In What Form the Bodies Rise: the Natural and the Spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:39–44)

In explaining the form in which the bodies will be raised, holy Paul aa) first enumerates the very properties of the future bodies (1 Cor. 15:39–44); and then presents bb) the foundation that this is how it must be and not otherwise, namely according to the economy of our salvation (1 Cor. 15:45–50).

The body will be raised the same, so that each person will recognize the body in which he is raised as his own proper body—the very same body he wore in his former life; but it will possess altogether different qualities. It will be the same, yet not the same. What properties the future body of ours will possess is shown by (β) the Apostle below (1 Cor. 15:42–44); but before that, he sets before our attention (α) the diversity of bodies on earth and in heaven (1 Cor. 15:39–41). Why does he do this? If his intention had been to clarify, by means of this, in what different glory our bodies will be raised, then, in subsequently making an inference about the properties of the future body (1 Cor. 15:42–44), he would have presented those properties in such a way as to make it clear that they belong to different degrees of those who are to be raised. But he presents them thus: although they are diverse, they belong to each and every raised body. There is a comparison between the body as it is buried in the earth and the body as it will rise. The difference between them is great to the point of opposition; they stand apart in their properties as heaven stands apart from earth. Meanwhile, on entering into this comparison, he says: “and so too the resurrection of the dead,” suggesting that he intends now to make an inference from what he has just said—namely from the indication of the diversity of earthly and heavenly bodies (1 Cor. 15:39–41). From this we gain the thought that, in enumerating these different bodies, his intent was to say one thing only: behold how coarse and dim the earthly bodies are, and how bright and luminous the heavenly bodies are. Such will be the difference between the bodies that die and the bodies that are to be raised.

1 Cor. 15:39. Not all flesh is the same flesh, but there is one kind for humans, another for beasts, another for fish, another for birds.

He enumerates almost all the classes of earthly organisms, or bodies, so as to present more vividly that although they differ by degree of perfection, all are of one kind—coarse, fleshly, perishable, easily decomposed. The essential characteristic in all of them as organisms is one; the differences concern the external manifestation of that essential characteristic.

1 Cor. 15:40. And there are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies; but one is the glory of the heavenly, and another that of the earthly.

By heavenly bodies the Apostle means the sun, moon, and stars, as is evident from the flow of his discourse, and not, as some suppose, the bodies of Angels. By earthly bodies he means those he has enumerated and all others like them. He says: there are also heavenly bodies, as there are earthly. But the heavenly are altogether different from the earthly. They are luminous, unchanging, firm, constant. A simple glance is enough to see how much more glorious the heavenly bodies are than the earthly. This point seems to be the chief one with the Apostle. And he says it for the purpose of leading the mind to the thought that just as heavenly bodies differ from earthly, so the future bodies will differ from the present ones.

1 Cor. 15:41. One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, another the glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

Just as above, when speaking of earthly bodies, the Apostle was not content to speak of them in general but enumerated their various kinds, so here, speaking of heavenly bodies, he is not content to speak of them in general but likewise enumerates them as they appear to ordinary sight: sun, moon, and stars. They are of different degrees, but all of one rank—luminous bodies shining upon the earth. He enumerates them so as to hold attention upon them longer and to establish in the mind that they are altogether not the same as earthly bodies. Heaven with its bodies is, in common opinion, the representative of all that is best and most perfect, just as earth is the representative of all deficiency and weakness.

