of being "raised" is compared to the springing of a plant from a seed, or, which is the same thing, to its germ's receiving a vegetable body, it is apparent that the verb "is raised" has, here, the actual sense of "is unfolded," or "is unfolded into;" "is developed," or "is developed into." And it may be worthy of note in this connection, that the word here rendered "is raised," primarily imports "is awakened," or "is aroused," the figure thus being that the rudimentary plant, or second body, is in a manner dormant within the kernel, or first body, until after this body is "sown." Sixth. As has been said, the thing metaphorically sown is plainly "the earthly body." This expression might therefore be properly supplied as a nominative to the verb "is sown.' But a proper nominative to the verb "is raised " can not so readily be supplied; since the real subject of the affirmation has no specific name in even the modern languages, much less in the ancient. This fact, so far as the Greek is concerned, was perhaps the reason why Paul left both the verbs in mention without any nominatives expressed. Had he but said, at the beginning of the sentence, " To soma speiretai," The body is sown, the sense of the next verb, (egeiretai,) now simply "is raised," would clearly have been "it is raised; and, though he had left all the rest of the nominatives, as now, wholly blank, the word "it" would have been understood before each repetition of each of the two verbs throughout the sentence; and he thus unquestionably would have taught, whether he intended it or not, and he clearly did not,that the body which is raised is the identical one that is sown. - Seventh. That entity which the apostle would here have us understand is awaked-roused-raised-developed or unfolded in the anastasis of a deceased person, is that particular portion of man's essential nature (, unnamed, and, for the most part, ignored,) from which, on the death of the earthly organism, or "animal body," arises, by the contriv ance and appointment of God, that super-earthly organism denominated "a spiritual body," through connection with which body each of the so-called dead is, in the scriptural sense, incorruptible and immortal. Note. In the absence of any specific name, the entity in mention may be styled a "spiritual germ,' or the germ of a spiritual organization. The following rather paraphrastical rendering of the passage placed at the head of this chapter, and a pretty free translation of the same which follows that, present, in connection, a rather brief and pretty fair synopsis of my views as to the subject indicated by the title of this chapter: "In such manner, also, is brought about the raising of the dead: that pertaining to us which is symbolized by a kernel of grain, is sown in corruptibility; that within us answering to what becomes unfolded into a plant, is raised in incorruptibility: the former of these is sown in dishonor; the latter is raised in glory: the former is sown in weakness; the latter is raised in power: the former is sown an animal body; the latter is raised a spiritual body." (See Chap. xxxvi., where the supplied words in the above are put in brackets.) Or, "In a manner somewhat analogous to the above-mentioned circumstances, is also effected the passing of human beings from the present into the future mode of existence: The earthly body loses its vitality, the spiritual germ within it, survives, and The earthly body loses its vitality, the spiritual germ within it, survives, and The earthly body loses its vitality, the spiritual germ within it, survives, and Though death is commonly affirmed of persons, as where Paul says, "In Adam all die," it is, in at least one instance, affirmed of the human body, as when James says, "The body without the spirit is dead." (Chap. ii. 26.) So in the passage above in hand, though the topic under consideration is verbally the resurrection of the dead, or the raising of dead persons, the apostle, in giving the philosophy of such resurrection, teaches a raising not of persons, (that is, not verbally so,) but-of something appertaining to a person. He usually mentions "the dead," and affirms that they "are raised;" (persons and plural number;) but, in this passage, he says, "is raised," using an inflection of the verb agreeing with some subject in the singular, which subject or nominative is manifestly neither man, nor the spirit of man, for it is plainly declared to be "raised a spiritual body." And his thus saying, in amount, "So is the raising of dead persons," and then adding, "It is raised," &c., instead of "They are raised," is what constitutes the apparent "solecism," or example of "false syntax," alluded to in the fore part of this chapter. CHAPTER XXXI. THE PRIMITIVE GOSPEL. THE apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Christians at Corinth, takes up the subject of the resurrection, and treats it at considerable length. And it is a noteworthy fact that he prefaces his remarks with what, to the persons addressed, was fully equivalent to an extended account of Christ, especially as to His death, burial, resurrection, and subsequent appearings to his friends. Of course, the apostle does not put all this into a few brief paragraphs; but he expressly and specially reminds the brethren that in his first discourses to them while with them, the topics presented were the great facts of the Gospel History, so which facts, he also reminds them, Christians, had received and believed. them know, moreover, that, in similar circumstances, the other apostles, as well as himself, followed the same style of sermonizing at that present time: called, they, as He lets "I declare to you the Gospel which I preached to you, which also ye have received. "I delivered to you, first of all, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day. • ; and after that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; after that... of above five hundred brethren at once; that, . of James, then of all the apostles. "And last of all he was seen of me also. "So we preach, and so ye believed." 1 Cor. xv. 1–11. The Corinthian brethren, by thus recalling, as they could scarcely avoid doing, the particular topics presented orally by Paul in his first sermons among them, must have been much better prepared than they otherwise could have been, to appreciate the propriety and force of his written argument for the actual resurrection of the dead, based upon the well-attested and, in their case, admitted fact of the actual resurrection of Christ. The writer of this work is strongly impressed with the conviction that something akin to apostolical preaching might not be altogether unprofitable in this the 19th century. Were such preaching at all common, the writing of this and of the three following chapters would, in his estimation, be far less needful than it is at present. He writes them with the hope that by the perusal of them, in connection with the one immediately following them, the great gospel-divulged Fact of the existence of a resurrection world, where the human departed are living in a spiritual mode of being, may the more clearly and vividly be perceived by his readers to be a fact-an existing reality a present verity as really and as verily such as is this earthly state. It is by no means probable that in tracing that part of the Gospel History which is the subject of the three following chapters, the writer will be so fortunate as to be altogether successful in the attempt to give the true order of events. From the fragmentary accounts left to us by those of the early evangelists who reduced to writing their respective Gospels, or Memoirs of the Saviour, it is no easy matter, if indeed the thing is at all possible, to compile a continuous, coherent, consistent, not to say complete narrative of the Life of Christ, or even of any considerable portion thereof. |