And unto the angel of the church of the
Laodiceans write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God. (Rev 3:14)
In
Latter-day Saint theology, Christ has always existed. Notwithstanding, we do
believe that his eternal nature took on the form of a spirit Son of God. This
is not “creation” in an Arian sense; it is allegorist to how Christ, as a divine
person, took on the form of a human being (cf. Phil 2:6-11). For more on how
LDS Christology is not Arian, see Is
Latter-day Saint Christology "Arian"?
Notwithstanding,
we do believe that Jesus is the firstborn spirit son of God, and some
Latter-day Saints have pointed to Rev 3:14 in support for such. One of the best
defences of this comes from D. Charles Pyle, an LDS apologist who is very
well-informed about the Greek language:
Its important key phrase of course is: ἡ ἀρχὴ
τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ. There is some disputation as to what the true meaning of
this passage is. Many scholars believe ἀρχὴ here to mean ruler, the head, or the
originating cause (which also is possible and can fit the context of the
passage), although terms like αρχων, κεφαλη, or αρχηγος, would seem to have been much better suited
to these meanings. But in the Johannine vocabulary the word ἀρχὴ means beginning, and it is so understood in
all Johannine texts in which it is used. Also, objective scholars have admitted that it is possible it infers that
Christ is the first, chief, foremost, or
highest of God’s creation. Walter
Bauer represents that: “. . . the meaning ‘beginning’ = first created is
linguistically possible . . .” (A
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature,
112a, definition 2). Additional linguistic evidences are found at Genesis 10:10
(LXX), Job 40:19 (LXX) (and other places), which evidence lends more support to
this latter view. Both these passages (as found in the Septuagint) are structured
like the passage at Revelation 3:14. Both also imply the literal sense of “beginning.”
It may be of interest to note that the original scribe of Codex Sinaiticus,
perhaps in an effort to avoid this interpretation, wrote the text to read: και η αρχη
της εκκλησιας του θεου
“and the beginning of the church of God.”
D. Charles Pyle, I Have Said Ye Are Gods:
Concepts Conducive to the Early Christian Doctrine of Deification in Patristic
Literature and the Underlying Strata of the Greek New Testament (Revised and
Supplemented) [CreateSpace, 2018], 360)
With respect
to the passages from the LXX paralleling the language of Rev 3:14, here they
are from the New English Translation of the Septuagint:
The beginning of his kingdom (ἀρχὴ τῆς βασιλείας
αυτου) came to be Babylon, Orech and Archad and Chalanne in the land of Senaar.
(Gen 10:10 NETS)
"This is the chief of what the Lord
created (τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν ἀρχὴ πλάσματος κυρίου πεποιημένον), made to be mocked at
by his angels." (Job 40:19 NETS)
Furthermore,
here is the relevant portion of Codex Sinaiticus where one can see the original
scribe replacing “creation” (κτίσεως) with “church” (εκκλησιας):
What is also interesting is that for the vast majority of instances of αρχη being coupled with a genitive, as it is in Rev 3:14 (ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ θεοῦ), it denotes the beginning of a period of time and not rulers/ruling. Consider the following:
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matt 24:21)
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1)
For in those days there shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. (Mark 13:19)
Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the world. (Luke 1:2)
This beginning of miracle did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and with his disciples believed on him. (John 2:11)
Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. (Phil 4:15)
