From: RWGreaves@aol.com
Date: Tue Dec 12 1995 - 16:18:31 EST
Bob,
I read your question on the B- Hebrew Mailing list, using 1 corinthians
15:37, 42-49 as a possible objection to burying one in the church and an
objection to cremation. Most of the objections that have been raised by
christians to either issue (burial of church members, and/or cremation) are
largely of an interpretational nature.
Often times interpretive dialogs and debates are very worthwhile and
fruitful. Though not entirely, this is more true of meanings searched out of
the very point of a text or a clear phrase within it. However, many
hobby-horse riders love to pick obtuse meanings out of an unexplained offhand
comment from a text that deals largely with an entirely differnt issue at its
central focus. It seems to me that we are using poor exegetical skill if we
use a tangental meaning from a text to "prove" a point.
The point in 1 Corinthians 15 is to discuss the reality of the coming
ressurerection and to offer some insight into the distinctive differences
between the earthly and heavenly bodies. The issues of "burying/not burying"
or" in the church/not in the church" or of "cremation/vs no cremation" are
strained through a strange seive. This makes 1 cor 15 a poor proof text for
such an issue.
The points question seems contradictory from a practical standpoint because
if one was to interpret these verses as not permitting burial in the church
and also not permitting cremation then I suppose the only option left is to
just let dead bodies lie whereever they fall so that they may await the
resurection there. The old testament's declaring cerimonialy unclean anyone
who touches a dead body and offering a cerimony for making clean again those
who do, seems to prefer that someone somehow disposes of these bodies
somewhere.
The text of first corinthians chapter fifteen uses a farming analogy to
describe the difference between the seed that is planted and what is reaped.
The planting metaphore seems to me to imply disposal by burial. The fact
that the body that is raised is very much unlike the body that is planted
seems to me to place little concern for exactly how the body that is planted
comes to be disposed of. And since it is a metaphore there is no need to
think of planting as restricted only to planting in the ground, but rather
planted somewhere upon the earth so as to be raised a heavenly body. All
cremated remains remain somewhere upon the earth?! Do they not?
In short, my answer is really not a solution to your question, but rather, a
disolution of the question. I see nothing in the text to validate the
question. Even from a standpoint of original language, reading greek, hebrew
or english does not change the nature of the question to the text or the
answer because the objection is raised from a tangental interpretation of
what is discussed in the text regardless of what language you are reading it
in.
You might advise your potential episcopal client to express empathy to his
church member's concerns, but that the member seems to be making a point that
strays widely from the focus of the text itself.
sincerely,
Robert W. Greaves Jr.
Bob Greaves Guitar Repair
88 St. Charles Street
Johnson City, NY 13790
RWGreaves@aol.com
GuitarCare@aol.com
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