Evidence · Case 01 · Historical Jesus
The set form of the wording
One exhibit from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
The summary has a balanced, repeating structure (that Christ died, that he was buried, that he was raised, that he appeared) and uses words that are not typical of Paul’s own writing.
Sources
analysis of the creedal structure at
Objections & responses
- Stylistic arguments are subjective. Paul could write in a balanced, formal style whenever he wanted to.
The argument does not rest on style alone. The passage uses vocabulary Paul never uses elsewhere (the Twelve, according to the Scriptures, the particular form of he appeared), it carries Aramaic-flavored features such as the name Cephas, and Paul himself introduces it as tradition he received. Style is one of several converging signals. That is why the pre-Pauline character of the formula is accepted across the scholarly spectrum, not only by apologists.