One blogger who goes by the moniker “matt13weedhacker” posted an article several months back on December 25th, 2012, entitled “REVELATION 3:14 AND TRI{3}NITARIAN BIBLE MSS TAMPERING.” The claim is that scribes altered the text in Codex Sinaiticus by changing κτίσεως to ἐκκλησίας because of theological bias. That is, the scribes were careful to change or alter the text so as to preclude Jesus from being on par with the created order.
While I am no Trinitarian it is obvious to me that theological bias need not be necessarily involved, at least not in the sense claimed by said blog-post. It is true, in fact, undeniable, that the scribes did in fact alter the text at Revelation 3:14 from “creation” to “church.” But why? To conceal Jesus’ created status?
This seems hardly the case as Christians could easily crosscheck said reading with other manuscripts to get a better sense of the original. Additionally, while “church” is the original reading of this particular codex, a later scribe corrected it to read “creation.”
But if theological bias did not result in such change what did? I am of the opinion that the reading “church” is in fact an interpretation, not an alteration, of the original reading. That is, “church” interprets “creation.” Jesus was viewed as the the ‘beginning of the new creation by God.’
The context highly suggests new creation is in view here. For example, Revelation 3:11 refers to ‘holding fast the crown of life’; verse 12 talks about Christians overcoming and being given the name of God and the name of the city of God, that is, the new Jerusalem; Christians will sit on Jesus’ throne (v 21).
Thus the phrase “beginning of the creation by God” is found in a section abounding with eschatological blessings that will be brought to fruition in the new creation. It makes little sense to say Jesus is the first thing ever made in this context. The context is looking forward to future new creational blessings, not backwards towards a primordial beginning. Indeed, how would describing Jesus as the first being created have helped the church at Laodicea ‘conquer’ or ‘overcome’ in the way the Lamb did?
The Lamb overcame or conquered the world not through force but by the shedding of his blood, martyrdom. Similarly, Jesus is reinforcing the faith of those in Laodicea by reminding them that if they ‘conquer’ just as he conquered, they will have a place reserved for them on his throne. As the first of the new creation by God through the resurrection, so those in Laodicea would because part of the new creation by God through resurrection.
In calling Jesus the beginning of God’s new creation, it is the basis of hope for the Churches facing persecution. Such comfort through persecution is not achieved by calling Jesus the first of God’s primordial creations.
Theological NoteBook 