Often, one will hear that the epistles
of Paul and the Gospel of John are Trinitarian in their Christology. Popular
works on the Trinity, such as Robert Morey’s The Trinity: Evidences and
Issues will argue in favour of this position. Notwithstanding, much of
modern biblical scholarship refutes such notions (e.g., James McGrath, The
Only True God: Early Christian Monotheism in its Jewish Context and John's
Apologetic Christology: Legitimation and Development in Johannine Christology).
Phil
2:9, part of the Carmen Christi (vv.5-11) states that “God also hath
highly exalted [Christ], and given him a name which is above every name.” Here,
we read that the Father gave to Christ, on the moment of his exaltation of the
Son, a name above every other name (Yahweh). This shows that the son did not
possess this name until his exaltation, showing the ontological subordination
of the Son to the Father; also, it speaks of Christ being “exalted,” which is
nonsense in light of much of Trinitarian theologies that state that Jesus was
not void of his deity, but instead decided to voluntary “shield” it to most
people (in effect, ridding Phil 2:5-11 of the concept of kenosis, self-emptying,
and instead, perverting the Christology of the text to speak of an endusasthai or a “clothing
up”). Furthermore, we know that this name could not be “Jesus,” as He possessed
this name prior to his exaltation.
This can also be seen in John 17:11-12:
And now I am no longer in the world,
but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in
your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While
I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I
guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost,
so that the scripture might be fulfilled. (NRSV)
In the above pericope, using prolepsis (cf. v.22),
Christ speaks of how the Father “gave” him the Father’s name (Yahweh); it was
not something Christ intrinsically possessed until after his exaltation.
Even after his exaltation, the telos of the all glory and honour Christ receives
is that of the further glorification of the Father:
That at the name of Jesus ever knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9-10 [emphasis added]; cf. 1 Cor 15:22-28)
One should also point out the term, sometimes translated as “exploited”
in Phil 2:6 αρπαγμος. Again, this points to something that Jesus did not
have, as its predominant meaning in Koine Greek literature means “to plunder”
or “to steal.” Notice how Louw-Nida define the term in their work, Greek-English
Lexicon Based on Semantic Domains, 2d ed.:
ἁρπάζω ; ἁρπαγμός, οῦ m ; ἁρπαγή, ῆς f: to forcefully take
something away from someone else, often with the implication of a sudden attack
- 'to rob, to carry off, to plunder, to forcefully seize.' ἁρπάζω: πῶς δύναταί τις εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ ἰσχυροῦ καὶ τὰ σκεύη αὐτοῦ ἁρπάσαι 'no one can break into a
strong man's house and carry off his belongings' Mt 12.29 . . . ἁρπαγμός, οῦ m: that which is to be held
on to forcibly - 'something to hold by force, something to be forcibly
retained.'
Such a
Christology, apart from being reflected throughout the New Testament, can also
be seen in the revelations of Joseph Smith, such as D&C 93:16-17:
And I, John, bear record that he received a fullness of the glory of the
Father; And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory
of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him.
