1 Corinthians 15:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

How then does the Gospel say, on the contrary, that Christ appeared first of all to Mary? Among the men, He appeared first to Peter, who especially desired to see Him.

Of what eleven apostles does Paul speak here, when Matthias was chosen after Christ's ascension, and not immediately after the resurrection? Probably He appeared also after the ascension. Therefore this very apostle was both chosen after the ascension and saw Him.

Paul does not indicate the time, but simply and indefinitely lists the appearances, which were probably many. Therefore John also says, 'This is now the third time He appeared' (Jn. 21:14).

'After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren.' Some say that the word 'more' means 'from above,' from heaven. That is, He appeared to them not walking upon the earth, but above, over their head, because He wished to assure them not only of His resurrection, but also of His ascension.

Others maintain that 'more than five hundred' means more than five hundred. 'Of whom the greater part remain to the present.' Though I am recounting past events, he says, I still have witnesses who are alive.

'But some have fallen asleep.' He did not say 'died,' but 'fallen asleep,' confirming by this expression also the truth of the resurrection.

'After that He appeared to James.' I think he means His brother. They say that He Himself ordained him and made him the first bishop in Jerusalem.

'Then to all the apostles,' because there were also other apostles, namely the seventy.

'Then last of all He appeared to me also, as to one born out of due time.' He says this more from humility. Christ did not appear to him after the others because he was lower than all. Although he calls himself last, he proved more glorious than many called before him, indeed than all.

Nor were the five hundred brethren better than James because Christ appeared to them before him.

Why did Christ not appear to all together? In order first to sow the seeds of faith. The first who saw Him and was fully assured spoke of it to others. Then the report spread, produced in the hearers expectation of this great wonder, and prepared the way for faith in His appearance.

Therefore Christ did not appear to all together, nor to many at the beginning, but first of all to one only, namely to the chief and most faithful of all. The most faithful soul had to be the first to be counted worthy of such an appearance.

Those who saw after others had seen, and when they had already heard from them, had no small help in their testimony. It disposed them toward faith and prepared the soul. But the first who was counted worthy to see the Lord needed great faith, as I have said, so as not to be troubled by the extraordinary sight.

For this reason Christ appeared first of all to Peter. The one who first confessed Him as Christ was rightly the first counted worthy to see His resurrection. Christ appeared first of all to him alone not only for this reason, but also because he had denied Him.

To comfort him completely and show that he had not been rejected, Christ counted him worthy of His appearance before the others and entrusted the sheep to him first.

For this reason He appeared first also to the women. Since their sex was subjected to humiliation, it was the first to be counted worthy of grace both at Christ's birth and at His resurrection.

After Peter, Christ appeared both to each separately and to few and to many, so that they might become witnesses and teachers for one another in this matter, and so that the apostles might be trustworthy preachers.

'Then last of all He appeared to me also, as to one born out of due time.' What does he wish to say here by these humble words, and for what reason? If he wishes to show himself trustworthy and to number himself among the witnesses of the resurrection, he ought to have done the opposite.

He ought to have exalted and magnified himself, as he does in many places when circumstances require it. Yet here he humbles himself because he intends to do the same thing, though not immediately, but with his characteristic prudence.

First he humbles himself and says many reproachful things about himself. Then he magnifies his deeds. Why? So that when he says of himself the great and lofty statement, 'But I labored more abundantly than they all' (1 Cor. 15:10), his words may be beyond suspicion and received as spoken in the course of the discourse, not by design.

So also in the epistle to Timothy, when he intends to say something great about himself, he first sets forth his offenses. Whoever says something great about others speaks boldly and confidently. But whoever is compelled to praise himself, especially when presenting himself as a witness, feels shame and blushes.

Therefore this blessed man first humbles and then magnifies himself. He does this both to soften the unpleasantness of self-praise and to give credibility to the words that follow.

By speaking truthfully about what deserves condemnation, and by concealing nothing of this kind, for example, that he persecuted the Church and laid waste the faith, he makes his praiseworthy deeds also beyond doubt.

And see how great his humility is. Having said, 'Then last of all He appeared to me,' he was not satisfied with this, since the Lord says, 'Many who are first will be last, and the last first' (Mt. 19:30). He adds, 'as to one born out of due time.'

Nor does he stop there, but adds his own judgment and gives the reason: 'For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God' (1 Cor. 15:9).

[...] See how he abounds in words of humility: 'Then last of all,' he says, 'He appeared to me.' In this way he does not compare himself with anyone else. And by saying, 'as to one born out of due time,' he acknowledges himself last of the apostles, and even unworthy of that name.

