Paul finds no need to explain “baptism
on behalf of (υπερ)
the dead.” His readers are familiar with it. Unfortunately, modern-day
readers may be uninformed. Since the word υπερ can be translated variously as “on behalf of,” “over,” and “beyond,”
it makes for a wide range of possible and often bizarre interpretations. The
most viable theory is that certain individuals (“those people” v. 29a) are
being baptized by proxy on behalf of the dead to assure they have a place in
God’s future kingdom. Paul does not condemn the practice, but uses it to argue
for a resurrection, i.e., if a person is not raised from the dead, why do
the Corinthians participate in a ritual that symbolizes resurrection? (R. Alan Streett,
Caesar and the Sacrament—Baptism: A Rite of Resistance [Eugene, Oreg.:
Cascade Books, 2018], 135, emphasis in bold added)
