Revelation 3:14 - Is Christ a Created Being or the Ruler/Source of Creation?

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Revelation 3:14 - H ARCH THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU...Is Christ a Created Being or the Ruler/Source of Creation?

Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures are from the American Standard Version 1901

The words "of" or "of the" is characteristic of genitive phrases. Greek has five cases—nominative, genitive, dative, accusative and vocative. How a word is spelled can vary depending on the case in which it is used. In Greek as well as in English the genitive case can mean a number of different relations or connections that the word in the genitive case has to the person or thing that it modifies. 

Wherever in scripture, both the New Testament (NT) and the Septuagint Old Testament (OT), arche is followed by a genitive phrase "of the ...", that which is called the "arche" is a always a member of the group referred to in the genitive phrase. 

But Ankerberg/Weldon quote Metzger as saying,

"Actually, the word ARCHE, translated "beginning" carries with it the Pauline idea expressed in Colossian 1:15-18, and signifies that Christ is the origin, or primary source, of God's creation (compare also John 1:3, "Apart from him not one thing came into existence)."

We can see that Metzger's theory has been put into motion by the change of the RSV's "the beginning of God's creation" to "the origin of God's creation" in the New RSV. Other Bibles in recent times have followed this faddish move, as we will see in the list below. 

There are three other scriptures that use the words *beginning/ARCH* and *creation/ KTISEWS* (which are also genitive constructions).
Mark 10:6 "But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female made he them."
Mark 13:19.  "For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never shall be."
2 Peter 3:4 "Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 

Let us see how faithfully these have been rendered: 

Bible Version	Mark 10:6	Mark 13:19	2 Peter 3:4	Revelations 3:14
New Revised Standard Version	beginning	beginning	beginning	Origin
Good News Bible	beginning	beginning	N/A*	origin
New International Version	beginning	beginning	beginning	ruler
Contemporary English Version	beginning	N/A	N/A	source
New American Bible	beginning	beginning	beginning	source
New English Bible	beginning	beginning	N/A	source
Ferrar Fenton	beginning	beginning	beginning	beginner
Holman Christian Standard	beginning	beginning	beginning	Originator
Jerusalem Bible	beginning	beginning	began	source
New Jerusalem Bible	beginning	N/A	beginning	Principle
Revised English Bible	beginning	beginning	N/A	source
Williams NT	beginning	beginning	beginning	origin
Beck	beginning	beginning	first	Origin
James Moffatt Translation	beginning	beginning	beginning	origin
Amplified Bible	beginning	beginning	beginning	origin/beginning /author
Jewish New Testament	beginning	beginning	beginning	ruler
Wuest's Expanded NT	beginning	N/A	beginning	originating source
God's Word NT	beginning	beginning	beginning	source
New Life New Testament	beginning	beginning	beginning	the one who made everything
LITV Jay P Green	beginning	beginning	beginning	Head
Simple English Bible	beginning	beginning	beginning	Source
Smith & Goodspeed	beginning	beginning	beginning	origin

*Left untranslated

As we can see, there is a particular bias at play here in regards of the inconsistency of translating this expression as it relates to Christ.

The Bibles that have not allowed bias to change the meaning of beginning/creation with the genitive are as follows: King James Version, New King James Version, Revised Version, American Standard Version, Aitken Bible, Tyndale's Bible, Geneva Bible, Douay, New American Standard Bible, New World Translation, Kleist & Lilly, Confraternity, Worrell NT, Webster Bible, the Message, Lattimore NT, Montgomery NT, Schonfield, 20th Century, Darby, 21st Century, Emphatic Diaglott, Weymouth NT, Revised Standard Version etc.

Perhaps it is this genitive construction that has prompted the BAGD , A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature by  Walter Bauer, Frederick W. Danker (Editor), William F. Arndt (Translator), F. Wilbur Gingrich, to make some changes in their revision, the BDAG. On page 138 that the interpretation that ARXH means that Christ was created at Rev 3:14 has been upgraded from poss. [possible] to prob. [probable].

It cites the JTS article "Christ as ARCH of Creation," by C.F.BURNEY, JTS XXVII. Burney considers the Hebrew ReSHit [beginning] in detail and concludes strongly against ARCH as "source":

"Another New Testament allusion to Prov. viii 22 in reference to Christ is found in Rev. iii 14 H ARXH THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU, [the beginning of the creation of/by God] a title of the risen Christ which Dr Swete and Dr Charles have not a shadow of authority for limiting in meaning to 'the Source of God's Creation'. There is every reason to suppose that ARXH is here used with all the fullness and meaning which St Paul extracts from ReSHiT ... "

The BAGD/BDAG reference also cites Job 40:19 ARCH, speaking of Behemoth "He {is} ARCH [a beginning, first] of the ways of God". Behemoth was certainly not the source or "first cause" of God's ways, but rather was one of them, or a partitive genitive.

The primary meaning of ARCH at Rev. 3:14 admits that Christ is a part of creation. It is for theological considerations that "source" and "first cause" are translated for ARCH, re: Alford:

"The mere word ARCH would admit the meaning that Christ is the first created being; see Gen [49].3; Deut. [21].17; and Prov. [8].22." - Alford's Greek New Testament."

This is not something that Alford personally believes and he Alford borrows meanings for ARCH from the apocryphal Wisdom and The Gospel of Nicodemus. If others could just be as honest.

