The apostles’ message was centred on the resurrection of Jesus Christ (see, e.g., Acts 2:29–36; Acts 10:39–41; Acts 17:31–32). It is possible to translate the first part of this verse as, “now if Christ is proclaimed because he has been raised from the dead.”

The phrase the dead simply refers to dead people (or dead bodies). To say that Christ was raised from the dead is to say that he is no longer to be found among those who have died and are lying in their graves. He was raised from among them. This is a clear way of affirming that Christ’s body was resurrected.

Paul reprimands those among the Corinthians who say that there is no resurrection of the dead. It seems that the focus of these people was not on Christ’s own resurrection, but on the possibility of resurrection in general and on the future resurrection of believers.