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  • From: peter_kirk AT SIL.ORG
  • To: b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re[4]: Translations and Bias
  • Date: Thu, 08 Apr 1999 12:30:40 -0400


Dear Wes,

I am sorry if I misunderstood you, but I had thought that you were
supporting the interpretation of Col 1:15 as "born before the rest of
creation". That is how I took the sentence in your posting of 5 April
"The Nicene Fathers considered your proposed interpretation but still
honored the partitive force of "firstborn."", and the following
passage from your posting of 30 March:

"Even still, if the Christ became firstborn in the same sense as when
he became son by means of resurrection (Rom 1:4), then he is first in
time within the group of resurrected "sons" (cf; Col 1:18 "firstborn
of/ from the dead")... He is not external to the group of "sons," but
"first in time" within it and thus is consistent with the lexical and
naturally partitive force of the phrase at Col. 1:15."

On 7 April you wrote: "Your proposed suggestion, "born before the
other children of all creation" is possible, as long as the one 'born
before' is part of the same group. I must call attention to the lack
of support where the firstborn is not part of the group to which it is
related." On this point, I accept that Jesus can be called one of the
"children of creation" in the sense used in the wider context (Col
1:18) of the first to be resurrected. The only other sense in which
Jesus could be taken as one of the "children of creation" would be to
make him simply a normal man with no preexistence, which conflicts
with verses 16-17 as well as forcing "first" to mean rank rather than
time. So I continue to defend my interpretation of Col 1:15 as a
reference to the resurrection.

Incidentally, I would defend my interpretation of Exodus 13:15 (fourth
occurrence LXX), 22:28, 34:20 as referring to grandsons on the basis
of Hebrew family structure: typically when a firstborn son was born
his grandfather would still be alive, and would be the head of the
family and the one responsible for ensuring that the correct rites of
redemption are performed. One man can have only one firstborn son (or
perhaps the meaning was firstborn son of each wife?) but can have many
grandsons who are each the firstborn of one of his potentially many
sons.

Peter Kirk





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