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To: Diamond
One major difference, as far as I can tell, is that no believer is ever said to have pre-existed in essence (huparcho) in the form (morphi-not schema) of God prior to emptying himself and taking the form of a bond-servant.

Where is hyparchio used to assert pre-existence? The exact verse please. The only one I can think of is Phil. 2:6 by . The word itself is obviously another Pauline innovation because the only other author besides Paul who uses the word is Luke, not surprisingly and definitely not in the meaning you suggest.

The earliest copy of the letter to Philemon is a fragment dated 3d century otherwise known as Papyrus 87 which contains but a few broken verses. The earliest complete copy of the Epistle to Philemon known is a copy dating to the 7th century (Papyrus 60).

Based on that we can't possibly know if the verse Phil 2:6 was in the original the way it appears in P60 because we do know that manuscripts have been "Christianized" to keep up with the develping doctirnes.

Papyrus 89 (4th century) allegedly contains the letter to Philemon, but to my knowledge that papyrus is a copy of the Book of Hebrews, which was not written by Paul, and is not a collection of Pauline prison letters.

2,196 posted on 06/28/2010 8:55:55 AM PDT by kosta50 (The world is the way it is even if YOU don't understand it)
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To: kosta50
Where is hyparchio used to assert pre-existence? The exact verse please. The only one I can think of is Phil. 2:6

Bingo!

...who, being in the form of God...

huparcho, "existing", referring to the continued state of a thing, with morph meaining the essential attributes as shown in the form, i.e., the essence his nature.

Being (uparxwn).
Rather, "existing," present active participle of uparxw. In the form of God (en morphi teou). Morph means the essential attributes as shown in the form. In his preincarnate state Christ possessed the attributes of God and so appeared to those in heaven who saw him. Here is a clear statement by Paul of the deity of Christ.
RWP

Existing in the form of God denotes pre-existence, obviously.

Cordially,

2,263 posted on 06/29/2010 6:01:40 AM PDT by Diamond (He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people,)
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