The enigmatic words “οι
βαπτιζόμενοι ύπέρ τών νεκρών" found in I Cor. 15:29 have been subject to
various interpretations, but they have usually been understood to refer to some
form of vicarious baptismal rite intended to benefit somehow those who have
died. Such a rite would be meaningless if a man's fate had been fully
determined during his lifetime; and in view of this difficulty some
commentators have asserted that, although the Apostle tolerated the rite, he
did not approve of it. Such a suggestion, however, appears somewhat forced, and
a better explanation is that Paul had no reason to condemn the rite because he
believed that the final opportunity for salvation would not precede the end of
the age. (John T. Townsend, “1 Corinthians 3:15 and the
School of Shammai,” Harvard Theological Review 61, no. 3 [July
1968]: 503)
