IN THE FORM OF GOD, IN THE FORM OF A SLAVE: ABOUT OF THE TRANSLATION OF MORPHḖ, -ḖS, IN PHIL 2:6-7 IN BRAZILIAN EDITIONS OF THE BIBLE

Abstract

The Christological hymn of the Letter to the Philippians begins with the phrase hós en morphḗi theoû huparchÅn (Phil 2:6a). This article aims to show how this phrase is variously translated among different editions of the Bible in circulation in Brazil, as well as to explore the interpretations that were added to it in their corresponding notes. Attention will be given to the translation of the word morphḗ, which occurs not only in the following verse, in the expression morphÄ“n doúlon lab“n (Phil 2:7), but also in Mc 16:12. After this presentation, the meaning of the word morphḗ in dictionaries, its occurrences in the Septuagint, and the occurrences of cognate words in the New Testament will also be explored. This research investigates the possibility of using an alternative translation for the term morphḗ since its primary meaning, form, causes strangeness in the expression: “form of God”.