Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of Christ, part 26.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We have been discussing the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians, which is Paul's treatise on the resurrection of Jesus.

And we come now to discussing the structure and the content of the tradition that Paul

handed on. Let's read again this tradition that Paul himself received from those in Christ before him,

and which he then passed on to his converts in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 15, 3 to 5.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received. And now comes this four-line

formula. That Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried,

and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared

to Kaphos, then to the 12.

Now notice that this formula has a structure of four lines which are parallel to each other.

The first and third lines are parallel, the second and fourth lines are parallel to each other.

Nevertheless, each of the lines begins with, in the Greek, the words kai haiti, that is to say, and that. And often these are

omitted in English translations, but they're there in the Greek. That Christ died and that he was

buried and that he rose and that he appeared. And this grammatically unnecessary enumeration of the

events serves to show that each line is a separate fact. It is equally important, equally emphasized.

It orders them, as it were, first, second, third, and fourth, so that these are the central

facts of the Passion of Christ, as we see from a comparison of this outline with the passion narrative in the

Gospels. Now, Paul then begins to pile up additional witnesses in the ensuing verses. After saying

he appeared to Capus, then to the 12, there seems to come a break here. That seems to be the end of the

formula, but then Paul adds more witnesses that he's aware of. Then, he says, he appeared to more

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