The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man

by Walter Wink

A thorny historical issue handled with artistry and imaginationThe epithet "the son of the man" (or "the Human Being") in the Gospels has been a highly debated topic. Wink uses this phrase to explore not only early Christology but the anthropology articulated in the Gospels. Jesus apparently avoided designations such as Messiah, Son of God, or God, though these titles were given by his disciples after his death and resurrection. But Jesus is repeatedly depicted as using the obscure expression "the Human Being" as virtually his only form of self- reference.Wink explores how Jesus' self-referential phrase came to be universalized as the "Human Being" or "Truly Human One." The Human Being is a catalytic agent for transformation, providing the form and lure and hunger to become who we were meant to be, or more properly perhaps, to become who we truly are.

Genres: Theology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Faith

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Dr. Walter Wink was Professor Emeritus of Biblical Interpretation at Auburn Theological Seminary in New York City. Previously, he was a parish minister and taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In 1989-1990 he was a Peace Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.

His newer works include:

The Human Being: Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man
(Fortress Press, 2001.)

Peace Is The Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation. (Edited by Walter Wink. Orbis Books, 2000.)

The Powers That Be:Theology for a New Millennium
(New York: Doubleday, 1999)

Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999)

He is author of a trilogy, The Powers:

Naming the Powers: The Language of Power in the New Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1984)

Unmasking the Powers: The Invisible Forces That Determine Human Existence (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1986)

Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of
Domination (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1992)

His other works include:

When the Powers Fall: Reconciliation in the Healing of Nations
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1998). Swedish edition: Healing a Nation's Wounds: Reconciliation on the Road to Democracy (Uppsala, Sweden: Life and Peace Institute, 1997)

Cracking the Gnostic Code: The Powers in Gnosticism (Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1993)

Violence and Nonviolence in South Africa (Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1987). (Out of print)

Transforming Bible Study, second edition (Nashville: Abingdon, 1990) (Out of print)

The Bible in Human Transformation (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1973). (Out of print)

John the Baptist in the Gospel Tradition (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1968). (Out of print)

Proclamation 5: Holy Week, Year B (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993). (Out of print)

Reviews

[Ryan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wink thoroughly interrogates the saying "son of man" in the Bible and extrabiblical sources. He argues compellingly that the reason Jesus used this saying to refer to himself is that he realized that he symbolized the evolutionary potential of humanity in history towards oneness with God. Jesus, Wink argues, did not view himself as divinity incarnated, a messiah, or the only begotten Son of God. These ideas were created by the church to divinize him after his death. Rather, Jesus was an itinerant preacher who reached transcendence and realized his, and humanity's potential, to commune with God. He revealed the structures and domination systems of the world which pit humanity against one another, and was killed by his resistance to these powers. In his life, teachings, death, and resurrection, we have a model for how to become truly human. A truly provocative and profound approach and reimagining of Jesus.

[Joshua Duncan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gnostic, Neo-Platonic, Hermetic teaching garbed in Jungian drag. There is nothing new here. I love Wink’s insights when it comes to non-violence and domination theory (would that the church by and large, especially in conservative fundamental circles, would see the reality of it!) but this book on Christology is nothing more than a Christology of the Mystery Religions. He calls Christ, Sophia’s Child (anyone even remotely familiar with occult or mystery religions will recognize major themes here: Isis and the Horus child, the Great Arcana or Mystery of Isis unveiled, and of course Crowley’s “Age of Horus” that is, the age of the Star Child I am not saying Wink is a practitioner of the occult or if he has any idea about these things, I’m sure he doesn’t, but that’s because these ideas have been re-worded in Carl Jung that Wink has been unknowingly exposed to them). The saturation of Jungian terminology does not make it sound any more modern- Jungian psychology is as hold as Hermetic philosophy from the time the New Testament was written. Wink has not described Jesus Christ, he has described Hermès Tresmegistus. See gnosis.org/hermes.htm Jung merely put what the occult has always known and taught in psychological jargon. The ascension of Sophia’s child into the collective consciousness and Jesus being the supreme Son of The Man Archetype is nothing new- this is the aspiration of any practitioner of Magick! I am both a student of Biblical Studies and of the history and teachings of the Mystery Religions (I am a Christian and I do NOT practice the occult). The Magician performs the rite of invocation, first purifying himself, then summoning the spirit, once summoned the Magician must master it and if he fails the spirit will tear him apart. What does this translate to in reality for the Magician in Jungian terms? The “spirits” are elemental factors that make up the Magician’s personality: sexuality, the drive to power, sibling rivalry, the survival extinct, etc. the summoning of these “spirits” is nothing more than the externalization of these factors, when the Magician has understood them he has therefore mastered them and therefore on this basis becomes a fully integrated personality capable of full spiritual evolution. This is exactly what Wink proposes for Jesus, he is the only True Human Being to have fully become Human, to truly evolve into the Celestial Human. I warn the reader, this is not Christianity, nor is it even remotely close to what Jesus or his followers taught. Don’t be suckered in with the all-so astute language and fancy psychological terminology. This is profound Occultic teaching, the Jesus presented here is the Jesus of a William Blake painting- its the Jesus who has become an Ascended Master and has diffused the Christ consciousness into the collective consciousness at his “ascension” where all peoples can partake through meditation (prayer) to the God who is not a Being, but a “Becoming” (see Process theology as invented by Alfred Whitehead). Wink’s view of the world is panentheistic, the spirit is intertwined with the material. This is isn’t the theology of Jesus but it is the theosophy of Rudolph Steiner and occult pioneer Helena P Blavatsky.

