What Does Paul Mean by ‘Baptism for the Dead’?

Dan Doriani Near the middle of his great reflection on the resurrection, the apostle Paul pauses to ask his readers: “What do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf” (1 Cor. 15:29)? The phrase “baptism for the dead” is so obscure and perplexing, the meaning so uncertain...