Wedderburn, A. J. M.
Baptism and Resurrection

Studies in Pauline Theology against Its Graeco-Roman Background.

The common assumption that Romans 6 and 1 Corinthians 15 reflect a borrowing of ideas from Graeco-Roman mystery-initiations is not the likeliest explanation of these texts nor does justice either to recent studies of the mysteries nor to the difficulty in reinterpreting 'resurrection' to refer to a spiritual state which the baptized enjoyed in the present. Spiritual phenomena may have shown early Christians in the Graeco-Roman world that they had 'life', but not 'resurrection'. 'Dying with Christ' has other roots than the mysteries and the latter should not be interpreted in the light of Paul, but dying and coming to life again is a theme common to a great many rites of passage. X,487 Seiten, Leinen (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament; Band 44/Mohr Siebeck 1987) leichte Lagerspuren/minor shelfwear