Editing Adoptionism (section)

====New Testamental epistles====
Adoptionist theology may also be reflected in canonical [[epistle]]s, the earliest of which pre-date the writing of the gospels. The letters of [[Paul the Apostle]], for example, do not mention a [[virgin birth of Christ]]. Paul describes Jesus as "born of a woman, born under the [[Law of Moses|law]]" and "as to his [[human nature]] was a descendant of David" in the [[Epistle to the Galatians]] and the [[Epistle to the Romans]]. Christian interpreters, however, take his statements in [[Philippians 2]] to imply that Paul believed Jesus to have existed as equal to God before his [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Hurtado|first=L. W.|editor-last=Hawthorne|editor-first=Gerald F.|title=Pre-existence|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Paul and His Letters|pages=743–746|publisher=InterVarsity Press|location=Downers Grove, IL|date=1993}}</ref>