This objection to the resurrection has to do with the reconstruction of the body out of the same physical elements that it formerly possessed. Obviously it would be impossible to reassemble the same cells to reconstruct a person after he or she had been dead for some time. This is the primary problem that Paul solved in the rest of this pericope. [source][source][source]
For example, if someone died at sea and sailors buried him, a fish might eat his body. The atoms and molecules of his body would become part of the fish. If a fisherman caught and ate the fish, its body would become part of the fisherman"s body. If the fisherman died and an undertaker buried him in the ground and someone eventually sowed wheat over his grave, the fisherman"s atoms and molecules would go into the wheat. A third person might eat the wheat, and so on. How could the first person"s body ever come together again?[source]
Context Summary
1 Corinthians 15:29-41 - This Body The Seed Of A Glorious One
The anticipation of the final resurrection enabled the early Christians to endure incredible sufferings. As one rank fell martyred, another was ready to step into its place; and the catechumens, or young believers, took the names of the martyrs, so as to perpetuate their testimony. With this hope in his heart Paul himself had confronted at Ephesus the tumult of the infuriated mob, Acts 19:1-41. Belief in this sublime undoing of the last effects of sin was one of the chief features in the conquering power of Christianity.
In every seed there is the germ of a new and beautiful growth, more elaborate and yet identical; so in each of us there is something which has the capacity and potentiality of furnishing another body, through which the emancipated spirit will be able to express itself more perfectly than it can in this body, which is composed of coarser materials. It is not difficult to believe in this, when we have seen the caterpillar become the butterfly. The world is full of wonderful and beautiful things. God's inventiveness reveals itself in a myriad differing organisms. It is by His will that the golden head of wheat is fairer than the little brown seed cast into the furrow; so it is His pleasure that the body which is to be shall surpass the present in glory. [source]
Chapter Summary: 1 Corinthians 15
1By Christ's resurrection, 12he proves the necessity of our resurrection, 16against all such as deny the resurrection of the body 21The fruit, 35and the manner thereof; 51and of the resurrection of those who shall be found alive at the last day
Greek Commentary for 1 Corinthians 15:35
But some one will say [αλλα ερει τις] Paul knows what the sceptics were saying. He is a master at putting the standpoint of the imaginary adversary. [source]
How [πως] This is still the great objection to the resurrection of our bodies. Granted that Jesus rose from the dead, for the sake of argument, these sceptics refuse to believe in the possibility of our resurrection. It is the attitude of Matthew Arnold who said, “Miracles do not happen.” Scientifically we know the “how” of few things. Paul has an astounding answer to this objection. Death itself is the way of resurrection as in the death of the seed for the new plant (1 Corinthians 15:36.). With what manner of body (ποιωι σωματι poiōi sōmati). This is the second question which makes plainer the difficulty of the first. The first body perishes. Will that body be raised? Paul treats this problem more at length (verses 38-54) and by analogy of nature (Cf. Butler‘s famous Analogy). It is a spiritual, not a natural, body that is raised. Σωμα Sōma here is an organism. Flesh (σαρχ sarx) is the σωμα sōma for the natural man, but there is spiritual (πνευματικον pneumatikon) σωμα sōma for the resurrection. [source]
With what manner of body [ποιωι σωματι] This is the second question which makes plainer the difficulty of the first. The first body perishes. Will that body be raised? Paul treats this problem more at length (verses 38-54) and by analogy of nature (Cf. Butler‘s famous Analogy). It is a spiritual, not a natural, body that is raised. Σωμα Sōma here is an organism. [source]
Flesh [σαρχ] (σαρχ sarx) is the σωμα sōma for the natural man, but there is spiritual (πνευματικον pneumatikon) σωμα sōma for the resurrection. [source]
How - with what [πῶς - ποίῳ] Rev., correctly, with what manner of. There are two questions: the first as to the manner, the second as to the form in which resurrection is to take place. The answer to the first, How, etc., is, the body is raised through death (1 Corinthians 15:36); to the second, with what kind of a body, the answer, expanded throughout nearly the whole chapter, is, a spiritual body. [source]
Body [σώματι] Organism. The objection assumes that the risen man must exist in some kind of an organism; and as this cannot be the fleshly body which is corrupted and dissolved, resurrection is impossible. Σῶμα bodyis related to σάρξ fleshas general to special; σῶμα denoting the material organism, not apart from any matter, but apart from any definite matter; and σάρξ the definite earthly, animal organism. See on Romans 6:6. The question is not, what will be the substance of the risen body, but what will be its organization (Wendt)? [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 1 Corinthians 15:35
1 Peter 1:11What time or what manner of time [εις τινα η ποιον καιρον] Proper sense of ποιος poios (qualitative interrogative) kept here as in 1 Corinthians 15:35,Romans 3:27, though it is losing its distinctive sense from τις tis (Acts 23:34). The prophets knew what they prophesied, but not at what time the Messianic prophecies would be fulfilled.The Spirit of Christ which was in them (το εν αυτοις πνευμα Χριστου to en autois pneuma Christou). Peter definitely asserts here that the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was in the Old Testament prophets, the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9), who spoke to the prophets as he would speak to the apostles (John 16:14).Did point unto Imperfect active of δηλοω dēloō to make plain, “did keep on pointing to,” though they did not clearly perceive the time.When it testified beforehand (προμαρτυρομενον promarturomenon). Present middle participle of προμαρτυρομαι promarturomai a late compound unknown elsewhere save in a writer of the fourteenth century (Theodorus Mech.) and now in a papyrus of the eighth. It is neuter here because πνευμα pneuma is neuter, but this grammatical gender should not be retained as “it” in English, but should be rendered “he” (and so as to Acts 8:15). Here we have predictive prophecy concerning the Messiah, though some modern critics fail to find predictions of the Messiah in the Old Testament.The sufferings of Christ “The sufferings for (destined for) Christ” like the use of εις eis in 1 Peter 1:10 “The after these things (sufferings) glories.” The plural of δοχα doxa is rare, but occurs in Exodus 15:11; Hosea 9:11. The glories of Christ followed the sufferings as in 1 Peter 4:13; 1 Peter 5:1,1 Peter 5:6. [source]
What do the individual words in 1 Corinthians 15:35 mean?
