The Son Of Man In Myth And History

"Borsch has not answered all the questions, of course. Who can? But his view of the Man tradition makes more sense to me than, for example, Perrin's rather cavalier dismissal of the evidence, and it not only enlightens but also enlivens the discussion. As against the extreme skeptics, Borsch is also convincing to me in arguing the case for a large measure of authenticity in the Son of man tradition in the Gospels. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the book constantly calls me back to its pages for insight regarding the problem, both in its historical dimension and in its bearing upon the meaning of Jesus of Nazareth for faith today. --'Theology' "The author is well aware of the difficulties involved in entering a field wherein so much investigation has been done. And of this, with the positive and negative conclusions, he gives an excellent survey, crisp and critical . . . . The lines opened up will engage the attention of a new and more positive chapter in the form-critical argument. --'London Quarterly and Holborn Review'

Most New Testament scholars today agree that Jesus used an enigmatic self-designation, bar nasha ("the Son of Man"), translated into Greek as ho huios tou anthropou in the Synoptic Gospels. In contrast, Paul, the earliest New Testament writer, nowhere mentions the phrase in his letters. Does this indicate that the Gospel writers simply misunderstood the generic sense of the Aramaic idiom and used it as a christological title in connection with Daniel 7, as some scholars claim? Paul demonstrates explicit and sophisticated Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. In contrast, there is no real equivalent in the Synoptic Gospels. Does this indicate that Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 was essentially a Pauline invention to which the Evangelists were oblivious? In this study Yongbom Lee argues that in addition to the Old Testament, contemporary Jewish exegetical traditions, and his Damascus Christophany, Paul uses the early church tradition--in particular, its implicit primitive Adam-Jesus typology and the Son of Man saying traditions reflected in the Synoptic Gospels--as a source of his Adam Christology.

Parables of Enoch: A Paradigm Shift is an interdisciplinary study of the state of the current debate surrounding the Parables of Enoch with regard to their dating as well as their Jewish character and their potential contribution to aspects of early Christian thought. The role of 1 Enoch in the context of Christian Origins is much discussed amongst Second Temple and New Testament scholars, with the former often attaching more importance to them than the latter. The contributors to the present volume stem from both areas, and together explore the relative signifance of the Parables of Enoch. The important issues discussed include: the significance of the parables for a deeper understanding of Second Temple thought, Jesus' message, the development of the kerygma, and the traditions embodied and edited in canonical texts, especially the Gospels. The extremely impressive list of contributors includes; Geza Vermes, Richard Bauckham, James Dunn, Larry Schiffman, James VanderKam, Francis Moloney and Loren Stuckenbruck.

This selection of the Rev. C. F. D. Moule's essays, represents the whole range of Professor Moule's contribution to New Testament studies.

The Son of Man sayings are some of the most contested sayings in the Gospels. They preserve a phrase employed by Jesus to refer to himself, yet the meaning of the saying in its various contexts has been hotly debated for centuries. Some identify allusions to other literature in the bible, including the book of Daniel. Others see it as simply being a strange rendering in Greek of an Aramaic phrase that was relatively commonplace. The history of research on these sayings is here presented by Benjamin E. Reynolds in a volume of critical readings, which provides access to over 50 years of scholarly research. These essays and articles include the most often cited articles that address the various aspects of the Son of Man debate. In addition to these most well-known pieces Reynolds includes carefully selected additional essays that allow readers to trace different developments in the debate and to provide an entry into the waters of 'the Son of Man Problem' and the numerous solutions that have been offered. Each section features an introduction and a section of annotated further readings.

In this challenging book, rising New Testament scholar Simon Gathercole contradicts a commonly held view among biblical scholars -- that the Gospel of John is the only Gospel to give evidence for Jesus' heavenly identity and preexistence. The Preexistent Son demonstrates that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were also well aware that the Son of God existed with the Father prior to his earthly ministry. Gathercole supports his argument by considering the "I have come" sayings of Jesus and strikingly similar angelic sayings discovered in Second Temple and Rabbinic literature. Further, he considers related topics such as Wisdom Christology and the titles applied to Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Gathercole's carefully researched work should spark debate among Synoptic scholars and extend the understanding of anyone interested in this New Testament question.

V. 1. How to study the historical Jesus -- v. 2. The study of Jesus -- v. 3. The historical Jesus -- v. 4. Individual studies.

Current New Testament scholarship has done much to advance knowledge of Jesus's authentic words and message. The works of Crossan, Borg, Vermes, Mack, and many others attest to this movement. In this process, however, the Christ of the Gospels, or the so-called Christ of faith, has been caught in the crosshairs, forcing Christianity to reflect anew on the church's interpretation of his life and place in history. Has the church's dogma overreached the "facts" of Jesus's life? Farley's book addresses these issues and offers a feasible and illuminating context within which to reexamine Jesus's life and significance for modern humankind. His book probes the boundaries of Jesus as a historical person (as a man), as a figure of mythical proportions, and as a metaphor for today's Christian sense of wholeness. Along the way, Farley incorporates the insights of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Paul Tillich to demonstrate the ways that psychology, mythology, and symbolism contribute to an appreciation of Jesus that moves beyond the debate of Jesus's historical status alone.