Apologeticae sive Theologiae Fundamentalis, Tomus I: Demonstratio Christiana

By no means is it to be expected that Jesus, from the very outset of his public life, revealed his messianic consciousness and teaching in a perfect and complete manner. For this was prevented both by the wisdom of divine pedagogy and by the folly of the disciples and of the Jews. Nevertheless, as soon as Jesus begins his public life, his messianic manifestation also begins: by accepting the messianic testimony rendered to him by others and by himself presenting himself as the messianic Son of Man.

1. By accepting the messianic testimony rendered to him by others, namely by the precursor, by God, by the disciples, and by the demons.

John the Baptist announced by word and baptism that the kingdom of heaven, i. e. the messianic kingdom,¹ and the Messiah were drawing near, whose precursor he declared himself unworthy to be.² To the envoys of the Sanhedrin, however, who suspected that John himself was the Messiah, he replied: "Because I am not the Messiah. But in the midst of you there has stood one whom you do not know."³ A little later "John saw Jesus coming toward him and said: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sin of the world".⁴ When Jesus was baptized, the Spirit of God descended upon him and the voice of the Father testified from heaven: "This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased."⁵ All agree that by the descent of the Holy Spirit the messianic anointing of Jesus is signified; likewise, that the title "Son of God" signifies the Messiah, although it is not restricted to such a signification. In fact, Jesus understood this event concerning his anointing and messianic mission.⁶

In the same sense the tempting demon likewise acknowledges the messianity of Jesus, repeatedly calling him Son of God and challenging him to perform the miraculous works foretold of the Messiah.⁷ Soon many demons join the tempter, openly confessing Jesus as the Messiah: "Because they knew him to be the Messiah ... the anointed of God ... the holy one of God ... the Son of God ... the Son of the Most High".⁸

The first disciples likewise greet Jesus as the Messiah. Andrew announces to Simon: "We have found the Messiah, which is interpreted Christ."⁹ Philip warns Nathanael: "We have found Jesus, of whom Moses wrote in the law, and the prophets."¹⁰ Nathanael, scarcely having found Jesus, acclaims him: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel."¹¹

All these messianic testimonies rendered to him Jesus accepts; indeed, he joyfully approves and confirms them.¹² He only forbids that the demons make his messianity public,¹³ both because he did not wish to be recognized with the help of demons, and because he first wished to correct the messianic concept of the Jews, who expected a merely political Messiah. Therefore Wellhausen, Wrede, and other moderns do wrong when, from that prohibition imposed upon the demons, they conclude that Jesus never, or at any rate not yet, held himself to be the Messiah.

2. By himself presenting himself as the messianic Son of Man. Jesus indeed does not yet assume the title of Messiah, because — as we have already said and shall show more fully in another place — the Jews falsely understood this title of a political Messiah, i. e. of a certain glorious son of David and king of Israel who was to overthrow the Roman empire. Hence, if he had at once publicly called himself the Messiah, the Jews would have turned his messianic work into a national insurrection. For this reason Jesus, meanwhile omitting the name of Messiah, takes upon himself the title "Son of Man". From the first day of his manifestation he calls himself the Son of Man¹⁴ and loves this name of his above all others even unto death.¹⁵

Since none of the disciples calls him the Son of Man, this appellation is found eighty-two times in the Gospel from the mouth of Jesus.

The reason why Jesus chose for himself the name of Son of Man is open and manifest. This term, on the one hand, did not at all admit of a political interpretation; on the other hand, it possessed full messianic significance. "Son of Man" (barnaša) in the Aramaic language indeed simply means man. Yet by usage, after the prophecy of Daniel 7, 13 sq., the Son of Man was commonly called also the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.¹⁶ It escapes no one that Jesus claimed this title for himself with a messianic meaning. For to what purpose, after all, would he have said with emphasis throughout his whole life that he was a man! Indeed, from the beginning of his manifestation he clearly declared that he was the messianic Son of Man.¹⁷ Moreover, as his public life proceeded, he bound to this title "Son of Man" his entire messianic preaching.