84 Paul Foster between inauguration and fulfilment as constructed to account for the parousia delay (10). The “Son of Man” title occurs ten times in Q (11), and of these the final six may be classed as future looking or eschatologically oriented (i.e., Q 12,8.10.40; 17,24.26.30). By contrast the initial four Son of Man sayings refer to Jesus during the time of his earthly ministry (i.e., Q 6,22; 7,34; 9,58; 11,30)(12). The description of Jesus as “the coming one” (oJ ejrcovmeno"), complements the Christological understanding of Jesus as the Son of Man in Q(13). This is also related to the two-stage Son of Man Christology that is central to the sayings source. Thus it is correctly observed by Fleddermann that: Q first presents Jesus’ coming into the present world as the suffering and homeless Son of Man (Q 6,22-23; 7,34; 9,58), and only then does Q open up a full presentation of Jesus as the future saviour and judge (Q 12,8-9. 40; 17,24.26.30) (14). By presenting the motif of suffering and homelessness as part of the earthly experience of the Son of Man, the author of Q is presenting a Christology based on humiliation and rejection during the earthly phase of Jesus’ existence (15). Yet this is not solely presented from the third person perspective, but reflects the shared lot of the readers of Q. Thus in Q’s opening reference to the Son of Man such rejection is presented as the shared experience of Q believers. From this perspective the beatitude for the persecuted depicts allegiance to the Son of Man as the cause of rejection: makavrioiv ejste o{tan; ojneidivswsin uJma'" kai; diwvxwsin kai; ei[pwsin pa'n ponhro;n kaq∆ uJmw'n e{neken tou' uiJou' tou' ajnqrwvpou (Q 6,22). The author of Q strongly signals to readers that this beatitude is concerned explicitly with their own situation and circumstances. This is achieved by the striking change from third person plural addressees in Q 6,20-21, to the second person plural form in Q 6,22-23, thereby moving from the generalized truths of the first three beatitudes that stand in Q to the specific reader-focused address of the final beatitude. Manson draws out the negative side of this beatitude when he states that the readers, whom he labels as “the saints”, must “be prepared to face hostility, opposition and persecution for the sake of the Kingdom” (16). However, this saying also presents a positive motivation for (10) IBID., 130. (11) These occurrences are Q 6,22; 7,34; 9,58; 11,30; 12,8.10.40; 17,24, 26,30. (12) See J.M. ROBINSON, “The Son of Man in the Sayings Gospel Q”, The Sayings Gospel Q. Collected Essays by James M. Robinson (eds. C. HEIL – J. VERHEYDEN) (Leuven 2005) 405. (13) The description of Jesus as “the coming one” oJ ejrcovmeno", occurs three times in Q, 3,16; 7,19; and 13,35. (14) FLEDDERMANN, Q: A Reconstruction and Commentary, 131. (15) At the level of social history the material in Q 9,58 is often seen as reflecting a call to itinerancy. Thus Kloppenborg comments, “The characterization of the Son of Man as one who has ‘no place to lay his head’ (Q 9:58) and the so-called equipment instruction (Q 10:4) appears to privilege a homeless or itinerant lifestyle”, J.S. KLOPPENBORG, Excavating Q. The History and the Setting of the Sayings Gospel (Edinburgh 2000) 179. (16) T.W. MANSON, The Sayings of Jesus (London 1949) 48.