Jesus Remembered: Christianity in the Making, vol. 1

§16.4 How Did Jesus See His Own Role?
5.27, are the only indications within the Gospels of knowledge of 1 Enoch's developed
Son of Man tradition. Matthew and John are usually dated to the last two
decades of the first century. There is no indication of any similar influence from
the Similitudes' portrayal of the Son of Man in the Jesus tradition, either in Mark
or in Q. 211 This strongly suggests that the influence of the Similitudes began to
impact on the Jesus tradition only in the last two decades of the first century. And
it may also strengthen the suggestion that the Similitudes were not known (not
written?) before, say, the third quarter of the first century. 212
f. Direction of Travel
A further intriguing feature which emerges from the data is the ambiguity over
what might be called 'the direction of travel' envisaged in the Son of Man's
coming.
In Dan. 7.13 the Son of Man clearly comes to the Ancient of Days: 'with
the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient
of Days and was presented before him'. The action all takes place in
heaven; implied is the enthronement of the manlike figure, interpreted in the following
verses as the triumph of the saints of the Most High. 213 Wherever the allusion
to Dan. 7.13 is strong, therefore, it is likely that the 'coming (on clouds)'
was understood as a coming in heaven. 214 At the same time, we have already observed
that as they now stand, the two most obvious allusions (also?) suggest a
coming from heaven. 215
The Q material has a similar ambiguity. The Q version of the Mark" 8.38
complex clearly implies the Son of Man acting in heaven (Matt. 10.32-33/Luke
12.8-9), although the Mark 8.38 pars, could again be understood as a coming
from heaven (§16.4c[3]). The likening of the Son of Man to a flash of lightning
(Matt. 24.27/Luke 17.24) has overtones of divine theophany (in/from heaven)
and of judgment (coming from heaven). 216 On the other hand, the sequence Matt.
24.43-44/Luke 12.39-40 217 raises the possibility that early in the retelling of Je-
211. As repeatedly assumed, e.g., by Tödt, Son of Man 33-67; Witherington, Christology
235, 260-61.
212. See further my discussion Christology 75-78, and above, n. 106.
213. Pace Casey, Son of Man 22, 24-29, who thinks that Daniel may have envisaged a
judgment taking place on earth; but in Jewish apocalyptic the throneroom(s) are consistently
located in heaven.
214. Robinson, Jesus and His Coming 45 and n. 2.
215. Mark 13.26 pars.; 14.62 pars, (above, §16.4c).
216. Cf. Davies and Allison, Matthew 3.354.
217. Cited above, §12.4g.
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