Re: PRWTOTOKOS

From: Stephen Long (steve@allegrographics.com)
Date: Mon Nov 09 1998 - 11:25:33 EST


GregStffrd@aol.com wrote:

>
> Of course, man is made in God's image, also, and that hardly makes us part of
> his essence.The author of Hebrews, in 1:2-3, makes it clear that Christ is not
> merely the reflection of God's glory, but the CHARAKTHR THS hUPOSTASEWS. This
> is about as temporal as you can get, for one cannot be the CHARAKTHR of
> another, and be temporally equal, otherwise, why is one the CHARAKTHR of the
> other, and not vice versa? Does anyone know of a non-temporal use of
> CHARAKTHR?
>
> There is some event which triggered the "reproduction" of God in Christ. Also,
> I do not believe anyone is denying that Christ has a divine essence, but there
> is nothing to suggest that he shares a Godhead Beingess with the Father, nor
> that they are temporally equal. The descriptions "firstborn" CHARACTHR, "Son,"
> MONOGENHS and others are all used of Christ, but not for God the Father, and
> there must be some reason for that, especially since those who use such words
> in Scripture do not say anything about their using such descriptions in a
> sense different from how they are typically understood.
>
> Greg Stafford
>
>

I guess I'll have to input my $.02. Good ol' Adam Clarke was very adamant about the
sonship of Jesus refering exclusively to the physical incarnation of Jesus. In his
Christiology, the preexistant Christ was hO LOGOS, the physically incarnated Jesus
was MONOGENHS hUIOS. So PRWTOKOS refers to the physically incarnated Christ, not the
preexistant LOGOS. Where we get confused in Col 1:15 is the time frame, because we
read hOTI EN AUTW EKTISTQH, we assume the passage refers to the original creation,
but verse 18 clearly shows the time reference as the resurrection. In His
resurrection all of creation is recreated. I think Greg is correct showing the EK as
an intensification of the passage and showing a separation of Christ from the dead.
He is no longer dead. Romans 8:22 "For we know that the whole of Creation is groaning
together in the pains of childbirth until this hour" (Weymouth). We see here PASA
KTISIS will follow Christ in rebirth, a birth yet to come, but made possible in the
resurrection.

Every title Christ received, was received because of His obedience in death, ie. the
name above every name, accorded to Him for conquering death and the grave. Christ is
the EIKWN of God because He is the physical manifestation of God. If we keep this
straight, "sonship = physical incarnation", we will save ourselves a great many
exegitical headaches.

Steve Long
a great fan of good ol' Adam Clarke
steve@allegrographics.com
St. Peters, Missouri

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