all creation,” where again the antecedent for use of the word πρωτότοκος (“firstborn”) in relation to creation is most obviously Wisdom (Prov. 8:22, 25; Philo, De ebrietate 30–31; Quaestiones in Genesin 4.97; cf. De virtutibus 62); it is “a commonplace of the Hellenistic synagogue” (W. L. Knox 159 n. 3).18 Here, however, we should note the ambiguity attaching to the imagery, since “firstborn” can mean first created being and/or that which has precedence over creation (NEB/REB use the similarly
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