The Background of the Term ‘Son of Man’ in Light of Recent Research

Abstract

This article examines the philological and tradition-historical background of the Son of Man phrase and the mythological figure that it describes in light of recent research. While many studies for well over a century have interpreted the New Testament's ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου phrase and its Aramaic equivalent ‫אנשא‬ ‫בר‬ through the prism of Late Aramaic texts, as at least occasionally a non-titular circumlocution, this study engages the research of a number of Aramaic specialists to suggest that such an approach is diachronically incorrect. An argument is therefore made for a consistently titular deployment of the phrase in all stages of the New Testament tradition. Additionally, we suggest the influence of Enochic apocalyptic speculation, especially the book of Parables, on the possible deployment of the phrase by the historical Jesus of Nazareth or his earliest followers.