Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

He afterwards contended with an angel in the form of a man, and was strengthened by God; whereupon, instead of Jacob, the supplanter, he received the name, the most upright of God [Against Pelagius 3]

Gird your sword over your thigh, o mighty one, in your form and beauty"; in Hebrew, "gird your sword over your thigh, o strong one, in your glory and comeliness." I think this is the place for you best to understand that you are girded with the military sword of Christ. You should however know that virginity always has the sword of modesty thorugh which it cuts off the works of the flesh and conquers desires, and pagan error also imagined armed virgins as goddesses. And Peter girded his loins and held a burning lantern in his hands. That the thigh signifies the works of marriage, you will be taught briefly from these examples. Abraham sending to seek a wife for his son Isaac said to the elder [servant] of his house: "put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the Lord God of heaven" [Gen.24:2-3] so there would be no doubt but that through him one would be born from his seed. Jacob, after he wrestled with the man who appeared to him at the torrent of Jabbok, left Mesopotamia and reached the promised land, not before he drew the name of Israel, as the nerve of his thigh withered. He spoke to his son: "the prince will not depart from Judah nor the leader from his thighs"

Proverbs 2:21 כִּי-יְשָׁרִים יִשְׁכְּנוּ-אD6רֶץ; וּתְמִימִים, יִוָּתְרוּ בָהּ

LXX Proverbs 2:21 χρηστοὶ ἔσονται οἰκήτορες γῆς ἄκακοι δὲ ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ ὅτι εὐθεῖς κατασκηνώσουσι γῆν καὶ ὅσιοι ὑπολειφθήσονται ἐν αὐτῇ

In short Chrestos = yashar. As Kittel notes Chrestos "when used20of people means 'worthy,' 'decent,' 'honest,' morally 'upright' or 'good." (p 1320)

Secret Alias wrote:r What happened to Jacob to make him Chrestos (= castrated) becomes the manner in which the elect, the priesthood of the new Israel/Chrestoi become angelic and godlike

Secret Alias wrote:Christians have a hard time

1 identifying Jesus as the Ish

Jacob was obviously not castrated.

Secret Alias wrote: In a letter Jerome seems to indicate the "uprightness" is connected with castration:

Gird your sword over your thigh, o mighty one, in your form and beauty"; in Hebrew, "gird your sword over your thigh, o strong one, in your glory and comeliness." I think this is the place for you best to understand that you are girded with the military sword of Christ. You should however know that virginity always has the sword of modesty thorugh which it cuts off the works of the flesh and conquers desires, and pagan error also imagined armed virgins as goddesses.

davidbrainerd wrote:
But back in the days of Justin's mythologizing, ..non-Marcionite Christians, complementary two powers heretics, viewed ... Jesus as every angel in the OT.

• I'd say that's very likely.

• ... Of course Christians today don't identify Jesus as the angel, because of Hebrews 1, "Jesus is NOT an angel."