Unsettled Christianity

While examining pre-existence in the Psalms of Solomon, which is most likely an ‘ideal pre-existence’, I came across a reference to the Son of Man in Enoch.

And there I saw One who had a head of days, And His head was white like wool, And with Him was another being whose countenance had the appearance of a man, And his face was full of graciousness, like one of the holy angels. And I asked the angel who went with me and showed me all the hidden things, concerning that Son of Man, who he was, and whence he was, (and) why he went with the Head of Days ? And he answered and said unto me: This is the Son of Man who hath righteousness, With whom dwelleth righteousness, And who revealeth all the treasures of that which is hidden, Because the Lord of Spirits hath chosen him, And whose lot hath the pre-eminence before the Lord of Spirits in uprightness for ever. And this Son of Man whom thou hast seen Shall raise up the kings and the mighty from their seats, [[And the strong from their thrones]] And shall loosen the reins of the strong, And break the teeth of the sinners. He shall put down the kings from their thrones and kingdoms]] Because they do not extol and praise Him, Nor humbly acknowledge whence the kingdom was bestowed upon them. And he shall put down the countenance of the strong, And shall fill them with shame. And darkness shall be their dwelling, And worms shall be their bed, And they shall have no hope of rising from their beds, Because they do not extol the name of the Lord of Spirits. And these are they who judge the stars of heaven, [[And raise their hands against the Most High]], And tread upon the earth and dwell upon it. And all their deeds manifest unrighteousness, And their power rests upon their riches, And their faith is in the gods which they have made with their hands, And they deny the name of the Lord of Spirits, And they persecute the houses of His congregations, And the faithful who hang upon the name of the Lord of Spirits. (1st Enoch 46:1-8 OTP)

Unlike the Messiah in the Pss Sol, the Messiah in Enoch has a physical pre-existence, residing in Heaven next to God, and waiting simply for God’s command. We should see come resemblance here to John’s Revelation (cf 1.14). The difference, as I see it, between the ideal pre-existence and the physical pre-existence, expressed by both communities, is that the former may be seen as something more than a vicar, but a personification of an attribute in some way while the latter is wholly God’s vicar on earth, and possibly a co-regent.

Post By Joel L. Watts (9,333 Posts)

Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).

Website: → Unsettled Christianity

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