http://letusreason.thoughts.com/posts/proto-tokos-and-proto-ktistos

The Two Greek terms above "prototokos" [first-born] and "proto-ktistos" [first-created] is the subject of inquiry. The term prototokos is a much debated term in its connection with Christ, but the infrequently discussed or known term, protoktistos, is not so frequently discussed.

Fathers of the early Church

Church fathers of the later gospel periods 4th century etc, noted that when the apostle Paul referred to Christ, he used the term "proto-tokos [first-born] and not "proto-ktistos" [first-created]. One of the important points that many Trinitarians are not even aware of is that protoktistos was not in common use until the middle/late 2nd century and early 3rd century CE. As the term protoktistos began to be more popular and in common use in those gospel periods, it was used in reference to Christ and there were no real distinction in understanding made between it [protoktistos] and "prototokos" [first-born]!

In Clement of Alexandria [c. 150- c. 214 CE] we find for example in his Stromata we find in book, 5 chapter 6, section 35, and book 5, chapter 14, section 89 we find that the term "protoktistos" is found and if one cares to look at the Clement’s Stromata in ANF 2, chapter 6, page 452 it is crystal clear and unambiguous where Clement clearly calls Jesus "protoktistos", [first-created] such was the common use and understanding of the term in Clement’s time, as Clement uses the term first-created, as though it was first-born, to Clement and others, the two meant the same thing and were interchangeable and in fact, if we look at Clements same work [Stromata] just a little later on in chapter 14, page 465, we come across the expression, "tes sophias tes protoktistou tw thew", which means, "Wisdom, which was the first of the creation of God", here we clearly see the [genitive] "protoktistou" [of the creation]! This shows that, to the church fathers [pre-Nicene] the terms "prototokos" and "protoktistos" were naturally synonymous and interchangeable terms, they treat both equally and with the same meaning!

Modern Trinitarians may scoff at this, but these facts are really incontrovertible, as is seen in Clement’s Stromata, not to mention that Clement is held in high esteem in Trinitarian Christendom!

I would like to end with a short quote by the scholar John Patrick from his book, "Clement of Alexandria" page 103, 104.

"Clement repeatedly identifies the Word with the Wisdom of God, and yet he refers to Wisdom as the first created of God; while in one passage he attaches the epithet "First-created," and in another "First-begotten," to the Word. But this seems to be rather a question of language than a question of doctrine. At a later date a sharp distinction was drawn between "first-created" and "first-born" or "first-begotten", but no such distinction was drawn in the time of Clement, who with the Septuagint rendering of a passage in Proverbs before him could have had no misgivings as to the use of the terms…Zahn…points to the fact that Clement makes a sharp distinction between the Son and the Word who was begotten or created before the rest of creation and the alone Unbegotten God and Father."

"Clement repeatedly identifies the Word with the Wisdom of God, and yet he refers to Wisdom as the first created of God; while in one passage he attaches the epithet "First-created," and in another "First-begotten," to the Word."

"At a later date a sharp distinction was drawn between "first-created" and "first-born" or "first-begotten", but no such distinction was drawn in the time of Clement…"

As was pointed out, it was only in the later times that a clear separation began to be made between "proto-tokos" and proto-ktistos" and there is no reason to believe that the apostle Paul understood, like Clement, in whose times, both terms meant the same thing and were synonymous and it was only when the proto-Trinitarians came along later and Greek concepts began to come in and muddy the clear water of biblical truth and the understanding between the Almighty God Jehovah and His Son began to change, to be blurred, eventually for the Son, Jesus himself to be called Jehovah, who is the Father! Isa 63:16; 64:8; Math 6:9 ASV, NWT, DT, YLT.