Son of man
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"Son of man", "son of Adam", or "as a man", are phrases used in the Hebrew Bible, various apocalyptic works of the intertestamental period, and in the Greek New Testament. In the indefinite form ("son of Adam", "son of man", "like a man") used in the Hebrew Bible, it is a form of address; or it contrasts humans with God and the angels; or it contrasts foreign nations (like the Sasanian Empire and Babylon), which are often represented as animals in apocalyptic writings (bear, goat, or ram), with Israel which is represented as human (a "son of man"); or it signifies an eschatological human figure.
The phrase is used in its indefinite form in the Septuagint, Biblical apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. The Greek New Testament uses the earlier indefinite form while introducing a novel definite form, "the son of man."
HistoryEdit
Jewish BibleEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Hebrew expression "son of man" (Template:Langx) appears 107 times in the Hebrew Bible, the majority (93 times) in the Book of Ezekiel.Template:Sfn It is used in three main ways: as a form of address (Ezekiel); to contrast the lowly status of humanity against the permanence and exalted dignity of God and the angels (Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse); and as a future eschatological figure whose coming will signal the end of history and the time of God's judgment (Template:Bibleverse).Template:Sfn
Daniel 7 tells of a vision given to Daniel in which four "beasts," representing pagan nations, oppress the people of Israel until judged by God. Template:Bibleref describes how the "Ancient of Days" (God) gives dominion over the earth to "one like a son of man ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} [{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}])". The passage in Daniel 7:13 occurs in Biblical Aramaic.
Later, in chapter 7, it is explained that "one like a man" certainly implies a "human being" and also stands for "the saints of the Most High" (7:18, 21–22) and "the people of the saints of the Most High" (7:27).Template:Sfn The "saints" and "people of the saints," in turn, probably stand for the Israelites – the vision sees it that God will take dominion over the world away from the beast-like pagan "nations" and give it to human-like Israel.Template:Sfn
Apocrypha and PseudepigraphaEdit
Although Daniel's 7:13 "like a son of man" has been interpreted as standing for the Messiah (e.g. in Rashi's Commentary on the Tanakh), this interpretation was probably introduced by later apocryphal and deuterocanonical works such as the Similitudes (or Parables) of Enoch and 4 Ezra.Template:Sfn Whether these messianic "Son of Man" references are genuinely Jewish or the result of Christian interpolation is disputed.<ref>G. Nickelsburg, "Son of Man." in Anchor Bible Dictionary 6.138.</ref> An example of a disputed section is that of The Similitudes (1 Enoch 37–71) which uses Daniel 7 to produce an unparalleled messianic Son of Man, pre-existent and hidden yet ultimately revealed, functioning as judge, vindicator of righteousness, and universal ruler.Template:Sfn The Enochic messianic figure is an individual representing a group (the Righteous One who represents the righteous, the Elect One representing the elect), but in Template:Bibleverse (also called 2 Esdras) he becomes an individual man.Template:Sfn<ref>The Expository Times 1900 – Volume 11 – Page 64 "Again, Schmiedel is quite prepared to admit the possibility that the Son of man passages in Enoch may be Christian interpolation, and so far as ability to deal with this part of the problem depends on a knowledge of Ethiopic (in which language ...)"</ref><ref>The Enoch-Metatron Tradition - Page 82 3161485440 Andrei A. Orlov - 2005 "The same interchangeability is observable in the titles "son of man" and "chosen one." Here ... 88 Some scholars believe that these chapters might represent later interpolation(s) and do not '83 G. Nickelsburg, "Son of Man." ABD 6.138."</ref>
New TestamentEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The New Testament features the indefinite "a son of man" in Template:Bibleverse (citing Template:Bibleverse), and "one like the son of man" in Template:Bibleverse (referencing Daniel 7:13's "one like a son of man").Template:Sfn The Gospels introduce a new definite form, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, literally 'the son of the man,' an awkward and ambiguous expression in Greek.Template:Sfn It functions as an emphatic equivalent of the first-person pronoun I/me/my, and in all four gospels it is used only by Jesus (except once in the Gospel of John, when the crowd asks what Jesus means by it).Template:Sfn German theologian Rudolf Bultmann sees the phrase not as one genuinely used by Jesus but as one inserted by the early Church,Template:Sfn but theologian C. F. D. Moule argues that the phrase, "so far from being a title evolved from current apocalyptic thought by the early Church and put by it onto the lips of Jesus, is among the most important symbols used by Jesus himself to describe his vocation and that of those whom he summoned to be with him."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The title "Son of Man" is the most frequently used designation for Jesus in the Gospels, particularly in his own self-references. Outside the Gospels, however, "Christ" (Messiah) becomes the dominant title, especially in the writings of Paul and the broader New Testament epistles.<ref>Romans 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:23; Philippians 2:5–11</ref>
In the New Testament, Jesus combines the titles "Son of Man" and "Son of God" in key theological moments. In his conversation with Nicodemus, he unites both titles while speaking of his divine mission and salvation.<ref>John 3:13–18 (NIV)</ref> At his trial before the Sanhedrin, he affirms his identity by linking them again.<ref>Matthew 26:63–64; Mark 14:61–62 (NIV)</ref> Other instances include his discourse on resurrection and judgment,<ref>John 5:25–27 (NIV)</ref> Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi,<ref>Matthew 16:13–17 (NIV)</ref> and Martha’s confession before the raising of Lazarus.<ref>John 11:25–27 (NIV)</ref>
The term in the source languagesEdit
The exact words used for "son of man" vary, depending on the source language.
- Template:Langx<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Template:Langx
- Template:Langx — see Son of man (Judaism)
- Template:Langx – per the Septuagint in Dan. 7:13 [LXX].<ref name="Lee2012">Template:Cite book</ref>
- Template:Langx – per the New Testament, see Son of man (Christianity)
See alsoEdit
FootnotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
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