Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
S. Kent Brown
Pushing upward toward the sun emerges the Son of Man as a divinely-driven, honorific title. Not surprisingly, it leaves an intriguing, visible trail across a wide spectrum of ancient literature. In this light, we first want to show that the equivalent of each of the seemingly Christian titles mentioned within the Enoch account of the Book of Moses (Moses 6:57) — Only Begotten, Son of Man, Jesus Christ, and Righteous Judge — is also described in the pre-Christian Similitudes of Enoch and other Jewish traditions. Second, we discuss the figure of the Son of Man in ancient literature, reviewing in more depth what current biblical scholarship says about this personality, especially since he is mentioned prominently in non-scriptural sources. Third, we treat the question of the anthropomorphic view of God in scripture, specifically in the Old Testament. Fourth, we touch on the issue of the nature of the titles used for deity throughout scripture, for we all have the impression that a great many are applied to God, especially within the pages of the Old Testament. Fifth and last, we single out the parallels in ancient Christian and Jewish literature to the remarkable, almost singular theological position to which we Latter-day Saints are committed when we call deity a Man, whether Man of Holiness, Man of Counsel (Moses 7:35), or some similar title. At the same time, we will flesh out the implications of this statement for the exaltation of Enoch and other mortal beings.
All of the conference presentations were filmed, and both video and audio recordings of each presentation are available. Videos, audio recordings and transcripts are available at https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/2021-book-of-moses-conference/videos/. The videos are also available on the Interpreter Foundation YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/theinterpreterfoundation. A YouTube playlist is available at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRMn4gyXMWLtulXZ-y4mAph138aNdAWlw.
| Presented at: | 2021 Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses Conference Saturday April 24, 2021 https://interpreterfoundation.org/conferences/2021-book-of-moses-conference/ |
| Conference Proceedings: | Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses: Inspired Origins, Temple Contexts, and Literary Qualities, Volumes I and II at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/ancient-threads-in-the-book-of-moses/ |
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