The Johannine Son of Man and the Historical Jesus: Shall Ever the Twain Meet? John 9.35 as a Test Case

Abstract

Scholarship has largely rejected the relevance of the Johannine Son of Man sayings as a source for solving the Son of Man debate. The suspicion of Jesus' words in John is the obvious reason for this rejection. Jn 9.35 presents an interesting test case for rethinking the authenticity of the Son of Man sayings in John. An examination of this saying reveals that it is discontinuous with early Christianity, Second Temple Judaism, and confessions of faith in John's Gospel. The combination of these factors suggests the possibility that the saying may have come from the lips of the historical Jesus.