6. The Son of Man–Messiah in the Fourth Book of Ezra

This chapter talks about the eschatological connotation of the Son of Man established in Daniel, which came to light with particular clarity in the pseudepigraphic Fourth Book of Ezra. It originated after 70 CE, or more precisely around 100 CE, and is significant in its context because it refers back to the idea of the Son of Man in Daniel 7. It focuses on the line, “like the figure of a man” that is undoubtedly the same as “like a human being” in Daniel 7, although the man mentioned does not come with the clouds of heaven but at first comes up from the depths of the sea and then flies on the clouds of heaven. In contrast to Daniel, the man is not brought to God to receive dominion but instead fights for this dominion and brings final redemption to the people of Israel. With the man's appearance, a multitude gathered from the four corners of the world in order to “make war against the man who came up out of the sea.”