Re: Phil. 2:6-11 - Christ and Caesar?

Ryan, I don’t think that the anti-imperial theme necessarily precludes a reference to Christ’s pre-existence, though it would not make the smoothest sense of the text.

But I wonder if there isn’t further dependence here on Ezekiel 28:1-19. The prince of Tyre, who is the type of the imperial blasphemer who grasps at equality with God, claimed in effect to be ’in the form of a god’ (cf. 28:6 LXX: ’you have set your heart as the heart of a god’). Perhaps the ’hymn’ depicts Jesus as one who did have this oneness with God, who revealed in himself the true character of God, but nevertheless took on the form of a servant, who suffered and died. The references to Adam may also be relevant:

Son of man, take up a lamentation for the prince of Tyre, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou art a seal of resemblance, and crown of beauty. Thou wast in the delight of the paradise of God; thou hast bound upon thee every precious stone, the sardius, and topaz, and emerald, and carbuncle, and sapphire, and jasper, and silver, and gold, and ligure, and agate, and amethyst, and chrysolite, and beryl, and onyx: and thou hast filled thy treasures and thy stores in thee with gold. From the day that thou wast created thou wast with the cherub: I set thee on the holy mount of God; thou wast in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast faultless in thy days, from the day that thou wast created, until iniquity was found in thee. (28:12-15 Brenton)

The prince of Tyre was perfect, as Adam was - a ’seal of resemblance’ (homoiōsiōs). But iniquity was found in him, he sinned, he became arrogant because of his beauty and his wisdom was corrupted (28:15-17). Christ had the same perfection, the same likeness to Adam, who was in the image of God, but did not become arrogant and disobedient.