In all these passages (1 Cor. 15:39–41) the Apostle had no intention of indicating a difference in the glory of the raised according to their moral difference; his discourse aims to make clear that the raised body will indeed be the same, but in its perfections will be incomparably higher than the present one. This is what he indicates by two kinds of bodies—earthly and heavenly. However, this passage may also be understood as indicating a difference in future bodies according to moral condition. So do all our interpreters explain it. The earthly bodies, they say, represent sinners, while the heavenly represent the righteous; the various kinds of each represent different degrees of sinfulness and righteousness. Holy Chrysostom says: Having proven the truth of the resurrection, the Apostle now proves that there will be great difference in glory then, although the resurrection is one. Dividing all into two classes—the righteous and the sinners—he then divides these two classes into many parts, showing that the righteous and sinners will not receive equal lot, that not all the righteous will be equal with the righteous, nor all sinners with sinners. The first division—of righteous and sinners—he makes in the words: “heavenly bodies and earthly bodies,” understanding by earthly the latter, and by heavenly the former. Then he shows the difference among the sinners themselves in the words: “not all flesh is the same flesh, but one flesh for fish, another for birds and beasts,” for although all are bodies, some are more, others less insignificant, both in manner of life and in structure. Having said this, he then turns to heaven and says: one glory to the sun, another glory to the moon. Just as there is difference among earthly bodies, so too among heavenly ones; there is difference not only between the sun and moon, between the moon and stars, but also among the stars themselves, for although all are in heaven, some have more glory, others less. What then do we learn from this?—That although all the righteous will be in the kingdom of heaven, not all will receive equal blessedness; and the sinners, although all will be in Gehenna, will not all be tortured equally. Therefore he also adds: “and so the resurrection of the dead;” so it will be then—great difference.

Having brought the mind to contemplate the difference of future bodies from present ones, as heavenly bodies differ from earthly, the Apostle now explicitly states the very features of the difference.

1 Cor. 15:42–44. And so it is with the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, raised in incorruption; sown in dishonor, raised in glory; sown in weakness, raised in power; sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.

Such are the features of the difference! The present body is corruptible, dishonored, weak, natural; the future will be incorruptible, glorious, powerful, spiritual.

“Likewise.” To what does this comparison correspond? It seems it should be referred to verses 36 and 37. You, what you sow, does not come to life unless it dies—and you do not sow the future body, but the bore grain, which must die so that from it may come forth a new and better body. So, he says, it will be in the resurrection: our body will be raised with altogether different properties from those with which it is laid in the earth. Then verses 39–41, the indication of the diversity of bodies—might it not be better to count them as an introductory discourse, prompted by the word that God gives to each seed its own body, leaving ourselves free to understand them without being constrained by the flow of the discourse? Holy Chrysostom himself speaks of them: Why did the Apostle turn aside from the resurrection here?—And although thereafter he says: he did not turn aside; but he understands them independently of the flow of the discourse. This is noted because in all this section it is difficult to establish definiteness in conceptions and their combination.

In a word: “sown” indicates the burial in the earth of dead bodies (holy Chrysostom). But in the comparison are taken the present bodies in general, as they appear on earth, and not only those as they appear in the tomb and grave, though it is there most evidently revealed what they are. We must think thus because among the features of sown bodies stands also that they are natural, when the soul is already gone from them; and also that they are in weakness, which does not wholly apply to bodies placed in the grave.

The features contrasted between present and future bodies are self-evident.

“Sown in corruption,” so that it will decompose into the elements of which it is composed. In two or three days it undergoes foul decomposition (Theodoret). But it is also corruptible in its very essence. Being itself composed and maintained through the decomposition of consumed food and then through their forced combination within by the action of vital force, and not by simple chemical affinity, it is already destined that, as soon as this life-giving principle departs from it, it will fall apart and decompose by the action of chemical process, which holds dominion outside, against which it existed until then.

“Raised in incorruption.” It will be raised so that it can no longer be considered destined for decomposition. It will be composed and maintained not through the decomposition and combination of coarse substances taken within, and therefore it will itself be free from decomposition. The Apostle said before that God will do away with the belly: the mode of life will then be different, and the body’s constitution will be different. The vital force, which now labors over the construction and maintenance of the body, struggling with coarse matter to produce from it particles capable of being vivified—then it will be in direct connection with the very source of all-vivifying force, and will drink from it life, or what is necessary for life.

“Sown in dishonor.” What is more shapeless than a dead, decayed body? (Holy Chrysostom). Our body, apart from decay, although more honorable than all earthly bodies, has lost its true honor. For this reason creatures do not render it fitting honor. It ought to be bright, but it has darkened, thickened by the coarse substances entering into it. The bodies of the saints, in hours of intense spiritual awakening, shone bright, like the Savior’s transfiguration on Mount Tabor; and this light was visible to others. And animals obeyed them, perceiving in them the fragrance of Adam’s body as it was before the fall, as those who report on this explain. This and similar things—for example, the opening of sight to perceive the distant and hidden, of hearing to hear the song of angels, of smell to perceive in a thing the passion with which it was given, of movement to be in another place without leaving one’s own—all this and similar things manifesting in the body of the saints filled with grace do not belong to the present age but to the future, and testify only to how diminished in honor and glory our present body is in its ordinary state.

