Objection · Case 01 · Historical Jesus
Paul says in Galatians 1:12 that he received his gospel by revelation, not from any man. So doesn’t “received” in 1 Corinthians 15:3 mean received from Christ directly?
One objection from the free evidence repository at apologetics.pro.
Response
The two passages are about different things. In Galatians Paul is defending his authority as an apostle and his understanding of what the gospel means (justification apart from the law), not the bare facts of Jesus’s death and resurrection. In 1 Corinthians 15 the vocabulary of delivered and received is the standard rabbinic language for passing on a tradition, and what follows has the rhythmic, non-Pauline structure of a memorized formula. Nearly all scholars, including Ehrman and Lüdemann, read it as pre-Pauline tradition.
About this exhibit
This objection is to The handed down formula (1 Corinthians 15:3).
In 1 Corinthians 15:3, written in the 50s AD, Paul introduces his summary with wording that means he is passing on a tradition he received from others rather than composing it himself. He says he…
Under Claim 04: The belief that Jesus rose from the dead predates Paul’s letters and was not invented by Paul.