Not content with this, he wished to show that his humility was not only in words, and so he gives reasons and proofs. He is one born out of due time because he saw Jesus after all the others. He is unworthy of the name apostle because he persecuted the Church.

One who humbles himself only in words does not act this way. But one who also gives reasons speaks everything from a contrite heart. He mentions the same thing elsewhere: 'I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man' (1 Tim. 1:12-13).

Paul says "the eleven" here because, after Christ's resurrection, only eleven Apostles remained. Judas had already lost apostolic grace through his betrayal, "and he went and hanged himself" (Mt 27:5) (Chrysostom on this passage).

But did the Lord not appear also in particular to Matthew, as He appeared to Paul and James? Or was Matthew one of the five hundred brethren to whom the Lord appeared? Who were these five hundred brethren? Where did Christ appear to them, and how, to each separately or to all together?

Neither the Gospel nor the Acts of the Apostles mentions this. Only the divinely inspired Paul says that Christ appeared to more than five hundred brethren. He also says that "He appeared to James, then to all the Apostles." Here, by Apostles, he does not mean the eleven whom he mentioned above, but the seventy disciples.

Of these five hundred brethren, he says, very many remain alive even until now, "but some have fallen asleep." Here the word "fallen asleep," used of the saints, stands in place of "died." The Apostle said, "of whom the greater part remain," in order to make his hearers more certain of the truth of his words. Anyone who doubted their correctness could ask the still-living witnesses who had seen the Lord after His resurrection from the dead.

Amid this noisy whirl of city bustle, in one modest upper room, the disciples of Christ were gathered. All their thoughts were concentrated on awaiting the Teacher. "Peace be to you," sounded the loving voice of the Teacher, who had unexpectedly stood in their midst.

No doubt now troubled the disciples. Their whole being was occupied by boundless love for their Teacher and by sorrow at the coming separation. The last farewell discourse began. The content of such conversations is understandable.

In them the essence of the whole teaching is set forth. The Teacher places His soul into the souls of His disciples, on whom rests all His hope that His teaching will not die, but will live in His living successors.

The divine Teacher made a brief review of all His former teaching. "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you," He reminded His disciples. Then He set before them the Old Testament prophecies about Him, running in an unbroken chain, all that was written concerning Him "in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms."

Much here was still incomprehensible to the disciples. Therefore the Teacher "opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you.'"

The disciples listened to the divine speech, and the sorrow of separation was covered by joy. There was joy at the enlightenment of the mind, before which the mysterious realm of God's divine economy opened ever more widely. There was also joy at the promise which the Teacher gave them (Lk 24).

Among these appearances, the appearance to Peter deserves special attention. It is not mentioned in the Gospel, yet it was essentially necessary for him before the others. St. John Chrysostom observes: "He who first confessed Him as the Christ was rightly the first to be counted worthy to see His resurrection. And Christ appeared first of all to Peter alone not only for this reason, but also because Peter had denied Him, so that He might comfort him completely."

The Apostle Paul could have heard about the appearance of the risen Lord to Peter from Peter himself. The testimony concerning the Lord's appearance to more than five hundred is also remarkable. Their testimony could be especially important because the greater part of them were alive when the Apostle wrote, and perhaps he himself had seen them.

Then the Apostle speaks of the appearance to the eleven, or, according to the accepted reckoning, to the twelve Apostles (cf. Jn 20:21); to the Apostle James, whom, according to John Chrysostom, He Himself appointed Bishop of Jerusalem; and to all the other Apostles, who were then among the seventy.

Were they not chosen by the Lord Himself from among those who believed after the resurrection? Having reviewed all these appearances, St. Chrysostom concludes: "Christ did not appear to all at once after the resurrection. At first He appeared separately, in order first to sow the seeds of faith in a few, and through them prepare all for faith.

"For the one who first saw Him and was fully assured told others about it. Then what was said spread, produced in those who heard it an expectation of the great wonder, and prepared the way for faith in the appearance. Therefore Christ did not appear to all together at once, nor to many at the beginning.

"Those who saw after others had seen, and when they had already heard from them, had in their testimony no small aid disposing them to faith and preparing the soul. Before all He appeared to the chief Apostle alone. After Peter He appeared also to others separately and together, to few and to many, so that they might become witnesses and teachers to one another in this matter. Thus the matter proceeded. But the most trustworthy witnesses and preachers of the resurrection are, without doubt, the Apostles."