firstborn

The Letter to the Colossians 1:15 (NABRE) contains a beautiful and powerful description of the kingship of Jesus Christ, and one of the key points in that description is that Jesus came before all other creatures as the firstborn. This seems like an odd concept because as a human person, Jesus obviously was born after others. We tend not to think of Jesus the divine person as ever having been born. The Greek word πρωτότοκος (prototokos) comes from two parts—πρῶτος (protos), which means first, and τίκτω (tikto). The word tikto can mean born, but it also more broadly can refer to bringing forth fruit as from a seed. The generation or coming to be here described is not specific to human procreation but rather describes a more general coming to be or becoming.

Consider how Jesus Christ came to be first of all things and what Paul may be suggesting about God in this passage. How does this primacy of Jesus affect his kingship?

you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.

Click on the picture of the statue of Moses with horns (above) to learn more about Lost in Translation. A new entry is archived each Monday. Contact us to receive Lost in Translation by email every week. You may use any of the contact links on our website to ask Matthew a question.