Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received,in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word Ipreached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died forour sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on thethird day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to thetwelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whomare still alive, though some have fallen asleep.