What is Baptism for The Dead? – 1 Corinthians 15:29

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes a rather curious passing statement about something he calls “baptism for the dead.”

For otherwise, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?

1 Corinthians 15:29

The term “baptism for the dead” is the most striking and mysterious part of the passage. Not only is this the only place in scripture where it appears, but the Apostle does not explain its meaning. Consequently, the last two millennia have witnessed a number of interpretations. According to N. H. Taylor, some estimates suggest there have been over two hundred different views put to paper. However, none have proven conclusive.

Baptism for the Dead in Church History

Whatever “baptism for the dead” was, it should be noted that it doesn’t seem to have been controversial in the first century. 1 Corinthians 15:29 is the only place in the New Testament where it appears. The chapter itself isn’t even about Baptism; on the contrary, 1 Corinthians 15 is an argument for the validity of the doctrine of the resurrection. It’s very likely the term wouldn’t have even appeared in the New Testament if it wasn’t for its utility to Paul’s point.

The concept also seems to have escaped the oral tradition passed down to the church fathers. Our earliest non-New Testament source who mentions “baptism for the dead” was Tertullian, who was writing between 155 and 220 AD. In his commentary on 1 Corinthians, Tertullian admits he has no idea what Paul is talking about.

“’What,’ asks he, ‘shall they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not?’ Now, never mind that practice, (whatever it may have been.)”

Against Marcion, Book V, chapter 10

In church history, 1 Corinthians 15:29 only became controversial when a Gnostic teacher named Marcion began presenting a particular interpretation called “proxy baptism.”

Proxy Baptism

In a nutshell, proxy baptism is a baptismal rite performed by a living person on behalf of a deceased individual. The living person or “proxy” is immersed in water on behalf of the dead person. Practitioners believe that the deceased receives all the spiritual benefits of baptism through the proxy. This can include everything from enlightenment to salvation.  

Here is a description from John Chrysostom detailing the way the followers of Marcion practiced it in his day.  

“when any Catechumen departs among them, having concealed the living man under the couch of the dead, they approach the corpse and talk with him, and ask him if he wishes to receive baptism; then when he makes no answer, he that is concealed underneath says in his stead that of course he should wish to be baptized; and so they baptize him instead of the departed,”

Homilies on 1 Cor. 40.1

The proxy baptism interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15 was heavily condemned by many leaders in the early church. Writers such as Tertullian, Didymus, Epiphanius, Chrysostom, and Eznik of Kołb are good examples. In the year 397, the Council of Carthage banned the practice outright.

Proxy Baptism Today

In the modern era, proxy baptism is only practiced by a handful of groups. The most notable organization is the Mormon Church, which still holds proxy baptismal ceremonies for anyone with a recorded name. According to doctrines and covenants, Joseph Smith himself ordained the practice.

Though proxy baptism does seem like a natural interpretation of the statement “baptized for the dead,” it is unlikely that Paul supported or taught this form of baptism. In fact, he may have even been fighting against it.

Did The Apostles Teach Proxy Baptism?

There are many theological and philosophical reasons why proxy baptism is not a Christian practice. However, because the idea is attributed to Paul, illustrating the disconnect between the Apostle and the tradition is probably the most efficient argument to explore in this article.

If the Apostles taught baptism through proxy, then we should expect it to appear in the Apostolic tradition. The ability to give salvation to a deceased loved one is not the kind of thing that gets set to the side and forgotten. Particularly in the context of the first century when people were being converted out of pagan families.

The strong rejection of proxy baptism in the second century also further indicates it was not taught by the apostles or practiced in the church. This suggests that it didn’t come from the apostolic tradition but was a later interpretation of 1 Corinthians 15:29. J. David Stark puts it like this.

Interpretations of Baptism for The Dead

So, if Paul wasn’t suggesting that the Corinthians practice proxy baptism, what was he talking about?  Well, as stated above, there are many competing views.

Ambrosiaster

Sometime around 366 AD, an unknown writer known as Ambrosiaster (or Pseudo-Ambrose) wrote a commentary on Paul’s letters. According to him, 1 Corinthians 15 does, in fact, refer to proxy baptism. His analysis is interesting because he is the only early writer, aside from Marcion, to make this suggestion. He says that if someone in the Corinthian church died before finishing their baptismal preparations, a substitute would be immersed in their place.

