The Firstborn Son

Primogenitus est in multis fratribus, quia quotquot receperunt eum, dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, quorum recte primogenitus appellatur, quia omnes adoptionis filios, etiam illos qui incarnationis eius tempora nascendo praecesserunt, dignitate praegreditur. Si quidem illi possunt cum Ioanne veracissime testari, quia qui post nos venit, ante nos factus est, id est, post nos quidem in mundo genitus, sed merito virtutis et regni primogenitus omnium nostrum iure vocatus. Qui et in ipsa divina nativitate non inconvenienter potest primogenitus dici, quia priusquam creaturam faciendo gigneret aliquam, coaeternum sibi Pater aeternus genuit Filium; priusquam verbo veritatis adoptionis sibi filios redimendo gigneret aliquos, coaeternum sibi Pater aeternus genuit Verbum: unde ipsum Verbum, ipse Dei Filius, videlicet virtus et sapientia loquitur: Ego ex ore Altissimi prodivi, primogenita ante omnem creaturam. Peperit ergo Maria Filium suum primogenitum, id est, suae substantiae filium; peperit eum qui et ante omnem creaturam Deus de Deo natus erat, et in ea qua creatus est humanitate omnem merito creaturam praeibat. Sanctus Beda, Homila V In Vigilia Nativitatis Domini Source: Migne PL 94.33d-34b

Firstborn He is among many brothers, because as many as received Him, He gave them the power to be sons of God, 1 among whom He is rightly called the firstborn, because all the sons of adoption, even those who preceded the time of His incarnation by their own birth, He precedes in dignity. Certainly if with John they are able to testify most truly that He who came after us, was before us, 2 that is: indeed He was born after us in the world, but by the merit of virtue and kingship he is rightly called the firstborn of all of us. He who even in that Divine nativity is not inappropiately said to be firstborn, because before the making of any created thing He was generated, the eternal Father begetting the coeternal Son. Before, with the word of truth, for redemption, He produced sons for His adoption, the eternal Father begot the coeternal Son, whence the Word, the Son of God, truly virtue and wisdom says: 'I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, first begotten of all creatures.' 3 Therefore Mary bore her own first born son, that is, the son of her substance, and God bore Him who was born before every creature, God from God, and through her created man He preceded in merit every created thing. Saint Bede, On The Vigil Of The Nativity of the Lord 1 Jn 1.12 2 Jn 1.15 3 Sirach 24.5