Colossians 1:15

πρωτότοκος, etc. to end of Colossians 1:16 omitted by Marcion on, as it seems, purely theological grounds. See Tertull. c. Marc. Colossians 1:19.

15. The student should not neglect the exposition of Colossians 1:15-17 given by Bp Pearson, Creed, pp. 114–116.

ὅς. Probably not so much giving a reason for the preceding statement (P. Ewald) as expanding the meaning of it, showing Who and What He is into whose Kingdom we have been brought.

ἐστιν. The repetition of ἐστιν in Colossians 1:17-18 bis suggests that this is more than the mere copula, and has at least some connotation of present time. St Paul is not speaking only of the pre-incarnate Son, but of Him as He is, including necessarily all that He ever was.

εἰκὼν. The omission of the article identifies the predicate more completely with the subject. The English idiom does not allow of this, but requires “who is the image.” So also with the following πρωτότοκος. Contrast Colossians 1:18 a.

On the meaning of εἰκών here much has been written. The more important points to notice are perhaps the following. In the N.T. it means

(1) The effigies on a coin, Matthew 22:20 || Mark 12:16 and Luke 20:24.

(2) A statue or other representation; so of the Beast in the Apocalypse, esp. Revelation 13:15 ter; cf. Revelation 13:14; Revelation 14:9; Revelation 14:11; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:4. So often in the LXX. it=idol. Thus too probably Romans 1:23.

Similarly also in the metaphor of the solid reality of a statue in contrast to the shadow that it throws, Hebrews 10:1 (see Westcott).

(3) From this material sense of εἰκών, the essential part of which is that εἰκών means no accidental similarity but true representation, and representation of that which is, at least for a time, absent from sight, the transition to higher meanings is easy.

(a) Thus it is used of the likeness, primarily, but not wholly, physical, of men to Adam, and of glorified men to Christ, 1 Corinthians 15:49, and of a man being in some sense a visible representation of God, 1 Corinthians 11:7, ἀνήρ … εἰκὼν κ. δόξα θεοῦ ὑπάρχων. Compare of men Genesis 1:26; Genesis 5:3; Sir 17:3, and especially Wis 2:23. So too it is used of the representation of God in the new creation, Colossians 3:10.

(b) But if a man, as embodying Divine principles, and as being the outcome of the Divine character in a degree that is not predicated of lower stages of creation, can be said to be εἰκὼν θεοῦ, much more may εἰκὼν be used of Christ in relation to God. So 2 Corinthians 4:4, and our present passage.

(4) Thus the thought here is that Christ is the external expression, if the phrase may be allowed, of God. In this connexion, therefore, εἰκὼν is a metaphor closely akin to λόγος, save that the Word appeals to the mind through the ear, the Image through the eye. In either case Christ is regarded as being

(a) the outcome of the Father’s nature, and hence related to Him in a wholly unique way; and especially

(b) the means by which the Father manifests Himself to all that is without. Compare the title given in the Midrash to the Logos, “the light of the raiment of the Holy One” (quoted in J. Liechtenstein’s Hebrew Commentary on our passage, Leipzig, 1901). Such revelation began at the first moment when things external to God came into being, and will continue for ever, though the Incarnation as such centred it in human nature and focussed it there for the human eye.

τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ�. The slightly emphatic position of ἀοράτου draws attention to the meaning of εἰκών here as the representation of God to created beings. God is invisible. His εἰκών may be seen. Observe that of course “the epithet must not be confined to the apprehension of the bodily senses, but will include the cognisance of the inward eye also” (Lightfoot).

From another point of view creation itself is the means by which τὰ� are seen, Romans 1:20. For ἀόρατος of God cf. 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27. In our Colossians 1:16 it is used generally, in contrast to ὁρατά, of things invisible to men.

πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, “the Firstborn of all creation.” On the absence of the article before πρωτ. see note on εἰκων.

The unique relation in which the Son stands to all created beings has been already hinted at in εἰκών, but is now clearly brought out, first generally in this phrase, and secondly in that all individual things had their creation in and by and unto Him, and maintain their existence and coherence only in Him. How, hen, St Paul implies, can you put them into rivalry with Him?

πρωτότοκος. (1) Two meanings are possible.

(a) The primary meaning of the word, according to which the Son is here regarded as preceding πᾶσα κτἰσις in point of time. Cf. “Adam was the Firstborn of the world,” אדם הראשון בכורו של עולם, Num. R. § 4. 6.

(b) The secondary meaning of the higher position and privileges attached to a firstborn. So perhaps Exodus 4:22, σὺ δὲ ἐρεῖς τῷ Φαραώ Τάδε λέγει Κύριος Υἱὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ, for Israel was by no means the eldest of the nations, though first in honour. Yet in that passage the phrase may merely mean that Israel is as the eldest son, i.e. in point of time, with very indirect reference to the privileges belonging to such.