As Jewish translator Hugh J. Schonfield (The Original New Testament) states at Rev 3:14 in a footnote, "Clearly, John the Elder himself believed that the heavenly Christ was a created being, as did the early Christians."

Let us consider other examples of this to better explain it.
Examples from the Septuagint (LXX):

Gen. 10:10  And the beginning (arche) of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
Babel, Erech, Accad and Calneh were PART of Nimrod's kingdom.

Gen. 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Rueben was the beginning, the first one of/PART of Jacob's generative strength.

Deuteronomy 11:12 A land which the LORD thy God careth for: the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
The beginning of the year was the first PART of the year.

Deuteronomy 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
The firstborn was the beginning, the first one/PART of his generative strength.

Ruth 1:22 So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab: and they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest.
The beginning was the first PART of the harvest.

2 Samuel 21:9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
21:10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.
The beginning was the first PART of the harvest.

2 Kings 17:25 And so it was at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they feared not the LORD: therefore the LORD sent lions among them, which slew some of them.
The beginning was the first PART of their dwelling there.

Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
The beginning was the first PART of the supplication.

Examples from the NT:
Matthew 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
The beginning was the first PART of the sorrows.

Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
The beginning was the first PART of the world.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
The beginning was the first PART of the gospel according to Mark.

Mark 13:8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.
The beginning was the first PART of the sorrows.

John 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
The beginning was the FIRST miracle among the miracles of Jesus.

Philippians 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.
The beginning was the first PART of the gospel.

Hebrews 3:14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
The beginning of their confidence was PART of their confidence.

These examples and the ones in the chart clearly demonstrate the manner in which the phrase "beginning of the creation" at Revelation 3:14 should be understood. As in all the other Biblical examples the "arche" is a part "of the ...". This demonstrates that Christ is a PART, the FIRST part of the creation of God.

Although "arche" can mean ruler, it must be noted that John NEVER uses "arche" in this manner. He consistently uses "arche" in the sense of "beginning."

It should be noted as well that among the times "arche" is used to designate "ruler" in the NT 11 times, 10 of those occurrences the word appears in the plural or is signified to be understood as a plural by the word "every" or "all" along with it. Once, in Luke 20:20 it is used in a 'genitive' phrase and is a PART of that which is signified by the genitive.

Can the word "arche" can mean "source" or "cause?"

This claim however can not be substantiated in the Septuagint (LXX) or NT. We do not have any  examples (except for attempts to do so with Rev 3:14) within the Bible where "arche" can be shown to clearly mean "cause" or "source".

Again, we have to keep in mind, again, that John NEVER used "arche" except in the sense of "beginning". The Bible has other words for "ruler" (archon), and "source/cause/author" (rhiza or aitios). We simply cannot find where"arche" is used in the sense of "author" or "source".

So, the evidence clearly shows that the Apostle John considered Jesus Christ to be a "creation" of God.

It is interesting that Metzger parallels Rev 3:14 with Col 1:15-18, which also has a genitive construction. Every time the phrase, "the firstborn of" is used, it is used as part of a group. If it is "the firstborn of" Israel (Ex. 6:14), it is one of the sons of Israel, if it is "the firstborn of" Pharaoh (Ex. 11:5) it is a member of the house of Pharaoh, if it is "the firstborn of" beasts (Ex. 13:15) then it is an animal also. Why then should this rule be changed as it applies to "the firstborn of" creation?

In dealing with an objection similar to Metzger's, the following was pointed out on B-Greek:

"In any event, you invoke what is said in Col. 1:15-18 and John 1:1-3 as support for your view that Christ created all things. However, Colossians 1:15 uses a term (PRWTOTOKOS) that could, just as with ARCH, invoke temporal notions with respect to Christ's being. But, putting that aside as an accepted area of dispute, in verse 16 the passive verb EKTISQH is used in reference to what someone else did EN AUTWi (= Christ). This could not grammatically be construed as an instance where it is said that Christ created all things, but where it is said that all things were created "in him" by someone else.

The same is true of EKTISTAI in verse 17, where we also find DI' AUTOU, which, together with the passive verbs, clearly involves the idea of agency, namely, Christ as the medium or instrument through which someone else created (this concept of mediation does recall what is said of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, regardless of who/what we think Wisdom might be, there). This is significant for we also find this construction in John 1:1-3, to which you also refer. When we compare these texts with 1Cor 8:6 and Hebrews 1:2-3 it is hard, if not reasonable impossible, to escape the conclusion that God created through Christ.

Significantly, in Revelation 3:14 we find that Christ is the hH ARCH THS KTISEWS **TOU QEOU**. Thus, even if we accepted "source" for ARCH, here, it is still hH KTISIS TOU QEOU, and, hence, shows that the position of creator belongs to someone other than hH ARCH, namely, the God mentioned.

So, if a temporal beginning is not meant for Christ's being in this verse, as the first of God's creation (which is *strikingly* similar to what we read in the LXX of Proverbs 8 [KURIOS EKTISE ME ARCHN hODWN AUTOU EIS ERGA AUTOU]), then it would seem to me that "ruler" would be a better fit; however, we are then confronted with the fact that where ARCH has the meaning of "ruler," in the NT it is always accompanied by words denoting authority, power, etc., as Wes pointed out and which BAGD suggests."

Metzger also complains about the NWT's use of *by God* rather than *of God* in Revelation 3:14. He is right about the wording of *by God* usually requiring a preposition (like UPO for instance), but Rev 3:14 is different in that the last 4 words, THS KTISEWS TOU QEOU, are all genitive. 

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