Pre-incarnate Christ
Jesus' participation in the pages of the Bible is clearly more prominent in his actions after the incarnation: he assumed human nature (John 1:14; Phil 2:6-8), died for our sins (John 3:16), rose again on the third day and took his place at the right hand of God (Acts 2:32-33), is mediator and intercedes for us in the heavenly sanctuary (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 9:24), and will one day return to complete his work of redemption (Heb 9:28; Rev 1:7; 22:12).
However, we cannot forget that Jesus is eternal and identified as the second person of the Trinity: “The Son exists because the Father exists, but there has never been a time when the Father had not yet begotten the Son. […] He is the self-expression of the Father – of what the Father has to say – and there has never been a time when that saying has ceased to occur” (LEWIS, 2017, p. 226-227, our translation).
As a member of the Trinity and ever-present, what was His contribution before the incarnation? Beyond the prophecies and longings for the coming of the Messiah, were there concrete manifestations of His person in events of the Old Testament? If so, how was He described in these occurrences? With the aid of the Bible and a christological analysis of the Old Testament, this article proposes to investigate these questions.
The face of the invisible God
Texts such as John 1:1-3 and Hebrews 11:3 summarize the New Testament affirmation that Jesus – identified as the Word – has existed from the beginning, before the foundation of the world. Not only that, it also highlights his participation as an active member in the creation of the universe. See:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made ; without him nothing was made that has been made" (John 1:1-3, NIV).
"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Heb 11:3, NIV).
The final part of the text in Hebrews highlights the fact that the word of God, in its primary sense as a collection of sounds, is invisible. This refers to a very strong characteristic of God that contrasts Him with any other deity: no one has ever seen His face (John 1:18; 6:46; 1 John 4:12). Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, confirms this perspective in texts such as:
"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Tim 1:17, NIV, emphasis added).
“[…] God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Tim 6:15-16, NIV, emphasis added).
However, some characters in the biblical text reveal an apparent contradiction to Paul's statements, since in their accounts they are categorical in affirming that they saw God. Moses asked the Lord to behold His glory , and He partially granted his request (Exod 33:18-23); Jacob, after spending the night wrestling with a mysterious man, stated: “I have seen God face to face; yet my life has been spared.” (Gen 32:30b, NIV); Manoah , after an encounter with the Angel of the Lord, said to his wife: “We are certainly going to die, for we have seen God!” (Judg 13:22); Ezekiel, in a vision, beheld the glory of God on His throne (Ez 1:26-28); and Isaiah, also in a vision, clearly affirmed: “My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” (Isa 6:5b, NIV).
Clearly, there is more than one answer to resolve this dilemma. Among them, the Bíblia de Estudo Thomas Nelson, in its commentary on 1 Timothy 6:16, states that "the biblical passages that speak of seeing God […] refer to preliminary glimpses of his glory" (2021, p. 2341, our translation), that is, in His appearances, God did not fully manifest Himself. In agreement with this line of thought, but taking a step further, there is a Christological view of the Old Testament that identifies these appearances of God as manifestations of the pre-incarnate Christ. John 14:7-10 and Colossians 1:15 offer a glimpse into this perspective:
“Philip said, “Lord, Show us the Father, That is enough for us. Jesus replied, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?” Whoever sees me sees the Father.. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?‘ (John 14:8-9, NIV, emphasis added).
“"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, ”The firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15, NIV, emphasis added).
Not only do John and Paul identify Jesus in this category, Christ himself does so. Compare the following verses:
“Moses asked, ‘When I go to the Israelites and say to them, ’The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,‘ and they ask me, ’What is his name?’ what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “ I am what I am.. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: '‘I am ’He sent me to you” (Exodus 3:13-14, NIV, emphasis added).
“‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds” (John 8:57-59, NIV, emphasis added).
Jesus' statement stands out for two reasons. First, because he affirmed that he existed even before Abraham, and second, because he identified himself as the same "I Am" revealed to Moses in the burning bush – precisely for this reason the Jews tried to stone him at that moment. At another point where the unbelief of his people manifested itself, John quotes some texts from the prophet Isaiah and then concludes: "Isaiah said this because..." He saw the glory of Jesus. and spoke about him” (John 12:41, NIV, emphasis added). Now, “when Isaiah saw the Lord in Isaiah 6:1-4, he saw the glory of the pre-incarnate Christ, who is God” (Thomas Nelson Study Bible, 2021, p. 2071).
