Does κτίζω entail creation out of nothing

Question

Col 1:16 - For in Him [Jesus] all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him [Jesus] and for Him.

The verb for created here is:

κτίζω • (ktízō) to people to found, build, establish (a city) to plant (e.g. an orchard) to create, produce to make so to perpetrate

Does the lexical range of this word always mean that something is created out of nothing?

Answer 1

These are the times that ⲕⲧⲓⲍⲱ is used in the NT:

κτίζω to create, build, found (15)

• Matt. 19:4 Οὐκ ἀνέγνωτε ὅτι ὁ κτίσας ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ἄρσεν

• Mark 13:19 ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως ἣν εκτισεν ὁ θεὸς ἕως τοῦ

• Rom. 1:25 τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὅς ἐστιν εὐλογητὸς

• 1Cor. 11:9 καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἐκτίσθη ἀνὴρ διὰ τὴν γυναῖκα,

• Eph. 2:10 γάρ ἐσμεν ποίημα, κτισθέντες ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ ἐπὶ

• Eph. 2:15 καταργήσας, ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰς ἕνα

• Eph. 3:9 τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι,

• Eph. 4:24 ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι

• Col. 1:16 ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ειτε ἀρχαὶ ειτε ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα δι’ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν εκτισται·

• Col. 3:10 εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν κατ’ εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτόν,

• 1Tim. 4:3 βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς εκτισεν εἰς μετάλημψιν μετὰ εὐχαριστίας

• Rev. 4:11 δύναμιν, ὅτι σὺ εκτισας τὰ πάντα καὶ καὶ διὰ τὸ θέλημά σου ἦσαν καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.

• Rev. 10:6 τῶν αἰώνων, ὃς εκτισεν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὰ

In all of them, it's hard to find a context or example where, when God is the subject of the verb, ⲕⲧⲓⲍⲱ isn't understood in a Hebrews 11:3 sense of the word (“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.” (Hebrews 11:3 NIV11-GKE)).

The only exception is the Matthew passage. For God created Adam out of dirt. And he created Eve from Adam. But in either case, there was no life, breath, and soul in either of them. So, even in these cases, an "ex nihilo" conclusion could be understood.

Answer 2

Let me first summarize the data concerning the verb κτίζω about which we observe:

• God is always the subject of the verb, ie, doing the creating. In this sense at least, the verb is equivalent to the Hebrew verb בָּרָא (bara) which is also exclusive to God's activity of creating.
• there is nothing innate in the meaning of the verb that requires creation from nothing

Now, let me list the 15 times this verb appears (in two cases, the verb occurs twice in the same verse):

• Matt 19:4 - God made humans male and female, but in this case the creation of mankind used pre-existing material, soil for Adam, and Adam's rib for Eve.
• Mark 13:19 - the beginning of God's creating is a direct allusion to the start of God's activity when, by definition, nothing existed and thus it was ex-nihilo
• Rom 1:25 - the One (ie God) who created all things
• 1 Cor 11:9 refers to the Adam being created, ie, NOT ex-nihilo
• Eph 2:10 - we are created in Christ Jesus for good works; again, nothing about ex-nihilo is necessarily implied
• Eph 2:15 - Jesus creates one man out of two; this definitely not ex-nihilo
• Eph 3:9 - God created all things, which by definition must have at least begun with ex-nihilo
• Eph 4:25 - God creates the "new man according to God", possibly ex-nihilo?
• Col 1:16 - Jesus created all things, which by definition must have at least begun with ex-nihilo
• Col 3:10 - very similar to Eph 4:25
• 1 Tim 4:3 - God created food, which was NOT ex-nihilo as it comes from the plants that God created
• Rev 4:11 - God created all things, which by definition must have at least begun with ex-nihilo
• Rev 10:6 - God created all things, which by definition must have at least begun with ex-nihilo

Thus, many of these references to God's creative activity do not require, indeed actually preclude creation ex-nihilo. However, the other half of the references are definitely God creating ex-nihilo.

Answer 3

Not, of course, for the concept of “creation out of nothing” was hardly even entertained in Hellenic philosophy or cosmogony, whereas the word κτίζω existed nevertheless.

However when in Paul this word is qualified by “all things” and given that beyond “all things” analytically and necessarily there is “no thing” or nothing, then it obtains that κτίζω in this sentence relates to creation out of nothing.

Moreover, since Christ is clearly outside of the “all things”, then, given that beyond “all things” there is either nothing or Creator, and given that nothing does not exist, it obtains necessarily that He is eternally existing uncreated co-Creator alongside with the Creator Father of all things, i.e. the entire created order of the universe.

I do not fathom why this clear logic evaded the brains of the Arians and their modern-day heirs such as Jehovah Witnessists and other unitarists.

Answer 4

The question is marked as a "word-study." Words do not have "meaning," but authors do. An author can use words any way that they want, as long as they are understood, from the context.

In English, what does "made" mean? Without a context, who can say? For example:

"I made a lot of money today."

Does that mean that s/he works at the Treasury? Or at a tech job?

But in broad terms, ποιέω is used to speak of "forming something," usually, if not always, from other stuff. Not normally to speak of "ex nihilo."

κτίζω is usually referring to founding something immaterial. For example, you might found a corporation by drafting Articles of Incorporation, and appointing a President, Vice President and a Treasurer. After that, one might ποιέω widgets.

I'm amused by the comedy of errors that arise when people fail to understand (or accept) this passage:

[Col 1:15-17 NASB20] [15] He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: [16] for by Him all things were created [κτίζω], [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities--all things have been created [κτίζω] through Him and for Him. [17] He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

When you see a chair, do you think, "Jesus made this chair!"? I hope not. The chairs are only metonymy for roles/positions of authority.

And all the Trinitarian fervor for verse 16 is because they don't realize this, and that he is referring specifically to the (brief) Kingdom of Christ, not Genesis 1.

Also, κτίζω is used to translate the origin of God's demiurge, Sophia:

[Pro 8:22 NASB20] [22] "The LORD created [κτίζω] me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.

Sophia was God's "wisdom." Did God come to come to possess Wisdom at the beginning of his journey? Did he form wisdom? Or did he establish wisdom? Is Christ Sophia?

[Pro 8:22-31 NASB20] [22] "The LORD created me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. [23] "From eternity I was established, From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. [24] "When there were no ocean depths, I was born, When there were no springs abounding with water. [25] "Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was born; [26] While He had not yet made the earth and the fields, Nor the first dust of the world. [27] "When He established the heavens, I was there; When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, [28] When He made firm the skies above, When the springs of the deep became fixed, [29] When He set a boundary for the sea So that the water would not violate His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth; [30] Then I was beside Him, [as] a master workman; And I was [His] delight daily, Rejoicing always before Him, [31] Rejoicing in the world, His earth, And [having] my delight in the sons of mankind.