Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site cvl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!think!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!harwood From: harwood@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: re "the Son of Man", reply to Darrell Long Message-ID: <624@cvl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Jul-85 16:29:54 EDT Article-I.D.: cvl.624 Posted: Wed Jul 10 16:29:54 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 15-Jul-85 06:37:43 EDT Distribution: net Organization: Computer Vision Lab, U. of Maryland, College Park Lines: 40 Reply to a question ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: darrell@sdcsvax.UUCP (Darrell Long) Newsgroups: net.religion.christian Subject: A simple question. Message-ID: <959@sdcsvax.UUCP> Throughout the Gospels Christ calls himself "The Son of Man". Why? None have yet given me a satisfactory answer. -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are many arguments about the meaning of this expression, which is generally believed to have been actually used by Jesus, more than other self-designations. Some say he simply meant "human being", using a common expression for an person (bar nasha, or ben adam), used in Ezekiel, for example. Others see this as identification of himself with the end-of-time figure of Daniel, where it is explicated as a singular reference for the collective end-of-time saints. There is a another end-of-time figure SOM in an apocraphal book of Enoch, a verse of which is cited elsewhere in the NT (Jude). Otherwise, Paul refers to Christ as the New Adam, which is similarly a singular prototypic figure for those who have recieved a new life, that in the spirit of Christ. To answer your question, personally, I believe Jesus uses the expression to identify himself with the new mankind which will be his spiritual descendents, those who are called by God to live even as he does. I believe confusion arises about this because it is sometimes said the Son of Man comes from "heaven", or with "the clouds of heaven" "with the angels" or "in power and glory", and perhaps many Christians would take these to have a vague, but material sense. But perhaps it is better to think of these spirit- ually, as figures for how God manifests Himself in calling His own.