Philip was shown that Jesus is the image of the Father – the invisible God was by his side all that time through the Son – and the prophets Moses and Isaiah had the privilege of seeing him many years before the incarnation. “In John 8:58, Jesus announces, ‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’ Thus Jesus and the NT writers recognize that Jesus appears throughout the OT! In this sense, the entire OT is a revelation of Jesus, because He is the Yahweh of the OT” (DAVIDSON, 2021, p. 17). Next, we will see some ways in which Christ is described in this period.
The Angel of the Lord
There are several instances in the Old Testament where a character called the "Angel of the Lord" appears. Observing the dozens of texts where he is mentioned, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary angel, as he manifests himself at key moments in the history of Israel, demonstrates great power and authority, and ultimately uses terms that suggest a certain confusion about his origin. Could the Angel of the Lord be the pre-incarnate Christ?
The word angel “means ‘messenger’, ‘announcer’, ‘ambassador’ in Scripture, i.e., someone who does not speak in his own name, but in the name of the one who sent him; being the messenger ‘of the Lord,’ then his words must necessarily reflect those of Yahweh. On the other hand, in the Old Testament, when the Angel of the Lord speaks, his message originates from himself; the common prophetic expression ‘thus says the Lord’ is not found, for example” (BREDA ; RAYMANN, 2022, p. 123, our translation). Sometimes, this figure is confused with God himself, see:
“But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Gen 22:11-12, NIV, emphasis added).
“Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the Lord, ‘What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?’ He replied, ‘Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.’ [...] When the angel of the Lord did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the Lord. ‘We are doomed to die!’ he said to his wife. ‘We have seen God!’” (Judg 13:17-18, 21-22, NIV, emphasis added).
“"There The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire coming from within a bush.. Moses saw that although the bush was on fire, it was not consumed by the flames. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush.”Moses, Moses!” he replied. “Here I am!” (Exodus 3:2, 4, NIV, emphasis added).
In Genesis 22, the Angel of the Lord speaks of God as a third party, but immediately assumes the role by saying, "because you have not withheld from me your son". Now, it was God who asked for Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen 22:1-2); In Judges 13, it is an individual, Manoah, who associates the figure of the Angel with God by stating, "We are doomed to die! We have seen God!” after dialoguing with the Angel; and finally, in the episode of Moses' calling, the text states that the Angel of the Lord appeared in the midst of the burning bush, a figure that is later revealed to be God. The text of Exodus 3 is particularly key, as it associates in the same description the figure of the Angel with the I AM, the one who, in the light of John 8:58, is Jesus Christ. This connection reinforces the idea that in these appearances, it was Christ, the image of the invisible God, who manifested himself. The same Father who sent the Son in the incarnation (John 3:17, 5:37) also sent him several times as his Angel (messenger) in his pre-incarnation.
This is, without a doubt, the most recurrent form in which Christ manifested himself in the Old Testament. It was one of the ways the invisible God made himself present among his people. To try to imagine him according to this descriptive set is an exercise that leads us to contemplate his marvelous majesty and continuous presence.
This is undoubtedly the most recurrent form in which Christ manifested himself in the Old Testament. It was one of the ways the invisible God made himself present among his people. Trying to imagine him according to this descriptive set is an exercise that leads us to contemplate his marvelous majesty and continuous presence.
The Son of Man
In the Gospels, especially in the book of Matthew, Jesus refers to himself as “Son of Man” several times (Matt 8:20; 9:6; Mark 2:28; 8:31; Luke 9:22; 19:10; John 9:35). The use of this expression is not unprecedented , but rather a reference to several texts in the Old Testament where other individuals were also called this way, such as the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 2:1-8) (HEISER, 2024, p. 292).
Regarding the possible meaning of this expression, “with respect to New Testament studies, the descriptive phrase ‘Son of Man’ is intensely debated. Since it means 'one who is human' and the title applies to Old Testament prophets, many scholars see no divine merit associated with such a title, which must be the case with most occurrences describing Jesus” (HEISER , 2024, p. 294, our translation). Thus, when Jesus presents himself as “Son of Man”, he does so to emphasize his immanent aspect. He is Emmanuel, God with us (Matt 1:23).
