The Divine Dignity of the Son in the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians and in the Prologue of the Gospel of John

This article presents a comparative analysis of the Christological doctrine concerning the divine dignity of the Son as articulated by the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Colossians and by the Apostle John in the Prologue to the Gospel of John. In expressing the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul refers to Him as the “image of God” (εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ). The same idea is conveyed in the Gospel of John through different terminology, where Jesus is identified as the “Word” (λόγος), who is equated with God. Both apostles describe the attributes of Christ’s divine nature, placing particular emphasis on His eternal generation. To express this concept, the Apostle Paul employs the term “firstborn” (πρωτότοκος), while the Evangelist John emphasizes the Son’s eternal existence through the designation “Only-Begotten Son” (μονογενὴς υἱός) of God. Both texts further affirm Christ’s participation in the creation of all things. On the basis of an analysis and synthesis of the Christological doctrines of Paul and John, it may be concluded that the formation of the dogmatic teaching concerning the divine dignity of the Son, as well as the development of its theological terminology, began already in the apostolic period. A comparison of the Christological doctrines of the two apostles demonstrates that the divine dignity of the Son is expressed more precisely and explicitly in the Prologue to the Gospel of John.

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