If Christ Did Not Rise

Si autem Christus praedicatur, quod ex mortuis resurrexit; quomodo dicunt quidam inter vos, quoniam resurrectio mortuorum non est? Si ergo resurrectio mortuorum non est, neque Christus resurrexit. Si autem Christus non resurrexit, inanis est praedicatio nostra, vacua est et fides vestra. Haec a falsis apostolis erant tradita, qui Christum neque natum, neque in carne passum, neque resurrexisse asserverabant: quos et Joannes apostolus denotat, quod Christum in carne venisse negabant. Unde dicit: Qui negat Christum in carne venisse, hic est Antichristus: et qui negat Filium, nec Patrem habet. Isti ambulant, et quorumdam fidem, ne imprudentes a mundi sapientibus judicarentur, subvertebant; quia prudentes saeculi stultum judicant, cum audiunt resurrectionem mortuorum. Quod si, inquit, verum est quia Christus non resurrexit, falsi sumus praedicatores, et fides vestra inanis est. Hoc enim crediderunt, Apostolo praedicante, quia mortui resurgent, et hac spe attracti sunt ad fidem. Quod utique ad detrimnetum illorum proficere asserit, si crediderunt quod futurum non est: et pudoris est, ut aliquis profitentur hoc se credidisse, quod falsum est. Et verecundiam ergo illis incutit, et labores illorum dicit infructuosos; si quod a falsis apostolis audierunt, verum est, quia mortui non resurgent: quod nemo utique de se patitur audire; ut videntes hoc contra se esse, reverterentur ad primam fidem. Ambrosiaster, In Epistolam Beati Pauli Ad Corinthios Primam, Caput XV Source: Migne PL 17.262c-263a

For if Christ is preached as rising from the dead, how can some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, nor did Christ rise. And if Christ did not rise, our preaching is vain and our faith is empty. 1 These things were taught by false apostles, who proclaimed neither the birth of Christ, nor his suffering in the flesh, nor his resurrection, those who the Apostle John designated as those who denied that Christ had come in the flesh, whence he says: 'He who denies Christ has come in the flesh, he is Antichrist, and he who denies the Son, denies the Father.' 2 These go about and overthrow the faith of certain folk, lest they be judged foolish by the wise of the world, because the wise of this world judge it witless when they hear of the resurrection of the dead. Yet if, he says, it is true that Christ did not rise, then we are false teachers and your faith is vain. So he contends that it is to the increase of their harm if they have believed that which shall not be and it is shameful that someone confesses he believes that which is a lie. And therefore he strikes them lightly, saying that their labours are fruitless if they listen to these false apostles, and it is true that the dead do not rise, and that thus no one should suffer to hear them, but seeing this to be opposed to them, that they should return to the faith which they first received. Ambrosiaster, Commentary On The First Letter of Saint Paul To The Corinthians, Chapter 15 1 1 Cor 15.12-13 2 1 Jn 4.3