Texts in Conversation
1 Corinthians uses the imagery of sowing and reaping to describe the eschatological resurrection, language that echoes the description of the final resurrection in 1 Enoch, suggesting that both texts derive from a common Jewish tradition.
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1 Enoch 62:8
Pseudepigrapha
7 From the beginning, the Son of Man was hidden, and the Most High preserved him in the presence of His power, and revealed him to the chosen. 8 The congregation of the chosen and holy shall be established, and all the chosen shall stand before him on that day. 9 All the kings, the mighty, the exalted, and those who rule the earth will fall down before him on their faces, worship him, place their hopes in the Son of Man, and ask for mercy from him. 10 Yet the Lord of Spirits will compel them to leave His presence quickly, their faces filled with shame, and darkness will deepen upon their faces.
Date: 200-50 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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1 Corinthians 15:42
New Testament
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon and another glory of the stars, for star differs from star in glory. 42 It is the same with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living person”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Date: 55-57 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In verses 11-15 Jesus shifts from the divine initiative represented in the sowing of the seed to the human responses to it represented in the various soils. The transition from seed to hearers' responses is expressed awkwardly in verses 12-13 where "those along the path / rock" refer not to seeds, as we should expect, but to hearers. Some scholars regard this disagreement as evidence of a later interpretation of the church that was projected onto Jesus' This fact alone does not prove that the interpretation in verse 11-15 derives from a later period. Parables, by nature, are similes, i.e., they establish likenesses, and likenesses are rarely exact. Parables do not follow strict rules of logic. Indeed, there are several instances where Jewish tradition speaks of the faithful being "planted" as they are here (Hosea 2:23; Jeremiah 31:27; 1 Enoch 62:8; 2 Esdras 8:41) The apostle Paul also speaks of the sowing of people (1 Corinthians 15:42-48), as does the Shepherd of Hermas (9.20.1; 3.7.3) ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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