A Brighter Day Begins with His Word.

James Hastings • SECTION 806

Section 806

← A Dictionary of the Bible — Volume 4

Conclusion. — From what has been said, it will be seen that the assertion of Marcellus in regard to the biblical usage was really very much in the right direction, though — as is so often the case with the ancients, when they have got hold of a riglit principle in criticism or exegesis — it is rather too sweeping and unqualified.

As compared with Marcellus and the modem revivers ot his opinion, our own conclusion from the evidence passed in review would be, that while it is undoubtedly true that the biblical writers and the other early Christian -WTiters before Justin,

SOX OF MAX

SOX OF MAN

579

start from the Incarnation and are thinking prinia/ily of this, tlieir tliought does not neces- sarily end with it. It seems to point liaikwards into tlie dim past beliind it. Certainly there is no sharp line of demarcation restricting the meaning of the title to the incarnate state and no other. The writers are so far from guardin;; themselves against any reference beyond the Incarnation that they seem rather naturally to suggest it. The Son is so called primarily as incarnate. But that which is the essence of the Incarnation must needs be also larger than tlie Incarnation. It must needs have its roots in the eternity of Godhead. [See esp. a very instructive and carefully balanced discussion in Moberly, Atonement and Person- ality,-p^. 18511., 211-215].

LmnLATURE. — The most important literatiire will have been sufficiently indicated in the couree of the article. The worka to which the writer himself owes most are Dalnian's Worte Jestt (Leipzig, 1898), and H. J. Holtziuann's Seute^t. Theotogie (Frei- burg I. B. u. Leiiizip, 1897). To these should now be added Haruack's Das II e^en des Chrigtentums (admirably translated under the title What i« Chrittianity 1 London, 1901), which has a very sugcestive treatment of the subject, thoutjh too im- patient of formulated doctrine ; and the portion of Moberly, Atonement and Personality, just referred to. Younger students should not fail to have recourse to Dr. Swete's Ajiostls^ Creed (Cambridge, lt94). W. SANDAY.

SON OF MAN. — 1. An expression occurring in both OT and NT, and used in the following applications. (1) A poet, synonym of ' man,' found in parallelism with ' man' (the word for ' man ' in the two clauses being in the original a ditlerent one). See the occurrences in § 6 ; and add Ps 144^" (for diiN-i^; II cin). (2) In Ezek. the title under which the prophet is regularly addressed by J", 2'- '3'-' and upwards of 90 times besides. Ezek. has a pro- found sense of the majesty of J" ; and the expression is no doubt intended to mark the distance which separated the prophet, as one of mankind, from Him. The title is borrowed from Kzek. in Dn 8". (3) In the vision in Dn 7 the glorious being whom Dan. sees brought ' with the clouds of heaven ' to the AJmightj', after the fourth beast (representing the empire of the Seleucid;c) is slain, to receive an everlasting and universal dominion (v."), is de- scribed as ' one like unto a son of man ' (Aram. 1;? cjK). The expression means simply a figure in human form. What the ligure was intended to denote has been the subject of much controversy. At an early date (see § II) it was undoubtedly in- terpreted of the Messiah, and the same view has been largely held down to the present time (e.q. by Ewald, Kiehin,and Bchrmann); but in the authors

own interpretation of the vision (vv."

^) the

'saints of the Most High' take tlie place of tlie 'one like unto a son of man ' ; and this constitutes a strong ground for concluding that he himself understood by it the glorified and ideal people of Israel (see, further, the present writer's Comm. on Dan. p. 10311'.). The same exjiression in Greek (B^oioj iil(jj ivOpCmov : see RV) is applied also in Kev 1" 14" to the risen and gloriiied Christ.

2. * The Son of man ' (i vlbi toO ivOfiwirov) is a designation of Christ, though one confined to the Gospels and Ac 7°", and, excejit Ac 7'" (where it occurs in Stephen's dying exclamation *), found only in the mouth of Christ Himself (the quota- tion in .In 12** forming no real exception).

3. Tlie following is a synopsis of the occurrences in the Synoptic Gospels, in the order given, or suggested, by St. Mark : —

Ml

12"

Hk

Lk 53*

(hath authority on earth to forgive

sins) (la lord of the sabbath)

Mt l-.!aa.

m.

isasfj

Lk 1210.

15" tl

«a

loaj

(lOSSfU

128

1119 820

Iie*"j

12-10 13"

(S"*"!

7S4 9M

1-1130I

13« lOlS

[SS'tl

[9i8tl

[1021(1

831

922

16"

83«

»»

16»

I9M]

(82'tl

17»

98

[93')

1-ia

912

17ffl

931

9M

19ffl

[1029»J

I182S'

20H

1033

1831

2028

1D« let. 2227] ITU

24^

17«

2430»

(1328»)

(212'"

2430b

ISM

2127 2136

24"

ITM

24»

P72I'

244« 2531

ICf. ISSSf)

263

(141-)

2C.24« 2U24I>

1421. 14211.

20« 12049')

1441 [14«-J

26«

1462

(28»'l

[16«')

(whosoever shall speak sword against

the Son of man, etc.) (when men reproach you, etc, for the

Son of man's sake) (shall not have finished the cities of

Israel, till the Son of man be come) (him shall the Son of man also confess

Public-domain historical reference work (1898–1905); OCR text from Internet Archive. Historical scholarship and terminology reflect its era; OCR may contain errors. Verify quotations and current scholarly claims independently.

Project Gutenberg source record →