“Son of Man”

Volume 1

early jewish literature

Richard Bauckham

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546

www.eerdmans.com

© 2023 Richard Bauckham

All rights reserved

Published 2023

ISBN 978-0-8028-8326-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

Contents

List of Tables

Preface

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Part 1: The Parables of Enoch

1.1 Introduction to the Parables of Enoch

1.2 The Messianic Figure (“Son of Man”) in the Parables of Enoch

1.3 The Messianic Figure in the Eschatological Narrative of the Parables of Enoch

1.4 The Identity of “That Son of Man”

1.5 Conclusions on the Messianic Figure in the Parables of Enoch

1.6 The Date of the Parables of Enoch: A Preliminary Discussion

1.7 The Place of Composition of the Parables of Enoch

Part 2: Interpretation of Daniel 7 in Second Temple-Period Judaism

2.1 Introduction to Jewish Interpretations of Daniel 7

2.2 The Greek Versions of Daniel 7

2.3 The Oldest Interpretation of Daniel 7: 4Q246 (4QAramaic Apocalypse)

2.4 Interpretation of Daniel 7 in Sibylline Oracles Book 5

2.5 Interpretation of Daniel 7 in the Apocalypse of Ezra (4 Ezra)

2.6 A Messiah from the Past in Rabbinic Traditions

2.7 A Context for the Parables of Enoch

2.8 Interpretation of Daniel 7 in the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch (2 Baruch)

2.9 Rabbi Aqiva on Daniel 7

2.10 The Significant Absence of Daniel 7 in the Works of Josephus

2.11 Conclusions on Jewish Interpretations of Daniel 7

Bibliography

Index of Authors

Index of Themes and Subjects

Index of Ancient People and Places

Index of Ancient Literature

Tables

Chapter 1.2

1 Designations of the Messianic Figure and references to a throne of glory

2 Biblical allusions in Parables 2 and 3

3 Proposed translations of “throne of glory”

Chapter 1.4

1 Expressions and objects of “worship”

Chapter 2.2

1 “The abomination of desolation”

2 Daniel 7:13–14: the versions

3 Daniel 7:27: the versions

Chapter 2.3

1 Allusions to Daniel in 4Q246

2 4Q246 i 9–ii 1 with parallels

3 Scriptural allusions in 4Q246

4 The Messianic Figure in 4Q246: sources and themes

5 Exegetical sources for the Messianic Figure: 4Q246 and the Parables of Enoch compared

Chapter 2.4

1 Four oracles in Sibylline Oracles 5:52–434

2 Biblical allusions in Sibylline Oracles 5:414–433

Chapter 2.5

1 The Messiah in 4 Ezra

2 Biblical allusions in 4 Ezra 11–13

3 “Those who have not tasted death”

Chapter 2.7

1 Scriptural sources of the Messianic Figure: 4 Ezra and the Parables of Enoch compared

2 1 Enoch 56:5–8 with scriptural sources

3 Kings from the east

4 Resurrection

5 The number of the righteous dead

Chapter 2.8

1 Allusions to Daniel 7 in 2 Baruch

2 Biblical background to 2 Baruch 36–37

3 Biblical background to 2 Baruch 53

4 Isaianic background to 2 Baruch 72–74

5 Exegetical sources of the Messianic Figure: 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra, and the ...

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About “Son of Man”, Volume 1: Early Jewish Literature

The Son of Man is not Jesus Christ.

In fact, the Son of Man isn’t anyone, or anything—it’s just a man. It’s not a title, and it’s certainly not an indication of divinity. Yet the term has held considerable interest among scholars of Christology for its use in describing Jesus in the gospels. And among those studying messianism in Second Temple Judaism, consensus about the valences of “Son of Man” in Scripture remains elusive.

In the first volume of this landmark study, Richard Bauckham pushes the conversation forward, explicating the phrase “Son of Man” as it appears in Jewish interpretations of the book of Daniel and in the apocryphal book of 1 Enoch. With philological precision and sensitivity to his sources, Bauckham attunes us to the realities of early Jewish eschatology.

Thorough and comprehensive, “Son of Man,” vol. 1, offers scholars a solid basis for understanding the context of the messiah in the centuries leading up to Jesus. Along with the forthcoming second volume, which parses the meaning of “Son of Man” in the Gospels, Bauckham’s work is essential for understanding one of the most widely used yet misunderstood phrases in the Bible.

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Table of Contents