The expression τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ (Phil 2:6c) is treated by most as a description of a status (“equality with God”), not a nature. The expression is regularly viewed as one way in which the narrative in Phil 2:6–11 describes Christ as a divine ruler, in that it evokes language to describe divine honours given to rulers (isotheoi timai). Developing the arguments of a minority of commentators, this chapter sets out the contextual and linguistic reasons to think the status interpretation misunderstands the peculiar Greek phrase. It also provides some confirmation, however, for the view that τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ presents Christ as a royal or imperial figure.
Linguistically, τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ means “being in a manner equal with God” (or “a/the being that is in a manner equal with God’s manner of being”). It is an adverbial construction, and there is no reason (despite the claims ofsome grammars and handbooks) to think it is adverbial in form but adjectival in meaning. Until now, our understanding of the phrase has been inhibited by the absence of a thorough investigation of comparative statements in the ancient Greek language environment. Comparing the expression with a full inventory of over one hundred and forty known examples of a divine-equality statement (set out in full in Appendix A) also helps clarify how τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ would be heard in the first century. Syntactically, there were six types of divine-equality statement in use in Paul’s day, and Greek speakers were fully aware of the (sometimes subtle) differences between them. There is no reason to think, as others have claimed, that the author of Phil 2:6c is not conscious of the precise meaning of the adverbial τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ.
Syntactically and semantically, τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ is a distinct type of divine-equality expression, comparable to two passages in Homer’s Iliad (5:441–2; 21:315), a line in Homeric Hymns 5 (To Aphrodite) (line 214), and three later Greek texts (Pseudo-Perictione On the Harmony of Women 1; Philodemus On the Good King According to Homer col. 35 and 2 Maccabees 9:12). It describes a situation or state in which a (usually human) figure acts or exists in a manner equal to God (or to the gods). Other types of divine-equality statement with which Phil 2:6c has typically been compared, are less relevant to its interpretation, though comparison with them helps us appreciate the precise import of Phil 2:6c.