145 - Jesus Son of Man: A Fresh Examination of the Son of Man Sayings in the Gospels in the Light of Recent Research

Jesus Son of Man: A Fresh Examination
of the Son of Man Sayings in the Gospels
in the Light of Recent Research
By Barnabas Lindars
Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1984. 244 pp. $9.95.

Influenced by the work of Geza Vermes, Lindars sets out his own theory about the origins and development of the Son of Man sayings. At the time of Jesus, Judaism knew nothing of an apocalyptic figure with the fixed title, the Son of Man. The historical Jesus used the phrase "the son of man" (bar enasha) not as a title, but as an ironic, ambiguous self-reference. The sense is: "a man in my circumstances," "a man such as I." Lindars identifies six Son of Man sayings that come from Jesus, plus some form of a passion prediction. The saying that sees Jesus as advocate or accuser on the last day (Matt 10:32-33/Luke 12:8-9) is pivotal, for it forms the bridge to the early church's identification of Jesus with "one like a son of man" in Dan. 7:13-14. The church thus transformed Jesus' "generic" usage into a clear, exclusive self-reference. Lindars then traces the particular nuances of the title in Mark, Matthew, Luke-Acts, and John. The book is informative and thought-provoking; but its starting-point, the supposed generic usage of Jesus, is questionable.

John P. Meier
Catholic University
Washington, D.C.