However, in Matthew 26:64 Jesus breaks the rule by using this expression in a transcendental context, revealing all his power and majesty: “[...] But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matt 26:64, NIV, emphasis added). This text, which describes his second coming, is an explicit reference to the text of Daniel 7:13-14 where the figure of a Son of Man unlike any other meets with the Ancient of Days in Heaven to judge the four kingdoms seen by Daniel in a vision:
“"In my vision during the night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and languages worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14, NIV, emphasis added).
This figure is interpreted in the New Testament, as seen in Matthew 26:64, as well as in Acts 7:55-56 and Revelation 14:14, as a direct reference to Christ — that is, a prophetic vision of his pre-existent and divine reality. The book of Daniel presents us with yet another image of Christ in the Old Testament.
The Wisdom of God
The expression “ image of the invisible God”, already highlighted earlier, is taken from the text of Colossians 1:15-20, which is seen by many as an early Christian poem or hymn that exalts Christ as the creator and redeemer of all creation (GORMAN, 2022, p. 718).
According to Gorman, “the main backdrop of this poem is the Wisdom tradition, especially the Jewish belief that she played a role in creation and plays (or will play) a role again in recreation. This tradition reaches its greatest expression in the canonical book of Proverbs and the deuterocanonical Wisdom of Solomon” (2022, p. 718, our translation). Among the Wisdom texts, perhaps the most prominent is Proverbs 8, where this persona is described as a co-participant in the creation of the world. Note:
“"The Lord created me [Or It possessed me.[...] as the beginning of his way, before his oldest works. I was established from eternity, from the beginning, before the earth existed. [...] When he established the heavens, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, I was there. When he fixed the clouds above and established the fountains of the deep; when he determined the limits of the sea so that the waters would not transgress his command; when he marked out the foundations of the earth, I was always by his side. Day by day I delighted and rejoiced continually in his presence” (Proverbs 8:22-23, 27-30, NIV).
The early Christians (John 1:1-3; Col 1:15-20) identified this Wisdom with the Logos, that is, the pre-existent Christ . Some church fathers, such as Origen , also made this connection (DAVIDSON , 2006, pp. 34-35). However , recent interpretations have ceased to identify the wisdom of Proverbs 8 directly linked to Jesus. One of the arguments is that “Wisdom is represented as having a beginning (8:24), and therefore is not eternal. It is also represented both as an instrument of creation (3:18-19) and as being present in creation (8:30), but it is never represented in the person of the Creator” (Bíblia de Estudo Thomas Nelson, p. 1132).
Regardless of whether Proverbs 8 makes a direct connection to Christ or merely certain inferences, it is evident that there is a correlation between the figure of Wisdom and Jesus. “The NT manifests the ethical and theological meaning of the instructions within Proverbs through the teaching of Jesus. And God’s activities within Proverbs are connected with Jesus in the NT” (Bíblia de Estudo Thomas Nelson, p. 113, our translation). Therefore, whatever theological line is presented here, in some way they all refer to the figure of the Messiah at different levels.
Conclusion
We see that the Bible, in the light of a Christological perspective, points us to Jesus even before the beginning. Through various means, He revealed His divine identity: the Angel of the LORD, who makes visible the presence of the invisible God; the glorious Son of Man of Daniel, who anticipates His eternal authority; and the figure of Wisdom, who participates in the creative work and the moral order of the universe. Although each line of Christological theology interprets these manifestations with distinct emphases, all converge on the understanding that the Son was already acting as mediator between God and humanity before His incarnation.
Davidson summarizes this function as follows: “While the Person we call the Father continued to represent the transcendent nature of the Godhead, the Person we know as the Son condescended in divine kenosis to represent the immanent aspect of divinity,coming close to His creation, mediating between infinity and finitude, even before sin. This is not a subordination of the Son to the Father, but a voluntary condescension to be installed into a mediatorial role, representing the divine love in an immanent way to His inhabited universe.” (2006, p. 54).
Translation: Marcelo Fransoze.
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