The Son of Man as the Last Adam: The Early Church Tradition as a Source of Paul's Adam Christology

Description: Most New Testament scholars today agree that Jesus used an enigmatic self-designation bar nasha (the Son of Man) translated into Greek as ho huios tou anthropou in the Synoptic Gospels. In contrast Paul the earliest New Testament writer nowhere mentions the phrase in his letters. Does this indicate that the Gospel writers simply misunderstood the generic sense of the Aramaic idiom and used it as a christological title in connection with Daniel 7 as some scholars claim? Paul demonstrates explicit and sophisticated Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15. In contrast there is no real equivalent in the Synoptic Gospels. Does this indicate that Adam Christology in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15 was essentially a Pauline invention to which the Evangelists were oblivious? In this study Yongbom Lee argues that in addition to the Old Testament contemporary Jewish exegetical traditions and his Damascus Christophany Paul uses the early church tradition--in particular its implicit primitive Adam-Jesus typology and the Son of Man saying traditions reflected in the Synoptic Gospels--as a source of his Adam Christology. Endorsements: Scholarly consensus on the degree to which the Apostle Paul was dependent on the Jesus tradition has been hard to come by. With his appeal to Adam-Christ typology specific features of the Son of Man tradition and his emphasis on creative adaptation Lee adds significantly to the case for important elements of Pauls dependence on Jesus. --John Nolland Trinity College Bristol Scholarship is sharply divided as to whether Pauls writings represent a development of the Jesus tradition or are largely an innovation . . . Yongbom Lees study makes an important contribution to this debate by arguing that Pauls Adam Christology draws on an early Church Adam-Jesus typology and the Son of Man sayings now found in Mark 10:45 Matt 19:20 and Luke 22:30. It is an argument that deserves to be read by anyone engaged in teaching or studying the origins of Christianity specifically the development of Pauls thought. --Steve Moyise University of Chichester Yongbom Lees The Son of Man as the Last Adam investigates an important aspect of Pauls Christology and the early conceptions on which it is based. We are given a glimpse into a very early stage in the Churchs interpretation of Jesus--the Son of Man--who as the eschatological Adam was recognized as Gods Son and whose atoning death reversed the negative consequences of the first Adams transgression. Lees thesis is original and well supported by masterful exegesis and critical judgment. --Craig A. Evans Acadia Divinity College About the Contributor(s): Yongbom Lee is currently an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary and Bethesda University of California.