Re: PRWTOTOKOS

From: Jonathan Robie (jonathan@texcel.no)
Date: Mon Nov 09 1998 - 00:11:46 EST


At 05:55 PM 11/8/98 -0600, Ricardo y Judith Garrett wrote:

>First, if EIKWN meant for Paul what
>it means in Hebrews 10:1, then 15a is not saying that Christ is a
>reflection of God but rather his very essence. Coming immediately after
>this frase, PRWTOTOKOS could emphasize that Christ is God within the
>creation, and thus visible (in contrast to TOU QEOU TOU AORATOU). But he is
>still divine, EIKWN, in a way no mere creature could be.
 
Interesting! Hebrews 10:1 says:

Hebr 10:1 SKIAN GAR ECWN hO NOMOS TWN MELLONTWN AGAQWN, OUK AUTHN THN
EIKONA TWN PRAGMATWN...OUDEPOTE DUNATAI TOUS PROSERCOMENOUS TELEIWSAI.

The law is but a shadow (SKIAN) of the good things to come, and therefore
unable to perfect those who draw near, because it is only a SKIA (a shade,
a shadow) and not an EIKWN; if it *were* an EIKWN, it would have had this
power.

I'm gonna have to examine this word EIKWN in more depth; Eduard Lohse's
commentary on Colossians in the Hermeneia series agrees with you. I'll
quote him with some of the bibliography he cites:

        When the word EIKWN is defined as the "image" of the invisible
        God, the Hellenistic understanding of this verse is to be
        assumed. God is invisible, but he allows himself to
        be known wherever he wills to be known, i.e. he is revealed
        in his "image." (103)

Footnote 103 refers the reader to Kittel's TWNT, as well as these articles:

   Friedrich-Wilhelm Eltester, "Eikon im Neuen Testament", BZNW 23 (Berlin:
1958);
   Jervell, Imago Dei, esp. 214-216;
   Hand Wildberger, "Das Abbild Gottes," ThZ 21 (1965): 245-59, 481-501.

After a careful summary of the concept in its Hellenistic use, Lohse
concludes:

        The Christian community applied the concept "image" to
        Christ as to praise him as the one in whom God reveals
        himself. As the "image" of the invisible God, he does
        not belong to what was created, but stands with the
        Creator who, in Christ, is acting upon the world and
        with the world. He is absolutely superior to the cosmos,
        i.e. the whole creation on earth and in heaven. Therefore,
        the first title of majesty is followed by the second,
        "first-born before all creation".

So the conclusions you come to agree with Lohse's conclusions. I haven't
had time to read the Kittel article on EIKWN, but I think I'm gonna now.
Next time I get to a theological library I may look up those other three
articles.

Jonathan
 
jonathan@texcel.no
Texcel Research
http://www.texcel.no

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