ESV Reformation Study Bible – 1 Cor 15:29
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1 Cor 15:29

15:29 baptized on behalf of the dead. Apparently some in Corinth were being baptized on behalf of others who had already died. This practice is not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible or in other ancient writings. Numerous explanations of the practice have been proposed, all of them speculative and none persuasive. Paul mentions the rite only to show the logical inconsistency of his opponents’ position.