to the appearance mentioned in 1Co 15:8. Holsten thinks that Paul no longer remembered the limit between the appearances which he had mentioned and those he had omitted. But this even is unnecessary. He may very well have broken the construction in order to prevent the sentence from dragging.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.