Son of man as son of Adam Part II: Exegesis (continued from January 2003 issue)

A look at selected passages in the Gospels (Mark 2:10; 2:27-28; 10:45; Matt 24:27//Luke 17:24; Matt 25:31-46; John 5:26-27; 6:27) confirms the thesis argued more generally in Part I that "Son of Man" means "Son of Adam" and that Jesus' self-designation coheres with and draws on biblical and early Jewish traditions about the first man. This does not, however, mean that Jesus as Son of Man is merely human, since Adam is a figure of great glory, even godlikeness, in some of the traditions upon which the Son of Man sayings draw. Jesus as Son of Man, therefore, presents a glorified picture of human destiny, showing humanity eschatologically transformed to fulfill the destiny that God intended for it "in the beginning.".

Duke Scholars

Author Joel Marcus Divinity School