The Son of Man Debate
The Son of Man Debate
The expression 'Son of Man', used in the Gospels almost exclusively by Jesus, has been the object of intensive study since the Protestant Reformation, yet scholars have come to no agreement on its origin or meaning. Research in this area has been described as 'a veritable mine field' and 'a can of worms'. Because of the scope and complexity of the literature, no comprehensive survey of the subject has been written in the twentieth century. Delbert Burkett's book fills this need. It provides a comprehensive historical overview of the debate from the patristic period to 1996, and gives an evaluation of that research and a summation of the present state of the question. Burkett concludes that despite nineteen centuries of 'Son of Man' study there is no consensus concerning the meaning or origin of the expression; the debate is therefore a prime example of the limits of New Testament scholarship.
- A comprehensive survey of two thousand years of 'Son of Man' research
- Critical evaluation of the theories about the 'Son of Man'
- Summarizes the state of the 'Son of Man' debate and considers the implications for New Testament scholarship
Product details
July 2007Paperback
9780521037457
192 pages
216 × 140 × 11 mm
0.25kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1. Genealogical interpretations
- 2. The human Son of Man
- 3. The apocalyptic/messianic Son of Man
- 4. The question of reference
- 5. The question of authenticity
- 6. Miscellaneous sons of men
- 7. Exit the apocalyptic Son of Man?
- 8. The idiomatic/nontitular son of man
- 9. Son of Man in apocalyptic and rabbinic texts
- 10. Conclusions
- Appendix: surveys of research on 'the Son of Man'
- List of references
- Index of passages
- Index of authors
- Index of subjects.
