The Son of Man ( Dr. Heb. בַּר אֱנָשׁ, בן – אדם, Ben Adam ; Aram. בַּר־אֱנָשׁ, Bar Enash or Barnasha ; Dr. Greek ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ) - a term originating in Tanakh ( Old Testament ). He first denoted belonging to the human race in the sense of one or one of . The book of the prophet Daniel describes him as the future savior of mankind, whom Yahweh will give power over the world after the Last Judgment:
 | I saw in night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, the Son of man walked, as it were, came to the Ancient of days and was brought to Him. And He has been given power, glory, and a kingdom so that all nations, tribes, and languages serve Him; His dominion is eternal dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed. ( Dan. 7: 13-14 ) |  |
New Testament
Jesus Christ in the Gospel more than 65 times calls Himself the “Son of Man” :
- “And Jesus said to him: foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” ( Matthew 8:20 ),
- “But so that you know that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins, - then he says to the relaxed: Rise, take up your bed, and go to your house” ( Matthew 9: 6 ),
- “When they will persecute you in one city, run to another. For verily I say unto you, you will not have time to go round the cities of Israel, as the Son of man cometh ”( Matthew 10:23 ),
- “The Son of Man has come, eating and drinking; and they say: here is a man who loves to eat and drink wine, a friend to tax collectors and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children ”( Matt. 11:19 ),
- “For the Son of man is the lord and the sabbaths” ( Matthew 12: 8 ),
- “For just as Jonah was in the womb of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights” ( Matthew 12:40 ),
- “But he answered them: he that sows the good seed is the Son of man ” ( Matthew 13:37 ),
- “For the Son of man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward everyone according to his works” ( Matthew 16:27 ),
- “And when they went down the mountain, Jesus forbade them, saying: Do not tell anyone about this vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead” ( Matthew 17: 9 ),
- “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” ( Matthew 18:11 ),
- “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory” ( Matthew 25:31 ),
- “Then he comes to his disciples and says to them: are you still sleeping and resting? behold, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners ”( Matt. 26:45 ),
- “But so that you know that the Son of Man has the power on earth to forgive sins,” he says to the relaxed: “( Mark 2:10 ),
- “For he who is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of His Father with holy Angels” ( Mark 8:38 ),
- “However, the Son of Man comes, as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man indulges: it would be better for that man not to be born ”( Mark 14:21 ),
- “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost” ( Luke 19:10 ),
- “From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” ( Luke 22:69 ),
- “No one ascended to heaven as soon as the Son of Man who came down from heaven, who is in heaven,” John 3:13 )
- “When he went out, Jesus said: now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” John 13:31 )
other.
The Protestant theologian George Eldon Ladd expresses surprise at the fact that the early church ignored this only name that Jesus freely used in relation to Himself and which He preferred to call Himself. Outside of the Gospels, this expression is used only once, in the mouth of the first martyr Stephen ( Acts 7:56 ).
During the life of Christ, the meaning of the expression "son of man" was precisely the understanding of the prophet Daniel - the messianic. It has become synonymous with the expression "Son of God."
... Jews familiar with the book of Daniel (Dan. 7,13), where the “Son of Man” turns out to be the Messianic title, and with the latest apocryphal literature (the so-called Book of Enoch), heard a high meaning in this phrase: the Son of Man is Judge and the Latter-day Savior, Christ, the eschatological hope of Israel. But the Greeks, not familiar with this literature, in the phrase “son of man” could perceive not exalting, but only underestimating meaning: just a man. Therefore, when transferring their sermon outside the synagogue, the apostles began to call Christ “the Son of God” [1] .
Alexander Men says the same thing: “He did not utter the word“ Messiah ”, but they understood the expression“ Son of Man ”; it meant that the new Teacher is the One whom everyone has been looking forward to for a long time ” [2] .
This understanding of the “son of man” as Christ is clearly visible in the Gospel of John : “The people answered him: we heard from the law that Christ abides forever; how do you say that the Son of man must be exalted? ”( John 12:34 ).
Notes
- ↑ Gifts and anathemas, Andrey Kuraev, Eksmo, Yauza 2004
- ↑ A. Men, the Son of man .