“Raised in glory.” Glorious means bright and luminous. Those manifestations of the body’s glory in the grace-filled already make clear how glorious the future body will be, freed from the denseness of coarse matter; but we cannot now fully determine and imagine that glory. It has not yet been revealed what we shall be. Writing to the Philippians, holy Paul defined it thus: “he will transform the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory” (1 Cor. 3:21). Our humble, degraded, and shamed body will be glorious, like the body of the Lord Savior. That suffices for us.

“Sown in weakness.” What power can there be when there is neither motion nor sensation!—But in general our body is very weak: a little labor and it grows weary; a little waking and sleep overcomes it; the slightest unfavorable contact from foreign elements and it is struck with illness; how much time is needed to move from place to place, how much effort to lift something, how many precautions to escape unpleasant external influences—clothing, shelter! We are accustomed to all this and it seems to us to be in the order of things. No, it is unfitting for the king of earthly creatures to appear in such weakness.

“Raised in power.” Then nothing will overcome it (holy Chrysostom). It will receive imperishable power (Theodoret). Not omnipotence is promised, but what is intelligible to us—the removal of all that now makes it weak. It will be active without fatigue, alert without the need of sleep, not subject to painful and destructive influences from outside, swift in movement as thought, powerful enough that in the execution of its due it will encounter no obstacles from extraneous things and elements, and the like.

“Sown a natural body, raised a spiritual body.” From many conceptions connected with the words natural body and spiritual body, the most fitting here seems to be to see—a body prone to passions and a body free from passions.

Our interpreters explain these words thus. Theodoret writes: The Apostle calls natural what is governed by the soul, and spiritual what is administered by the Spirit. Holy Chrysostom says: What are you saying? Is this body not spiritual? It is spiritual, but that one will be much more so. Now the great grace of the Holy Spirit often departs when someone falls into grave sins; but then it will not be so; rather, the Spirit will continually dwell in the flesh of the righteous and will dominate in it, although the soul will also be present. Thus the Apostle understood either something similar when he said spiritual—or that it will be lighter, more refined, and able to move even through the air—or, better, both. The same is said by Oecumenius and Theophylact. Photius, according to Oecumenius, interprets: This mortal body of ours is natural because it serves the passions; the natural body will be raised spiritual because it will no longer serve the passions—and this not only for the righteous but also for sinners. The seat of passions, their support and instrument—this is the body when the soul is not filled with the Spirit. A soul filled with God’s Spirit arms itself against the passions and casts them out of the body. Therefore spiritual is the same as passionless, and natural is the same as passionate.

Having enumerated and clarified all the stated oppositions in the features of bodies—present and future—holy Chrysostom adds: If you do not believe what is said, then look at the heavenly bodies, so bright, unchanging and never aging, and believe that God can make corruptible bodies incorruptible and much better than the visible. Let us draw the conclusion from this that, according to holy Chrysostom too, the differences of bodies mentioned above were made only so as to show the superiority of heavenly bodies over earthly and in this to present a reflection of the superiority of future bodies over present ones.

“There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.” Now people read: if there is a natural body, then there is also a spiritual body. To the thought this adds neither clarity nor force. The Apostle could have uttered this as a direct affirmation. And that would be clearer. There is, that is, there can be, a body, both natural and spiritual. But to condition it so that, if there is a natural body, then there is a spiritual body, is not quite fitting.

Theophylact cites the opinion of Origen, that spiritual body means an ethereal body, most refined, while natural is our coarse organism, heavy, motionless, burdened with many needs. One can understand it that way, but this does not present much difference from our understanding—natural as passionate and spiritual as passionless.

In the words natural body and spiritual, the Apostle seems to have combined all the distinguishing features of future bodies compared with present ones. That is why, in proving that according to the economy of our salvation it must be so, he is guided chiefly by the conceptions natural and spiritual.