Source: “The Jewish Gospels: The Story of the Jewish Christ”, 2012 by Daniel Boyarin
Son of Man in First Enoch and Fourth Ezra.wav
This podcast argues that the concept of a divine-human Messiah, often referred to as the Son of Man, was a pre-existing idea within first-century Judaism, not an invention created solely to explain Jesus. Drawing primarily on the Similitudes of Enoch and Fourth Ezra, the text demonstrates that these independent Jewish writings describe a figure who is preexistent, divine, sits on God's throne, and is destined to be the Messiah and judge, echoing characteristics later attributed to Jesus. The author suggests that Jesus' followers saw him as fulfilling this established role, indicating a "job description" for the Messiah existed before his arrival. The text highlights how these sources illustrate the merging of traditions: a divine being descending and a human being exalted to divine status, providing a crucial background for understanding early Christology.
Pre-Jesus Jewish Concepts of Divine/Exalted Human Figures: The sources indicate that before the time of Jesus, some Jews were already imagining various human figures who could achieve divine status, potentially sitting alongside or even in the place of God on the divine throne. An example provided is a vision from Ezekiel the Tragedian, an Alexandrian Jew, where Moses is instructed to sit on a great throne, given a royal crown and sceptre, and the Ancient One gets up from the throne. This image of a second figure on the divine throne is described as a potent theological symbol within Second Temple Judaism for including such a figure in the unique divine identity. This suggests that the idea of a human figure becoming divine was not unique to the followers of Jesus.
The "Son of Man" Concept Originating from Daniel 7: A central concept discussed is the "Son of Man," an idea that the sources state Jews derived from Daniel 7. In Daniel's vision, "one like a son of man" comes with the clouds of heaven and is brought before the Ancient of Days, receiving dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all peoples, nations, and languages will serve. This dominion is described as everlasting and his kingdom as indestructible. This figure from Daniel 7 is presented as the basis for the Son of Man figure in later Jewish thought and the Gospels.
The Similitudes of Enoch as a Key Independent Witness: The Similitudes (or Parables) of Enoch, the second book of the larger Book of Enoch, is highlighted as a single most exciting document for understanding the early history of the Christ idea. It is described as having been produced around the same time as the earliest Gospels, specifically dating from the mid-first century A.D. This text is considered an independent witness to the presence of religious ideas about a divine-human Redeemer known as the Son of Man among Palestinian Jews, separate from the Jewish groups where Jesus was active. The Similitudes are part of the Bible of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church but are not found in Western Bibles.
The Similitudes' Interpretation of the Son of Man as a Divine Figure: The sources detail how the Jewish writer of the Similitudes makes extensive use of the term "Son of Man" to refer to a specific divine-human Redeemer figure. Chapter 46 of the Similitudes describes a vision where Enoch sees the "Head of Days" and another figure whose face is like the appearance of a man, described as the Son of Man. The angel in Enoch's vision explains the Son of Man as a righteous divine figure. This interpretation is presented as contradicting the interpretation given by Daniel's angel, who explained the Son of Man as a symbol for the "holy ones of Israel." This difference is seen as evidence of controversy among Jews about the nature of the Son of Man before the Gospels were written, with some accepting the idea of a divine Messiah and others rejecting it. The Similitudes are seen as evidence for the tradition that interpreted the Son of Man as a divine person.
The Doctrine of the Preexistence of the Son of Man: A significant doctrine found explicitly in the Similitudes (particularly chapter 48) is the preexistence of the Son of Man. The sources quote passages stating that the Son of Man "was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits, and his name, before the Head of Days" even "before the sun and the constellations were created, before the stars of heaven were made." This concept presents the Son of Man as existing before the creation of the universe, existing with God for eternity.
The Son of Man as Object of Worship and Judge: The Similitudes attribute several key roles and characteristics to the Son of Man. He is described as one to whom worship is due, with passages stating, "All who dwell on the earth will fall down and worship before him, and they will glorify and bless and sing hymns to the name of the Lord of Spirits." Additionally, drawing on the dominion granted to the figure in Daniel 7, the Son of Man in the Similitudes is portrayed as the eschatological judge, having "the whole judgment was given to the son of man," who "will make sinners vanish and perish from the face of the earth." He is depicted as sitting on the "throne of glory," which the sources interpret as sitting perhaps at the right hand of the Ancient of Days, further suggesting his divine status.
The Apotheosis of Enoch and Synthesis with the Son of Man: A particularly striking feature of the Similitudes, noted in chapters 70-71, is the identification of the human figure Enoch with the divine Son of Man. While in the main body of the text Enoch is the visionary who sees the Son of Man, these later chapters describe Enoch being lifted up "to the presence of the Son of Man and to the presence of the Lord of Spirits" and subsequently being told, "You are the Son of Man." This represents an instance of apotheosis – a human (Enoch) becoming divine – and a synthesis with the preexistent, divine Son of Man. This synthesis of apotheotic (man becoming divine) and theophanic (God appearing as man) traditions is highlighted as key to the religious background of the Gospels as well.
Combination of Originally Separate Traditions: The sources argue that the Similitudes combine two originally independent strands of tradition. One strand is the development of the figure from Daniel 7 ("one like a son of man") from a simile into a fixed title for a second, God-like Redeemer figure. The other strand is the tradition of the seventh antediluvian human king (like Enoch, drawing connections to Babylonian figures) who was exalted to heaven and given a place there. Chapters 70-71 of the Similitudes are presented as the point where these two traditions merge, identifying the exalted human Enoch with the divine, preexistent Son of Man. This combination results in a "complex, doubled story" of the Son of Man that includes both a transcendent Messiah and a human embodiment exalted and merged with him.
Fourth Ezra as Another Independent Witness: Fourth Ezra is introduced as another first-century Jewish text, distinct from both the Gospels and the Similitudes, that also provides evidence for a divine figure based on Daniel 7 and identified with the Messiah. Chapter 13 of Fourth Ezra describes a figure like a man coming out of the sea, flying with the clouds of heaven, and using fiery breath/words to destroy his enemies. This figure is explicitly identified as the Messiah and is described in terms that, like those used for Jesus in the Gospels, apply verses traditionally predicated of YHVH (God) to this figure, leading the sources to conclude, "This Man is the Lord." Fourth Ezra also shows evidence of the controversy surrounding this idea, suggesting attempts to suppress it.
The Jewish Origin of Core Christological Ideas: The sources strongly assert that many core religious ideas later held about Jesus as the Christ were already present within Judaism before his time. Concepts such as a divine or divine-like Messiah, the preexistence of this figure, his identification as the Son of Man, his role as judge and object of worship, and the combination of divine and human aspects are seen as existing in texts like the Similitudes of Enoch and Fourth Ezra. These texts provide evidence that versions of the "Son of Man story" or "Christology" were widespread among Jews, suggesting that Jesus entered into a role that was already anticipated. The fundamental innovation of the Gospels is presented not as creating these ideas, but as declaring that Jesus is this anticipated divine Son of Man, marking the presence of the last days.