Monday, June 12, 2023

The Personal Preexistence of Jesus in the Epistle of Barnabas

The Epistle of Barnabas (a late first-century/early-mid second-century text) speaks of the personal preexistence of Jesus (the following uses the Kirsopp Lake translation):

 

Moreover, my brethren, if the Lord endured to suffer for our life, though he is the Lord of all the world, to whom God said before the foundation of the world, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," how, then, did he endure to suffer at the hand of man? (5:5)

 

For it is concerning us that the scripture says that he says to the Son, "Let us make man after our image and likeness, and let them rule the beasts of the earth, and the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea." And the Lord said, when he saw our fair creation, "Increase and multiply and fill the earth"; these things were spoken to the Son. (6:12)

 

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