J.H. Ellens

Abstract: "The Son of Man at Qumran"

J. Harold Ellens

This short paper will address the issue of the Son of Man in Enochic tradition and its relationship to the main themes of the Qumran documents. Both the implied presence of the Son of Man tradition at Qumran, and its relative absence there, are of considerable interest. This is particularly true in view of the relationship of the Qumran community to Enochic tradition and its struggle with that tradition (Boccaccini, _Beyond the Essene Hypothesis_, Eerdmans, 1998). The function of the Son of Man tradition in the Synoptic Gospels and in Johannine literature will be compared with the function or lack thereof in the Qumran literature and faith perspective.

Enochic tradition proposes the Son of Man as eschatological judge (_I Enoch_ 70-71). The Synoptic Gospels build a low Christology around this concept and around the personal Son of Man alleged to be at the center of it. They accomplish this by fleshing out the Son of Man concept with the details of a biographical narrative regarding Jesus of Nazareth. The Johannine high Christology is not dependent upon the Son of Man theology, as is the low Christology of the Synoptic Gospels, but is developed out of Logos Theology and the "ego eimi" statements alleged to have come from Jesus' mouth. Thus, Johannine literature has in view no Son of Man, as person. Rather, it merely absorbs the Enochic function of eschatological judge into the divine Christ.

At Qumran the Son of Man is not a prominent figure or theme. The Parables of Enoch (_I Enoch_ 37-71) are absent from the edition of the _Book of Enoch_, and from the rest of the documents, in the library of Qumran. Nonetheless, there is both an implied and subtly imposed presence of the Son of Man at Qumran, in which he has the special role of an enthronement involving Israel's impending earthly supremacy over all the nations (Cf. 1QM 17:5-8, Nicklesburg, _ABD_, VI, 138). The significance of this presence but virtual absence of the Son of Man tradition at Qumran, compared with other forms of Apocalyptic Judaism, will be examined.

(c) 2001
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