However, unlike the Gnostic teacher, he prefaced his opinion with the idea that Paul was not endorsing the practice but referenced it because of its argumentative utility. In other words, Paul is saying something along the lines of, “Why are (or were) you getting baptized for the dead if there is no resurrection?”

A Pauline Polemic

A similar train of thought also suggests that Paul was referring to proxy baptism. However, this perspective argues that the right was not being practiced by the church but by an outside group (possibly proto-Gnostics) who had been turning the Corinthians away from belief in the resurrection. According to this view, verse 29 is a polemic targeting the inconsistency inherent in the group’s rejection of the resurrection and the practice of proxy baptism.

This reading makes sense when the section is taken as a whole. Most of chapter fifteen is spent speaking to the Corinthian church about the resurrection. However, in verse 29, Paul seems to shift the spotlight from Corinth to another unidentified group. After making his point, he appears to shift back to the believers.

The Relevant Verses of 1 Cor.15

But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?……

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins….

(The switch)

Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them?….

(The switch back)

And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I face death every day…..

1 Corinthians 15:12, 14-15, 17, 29, 30

If there were, in fact, groups influencing the theology of believers in Corinth, then it would make sense for Paul to attack their theology and intellectual credibility. More evidence for this perspective can be seen in the warning to avoid bad company at the end of the chapter.

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34

Tertullian on Baptism for The Dead

“This therefore Paul recalling to their minds said, if there be no resurrection, why are you then baptized for the dead ? i.e., the dead bodies. For in fact with a view to this are you baptized, the resurrection of your dead body, believing that it no longer remains dead.”

Homilies on 1 Cor. 40

Epiphanius on Baptism for The Dead

 Epiphanius quotes another interpretation, which, incidentally, was also favored by Calvin. This perspective suggests that the “dead” person in Paul’s passage refers to catechumens (people becoming Christians) who were at death’s door. In other words, baptism for the dead is a term for emergency baptisms.

“But others explain the text satisfactorily by saying that, as long as they are catechumens, the dying are allowed baptism before they die because of this hope, showing that the person who has died will also rise, and therefore needs the forgiveness of his sins through baptism.”

The Panarion of Epiphanius of Salamis, 28:6.5

“Paul, however, here simply mentions a custom that was sacred, and in accordance with the Divine institution — that if a catechumen, who had already in his heart embraced the Christian faith, saw that death was impending over him, he asked baptism, partly for his own consolation, and partly with a view to the edification of his brethren…..

They were, then, baptized for the dead, inasmuch as it could not be of any service to them in this world, and the very occasion of their asking baptism was that they despaired of life.“

John Calvin

Baptized in Honor of The Dead

Another somewhat modern view argues that baptism for the dead refers to a baptism that is made, in part, to honor the dead. Andrew Menkis elegantly lays out this view in a TGC article.

 “They are baptized in honor of someone whose prayers or evangelism brought them to faith. For example, maybe Grandma prayed for your salvation throughout your youth, and you became a Christian after she died. On this theory, baptism for the dead would simply mean you’re honoring Grandma’s role in your salvation.”

Andrew Menkis

John MacArthur also argues for this view.

“living believers who give outward testimony to their faith in baptism by water because they were first drawn to Christ by the exemplary lives, faithful influence, and witness of believers who had subsequently died….”

John MacArthur

Final Thoughts About Baptism for The Dead

Because Paul never clarified the meaning of the term, it is impossible to know for sure what he was referencing in 1 Cor. 15:29. However, we can assume the Corinthians understood the term and its connection to the resurrection. Moreover, a survey of church history can help us narrow down the number of possible readings. So, though we do not know what “baptism for the dead” was, the text is still profitable for the believer.

Sources

1. N. H. Taylor – “Baptism For The Dead (1cor 15:29)?”
2. J. David Stark – Traditional Conflict Management: How Early Interpreters Address Paul’s Reference to Those Baptized for the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:29)
3. D&C 127:6
4. Ambrosiaster – Comm. 1 Cor. 15:29
5. Tertullian – Against Marcion, Book V, chapter 10
6. John Chrysostom – Homilies on First Corinthians, chapter 40
7. Epiphanius – The Panarion, 28:6.5
8. John Calvin – Comm. 1 Cor. 15:29-34
9. Andrew Menkis – Should Christians Baptize on Behalf of the Dead?
10. MacArthor – “The MacArthur Study Bible” 1 Cor. 15:29