Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§16.4 How Did Jesus See His Own Role?
c. Influence of Dan. 7.13
The view that Jesus' use of the phrase would have evoked a current belief regarding
the (messianic) Son of Man already developed from the Dan. 7.13 usage has
to surmount a huge obstacle from the outset. For within the Jesus tradition the
phrase is used again and again without provoking surprise or outrage at an implied
evocation of or challenge to a contemporary belief regarding 'the Son of
Man'. The one occasion within the Gospel tradition when the phrase appears on
other than Jesus' lips is John 12.34, where Jesus' teaching provokes the crowd to
ask, 'Who is this "the Son of Man"?' The phrase is evidently thought of as obscure;
it did not 'connect' with current beliefs. 169
What then of the texts where the influence of Dan. 7.13 is most obvious
(Mark 13.26 pars, and 14.62 pars.) and of Mark 8.38 pars./Matt.lO.32-33/Luke
12.8-9, where an allusion to a contemporary Son of Man expectation is often
heard?
(1) Mark 13.26 pars.
Matt. 24.29-31
29 Immediately after the
suffering of those days the sun
will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light.
and the stars will fall
from heaven, and the powers of
heaven will be shaken. 30 Then
the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, and then all
the tribes of the earth will
mourn, and thev will see the
Son of Man coming on the
clouds of heaven with power
and great glorv. 31 And he will
send out his angels with a loud
trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven
to the other.
Mark 13.24-27
24 But in those days, after
that suffering. the sun
will be darkened, and the moon
will not give its light.
25 and the stars will be falling
from heaven, and the powers
in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then thev will see the
Son of Man coming in
clouds with great power
and glorv. 27 Then he will
send out the angels,
and
aather his elect from the four
winds, from the end of the earth
to the end of heaven.
Luke 21.25-28
25 There will be signs in the
sun, the moon, and the stars, and
on the earth distress among
nations confused by the roaring
of the sea and the waves. 26
Men will faint from fear and
foreboding of what is coming
upon the world, for the powers
of the heavens will be shaken.
27 Then thev will see the
Son of Man coming in a
cloud with power and
great glorv. 28 Now when
these things begin to take place,
stand up and raise your heads,
because your redemption is
drawing near.
Of interest here is the fact that the Son of Man reference, with its clear allusion to
Dan. 7.13, seems, once again, to be part of the core tradition. Of course, the core
could already express a developed Son of Man Christology. 170 But the issue of
169. The question is 'Who is this Son of Man?', not simply 'How can you say that the
Son of Man must suffer?' (pace Horbury, 'Messianic Association' 37).
170. Cf. Lindars, Jesus Son of Man 108-10; Hampel, Menschensohn 165-67; Funk, Five
Gospels 112-13; Lüdemann, Jesus 91.
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