160 P. Benoit, “L’hymne christologique,” p. 256.
157Gk. πϱωτεúων. In Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13 the Christ who died and lives again speaks as ὁ πϱѽτος ϰαὶ ὁ ἔσϰατος. According to TB Pesahim 5a, the school of R. Ishmael (making a deduction from Isa. 41:27) taught that rῑ’šôn (“the first”) is the name of Messiah.
158M. Dibelius finds an allusion to the two creations in v. 18a: he who is head of the body, the kosmos (as is implied in vv. 15-17), is now also head of the body, the church (but in that case ϰαί would have been expected before τοῦ σώματος).
159Gk. ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδóϰησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήϱωμα ϰατοιϰῆσαι (the aorist infinitive may be ingressive). Perhaps a desire to smooth the construction which understands ὁ θεóς or ὁ πατήϱ as subject of εὐδóϰησεν was responsible for H. Venema’s conjecture ϰατοιϰίσαι (for ϰατοιϰῆσαι): “God was well pleased to cause all the fulness to dwell in him.”
160P. Benoit, “L’hymne christologique,” p. 256.
161E. Käsemann, “A Primitive Christian Baptismal Liturgy,” p. 158.