He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.
Parallel translations
- WEB and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
- KJV And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
- BSB and that He appeared to Cephas and then to the Twelve.
- NKJV and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.
- NASB and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The risen Christ appeared to Cephas (Peter) and then to the twelve. It matters because eyewitnesses confirm the resurrection as historical fact.
Overview
Paul lists named witnesses to underscore that the resurrection was not a private idea but publicly attested. Peter and the apostolic circle saw the risen Lord, lending firsthand testimony to the gospel claim. Such verifiable witnesses distinguish the Christian message from myth and ground faith in real events.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mark 16:14Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
- John 20:19–26When therefore it was evening, on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the middle, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
- Acts 1:2–14until the day in which he was received up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
- 1 Cor 1:12Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
- John 1:42He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
- Luke 24:34–49saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
- Acts 10:41not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
- 1 Cor 9:5Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
- 1 Cor 3:22whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. All are yours,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 15:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.