Saturday, June 27, 2015

The Trinity versus Colossians 1:16 and Revelation 4:11

Speaking of the role in creation that Jesus played, Paul wrote in Col 1:16:

For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him. (NRSV)

The Greek terms translated as "were created" and "have been created" are ἐκτίσθη and ἔκτισται, the third person indicative aorist passive and perfect passive of the verb κτίζω, meaning "to create."

In Rev 4:11, speaking of the role the Father plays in creation, we read:

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. (NRSV)

The figure addressed is clearly the person of the Father, as Jesus is later presented as being distinguished from this figure on the throne, as seen in Rev 5:5-6. Furthermore, the terms translated as "you created" is ἔκτισας, the indicative aorist active of κτίζω.

Why is this important? The differences in voices (active vs. passive) show that there were different roles the Father and Son played, wth, the logical implications of such being very strongly anti-Trinitarian when one applies modus tollens:

First Premise: If Jesus is God within the Trinitarian understanding of Christology, he played an active role in the creation, just like the Father.

Second Premise: Jesus played a passive role in the creation, as opposed to the active role in creation played by the Father.

Conclusion: Jesus is not God as understood within the framework of Trinitarian Christology.


Similar logical and exegetical implications can be seen in texts such as 1 Cor 8:4-6. This is all the more ironic as Col 1:16 is often seen as definitive "proof" of Trinitarian Christology.