January 23, 2004
Man ~ Photo Friday Image for 01.23.04
The Son of Man
Click on image for a larger view.
"For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again..."
From the Nicene Creed
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I was just thinking, is it supposed to be the Son of God (made man)?
He is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. The employment of the expression in the Gospels is very remarkable. It is used to designate Jesus Christ no fewer than eighty-one times -- thirty times in St. Matthew, fourteen times in St. Mark, twenty-five times in St. Luke, and twelve times in St. John. Contrary to what obtains in the Septuagint, it appears everywhere with the article, as ho huios tou anthropou. Greek scholars are agreed that the correct translation of this is "the son of man", not "the son of the man". The possible ambiguity may be one of the reasons why it is seldom or never found in the early Greek Fathers as a title for Christ. But the most remarkable thing connected with "the Son of Man" is that it is found only in the mouth of Christ. It is never employed by the disciples or Evangelists, nor by the early Christian writers. It is found once only in Acts, where St. Stephen exclaims: "Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God" (7:55). The whole incident proves that it was a well-known expression of Christ's. Though the saying was so frequently employed by Christ, the disciples preferred some more honorific title and we do not find it at all in St. Paul nor in the other Epistles. St. Paul perhaps uses something like an equivalent when he calls Christ the second or last Adam. The writers of the Epistles, moreover, probably wished to avoid the Greek ambiguity just alluded to.
Posted by: Mark on January 26, 2004 09:38 AMI did also want to comment on the photograph. I find it very moving and the red tones heighten the passion of the suffering Lord Jesus. Excellent composition as well. Very moving.
Posted by: Mark on January 26, 2004 09:40 AMWill - Wonderful picture. Where did you take it? Surely not in your ELCA church.
Mark - Great explanation. The term "Son of Man" referred to in the Septuagint appears only in the book of Ezekiel.
Posted by: Jeff Stoner on January 26, 2004 11:29 AMJeff, The Crucifix belonged to my paternal Grandmother and was given to me upon her death. The photograph was made in our basement in one of my impromptu studio setups using a desklamp as the primary light source, some red celephane, and my black Jedi cloak as the backdrop.
Peace,
--Will
Thanks for the explanation. I knew that but its great to hear all the detail too. I also love knowing that it was your Grandmothers. Adds meaning to the photo too.
Posted by: Randy on January 26, 2004 10:19 PMpoint clarified. composition of the image is superb. knowing that you can compose in such resourceful ways, i now know that God loves great talent like you (who use what He has given to full use)