Titles For Jesus

Question 1

What are the main different titles for Jesus

Answer 1

Messiah, Son of God and Son of Man

Question 2

Meaning of messiah

Answer 2

Anointed one/ chosen one

Question 3

Examples of anointed people in Jewish scripture

Answer 3

A priest- Exodus 28:41
A king- 1 Samuel 10:1
A prophet- 1 Kings 19:19

Question 4

Links to ‘messiah’ concept

Answer 4

Idea of :
Liberating people
Conquering their enemies

Question 5

Example of an earthly ruler type of messiah in JS

Answer 5

Psalms 22:27-28

Question 6

Second idea Jews had about the messiah

Answer 6

The messiah will preform signs

Question 7

Where in JS did it say that the messiah will preform signs

Answer 7

Isiah 35:5-6

Question 8

NT Wright on Jesus and the term messiah

Answer 8

‘Jesus rarely uses the term messiah and rarely spoke of himself in this way’

Question 9

Thoughts on why Jesus did not use the term ‘Messiah’ much

Answer 9

Because he didn’t want all the associations that went with it (military ruler, political king…)

Question 10

Where is ‘Son o Man’ seen in Jewish scripture?

Answer 10

Daniel 7:13-14

Question 11

What does Daniel 7 say specifically the son of man

Answer 11

That the son of man is a heavenly figure who is like a man- human and divine
It combines his human-nes and the role God has chosen for him

Question 12

Specific quote from Daniel 7:13-14

Answer 12

‘Son of man coming on with the clouds of heaven’- apocalyptic

Question 13

What does the son of man bring

Answer 13

Salvation and judgement

Question 14

Son of man in Enoch?

Answer 14

1 Enoch refers to the son of man as being pre-existant

Question 15

When is the term son of man often used

Answer 15

Often used in connection with Jesus’s suffering, death and ressurection

Question 16

Son of man in John?

Answer 16

The son of man has contact with angels- John 1:51

Question 17

Son of man in luke

Answer 17

Luke 9:26-27 and 18:31-34

Question 18

Son of man in Mark

Answer 18

Mark 8:31 and 10:33-34

Question 19

What does Bart D Ehrman say about son of God

Answer 19

He says that the son of man might be a cosmic figure who would come to judge and might not necessarily be Jesus.
He thins this link between Jesus and the son of man is made later by the early church

Question 20

What does James Dunn say about the term son of man

Answer 20

Says there is n scholarly consensus on interpretation of the phrase

Question 21

Mention of son of God in Jewish scripture

Answer 21

• King of Israel was known as the Son of God
• The nation of Israel was seen as God’s first born son
• Psalms 2:7 mentions ‘son of God’

Question 22

What does Ruth Edward say about the term son of God

Answer 22

She says that is it included for the sake if gentile readers, for whom the term ‘messiah’ would not mean anything

Question 23

Son of God in Hellenistic culture

Answer 23

Son of God was seen as a heroic human figure

Question 24

Mention of son of God in John

Answer 24

John 30:30-31

Question 25

Mention of son of God in Matthew

Answer 25

Matthew 27:54, 14:33 and 16:15

Question 26

Roman view on the term ‘son of man’

Answer 26

They may have seen this as a threat to power as they believed the emperor was divine

Question 27

Son of God in Luke

Answer 27

Luke 1:35 and 4:41

Question 28

Son of God in the trial before Pilate

Answer 28

The Jews cry out ‘crucify him’ on the bases that he ‘made himself the son of God’

Question 29

Jesus about the term son of God

Answer 29

Jesus does regard God as his father- he called him ‘abba’

Question 30

Raymond Brown quote about the titles for Jesus

Answer 30

The titles for Jesus are ‘an index of the way in which the early church confessed its understanding of what Jesus meant for mankind’

Question 31

V. Taylor on the titles for Jesus

Answer 31

The NT exercise great restraint in describing Jesus as God, he is ‘both more and less than God’ as he is ‘man as well as God’, perhaps the variety of titles try to explore Jesus’s complexity

Question 32

Raymond Brown on describing Jesus as ‘just’ God

Answer 32

This might lead to a ‘semi-docetic’ position in which one might ignore Jesus’s human-ness, his fear, pain…

Question 33

In what way is the term son of God useful

Answer 33

It is useful as it conveys the sense of distinction between God and Jesus

Question 34

NT Wright on the term son of God

Answer 34

The term son of God is a focal point for a wider variety of ideas of Jewish messianic hope that God himself would be present with his people

Question 35

NT wright on Jesus and Jewish scripture

Answer 35

Jesus fulfils both of the two great symbols of Judaism- Torah and temple In Jesus the Hebrew scriptural portrayal of God comes to life