John Calvin Commentary 1 Corinthians 15:32

"If after the manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus, what doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." — 1 Corinthians 15:32 (ASV)

If according to the manner of men—He brings forward a notable instance of death, from which it might be clearly seen that he would have been worse than a fool if a better life were not reserved for us beyond death, for it was an ignominious kind of death to which he was exposed. “To what purpose would it be,” he says, “for me to incur infamy in connection with a most cruel death, if all my hopes were confined to this world?” According to the manner of men, means in this passage in respect of human life, so that we obtain a reward in this world.

Now, by those that fought with beasts, is meant not those who were thrown to wild beasts, as Erasmus mistakenly imagined, but those who were condemned to fight with wild beasts—to furnish amusement for the people. There were, then, two kinds of punishment that were totally different: to be thrown to wild beasts, and to fight with wild beasts.

For those who were thrown to wild beasts were immediately torn in pieces; but those who fought with wild beasts went out armed into the arena, so that if they were endowed with strength, courage, and agility, they might make their escape by dispatching the wild beasts. Furthermore, there was a game in which those who fought with wild beasts were trained, like gladiators. Usually, however, very few escaped, because the man who had dispatched one wild beast was required to fight with a second, until the cruelty of the spectators was satiated, or rather was melted into pity. And yet, men were found so abandoned and desperate, as to hire themselves out for this!

And this, I might remark by the way, is that kind of hunting that is punished so severely by the ancient canons, since even civil laws brand it with a mark of infamy.

I return to Paul. We see to what an extremity God allowed His servant to come, and how wonderfully, too, He rescued him. Luke, however, makes no mention of this fight. Hence, we may infer that Paul endured many things that have not been committed to writing.

Let us eat and drink—this is a saying of the Epicureans, who regard man’s highest good as consisting in present enjoyment. Isaiah also testifies that it is a saying used by profligate persons (Isaiah 22:13). When the prophets of God threaten them with ruin to call them to repentance, these individuals, mocking those threats, encourage themselves in wantonness and unbridled mirth. To show their obstinacy more openly, they say, “Since we must die, let us meanwhile enjoy our time, and not torment ourselves prematurely with empty fears.”

As for what a certain General said to his army, “My fellow soldiers, let us dine heartily, for we shall sup today in the regions below,” that was an exhortation to meet death with intrepidity and has nothing to do with this subject.

In my opinion, Paul used a jest common among abandoned and desperately wicked persons or (in short) a common proverb among the Epicureans to the following effect: “If death is the end of man, there is nothing better than for him to indulge in pleasure, free from care, as long as life lasts.” Sentiments of this kind are found frequently in Horace.