Paul Foster, «The Pastoral Purpose of Q’s Two-Stage Son of Man Christology», Vol. 89 (2008) 81-91
It is argued that Q constructs a two-stage Son of Man Christology. The first stage presents a suffering figure whose experiences align with the contemporary situation and liminal experience of the audience of Q. The second stage focuses on
the future return of the Son of Man. It is at this point that group members will receive both victory and vindication. However, these two stages are not always maintained as discrete moments. By employing the title 'the coming one', Q at some points collapses this temporal distinction to allow the pastorally comforting message that some of the eschatological rewards can be enjoyed in the contemporary situation of the community.
90 Paul Foster
The remaining two Son of Man sayings act as a framing device for the
description of events in the days of Noah. Here the narrative sequence in Q
probably runs in the following order, Q 17,26-27.30 (33):
kaqw;" ejgevneto evn tai'" hJmevrai" Nw'e, ou{tw" e[stai kai; ejn th'/ hJmevra/ tou'
26
uiJou' tou' ajnqrwvpou:
wJ" ga;r h\san ejn tai'" hJmevrai" ejkeivnai" trwvgonte" kaiv pivnonte" kaiv
27
gamou'nte" kai; gamivzonte", a[cri h|" hJmevra" eijsh'lqen Nw'e eij" th;n
kibwto;n kai; h\lqen oJ kataklusmo;" kai; h\ren pavnta".
ou{tw" e[stai kai; h/| hJmevra/ oJ uiJo;" tou' ajnqrwvpou ajpokaluvptetai (34).
30
The story of Noah acts paradigmatically, marrying together the themes of
unexpected happenings and judgment. These aspects appear to characterize
the way in which Q understands the principal features of the return of the Son
of Man especially in terms of the impact upon those who are not part of the
community of believers. While the Q community aligns its present sufferings
with those experienced during the earthly ministry of the Son of Man, it looks
forward to an eschatological vindication with a reversal of fate. In the coming
age the persecutors of the community will be swept away like the recalcitrant
ones who mocked Noah.
*
**
The favoured Christological title in Q is Son of Man, but this is not
employed in a univocal manner. Q offers a two-stage Son of Man Christology.
In the present situation of the author and his audience their experience aligns
with the sufferings endured by Jesus who depicts himself as Son of Man (Q
9,58). However, the theology of Q is not just a variant on notions of Stoic
endurance. Rather, hope is conceived in terms of future reversal and
eschatological vindication. It is here that the future Son of Man sayings offer
both hope and ultimate victory to Q believers. The sayings dealing with
confession and denial (Q 12,8-9) portray present allegiances as determinative
for future destiny. The theme of judgment that is present in this logion also
resurfaces in Q 17,26-27.30. In this context the universal nature of that final
assize comes to the fore (35). The negative aspect of the universal judgment is
present in Q 17,26-27, with a fate awaiting non-community members similar
to that which befell the majority of people in the days of Noah. However,
judgment is not a totally negative concept in Q. In Q 12,8-9 it brings
vindication and victory for those who confess Jesus, and the Baptist’s
(33) This is the reconstruction offered by ROBINSON, HOFFMANN, KLOPPENBORG (eds.),
The Critical Edition of Q, 512-519; and FLEDDERMANN, Q: A Reconstruction and
Commentary, 827. These two reconstructions agree in the sequencing of the material,
although there are minor differences in their respecting wording.
(34) For the actual reconstruction of the wording the text presented in The Critical
Edition of Q, 512-519, has been followed.
(35) This universal aspect is seen by Fleddermann as emphasizing the geographical
extent of the future activities of the Son of Man. “The final judgment comes upon all
everywhere, and both nature and history point to it†(FLEDDERMANN, Q: A Reconstruction
and Commentary, 831).
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