If you want the very best book on Christology (in my opinion), check out “The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma” by Kegan A. Chandler.
I also recommend “Intro to New Testament Christology” by Raymond E. Brown

[Spencer]

I am a big Walter Wink fan. However, this book is problematic. I found it used online and picked it up eagerly. His book Engaging the Powers I would consider one of the best books on Christian political engagement out there. And, still, I would say, his overall thesis of this book is great: Jesus shows us what it means to be human.

However, his methodology is at best speculative and at worse contradictory and arbitrary. It seems that he does not think Jesus claimed divinity for himself and that his title "Son of Man" by Wink's recognizing was a title that was intended to be collective: we are to become the "truly human one." However, in doing so, he decides what texts are historical and what ones are inventions of the Apostles, what ones are useable and which ones are disposable in a way I found deeply uneven. A historical Jesus scholar like Dale Allison would point out just how dicy Wink's reconstruction is

As I said, I think his overall insight is true. Jesus does show us a divine-humanity. However, I don't think you need to dump a more conventional interpretation of the narratives to do it. In fact, some one like Sergei Bulgakov or Rowan Williams would argue the opposite.

[Robert Roth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found "The Human Being" to be scholarly, profound, and faithful, making clear why some scholars have called it Wink's seminal work. I just read it four or five years ago and wish I would have discovered it when it came out near two decades back. Of all the theological/spiritual books I have read since graduating Duke Divinity School in 1980, this is among a handful of works that have had the greatest impact on my faith perspective and spiritual journey. I wholeheartedly agree with the cover blurbs from Amy-Jill Levine ("engaged, honest scholarship at its best") and Marcus Borg ("brilliant and passionate, powerful and provocative"). I am tempted to quote a favorite paragraph or two, but even those that I love do not really demonstrate the breadth and depth of this work. This is not a book for those gripping tightly to dogmatic certitudes, but if you are open to shaking up your thinking (and living?) and see the life of faith as an evolving, creative adventure, "The Human Being" might well be a risk worth taking. Peace.

[M Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read nearly all of Walter Wink's books and this is by far my least favorite. I think that Wink is really on to something with his basic thesis: that is, that the use of the phrase "the Son of the Man" in Scripture, both Old Testament and New, points us to the ultimate destiny of human beings as fully realized. But Wink goes off on a number of tangents that are, frankly, odd to bizarre. He is also guilty in this book of the abiding sin of theologians: scoffing at those who hold opinions different from theirs. This tack always weakens for me the argument of any author and Wink is no exception.

Let the reader beware.

[5greenway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Challenging and iconoclastic - worth at least another read, this time ploughing through the copious endnotes. I would have liked more to the conclusion, but maybe that means I just need to think more about it myself.

[Brian White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for leading a discussion of Wink's book, "The Powers That Be." There were parts of this book that were very helpful to me in making better sense of post-modern theological thinking, especially his thoughts about imagination in shaping theology. The writing is not concise but he does give the reader a lot to ponder. While this will probably not be one of my go to theological works I did think it had a lot to recommend.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Subtitled "Jesus and the Enigma of the Son of the Man" (which literally translates the familiar Greek epithet's unusual phrasing), in a wide range of books from those wrestling with the record of the Gospels, this book continues to stand out after several years. Guaranteed to provoke productive thought, and most highly recommended.