[Invincibly Ignorant]

I've heard of extra-canonical writings that speculate about the preexistence of the messiah. Is this the sort of thing you are talking about?

Yes, specifically Enoch. Jesus' half brother Jude quoted in the New Testament a prophecy by Enoch from the intertestemental writing of Enoch. Apparently some jews in the first century thought that book was scripture.

[malakhi]

Offhand, I would say that preexistence (whatever that means) does not necessarily imply divinity.

Terms to define: "preexistence of the messiah" as understood by the intertestamental writers. "Salvation" as understood by intertestamental writers and the earliest Nazarene Jews.