A clearer instance is Psalms 88(89):28 of David, and thus of Messiah, κἀγὼ πρωτότοκον θήσομαι αὐτόν, ὑψηλὸν παρὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν τῆς γῆς, where the reference is to the position He shall hold; He is to be as the eldest son enjoying his privileges, as is brought out by the parallelism of the second clause. Sir 36:17 (14), Ἰσραὴλ ὅν πρωτοτόκῳ (אca πρωτογόνῳ B) ὡμοίωσας, is only a reference to Exodus 4:22 as is evident from its original Hebrew, ישראל בכור כיניתה, “Israel whom Thou didst surname Firstborn.” Compare Jeremiah 38(31):9 of N. Israel, Ἐφράιμ πρωτότοκός μού ἐστιν.

If this be adopted the chief thought of our passage is that the Son surpasses πᾶσα κτίσις in honour.

It will be observed that in none of the above passages is active sovereignty either stated or even implied. At the very most it is to be deduced frem primacy in honour.
(2) But the following words ὅτι ἐν αὐρῷ κ.τ.λ. suggest that the primary, temporal, meaning of the word is that which was chiefly in St Paul’s mind here.

And indeed this seems to be the thought in every passage of the N.T. where πρωτότοκος is used of Christ. If arranged in the order of their historical reference they are (a) our passage, at the commencement of creation, (b) Luke 2:7 at His birth, (c) Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5 at the Resurrection, (d) Romans 8:29, “among many brethren,” apparently in heavenly glory (cf. probably Hebrews 1:6).

(3) A further and very important question is whether πρωτότοκος necessarily implies that the one of whom it is used belongs to the same category as those with whom he is compared. Does it, that is to say, necessarily mean here that the πρωτότοκος Himself comes under the category of κτίσις?

(a) The question is not to be solved peremptorily by reading, as did Isidore of Pelusium, πρωτοτόκος in the active, “the First-bearer” (Ep. III. 31). For such a meaning is never found in the Greek Bible, nor indeed exactly anywhere else, and further in our passage it would be inadmissible in view of the fact that δευτεροτόκος would be impossible with reference to πᾶσα κτίσις (cf. Abbott).

(b) Assuming then that we must undoubtedly read πρωτότοκος in the passive, “the Firstborn,” it may be conceded that ordinarily the πρωτότοκος is in the category of those with whom He is compared. Yet it must be observed (α) that πρωτότοκος does not of itself imply that others are born afterwards (for the firstborn is at once consecrated to God, without waiting to see whether others are born); (β) that in the present case the various parts of creation are set (Colossians 1:16-17) in a position so utterly subordinate to Him that He cannot be a creature in the sense in which they are creatures; and (γ) that this suggests that the apostle did not intend to represent Him as in any sense κτίσις, but as prior to, and therefore superior to, πᾶσα κτίσις.

A curious, but very late, illustration of this use of the Hebrew word for “firstborn,” בְּכוֹר, is found in the commentary on the Pentateuch by R. Baḥya (Bechai), died 1340 A.D. (fol. 124. 4, Schoettgen on Hebrews 1:6), who says of God, “He is the Firstborn of the world,” שהוא בכור של עולם, and again (fol. 74. 4, Schoettgen, loc. cit.) says that God calls Himself Firstborn, adding in explanation of Exodus 13:2, “sanctify to me every firstborn,” as though it were Sanctify me with all the firstborn[98].

[98] Schechter, J. Q. R., Ap. 1894, p. 420, referring the first quotation from Baḥya to Exodus 34:20, says that the title “is not to be found in the older Rabbinic literature, and seems to be only a later Cabbalistic term.”

After this we cannot be surprised that Jews could call Jacob (probably = Israel) the Firstborn of the LORD בכורו של הקב׳ה (Exod. R. § 19, about the middle), or that they applied midrashically Psalms 89:28 directly to Messiah; see Exod. R. (same §, near the end) on Exodus 13:2, “R. Nathan says, The Holy One, blessed be He, saith to Moses, As I made Jacob the Firstborn, for it is said (Exodus 4:22) ‘my son, my firstborn Israel,’ so do I make King Messiah Firstborn, for it is said (Psalms 89:28) I too will set him as Firstborn.”

But that πρωτότοκος was a recognised title of Messiah among the Jews, especially among those of St Paul’s time, there is no sufficient evidence to prove. Hebrews 1:6 is in itself far from enough.

πάσης κτίσεως. κτίσις in the N.T.═ (1) act of creation, Romans 1:20; (2) creation as the aggregate of created things, Mark 13:19; Romans 8:22; (3) a single part of creation regarded as space, Colossians 1:23; institution, 1 Peter 2:13 (where see Hort); animate or inanimate beings, Romans 8:39; Hebrews 4:13.

The first is evidently out of the question here, but it is very difficult to decide between the second and the third. In favour of the third is urged the absence of the article, cf. Blass, Gram. § 47. 9, Vulg. primogenitus omnis creaturae. Yet κτίσις may be here used anarthrously like κόσμος, γῆ, οὐρανός, and “πρωτότοκος seems to require either a collective noun, or a plural πάσων τῶν κτίσεων” (Lightfoot).

We therefore translate here “of all creation.” Cf. Jdt 9:12 (17) and Revelation 3:14.