Butwill saysomeoneHoware raisedthedeadWith whatthenbodydo they come
Greek Commentary for 1 Corinthians 15:35
Paul knows what the sceptics were saying. He is a master at putting the standpoint of the imaginary adversary. [source]
This is still the great objection to the resurrection of our bodies. Granted that Jesus rose from the dead, for the sake of argument, these sceptics refuse to believe in the possibility of our resurrection. It is the attitude of Matthew Arnold who said, “Miracles do not happen.” Scientifically we know the “how” of few things. Paul has an astounding answer to this objection. Death itself is the way of resurrection as in the death of the seed for the new plant (1 Corinthians 15:36.). With what manner of body (ποιωι σωματι poiōi sōmati). This is the second question which makes plainer the difficulty of the first. The first body perishes. Will that body be raised? Paul treats this problem more at length (verses 38-54) and by analogy of nature (Cf. Butler‘s famous Analogy). It is a spiritual, not a natural, body that is raised. Σωμα Sōma here is an organism. Flesh (σαρχ sarx) is the σωμα sōma for the natural man, but there is spiritual (πνευματικον pneumatikon) σωμα sōma for the resurrection. [source]
This is the second question which makes plainer the difficulty of the first. The first body perishes. Will that body be raised? Paul treats this problem more at length (verses 38-54) and by analogy of nature (Cf. Butler‘s famous Analogy). It is a spiritual, not a natural, body that is raised. Σωμα Sōma here is an organism. [source]
(σαρχ sarx) is the σωμα sōma for the natural man, but there is spiritual (πνευματικον pneumatikon) σωμα sōma for the resurrection. [source]
Rev., correctly, with what manner of. There are two questions: the first as to the manner, the second as to the form in which resurrection is to take place. The answer to the first, How, etc., is, the body is raised through death (1 Corinthians 15:36); to the second, with what kind of a body, the answer, expanded throughout nearly the whole chapter, is, a spiritual body. [source]
Organism. The objection assumes that the risen man must exist in some kind of an organism; and as this cannot be the fleshly body which is corrupted and dissolved, resurrection is impossible. Σῶμα bodyis related to σάρξ fleshas general to special; σῶμα denoting the material organism, not apart from any matter, but apart from any definite matter; and σάρξ the definite earthly, animal organism. See on Romans 6:6. The question is not, what will be the substance of the risen body, but what will be its organization (Wendt)? [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for 1 Corinthians 15:35
Proper sense of ποιος poios (qualitative interrogative) kept here as in 1 Corinthians 15:35, Romans 3:27, though it is losing its distinctive sense from τις tis (Acts 23:34). The prophets knew what they prophesied, but not at what time the Messianic prophecies would be fulfilled.The Spirit of Christ which was in them (το εν αυτοις πνευμα Χριστου to en autois pneuma Christou). Peter definitely asserts here that the Spirit of Jesus Christ (the Messiah) was in the Old Testament prophets, the Holy Spirit called the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of God (Romans 8:9), who spoke to the prophets as he would speak to the apostles (John 16:14).Did point unto Imperfect active of δηλοω dēloō to make plain, “did keep on pointing to,” though they did not clearly perceive the time.When it testified beforehand (προμαρτυρομενον promarturomenon). Present middle participle of προμαρτυρομαι promarturomai a late compound unknown elsewhere save in a writer of the fourteenth century (Theodorus Mech.) and now in a papyrus of the eighth. It is neuter here because πνευμα pneuma is neuter, but this grammatical gender should not be retained as “it” in English, but should be rendered “he” (and so as to Acts 8:15). Here we have predictive prophecy concerning the Messiah, though some modern critics fail to find predictions of the Messiah in the Old Testament.The sufferings of Christ “The sufferings for (destined for) Christ” like the use of εις eis in 1 Peter 1:10 “The after these things (sufferings) glories.” The plural of δοχα doxa is rare, but occurs in Exodus 15:11; Hosea 9:11. The glories of Christ followed the sufferings as in 1 Peter 4:13; 1 Peter 5:1, 1 Peter 5:6. [source]