Son of Man

"Son of Man" is how Jesus frequently referred to himself, but something is lost in the translation. A fuller rendition of the Greek (υἱός ἄνθρωπος) in English would be "Son of Man from God," "God becoming a man," "God descending as man," or "God as a man." John 9:35 does not make sense as merely "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"

The term highlights Jesus's humanity and how He came to serve and save mankind. The term also illustrates how the best of the public comes from ordinary people rather than the elite.

Logical Basis

The logic of Christianity is that good and insights do not arise from the self-centered elite, but from the opposite. "Man" is fallen and cannot redeem himself. Instead, an unexpected "Son of Man" brings salvation in a way that liberals could never anticipate and prevent.

"Son of Adam"

The term "Son of Man" could be a mistranslation of "Son of Adam," which emphasized how Jesus was a son (male descendant) of Adam. This meaning is suggested by Proverbs 8:31, where "sons of Adam" was translated by the KJV as "sons of men."

This possible mistranslation in English Bibles then permitted Darwin to deny, with his theory of evolution, that Adam existed as described in the Bible. Had Jesus been known in the English-speaking world as the "Son of Adam," the theory of evolution would have been a non-starter.

Fulfillment of a Prophecy

It is possible that its first use in reference to Jesus Christ is in the Book of Daniel, 7:13, in a prophecy of the Messiah:

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I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

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