1 Corinthians 15:3
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
Study Note
Study Note
Paul's formula 'I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received' introduces the earliest written account of the resurrection kerygma in the New Testament, almost certainly predating Paul's first letter to Corinth (c. 50–52 CE) by years and possibly by decades. The technical language of 'received' (parelaben) and 'delivered' (paredōka) is the standard vocabulary of oral tradition transmission in both Hellenistic and Jewish pedagogical settings (cf. Mishnaic pirqe avot), grounding the resurrection claim in established tradition rather than Pauline innovation. The formula's content — 'Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures' — identifies Isaiah 53 as the primary scriptural warrant and the death as having soteriological purpose built into its definition. The passage is the most important single text for historical investigation of the earliest Christian belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Other Translations
For I delivered unto you first of all that which also I received: that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
for I delivered to you first, what also I did receive, that Christ died for our sins, according to the Writings,
For I gave to you first of all what was handed down to me, how Christ underwent death for our sins, as it says in the Writings;
Cross References
Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because …
Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, …
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, …
Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified …
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the …
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of …
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.